102 The Final Battle (I)
◎Huo Qubing: The Champion Marquis still retains his elegance.◎
Huo Yan's life before and after coming of age was much the same as before; he was still destined to be a slave. But for Huo Qubing, things were very different.
In the late summer of the third year of Yuanshou, the Han Dynasty's vigorous counterattack officially began.
This war was later called the Mobei Meat Grinder. Both the Han and Xiongnu sides exhausted all their national strength. In this battle, the two most powerful generals of the Han Empire completely crushed the Xiongnu's ambition to get involved in the Central Plains, and the name Xiongnu has existed only in books since then.
Strategically, this war was slated to be the decisive clash between the Han and the Xiongnu. After a year of preparation, Emperor Liu Che practically exhausted the entire nation's resources. Court officials dared not slack off for even a moment. Hundreds of thousands of civilians and vast quantities of rations were transported to the border. Wei Qing and Huo Qubing each commanded 50,000 troops. In this battle, Wei Qing was the Grand Marshal commanding the central army, while Huo Qubing was the undisputed leader. Emperor Liu Che's confidence in his generals was blinding. He had already prepared a toast for the victory. The morale of the entire Han Dynasty was buoyed by Wei and Huo, and everyone felt that if they could mobilize their forces, victory was certain.
The other generals had already taken up their positions. Wei Qing led the Gongsun generals, and this time there were two second-generation generals working on their achievements: Gongsun Jingsheng and Cao Xiang. Huo Qubing's situation was much simpler, as Zhao Po Nu and Ning Cheng had already been assigned to the two generals.
This time, in addition to the usual lineup, there was also General Li Guang. He'd begged Emperor Liu Che to come, but he always got lost and his entire army was annihilated. Liu Che considered him unlucky and told Wei Qing not to assign him important missions. Yesterday, he'd even given Huo Yan a few words of advice for insisting on following Li Guang, all the while emphasizing the old man's bad luck and saying, "Huo Yan is precious, and he should always protect himself."
The young man standing by always disliked the emperor. He belittled Li Guang's fate and praised Huo Yan highly.
Huo Yan often saw people flattering Liu Che, but he was not interested. He slowly responded to the Queen and stood up, saying, "Your Majesty, there is nothing else to do," and then he would go back. He walked out, not caring whether Liu Che and Shao Weng had finished their words.
Liu Che waved his hands and told him to get out of here, with a smile on his face.
The young man was stunned and stuck for a moment.
The Weiyang Palace was quiet.
Liu Che said, "Master, you have seen the good and bad luck of Ah Yan's trip."
The emperor's cold question sent a cold sweat down the young man's face. In this moment of crisis, he suddenly remembered the words in the brocade bag his captors had given him a few days ago: "The emperor favors you, and you will surely have great fortune." Panicked for a moment, he didn't think too much about it and simply repeated the words in the bag verbatim. Fortunately, he had been a con man for many years, and his mental fortitude was strong. He remained calm and composed, giving off a certain air of immortality.
Liu Che believed it, a smile appeared on his face, and he gave the gift directly.
When the young man heard about the reward of thousands of gold, he was secretly delighted.
It turns out that His Majesty is so gullible.
Huo Yan knew very well how easy it was to deceive Liu Che, so he played with the brocade bag at will, arranged the pieces in order, and instructed the stone page.
"Once every seven days. If the man doesn't come, you go and invite him."
Shi Ye responded respectfully.
Huo Yan really likes his personality of not asking questions. Although his brain is not very smart sometimes, his brain is smart enough and he does not need subordinates who are too thoughtful.
He was very satisfied.
"You arrange it, and then follow me to find a way out."
Shi Ye was puzzled. What was his future? Wasn't his future just to become a steward like his father?
Huo Yan put down his teacup, still smiling gently, the same demeanor as the renowned Huo Lang of Chang'an. His tone was intensely gentle, "You are my confidant, having followed me since childhood. Furthermore, I never enslaved you from the beginning. You are from a good family, and now that our country is at war, won't you come with me?"
Shi Ye's head suddenly raised up, and tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
The big guy shed tears foolishly, and couldn't help but let out a couple of sobs for a moment, and his low sobs continued to ring in his ears.
