Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

One of the generals couldn't help but ask, "Chanyu, what should we do?"

Maodun narrowed his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.

Although she appeared to be murderous on the surface, she was actually very meticulous and not an impulsive or reckless person. Her ruthlessness just now was mainly to stabilize the morale of the army and to suppress the deterrent effect brought about by the Xia army's great victory over the Xiongnu.

“We have now lost 80,000 troops, a huge loss. Immediately send people to Liaodong to conscript troops from the Donghu tribes. I will make Meng Tian pay a hundredfold.”

"Yes!"

Upon hearing Maodun's words, the generals all bowed and responded.

......

......

Inside Xianyang Palace.

Zhengjie sat upright at her desk, reviewing memorials, when a series of hurried footsteps approached.

Her delicate eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. There was only one person who could enter the palace without being announced.

A slender figure walked in, her heterochromatic eyes filled with excitement.

A smile flickered in Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes: "Hu Hu, what happened? Why are you so happy?"

Hu Yu's fair face was flushed with excitement, which puzzled Zheng Jie.

Ever since learning that Bai Su had gone to the border region, this girl has been sullen and unhappy, always looking like everyone owes her money.

But today he had a big smile on his face, as if something good had happened.

Hu Yu said excitedly, "Mother, a report has come from the front lines that General Meng Tian, ​​with the help of Bai Su, has beheaded 60,000 Xiongnu soldiers and captured more than 20,000 surrendered soldiers, achieving a great victory!"

"Wha...what? Bai Su went to the front lines and won a great victory!!!"

Zhengjie was stunned. Her phoenix eyes were fixed on Hu Yi: "What exactly happened? Didn't I tell him to handle logistics? Why did this kid go to the front lines to fight?"

Chapter Ninety-Two: Man Will Conquer Nature

"This is good news from the border."

Hu Ying smiled and handed over a document.

Zhengjie quickly took it and looked down at it.

This is a report written by Meng Tian himself.

"His Majesty dispatched Young Master Bai from Xianyang, a thousand miles away, to rush to the border to provide reinforcements. Our army was saved from danger, and then Young Master Bai offered his strategies..."

The report was very simple, without any embellishment, and Meng Tian remained as rigid as ever.

Although the report was short, Zhengjie was able to imagine, through the words, the 200,000 troops constantly falling ill, and the heartfelt joy they felt when they saw hope arrive amidst their despair.

After enduring a whole month of torment, he annihilated 80,000 Xiongnu troops in one fell swoop, venting all the resentment that had accumulated over such a long time. It was so exhilarating.

This resounding victory was achieved by a mere logistics officer, which is truly astonishing.

Hu Yu stood silently to the side, his heterochromatic eyes fixed on his mother, his fair face brimming with smugness.

She was clearly very satisfied with her future husband's performance.

Much later.

Zhengjie slowly put down the report in her hand, and then sighed: "I originally wanted him to transport some grain and supervise logistics, and then return to Xianyang. But I didn't expect him to go to the front line without saying a word and help Meng Tian win a great victory, which severely damaged the Xiongnu."

Hu Yu smiled broadly, revealing his small tiger teeth: "Mother, should we announce this good news?"

A smile flickered in Zhengjie's phoenix eyes, and her lips curled up slightly on her elegant and beautiful face: "Not only should we do it, we should also promote it vigorously."

"Firstly, it's to let those in the court who opposed the war back then see just how powerful our Great Xia really is. Secondly, it can also deter the remnants of the six kingdoms and let them know what the consequences are for daring to be my enemy."

Hu Yu nodded slightly, then his eyes darted around: "Then... hasn't Mother thought about how to reward Bai Su?"

Zheng Jie was taken aback: "A reward?"

Hu Yu bit her lip lightly and said, "They traveled thousands of miles to go beyond the Great Wall to provide assistance, and this time they have made such great contributions. If Mother doesn't show her appreciation, it would be too disheartening for them."

Zhengjie gave her a half-smile: "Don't worry, I've already prepared a reward."

Hu Yi was stunned. She had wanted to take this opportunity to get her mother to give her to Bai Su, but she didn't expect that her mother already had a reward in mind.

She asked with some confusion, "I wonder what Mother is referring to..."

"Didn't you say he liked milk? I specially ordered a batch of dairy cows to be raised and sent to him to satisfy his appetite. Honestly, how could he like this stuff? It's something only barbarians drink. Doesn't he find it fishy?"

Zheng Jie frowned slightly, still unable to understand why Bai Su would like this thing.

Upon hearing Zhengjie's words, Hu Yi's fair face flushed red. Especially when she heard the smell of fish, she lowered her head and nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

Zhengjie looked at her daughter, who had suddenly fallen silent, and asked in surprise, "Huyi, what's wrong?"

"No...it's nothing, I just think there's some truth to what Mother said."

Hu Yi chuckled awkwardly, his eyes darting around, avoiding eye contact with Zheng Jie.

.....

.....

Meanwhile, in the Yinshan area.

The Xiongnu and the Xia army were locked in a protracted war on the grasslands.

