My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 281: Driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf
"The rebellious Zuo Xian Wang and the Han general Lu Yi are not on good terms?"

Inside the Xiongnu king's tent, Jiang Qu couldn't help but get excited as he heard the intelligence from the spies.

As an old politician who has been immersed in political politics for half his life, he naturally understands the huge opportunities contained therein.

As long as he could provoke a conflict between Lu Yi and Zuo Xian Wang, Jiang Qu would be able to reap the benefits.

But he has no idea at the moment.

Because he still needs an opportunity to intervene.

However, Jiang Qu doesn't need to worry too much, because this opportunity will come to him soon.

In the early morning of the next day, Jiang Qu, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly awakened by a loud noise.

The fighting career over the past six months has made his spirit very fragile.

He would be awakened by the slightest disturbance, for fear of falling into the trap and surprise attack of Zuo Xian Wang and others.

"What's the commotion in the middle of the night?"

Jiang Qu pushed away the woman who was sleeping beside him, immediately put on a fur coat, picked up the scimitar beside the bed, and left the tent.

"Your Majesty, a messenger from the southern country sneaked into our camp in the middle of the night and was discovered by the patrolling guards. He has been brought in. Please, Your Majesty, make your decision."

Seeing Jiang Qu come out in person, one of his confidants immediately pushed forward a tall man who was tied up.

"An envoy from the South?"

Jiang Qu frowned as he looked at the captive who showed no fear at all even though he was tied up tightly.

"It's down!"

"However, I have heard that the Great Khan of the Xiongnu is the most courageous man in the Xiongnu. However, it seems a bit exaggerated that he is so cautious when facing an unarmed envoy like me."

The envoy remained calm in the face of danger, ignoring the several sharp scimitars at his neck, and instead teased Jiang Qu.

"Humph, just because you talk like that, I'll believe you're from the south!"

"We Huns will never learn to be as sharp-tongued as you southerners!"

"However, you claim to be from the Southern Country. Which Southern Country are you from? Who are you representing?"

Jiang Qu felt relieved after hearing this.

The facts are just as he said.

The distinction between Han and Hu is reflected in all aspects.

The Han people despised the Hu people for having no etiquette, no integrity, and were barbarians.

The Hu people would also laugh at the Han people for being hypocritical, cunning, and sharp-tongued.

In addition to the Han slaves who lived among the Hu people for a long time during the Qin and Han dynasties, they were able to integrate the characteristics of the two ethnic groups.

Otherwise, there would be few people who are familiar with both Han and Hu customs.

Jiang Qu waved his hands and everyone around him immediately understood and untied the messenger.

There was only one person on the other side. Before Jiang Qu ascended the throne, he was also a well-known warrior among the Xiongnu. He was not afraid of an unarmed Han man at all.

After Cao Xing regained his freedom, he rubbed his wrists which were numb from being tied up, looked around, and suddenly laughed.

"Haha, there are so many people here. If I really say it here, I'm afraid that Zuo Xian Wang will know it soon. The Khan should not want such a thing to happen, right?"

"Enemy of Zuo Xian Wang?"

Jiang Qu's heart skipped a beat when he heard that, and he immediately led Cao Xing into a small tent where no one was.

"It's just you and me now."

"Now you can say it?"

"Of course!"

Cao Xing straightened his clothes which were a little messy due to his haste before speaking slowly.

When he came, he was instructed by Lu Yi to form a secret alliance with Jiang Qu, but he couldn't act too urgent.

Otherwise, if Jiang Qu felt that Lu Yi's situation was critical, he would probably just sit back and watch.

Jiang Qu will probably fall into the trap only if he believes that Lu Yi can win even without intervention.

"I am the envoy of Lu Fujun, the governor of Yanmen."

"You are Lu Yi's man!"

"Lu Yi killed many of my men before. I wanted to skin him alive and pull out his tendons."

"I have wanted to kill your master for a long time. Although I cannot kill Lu Yi now, killing a dog sent by Lu Yi can temporarily relieve the anger in my heart!"

"Someone, take this bastard out, kill him and feed him to the dogs!"

Jiang Qu was furious when he heard this. He laughed out of anger and immediately ordered the guards outside the tent to execute Cao Xing.

Cao Xing, however, was calm and fearless.

After Lu Yi and military advisor Tian Feng came up with this plan, they did not force him to come.

Originally, Tian Feng, who also needed credit, was ready to recommend himself as an envoy, but was firmly stopped by Lu Yi.

Cao Xing immediately seized the opportunity and actively sought the status of special envoy. Not only was he skilled in martial arts, he also knew some Xiongnu language, which came in handy.

He joined Lu Yi's army the latest and had the least merit, but Lu Yi still gave him the position of deputy general.

