"Is that Prime Minister Li from the Qin Dynasty?"
Maodun hurriedly lifted the tent flap, his thick eyebrows and big eyes looking around, when he suddenly looked at Li Lin, a young man with a handsome face, sitting in the middle of the crowd.
Out of curiosity, I approached.
"Are you Prime Minister Li?"
"Who are you?"
Li Lin couldn't quite understand what he was saying, and his Chinese was somewhat broken, but that didn't mean there wasn't a translator accompanying him.
"Prime Minister Li, this is Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu. Chanyu, this is Prime Minister Li from the Qin Dynasty!"
"So young!"
Maodun's first impression of Li Lin was that he was too young, almost like a callow child.
This made him a little curious: was this young man really the legendary Li Lin himself?
Isn't he too young?
"The Chanyu is also very young. I am twenty years older than him this year, but due to family reasons, I have not had the chance to be crowned yet, so I am dressed as a child. Please forgive me, Chanyu."
"Prime Minister Li, you are too kind. A guest is a guest. How can you entertain Prime Minister Li with such a mere one-year-old lamb? It is far too inadequate. Men, slaughter a cow, a mature lamb, a horse, and a donkey. Tell the kitchen to prepare them as soon as possible. Also, inform the other chiefs in the tribe to come to the main tent and welcome Prime Minister Li!"
"Your Excellency, isn't this going too far?"
"Huyanling, what did you say? I didn't hear you. Say it again!"
"Your Excellency, I will go and report this immediately!"
"snort!"
Maodun seemed to show no respect whatsoever to these subordinates who were impossible to command.
Li Lin saw it all.
We were able to gain some general understanding of the Xiongnu.
At this time, Modu Chanyu had committed patricide, that is, he killed his father Touman Chanyu with the support of his trusted subordinates. Of course, this was originally supposed to happen in the first year of Qin Er Shi.
Unexpectedly, it happened three years ahead of schedule, catching Li Lin off guard and thus the integration of the Xiongnu was also brought forward by three years.
However, this also led to the proliferation of factions within the Xiongnu.
This is completely different from the situation three years later when Touman Chanyu acted perversely and wiped out many established forces.
For Maodun, the situation was even more complicated.
Fortunately, the harassment from several neighboring countries or tribes, such as the Yuezhi and Donghu, had caused the Xiongnu to temporarily obey Modu's orders despite the sharp internal conflicts.
After eliminating the external threats, the Qin Dynasty became the last remaining threat, and Meng Tian faced immense pressure at this point.
However, it was the period with the least pressure during that time.
Because of various internal conflicts within the Xiongnu, Meng Tian used these conflicts to his advantage, keeping the Xiongnu confined to the northern desert, preventing them from crossing the Great Wall too far even when they moved south.
Otherwise, once Meng Tian cut off their supply lines, the Xiongnu cavalry that crossed the Great Wall would become scattered and easily wiped out.
At present, Maodun's order is a microcosm of the situation.
Li Lin was perceptive and insightful, his mind as clear as a mirror. Before coming here, he had done a general study of the situation of the Xiongnu.
The Xiongnu had more than 700 tribes in total.
After Touman Chanyu's early consolidation of tribes and the damage caused by external wars, only three hundred small tribes and four large tribes remain today.
Of these, Modu controlled two, while the other two joined forces to resist Modu's monopoly of power.
This is also why Maodun is currently unable to concentrate his superior forces to breach the Great Wall.
Otherwise, Meng Tian would be in danger.
Although Meng Tian's army was elite, it was still somewhat inferior to the Xiongnu army, which was composed entirely of soldiers.
At that time, it was only because of structures like the Great Wall that they were able to barely fight the Xiongnu to a draw.
Years earlier, Meng Tian had taken advantage of the internal strife and fighting among the Xiongnu tribes to launch an attack on them. Although more than 300,000 Xiongnu people were killed in that battle, the Qin's elite troops also suffered heavy casualties.
This is why Meng Tian has not organized a large army to fight the Xiongnu in the grasslands all these years.
"Prime Minister Li, I'm sorry you had to see this!"
"It's alright, I don't care about these things at all. It's you, Chanyu, who are doing a rather pathetic job. You have to repeat yourself twice when you give an order to a subordinate. If it were me, I would have had him dragged out and beheaded long ago!"
"What does Prime Minister Li mean?"
"What use is there in keeping someone who disobeys? Don't you think so, Your Highness?"
"Hmph, very few people address me as Your Highness, you are the first!"
"I think the word 'Your Highness' perfectly describes the current situation of the Chanyu. Being under Your Highness's roof means being in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat, doesn't it?"
"you!"
The others around him quickly realized the hidden meaning in Li Lin's words, and they glared at him angrily, saying, "You're trying to sow discord!"
"Yes, the Chanyu has a very good relationship with the other leaders. What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Whether I am speaking nonsense or not, the Chanyu knows in his heart, and you all know in your hearts as well. As I just said, your roasted mutton is tender and juicy, but the texture is rather dry. Do you know why that is?"
What's the reason?
"It's nothing more than looking delicious on the outside, but you can tell whether it's good or not after just one bite."
"Li Lin!"
"Alright, all of you, that's enough. What Prime Minister Li said makes sense. You may all step back now. I need to discuss this with Prime Minister Li in detail!"
"Yes, sir!"
King Honglie and the High Priest stared wide-eyed. They truly hadn't expected Li Lin to be so courageous, actually daring to confront Modu Chanyu in public and call him out by name, saying that he couldn't control the entire Xiongnu.
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