Both Maodun and Meng Tian committed almost all of their troops to the battle on this grassland.

Maodun originally intended to use the cavalry's advantage in mounted archery to feign a rout, lure the Xia army into pursuit, and then launch a continuous attack on the Xia army, giving them no chance to fight back, like being slowly sliced ​​apart piece by piece.

However, the result was not ideal. The Xia army was inferior in horsemanship, but it was far ahead in terms of equipment.

The Xiongnu's many inferior bronze and bone arrowheads were unable to penetrate the armor of the Xia army. Instead, many of their own arrows were shot off their horses by the Xia army's crossbows.

The situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for Modu.

After just over an hour of fighting, the Xiongnu were already showing signs of defeat.

Although she had anticipated at the beginning of the war that the Xiongnu might not be a match for the Xia army in a direct confrontation, she did not expect the gap to be so large, with only a few thousand cavalry chasing tens of thousands of Xiongnu all over the place.

What started as a feigned defeat is rapidly turning into a real one.

Maodun bit his lip hard, his eyes fixed on the situation on the battlefield. He said with some resentment, "Damn Zuo Xianwang! If it weren't for her deep penetration into enemy territory and the loss of my 80,000 elite troops, which has led to a shortage of troops and weapons at the front, I would not have allowed Meng Tian to be so arrogant."

"If I had another ten days, and I could mobilize troops from Liaodong and have the Donghu tribes bring in even better bronze arrowheads, I would definitely be able to defeat Meng Tian."

Perhaps heaven heard her prayer.

Suddenly, fog began to rise from the battlefield.

Maodun was stunned for a moment, then her pretty face lit up with wild joy: "Great, the chance to turn the tide has come!"

......

......

The Yinshan area.

The rear camp.

Meng Tian removed her helmet, revealing a beautiful, cold face. Her jet-black hair was piled high, and she seemed to have just been caught in the rain, with water droplets glistening on her black skirt armor.

A strand of hair, wet from the rain, clung to his cheek, giving him a rather heroic look.

She lifted the curtain and walked in. The room was empty except for a young man in white sitting at a table, studying a yellowed parchment scroll.

It was Bai Su.

Hearing a sound at the door, Bai Su put down the parchment scroll in her hand and watched Meng Tian walk in, a smile involuntarily appearing on her face.

"The general is back. How did the battle go today?"

At this moment, Meng Tian's brows were furrowed, and her beautiful, cold face showed no sign of joy.

Bai Su was puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "General, what's wrong?"

Meng Tian sighed with some regret and said, "Give me three more days, and I can take advantage of this unstoppable morale to take Yinshan in one fell swoop."

"The Xiongnu have just suffered an unprecedented defeat and are now fearful of our Central Plains troops. In addition, the Xiongnu have not been able to fully mobilize their forces."

"If we could press our advantage now, we might even be able to cross the Yinshan and Yanzhi Mountains in one go and capture the Shanyu's royal court. Unfortunately, at the crucial moment, fog suddenly rose over the grassland."

"The entire grassland is now a vast expanse of white, making it impossible to discern directions. I have no choice but to retreat and regroup for a while."

"Could it be that Heaven is protecting the Xiongnu?"

She sat at the desk and sighed somewhat dejectedly.

"It really is foggy."

Bai Su lifted the curtain and looked outside, and was immediately startled.

All I could see was a vast expanse of white, with visibility of only two or three meters. In the distance, it was impossible to tell whether it was a person or a tree.

No wonder Meng Tian was so depressed.

After all, while fog may occasionally rise over the grasslands, such a dense fog is extremely rare.

Meng Tian's beautiful eyebrows furrowed: "Under the influence of this sudden white fog, the outcome of the battle is uncertain. It is truly the will of Heaven."

At the height of their morale, the Xia army was forced to retreat.

The Xiongnu gained a rare respite, and once Modu dispatched troops from the rear, it became much more difficult to defeat them.

Especially after suffering previous losses, Chanyu Maodun would become more vigilant, and the two sides would likely be locked in a protracted tug-of-war.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but slam her fist heavily on the table, making a loud "bang".

Bai Su turned around and asked, "Why is the General angry?"

Meng Tian gritted his teeth and said, "Heaven favors the Xiongnu, but not the Chinese. How can I not be furious? Is it Heaven's will that I not be able to destroy the Xiongnu?"

A smile appeared on Bai Su's face: "Our China has always been self-reliant and determined, believing that human will can overcome nature. Why should we care about mere divine will?"

Meng Tian gave a wry smile and said, "That's true, but it's simply impossible to achieve. This vast fog is the will of Heaven; how can human power defy it?"

Bai Su said calmly, "In the past, when plagues raged in the Central Plains, some people tasted all kinds of herbs to find miraculous medicines. When floods ravaged the Central Plains, some people traveled all over the land to dig canals and control the floods."

"The land of Bashu was once a poor place, but since Lord Li Bing dug the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and diverted water to irrigate tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, it has become the Land of Abundance. Countless sages have faced the will of Heaven without ever yielding. Why would the General give up when faced with a little fog?"