In order to repay Lu Yi's kindness and to show himself in front of everyone, he had to take this risky trip.

However, Lu Yi would not push his men to die.

He and Tian Feng had already explained various possibilities to Cao Xing. As long as he followed the plan, he would most likely return safely.

"Hahahaha!"

"I, Cao Xing, am just a common man from the Southern Kingdom. Now that I have the Xiongnu Khan buried with me, I can say that I have died a worthy death!"

When Cao Xing was pushed and dragged away by several burly guards, he showed no fear at all. Instead, he looked at Jiang Qu with pity, which made Jiang Qu feel uneasy.

"slow!"

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Qu immediately stopped the guard and asked fiercely.

"Eight years ago, Lord Lu had only 2,000 heavy cavalry, and the Khan was unable to resist them. Now Lord Lu is coming to the northern frontier again with 5,000 heavy cavalry. Khan, do you think you can resist such a large army?"

As soon as Cao Xing said this, Jiang Qu immediately calmed down.

Lu Yi's troops had been brought back by his spies long ago, so he certainly knew Lu Yi's strength.

This is also what troubles him.

He still has some strength to deal with the likes of Zuo Xian Wang, but if Lu Yi is added, he will definitely lose.

However, Jiang Qu was unwilling to expose his incompetence and continued to be stubborn.

"Hmph, no matter how powerful Lü Yi is, the worst that can happen is that I can lead my people north to Mobei to join the Xianbei. I believe that both Budugen and Kobe will welcome my arrival."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Unexpectedly, Cao Xing burst into laughter after hearing Jiang Qu's sophistry.

"Why are you laughing again!"

Jiang Qu asked, suppressing his anger.

"I, the Great Khan of Laughing, have finally reoccupied the entire southern desert. We are only one step away from ruling over the southern desert for thousands of miles."

"Now he has abandoned his position as the king of the southern desert and is running to the northern desert to serve the Xianbei people as a dog!"

"How dare you! How dare you insult the Khan? You are courting death!"

Jiang Qu's guards were furious when they heard this, and immediately drew their scimitars and crossbows to point at Cao Xing. With just one word from Jiang Qu, Cao Xing, who had been controlled again, would surely die tragically on the spot. "What are you doing! This Han envoy is my Khan's honored guest, how can you draw your swords against me? Get out of here! No one is allowed to enter the tent without my permission!"

However, Jiang Qu was hurt by Cao Xing's ridicule, and he waved his hand and asked all the guards to retreat again.

It had been a long time since he became the Khan of the Xiongnu, and now he was almost able to unify the grasslands south of the desert. Naturally, he was unwilling to put up with the cold shoulder of the Xianbei people.

If he were Budugen or Kobinen, they would naturally take him in, but that would only be to annex their own tribes.

The Great Khan of the Huns?

Hundreds of years ago, it might have been a respectful title that was famous all over the world, and even the Han people did not dare to challenge it. But now, hundreds of years later, it has declined?

It's worthless.

"I have offended you before, please forgive me, envoy."

Thinking of this, in order to win, he could only choose to hold his nose and apologize to Cao Xing.

"It seems that we can have a good talk now..."

Looking at the Xiongnu Khan who was bending down to apologize to him while suppressing his humiliation, Cao Xing finally smiled with success again.

……

The next evening.

Today is the last night that Lu Yi and Zuo Xian Wang agreed to rest before sending out the troops.

Inside the central army tent, Lu Bu, Gao Shun, Hou Cheng and other generals were all gathered there.

However, compared with the relaxed coach Lu Yi and military advisor Tian Feng who were enjoying tea and playing chess, the other generals looked somewhat nervous and uneasy.

"Brother Cao Xing has been gone for three days. Tomorrow is the day when the army will attack. We are all very worried about him, but why are you and the military advisor not in a hurry at all? Why are you leisurely drinking tea and playing chess?"

Lu Bu couldn't bear it any longer and immediately went up to complain to Lu Yi.

"Fengxian, what you said makes it seem as if I am the kind of person who doesn't care about the lives of my brothers and only cares about my own enjoyment?"

Lu Yi rolled his eyes at Lu Bu and continued to concentrate on the chess game.

Although he had learned Go for a few days in his previous life, he was no match for a scholar like Tian Feng.

He was so frustrated after losing a few games that he just started playing Go with Tian Feng.

Now, seeing that there is a good opportunity for a double triple, I immediately seized the opportunity and made my move.

But Tian Feng was extremely proficient in Go, so he was not afraid of a simple game of Gobang. He handled it easily and blocked Lu Yi's attack with a single move.

