The battle has progressed to this point, and the Xiongnu have been utterly defeated.
Fortunately, the heavy snowfall allowed both sides to barely maintain a stalemate.
Inside the city of Chubi, the white-haired Agobhutan sat in the main seat.
Both sides were filled with the remaining generals of the Xiongnu.
Before Mu Zi'an withdrew from the grassland, he ambushed Agobhutan, causing Agobhutan to suffer heavy losses.
When he finally broke through the blockade of the camps in front of the ruins of Wuwei City and Fuling City and arrived at Qiubi City.
The first piece of news completely shocked him.
Left Wise King Yelü Junba died in battle.
Before Agobtan arrived, Yelü Junba's head had already been delivered to Mu Junxian by express courier.
Mu Junxian didn't hold back either, sending it directly to the Xiongnu camp.
When news of Yelü Junba's defeat and death arrived, the Xiongnu army was thrown into complete chaos.
If Agobhutan had not arrived in time, the remaining army would likely have collapsed in an instant.
Yelü Junba had mobilized 110,000 cavalry from the grasslands for this expedition, but now only 40,000 remain.
The word "deeply devastated" is insufficient to describe the extent of the loss; it literally wiped out an entire generation of the Xiongnu.
In the next twenty years, the Xiongnu will no longer have the ability to invade southward and will only be able to barely protect themselves.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat heavy, and the burning brazier made a crackling sound.
All the Xiongnu generals had very ugly expressions.
Now they are in a dilemma.
After retreating, the camps of Wuwei City and Chuxuesong blocked their way.
Before them stood Mu Junxian's hundreds of thousands of troops, making it impossible for them to advance.
At this moment, they were trapped in Liangzhou like turtles in a jar.
When Agobhutan learned of the current situation, he was incredulous.
Yelü Junba, the Left Wise King on whom he had once placed great hopes, had suffered such a crushing defeat.
Now Yelü Junba has been beheaded and Jieli Khan has been captured.
The vast Xiongnu people actually needed this old man with a full head of white hair to lead them.
For a time, Agobhutan felt utterly exhausted.
The current Xiongnu army still has 40,000 cavalry, plus the troops he brought, barely making a total of 50,000.
On paper, the Xiongnu still had the strength to fight.
However, this was the last bit of strength the grasslands had left.
Even if we could continue fighting against Dali, what would happen after that?
The Xiongnu will find it difficult to recover their strength for at least twenty years.
The grasslands have always believed in the law of the jungle.
The Western Qiang and Jurchen, also nomadic peoples, were always looking to take a piece of their flesh.
Therefore, Agobhutan absolutely cannot allow the last bit of the Hunnic people's strength to be lost in the hands of Dali.
"What do you think we should do now?"
Agobtan's slightly weary voice came through the phone.
At that moment, he seemed to have aged decades.
As soon as Agobhutan finished speaking, the generals in the room immediately started making a fuss.
Ultimately, it boils down to two viewpoints.
One group said they should withdraw, while another group said they should fight.
The Left Wise King's faction, led by Xubu, was naturally unwilling to give up the captured cities so easily.
Meanwhile, the steppe nobles represented by Agobhutan demanded an immediate withdrawal to the steppe.
After all, the Khan has been captured, so what's the point of fighting?
The two sides were arguing endlessly and seemed poised to come to blows.
Agobhutan slammed his fist on the table, and the room immediately fell silent.
All eyes turned back to Agobhutan.
"Continuing to fight will only deplete our resources."
As soon as Agobhutan finished speaking, Subhu immediately said!
"Are we just going to give up the city we've captured at such great cost?"
"Hmph! Now that the Left Wise King is dead and the Khan has been captured, what's the point of continuing the fight?"
"The Yelü tribe must bear full responsibility for this defeat!"
"you!"
"Enough!"
Agobhutan said in a deep voice.
"These cities were hard-won, so we can't give them up easily."
"Now we have no choice but to negotiate peace with Dali and exchange the half of Liangzhou in our hands for the Khan."
"Peace talks? I'm afraid the Great Li won't agree."
Upon hearing this, Agobhutan slowly rose to his feet, the cold wind outside blowing in continuously. He spoke in a deep voice.
"They will agree; the Central Plains are not a monolithic entity now."
"Besides us, the Great Li Dynasty also has to guard against other countries. If they continue to fight us, they will not gain any benefits."
"Even if they manage to conquer the grasslands, so what? They'll just be a burden."
"However, we are at a disadvantage in this negotiation, but we have no other choice now."
"The snowstorms on the grasslands this year are even worse than last year. If we don't hurry back, countless tribes will disappear from the grasslands once winter is over."
Agobtan's words were straightforward and realistic: at present, the only trump card the Huns had was this mere half of Liangzhou.
The snow in Liangzhou grew heavier and heavier, and amidst the vast expanse of white, Mu Zi returned to Liangzhou City once again.
Compared to before, the atmosphere in Liangzhou City was much more relaxed at this moment.
A hint of disorientation flashed in Mu Junxian's eyes as he looked at Mu Zian in front of him.
Along with Yelü Jun's head, Mu Zi'an's latest appointment letter was also sent over.
Not long ago, the man before me was a notorious playboy in the capital.
He was a dissolute man who could carry his father's coffin into the palace to ask the emperor for a reward.
Mu Junxian believed that the lineage of the Duke of Zhenguo would be cut off from then on.
But who would have thought that Mu Zian would rise to prominence so quickly in just six months?
Now, he has even made a thousand-mile raid to capture the Xiongnu Khan alive and sealed the Wolf-Dwelling Mountain. Afterwards, he traveled day and night to protect the emperor and annihilate 20,000 Xiongnu cavalry.
The contrast before and after is so great that it's hard to imagine.
Just as Mu Junxian was in a daze, Mu Zian's voice rang out.
"It's time to end the war against the Xiongnu."
Upon hearing this, Mu Junxian remained calm.
"What was His Majesty's conclusion?"
Mu Zian picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then uttered a single word.
"and."
Upon hearing this, Mu Junxian was not surprised at all.
Although the army seems to have the upper hand at present, if the Xiongnu really become desperate and act rashly, Dali will also be in trouble.
What if the Xiongnu refuse?
Mu Zian smiled upon hearing this.
“They will be even more anxious than we are; presumably, letters seeking peace are already on their way.”
Mu Junxian did not believe it when he heard this, as he had fought against the Xiongnu for many years.
These people are extremely stubborn; they won't surrender unless you completely subdue them.
They still have 40,000 cavalry at hand, which may not be enough to put them in a fight.
However, as soon as Mu Zian finished speaking, a soldier rushed in from outside the door, knelt on one knee after entering the room, and said...
"Reporting to the Duke of Zhenguo, Commander Mu, there is a Xiongnu envoy outside the city requesting an audience!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com