In war, quality matters more than quantity. A general's wisdom trumps mere bravery.
Zhou Fugui and the hundred-plus Yan soldiers were like tigers cornered, with only a desperate fight for survival.
On this day, Zhou Fugui and over a hundred Yan soldiers, like over a hundred tigers descending from the mountain, charged straight at the Right Guli King Aodeng and his thousand-plus Xiongnu warriors.
Though surrounded by thousands, I shall go forth!
Zhou Fugui and his men had to press forward, or face certain death.
Zhou Fugui brandished the divine weapon bestowed by his esteemed master, the Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd, leading the charge towards the Xiongnu Right Guli King Aodeng. His fierce aura surged forward, unstoppable. Those who met his edge fell without exception. The hundred-plus cavalry under his command followed closely, fighting with extraordinary ferocity, breaking through all resistance!
Zhou Fugui and the hundred-plus Yan cavalry were like an incredibly sharp blade, piercing deep into the Xiongnu army, like a cleaver cutting through waves, leaving a trail of men and horses overturned in their wake.
"Dong... dong... dong..."
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"
Just then, behind the hundred-plus Yan cavalry, a vast cloud of dust suddenly rose, carrying with it shouts of killing and the sounds of a large army on the move.
The Xiongnu soldiers were thrown into a panic, unsure of the enemy's numbers.
It was a feigned display of strength, Zhou Fugui's true stratagem of deception, a ploy of diversion, not frontal assault.
The Right Guli King Aodeng saw a fierce general, brandishing a halberd on horseback, charging directly at him, and was instantly overwhelmed with panic. Behind them, dust billowed and thunderous war drums resounded, making Aodeng even more distraught.
However, at this moment, escape was impossible. To flee now would mean certain pursuit and utter rout, a collapse like a mountain of earth, especially for Aodeng in retreat.
Furthermore, even if Aodeng wanted to flee now, he could not extricate himself, for the fierce general had already reached him.
Aodeng could only brace himself, leading his retinue to confront this "bandit" general, intending to overwhelm him with numbers, or as it were, gang up on him.
"Kill!" Zhou Fugui roared, thrusting his halberd as he spurred his horse forward. At this critical moment, the tip of the Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd suddenly emitted a blinding flash of light, so brilliant it was almost impossible to see. Zhou Fugui's thrust was like a dragon, and the entire Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd seemed to emit faint dragon roars.
In Zhou Fugui's hands, the Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd was like a living entity, a vibrant azure dragon.
"Clang!"
Aodeng's eyes were also nearly blinded by the golden light. By the time he could see again, the halberd tip was upon him.
Aodeng was also a brave general. At this critical juncture, he managed to raise his saber to block. Saber met halberd with a clang, and the tip of the Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd actually snapped the blade in two.
Generally, sabers might be cut or smashed, but to be pierced and broken like this was rare, demonstrating the sharpness of the divine weapon. Of course, the user's skill also played a significant role.
At the same time, Aodeng's block prevented the halberd tip from piercing his body. It grazed his plump head as it flew past, and Aodeng could even smell the faint scent of blood on the tip.
"Crack!" Zhou Fugui's attack missed. He immediately spun the Sky-Shaking Dragon Halberd and struck Aodeng with its shaft, knocking him off his horse. His body flew about three to four zhang, landing with a dull thud, kicking up several feet of dust. Aodeng spat blood, unable to speak, let alone cry out for help.
The spirit of Huo Qubing had rigorously trained Zhou Fugui in spear techniques for a full two years, making him a master of the spear, a fierce general on the battlefield.
With a "whoosh," as Aodeng's body hit the ground, Zhou Fugui followed up, his halberd striking down, and severed Aodeng's head, impaling it on the tip of his halberd.
All this happened in a flash. In just one exchange, Zhou Fugui knocked Aodeng off his horse and beheaded him. The reason for this was undoubtedly Zhou Fugui's superior martial arts and peerless bravery, as well as Aodeng's indulgence in wine and women, his prolonged neglect of military training and combat.
Aodeng's guards, upon realizing what had happened, rushed forward to rescue him, but it was too late. They could only watch helplessly and spur their horses to flee far away.
With such a valiant general, who else would dare to cross his path? Moreover, his hundred-plus cavalry had arrived, also fighting with incredible ferocity, and his "large army" was now approaching...
With the death of the Right Guli King Aodeng, the morale of the Xiongnu soldiers vanished, and almost everyone thought only of escape.
"Chieftain... Chieftain? Who is he?" Zhou Fugui asked, holding up Aodeng's head.
Zhou Fugui guessed Aodeng was the leader of this Xiongnu army, but he didn't know he was the commander in charge of defending the Xiongnu royal court, the Right Guli King Aodeng.
"He is the Right Guli King Aodeng, sir! Oh gods, you've killed him? General Zhou, are you truly a celestial being?" Just then, a Dingling youth named Agudamu, riding a bareback horse, arrived and exclaimed loudly.
