The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 531 Grassland
Ke Bineng stood on the top of the cliff, with thousands of remaining troops behind him. He looked at the faint fire in the south, his eyes flashing with deep hatred. "Qin Shou! Wei Yan!"

He whispered these names, as if he wanted to chew them up. The huge Xianbei tribe suffered heavy losses in this battle. Although the soldiers and horses were not lost much, the herdsmen suffered heavy losses, and a large number of young and strong men were killed by the Tang army.

Kebi could think of what he had seen along the way, that all the men taller than the wheels were killed. This meant that the Xianbei had lost a large number of reserves, and once his own men and horses were completely lost, it would be difficult for him to recruit more troops to a large extent.

At this time, the confidant beside him whispered: "Chanyu, the spies reported that Budugen's army was almost wiped out, and he fled to the Dingling territory with only a few dozen cavalry."

Kebi Neng sneered: "If Budugen, this idiot, had listened to me and joined forces, why would it have come to this?" He turned to look at the people behind him and raised his voice, "But this is also our opportunity! The blood of the Xianbei people cannot be shed in vain! Pass the order and send envoys to contact Wuhuan, Dingling, and those old friends in the Western Regions. The Tang Dynasty wants to dominate the grassland? It's not that easy!"

At the same time, Yanmen Pass

Wei Yan stood on the tower, holding a secret letter in his hand, frowning. Gao Lan walked over quickly and whispered, "General, there is news from Chang'an. The cabinet seems to be quite satisfied with Liu Bao's "military exploits" and has rewarded him with a lot of money and property. The cabinet has also given all the grasslands occupied by the enemy to Liu Bao."

Wei Yan snorted coldly: "The cabinet is raising a tiger to cause trouble? I have written to the cabinet and they can grant money and property, but not grassland. These grasslands belong to the soldiers, eh!"

Wei Yan opened the letter, his eyes fixed, and then he understood. He looked up to the north, a smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "So it was His Majesty's order. Regardless of whether Liu Bao has made military achievements or not, he will be given pasture. Haha, since it is His Majesty's order, it must be correct."

Wei Yan put the secret letter into his arms, and a deep light flashed in his eyes. He turned to Gao Lan and said, "Pass the order, the whole army will rest for three days and strengthen the city defense. In addition, send out scouts to closely monitor the movements in the north, especially Liu Bao's troops."

Gao Lan was somewhat puzzled: "General, since His Majesty has already issued an order, why should we still be on guard against Liu Bao?"

Wei Yan smiled slightly: "Your Majesty's deep intentions are not something that ordinary people can easily guess. Although Liu Bao has been rewarded, his ambitions are still there. Giving him the pasture is just a trick to lure him out of his hole. We just need to wait and see, and when he reveals his flaws, we can destroy him in one fell swoop."

Gao Lan suddenly realized, clasped his fists and said, "I understand!"

At the same time, Kebi Neng's envoys had arrived at the Wuhuan tribe. Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun sat in his tent. After listening to the envoy's intention, he pondered for a moment and said, "Kebi Neng wants to unite with us to fight against the Tang Dynasty? But now the Tang Dynasty is so powerful, if we act rashly, we may end up in trouble."

The envoy bowed and said, "Shan Yu, please understand. Although the Tang Dynasty is strong, it is not a monolithic entity. Although Liu Bao has just gained some pasture, he is also dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty. As long as we unite and take advantage of their unstable foothold, we will surely be able to defeat them in one fell swoop."

A gleam of light flashed in Tadun's eyes: "Okay! In this case, I, Wuhuan, am willing to form an alliance with Kebi Neng. However, we still need to contact Dingling and the tribes in the Western Regions to start an uprising together."

The messenger was overjoyed and said, "The Chanyu is wise! My Chanyu has sent people to Dingling, and I believe good news will come soon."

After the envoy left the Wuhuan tent, Tadun immediately summoned his advisers and generals. He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, the Xianbei Kebineng wants to unite with us to fight against the Tang Dynasty. What do you think about this?"

The counselor stepped forward and said, "Chanyu, you must be cautious about this matter. The Tang army is at its peak, Wei Yan is stationed at Yanmen, and he has numerous elite soldiers and generals under his command. The generals under the Tang emperor are currently conquering Liaodong. If we rashly unite at this time, it may not be the best strategy."

Tadun frowned slightly: "But if we sit back and watch the Tang Dynasty swallow up the Xianbei, the next one will be our Wuhuan."

He could not forget the scene when he was chased by Qin Shou. Moreover, the Xianbei people also contributed to this. Now that he was asked to join forces with the Xianbei people, he still felt a little uncomfortable.

Now that the Wuhuan were much weaker, Tadun was in a dilemma. After all, he knew that if the Xianbei were defeated, he would be the next one. The Emperor of Tang was not a kind person and would definitely attack him. General Su Puyan clasped his fists and said, "Chanyu, it is better to pretend to be submissive and agree to Kebi Neng's request for an alliance, but do not send troops for the time being. Wait until the situation becomes clear before making a decision."

Tadun pondered for a moment, shook his head and said: "The next Emperor Tang might be me, it's hard not to join forces!"

The generals sighed after hearing this. Although they knew it was inappropriate, they had no choice but to agree at this time. Only in this way could they save the entire Wuhuan.

At the same time, another group of envoys from Kebi Neng arrived at the Dingling tribe. The Dingling king, A Luo Pan, was drinking in his tent. When he heard that the Xianbei envoy wanted to see him, he sneered and said, "Kebi Neng, a defeated general, still has the nerve to come and ask for help?"

After the messenger entered the tent, A Luo Pan asked lazily: "Why did Ke Bineng send you here?"

The envoy bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, my Chanyu wants to unite with the Dingling, Wuhuan and other tribes in the Western Regions to fight against the Tang Dynasty. If we succeed, the grassland will return to our hands."

A Luo Pan sneered: "Based on the current strength of the Xianbei, Budugen's army was annihilated, and Kebi Neng also lost many soldiers and generals. What can you use to fight against the Tang Dynasty?"

The envoy said calmly: "Your Majesty, it is precisely because of this that we need to unite. Now that Liu Bao has gained new pastures and is seemingly united with the Tang Dynasty, this is our opportunity. Aren't you worried that the Tang Emperor's troops will target you directly?"

A strange look flashed in A Luo Pan's eyes, and he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Oh? Liu Bao also has ulterior motives?"

The envoy nodded and said, "That's right. Although Liu Bao was rewarded by the Tang Dynasty, he is ambitious and will never be content to be inferior to others."

A Luopan hesitated for a moment, waved his hand and said: "You go down first, let me think about it."

After the envoy left, A Luo Pan called his confidant and whispered, "Send someone to investigate Liu Bao's movements. If it is true as the Xianbei envoy said, perhaps we can take advantage of it."

The confidant took the order and left.

Half a month later, inside Yanmen Pass.

Wei Yan was checking the military report when Gao Lan hurried in and reported: "General, the scouts reported that the Wuhuan and Dingling have made unusual movements and seem to be communicating secretly."

Wei Yan put down the military report and sneered, "As expected by your majesty. Pass the order down, all units should be prepared for battle, but do not alert the enemy."

Gao Lan said with some concern: "General, if Wuhuan and Dingling really unite with Xianbei, our army may find it difficult to cope with it."

Wei Yan was confident and replied with a smile: "Don't worry, His Majesty has already made arrangements. Is there any movement from Liu Bao?"

(End of this chapter)