Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

Touman Chanyu personally led 100,000 wolf cavalry, like a surging black tide, crashing against the northern defense line of the Great Qin.

Arrows swarmed like locusts, obscuring the sky, while the sound of horses' hooves shook the earth. Meng Tian, ​​Li Xin, and Wang Ben, relying on the formidable city defenses and the terrifying Qin crossbow formations, stood firm like rocks, repelling wave after wave of Xiongnu attacks.

The battle was fierce and stalemate-like. Although Touman Chanyu felt exhausted, he thought that since the main force of the Qin Dynasty was tied down by him, his rear was safe.

However, just as the battle raged on the main battlefield, a torrent of steel burning with golden flames had already crossed the desolate Gobi Desert like a ghost, silently penetrating the heart of the Xiongnu's most fertile grasslands!

Qin Chuan took the lead, followed closely by the Golden Fire Cavalry.

They abandoned cumbersome logistics and moved with lightning speed.

When encountering small tribes, they would swiftly wipe them out, seizing livestock, provisions, and horses; when encountering large tribes, they would avoid their strengths and attack their weaknesses, specifically targeting their weak points in defense, burning pastures, and driving away cattle and sheep!

Qin Chuan's tactics were ruthless and efficient: destroy the Xiongnu's economic foundation!

Cattle, sheep, and horses are the foundation of nomadic peoples' survival, their wealth, and their potential for war!

Every time a herd of livestock was plundered, every time a pasture was destroyed, it meant that countless Xiongnu tribes would lose their means of survival in the coming winter!

Panic spread like a plague deep into the grasslands.

News of the attack on the rear flew to Touman Chanyu's command tent like snowflakes, but most of it was delayed by the fierce fighting.

When it was finally confirmed that an elite Qin cavalry force had penetrated deep into the royal court and even threatened his core tribe, Touman Chanyu was filled with shock and anger, and his mind went completely blank!

Just as he was hesitating about whether to send troops back to reinforce, a devastating piece of news struck him like a bolt from the blue!

Qin Chuan led his Golden Fire Cavalry in an incredible attack on Touman Chanyu's royal tent with incredible speed and precision!

The remaining troops were no match for the ferocious Qin army.

Qin Chuan personally captured Touman's most beloved Hu woman, as well as several of his children, including his eldest son Maodun!

The wolf-head banner, a symbol of the Chanyu's authority, was trampled underfoot by the Qin army!

The news, like the sharpest scimitar, pierced Touman Chanyu's heart!

His eyes were bloodshot, and he let out a beastly roar. He no longer cared about the main battlefield with Meng Tian and hastily ordered the entire army to retreat, intending to return to the royal court and take back his wife and children!

However, it was too late!

Just as the Hun army's formation crumbled and they turned around in panic, a cavalry force burning with golden flames appeared on the horizon to their side and rear, as if a divine army had descended from the sky!

He did not linger in the rear, but instead, riding the wave of his great victory, he drove the prisoners and the huge herds of livestock seized from the Xiongnu tribes, like a red-hot dagger, fiercely stabbing into the ribs of the Xiongnu army!

Meanwhile, on the main battlefield, Meng Tian, ​​Li Xin, and Wang Ben keenly seized the opportunity! Their long-suppressed fighting spirit erupted!

"The emperor has cut off their retreat! All troops, listen to my command—attack!"

Meng Tian's roar resounded through the sky!

The main force of the Qin army, having gathered all its strength, surged out from behind the solid defense line like a tiger released from its dam!

War drums thundered, crossbow bolts rained down, heavily armored infantry advanced like a wall, and cavalry spread out on both flanks like wings!

Blockade ahead and pursuers behind!

The Xiongnu army was instantly plunged into unprecedented chaos and panic!

Their morale completely collapsed when they saw the pale-faced Hu woman being held captive at the front of the battle lines, and the Prince Modu and others bound with ropes and looking ashen-faced!

Looking at the despair in the eyes of his beloved concubine and children, and at his army that was surrounded and on the verge of collapse, Touman Chanyu was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable rage and despair.

