"Save me, my son!"
Zhou Fugui and Cen Can led their troops in a surprise attack on Duo Yongjian. Cen Can, despite starting later, arrived first, charging ahead of Zhou Fugui and striking Duo Yongjian off his horse. Cen Can thought this blow would finish Duo Yongjian, but the latter, clad in heavy armor, was unharmed. Duo Yongjian tumbled from his horse, and Zhou Fugui, galloping up, thrust his spear. Duo Yongjian, terrified, cried out for help.
"Roar!"
The foreign monk Hu Jue, eager to protect his master, roared in fury. Abandoning Xu Mancang and Xue Wentai, he brandished his crescent shovel and leaped forward like lightning, intercepting Zhou Fugui and Duo Yongjian. He swung his crescent shovel down upon Zhou Fugui's head.
Hu Jue was a towering figure, and his full-strength blow was incredibly powerful. Zhou Fugui, startled, reined in his horse and retreated to avoid the brunt of the attack.
With a deafening "Boom!", everyone's ears rang. A weapon appeared, blocking Hu Jue's crescent shovel. The clash of the two weapons sent a shower of sparks flying and kicked up a cloud of dust several meters high. When the dust cleared, a fierce warrior stood face to face with Hu Jue, locked in a struggle. The two warriors, like twin iron towers or guardian deities, were evenly matched.
"Do not harm my lord!" shouted Kunlun slave Pi E, arriving and deflecting the crescent shovel.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Both warriors, driven by loyalty to their lords, exchanged no words. They swung their weapons furiously at each other. The crescent shovel weighed seventy-eight jin, and the vajra pestle was no lighter. The collision of the two weapons produced a series of loud, piercing sounds that made one wish to block their ears.
"Hah!"
Finally, both men had their weapons knocked from their hands. They refused to yield, however, and instead engaged in unarmed combat, straining with all their might. The two warriors, locked in a fierce struggle, refused to give ground.
Pi E and Hu Jue grappled, their muscles bulging, their feet digging four deep furrows into the ground.
Wrestling was not about striking with weapons; apart from a few techniques, it was a test of pure strength.
For a time, their strength was equal, and neither could gain the upper hand.
"Puff!"
While Pi E grappled with Hu Jue, and Cen Can's men held off Duo Yongjian's personal guards, Zhou Fugui rode directly to Duo Yongjian and thrust his spear beneath his shoulder. Even with Duo Yongjian's heavy armor, it could not withstand the divine weapon, the Heaven-Shaking Dragon Spear. The spear tip pierced the armor as if slicing through tofu.
"Who are you? Why do you kill me?" Duo Yongjian, isolated, gripped the Heaven-Shaking Dragon Spear tightly with his right hand and asked Zhou Fugui.
"Zhou Fugui of Yan!" Zhou Fugui grinned and replied, "You tried to kill me first, I'm sorry!"
With that, Zhou Fugui twisted the spear tip and severed Duo Yongjian's head.
"Duo Yongjian, the cruel and wicked, has been apprehended! Discard your weapons immediately. Those who hesitate will die, and those who surrender will be forgiven!" Zhou Fugui, holding the Heaven-Shaking Dragon Spear in one hand and Duo Yongjian's head in the other, shouted to the soldiers locked in combat.
Zhou Fugui shouted three times. Many Xiongnu soldiers heard him, but none laid down their weapons. However, they stopped fighting and stared blankly at Zhou Fugui.
The reason was clear: Zhou Fugui was Han, a general of Yan. They did not trust him.
"Quickly discard your weapons! Those who hesitate will be killed without mercy!"
"No mercy! No mercy! No mercy!"
A group of soldiers, including Rin Yue's subordinate slave army, Zhou Fugui's White Tiger Camp, and the soldiers under [Unknown Commander's Name], stepped forward, weapons in hand, and shouted in unison.
Just then, Zhun Jin arrived with the main army from outside the camp. However, they were still at a disadvantage compared to the Xiongnu army. Consequently, some Xiongnu soldiers resumed fighting, while others wished to surrender, creating a scene of utter chaos.
"Hah!" Pi E and Hu Jue were still locked together, still wrestling, still evenly matched.
"War breeds disaster, and disaster brings continuous suffering. Blood flows like a river, and the people cannot live. I, Rin Yue, pledge to you here that if you lay down your arms, I will not pursue or implicate anyone. Your lives will be safe, and your private property will not be seized." Rin Yue rode up to Zhou Fugui and stood beside him, speaking loudly.
"Princess Consort...呸...啪...The sun of the grasslands, the moon goddess of the dark night, the queen of all people..." Bai Chang was the first to speak, slapping himself hard. He knelt on the ground, placing his hands flat on the earth, and said, "I, Bai Chang, am willing to surrender and be your servant forever, to follow you always. If I break this oath, I shall suffer a cruel death!"
Bai Chang had seen clearly. Duo Yongjian was dead, his power was gone, and his faction would soon crumble. If he didn't seize the opportunity now, when would he? It would be too late...
By surrendering first, perhaps he could even be promoted and rewarded.
"Hah!" Pi E and Hu Jue were still locked together, still wrestling, still evenly matched...
"The sun of the grasslands, the moon goddess of the dark night, the queen of all people, we are willing to surrender."
"Queen Qimoni, we are willing to follow you forever!"
