I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 985 First Defeat
"Your Highness! We are fighting a bloody battle on the front lines, how can we give up the fight just because of a false edict from the rear?!"

On the banks of the Ili River, inside the military tent of the Wusun army, a tribal chief with a full beard slammed his fist on the table, his hair standing on end in fury.

"That's right!"

Another tribal chief shouted:
"The Han people are treacherous and cunning. Kunmi must have been coerced by them to sign such a humiliating treaty that ceded national sovereignty!"

"Our army still has 60,000 brave warriors. Now is the time to raise our arms, return to defend the king, and save Kunmi from this dire situation!"

The command tent was filled with a cacophony of voices, with many tribal leaders echoing the sentiments, their emotions running high.

Most of them were leaders of various northern tribes who were conscripted to guard the north. A few days ago, they had only had some small-scale conflicts with Zhao Yun's vanguard and had no idea what was happening in the royal court behind them.

Now that they are ready to fight to the death and make a name for themselves, the King of Wusun suddenly surrendered and demanded that they lay down their weapons and be incorporated into the Han Chinese. How can anyone accept this?

Moreover, these northern tribes had no contact with Han territory, let alone the Western Regions. They were surrounded by barbarians in the northern forests and were arrogant and conceited, with no understanding of the power of the Han Dynasty.

Now that this order has been issued, the vast majority of people present are opposed to it. Some even directly stated that Guishemi is so cowardly that he is not worthy to be king, and that they are willing to support the eldest prince Anzhenli as the Kunmi and lead them back to the capital.

Amidst the commotion inside the tent, only the two remained silent.

They were none other than the eldest prince An Zhenli and Kuntu, the left general of the Wusun Kingdom.

An Zhenli sat upright in the main seat, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, his brows furrowed. This prince of Wusun was nearly thirty years old, with a resolute face, and a scar on his left cheek added to his fierce appearance.

He was a highly respected prince of the Wusun Kingdom, who personally led several wars against the Kangju Kingdom and achieved remarkable military exploits.

However, he was also the son that the King of Wusun was most wary of. The King of Wusun was so extravagant and reluctant to establish a crown prince that he was worried that one day he would wake up to find that this son had replaced him with the support of the military.

Therefore, on the northern front against the Han Dynasty, the King of Wusun not only sent his eldest prince to fight, but also specially dispatched his trusted general, Zuo Dajiang, to counterbalance the conflict.

Therefore, although An Zhenli was very tempted, he had to restrain his emotions in case the General Zuo suddenly attacked and beheaded him on charges of treason.

Thus, the situation inside the command tent became very delicate. Amidst the clamor of voices, neither of them uttered a word, merely staring at each other as if engaged in a silent contest.

In the end, it was An Zhenli who broke the silence first and asked General Zuo Kuntu for his opinion.

It must be said that the eldest prince was already mentally prepared to back down, just like in countless arguments the two had had in the past.
However, this time, something unexpected happened. General Zuo, who always contradicted him and criticized him relentlessly, surprisingly didn't immediately refute those radical remarks. Instead, after a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice:
"Kunmi's edict is indeed suspicious, but the Han army's ability to enter the capital without anyone noticing shows that their strength should not be underestimated. It would be a bad idea to turn back rashly."

The tent erupted in uproar, with several tribal leaders even jumping up and cursing Kuntu for being cowardly.

But Quinto's next words silenced everyone:

"However, if the eldest prince is determined to serve the king, this humble general is willing to be the vanguard!"

An Zhenli's pupils constricted as he looked incredulously at the general who had always been loyal to his father.

How could it go so smoothly?
General Zuo's wife, children, and elderly parents should all be in the capital. Why would he support me at this time?

Did the sun rise in the west today?
An Zhenli was filled with doubts, but he did not show it on his face. He simply asked in a deep voice, "Is General Kuntu telling the truth?"

Kuntu knelt on one knee, his right hand on his chest: "I swear by the spirits of my ancestors that I am willing to follow the Crown Prince and uphold the nation!"

Upon seeing this, the leaders inside the tent all knelt down and pledged their loyalty: "We are willing to follow the Crown Prince to uphold the nation!"

Inside the command tent, a whole group of people knelt down in a flurry.

The eldest prince stood in the center, momentarily dazzled and mesmerized.

He never expected that the scene he had longed for and fantasized about for so long would come true so easily.

An Zhenli stared intently into Kuntu's eyes, seeing that his gaze remained firm and loyal, until then, he suddenly realized something.

This general's loyalty was never to his father, but to the entire Wusun kingdom. Now that his father was controlled by the Han people and had signed a humiliating treaty, Kuntu saw it as a betrayal of Wusun.

