My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 229 The Eagle Falls
On the eighth day, the two sides continued fighting.

However, it was not just Lu Zhi and the other three commanders.

Even the ordinary soldiers on the battlefield could easily feel that the Xianbei people's fighting power had begun to decline drastically for some reason.

The most obvious manifestation is the battle loss ratio.

The death of three or four Xianbei people in the battle would at least result in the death of one or two Han soldiers.

But today, the casualty ratio of the Xianbei vs. Han army has increased significantly.

It turned out that the situation had basically been reached where every sacrifice of the Han army could take away the most vicious souls of the five Xianbei people.

The glory of the Han Dynasty defeating the Five Barbarians seemed to begin to shine again.

The Xianbei soldiers had no desire to fight and were often hastily replaced after just a few moments on the battlefield, as if they were completing a mission in a hurry.

In the past, the life-and-death battles would last until dusk, but the Xianbei people hastily withdrew their troops just after noon on the eighth day, leaving the victorious Han army in great spirits.

"How is the Khan? Has he woken up?"

After losing Tan Shihuai's supervision, Kobe, who had already developed rebellious thoughts in his heart, hurriedly completed the orders given by Tan Shihuai in the morning and led his troops back to Pingcheng in a hurry.

In the end, Tan Shihuai's body was consumed by himself before he consumed Kobin's power.

Just after he forcefully issued an order to Kobinen in the morning, he fainted and fell off his horse in public.

After Kobe learned the news, he immediately called off his troops and returned to inquire about Tan Shihuai's news.

For him, with Tan Shihuai around, even if he was brave enough, he would not dare to openly disobey Tan Shihuai.

Now Tan Shihuai has publicly criticized himself.

If you want to continue to be rich and prosperous, you should either recognize your identity and be willing to be Budugen's subordinate and live under his control.

Otherwise, you have to make up your mind to break away from Tan Shihuai's control and set up your own business.

Tan Shihuai, who was regarded as an idol by Kobe Neng, was ambitious when he was young. Kobe Neng, who took him as his role model, was naturally not a coward who lived a life of mediocrity.

The first option was naturally thrown out of his mind.

So after eliminating option one, the only choice is obvious.

"The witch doctor just came to see him and gave him medicine. He has fallen asleep now."

As soon as Kobe Neng returned, his confidant came up to him and quickly explained the situation to him.

"I see……"

Kirby nodded, and immediately stepped into the king's tent with a panicked and sad expression.

Inside Pingcheng, there was a gloomy atmosphere in the king's tent.

Tan Shihuai was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, while Budugen was kneeling in front of Tan Shihuai's bed, showing his status far superior to that of other Xianbei people.

"Great Khan, I am late and I beg you to punish me!"

Kobe walked straight past the crowd, knelt behind Budugen and cried to Tan Shihuai, which shocked Budugen.

If you don’t know, you might think that the person lying sick on the bed is Kobe’s grandfather.

"What are you shouting for?"

"Ben Khan is not dead yet!"

Tan Shihuai said weakly after being woken up by Kobe Neng.

He turned to Kobinen with difficulty, with a playful look on his face.

"How did you complete the task assigned to you by this Khan? Did you win against Lu Zhi today?"

"I am ashamed. After hearing that the Khan fell off his horse, I had no intention of fighting and had to withdraw my troops hastily."

Kirby looked ashamed when he heard this.

Tan Shihuai looked at this rising star from the Xianbei, whom he thought was his favorite, with a complicated look in his eyes.

If it weren't for his weak body, perhaps this person would have radiated a far hotter light than himself under his hands.

But that's it.

When the end of one's life is approaching and one's life is coming to an end.

Kobe Neng has become a huge destabilizing factor among the Xianbei.

As soon as I die, there will be civil strife among the Xianbei.

But in the end, I still couldn't persist in eliminating this unstable factor with my own hands.

Thinking of this, Tan Shihuai couldn't help but wave his hands in disappointment.

"Alas... I want to get some fresh air. You all should go out."

"Budugen, you stay!"

Upon seeing this, Kobe immediately understood that Tan Shihuai had used an excuse to send him and others away in order to leave a will for Budugen alone.

His expression changed several times. Although he wanted to fight for something, but thinking about the great loss of his power and the heavy casualties among his tribesmen, he hesitated for a moment and finally gritted his teeth and followed everyone out of the king's tent.

"Grandpa...what's wrong with you? I'll go find a witch doctor right away!"

Budugen was worried about Tan Shihuai's health and kept asking.

"Forget it. I know my own body best."

"Everyone will die eventually. Even an eagle soaring high in the sky will fall one day."

