Upon hearing Wang Han's words, Zuo Xianwang knew that Dingshan Hou shared the same idea as him: to use the other to weaken other ethnic groups on the grasslands, and at the same time use the other ethnic groups on the grasslands to weaken (kill) the other. He had not expected Wang Han to have such ambition and schemes. In this way, the Xiongnu would be caught up in war and would have no time to go to the Central Plains. Even other ethnic groups on the grasslands would be affected by the war and would also be unable to go to the Central Plains. It was a win-win situation.
Knowing Wang Han's intentions, the Left Wise King began to ponder how to deal with Wang Han's thoughts.
After thinking carefully for a while, Zuo Xianwang said, "Lord Dingshan, the Han people in Xiongnu have been brought here, but we don't have that many cattle and sheep yet, nor have we brought the goods we plundered from the Han people. We need time to collect them from the various tribes. Could you please give me 20,000 cattle and sheep first, and send the rest to the Central Plains after we have collected them all?"
Wang Han thought for a moment. Although everyone had their own plans, the main goal of getting the Han people in Xiongnu back had been achieved. He believed that after tonight, with his own strength, the Xiongnu would do as he planned, whether passively or actively. So he nodded and said, "Okay, it seems you were prepared."
Upon hearing this, the Left Wise King smiled and said, "We do not wish to be enemies with you, sir. This matter is merely a misunderstanding. Naturally, we must prepare in advance. I believe you, sir, do not wish for the misunderstanding to escalate further."
Wang Han nodded in satisfaction and said, "Now that we have reached an agreement, I will head back. Please have someone send the Han people and their cattle and sheep over before nightfall."
"Don't worry, Lord Dingshan," said the Left Wise King quickly. "I'll have someone send the Han people and cattle and sheep over right away."
After the Left Wise King finished speaking, he instructed one of his subordinates: "Go and have someone send the Han people and cattle and sheep back to Lord Dingshan."
"yes."
Wang Han nodded, stood up and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Left Wise King. I'll go back first to avoid worrying my men, and also to arrange for them to prepare for the arrival of the Han people and cattle and sheep."
"Farewell, Lord Marquis of Dingshan." The Left Wise King quickly rose to see him off.
“However, I don’t really care about your tens of thousands of soldiers.” After Wang Han walked out of the tent, he suddenly said to the Left Wise King, “Dealing with fifty thousand men will only take me a little more time or energy.”
"Lord Dingshan, you flatter us. These warriors are only escorting the Han people and their livestock. We have no intention of fighting you," the Left Wise King said with an awkward smile. They had indeed prepared 50,000 warriors, and another 50,000 cavalrymen were ready to fight from further away. If they couldn't reach an agreement, they would have no choice but to surround and kill Wang Han. However, it seemed that Wang Han was also a human being and knew how to assess the situation. He did not choose to continue fighting them. Lord Dingshan's words were just for show and he did not take them to heart.
Of course, they didn't want to lose tens of thousands of lives to kill Wang Han. Moreover, if they failed to kill Wang Han and he escaped, Wang Han's terrifying military strength, capable of fighting ten thousand men at once, would be a huge problem for the Xiongnu. The current outcome was in the Xiongnu's interest.
“Whether it exists or not doesn’t matter,” Wang Han said, shaking his head. Then he said to the Left Wise King, “By the way, I observed the stars last night and found that there will be a meteor shower tonight. It’s very beautiful, and you can see it from the grassland. It’s a rare and wonderful sight. Plus, the location of the meteor shower is different. If you don’t see it this time, you won’t have another chance.”
"Your Excellency can even observe the stars? You are truly a man of many talents." Upon hearing this, the Left Wise King said with a smile, "I will certainly have a good look at it tonight."
"Enjoy the show," Wang Han said with a smile.
——————————————
What exactly did Marquis Dingshan mean by his last words?
After seeing off Marquis Dingshan, the Left Wise King pondered deeply. Marquis Dingshan's words when he left puzzled him. As for the meteor shower that Marquis Dingshan mentioned, he did not believe that the powerful Marquis Dingshan would understand such difficult astronomical phenomena. But why would Wang Han say that?
After Wang Han left, a tribal chief asked the Left Wise King, "Your Excellency Left Wise King, are we really going to have to pay tribute to Marquis Dingshan with 50,000 head of cattle and sheep every year?"
"When the time comes, spread the news that Marquis Dingshan has returned with a large amount of supplies, saying that the Xiongnu have compensated with 100,000 cattle and sheep, and secretly incite other ethnic groups to raid the Han capital," said the Left Wise King. "If he can still return to the Central Plains with the cattle and sheep even after being raided by other ethnic groups, then to avoid unnecessary casualties, we will have no choice but to pay tribute. If he cannot bring them back, or is killed, then we will naturally not have to pay tribute. In either case, the other ethnic groups on the grasslands will fight with Marquis Dingshan. If Marquis Dingshan wins, the other ethnic groups on the grasslands will inevitably be retaliated against by him. We can suppress the other ethnic groups on the grasslands and dominate the grasslands. 50,000 cattle and sheep are nothing. If Marquis Dingshan loses or dies, the other ethnic groups on the grasslands will be the ones who worry about Marquis Dingshan and the Han people's retaliation in the future. We can also take this opportunity to dominate the grasslands."
"It seems we don't even need to give the rest to Marquis Dingshan," the tribal chief said with a smile upon hearing this. He didn't believe that Wang Han could lead the cattle, sheep, and so many Han people back safely and without worry.
“That’s right, I don’t believe he can return safely either,” the Left Wise King said with a smile. “Twenty thousand cattle and sheep and some Han slaves can solve the big problem of Marquis Dingshan and weaken other ethnic groups on the grasslands. It’s a good deal.”
None of them expected that Wang Han had no intention of going back now; his plan was far more ambitious than they had imagined.
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