66. The Second Farewell Banquet of the Xiongnu
◎I'm sorry to have startled Lord Helan◎
The atmosphere was tense, but the Emperor and Empress remained unmoved, watching as a dozen or so Xiongnu men surrounded Helande in the middle of his seat without saying a word, as if watching a play.
Inside the training ground, the soldiers did not head towards the direction where Heland and his group were. Instead, they stood in a uniform and imposing formation on the huge training ground in the middle of the banquet, standing tall and waiting for orders.
At this moment, Fu Ming, the chief eunuch beside the Empress, took small, quick steps at the Empress's behest and arrived in front of Helande and his party in the blink of an eye.
He laughed and said, "Oh dear, Lord Helan, please don't be offended. This is a 'military exercise' specially prepared by our Empress. She said it's all her fault for not telling you in advance, which startled you. She apologizes with wine."
Fuming pointed to where the Empress was, and the Empress raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, raised her wine cup in the air and gestured to Heland.
Arunji was all brawn and no brains. He looked at the imposing soldiers in the center of the field, who had now formed four square formations. Their steps were so synchronized that the sound of their footsteps on the ground was awe-inspiring.
"My lord, these people from the Great Jin Dynasty want to..."
"Shut up!" Before Arunji could finish speaking, Heland stopped him and said to Arunji, "Don't let His Majesty and the Empress laugh at us. Arunji, go back and sit down."
"Can……"
Heland's gaze was unfriendly. Arunji was suppressed by that cold look and could only sit back down behind Heland. Qiu Linhuan, who was standing next to him, wiped the sweat from his forehead. He thought he was going to die here today. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.
Heland's expression returned to calm. He also picked up the wine glass on the table, raised it in the air, and touched it with Empress Zhang in the air.
Where no one could see, his hand clenched into a fist in his sleeve. Today's banquet was not a trap, but it was close. Empress Zhang wanted to intimidate him and the Xiongnu he represented, so that they would think twice about whether the Xiongnu dared to fight against the Great Jin.
Since he was currently on the territory of the Great Jin Dynasty, he naturally could not act rashly, otherwise his life would be in danger.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The deafening shouts of battle echoed over Shanglin Garden. These soldiers were actually two teams from a simulated battlefield!
Heland looked at the soldiers lined up in the center of the training ground. He saw that these soldiers had red and green strips of cloth tied to their arms to distinguish them.
They faced off against each other on the field. It was more like a routine training exercise than a "performance." The soldiers' thrusting spears were not fake. Heland himself had led troops before, and he could tell from their moves that these soldiers were not faking it. The defending side was quick-witted and agile, and they were not just bluffing either.
Is this the purpose of the Jin emperor and empress preparing this farewell banquet? Humph! They want to use this to demonstrate the military strength of their Jin Dynasty. Do they think the Xiongnu will be terrified by this method? They have seriously underestimated Helande!
Heland thought he had guessed Empress Zhang's intentions, and his previous worries vanished. He was now thinking about how to make Alunji properly dampen the arrogance of the Great Jin.
The soldiers below the stage kept changing formations, and there were people in charge waving intricate flags. As the flags moved, the formations changed as well, making Qiu Linhuan's eyes dazzled.
His idea differed from Heland's. These soldiers numbered at least one or two hundred, yet they didn't need anyone to speak or give commands. They only needed to look at their own flags to know what to do, executing the flag signals swiftly and in unison—something the Xiongnu infantry simply couldn't do!
He was confident that if the two sides' cavalry clashed in the future, the Xiongnu cavalry would not be afraid of the Jin cavalry. However, if they encountered these infantrymen who were as powerful as a single person, their soldiers' flexible and swift formation would not be a good thing for the Xiongnu.
As for Arunji, the rapidly changing formations on the sidelines made his eyes hurt. He showed an impatient expression. These Jin people were like mosquitoes flying around in front of him. They were really annoying. In the future, he would definitely punch them one by one on the battlefield and let them taste the iron fist of the Huns!