Leading only his hundred-plus men, confronting Aodeng's massive army, and in a single exchange, beheading Aodeng, and emerging from Bear Valley—if Zhou Fugui wasn't a celestial being or a peerless hero, what else could he be?
Agudamu was utterly awestruck, now viewing Zhou Fugui as a god.
It seemed the legend of Bear Valley was true: when the common people of the world faced hardship, a peerless hero would emerge from the valley to aid them.
Zhou Fugui glared at Agudamu and then, raising Aodeng's head high, bellowed, "The heavenly army is here! What nonsense is this Guli King? He has already fallen! Why do you not surrender soon?"
Right Guli King? It seemed he was quite an important official. Zhou Fugui thought regretfully, capturing a high-ranking official of the Xiongnu royal court would have been a good way to coerce his subordinates into surrender. But now that he was dead, he could only threaten the Xiongnu soldiers before him into surrendering.
"Quickly, kneel and beg for surrender, or face death!"
"Quickly, kneel and beg for surrender, or face death!"
The Yan soldiers, brandishing their weapons, shouted loudly.
"We surrender! We surrender!"
"Spare our lives, Great General!"
Under Zhou Fugui's coercion, the Xiongnu soldiers laid down their arms and surrendered. There were some who resisted, but they were killed on the spot.
These Xiongnu soldiers were not the elite troops of the Xiongnu; the elite had been sent south with Duoyongjian. They were mostly ordinary herders from the grasslands, young and old.
Inter-tribal conflict and raids were common on the grasslands, and ordinary herders caught in the middle could only strive to preserve their lives. Although capture might mean becoming a slave, being a slave was better than death, and slaves had a chance to become commoners or escape. In short, as long as one lived, there was hope.
Thus, the remarkable scene of two hundred Yan soldiers capturing hundreds, even thousands, of Xiongnu soldiers unfolded. By the time they realized Zhou Fugui's group was not as numerous as they had initially thought, it was already too late.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Xu Mancang, take a group to inventory the provisions. Great Monk, you are in charge of guarding the prisoners. Remember, no indiscriminate killing. All who surrender shall be spared their lives, and their families and private property shall not be harmed. As for those who resist, kill them on the spot! White Horse And Black Collar people, summon everyone in the camp to the tent. I... cough... cough... cough... this general will give a speech. Suo Dacheng, lead the people to receive the various units. Scholar Li, go post notices for public peace. The rest, follow this general to the Right Guli King's tent. This general wants to be a prince for a change, heh heh."
After Zhou Fugui and the Yan army led the surrendered Xiongnu soldiers back to the Right Guli King Aodeng's tent, Zhou Fugui issued a series of orders.
Zhou Fugui's army, though outnumbered, had captured the Right Guli King Aodeng's camp. They could finally catch their breath, rest, and eat their fill. The days of hunger, tattered clothes, and hardship were gradually receding.
However, whether the situation would truly improve remained to be seen.
"Report... Fugui... oh, no, General Zhou, a group of women were discovered behind the tent, all as beautiful as flowers," Pan Jian Gui reported as he rushed to Zhou Fugui.
After capturing a Xiongnu camp with thousands of people, most of the able-bodied had been killed or captured by the Yan army. The remaining were mostly the elderly, the infirm, women and children, and of course, a large number of slaves.
Even so, Zhou Fugui dared not be careless. He sat before the tent, handling various matters, while simultaneously deterring the entire camp. If everyone in the camp were to rise in rebellion, Zhou Fugui intended to lead his men to flee.
With less than two hundred Yan soldiers, they could not possibly withstand thousands of people fighting to the death. Their only recourse would be to flee.
However, it seemed this would not happen. After the Right Guli King Aodeng was killed, aside from a few who escaped, the remaining people in the camp had almost no will to resist.
Of course, their lack of resistance now did not guarantee it would continue in the future, so Zhou Fugui remained extremely vigilant, paying extra attention to what might happen next.
"What kind of women are they? How beautiful can they be? How many?" Zhou Fugui asked, glancing at Pan Jian Gui. "If they are unrelated, let them do as they please. They can go wherever they want. No need to waste our men."
"They are related, related..." Pan Jian Gui said hastily. "They are the wives and concubines of that Right Guli King Aodeng. There are about forty to fifty of them, plus over a hundred female slaves. All are young and beautiful."
"Damn it, so many?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise. After a moment of consideration, he ordered Pan Jian Gui, "Do not harm their lives, and do not disturb them for now. Keep them in their tents and await further orders."
Zhou Fugui left them there with ulterior motives. While he himself might be restrained, his brothers were like wolves and tigers. Thus, they had a purpose.
Pan Jian Gui acknowledged the order and quickly departed.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Just then, a burly man, as tall as a mountain and as strong as an ox, with curly hair and dark skin, appeared from nowhere, roaring and lunging at Zhou Fugui. Startled, Zhou Fugui hurriedly gripped his greatsword, preparing to defend himself.
The Yan army was too small, and Zhou Fugui, being only a minor general, had no guards or personal retinue with him.