Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 91: The Crisis of the Brotherhood

Amid the shouts of the Qin soldiers and corvées, Sukotaku gradually lost consciousness, vomited blood, his eyes were wide open, and he slowly fell down with his face facing the sky. The third most powerful general of the Huns, known as General Tiger, and his 30,000 cavalrymen all died in the valley.

Meng Yi was sweating all over, watching Sukotaku's breathing gradually stabilize. Although he could shoot Sukotaku to death with arrows instead of taking the risk of a duel with him, he did so, firstly, because he was young and energetic and wanted to compete with this fierce general to decide the outcome, prove himself and boost morale; secondly, it was also a respect for Sukotaku, letting him die in his own arms without any regrets.

Meng Yi waved his hand, and the shouting stopped suddenly. He felt relieved and walked towards Wuzhan. He wanted to know how Wuzhan did it.

"General Meng is truly a man of extraordinary power. He was able to kill such a powerful Hun general alone. I am fortunate to have witnessed it with my own eyes today. It really opens my eyes!" Wuzhan said with a fist salute.

Meng Yi stepped forward and laughed, "Master, this magic array really impresses me. I wonder where you came from and how you got to this point?"

Wuzhan said: "My master was a hermit Taoist priest, his Taoist name was Zitan, he lived in Cangyan Mountain, he passed away last year. After burying my master, I wanted to go down the mountain to travel, but I didn't expect to be caught and forced to do forced labor. I am really ashamed!"

Meng Yi laughed and said, "Master, you are proficient in magic arrays. You were captured to do corvée labor. You must have been wronged!" He asked again, "Master, how did you set up this magic array to save so many corvée laborers?"

Wuzhan narrated to Meng Yi the story he had already made up, how he gained the attention of Wei's general and how he supervised the construction of the Great Wall. When the Huns invaded, he was leading the laborers in the mountains to mine stone and wood. When he came back, he found that the gate had been lost and corpses were everywhere. He was disgusted and put into use what he had learned. He secretly ordered the laborers to set up a magic circle in the valley, determined to deal a fatal blow to this inhumane Hun cavalry.

After listening to Wuzhan's narration, Meng Yi said excitedly: "The Taoist priest has truly made outstanding contributions to the Qin Dynasty. I will report this to His Majesty right away. His Majesty will surely reward the Taoist priest generously and give him a higher rank!"

Wuzhan smiled and said: "It was you who killed the Huns' general, and it was you who ordered me to ambush these 30,000 cavalrymen. It was because of your proper command!" He made it very clear and gave the credit to Meng Yi.

Meng Yi said: "Absolutely not. How can I be so shameless as to accept the Taoist's extraordinary achievements!"

After hearing this, Wuzhan sighed and said sadly: "To be honest, I have a terminal illness and will not live long. I have already taken those things lightly. If I had not seen the cruelty of the Xiongnu, how could I care about them? I now beg the general to give me freedom so that I can spend the rest of my life in peace."

At first, Meng Yi only noticed that Wuzhan was thin, but he didn't look closely. After hearing Wuzhan's words, he took a closer look and found that it was indeed the case. He generously said, "Master, come back to Xianyang with me. I will find the best doctor in the world to treat you!"

Wuzhan said: "Thank you for your concern, General. I appreciate it. I know a little bit about this medical skill. I know my own illness best. Not all diseases can be cured."

Seeing that Wuzhan had unique skills but was suffering from a terminal illness, Meng Yi felt sorry and said, "It's a pity that Daqin can't get the help of the Taoist priest. I will now pardon the Taoist priest's labor service and grant him a tax exemption card!" After saying that, he ordered his confidant to take out a tax exemption card and present it with both hands.

With a tax exemption card, one can be exempted from all taxes and labor service. There are very few of them, and most of them are awarded to soldiers who have made great contributions on the battlefield.

Wuzhan took it and thanked him, "Thank you, General!"

Meng Yi sighed, "I should thank the Taoist priest. If it weren't for you setting up this formation to annihilate 30,000 cavalrymen and fight back, His Majesty would have been furious and punished my brother. The Taoist priest's actions are truly a great favor to my Meng family. Please accept my greetings!"

Wuzhan rushed to help him up, "Absolutely not!" But Meng Yi was too strong, Wuzhan could not help him up at all, "I can't bear it." Then he knelt on the ground.

Meng Yi said, "Master, why are you doing this? Get up quickly!" and helped Wu Zhan up.

"General, please stand up!" Wu Zhan did not stand up.

Meng Yi cherishes talents and intends to keep Wuzhan by his side, but Wuzhan is indifferent to fame and fortune, which makes him regretful. Seeing the two kneeling on the ground like brothers, he thought: "If I become brothers with him, wouldn't that mean I can keep him!" Holding Wuzhan's hand, he said sincerely: "The Taoist priest and I hit it off right away. If you don't mind, I would like to become sworn brothers with you. I wonder if you are willing?"

Wuzhan said: "It is a great honor to be able to become brothers with the general. I couldn't ask for more!"

Meng Yi supported Wuzhan's shoulders and said happily, "Okay!"

The two talked about their ages. Meng Yi was ten years older than Wuzhan, so Meng Yi naturally became the elder brother. So, under the watchful eyes of the Qin soldiers and corvées, they faced the south direction of the temple, picked up some soil as incense, and bowed eight times. Meng Yi had an elder brother, so Wuzhan called Meng Yi "second brother" and Meng Yi called Wuzhan "good brother".

The two men helped each other to stand up, and Meng Yi said happily: "It's a pity that we were in such a hurry to march and didn't bring any wine with us. We can't get drunk!"

Wuzhan said: "This is the best. I can't handle the alcohol, and my second brother will laugh at me!"

