Not long after Lü Bu left, the scouts sent by Tan Shihuai found Li Ru and brought him back.
"Mr. Wen, it's so good that you're alright!"
Upon seeing Li Ru return safely, Tan Shihuai quickly stepped forward, took Li Ru's hand, and looked at him with concern and joy.
"It is because of my incompetence that the Great Chief was unable to achieve his goal and Lu Bu escaped. I beg the Great Chief to punish me!"
Li Ru, also looking moved and ashamed, bowed to Tan Shihuai to apologize.
"Oh, Mr. Wen, what are you saying? Lu Bu is indeed fierce and brave. If he hadn't captured you, I might have been the one who was captured!"
Tan Shihuai's expression was unusually sincere; with a single sentence, he shifted the blame onto Li Ru, making him the one to take the fall.
He Lian, Mi Jia, and the other Xianbei leaders around them understood the meaning behind Tan Shihuai's words. They exchanged glances and remained silent.
After tidying up the place, Tan Shihuai led the Xianbei army toward Tanhan Mountain.
In this great battle, the Southern Xiongnu, whom Tan Shihuai had always regarded as a future threat, were completely crippled. It was time for them to focus on dealing with the Yuwen tribe.
The royal court of the Southern Xiongnu.
Seeing that only a little over two thousand of the fifty thousand troops who had set out had returned, the old Chanyu Qiangqu fainted on the spot.
Qiangqu remained unconscious for two days and two nights. After diagnosis by the tribe's shaman, it was determined that the old Chanyu was suffering from a sudden attack of anger and would soon pass away.
It wasn't until the third day that Qiangqu slowly regained consciousness.
At this time, Qiangqu had sunken eye sockets, a gaunt face, and cloudy, lifeless eyes, clearly indicating that he was on his deathbed.
Turning his head to look at the people inside the tent, Qiangqu weakly raised his hand, which was as stiff as a withered tree.
"Yufuluo and Huchuquan, stay here. The rest of you may leave!"
"yes!"
The crowd respectfully agreed and then withdrew.
"Father Han!!"
Yufuluo and Huchuquan also called out in unison and came to Qiangqu's bedside.
Looking at his two sons, Qiangqu took a few deep breaths, and then slowly said:
"Our Great Xiongnu rose to prominence during the pre-Qin period and reached their peak in the early Han Dynasty. Although they were defeated by the Han Dynasty, they split into two parts, north and south."
But we, the Xiongnu, have never forgotten the glory of our ancestors and have always fought for it.
Although I am not talented, I have never forgotten the great trust placed in me by my ancestors and have always taken it as my responsibility to restore the glory of the Xiongnu.
Unfortunately, fate is cruel. Now Xie Zhiyu has been driven out of the grasslands, and eight or nine out of ten of my able-bodied men have perished. Our annihilation is imminent…
As he finished speaking, Qiangqu paused, and two streams of tears slid down his cheeks.
Yufuluo and Huchuquan, who were standing to the side, were also in tears.
Knowing that the tribe was on the verge of destruction, yet powerless to stop it, anyone in that situation would inevitably collapse.
Qiangqu swallowed hard and continued, "I have decided to completely submit to the Han Dynasty and request that they send troops to garrison my tribe!"
"Father Khan, you...?"
Upon hearing Qiangqu's decision, Huchuquan's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his father, Khan, with great incomprehension.
Qiangqu waved his hand weakly: "I did this to prevent the Xiongnu from disappearing completely from the grasslands and to leave behind a spark. Right now, only the Han Dynasty can protect the Xiongnu!"
Upon hearing this, the brothers Yufuluo and Huchuquan lowered their heads and remained silent.
They knew that Qiangqu's decision was correct.
But in doing so, the name of the Southern Xiongnu will also disappear completely. Will the embers left behind be able to burn again?
But there's no other way; staying alive is the most important thing...
Qiangqu looked at his eldest son, Yufuluo: "From now on, the Southern Xiongnu are in your hands. I ask for nothing else, only that you can live well!"
"Yes, Father Khan!"
Hufro nodded heavily, tears streaming down his face.
"Go, bring paper and pen. I will tell you what to write!"
"yes!"
Hufro agreed and then moved the table next to him closer.
Qiang Qu then slowly said, "Your humble servant Qiang Qu pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty."
Since we, your subjects, submitted to the Great Han, we have been able to peacefully herd sheep and horses under the protection of the Great Han.
We are deeply grateful for the great kindness of the Han Dynasty. Our tribe is now willing to submit to the Han Dynasty and accept any management and arrangements of the Han Dynasty, and to herd horses and sheep for the Han Dynasty.
I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and take my troops into your service. I am deeply grateful..."
As he spoke, Qiang Qu's voice grew fainter and fainter until it finally disappeared...
"Father Khan!"
Inside the tent, the heart-wrenching cries of the brothers Yufuluo and Huchuquan suddenly rang out.
Soon, the letter of surrender, which was transcribed by Qiang Qu and written by Yu Fuluo, was delivered to Huangfu Song's desk.
While sending the letter of surrender from the Southern Xiongnu to Luoyang, Huangfu Song also immediately ordered Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, and Gao Shun to lead 10,000 cavalry and 5,000 elite soldiers to the Southern Xiongnu's royal court.
Subsequently, Huangfu Song also summoned Ding Yuan, who had been promoted to the position of Provincial Governor of Bingzhou, and began to arrange the reception of the Southern Xiongnu.
Nowadays, apart from the elderly and children, most of the remaining members of the Southern Xiongnu are women, making it much easier to completely absorb and assimilate them.
Although the Southern Xiongnu were defeated and perished, the grasslands could not be abandoned.
With these nomadic tribes gone, the only option left was for the Han dynasty to migrate people to the grasslands to establish rule.
Subsequently, Ding Yuan sent messengers to order the local governments of Bingzhou to begin recruiting young and strong men who were not yet married.
When the proclamation was issued, very few people responded. The people of the Han Dynasty were used to farming, working from dawn till dusk, so the sudden idea of them migrating to the grasslands naturally drew some resistance.
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