The soldiers' ever-changing formations left everyone except the Xiongnu dazzled and overwhelmed.
Wei Xin was very interested. He was a real soldier who had been on the battlefield and had fought alongside the emperor. He could tell at a glance that these soldiers had undergone rigorous training. He quickly understood how much effort it would take to train such a cohesive and unified team.
He glanced at the young general in armor below the stage. Zhang Pinggong's son was quite good. Although he and Prince Yi had gone to the north to suppress a band of bandits who claimed to be restoring the previous dynasty, his son was now capable of standing on his own.
Chu Pei looked at his wife's nephew in the middle of the field, who was supervising the battle. He looked just like his father, reminding him of Zhang Pinggong's brave figure on the battlefield back then.
The ever-changing formations in the training ground, the swift and precise flag signals, the soldiers' uniform movements, and the speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness of each move—even their facial expressions were almost identical to those in real combat.
He nodded in satisfaction. The way the Xiongnu leader Heland had panicked and made mistakes just now really made him feel relieved.
He dared to provoke the might of the Great Jin Dynasty. In fact, he was a proponent of war. The Xiongnu were truly hateful. Taking advantage of the Great Jin's weakness, they wanted to take advantage of the situation and invade. He had no intention of sending princesses, gold and silver, cattle, horses, and craftsmen to the Xiongnu. Just thinking about it made his heart ache.
However, most of the court officials advocate for peace, and the national treasury simply cannot afford to wage war against the Xiongnu. Otherwise, these soldiers today would not just be conducting military exercises.
The Empress's idea is excellent. It demonstrates the strength of the Great Jin Dynasty to the Xiongnu. If the Xiongnu are not afraid, the Great Jin will fight back.
The others, watching the military exercise below, also realized that this exercise was deliberately staged for the Xiongnu people.
Whether the Empress's farewell banquet pleased the Xiongnu people is unknown, but at least both the pro-war and pro-peace ministers were in a better mood.
The pro-war faction felt that although a marriage alliance had been reached, at least the Xiongnu had learned of the military strength of the Jin Dynasty. They, as military generals, had not lost face. They were only not fighting now because they did not want to fight, so the Xiongnu should behave themselves.
The ministers who advocated peace nodded in satisfaction. This move was like giving a sweet treat followed by a slap in the face, deterring the Xiongnu from making any rash moves. How brilliant!
The soldiers' duel finally ended. Emperor Yuan of Jin, beaming with joy, pushed Lady Guo aside and stood up. "Good! They are all fine sons of my Great Jin. Eldest son, come forward!"
Madam Guo twisted her handkerchief, secretly resenting that Zhang Ling had once again stolen the limelight, but she could only slink back to her seat in shame.
The soldiers lined up on both sides, making way for Zhang Jun, who was wearing armor. He stood at the front of the line and knelt on one knee: "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress. Long live Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."
"Get up quickly, we're all family, no need for such formalities." Chu Pei, who had been holding back his anger for days because of the Xiongnu's request for a marriage alliance, finally calmed down today. He asked with a smile, "Did you come up with all of this today?"
"Your Majesty, I was merely training the soldiers according to Your Majesty and the Empress's instructions."
Chu Peilong was overjoyed. He turned to look at his wife and reached out his hand to her. The Empress, of course, would not spoil the mood at this moment. She stood up, placed her hand in Chu Peilong's hand, and stood beside the Emperor.
The emperor and empress stood on the high platform, looking down at the civil and military officials, the soldiers in the center of the drill ground, and the envoys from the Xiongnu.
The autumn wind howled, and the emperor's majestic voice rang out: "The Empress and I wish to turn hostility into friendship with the Xiongnu. From now on, the people of our two countries will live in peace. My daughters will marry into the Xiongnu, so that the Xiongnu and the Great Jin can share the prosperity of our Great Jin. The Xiongnu can also have exchanges with the Great Jin. I wonder what Lord Helan thinks?"
