To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 417 A Better Candidate!

Some people reached out to snatch the ration bags from the cavalrymen's waists, some clung tightly to the horses' legs begging for food, and others fell in the snow due to the crowd, causing chaos.

The formation of three thousand cavalrymen was instantly broken by these thirty thousand of their own kind.

The cavalrymen dared not draw their swords against their own kind; they could only tighten the reins and try to control their frightened warhorses.

The leader of the group felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at his fellow tribesmen fighting over food.

If they stayed put, the 30,000 men would rob the cavalry of all their rations.

If they retreat, the Qin army will have already left, and they will lose their excuse for feigning an attack to delay.

Now, the old and weak have identified them. As long as the cavalry retreats, these 30,000 men will follow the hoofprints and relentlessly pursue them all the way back to the Xiongnu royal court.

"Go and inform the Great Chanyu immediately!" the commander roared at the messenger.

……

The Xiongnu royal court.

Inside the main tent, after hearing the messenger's report, Touman Chanyu felt a surge of blood in his chest, a sweet taste in his throat, and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Bang!"

The Chanyu kicked over the table in front of him, his eyes bloodshot.

"They withdrew? The Qin army just withdrew like that?"

Touman Chanyu roared, "Meng Tian! How dare they abandon these 30,000 men!"

Xiang Liang and Ji Dan, standing to the side, also had ashen faces and remained silent.

The open scheme was thwarted, and in a swift and decisive manner by the Qin army.

Now, those 30,000 old, weak, women and children have entangled with the Xiongnu light cavalry, and are only a few dozen miles away from the nearest tribe.

Once they were starving, these people would follow the hoofprints and swarm into the royal court like locusts.

"Great Chanyu, a decision must be made now!"

Xiang Liang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "They're already at my doorstep; there's no way to shake them off."

Touman Chanyu gripped his hair tightly with both hands, his voice hoarse: "Accepting them will inevitably consume a lot of food! If we don't accept them, am I supposed to send troops to shoot them down?"

Xiang Liang shook his head and analyzed, "We absolutely cannot shoot them. If we turn them away, these starving old and weak will surely scatter and flee to other tribes."

"Once they scatter to other tribes, the fact that you, Great Chanyu, used them as shields and scapegoats in the Yinshan camp will spread throughout the entire grassland in a very short time!"

At that time, the twelve tribes will inevitably rise in rebellion, and the Great Chanyu's prestige will be completely destroyed!

Upon hearing these words, Touman Chanyu froze.

This was the outcome he feared most.

He could plunder if he ran out of food, but if the various tribes of the grasslands rebelled, he would truly have nowhere to be buried.

"You mean, I, the Chanyu, have no choice but to accept it?" the Chanyu asked through gritted teeth.

Xiang Liang nodded: "We can only take them back to the royal court and settle them together. We'll gather them near the royal court and keep them alive with the royal court's food supplies!"

Only in this way can we block information and control public opinion!

The Great Chanyu can declare to the world that it was the Qin army that brutally drove away his people, and that you, with your benevolence, rescued them at any cost!

Although he knew this was a desperate measure, Touman Chanyu had no other choice.

He closed his eyes in anguish and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Send the order...open the outer camp of the royal court and bring them back!"

Set aside some of the grain from the cattle and sheep pens to make porridge... We absolutely cannot let them go to other tribes!

……

at the same time.

Inside a heavily guarded camp on the east side of the royal court.

Unlike the restlessness in the main tent, the atmosphere here was quite calm.

The Xiongnu prince Modu sat on a tiger-skin-covered couch, holding a fine cloth in his hand, carefully wiping a sharp scimitar.

Standing before him was a trusted subordinate who had just finished reporting the retreat of the Qin army and the approach of 30,000 old and weak men to the royal court.

After hearing the report, Maodun stopped wiping his knife and a contemptuous sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Old man, you're really useless now!"

Maodun sheathed his scimitar, his voice laced with mockery, "Thinking he was clever enough to cut off his tail and save himself, he ended up being played like a puppet by the Qin army!"

Now they've shot themselves in the foot, and they have to reluctantly take in this burden.

A trusted subordinate stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, the Chanyu must be in a terrible predicament right now. The Qin army is just a few dozen miles away, watching us like a hawk!"

This is a fantastic opportunity for you!

Maodun raised his eyelids: "Oh? What opportunity?"

"Send troops to meet the enemy!"

The confidant's voice was agitated: "The Great Chanyu has suffered successive defeats, damaging his prestige!"

"If you were to volunteer now and lead your 10,000 elite cavalry to confront the Qin army, and if you could win a few battles and dampen the Qin army's morale, your prestige on the grasslands would surely increase greatly! Those tribes that are dissatisfied with the Chanyu would also secretly gravitate towards you."

Maodun looked at his excited confidant but did not answer immediately.

He stood up, walked to the fire pit in the tent, and his eyes became unusually deep and gloomy.

"Send troops? Establish prestige?"

Maodun sneered, "Do you think that old codger will just stand by and watch me achieve merit?"

The confidant was taken aback: "Your Highness, do you mean...?"

Maodun turned around, his eyes flashing with undisguised hatred: "Have you forgotten how he treated me back then?"

The confidant trembled and lowered his head, not daring to reply.

Maodun's eyes turned icy cold.

He will never forget it.

In order to get rid of him, the rightful crown prince, so that his favorite concubine's youngest son could succeed to the throne, Touman Chanyu actually sent him to the Yuezhi as a hostage.

Moreover, just as he arrived in Yuezhi, Touman Chanyu immediately launched a fierce attack on Yuezhi!

That was not a surprise attack at all, but a deliberate attempt to use the Yuezhi's knife to kill his own son!

If he hadn't been lucky enough to steal the Yuezhi's finest horse amidst the chaos and escape back to the Xiongnu alone across the desert, he would have long since become a skeleton.

"After I escaped back, he saw that the tribal leaders were praising my bravery. Under pressure, he praised me on the surface and even assigned me 10,000 elite cavalry to command."

Maodun clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "But the suspicion and estrangement in his heart had long been deeply rooted. He was wary of me day and night, fearing that I would become too powerful with my army."

Maodun looked at his confidant and said coldly, "He has suffered a series of defeats and is now losing face!"

If I were to launch a preemptive strike against the Qin army at this critical juncture, regardless of victory or defeat, he would perceive it as me stealing his thunder and trying to win over the hearts of the people!

"Wouldn't that just make him even more suspicious? I only have 10,000 men under my command right now. If I push him too far, he'll definitely find an excuse to strip me of my military power, or even take direct action against me."

Upon hearing this, the confidant broke out in a cold sweat.

He only saw the opportunity to make a name for himself, but overlooked the deep-seated suspicion between father and son that had long since turned into bitter enmity.

"Then... Your Highness, this is the best opportunity! If we don't fight, are we just going to watch the Qin army run rampant?" the confidant asked in distress.

Maodun shook his head, a cryptic smile playing on his lips: "Of course, we must fight. We cannot afford to be complacent about the Qin army. However, I cannot be the one to lead the troops!"

"I have someone better!"