novelSusiti Chapter 406 Was I overthinking it?
Chapter 406 Was I overthinking it?
Zhang Fan pointed directly at Fusu's chest and said, word by word:
"And your position is that of the Crown Prince of Qin! The foundation of the Qin state!"
"If you die on the battlefield, the Qin court will immediately fall into turmoil, the remnants of the six states will take the opportunity to cause chaos, and the newly unified world will fall into war again!"
At that time, it won't be a few thousand or tens of thousands of soldiers who die, but hundreds of thousands, even millions, of Qin citizens!
"You think rushing in is being a hero? No, that's just making things worse! That's irresponsible!"
These words left Fusu speechless.
Zhang Fan's tone softened slightly. He patted Fusu on the shoulder and said earnestly:
"Your Highness, His Majesty sent you to the front lines, not to learn how to kill people."
"What does it truly mean to share weal and woe? It doesn't mean having you take the fall for someone, but rather having you stand here in the rear, keeping your eyes fixed on the front lines!"
"You must see clearly how cruel war is! You must see clearly how tragic the sight is of those soldiers who fought for you, falling in the snow! You must hear their cries of agony as they lost their limbs, and see the blood that stained the white snow!"
Zhang Fan's voice echoed throughout the empty tent, deafeningly clear:
"Only when you have these hardships etched deep into your very bones will your hands tremble and you think twice before acting when you are reviewing memorials or facing battles that could be avoided!"
"To spare the people from the ravages of war and to ensure that the soldiers guarding the borders can return home alive—this is the greatest value you, the Crown Prince of Qin, have in sharing their joys and sorrows!"
The tent was deathly silent.
Meng Tian and his generals looked at Zhang Fan with eyes full of shock and respect.
The Grand Preceptor's words were piercing yet insightful; they were truly the key to governing the country!
Fusu stood there, stunned, his eyes already reddening.
He took a deep breath, abruptly took half a step back, and bowed deeply to Zhang Fan at a ninety-degree angle, his voice trembling but incredibly firm:
"The teacher's teachings were like a sudden awakening, every word resonating deeply! The student... has learned a great deal!"
"We students will never step out of the Yinshan camp! Right here, keep your eyes wide open and watch how our Qin soldiers fight for our country!"
Seeing that Fusu had finally been fooled, Zhang Fan breathed a long sigh of relief.
It's so cold on the front lines!
It's still more comfortable to be warm by the stove in the back!
"Phew... I finally managed to persuade this unlucky kid to stay. If he had gone to the front lines, I would have been living in constant fear."
Zhang Fan turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Meng Tian, who was already impatient:
"General Meng, with no more worries, it's time to let the Xiongnu know the wrath of the Great Qin!"
A murderous glint flashed in Meng Tian's eyes as he strode out of the tent and mounted his horse.
"All troops, attack! Target... the Xiongnu royal court!"
……
at the same time.
North of the Yin Mountains lies the royal court of the Xiongnu.
A fierce wind raged, and snowflakes fell like goose feathers, turning the world into a vast expanse of white, making it difficult to discern directions.
Inside the royal tent, the cow dung pit was burning red-hot, making the tent feel as warm as springtime.
"Report!"
A Hun scout stumbled in.
"Reporting to the Great Chanyu! Urgent report from the front... from the front!" The scout's teeth chattered uncontrollably from the extreme cold.
The Chanyu suddenly sat up straight, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes, and asked loudly, "But the Qin army finally couldn't hold back and stepped into the Baidao Valley."
Has our ambush been launched? Did the avalanche bury them all alive?
The Chanyu's voice echoed in the royal tent, and Ji Dan and Xiang Liang, who were standing nearby, also stopped what they were doing and stared intently at the scout.
However, the scout's next words were like a bucket of lukewarm water poured over the Chanyu's head.
"Reporting to the Great Chanyu...nothing! Absolutely nothing!"
The scout swallowed hard, his voice filled with deep confusion and exhaustion. "The brothers have been lying in the snow and ice on both sides of the White Road for a whole day and night. Their eyes are almost blind from exhaustion!"
But, let alone an army of 300,000, not even a single snow hare could get through that canyon!
"We even risked our lives to advance fifty miles, reaching all the way to the foot of Yinshan Mountain..."
The ground was covered in heavy snow; there wasn't a single cart track, nor a wisp of smoke from a cooking fire. The Qin army... was completely wiped out, utterly motionless!
"What? Still no movement?"
The Chanyu was taken aback at first, then his brows relaxed and he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Good! Excellent!"
The Chanyu downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, casually tossed the golden goblet to the ground, and looked around the people in the tent with a smug expression.
"This Xiongnu chieftain thought Meng Tian was some kind of three-headed, six-armed war god, but it turns out he's nothing but a cowardly coward!"
The Chanyu stood up, walked to the charcoal fire, and laughed loudly: "Southern people are delicate, how can they withstand such divine punishment and calamity sent down by my Eternal Heaven?"
They must have been so frozen by the heavy snow that they cowered on the southern slopes of the Yin Mountains, lacking even the courage to break camp!
"Help!
With a wave of his hand, the Chanyu roared with boundless pride, "Pass on my order! Slaughter 10 fat sheep and bring out the finest mare's milk wine. Tonight, I, the Chanyu, will hold a grand banquet!"
"We'll sit here in this warm royal tent, drinking and singing, waiting for those 300,000 Qin soldiers to freeze to death at the foot of Yinshan Mountain!"
The Xiongnu nobles inside the tent immediately erupted in cheers.
In their view, nature had already sealed the Qin army's throat, and the Xiongnu had already won half the battle.
However, Ji Dan, who was sitting to the side, couldn't bring herself to smile at this moment.
He appeared to be aloof and otherworldly on the surface, but his brows were tightly furrowed beneath the mask.
"Something's not right...this is really not right!"
Ji Dan was frantically calculating in her mind.
If his opponent were only Meng Tian, he might also have believed that the Qin army was trapped by the heavy snow.
But Zhang Fan was in that army!
That true "Immortal Master"!
Ji Dan harbored a deep sense of apprehension, even fear, towards Zhang Fan.
That guy surnamed Zhang never plays by the rules!
Since he dared to go on an expedition with the army at this time of year, he must have had a way to deal with the wind and snow!
Ji Dan's back began to break out in a cold sweat.
There was no movement for a whole day and night, not even a wisp of smoke.
This means that the Qin army was not within the scouts' detection range at all!
They disappeared!
It's too strange that an army of 300,000 could just vanish into thin air!
Thinking of this, Ji Dan could no longer sit still.
He had to find out where the Qin army had gone.
"Hold on, Chanyu!"
Ji Dan suddenly spoke, his voice less composed than before, "In my opinion, it is too early to hold a grand banquet at this time."
The Chanyu was in high spirits when he heard this and was taken aback: "What do you mean by this, Immortal Master? The Qin army is trapped south of the mountain, and our army can achieve a great victory without losing a single soldier. Shouldn't we celebrate?"