"So you don't want me anymore?"
Huo Yan felt as powerless as if he was flirting with a blind man, and he could hardly hold his teacup.
Colleagues, colleagues, don't you understand? A normal person shouldn't know that he paved the way for them. A normal person should know how to thank him and ask for more things, instead of crying like a puppy and accusing him of abandoning them.
"You're so stupid," Huo Yan said with a rare headache, "Why are you going to war with me?"
And how can you stand on your own later on?
Shi Ye had no idea of the complexities in his mind. When he heard he was still following him, his mood brightened. He was eighteen years old, strong and sturdy, a good candidate for military service. Perhaps because he had been following the opinionated Huo Yan since childhood, he relied on him even more than Zhao Po Nu, who was close to Huo Qubing. Others who were born into a family of slaves would either take it lightly or resent having their origins mentioned. But he, the young man, saw it not as a disgrace but an honor. Every day when he went out, he acted like a dog under Huo Lang's command, terrified that others would not know who his master was.
Huo Yan was really tired.
"Follow me this time and do some good things. I'll find a job for you later."
Shi Ye sobbed upon hearing this, and hesitantly said, "Master, I will follow you to protect you!"
The setting sun stretched the young man's figure far out. Huo Yan stroked the teacup in his hand, his eyelids drooping. No one could tell what he was thinking. After a long pause, he said, "Shi Ye, if you can, please help me protect my brother."
Shi Ye's crying stopped abruptly, and then she stared at him and cried even harder, as if he was a heartless man.
The barrage of comments didn’t mind the trouble and filled the entire screen.
[The 200-pound strongman was bullied by Ah Yan and cried.]
[Hahaha, so good, love to eat.]
Huo Yan had no expression on his face.
A good child should not be greedy.
He reconsidered his decision, but Shi Ye's next words completely overturned his thoughts. Shi Ye said, "You are my lord. You have saved my life. This battle is so dangerous. If you don't follow the general and the Marquis of Guanjun, General Li will always be completely wiped out. I can't leave you."
The afterglow of the setting sun and the evening clouds merged, the sky darkened, and the half-moon looked like a long autumn-colored dress with a hole burned in it.
Huo Yan remained silent for a long time before he refrained from saying, "Although the head has nine orifices, its shape is like a mud ball and it is empty like a wild valley." This child just relies too much on him and has no brains, but it's not a big mistake.
He has a brain, but he doesn't like to use it.
“When have I ever made a bad decision?”
Shi Ye's face was lifted by slender fingers, and he was forced to face his master directly. The young man smiled and looked arrogant, but his hands pinched his face tightly. "Hmm?"
Shi Ye moved his lips, looking aggrieved.
"That General Li, he's no match for me, my lord."
Huo Yan was truly impressed. He didn't know what had become of his stubborn mind; he remembered him as quite clever before. He hadn't considered it at all. It was all his own fault. When a leader is overly capable, the people under him naturally tend to be a bit blunt. Zhao Po Nu and Shi Ye were like this. Of course, even if he had considered it, he wouldn't have considered it his fault.
After all, this was the little fool he had protected since he was a child. His patience was once again raised. He let go and shook Shi Ye's face away, "If he can't do it, I can."
Shi Ye was thick-skinned and didn't feel anything when being thrown. He probably understood what Huo Yan meant, that the Champion Marquis would need him more.
"I wonder what exactly my Lord wants me to do?"
"Watch him." Huo Yan didn't say much. It was rare for him to be unsure. "Just watching him and not letting him eat or drink without permission is a great accomplishment."
Shi Ye's heart skipped a beat and he quickly bowed in agreement.
[The book does not mention the cause of Qubing's death.]
[Try to be careful.]
[This time, as long as Li Guang doesn't fall behind, he can kill the Xiongnu King.]
[Shi Ye is very serious, he looks good.]
…
The commentary didn't reveal the details of Huo Qubing's death. To ensure the success of this battle, Huo Yan couldn't accompany him, leaving him feeling uncertain. Shi Ye's presence at Huo Qubing's side only slightly relieved him, but the tension still lingered.
When he is nervous, he likes to talk too much.
Huo Qubing had been listening for three days, from morning to night. He was a resolute man in his life and hated nagging, but this was his younger brother, so he had to listen silently.
