Chương 600: We will not return until the Xiongnu are destroyed!

He paused, picked up his teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and continued:

"As for the people, the core Xiongnu people numbered only about 100, 000, mostly remnants of those who migrated westward, and some who were later driven there by the Xianbei. The rest were locals they had coerced, including Kangju people, Alans, Sogdians, and many Saka people with high noses and blue eyes, who all looked different from us."

After so many years of interbreeding, they are no longer pure Huns; they are just a motley crew, dressed in brightly colored clothes..."

"How many can fight?" Zhang Fei asked impatiently, slapping his thigh so hard that the candles on the table flickered.

"They can't possibly outnumber the Xianbei, can they? When we fought the Xianbei before, 30, 000 against 120, 000 was like child's play! I never got enough of them!"

"Far inferior to the Xianbei." Li Jing held up four fingers and waved them in front of everyone.

"According to the rule of nomadic peoples that one soldier is needed for every five people, the total population of the Northern Xiongnu was only around 200, 000. The number of able-bodied young cavalrymen who could be mobilized for battle was at most 45, 000, and at most less than 50, 000."

At its peak, the Xiongnu had 300, 000 archers; now they number less than one-sixth of that, emaciated and barely recognizable as skin and bones.

"Only forty thousand or so?" Cheng Yaojin grinned, patted his chest, and swallowed the beef jerky, almost choking.

"What's there to be afraid of! The 100, 000 elite troops we brought this time are all capable of taking on ten men each. Crushing them is a piece of cake, isn't it? I, Old Cheng, can take on ten of them by myself! Without even breaking a sweat!"

"Don't underestimate the enemy." Zhao Yun stepped forward, neatly putting away his cleaned spear with fluid, graceful movements.

"They've been operating in Central Asia for a hundred years, they know the terrain well, and they run faster than rabbits. If they can't beat us, they'll run deep into the grasslands and the vast Gobi Desert, where it's very difficult for us to catch up and annihilate them."

General Dou Xian's failure to catch the Northern Xiongnu chieftain back then left this problem unresolved, allowing him to escape and remain at large for a century. We must not repeat the same mistake.

"Zilong is right." Li Jing nodded approvingly, his gaze sweeping over the generals.

"The advantage of the Northern Xiongnu lies here: they are good at individual horse archery, they come and go like the wind, they fight if they can win, and they run away if they can't win."

But their disadvantages were even more fatal: First, they had too few troops to fight large-scale battles; they would be wiped out in a single battle.

Secondly, the tribal alliance was scattered like sand, the Chanyu's words were like farts, each tribe acted independently, and at the slightest sign of trouble, they would run away first, and no one cared about anyone else.

Third, their weaponry is so poorly made that most weapons are bronze, and only nobles and elites can use iron weapons. Even their arrowheads are made of bone, unable to penetrate our leather armor—it's like a tickle.

Li Ji added, turning to another page of the document, and read aloud: "Economically, we were extremely poor, relying entirely on herding sheep to make a living, occasionally robbing caravans on the Silk Road, and also working as mercenaries for Kangju and Kushan in exchange for some grain and scrap metal."

You might not believe it, but their nobles couldn't even afford iron pots; they cooked in earthenware pots, and the rice they cooked had a muddy taste.

Kangju initially took them in intending for them to serve as henchmen against the Kushans, but instead, they let a wolf into their home. Now, the Northern Xiongnu are growing increasingly powerful and have begun encroaching on Kangju's territory. The two sides have long been at odds, secretly wishing to strangle each other and stabbing one another in the back.

"So, Kangju won't help them?" Qin Qiong asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Highly unlikely," Li Jing shook his head and chuckled, a hint of disdain in his smile.

"Kangju itself is a city-state alliance, internally fragmented, with more than a dozen city lords each managing their own affairs and fighting amongst themselves. How can they have time to care about others? They both use and guard against the Northern Xiongnu. When they use them, they treat them like dogs, and when they guard against them, they wish they could chain them up. They would never fight to the death with our 100, 000-strong army for a group of outsiders."

At most, they might provide some provisions or open the borders to allow them to escape. As for Parthia, they were busy fighting the Romans in Persia and wouldn't bother with this; they were too preoccupied with their own problems.

"Then what are we waiting for!" Zhang Fei slapped his thigh, making the candles on the table jump.

"Commander! Give the order! I, Old Zhang, am willing to be the vanguard, leading ten thousand cavalry to raze Kangju to the ground and cut off that damned Chanyu's head to use as a chamber pot! I've had my eye on them for a long time!"

"I'll go too!" Cheng Yaojin immediately raised his hand, forgetting to swallow the beef jerky in his mouth.

"I'll go with Yide! I guarantee we'll bring you the Chanyu's head in three days! If it's a day late, I, Lao Cheng, will give you the head!"

"You two, stop fighting!" Guan Yu stroked his magnificent beard and said slowly, without even lifting his eyelids.

"The vanguard position is naturally mine. In terms of seniority and martial arts skills, you are all still too green."

"Why should it be yours?" Zhang Fei shouted defiantly, veins bulging on his neck.

"Last time... this time it's my turn!"

The three of them started arguing, and the tent suddenly became noisy, like a marketplace.

"Stop arguing!" Li Jing raised his hand to stop them, his voice suddenly becoming sharp, like a knife slicing through the noise.

"Although the Northern Xiongnu are weak, even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die easily. If we allow them to escape west of the Caspian Sea, they will become a major threat to the Central Plains again in a few hundred years. We cannot leave such a threat for our descendants. This western expedition must be carried out to annihilate them completely, leaving no future trouble! If even one escapes, I will hold you accountable!"

"Your subordinates obey!" the generals inside the tent responded in unison, their voices echoing outside the tent, even causing the warhorses outside to neigh in unison.

Li Jing drew his sword, its tip pointing directly at the direction of Kangju on the map; a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Li Ji, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, listen to my command! The three of you will lead 30, 000 elite cavalry as the vanguard, travel light and quickly, and depart in three days. Head north along the western border of Wusun, circle around to the rear of the Northern Xiongnu, and cut off their retreat route to Yan Cai!"

Remember, surround them, don't attack. Once you've surrounded them, wait for your main force to arrive before launching a combined assault. Don't let them escape! Anyone who alerts them will be severely punished!

"Your subordinate obeys!" Li Ji, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei responded in unison. Zhang Fei even raised an eyebrow at Cheng Yaojin with a smug look, which made Cheng Yaojin snort angrily.

"Zhao Yun, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, heed my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"The three of you will follow me, leading the main force of 70, 000 westward, carrying all the cannons and muskets, straight to the Northern Xiongnu royal court! Cheng Yaojin, you will lead 5, 000 musketeers as the vanguard. If you encounter any small groups of enemies, eliminate them directly. No need to ask for permission, just kill them!"

"Understood!" Cheng Yaojin was overjoyed. Although he hadn't managed to be the vanguard, it was still good to lead the musketeers into battle. At least it was better than sitting on the sidelines.

Li Jing sheathed his sword, the sound of metal scraping together was crisp and pleasant.

His gaze swept across the dark night sky outside the tent, as if he could already see the endless flames of war beyond the Pamir Mountains, and a confident smile played on his lips.

"Issue my order: The entire army shall rest for three days, and slaughter cattle and sheep to reward the soldiers! Three days later, we shall march west to conquer the Northern Xiongnu! We swear not to return until the Xiongnu are destroyed!"

"We will not return until the Xiongnu are destroyed!"

The generals roared in unison, their voices piercing the howling north wind and echoing throughout the entire camp, startling a flock of birds roosting in the distance.

...