"Don't worry, General Lu. Jiang Qu was able to think of taking advantage of the opportunity to seek independence when the Han and Xian sides were unable to maintain the southern desert. Otherwise, he would not be a fool. Before we parted, I have already given General Cao instructions, and I believe it will be effective!"

"is it?"

Lu Bu looked suspiciously at Tian Feng, who remained calm and composed, but still felt a little skeptical.

However, his brother was very fond of Tian Feng and always accepted his advice immediately. Not only that, Lu Yi was very courteous and polite to Tian Feng.

But Tian Feng had a sullen face every day, making it seem as if his brother was Tian Feng's subordinate.

Lu Bu had been unhappy about this for a long time.

He made up his mind today that if Tian Feng's plan didn't work, he would seize this opportunity to humiliate Tian Feng.

Even if we cannot make our brother realize that this man is all show and remove him from his position as military advisor and all the honors he receives, we must at least make sure that he does not dare to put on airs in front of our brother again.

Just when Lu Bu was secretly making up his mind, a messenger who suddenly came into the tent made him feel discouraged.

"Report! Deputy General Cao is back!"

"Oh? Cao Xing is back?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi immediately seized the opportunity and smashed the chess pieces in his hand onto the chessboard, disrupting the game that he was bound to lose, and then stood up excitedly.

"Ha ha……"

Tian Feng, who was standing by, gave a helpless smile upon seeing this, then he also stroked his beard and stood up.

"Fu Jun!"

After Cao Xing entered the tent, he immediately bowed in front of Lu Yi with a happy look on his face.

"Deputy General Cao, you must have worked hard on this journey. I wonder if the trip went smoothly?"

However, Lu Yi immediately helped Cao Xing up with concern.

"Thanks to the great blessing of the Lord, I have finally fulfilled my mission and persuaded the Xiongnu Khan Jiang Qu to agree to join forces with our army to attack Zuo Xian Wang in private!"

"It's just that we encountered sandstorms along the way, so we were delayed for some time."

"Sex has not come yet, please punish me, Lord!"

Cao Xing's face was full of joy at first, but when he thought that he was late and had violated military law, he knelt down again in panic.

"Hey!"

However, Lu Yi immediately held Cao Xing tightly and prevented him from bowing.

"The area outside the Great Wall is different from Hebei. The wind is strong and the sand is heavy. The weather is bad. I am very happy that Vice Admiral Cao can return safely. However, if there is a slight delay, it will not affect the military mission. What crime has been committed?"

Lu Yi's answer made Cao Xing stunned, and then a warm feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

"Your Excellency..."

Cao Xing couldn't help but be moved, and even the other generals were infected, and they looked at Lu Yi with even more respect.

Tian Feng, who was standing by, stroked his beard and nodded secretly upon seeing this, becoming more and more satisfied with Lu Yi.

Although military orders are as heavy as a mountain, if they are too harsh, military law will be inhumane and will only make subordinates fearful and alienated.

However, if one is too indulgent, his subordinates will follow suit, become arrogant and unworthy of important positions.

Lu Yi's response was very good. Showing some consideration for such a small matter that did not affect the overall situation did not cause any delay and also made his subordinates grateful.

In Tian Feng's view, a leader must have not only character and ability, but also means.

Lu Yi is very good at winning people's hearts.

"Did Jiang Qu agree to all our requests?"

Tian Feng collected his thoughts and immediately entered the state of military advisor, starting to check for and fill in the gaps for Lu Yi.

"My Lord, the military advisor, Jiang Qu is just as the Lord and the military advisor predicted. He is not willing to give up the desert and go to the north to join the Xianbei. I just repeated the military advisor's instructions verbatim, and Jiang Qu really gave in and was willing to accept all the conditions proposed by the military advisor."

"very good!"

Tian Feng couldn't help but get a little excited when he heard that. Then he turned around and bowed to Lu Yi to congratulate him.

"In this way, all of the Thousand Miles of Desert South can be returned to you, Lord!"

"I was originally planning to return to the interior of the country after depleting the Xiongnu's strength this year. Thanks to the military advisor's strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf, I was able to control the southern desert. This is all thanks to the military advisor!"

But Lu Yi smiled and bowed contemptuously to Tian Feng.

The conversation between the king and his minister left the generals in the tent confused and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

They didn't understand why Tian Feng dared to speak so arrogantly after Cao Xing met Jiang Qu, saying that all the land south of the desert belonged to Lu Yi.

And Lu Yi actually still looked like he agreed.

Only Cao Xing, who had received Tian Feng's explanation and knew the conditions he proposed to Jiang Qu, suddenly realized something and became thoughtful for a moment.

……

On the second day, the weather was nice, with clear skies and crisp autumn air.

In this situation, if we don’t kill the Hu, it will not be enough to comfort God!
……

(End of this chapter)