Chapter 653 [First Update]

Liu Tan really didn't expect that Xulihu would run so fast. He always felt like there was some conspiracy.

Lu Xuan understood better: "I think the Xiongnu have lost their will."

If Lu Xuan had chosen the Xiongnu instead of the Han, he would have lost his spirit at this moment.

It would be fine if they could really fight back and forth, but even if they couldn't, as long as all the opponent's strategies and tactics were within their understanding, they would still be able to fight. It would be impossible for them to evacuate the royal city so easily and leave only King Zuo Tuqi, a defeated general, to defend the city.

But the problem now is that no one can imagine what the King of the North will use to deal with them next. The unknown is always the most terrifying.

However, Liu Tan seemed completely unaware of this problem. He said with great vigilance, "First, keep an eye on where Xuli Lake and the others are retreating to. Then we'll see where Longcheng is headed."

The more it comes to this time, the more we should not be arrogant. If we fail miserably, it would be a huge embarrassment.

Especially the Xiongnu's Dragon City was a place that the Han people were very wary of, even though Wei and Huo had never reached Dragon City at that time.

Even Li Xi, who had fought with Wei Qing, could still talk about the situation nearby in detail on the way here. However, the closer he got to Yanran Mountain, the silenter he became, because he had never been there before. And when he arrived in Longcheng... Anyway, the Han Dynasty had not attacked Longcheng in all these years.

Liu Tan stood about twenty miles outside the city, looking through a telescope and found that Longcheng was quiet, there were no soldiers on the city walls, and the city gates were closed. The more he looked, the more he felt that the other party might have a new way to deal with him.

It can be said that King Zuo Tuqi is indeed the most resourceful person he has fought along the way.

Although it seemed that he still won, and won decisively, the fact that Liu Tan had to find a way to deal with him instead of just relying on equipment to crush him was enough for Zuo Tuqi Wang to brag about.

Now that the other party was so quiet, Liu Tan couldn't help but turn around and ask Lu Xuan and Li Xi beside him: "Do you think... have they come up with any new methods?"

There wasn't even a single archer on the city wall to guard the city, which made Liu Tan feel a little uneasy.

Lu Xuan said decisively, "I'll take some people over to test it out."

Liu Tan subconsciously said, "No, what if they are just hiding?"

Lu Xuan laughed and said, "They have the nerve to stay hidden. Otherwise, when we get close, they will definitely come out and prepare."

No matter how skilled a crossbowman is, he cannot wait for the enemy to arrive in front of him and then draw his bow and shoot an arrow.

Liu Tan was still a little worried. Li Xi beside him said seriously, "Your Highness, this is the best choice."

According to normal warfare routines, it is customary to challenge each other and test the waters before attacking a city.

However, his prince was very arrogant during the fight, and there was no need for any conventions. He threw a few powder kegs without any conventions. This made Li Xi very uncomfortable. He always felt as if... it would be the same with or without him.

Not to mention Li Xi, even Lu Xuan felt that along the way, they usually just threw a few gunpowder barrels from a distance when they saw the enemy, and then went over to clean up the mess.

Poor Liu Tan had probably never experienced what a normal war was like in his life. He looked at Li Xi and Lu Xuan suspiciously, but finally nodded in agreement and said, "Then be careful."

After hearing this, Lu Xuan turned around and took his men out. Li Xi tried to stop him but failed.

Seeing Li Xi chasing after him, Liu Tan asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you say this was customary?"

Li Xi came back and said helplessly, "Even if it's customary practice, it's not worth His Royal Highness the King of Wusun personally taking action."

Liu Tan smiled and said, "Just let him go."

It was true that this was the easiest battle Lu Xuan had ever fought, but at the same time, it also made him feel a little bored.

He likes the feeling of competing with others in terms of strength and wisdom, which makes him excited.

Unfortunately, Liu Tan directly deprived him of this right. Liu Tan guessed that Lu Xuan couldn't hold it in any longer, so he let him go no matter what he said.

Lu Xuan led his men slowly approaching Dragon City. During this process, his men kept challenging them in Xiongnu. However, to their surprise, no one appeared on the city wall from beginning to end, and no one responded to them.

At this point, Lu Xuan also felt very strange. After estimating the range of the Xiongnu's bows and arrows, he and his men stopped outside the range.

At the same time, the gate of Longcheng suddenly opened.

Lu Xuan was not surprised. He thought the enemy was coming directly to fight, so he waved his hand and asked his soldiers to form a battle formation.

Unexpectedly, the other side only had a disheveled Hun man come out, and there was no one behind him except himself.

Lu Xuan squinted his eyes and looked at it, then raised his eyebrows: "Xiongnu Zuo Da Dang Hu?"

This person is considered to be a high-ranking official in the Xiongnu, but his current state looks a bit strange.

Today's Dragon City was strange from beginning to end.

Lu Xuan rode on his horse and asked the knights behind him to prepare for shooting, while he also strung his own crossbow.

He watched as Zuo Da Danghu walked towards him with a serious expression. He stopped only when he was within the range of Lu Xuan's crossbow. He bowed to Lu Xuan and spoke something in Xiongnu language.

Lu Xuan was slightly surprised after hearing this and said cautiously, "This is a serious matter. I need to report it to the king. Please wait."

