Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1767: Chapter 1657: A Powerlessness Where You Know Everything but Can Do Nothing (Part 2)

Qiu Linbei mustered his spirit, leading the remnants of the Northern Huns in retreat. On the way back to the camp, the Northern Huns Elite Cavalry couldn’t help but ask each other questions, roughly estimating the casualties of the Han Army. Although the opponent’s damage seemed to have a bizarre growth trend, the Northern Huns soldiers felt their losses were greater than theirs.

This left some soldiers slightly puzzled as to why Qiu Linbei chose to retreat, but given Qiu Linbei’s usual aloofness, no soldier dared to question him about it.

After the battle between Xiahou Dun and Qiu Linbei, Xiahou Dun took a large detour before heading south. Having clashed once with the Northern Huns, Xiahou Dun could no longer afford any underestimation. Although Xiahou Dun was far more certain than Qiu Linbei that there were very few within the Northern Huns with such command and combat capabilities as Qiu Linbei, sometimes it’s not the fear of the thousand but the one.

It was for this reason that by the time Xiahou Dun went south, Qiu Linbei had already reached the tightly guarded camp established by the Northern Huns in northern Youzhou.

”Qiu Lin, you’ve returned?” Huyan Chu smiled as he saw Qiu Linbei returning, ”How did it go this time?”

Qiu Linbei was silent for a moment, then spoke, ”I ask the Chanyu to dismiss everyone.”

Huyan Chu frowned slightly, then clapped his hands gently. Two people came out from the shadows in the corners of the tent. Qiu Linbei nodded slightly, and the two of them withdrew with the guards.

”Go ahead and speak now.” Huyan Chu already had a bad feeling. Though Qiu Linbei’s tone was still steady, Huyan Chu knew things couldn’t be good when Qiu Linbei lowered his head.

”Chanyu, our forces at the rear were attacked!” Qiu Linbei spoke sternly after the guards left. Huyan Chu was immediately shocked, but then calmed down.

Honestly, Huyan Chu was confident in his thorough arrangements. With a thousand Northern Huns Guards stationed there, along with nearly ten thousand Northern Huns Elite Cavalry, it was clear he was prepared for an attack. Therefore, he believed the Han Army couldn’t inflict massive casualties upon their rear tribes.

In Huyan Chu’s estimation, even if the Han Army relied on internal traitors to obtain the location and managed to block the route north with Wuhuan and Fuyu’s full rebellion, his northern army was enough to overwhelm the Han Army.

Honestly, having a thousand Military Spirit Legion at the forefront, coupled with ten thousand Elite Cavalry, though half were recently recruited from the tribes, they wouldn’t be inferior to the average Han Army. Even if the Han Army could lead fifteen thousand troops, they couldn’t easily cripple the Northern Huns’ tribes.

”What exactly happened? What was the Uloran Clan doing, and how much was lost?” Huyan Chu asked solemnly, but without any obvious panic.

”The Uloran Clan has already been killed by the Han General Hua Xiong, with the tribe losing about two hundred thousand.” Qiu Linbei responded in a low voice.

The moment he spoke, Qiu Linbei was prepared for Huyan Chu’s wrath, but instead, he didn’t hear Huyan Chu’s roar. When he looked up at Huyan Chu, he saw Huyan Chu’s face pale, his chest heaving, unable to speak.

Immediately, Qiu Linbei rushed over, pressing Huyan Chu’s left chest with his right hand until Huyan Chu’s breathing gradually stabilized. Only then did Qiu Linbei let go, and by this time, Huyan Chu had noticeably weakened, gesturing for Qiu Linbei to release him.

”What happened afterward, did Kun Wan arrive?” Huyan Chu asked with icy eyes.

”Yes, the Right Virtuous King led the Miscellaneous Hun to arrive just in time to repel the Han Army. However, the Han Army was too powerful, and the reinforcements got caught in a timing slip,” Qiu Linbei tried to speak calmly, but as he said the last sentence, his tightly clenched hands abruptly relaxed, as if he suddenly lost all strength, ”they retreated entirely.”

Upon hearing this, Huyan Chu suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with a cold and fierce light, looking at Qiu Linbei, ”The Military Spirit Legion?”

