Chapter 24: The Edict to Exterminate the Barbarians Is Issued

While the imperial court was shaken by the massive Xiongnu army, the common people were far from tranquil. The cause, naturally, was the "Call to Slay the Hu" that Li Xiang had quietly circulated.

Li Xiang's proclamation was not as brutal as the one historically pushed by Ran Min, which advocated for the total extermination of all Hu people. Instead, it focused on describing the miserable lives of the frontier people in Bing and You provinces, as well as the atrocities committed by the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and other alien tribes along the Han borders. He used this to ignite the blood of the Han people, calling upon them to go to the regions of Bing and You to defend against the Xiongnu.

The reason Li Xiang included You Province was, naturally, to avoid drawing the court's suspicion; after all, swaying the hearts of the people and accumulating such renown would surely be viewed with hostility by the imperial authorities. By including You Province, even if the court felt some dissatisfaction, they would merely assume his concern was for the war effort rather than immediately targeting him. Furthermore, to avoid alarming the court, Li Xiang did not release it across the entire Han Empire as originally planned, but instead ordered people to circulate it only in the provinces neighboring Bing.

In Chenliu, Yan Province, a burly man saw the proclamation, hurried home to instruct his wife and children, then retrieved a pair of great halberds and set off toward Bing Province.

In Donglai, Qing Province, a man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a broad face, and long, ape-like arms bid a reluctant farewell to his elderly mother. He then mounted a great horse, wielding a long spear, with double halberds at his waist and a sturdy bow slung over his shoulder, and galloped toward the north. Regrettably, the direction he headed was not Bing Province, but You Province.

In Yingchuan, Yu Province, a young scholar gazed toward the north, standing still for a long time before finally sighing, "It is still too early; the time is far from ripe. I need to observe more." He then turned and walked back into his house without looking back.

A single sheet of paper had stirred a large portion of the Han Empire and disrupted the established trajectory of history. Yet, who could say how the future would unfold?

In Yanmen, countless lives continued to slip away with every passing moment, each second a testament to the fragility and helplessness of existence.

Li Xiang's plan had suffered a slight setback. Under the constant attrition, Yufuluo had finally bowed to pressure and chosen to let Wanyan Aguda lead the troops.

Wanyan Aguda was truly worthy of his reputation as the Taizu of Jin, a man who had once led a few thousand followers to conquer a vast empire. Upon taking command, he changed the Xiongnu's siege tactics; the previously chaotic assaults suddenly became methodical under his direction.

At first, Meng Tian had been able to maintain a casualty ratio of one to six, but after Wanyan Aguda took command, the Han forces could barely manage a ratio of one to four or even one to three.

A one-to-four ratio might seem terrifying, and those unaware would surely mistake it for a remarkable victory. In reality, the Xiongnu were only losing their old and weak, while their elite warriors were still biding their time. The Han army, however, was losing its finest soldiers. If this continued, these hundred thousand old and weak would consume twenty to thirty thousand of the Han army’s fighting strength.

Even worse, if the battle continued in this manner, what would the Han army—already exhausted—do when the Xiongnu had finished sacrificing their weak and sent their elite forces into the fray?

In truth, Li Xiang was now beginning to panic. He had asked Wang Meng for counsel multiple times, yet Wang Meng insisted that he continue to drag out the conflict.

Now, however, Li Xiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Meng was indeed Wang Meng; everything was within his calculations.

The imperial court had indeed consented to local recruitment in Bing Province to defend against the Xiongnu. The lands of Yan and Zhao had been known for their fierce, martial spirit since ancient times. Since Li Yang began recruiting under the imperial decree, the number of people signing up daily was countless. Combined with the heroes and righteous men arriving from neighboring provinces, they had gathered nearly twenty thousand troops in just a few days, already dispatched as the first wave of reinforcements to Yanmen. At this rate, they could likely muster a hundred thousand men within a month.

...

"Sir, the court has agreed to local recruitment; the first step of the plan is complete. Now can you tell me how to defeat the Xiongnu army beneath our walls and complete the second step?" Li Xiang asked, his face full of joy, casting aside the anxiety of the past few days.

"Haha, my lord, why must we defeat the Xiongnu now? Is it not better to maintain this stalemate?" Wang Meng countered.

Li Xiang was anxious. "Sir, did you not originally plan to crush the Xiongnu to maneuver my father into becoming the Inspector of Bing Province? Why should we continue to remain at a stalemate with them now?"

Wang Meng smiled. "My lord, circumstances change. With the Xiongnu having gathered two hundred and fifty thousand troops, maintaining this stalemate—provided Yanmen does not fall—is already a great achievement. Afterward, we can naturally help Ding Yuan secure a promotion, thereby allowing your father to succeed him as the Inspector of Bing Province."

Wang Meng paused, his expression turning solemn. "Moreover, I did indeed underestimate the Xiongnu. With that commander, Wanyan Aguda, in charge, a hasty attempt at a trap could easily backfire. To be caught off guard and bitten in return would be disastrous; it is better to maintain this stalemate. However, my lord, that Wanyan Aguda will surely be a formidable enemy in the future; we must eliminate him as soon as possible while his influence is still weak."

Li Xiang had not expected Wanyan Aguda to warrant such apprehension from Wang Meng. Furthermore, he himself wanted to eliminate Wanyan Aguda—the god-tier summoning card reward for the "Regicide" mission was quite tempting, after all. But achieving that was easier said than done. Although Li Xiang had been keeping Xue Rengui hidden, hoping to land a surprise blow on Wanyan Aguda, he had never truly held much hope for it.

He sighed helplessly. "Sir, but if we continue this stalemate, will the casualties not be somewhat too high?"

Wang Meng showed no reaction, saying only, "My lord, the newly recruited soldiers have begun to arrive. At this rate, we may recruit a hundred thousand new troops, but there are two problems that must be solved."

"Oh? What problems, sir?" Li Xiang asked, confused.

"First, Bing Province is desolate. During wartime, we have the resources of other provinces to support these hundred thousand troops, but after the war, how will we sustain them? If we sustain them, where will the military funds and provisions come from? If we do not sustain them, what was the point of this entire plan?"

Wang Meng paused to catch his breath, then said firmly, "Second, these hundred thousand new troops lack combat experience. If they are not tempered by blood and fire, how can they become a strong army? How can my lord rely on them to contend for the world in the future?"

Li Xiang felt a chill run down his spine. He understood now: Wang Meng perhaps did not lack a way to deal with Wanyan Aguda, but rather intended to use this brutal method to forge an elite, battle-hardened army.

Though he understood, and knew what was most advantageous to him, Li Xiang still found it difficult to accept. At this moment, he suddenly realized the kind of path he would have to walk in the future; after all, this road was already drenched in blood before it had even truly begun.

Li Xiang’s face flickered between shadow and light, joy and sorrow, before settling into an expressionless mask, which then solidified into firm resolve.

"Sir, I understand what must be done. In this battle, we have no other choice but to continue dragging it out; we must choose to drag it out."

Yes, Li Xiang understood. Since he had chosen this path, he had to walk it to the end, by any means necessary.

"I would rather betray the world than have the world betray me," Li Xiang said to himself.