Chapter 123: Chain Schemes
◎A little white cat emerged from behind the fire with a haggard look on its face, and meowed softly at its mother before grabbing the meat.◎
Rustle, rustle.
Tracking them from day to night, Hulun and his men were so scared they didn't even dare to ride their horses: Did Attila's spies have eyes on their backs? If they got any closer, they would be discovered!
They had set out from the middle of the grasslands and had been tracking them for two and a half days. Every time they approached close enough to probe, they could tell they were aware of the enemy's presence. They had no choice but to pretend to leave yesterday and follow them from a distance, relying on their sense of direction.
If this continues, we won’t be able to get any gold, let alone a single wool.
"Your Highness, be patient," the deputy consoled him. "Their sheep need to graze, so they can't run fast. Attila is slow to set up camp, so he'll catch up sooner or later."
"I know I can keep up!"
Attila had few people and many things, and no fixed good pastures, so the old, weak, and sick could leave the team early, and each rest period was longer than theirs.
However, having heard of the reputation of the two killers, Hulun and his people still remained cautious: they lay in the grass, calculated when Attila would enter the forest, feast and fall asleep, and then dared to let the warriors ride in.
Although Attila and Bleda did not have the support of the left and right wise kings, their tribesmen were few and their warriors were even fewer, and the newly acquired slaves were not to be feared, Hulun felt his heart beating fast: could he really win if these two golden guys got together?
Of course, he couldn't say this to his subordinates. He had more combat experience than the enemy, and his number of soldiers was twice as many as theirs. If he couldn't win... how could he be worthy of being the Golden King?
"Keep waiting." His voice was so fierce that it almost burst through his teeth. "Wait until they fall asleep before charging. The lives of our people are more important."
Finally, the sun slowly sank below the horizon. They crouched in the darkness, their cheeks scratched by weeds.
I don’t know how long it took, so long that Hulun’s arms were numb. When he was about to get up to eat some dry biscuits soaked in water, the aroma of roasted lamb wafted on the wind, bringing with it the sound of joyful singing.
…
"Sister, we are being followed."
"oh."
"ah?"
Sonny glanced around and chuckled. “Aren’t there two sisters?” Brida was on the left, Melia on the right.
She smiled and touched the bridge of her nose. "It must be Hulun's little...brother. The scouts spotted him three times with their binoculars. They thought we were letting our guard down."
“Hmph, you’re not giving up.” Brida kicked the horse lightly. She didn’t care whether they fought or not; she simply couldn’t stand such mean behavior. What was the point of using strategy in a close combat on the grasslands? Both sides were royals, so why not fight it out in an open, level field?
"Ah~ Looks like my brother has suffered a heavy loss~"
Sonny smiled a little proudly: "All the gold has been given away. If he doesn't find someone to steal it, he will have to melt the iron pots and knives to make an iron man."
"Gold dust is also fine."
“Brida, I was just kidding! No one would do that, no way.”
"Of course not."
While the two sisters were gossiping, Melia suddenly stopped and said: Yes, royal families like Hulun had previously "donated" all their property to the public, and now they have no money to cast golden men.
As long as they are unwilling to give up the throne, they must find a way to "find" gold - plunder.
Hulun couldn't be allowed to escape the grassland unscathed, otherwise the city-states on both sides would be in trouble. Although Rome, Persia, Athens, and the Huns were accustomed to fighting each other, their territories were constantly changing. Any reduction in war was a plus.
"Hulun, come here. What are you going to do?" She rode up on her horse and stood between the two sisters.
"How?"
Sonny curled his lips and said, "Sister Melia, do you have any ideas? We don't care. Anyway, if we run, Hulun won't be able to catch up at all."
Catching up would be even better. Let's kill him together. If she wasn't afraid that his little bit of golden blood would become the last straw that broke the camel's back, she would have shot him to death long ago.
"If you have an idea, let's go in first."
"Okay~ We're going to camp here anyway, and hunt some animals."
Led by their leader, the Huns leaped lightly into the forest: there were not many trees on such a large area of grassland, the soil here was water-deficient and somewhat desertified, and there must be a lake in the middle of the forest.
Powerful tribes would choose such forests as temporary bases, while weaker passers-by would try their best to avoid them.