He drew the golden sword that symbolized the power of the Chanyu, roaring hysterically as he tried to gather his last guards for a desperate fight!

In this moment of utter chaos!

A figure shot out from the ranks of the Golden Fire Cavalry like an arrow released from a bow, or a meteor falling from the sky! His target was Touman Chanyu, who was roaring amidst the chaos of battle!

He didn't ride a horse, only on foot! His speed surpassed the limits of human vision!

Wherever it passed, the air emitted a sharp, explosive sound!

The Xiongnu cavalry who tried to stop them were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, and they and their horses were sent flying backward with broken bones and tendons!

Amidst a vast army, take the head of the general!

This is not a metaphor, but a reality that is happening right now!

Under the gaze of hundreds of thousands of horrified eyes, Qin Chuan's figure pierced through the layers of guards like a ghost and appeared in front of Touman Chanyu's horse in an instant!

Touman Chanyu didn't even have time to react. He only saw a cold, earth-shattering blade of light flash before his eyes, like lightning slicing through the sky!

A head wearing a golden wolf-skin hat symbolizing the authority of the Chanyu (ruler) soared into the sky!

Blood gushed out of the headless neck like a fountain!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The once bustling battlefield fell into a deathly silence in an instant!

All the Xiongnu people, whether soldiers or nobles, were as if frozen in place, staring blankly at the headless corpse that had fallen from the horse and was still convulsing, and the head that had rolled in the dust, its eyes still wide with terror!

Their Chanyu...the eagle of the grasslands...just like that...died?

His head was chopped off by one person amidst a vast army, as easily as slaughtering a chicken or a sheep.

"The Chanyu... is dead!"

It was someone, in a hoarse and distorted voice, who uttered the first sentence.

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back!

"The Chanyu is dead!"

"Gods! Demons!"

"We surrender! We surrender!"

Desperate wails and terrified screams instantly replaced the battle cries!

The remaining Xiongnu army, whether nobles or ordinary soldiers, had completely lost the will to resist.

Weapons were discarded on the ground like hot potatoes, and countless people knelt down, bowing to the figure that stood like a demon god beside the Chanyu's corpse, begging for forgiveness.

Golden sunlight pierced through the billowing smoke and dust, illuminating Qin Chuan's blood-stained armor and the blood-dripping Great Xia Dragon Sparrow in his hand.

Beneath his feet lay the head of the Xiongnu Chanyu, his eyes wide open in death; before him stood a vast, kneeling mass of 100,000 surrendered soldiers, stretching to the horizon!

One man charges into the fray, slaying the king and seizing the flag!

Crushing the enemy's courage and securing the world!

The winds of the North, carrying blood and dust, howled past, as if playing a desolate triumphant song for this legendary battle destined to be recorded in history.

Chapter 65: Captives as the Foundation, the Empire's Rise

On the grassland where the smoke of war had not yet dissipated, a chilling atmosphere, like thick, unyielding ink, pressed heavily on every inch of land.

One hundred thousand surrendered Xiongnu soldiers were confined in a huge, hastily constructed camp. Their once fierce figures, galloping across the grasslands, were now reduced to huddled, ashen shadows.

They sat listlessly in the mud, their tattered fur robes revealing hunched bones, their cloudy eyes swirling with fear and bewilderment.

Inside the central command tent, candlelight flickered on bronze lampstands, casting the generals' shadows on the tent walls, sometimes long, sometimes short, mirroring the suffocatingly heavy atmosphere within.

"Your Majesty! The Xiongnu are barbarians beyond the reach of civilization, and are by no means of the same race as our Great Qin! Their intentions are unfathomable. If we surrender today, they may turn against us tomorrow! Ten thousand mouths to feed, consuming more than a thousand bushels of grain every day! Furthermore, we need thirty thousand armored soldiers to guard them day and night. This is a bottomless pit that devours gold!"

