This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. The strong devour, the weak are devoured. The strong are the cleavers, the weak are the flesh. Killing, bloodshed, greed, and cruelty permeate the world.
To survive in this world, one must first adapt to it.
"Flag Leader, we've struck it rich!"
After Zhou Fugui and his men killed all the surrounding thirty-odd Xiongnu and slaves around the general's tent, they discovered more than ten large chests filled with gold, silver, and treasures.
The Xiongnu and slaves, especially the slaves, were captured by the Xiongnu from various regions. Naturally, not all of them were wicked individuals, nor did all of them deserve to die, but Zhou Fugui and his men had to resort to such brutal measures to avoid exposing their identities or whereabouts.
As the saying goes, on the battlefield, in this world of the strong preying on the weak, mercy for the enemy is cruelty to oneself.
This treasure belonged to Duoyongjian, the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu. It was, of course, obtained through plundering far and wide. It was being transported when Zhou Fugui and his men stumbled upon it.
It was also the carelessness of the old man and others responsible for transporting these treasures, who thought they were absolutely safe under the Xiongnu throne.
The gleaming treasure shimmered in the military tent, capturing everyone's greedy gaze. Even Zhou Fugui was captivated, his eyes fixed on it, so dazzled he felt dizzy.
Since Zhou Fugui's emergence, he had never seen such a colossal amount of treasure.
It is said that man dies for wealth and birds die for food. Such a vast quantity of gold and silver can drive people mad, make them disregard everything. Zhou Fugui was no exception; he could not resist such temptation.
Most people in the world pursue fame and fortune. After pursuing fame, they pursue profit, and after pursuing profit, it's for fame. Of course, there are extremely rare individuals who consider fame and fortune as dirt, but many of them are hypocrites who say one thing and do another, or they adopt an air of lofty righteousness simply because they cannot obtain them.
"Close the chests, all of you, get out. Don't just stare, you'll get your share. Suo Dacheng, take some men to guard the surroundings," Zhou Fugui ordered after a moment.
Thus, everyone reluctantly left the military tent, leaving only Li Qing, Xu Mancang, Xue Wentai, Pan Guigui, Bai Ma Wu, Yang Xinhong, Wu Tianqi, Wei Xiazi, Chen Kunkun, Hong Wei, and other fellow villagers, friends, and trusted confidantes of Zhou Fugui in the tent.
"What do you think?" Zhou Fugui asked afterward.
"Move it, what else can we do?" Xu Mancang licked his dry lips and said, looking greedy and as if he valued money over his life.
"Move it where?" Yang Xinhong shook his head at the remark. "Don't you remember what we came here to do?"
"What did we come to do?" Xu Mancang asked, stroking his beard.
"What do you think?" Zhou Fugui glared at Xu Mancang and said, "Xinhong is right, moving it is not feasible."
Marching with these more than ten large chests would be no different from suicide.
To gain fame and fortune, one must first have life to gain them.
"Moving it is not feasible, but it's a pity to throw it away," said Xue Wentai, the wild monk from Guanzhong. "How much wine and meat can this be exchanged for?"
Xue Wentai touched the chest, looking extremely reluctant, still thinking of his wine and meat...
"Who said throw it away? It's indeed a pity to throw it away..." Zhou Fugui mused, stroking his chin and looking at the chests.
The vast treasures of the Xiongnu Great Chanyu Duoyongjian had now become a "chicken rib" – tasteless to eat, but a pity to discard; impossible to discard, but even more impossible to keep...
"Brother Fugui, why don't we take the treasure and return to Xue Lin City immediately?" Xu Mancang still asked Zhou Fugui reluctantly.
"Not appropriate. Everyone in the world is greedy for wealth, but greed should have a limit. It is unacceptable to let greed ruin important matters!" Zhou Fugui shook his head at the words.
"It is even more unacceptable to let greed ruin our brothers' lives," Pan Guigui sneered sarcastically from the side.
"Old Ghost, what do you mean by that?" Xu Mancang said angrily. "How would it ruin our brothers' lives?"
"We are traveling through barbarian territory. If you bring this treasure, the barbarians will be upon us within half a day. Isn't that ruining our brothers' lives?" Pan Guigui continued to sneer.
"I... you..." Xu Mancang's face turned red, and he stammered, "We'll just ride back at full speed..."
"Enough, stop talking," Zhou Fugui glared at Xu Mancang and said, "You can't take it unless you can fly."
"I have a way," Li Qing said.
"What way do you have?" Everyone's spirits immediately lifted, and they all asked. Zhou Fugui also turned to look at Li Qing.
"We cannot carry it while marching, and our horses cannot bear the load," Li Qing said. "Unrighteous wealth is not mine, and an unfilial son is not my son..."
"You're supposed to tell us a way, why are you quoting classics?" Zhou Fugui interrupted Li Qing with a wry smile.
"It's not finished yet, why are you in such a hurry?" Li Qing glared at Zhou Fugui and said, "Unrighteous wealth can be taken without guilt. Why not find a place to bury it deep?"
