Chapter 115 Chapter 115 "Noisy..."

"What are you making so much noise for?" a burly man in his fifties said as he walked towards the city gate.

The man wore the robes of a Wusun first-class marquis, yet the soldiers guarding the city showed no awe, bowing perfunctorily. "Greetings, General Tuke. Didn't Kunmi give you leave? You don't need to worry about our military affairs."

Jiang Wan watched from the sidelines, her heart sinking again. General Tuke had been the Wusun envoy to the Zhou Dynasty, and his eldest daughter, Madam You, had been a key figure in fostering relations between the two countries. Now that General Tuke was under house arrest, and even a gatekeeper dared to treat him with indifference, Madam You's situation at the royal court was likely not optimistic.

No one could help her this time.

General Tuke glanced at Jiang Wan calmly and said to the soldier, "This girl is my friend. Please do me a favor and hand her over to me."

The soldiers guarding the city grinned. "She's from the Central Plains. General Tuke, don't count on forming an alliance with them. If you displease Modun Khan, you might lose your life."

General Tuke suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at him with murderous intent in his eyes, which made the soldier tremble.

"Even if I'm down and out, it's easy for me to kill a soldier like you." His tone was icy. "Do you think if I kill you here, will the Khan you're talking about kill me?"

After all, he was a veteran of many battles. Tuke's bloodthirsty killing intent intimidated the soldiers guarding the city. They reluctantly loosened the shackles on Jiang Wan's hands and pushed her out, angrily saying, "General, if you insist on protecting her, don't blame me for not warning you if you get into trouble in the future."

After saying this, he raised his sword and walked away.

Jiang Wan staggered a bit after being pushed, and Fan Shixing and Bai Yanyun both reached out to support her, and she finally stood steady.

"Thank you, General, for rescuing me." Jiang Wan saluted with his left hand on his chest.

"Miss Jiang, you don't have to be so polite. In fact, it was Kunmi who privately ordered me to release you this time. The Wuhu have already formed an alliance, yet you dared to come alone. Kunmi deeply admires your courage. Kunmi also told me to convey a message: if all the soldiers of the Great Zhou were as brave as you, Wusun would not have to bow to the Xiongnu."

After a pause, General Tuke said, "The military strength of the Great Zhou and the Xiongnu is greatly disparate. No matter how eloquent Miss Jiang is, Kunmi will not change his mind. Wusun is not safe for you now. Please leave immediately."

Jiang Wan straightened up. The Wusun people were tall, and General Tuke in front of her was a full head taller than her. She had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze.

But even as he looked up, General Tuke didn't dare underestimate the young woman before him. This petite Central Plains woman had traveled extensively, opening trade routes, establishing post stations, and negotiating trade, single-handedly expanding the entire Western Region market.

Although he was in the crisis-ridden Chigu City, his face was calm and fearless, and he admired his composure.

"The Xiongnu Khan is currently in your royal court, so it's not convenient for Kunmi to see me, right?" Jiang Wan asked.

General Tuke nodded and said, "Go quickly. Kunmi privately told me to let you go. Please don't make things difficult for us."

"Has Kunmi lost his freedom to see others after forming an alliance with Modun Khan?" Jiang Wan sneered. "I appreciate the good intentions of Kunmi and the general. But since I've come to Chigu City, I won't flee in the face of adversity. Please, General, take me to the royal court."

General Tuke was anxious: "If you go to the royal court, Kunmi will not be able to protect you in front of Modun Khan!"

"When I decided to come here, I didn't intend to save my life," Jiang Wan said. "Your country has chosen a path of destruction. Since Kunmi still has some feelings for me, I have to persuade him, even if it means risking my life."

"...Alright." Seeing her insistence, General Tuke sighed, "I'll report this to Kunmi. But I can't help you with anything else."

"I will always remember the General's kindness in saving me today. No matter what the outcome is, I will not drag the General down." Jiang Wan said.

-

"Tell me, what are your chances of victory?" Kunmi said in the meeting room, his face filled with worry. "Twenty years ago, your emperor was severely defeated by the Xiongnu at the Morgele River. For twenty years, the Xiongnu have repeatedly harassed the borders of the Great Zhou, but you have never dared to launch a counterattack. In terms of military strength, the Xiongnu's troops are several times greater than yours. In terms of fighting spirit, I heard that your court is full of peace advocates, and you can't find many capable generals."

Kunmi slammed some intelligence documents onto the table and said, "Miss Jiang, the Great Zhou has no chance of winning this war. For the Wusun to befriend an army that is doomed to fail is simply courting their own destruction."

Jiang Wan picked up the intelligence book and took a look. He said, "This information is from half a month ago, right? I just came here from Da Zhou. Kunmi, why don't you listen to the latest news?"

"Three days ago, the Great Zhou had already assembled its entire territory and stationed troops outside Yumen Pass. This stand was different from the previous minor border skirmishes, and also different from twenty years ago. The Great Zhou had no option but to fight a desperate battle. The Kunmi, an army in dire straits, their fighting spirit was no match for that of an ordinary army."

Kunmi looked at her puzzledly: "Why can't we negotiate peace? Didn't you pay compensation for gold, silver and jewelry twenty years ago?"

Jiang Wan said in a deep voice, "Because if we lose this battle, it means the Great Zhou will change its leader and will no longer be the Zhu family's domain."

"The Third Prince, whom the Xiongnu supported under the pretext of clearing the imperial court, is not of Zhu's bloodline."