Melia scouted the woods and watched the Huns chop wood and build a tall bonfire.
She turned her head and asked, "I remember you would sing and drink while eating."
"right."
Sonny nodded with a smile. "Sister, what you mean is that we should pretend to be drunk, then quietly lie down with our weapons in our arms to lure them into the trap?"
"No~ This is too easy and could easily result in additional casualties."
Melia looked outside. Visibility was very low at night, relying entirely on the bonfire for light. If someone stood outside the forest and didn't dare to come in, they certainly wouldn't be able to see what was inside.
She stepped on the branches and lowered her voice, "You bought a lot of the cheapest ready-made robes before, just to make the fabric, right?"
"yes."
“Yes, it works very well.”
Sonny and Bleda both answered in the affirmative. The Huns were willing to weave cloth, but where was the raw material on the steppes? Wool weaving wasn't on the agenda; they simply sold raw wool.
Everyday necessities cannot all be made of sheepskin. Sonny's part-time business is partly to raise funds and accumulate reputation, and partly because he really lacks these scarce materials.
For example, buying a lot of the cheapest ready-made clothes is actually for the extra fabric: the clothes can be worn directly and taken off to cover the fur as an extra blanket.
When it is worn out, just cut it into pieces, scald it in boiling water and dry it in the sun, and then make it into rags or drawstrings.
She picked up a branch and, by the light of the fire, drew the forest, Hulun, and their location:
"Hang these clothes on the branches and pretend you're still here. After the others finish singing and dancing, retreat, leaving only a few people to beat the drums. After beating for a while, ride away on horseback, leaving a few extra horses for transfers so you can escape faster."
Brida didn't understand. Sunny pondered for a moment, then looked up. "That's a good idea, sister. But Hulun's eyesight is pretty good. He'll definitely notice something's wrong if he gets too close. We won't be able to drive the cattle and sheep out in time."
"It's okay~ Taffy, take out our boxes, we need some special things."
"Yes, miss."
Sonny dragged a heavy, leather-bound wooden box from the carriage. Melia tapped the edge and said, "This is a potion my friend made for friendship. Let's place the clothes upwind. Remember to spread them out when we retreat."
The reason why a few people were left to beat the drums at the end was to increase the effect of the potion. Listening to the drums and smelling the potion, Hulun would definitely mistake these clothes for real people.
Even better, they would likely spend the entire night hacking at the air under the effects of the potion, becoming exhausted. By the time they woke up, the food would be cold, and they would have no time to rob others.
"As expected of a big sister~" Sunny clapped his hands exaggeratedly, "Looks like I'll have to let big sister eat a whole plate of beef heart!"
"No, forget it. The thought is enough... I really prefer roast lamb."
A grill was quickly set up on the fire, and mutton fat was sizzling out.
The trap was real, and so was the Huns' joy. They smeared precious spices, sang loudly, and danced around the fire in tribute to the sky.
Even Sonny dropped his slovenly demeanor, threw down his coat, and wrestled with his deputies.
"Meow." A little white cat with a haggard face emerged from behind the fire and meowed softly at its mother before grabbing the meat.
"Nini! You've been having so much fun these past few days—"
Melia pinched her little cheeks, turned her back and walked to the back of the carriage to feed her.
The kitten drank a few sips and shook his head: "I'm not tired, my fur is just messy."
"Oh~ Then take a good rest these few days?"
"No, the other mother still needs me."
Unexpectedly, Nini shook her head and licked her paws: "I'll bring her some food later. Does mom need me here? If she does, I won't go."
"?"
Melia had a lot of questions in her head. After not seeing her for a few days, could it be that Elena was starving? Was she driven out of the city to fend for herself?
That shouldn't be the case... Maybe he was on a secret mission and couldn't find any food in the wilderness?
Thinking of the baby's ruthless claws, Melia rubbed the cat's head and said, "I'm fine here. What should I bring for Elena?"
"Roast lamb! Meow."
The cat's voice suddenly rose, and it swallowed, its ears trembling.
"Little greedy cat, remember to say hello to Aunt Sunny~"
“Ahhh~”
The little white cat licked its lips, scurried over to the campfire, and raised a paw toward Sonny. "Can I have the mutton?"