A general with a chiseled face slammed his hand on the table, the rough sound carrying the biting chill of the grassland winds:

"In my humble opinion, we should follow the example of Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi, and bury them all alive! This will not only eliminate future troubles but also deter the barbarians. The people of the world will only praise the iron fist of our Great Qin and will not criticize us for treating the barbarians!"

Upon hearing this, the air inside the tent seemed to freeze.

The story of Bai Qi's massacre of 400,000 Zhao soldiers at Changping was like a frozen corpse suddenly dragged before everyone's eyes.

That was not only the lament of 400,000 lost souls deep in history, but also a bloody foreshadowing of Lord Wu'an's eventual execution at Duyou.

The ominous thought of killing prisoners gripped the minds of every general like vines, and even the candlelight seemed to tremble as a result.

Meng Tian suddenly stood up, his fiery red cloak sweeping across the table, creating a gust of wind:

"The actions of Lord Wu'an have long been criticized by the world and have even incurred divine retribution! Our Great Qin is founded on law and its credibility is known throughout the world! If we were to carry out such a massacre, how would we be any different from those barbarians who burn, kill, and plunder? How could we establish our credibility with the world and how could we pacify our borders? This proposal is absolutely unacceptable!"

His gaze was sharp as he swept across the tent. “Besides, killing those who surrender will only provoke the other tribes to fight to the death, which will greatly increase our casualties and cause endless trouble in the future!”

Generals Li Xin and Wang Ben nodded in agreement, and a murmur of support rose in the tent.

"Then...should we hasten to report to His Majesty and request his wise decision?"

A lieutenant cautiously spoke, attempting to break the deadlock.

Qin Chuan sat silently in the main seat, the sun, moon and stars embroidered on his black royal robes shimmering dimly in the candlelight.

His gaze slowly swept over the arguing generals, finally landing on Meng Tian and the others. His steady voice broke the silence: "Killing prisoners is absolutely unacceptable. But keeping them in captivity consumes provisions and is not a long-term solution either."

He paused briefly, then abruptly changed his tone, declaring firmly, "One hundred thousand prisoners? That's far from enough!"

"Not enough?"

A collective gasp filled the room as the generals exchanged bewildered glances.

One hundred thousand surrendered soldiers is already unprecedented, yet Your Majesty still thinks it's not enough.

Wang Ben couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, could it be that..."

Qin Chuan got up and walked to the huge map hanging in the sky. The map was made of sheepskin and the mountains and rivers were carefully outlined on it with cinnabar and ink.

"Defeating Touman's main force only breaks the backbone of the Xiongnu. To eliminate border troubles, we must uproot them completely!"

His fingers traced heavy lines across the northern grasslands, the force as if he wanted to etch that land into his palm:

"What we need to do is not to be complacent with these 100,000 prisoners, but to go deep into the heart of the grasslands, comb through every inch of pasture like a comb, and wipe out every tribe! Take the able-bodied men as prisoners, and forcibly relocate the old, weak, women and children to various counties in the northern frontier, so that they are removed from the grasslands and the roots of their rebellion are cut off!"

He turned around, his eyes gleaming with a burning light:

"These prisoners are not a burden, but the empire's most precious asset! They will bear the most arduous and dangerous corvée labor, such as digging canals, building roads, constructing new cities, and guarding strategic passes! In this way, the people of Great Qin can be relieved of their heavy burdens and concentrate on farming, weaving, and increasing the population! The foundation of the empire will be strengthened even more because of them!"

The generals were initially stunned, but then their eyes shone with an increasingly bright light.

Meng Tian clapped his hands sharply: "Your Majesty's foresight is beyond my reach! Using prisoners as laborers not only eliminates hidden dangers but also strengthens our Great Qin. It is truly a divine strategy!"

Just then, the guards outside the tent brought in a foreigner.

This man had a high nose, deep-set eyes, curly hair, and brown eyes. His armor was of a strange style, unlike anything worn by the Xiongnu or Qin soldiers.

“This man is named Creon,” Qin Chuan introduced. “His ancestors came from Macedonia in the far west. They served the Mauryan dynasty in India, but later wandered to the Gobi Desert and were coerced by Touman.”