After saying that, Lu Xuan ordered his men to surround Zuo Da Danghu to prevent him from escaping suddenly and aim at him with bows and arrows.

Zuo Da Danghu's expression was calm, and he didn't seem surprised by such a scene.

Meanwhile, Liu Tan had been observing the area through a telescope. Seeing Lu Xuan quickly return with his men, he cautiously said, "Remove the arrows from the crossbow first."

Isn't it funny that this thing accidentally shot out?

Lu Xuan quickly unloaded his crossbow, looked up at Liu Tan, then at Li Xi, and said, "That man just now was the Xiongnu leader Zuo Da Dang Hu. He said... King Zuo Tuqi wants to surrender."

Liu Tan: ???

He was stunned for a moment, then looked at Longcheng again, feeling that all the doubts just now could be explained.

Because they planned to surrender, they did not send anyone to guard the city. They just waited for them to come and then opened the gate to welcome them.

However, perhaps because the shadow cast by the Xiongnu was too great for the Han people, Liu Tan hadn't yet begun to suspect anything when Li Xi asked, "Could it be a false surrender? They'll trick us into entering Longcheng and then..."

Liu Tan thought for a moment and said, "Get the cloud car over there. If they try to cheat, throw the powder keg at them."

Lu Xuan turned and looked at him: "Are you willing to do this?"

Liu Tan smiled and said, "I'm reluctant to give it up, but in the eyes of the Xiongnu, I'm definitely willing to give it up."

Lu Xuan instantly understood what he meant. Although they had had an easy time fighting all the way here, the casualties they had caused were actually more than in a regular battle. Therefore, the Xiongnu's evaluation and rumors about Liu Tan had reached the point of demonizing him.

To say that Liu Tan is disregarding human life is gentle.

So in their eyes, the King of the North does not care about the lives of his men. So if he discovers a false surrender and gets angry and throws a powder keg at them, it is normal for him to not care about the lives of his men.

Li Xi said decisively: "I will take people with me."

Lu Xuan was about to say something, but Li Xi looked at him seriously and said, "Protect His Highness."

Then he bowed to Liu Tan and left.

Well, not only Lu Xuan wanted to get some fresh air, Li Xi also wanted to find some excitement, otherwise he would doubt whether he was out to fight or to travel.

Liu Tan and Lu Xuan looked at each other, and finally had no choice but to let him go.

Lu Xuan said, "King Zuo Tuqi wouldn't feign surrender. Perhaps what he hates most right now isn't you, but Xuli Lake."

Liu Tan was an enemy, and winning and losing were perfectly normal. King Zuo Tuqi certainly hated him, but what he hated most was abandoning him to face certain death. How could he not hate him? Therefore, his surrender made sense. After all, according to Han custom, surrendering allowed one to survive, while not surrendering would mean risking his life for the sake of Huli Lake.

Liu Tan thought about it and it seemed to be true, so he waited for news from Li Xi with peace of mind.

After about half a day, Li Xi came back with his men, and one of the people he brought back was King Zuo Tuqi.

King Zuo Tuqi had a calm expression at this time. When he saw Liu Tan, he couldn't help but look at him twice more.

This was the first time he met the King of the North.

According to rumors, this King of the North killed countless people and had a green face and fangs.

Based on this person's deeds, when King Zuo Tuqi imagined the image of the King of the Northern Territory, he also imagined that the other party had eyes like copper bells, was eight feet tall and had a waist circumference of eight feet.

As a result, I felt like my three views were about to collapse after seeing this.

This guy with broad shoulders, thin waist, delicate skin and tender flesh is the King of the North who almost overturned Mount Yanran?

How come he looks so good?

Liu Tan sat there calmly and let him look at him, but Lu Xuan beside him couldn't help but take two steps forward and say something.

But he spoke in the Xiongnu language, and Liu Tan didn't know what he said.

King Zuo Tuqi glanced at Lu Xuan, then turned his gaze to Liu Tan. Liu Tan turned his head and looked at Lu Xuan and said, "Ask him if he has anything else to say."

King Zuo Tuqi suddenly said, "I can speak Chinese."

Liu Tan was surprised. Although the other party's tone was very stiff, he could indeed tell it was Chinese. It would be easy if they could communicate. He didn't know if he could get the whereabouts of Xili Lake from the other party.

According to Lu Xuan's analysis just now, if King Zuo Tuqi really breaks with Xuli Lake, it doesn't seem to be that difficult.

Thinking of this, Liu Tan was about to ask something when he heard Zuo Tuqi Wang say: "I know what you want to say. I can tell you the whereabouts of the Chanyu, but I have a condition."

Liu Tan was immediately shocked. Is this how he cooperates?

Lu Xuan, standing by, asked cautiously, "What are the conditions?"

King Zuo Tuqi looked at Liu Tan and said, "I know that your Han customs would allow me to stay in Chang'an, but I'm afraid I'm not used to the climate and environment there. So I hope to stay in the Northern Border Kingdom and... if I have the chance, I hope to kill Xulihu with my own hands."

Liu Tan: ...

He suddenly felt that compared to King Zuotuqi, both King Yan and King Changyi could be called filial.