As Tan Shihuai spoke, an inexplicable force surged through his body, as if he had a last burst of energy.

The originally weak voice began to become strong again.

"child……"

Tan Shihuai stroked Budugen's head kindly.

"Your filial piety makes grandpa very happy..."

"But if you want to be the chief of the grassland, you can't just be kind and compassionate, you also need wisdom and skill..."

"Grandpa..." Budugen knew that Tan Shihuai would not live long, and with red eyes he listened carefully to his last words.

"In terms of skill and wisdom, you are nowhere near as good as Kobe."

"After I die, the position of the Great Chanyu of Xianbei will most likely fall into his hands."

"What a pity... Grandpa was originally going to pull out this thorn for you before he died, but he didn't expect..."

"Grandpa, don't worry, I will never let that lowly bastard Kobe get what he wants!"

"Besides, after your arrangement, more than half of Kobe Neng's men have been killed or wounded. His Eastern Xianbei are far inferior to my grandson. Add to that the Central Xianbei tribes under your direct command. Even if Kobe Neng dares to start a civil war, my grandson is confident that he can be destroyed!"

"I hope so..."

After regaining consciousness, Tan Shihuai felt that the strength in his body was rapidly being drained away, and his vision gradually began to darken.

"After my death, the Xianbei will lose all their morale and will have to retreat to the grassland in a hurry. However, if the Han army knew about this, they would definitely take advantage of the situation to pursue and fight. Therefore, the Han territory is dangerous and we should not stay there. We should retreat quickly!"

"Besides, Kobe will never be content."

"Therefore, after I die, my grandson, you must keep my death a secret. My Chanyu seal is here. When we return to the grassland, you will use my seal to issue orders on my behalf. You must first control Ke Bineng and do not let the Xianbei people strife internally."

"Otherwise, you and I, grandfather and grandson, will be the biggest sinners of the Xianbei!"

Having said this, Tan Shihuai could no longer hold on, and the hand that was touching Budugen's face fell heavily.

"It's really wonderful!"

As his death was approaching, his life experiences replayed before his eyes, causing an inexplicable smile to appear on his lips for the last time.

"grandfather……!"

……

"Tan Shihuai fell off his horse due to illness?"

"The Xianbei are going to withdraw their troops?"

"General Lu ordered us to be on standby at all times, ready to launch a surprise attack on the Xianbei camp at any time?" A hidden place not far from Pingcheng.

Lu Yi and others, who had been hiding for several days, were surrounding the messenger who came to deliver the message and questioning him repeatedly.

"The Xianbei are extremely arrogant and now they are coveting our Han Dynasty's Hebei land. How can we retreat so easily?"

"Is this a plan to lure the enemy?"

Gongsun Zan frowned when he heard this.

He had been dealing with the Hu people for many years, and knew both the Xianbei and the Wuhuan very well. He understood that the Hu people were cunning and unpredictable, and could not be judged by common sense.

"It shouldn't be!"

"From what the messenger said, Tan Shihuai fell off his horse in public, so the spies knew about it."

"He is the key to the success or failure of Xianbei. It is impossible for him to make a fuss about something as important as his own health!"

"I thought he was most likely really seriously ill!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi expressed his objection.

"If Tan Shihuai is really seriously ill, the Xianbei army will be in chaos, and our Han army will surely be able to pursue and win a great victory!"

Zhang Xun was surprised when he heard this and kept talking.

"Old Hu has been active in the northern frontier for many years and is as cunning as a fox. The Xianbei are short of food and the war is now at a stalemate. It will be hard to tell who will win in the short term. He is also very likely to trick our Han army, so we must be on guard!"

Gongsun Zan seemed to have been fooled by the Hu people many times, and he was still deeply wary and skeptical about this information.

"Whether it's war or peace, we need to come up with a set of rules. What's the point of just guessing here?"

When Lu Bu, who was standing behind him, heard that his brother and Gongsun Zan were arguing with each other, he complained impatiently.

Gao Shun, who was standing by, held the same opinion and looked at the two people arguing.

"Don't worry, this matter is easy. Just wait for me to check it out."

Seeing this, Lu Yi smiled and shook his head.

"Ok?"

"Si Xiao is a Han Chinese. How can we verify what happened in the Xianbei military camp?"

"To find out whether Tan Shihuai is really injured, we must at least enter the Xianbei king's tent, and there are not many people who are qualified to do so. Otherwise, General Lu's spies would not have only sent back such vague intelligence information!"

"Could it be that Sixiao has a way to sneak into the Xianbei king's tent and check Tan Shihuai's physical condition with his own eyes?"