Time passed little by little as Huo Yan kept nagging every day, and soon the day of departure arrived.
In the third year of Yuanshou, the scorching sun of late summer scorched the land of Guanzhong. Outside the city of Chang'an, flags blocked the sun, armors were like a forest, war horses neighed, their iron hooves pawed the ground restlessly, the raised dust filled the air, and the thousands of cavalrymen were like a black cloud.
Beneath the general's banner, General Wei Qing sat upright on a black horse. Clad in heavy black armor, he betrayed his usual gentle demeanor, appearing resolute, reserved, and unfathomable. His battle-hardened majesty needed no effort to display; simply sitting upright on horseback was like a stabilizing force.
His gaze slowly swept over his generals: Left General and Grand Coachman Gongsun He; Rear General and Chief of Nobles Zhao Shiqi; General of the Strong Crossbows, Left Secretary of the Interior Li Ju; General of the Light Chariots, Grand Coachman Gongsun Ao; and two second-generation nobles who had come to "brush up their achievements": General of the Cavalry, Marquis of Pingyang Cao Xiang; and another, Gongsun Jingsheng. Wei Qing's gaze didn't linger on them for long, eventually settling further in the distance, toward Li Guang's detachment. A subtle hint of worry flickered in his eyes.
"General, the time has come." The guard beside him whispered a reminder.
Wei Qing nodded slightly and gave the order in a deep voice, "Pass the order, march out according to the established sequence!"
The voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard throughout the front army. The command flags were waved, and the dull and shocking sound of the horn tore through the sky. Fifty thousand cavalrymen began to surge towards the direction the general pointed like a slowly starting steel torrent.
The general with black armor and black horse leads the way.
On the flank of this steel torrent, a smaller team had also assembled. The atmosphere here was somewhat subtle and complex.
The old general Li Guang, his hair and beard white, clad in armor, sat upright on his horse, his face showing a lingering sense of melancholy and a resolute determination to risk everything. Behind him were his troops who had followed him for many years, as well as Zhang Qian, the Marquis of Bowang, who was assigned to him this time.
But this person wasn't the most eye-catching person at this moment. The most eye-catching person was the young man standing on horseback a little to Li Guang's side. He wore no dazzling armor, only a dark blue, easy-to-move-in outfit with leather armor over it. His face was blurred in the summer light. He seemed as still and silent as an old bamboo, impassive and expressionless, as calm and silent as the surface of the sea without a ripple.
He looks like his brother.
Thinking of the rebellious Huo Qubing, Li Guang's heart was in turmoil.
[What's that expression on Old Man Li's face?]
[Annoying.]
[Bingbing is very worrying.]
The barrage of comments passed silently before my eyes, carrying with them familiar ridicule and concern.
Huo Yan's fingers unconsciously stroked the cold homemade compass in his sleeve, and his gaze finally fell on Li Guang's slightly hunched but still stubborn back.
"General Li," he said, driving his horse forward half a step, his voice clear and calm, breaking the slightly dull atmosphere of the troops, "the time has come, the army has set off, and it is time for our army to set off as well."
"Marquis Bowang, what do you think?" He turned his gaze to Zhang Qian at the right moment. Although his tone was questioning, the young man's eyes were cold and his features were hard. He had completely lost the playful innocence he had shown when he met him a few years ago. Zhang Qian nodded slightly to Huo Yan under such a gaze. "Marquis Tai'an is quite right. General Li, please give the order."
Li Guang took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and waved his hand suddenly, "Let's go!"
Huo Yan followed closely behind Li Guang and Wei Qing, his dark blue figure blending into the rolling iron torrent. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on an unknown direction.
Brother, be safe.
Outside Dai County City, a completely different scene unfolded. The same 50,000 cavalrymen, yet there was no trace of composure. This was a burning edge, the atmosphere of these 50,000 men like an arrow about to be released, filled with explosive energy and near-frenzied agitation.
Champion Marquis Huo Qubing, clad in newly forged Ming Guang armor, reined in his horse and stood before the entire army, his posture erect and straight. His handsome young face bore no trace of the solemnity of a battle. Instead, it radiated a self-confidence and a nearly feverish fighting spirit that looked down upon the world. He belonged here. The sun shone down on him, the dazzling light reflecting off his new armor. He was like a rising sun, so dazzling that one dared not look directly at him.