"What!" Kunmi stood up in shock. "Are you serious? Did a cat replace the prince, or..."

"Zhu Yongding's biological mother had an affair with someone," Jiang Wan said. "The adulterer has been apprehended and imprisoned. I can't go into details about the circumstances. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to investigate."

Kunmi lowered his head with a thoughtful look, and his fingers subconsciously exerted force, causing the secret report in his hand to wrinkle.

Suddenly, the door of the conference room was pushed open, and a woman sitting on a wooden chair with wheels came in, pushed by a maid.

"Kunmi! How can you allow yourself to be provoked by this evil woman from the Central Plains?" the woman said sternly.

Faced with her rude behavior, Kunmi's face was gloomy for a moment, but when he saw Modun Khan behind her, he forced a smile.

"Why are you here, Madam? You have difficulty walking, so if you have anything, just call me and I will go to your palace." Kunmi walked forward attentively and pushed the wooden chair next to him.

Jiang Wan remained silent. He had only heard of the Left Lady from the Right Lady. It was said that she was Modun Khan's biological daughter, favored because of the previous relationship between the Wusun and Xiongnu. Later, the Right Lady schemed to injure her leg, and she rarely left the house.

A year ago, when she came to Wusun to sell porcelain, the Right Lady had clearly overshadowed the Left Lady. Now that Wu and Hu had reunited, the two ladies' situations were reversed.

Jiang Wan was secretly horrified. Fortunately, He Wanrong hadn't been allowed to marry into the Huns back then. While Madam You was close to the Great Zhou, she was, after all, a native Wusun. If He Wanrong had truly become a princess, she would have been sacrificed by the Huns long ago.

In her heart, Madam You was already a rare woman who was extremely scheming, strong-willed and ruthless. Such a person was powerless to deal with politics, let alone the gentle and kind He Wanrong?

Jiang Wan shook his head to clear his mind, listening to Madam Zuo scolding him, "If I don't come soon, Kunmi will listen to this witch and break his promise to the Xiongnu."

"No, no, madam, you are worrying too much. I just think that when two armies are fighting, they should not kill the envoys. Since they have come to our door anyway, we might as well listen to them." Kunmi said with a smile.

Modun Khan leaned against the door with his sturdy frame and said in a gruff voice, "No need to check. Just as the little demon girl said, Zhu Yongding is not of Emperor Chengde's bloodline."

The news was confirmed and Kunmi blinked in shock.

"After twenty years of hiding it, it's discovered at this critical moment. This is a bit troublesome." Modun Khan patted Kunmi on the back with his bare hands. "But so what? The Great Zhou has never paid much attention to military training, and the soldiers' bloodiness has long faded. Even if a mere 100,000 soldiers were to fight a desperate battle, how could they defeat the 300,000 brave soldiers of the Western Regions? I've had people inquire about it. The one leading the Great Zhou troops this time is their uncle, Wen Shen, a 21-year-old boy who has never experienced a major battle."

At this point, Modun Khan laughed heartily, and while laughing he suddenly drew out his broadsword, with a cold gleam, and placed it on Jiang Wan's fair neck.

"You guys in the Central Plains can't even pick out a general with some experience, and you can only send a young girl here to use sweet words and flattery in a vain attempt to disintegrate our Western Region coalition!"

Madam Zuo stared at Jiang Wan coldly with a look of resentment in her eyes. Kunmi opened his mouth, but was suddenly pressed on the shoulder by Modun Khan, and he fell silent.

Feeling the dangerous chill on his neck, Jiang Wan's heart tightened, but his face remained expressionless as he spoke indifferently, "Three years ago, when General Wen first arrived at Yumen Pass, your country's King Youguli led 10,000 cavalrymen to attack the new army. However, they were defeated after a thousand-mile raid and burned their food supplies, forcing them to return in defeat. Two years ago on New Year's Eve, your country sent 20,000 infantrymen to attack Xiaofangpan City at night. General Wen led 5,000 soldiers to defend the city all night with sharp arrows and heavy rocks."

"Over half your infantry were killed or wounded, forcing you to retreat, only to be ambushed by General Wen at Duolun Lake. Fewer than two thousand survived." Jiang Wan raised her head, smiling as she faced Modun Khan. "You said my Great Zhou is empty-handed. It seems your memory isn't very good, Khan. Do you remember how Hasina, your country's foremost Baturu and a fierce general under the Right Guli King, died?"

Modun Khan was furious after being stabbed by her, and pressed a long knife against her neck. Jiang Wan only felt a pain in her neck, and the knife was already stained three-quarters red.

Wusun Kunmi grabbed the knife and asked, "Khan, what happened? Hasna is dead?"

Jiang Wan: "Yes, last year the Rose Caravan was attacked by Hasna on its way to Loulan."

She tilted her head to look at Modun Khan, a hint of mischievous sarcasm on her face: "A thousand brave Xiongnu warriors have been killed by me. Khan, I'm afraid you must be feeling bad."

Wusun Kunmi's eyes widened in shock. Jiang Wan's Rose Caravan had only a hundred guards, the rest were civilians, and how could they defeat a thousand Xiongnu soldiers?

He subconsciously turned back to look at Modun Khan. Only when he caught a glimpse of his sparkling eyes did he believe it.

Jiang Wan had given him so many surprises this time that he was stunned for a moment and didn't know what to say.