Jin Xingzi and Ling Kongzi were taming Xiao Tianhu. When they heard this, they shouted, "We are better at drinking. Give all the wine to us, little master!"

Wuzhan said hurriedly, "These two are the two disciples I accepted after I came down the mountain. They are Lingkongzi and Jinxingzi. I don't know the etiquette, please forgive me, second brother!"

Meng Yi smiled and said, "If it weren't for Jin Xingzi exhausting Xu Ketuo's energy, how could I have killed him so easily? My dear brother, you really have two talented disciples. But my internal strength is not enough. I wonder who did they learn their skills from?"

Ling Kongzi said: "Although the young master cannot practice, he is familiar with the Tao. Our cultivation was taught by the young master!" Meng Yi was surprised and said: "I really can't tell. Brother, you only know that I am proficient in formations, but I didn't expect that I can also teach Taoism!"

Jin Xingzi said: "Young Master is full of knowledge, astronomy, geography, and all kinds of scholars. He knows everything!"

Ling Kongzi added: "'Catch mosquitoes in the sky' and 'catch earthworms in the ground'!"

"No! No! ..."

After hearing this, Meng Yi laughed and said, "My dear brother, your two disciples are really interesting!" He felt that Wuzhan was very knowledgeable.

Wuzhan asked, "Where will my second brother lead his troops next?"

Meng Yi said, "I will go back to Xianyang to report. Brother, are you willing to go back with me?" Seeing Wuzhan hesitated, he said sadly, "Brother, you don't know. My brother was ordered to resist the Xiongnu in the north. He has an unshirkable responsibility for the loss of Yanchi, Yulin, and Shenmu in Shangjun. Now he is restrained by Touman's 300,000 troops and cannot lead troops to block the invading Xiongnu. Otherwise, Yanmen will be lost and the consequences will be disastrous. However, someone in the court took the opportunity to slander my brother and wanted to remove his military power. With the strong protection of Your Majesty and other court officials, my brother's military power was preserved and no generals were replaced on the battlefield. He was recalled to be punished. However, if the Xiongnu retreated, my brother would surely be recalled. Now I only hope to report to Your Majesty the news that my brother annihilated 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry. I don't know if this will satisfy Your Majesty and whether there is room for maneuver."

Wuzhan said: "I think it is inappropriate. Instead of returning to Xianyang to negotiate, it is better to let them shut up."

After hearing this, Meng Yi asked, "How can we make them shut up?"

"Continue the pursuit until the Huns are defeated."

"How to defeat him? Help me, my dear brother!" Meng Yi said excitedly while holding Wuzhan's hand.

Wuzhan let go of his hand and said, "The Xiongnu mobilized a large army and pressed into Yanmen. Of course, their purpose was not to take advantage of the opportunity to plunder Shangjun. Second brother also knows that your brother is far-sighted and did not let them succeed. So what will they do next? Will they withdraw easily?"

Meng Yi pondered: "If we don't withdraw our troops, will they attack Yanmen Pass by force?"

Wuzhan smiled and said, "That is inevitable, but their time has not come yet."

Meng Yi asked: "Then what time will they wait for?"

Wuzhan said: "Of course it was when your brother was transferred away, just like the counter-espionage strategy used by General Wang Jian to destroy Zhao, transferring... Li Mu, killing someone with a borrowed knife, and replacing him with Zhao Cong to capture Jingxing."

"My dear brother, are you saying that the Xiongnu bribed the people in the court?"

Wuzhan smiled and said, "That may not be the case, but jealousy among colleagues is common in every court. I'm sure my second brother knows this best, so why would he need to bribe them?"

"But even if my brother were to be replaced, the Qin Dynasty still has good generals going there, and the Xiongnu may not be able to break through Yanmen."

Wuzhan said: "This is wrong. The Xiongnu are different from the six states in Shandong. Your brother has been resisting for many years. Who are the Xiongnu most afraid of? The other generals, although they have made great achievements in battle, have no experience. Moreover, they only know how to attack cities, but not how to defend them. Their chances of winning are too small."

"But if Your Majesty had not transferred my brother away, wouldn't their efforts have been in vain?"

"Even if I'm not transferred this time, it won't be as simple as transferring next time."

"Brother, do you mean that the Xiongnu will attack Shangjun again?"

Wuzhan said, "That's right. If I'm not mistaken, they are just testing Daqin's patience this time. If this cavalry is not annihilated, the three cavalry of the Xiongnu will attack again after my second brother returns to the court, directly cross the Deshui River, turn to Taiyuan County, and go around to the rear of Yanmen. If your brother doesn't send troops this time, you will be blamed!" He paused and said, "But if you still don't send troops, this team will sweep across the northeastern counties like a sharp sword. What's the point of your brother staying in Yanmen? If you send troops, these three cavalry will detour in Shanggu County, and wait for Touman's 300,000 troops to break through Yanmen and surround them. Your brother will be attacked from both sides, and if things go wrong, the whole army will be wiped out. When the reinforcements arrive, the northeastern counties will have fallen into the hands of the Xiongnu."

After hearing this, Meng Yi cried out, "Ah!" and looked as pale as death. "Is there no way to break it?" If it was really as Wuzhan said, then they would definitely be defeated.

Wuzhan said, "Of course there is. Now, don't return to the capital, but continue to pursue them. They should meet in Jiuyuan to rest and prepare to cross the river on rafts. We are closest to Jiuyuan. If we only bring cavalry, we can go there in advance, wait for them, and annihilate them."

Meng Yi said: "Brother, you only have 20,000 cavalry. Even if you get there first, how can you fight against the 50,000 cavalry from the two routes?"

Wuzhan said: "They don't know that this cavalry has been annihilated. Second brother can order the soldiers to change into their clothes and kill them by surprise."

(End of this chapter)