Gongsun Zan looked at Lu Yi, whose tone seemed a little arrogant, and couldn't help but be suspicious.

"Haha, although I don't have this ability, I happen to know someone who has this opportunity."

Lu Yi smiled when he heard this.

"Inside the king's tent are all Xianbei nobles, either rich or noble. Even if Sixiao knows such people, how could he help us, the Han people who are hostile to him?"

Gongsun Zan still had some doubts.

When it comes to making money and training soldiers, Gongsun Zan has been observing Lu Yi's abilities over this period of time and is very impressed by him.

Not only did Lu Yi build up a huge family business like Luwu from scratch in just over a year, he also established a strong army like the Xianzhen Camp.

Gongsun Zan, who was only the chief secretary of a vassal state of Liaodong during the same period, naturally admired, envied and was slightly jealous.

But now, this kind of spy work cannot be done in a hurry.

But Lu Yi seemed to be confident about this.

"Haha, because I will give this person a reason that he cannot refuse."

Inside Pingcheng, it was night time.

The atmosphere in the city is very strange
Tan Shihuai, who had led the Xianbei to one glory after another, was seriously ill and could no longer manage affairs, so all matters, big and small, were handed over to Budugen.

Except for Budugen, no one else could even see Tan Shihuai.

For a while, speculation that Tan Shihuai might even be dead spread throughout Pingcheng, causing everyone in the Xianbei community to feel insecure.

It is during this dangerous and unpredictable time.

A group of people rode on horses in a hurry to leave the city.

"What are you doing!"

"Didn't you know that Lord Budugen has ordered a night curfew while the Great Chanyu is ill?"

As expected, the group of people were stopped by the guards arranged by Budugen at the city gate because of their strange behavior.

"Blind your dog eyes!"

"How dare you stop me!"

Unexpectedly, the leader swung his whip upon hearing this, and the guard screamed and fell to the ground.

The leader of the guards came over immediately upon seeing this and saluted the man on the horse.

"So you are the new chief of the Hutuo tribe. This guard just arrived and has not seen you yet, so he offended you. Thank you for teaching him a lesson, Chief. If it weren't for you, I would have punished him too!"

The chief was very polite and complimented the man repeatedly.

"Watch what you say!"

But the man didn't understand the leader's mood at all and said coldly.

"Huto is dead. Now the Huto tribe is my Toto tribe. From now on, you must call me Chief Toto!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I understand, Chief Toto."

The leader was overwhelmed by Toto's aura, sweat broke out on his forehead and back, and he quickly changed his words.

"Stop talking nonsense. I was ordered by Lord Budugen to go out and investigate the Han camp. Here is the certificate for you to check!"

Toto interrupted him impatiently and took out a parchment book from his pocket, which seemed to be a certificate of the mission.

"No, no, everyone knows that Lord Toto is a favorite of the Great Chanyu and Chief Budugen. How could he deceive a small person like me?"

"Military information is important. I dare not stop you, sir. Please ask you to leave the city!"

The leader, who had already offended Toto, no longer dared to check it out. He quickly ordered his men to open the south gate and let Toto and his party leave.

"Have a safe trip, my Lord!"

After Toto and his party rode away, the leader, regardless of whether Toto could still hear him or not, continued to compliment him from a distance behind them.

"Captain, who is that person? How could he be so arrogant? Could he be some important figure?"

The guard who was hit by Toto's horsewhip, covered his face with a wound that was bleeding, and asked with lingering fear.

"Big man?"

"I bother!"

Unexpectedly, the other party was respectful at first but arrogant later, and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm in the direction where Toto and others were leaving.

"This Toto was not as good as you and me as a soldier two months ago. He was just a horse slave of the Huto tribe."

"I didn't expect that I would be lucky enough to rescue the body of Hutuo, the leader of the Hutuo tribe, on the battlefield. Not only did I inherit everything of Hutuo, including the tribe, but I was also noticed by the Great Chanyu for my loyalty and became a big celebrity around him. Even Lord Budugen looked at me differently."

As the chief spoke, he himself was unaware that his tone was full of envy and jealousy.

"I never thought I would be whipped by a horse slave. This is really bad luck!"

After knowing Toto's background, the guard who was uneasy just now immediately became angry.

However, he was even worse than the leader and did not even have the qualifications to curse Toto behind his back. He could only hide his frustration deep in his heart.

And now it is such a rising star among the Western Xianbei.

After breaking away from the Xianbei in Pingcheng and sending his men away, he knelt down with a look of longing in front of Lu Yi, who came to meet him secretly.

……

(End of this chapter)