Thinking this through, An Zhenli felt much more at ease. He suddenly drew his sword, and with a flash of cold light, severed the corner of the table:
"Order the entire army to immediately break camp and march south! Follow me to rescue the Kunmi and annihilate the Han invaders!"

"Save the Kunmi and punish the Han invaders!"

The generals inside the tent shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Thus, on the tenth day after the Wusun king surrendered, a rebellion broke out on the northern border. The eldest prince, Anzhenli, joined forces with the left general, Kuntu, and under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials," led an army of 60,000 south, intending to retake the capital.

When the news reached Chigu City, King Guishemi of Wusun gazed at the northern horizon in silence for a long time, then sighed and made no comment.

But deep down, he couldn't help feeling a sense of relief and relief.

What if this son succeeds? The Wusun Kingdom might regain its freedom.

This thought was not only shared by the King of Wusun, but also by other tribes within the Wusun kingdom, who all harbored a degree of wait-and-see attitude.

After the eldest prince raised his army, not only did many northern tribes join him, but even the tribes of Rehu and Tianshan, who had previously submitted their allegiance, began to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.

"Although the capital, Chigu, is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the Han army within the city numbers only a little over a thousand, while the Crown Prince commands over sixty thousand troops, with continuous reinforcements from various northern tribes. The outcome of this battle is still uncertain."

The leaders who had come to pay homage in Chigu City sat in their felt tents, discussing in hushed tones.

Some of them even secretly ordered that the summons to the royal court be delayed as long as possible, preferably until the outcome of the battle was decided.

Su Yao was well aware of the changes in these people.

This is the final battle. Once this ambitious prince is dealt with, the entire Wusun will completely submit to the rule of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, while the Wusun were advancing south, Su Yao was also actively preparing, and the entire army in Chigu City immediately stepped up its preparations for battle.

That day, Zhou Yu, who was busy with government affairs, immediately put down everything he was doing upon receiving the battle report from the front lines and rushed to Su Yao's bedchamber, asking hurriedly:

Has Your Highness received the message?

"How are General Ma and General Zhao doing? The enemy is advancing south in force; could they have already..."

Zhou Yu hadn't finished speaking, but his worry was already evident in his words.

Zhao Yun led 10,000 elite cavalry, tasked with launching a feint attack on the northern route to contain the enemy, while Ma Chao led 4,000 Han-Wu allied troops northward to subdue the eldest prince.

Now that the north has rebelled and 60,000 enemy cavalry are marching south, those two are probably in a very bad situation.

"Gongjin, don't panic, they are both still alive."

Su Yao beckoned Zhou Yu to sit down:
"Zilong and Mengqi are both renowned generals of their time; how could they be easily killed?"

As he spoke, Su Yao handed over the latest military intelligence.

When Zhou Yu took a look, he almost fainted.

In short, the Han army suffered a major defeat in this battle.

The eldest prince and the left general of the Wusun Kingdom were both seasoned and capable men. After they reached a consensus and decided to raise an army, they immediately devised a plan of advance.

Everyone knew that in order to successfully march south and recapture the capital, they had to first deal with the two Han army forces around them; otherwise, once they reached the walls of Wusun, they would be attacked from both sides and would only face defeat and death.

Therefore, they adopted a feigned surrender strategy, pretending to obey the king's orders and submit, tricking Ma Chao and others into coming to incorporate their troops, and then suddenly launched an attack.

Although they had increased their vigilance under Su Yao's instructions and did not venture deep into the enemy camp rashly, Ma Chao was still no match for the sudden attack of 60,000 troops and was once again chased and forced to flee.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the three thousand Wusun imperial guards also surrendered directly. Of the one thousand Han cavalry he led, only four hundred or so escaped from the battlefield, suffering the greatest loss in the entire Han-Wusun war.

As for Zhao Yun's side
Because the Wusun army has isolated the northern and southern battlefields, they have not received any news from Zhao Yun's side so far.

"This is bad news."

"General Ma suffered a crushing defeat, General Zhao's fate is unknown, and the rebel army of over 60,000 is advancing south, while the various Wusun tribes along the way remain hesitant and indecisive. If they were to reach the city walls, the surrendered Wusun troops within the city might cause unrest!"

Zhou Yu looked at Su Yao with a nervous expression, only to find that the general's eyes showed no sign of wavering.

On the contrary
Am I seeing things wrong?
Zhou Yu blinked sharply, feeling somewhat dazed.

General, were you laughing just now?
(End of this chapter)