Helande stood up. “Our Xiongnu are naturally willing to exchange goods and resources with Your Majesty and the Great Jin, and share peace.”
"Very well, then I wish our two countries a long and prosperous future!"
Chu Pei raised his glass, and everyone stood up, saying, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty, and Your Majesty the Empress will live a long and happy life."
Chu Pei waved his hand, bestowed rewards upon the soldiers who participated in the exercise today, and then dismissed them.
Heland stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have witnessed the imposing presence of the Jin soldiers and am impressed by their discipline and meticulousness. However, I have a request."
He turned to Arunji and said, "Arunji, aren't you the one who admires this young General Zhang the most? Now you finally have the chance to have a match with this young General Zhang to entertain the Emperor and Empress. Are you willing?"
Arunjina stood up, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have long admired General Zhang of the Great Jin Dynasty. Please allow me to have a match with this young General Zhang."
Chu Pei readily agreed: "Why not?" Chu Pei was well aware of Zhang Jun's martial arts skills. Although he had never experienced a real battlefield, he was still quite good among the younger generation.
"Brother, why don't you have a spar with this Arunji?"
Qi Gu looked at the man in the martial arts arena. He was the eldest son of Marquis Zhongping, her mother's brother, the eldest son of her own maternal uncle, and her cousin.
In her previous life, she was not familiar with this cousin. Moreover, after her uncle passed away, this cousin took over his uncle's post at Beidaying and stayed in the military camp year-round, so she could only see him a few times a year.
At that time, she was completely focused on Sima Hong and didn't even have a close relationship with her mother, let alone this cousin.
Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was in my past life. My own cousin commanded 100,000 troops in the Beida Camp. Even if the Guo family launched a palace coup, the Empress would not sit idly by. Besides, Sima Hong should have already sided with the Empress Dowager at that time.
Despite the favorable situation for the Empress Dowager, she failed to perceive the subtlety of the situation and did not understand the meaning behind the conversation between the Empress Dowager and Sima Hong. She was tricked into going to the palace by Honghu's few words and ultimately lost her life.
It's likely that when the Empress Dowager learned that she had been captured by the Guo family and taken hostage, she was utterly disappointed in her, which is why she ultimately chose to abandon her.
"Aunt Qi, who do you think will win?" Li Qiao asked curiously, looking at the audience.
The Ninth Princess, who couldn't sit still, heard Li Qiao's words and snorted coldly: "Hmph, of course it's Zhang's eldest son." Although she disliked Qi Gu, if they weren't facing the Xiongnu today, she would have loved for Zhang's eldest son to lose miserably. But since they were facing the Xiongnu, she disliked the Xiongnu even more than Qi Gu.
“But this Arunji looks as hard as a mountain. I feel like General Zhang wouldn’t even be able to withstand one punch from him,” the other girls said timidly.
Qi Gu looked at her cousin Zhang Jun and Alunji in the training ground. Although there was a big difference in their body sizes, she was not worried that her cousin would lose. After all, her mother had entrusted this cousin with an army of 100,000 in her previous life, so he must have some skills.
Why is the Second Princess so quiet today? In the past, she was always the most enthusiastic about encouraging the Ninth Princess to make cruel and inhumane mockery of her.
Noticing Qi Gu's gaze fixed on her, the Second Princess gave her a friendly, sisterly smile, as if she were truly harmless.
Qi Gu looked up and saw that the sun hadn't risen in the east today either. How strange!
But soon, everyone's attention was drawn to the fight off the field, and no one noticed that two figures were quietly leaving behind them.
[Author's Note]
Double update today!!! I'm back to my usual self, hahaha. I was thinking of stockpiling chapters, but I'm not doing that anymore. I should have some fun on vacation! I'll post it as soon as I'm done writing [sunglasses]
I'll hurry up and send the Xiongnu away. The pacing feels a little slow. I originally planned to finish this book at 300,000 words, but now I realize it might not be possible. I guess it'll have to end around 400,000 words. [laughing and crying emoji]
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