"Tsk!" Everyone shook their heads in disappointment and expressed their disapproval.
Burying this treasure deep would not be difficult. Find a secluded spot and bury it deep. But where Zhou Fugui and his men would go after this was unknown, whether they would return was unknown, and whether they would return alive was unknown. Even if they returned alive, whether they could safely transport it back was all a matter of uncertainty.
However, while disappointed, everyone seemed to feel that there was no better solution. So Zhou Fugui rubbed his beard and mused, "We need to travel light and stealthily on this expedition, so we cannot carry so much wealth. However, we can carry a small amount, which may be useful in the future. As for the rest, we will follow the scholar's suggestion: bury it in a secluded place, mark it well, and retrieve it if there's a chance later. Brothers, life comes before wealth. If we keep our lives, will we fear not having wealth in the future?"
Everyone nodded helplessly.
As the leader of two hundred Yan cavalry, Zhou Fugui's final decision was what the army had to obey.
Therefore, Zhou Fugui and his men threw the corpses of the Xiongnu and slaves into the tent, set fire to the tent to destroy the evidence, and then quickly left the area with the more than ten large chests to find a place to bury them.
A long time later, Duoyongjian's troops arrived at the scene and discovered the massacre. Duoyongjian was, of course, furious upon hearing the news, but he did not know who was responsible. In this chaotic world, amidst the chaotic armies, it was difficult to find out who was responsible.
.......
"Wuu... wuu... wuu..."
The closer Zhou Fugui and his men got to Touman City, the more Xiongnu troops there were. By the time they reached the city, the plains were filled with Xiongnu soldiers. Outside Touman City, the area was covered with Xiongnu tents, horns were constantly sounding, and countless Xiongnu cavalry galloped within the camp, while many warhorses grazed leisurely on the grass.
Zhou Fugui, Li Qing, Xu Mancang, Xue Wentai, Pan Guigui, Bai Ma Wu, Yelihu, Yang Xinhong, Wu Tianqi, Wei Xiazi, Chen Kunkun, Hong Wei, and others exchanged glances, then Zhou Fugui waved his hand, and they swaggered their horses towards the Xiongnu camp.
At this moment, hiding was no longer an option. Hiding and concealing would only cause trouble. Moreover, Zhou Fugui had no intention of hiding at all.
At this moment, the two hundred Yan cavalry were all dressed as Xiongnu soldiers. Zhou Fugui and his men did not need to change much to transform from Yan soldiers into Xiongnu soldiers. This was because the Xiongnu army's armor was varied, including lamellar armor, leather armor, scale armor, mail armor, and two-layered armor. Zhou Fugui and his men only needed to remove the plumes from their helmets and wear fur neck guards or leather robes, and they would look no different from Xiongnu soldiers.
The helmet covered the head and neck, leaving only the eyes and mouth visible, making it impossible to discern their faces.
Zhou Fugui led his troops towards the Xiongnu camp gate. The Xiongnu's so-called camp gate was a passage formed by surrounding some carts or other vehicles. The passage had wooden palisades on both sides, as well as some chevaux de frise.
"Who is it?" A Xiongnu soldier shouted as Zhou Fugui and his men approached the gate.
"Bai Zhang Hu Yan Han Cang, under the tent of Wu Li Dang Hu!" Zhou Fugui had gone through countless interrogations like this along the way, so he skillfully produced a sheepskin.
After the Xiongnu soldiers inspected them, they naturally let them pass. Zhou Fugui led his troops, their hearts filled with trepidation, into the Xiongnu camp. Zhou Fugui rode his horse, leading the way, stealthily observing the Xiongnu camp without attracting attention, looking for a place to settle.
The Xiongnu Great Chanyu Duoyongjian had assembled troops from the various tribes of the grasslands to march south. Their troops were mostly herdsmen who served as soldiers in wartime and civilians in peacetime. They were ordinary grassland people who, in most cases, did not know each other. Therefore, it was unlikely that the mere two hundred Yan soldiers would be detected.
However, the unexpected was about to happen...
"Giddy-up... giddy-up... giddy-up..."
At this moment, hundreds of Xiongnu cavalry suddenly galloped over. A burly Xiongnu man rode up to Zhou Fugui and said, "Stop! I have something to say."
"Are you calling me? You are...?" Zhou Fugui looked around. The burly Xiongnu man seemed to be speaking to him, so Zhou Fugui asked.
"You are under my brother-in-law's command. You don't even recognize me?" the burly Xiongnu man asked suspiciously.
"Damn it, I've run into the younger brother of the old Xiongnu I killed," Zhou Fugui thought to himself. "Heaven and earth, why such a coincidence that I should meet him?"
"Go to hell, younger brother!" Zhou Fugui hesitated for only a moment before replying, "I am just an insignificant soldier, how would I know such a distinguished lord like you?"
"Hahaha!" Zhou Fugui's clever reply greatly pleased and amused the burly Xiongnu man, and it was quite reasonable. He let out a loud laugh and introduced himself, "My lord is Tuli Hu, the Right Gudu Hou."