”Yes, a complete Military Spirit Legion. The reserves of power were insufficient, but many could instantly convert into super elite soldiers.” Qiu Linbei replied with his head slightly lowered, not without a hint of silence.

”The second Military Spirit Legion, huh? The Han Empire is truly impressive.” Huyan Chu spoke after a long pause with a tone of admiration, but as he spoke, it seemed to trigger coughs, forcing him to breathe through his mouth, coughing dryly in succession.

Only after Qiu Linbei poured Huyan Chu a cup of hot water, which he drank without regard for its temperature, was Huyan Chu able to suppress the choking sensation in his throat and lungs.

”Chanyu, are you alright?” Qiu Linbei bowed respectfully. In the past, he couldn’t have done such an act, as he was never part of Huyan Chu’s direct lineage.

”It’s nothing, just an old ailment from the battle at Tianshan, nothing serious. But I see you’re no longer as hot-headed as before,” Huyan Chu said with a trace of satisfaction, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Though Qiu Linbei wasn’t part of Huyan Chu’s direct lineage and often clashed with Huyan Chu’s political views, he nonetheless accorded a certain respect to him due to his status as the Northern Huns’ foremost valiant general. Of course, this respect made Qiu Linbei more arrogant, more dismissive of Huyan Chu.

Therefore, Qiu Linbei never truly respected Huyan Chu, though Huyan Chu didn’t take offense at these small details. Knowing the strength of the Northern Huns at present, he was taught to unite all forces possible.

”Chanyu, can we really defeat the Han Dynasty?” Qiu Linbei asked in a low voice after much deliberation.

In that moment, surprise flashed in Huyan Chu’s eyes, as well as a hint of worry, but ultimately what remained was joy.

Huyan Chu shook his head slightly. Qiu Linbei had guessed as much, but was still struck as if hit by lightning. His mind raced with countless ideas, yet he could only stare silently at Huyan Chu, waiting for his response.

”How many within our tribe wish to return to this land?” Huyan Chu said calmly to Qiu Linbei, ”Though I don’t know what you’ve gone through, the fact you can ask indicates you have perhaps awakened from the powerful dream of the Kunlun Deity Descendants.”

”I suppose all of them want to return.” Qiu Linbei opened his mouth but found he couldn’t think of a single clan member who didn’t want to return. ”But Chanyu, don’t you want to return? Yet before, you didn’t refute our proposal.”

”No, I do want to return, but I understand the power disparity between us and the Han Court. So I want to return, but I dare not return,” Huyan Chu said calmly.

”Then you...” Qiu Linbei began to ask but quickly understood. Though he was a fierce general, he wasn’t ignorant.

In such circumstances, even if Huyan Chu’s reputation surpassed their conviction to return to the Central Plains, he might have only managed to delay them momentarily.

”That’s right, even if I stopped you, sooner or later, we’d end up here,” Huyan Chu said calmly to Qiu Linbei. ”So blocking you won’t do; it’s better to guide. With me here, there’s still a chance for our tribe to survive. If I fall, or if you overthrow me, you may not even have the strength to protect against the Han Court.”

”One must understand their situation to survive, must break through to endure, must control the whole picture to win. With me here, we at least have the ability to understand the situation; there’s still a slim chance,” Huyan Chu said with increasing calmness. ”In terms of martial force, we are absolutely no match for the Han Army, even if we are determined to fight to the death; we’re still not comparable to the Han Army.”

”Then why don’t we flee, flee to the Western Regions, why...” Qiu Linbei shouted in a low voice, but the next moment he realized the foolishness of his words.

Huyan Chu watched Qiu Linbei silently until Qiu Linbei, seemingly in anger or tremor, slammed his fist on the table, slowly opening his mouth to speak.

”We have nowhere to go. Once we are exposed, unless we fight until the Han Army perceives us as defeated, they won’t stop,” Huyan Chu said, looking calmly at Qiu Linbei, ”We must fight the opponent. From the moment we emerged, and the cost to end it is to disappear from history.”

At this moment, Qiu Linbei felt a deep hatred in his heart, hatred for his own stupidity, and hatred for everyone’s powerlessness.