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
With the first, came the second, third, and fourth, until countless Xiongnu people, a vast throng, knelt before Rin Yue's horse. A few who remained defiant were captured and killed, or dared not resist openly. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Rin Yue was known for her compassion and care for her people. Therefore, the Xiongnu did not trust Zhou Fugui, but they trusted Rin Yue, believing she would not harm them.
"The sun of the grasslands, the moon goddess of the dark night, the queen of all people, Duo Yongjian, that scoundrel, though dead, his followers must not be spared."
"Exactly, exactly. They oppressed the good and did all sorts of evil deeds. They must not be let go."
"..."
"Your Majesty is worthy of heaven and earth, like a turning flower, like dew on lotus. The songs of orioles are still melodious. As the eyes gaze, they gather. As if you descended from the heavens..."
"Your Majesty governs heaven and earth, surely bringing forth harmonious music, and all under heaven shall rejoice together!"
"Your Majesty rose from humble beginnings and will surely wield your sword to take the world, not through abdication, nor by the might of Tang and Wu. Like a dragon's movement and a tiger's change, riding the winds and clouds, you will surely conquer the unruly and the wicked, and cleanse the imperial domain."
"..."
The crowd then showered Rin Yue with flattery, praising the new ruler of the grasslands to the skies, as if she were one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, while Zhou Fugui and his companions were left aside.
Obsequious flatterers were not only found in the Central Plains but also on the grasslands.
Rin Yue, with her beautiful eyes lightly closed, listened to the fawning words, feeling as if bathed in a spring breeze. It was also the first time she tasted the sweetness of power.
Zhou Fugui shook his head, picked up the Heaven-Shaking Dragon Spear, and walked to the side. He dismounted, leaned against a pillar, crossed his arms, and watched it all unfold, a dismissive smile playing on his lips.
"Master..." Pi E and Hu Jue's wrestling match finally ended. Pi E, dragging the ashen-faced Hu Jue, walked up to Zhou Fugui and called out softly.
On the surface, Pi E had won and Hu Jue had lost. In reality, Duo Yongjian had been killed by Zhou Fugui, and his cause was lost. Hu Jue was heartbroken and thus defeated.
"Hmm, what is it?" Zhou Fugui glanced at Hu Jue and asked.
"Master, please... please... spare his life." A hero admires another hero; a good man pities a good man. Pi E felt a pang of pity for Hu Jue, who was his equal, and couldn't bear to kill him. Thus, he stammered out a plea for mercy.
"Hmm..." Zhou Fugui nodded, patted Pi E's broad shoulder, and walked up to Hu Jue, asking, "Are you willing to surrender to me?"
Zhou Fugui suddenly felt that this foreign monk, Hu Jue, was far more relatable than Rin Yue.
"You killed the Great Chanyu, making you my enemy. How can I surrender to you? Kill me," Hu Jue said, kneeling on the ground, dejected.
"Hahaha, how can a loyal and brave man be killed carelessly?" Zhou Fugui chuckled and asked, "What did Duo Yongjian give you to make you so loyal to him?"
"Ah? What did he give me?" Hu Jue replied, stunned. "Hu Jue was born with a large stomach and an astonishing appetite. My adoptive father made sure I had enough to eat at every meal. Is that not enough?"
Everyone laughed at this.
A few meals of food made him so devoted? Everyone inwardly found it amusing.
Yet, many also thought that in these chaotic times, in this world where people devoured each other, some would indeed risk their lives for a full meal.
"Hu Jue? He even adopted you?" Zhou Fugui chuckled and said, "Your surname is Hu, not Duo. Did your parents give you your surname to be a surrogate child? Aren't you ashamed to disgrace your parents? A few meals? He was merely using you like an ox or a horse. Why are you so grateful to him?"
I don't have the surname Hu, and my adoptive father doesn't have the surname Duo... Hu Jue opened his mouth, his head spinning, unsure how to respond.
In truth, the deceased Duo Yongjian had given Hu Jue more than just a few meals. However, Hu Jue was naturally slow-witted and honest. Facing the eloquent and cunning Zhou Fugui, how could he be his match?
"Wonton ghost..." Pi E grabbed Hu Jue by the ear and shouted, "My master is willing to take you in, a fortune you've cultivated for lifetimes. How dare you refuse? My master is a hundred times better than that fat pig."
"Yes, you are right." Hu Jue nodded in agreement.
In Hu Jue's mind, since Zhou Fugui personally took Duo Yongjian's head, he was naturally far more powerful than Duo Yongjian.
"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter.
And so, Zhou Fugui gained another formidable general.
...
"Bang!" With a thud, Xiga Luo, a chiliarch under Rin Yue, dragged Prince Bian into the tent and threw him before Rin Yue, then bowed and reported, "Master, the person has been brought."
Leaning on a soft chair and engaged in discussions with Zhou Fugui and others, Rin Yue turned her head and nodded at Prince Bian.
"Rin Yue?" Prince Bian, dragged from his sleep, was already trembling with fear. Seeing Rin Yue, he felt a great sense of relief. He crawled to Rin Yue's side and asked, "Where did my father go? They said... you killed him... is that true?"
"That is true." Zhou Fugui nodded and slowly drew the heavy sword from his waist.
"Fugui, what do you intend to do?" Rin Yue asked in alarm.