A year later, Champion Hou is still as charming as ever.
Surrounding him were equally intimidating companions who had long shared life and death with him: Eagle-strike Sima Zhao Po Nu, Lieutenant Gao Bu Shi, Lieutenant Pu Duo, and many more fierce knights eager to follow the blazing sun and achieve unparalleled feats. Their eyes blazed as they closely followed Huo Qubing's figure, as if they would crush any enemy formation with just one command from him.
Huo Qubing did not give a long speech. He suddenly drew out the ring-handled sword from his waist that had drunk countless blood. The ring-handled sword made a buzzing sound and the blade pointed straight to the north.
The young men were delighted to hear of the war, and the general laughed loudly.
The eagle of Chang'an soars into the sky.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
Fifty thousand cavalrymen suddenly erupted in earth-shaking roars, and the sound waves swept across the fields like a raging tide.
It was the arrogance of youth, the most naked desire! It was the absolute confidence in his general!
Huo Qubing curled up the corners of his mouth in satisfaction, drew the blade forward, and the horse under him neighed loudly, and rushed out first like an arrow!
"drive--!"
The sharp arrows were instantly launched! Unlike Wei Qing's central army's steady advance, Huo Qubing's fifty thousand cavalrymen were like a sharp blade piercing the heart and lungs. With a resolute momentum to burn everything, Huo Qubing led the way, Zhao Po Nu close behind, charging to the front line. Behind him, a vast force of cavalry, without hesitation or retreat, clattered like dense rolling thunder, stirring up clouds of dust as they descended upon the Xiongnu royal court.
The horse's hooves stamped, and the dust rose again.
The meat grinder of Mobei, the Han Empire's roar with all its might, finally started up at this moment.
【Author’s words】
A Yan is actually very nice to his subordinates, especially Benben. Sima Qian is almost at his level. Shi Ye can let him PUA himself, and the same goes for his uncle and Qu Bing. Gongsun and Zhao Po Nu are happy again.
A Yan: Although you have a human brain, it is empty inside. Okay, I won’t say anymore. He is still young.
Qubing: It’s OK as long as you understand what I say and do as I say.
Uncle: Let’s go, I’ll take you with me.
My friend sent me a message today saying, "Yangyang, does Ah Yan really like to laugh? You really like writing about him laughing."
Me: He depends on the person and the situation.
Youyou: For example?
Me: He suffered a lot in his youth in his previous life and didn't like to laugh. In this life, he doesn't like to laugh either, but Wei Qing and Huo Qubing loved to laugh when they were young. When he was happy, the Wei family would laugh, and everyone loved him, so he laughed more.
Youyou: Woo woo woo, you kid, you stab me.
Me: Knife? I didn't even dare write about Huo Xiaoyan's youth in his previous life. His back was beaten to a pulp. Some say Huo Xiaoyan's curses are harsh, but Huo Xiaoyan is just a little hedgehog. He endured a lot of hardships to become the Huo Yan he once was. Arrogance and pride were his characteristics in his previous life, but Huo Xiaoyan's current personality is entirely shaped by the big man, the Wei family, and his uncle Qubing, especially Qubing. Qubing is the kind of brother who gives you everything, doesn't care about you, and is infinitely tolerant of you.
Youyou: Yes, Qubing and Azheng are two extremes.
Me: Hahaha, Qubing is a healthy brother-con, while it's the younger brother who's occasionally unhealthy, overly nervous and overly controlling. Ah Zheng is incredibly controlling, like he uses the right lid for every pot. Xiuying likes him that way. If it were Ah Yan, damn it, why are you controlling me? I'm going to rebel.
Youyou: Yes, how can two fathers be brothers?
Me: Hahaha, if we can’t be brothers, we can be a couple, two big daddies, each taking a kick in the confrontation lane.
Youyou: You are finally crazy.
Me: Hahaha, Ah Yan and his junior brothers are cursing Ah Zheng so filthy, and his words are so eloquent. He used to be very good at talking, but now he plays nice and only curses when he loses his temper.
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