"Sure, take it." Sunny stretched out her hand, and this time the cat stayed obedient and let her touch its head.
After getting permission, Nini bit into the lamb leg happily, whoosh -
The cat held its head high and disappeared into the forest with the whole lamb in its mouth as the Hungarians stared in amazement. Compared to the kitten, the roasted whole lamb was so huge that it seemed as if it was walking on air.
"Hey, how did it pick it up? This doesn't look right."
"Magic? Mutton levitation?"
"ah……"
The whispers around the campfire lasted for a long time.
…
"Ah, A-choo!" Hulun lay in the grass and sneezed several times when the cold wind blew.
The nights on the grassland were really cold. He covered his back with many blankets. His deputy and personal guards were fine, but the soldiers who followed him were almost frozen to death.
But the nearby forest was ablaze with flames, and even without smelling it, I could already imagine the aroma of roasted lamb. Hey, this is the perfect time to gather around the campfire, sing songs, and eat barbecue... How long will that bastard Attila keep eating?!
Finally, when my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, the sounds in the forest gradually subsided, leaving only the increasingly faint sound of drums.
Why are you beating the drums? Is anyone dancing?
They had no telescope, so they had to squint their eyes and look forward. Sure enough, they saw shadowy fragments dancing in the woods. They must be some tribesmen who didn't want to sleep yet.
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
The drumbeats grew increasingly sparse, even distant. They also realized that the dancing fragments were mostly branches swaying in the wind, but the Huns leaned against the tree trunks, blending together.
The person beating the drum is probably on guard. He probably won't stop for a while. It's hypnotic.
They waited for a while, and sure enough, it didn't stop.
Hulun couldn't sit still any longer, so he stood up and ordered his adjutant: "Wait, charge with me! There are so many of us, how can we be afraid of a bunch of guys lying down! Don't forget to make the archers run faster... uh, give them the best horses."
After a while, the soldiers who were almost frozen finally got on their horses. In order to stay in shape during the battle, Hulun had to let them drink some strong liquor to warm themselves up first.
Can we really win in such a bad state? He suddenly had a bad feeling.
The deputy noticed his hesitation and quickly offered a suggestion: "Your Highness, they are all in the forest, why don't we use fire attack?"
Yes, why not! It's winter now, there aren't many weeds, only the forest will burn.
If the old Golden King were still alive, he would probably beat the dead kid hard. However, the more Hulun thought about it, the more he felt it was right: "It makes sense. Fire attack!"
Hey, why didn't I think of that earlier? If you're using fire, you don't even need to approach the forest; you can just set it ablaze. Attila and Bleda have golden blood, so they won't die that easily. They'll just lose a lot of their people and miss out on the throne.
Even if one of them dies, he, a royal family member who has never fused with other golden bloods, is not afraid - maybe he is the legendary holy body, and he is not afraid of fusion no matter how many times!
He immediately ordered the archers to tie flammable materials to the arrows, apply grease, and light them on fire.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, the weather was dry, and the flames immediately ignited the grass and spread towards the forest, and the drumbeats indeed stopped.
"Come~ Follow me - don't rush into the fire!" The Huns rushed into the forest, roaring. They saw one figure after another. They were Attila and Bleda, many tribesmen, and more and more gold!
A strong sweet and fishy smell spread from the tip of their noses, dyeing their eyes red.
"kill--"
I don't know who shouted first, but the sound of killing rang out one after another. They wrestled with the "enemy", accompanied by fierce flames.
…
Sonny turned around and thought: "Looks like we don't need to outflank them~"
“Yes,” Brida nodded in agreement.
Melia poked her head in: "Eh? What do you mean by outflanking?"
"Haha, we were planning to outflank Hulun and give him a little surprise." Sunny showed his fangs. "After all, if you offend us Xiongnu, even brothers and sisters have to spare a hand, okay?"
"Uh..." Melia leaned back a little, and was pulled onto the horse's back by Sonny, leaning steadily against it.
“Waaaaaah!”
"Don't shout, sister. I won't let you fall." Sunny smiled and called out to the tribesmen, asking them to hurry up and follow: "Don't be dazed, evacuate quickly! The flames are coming -"
Before the flames of the potion hit them, their hair flew and they went away with the wind.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to the irrigation of flying in the clouds~
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