Chapter Twenty: The Ambition of Aguda

Atop the walls of Yanmen Pass, the battle finally drew to a temporary close as Meng Wu plunged his spear into the throat of Wanyan Zongwang.

Following the flight of Wanyan Jindanzi, Shan Shituo lost all appetite for the fray. After repelling Xiong Kuohai with a single strike of his mace, he abandoned his comrades and fled the battlefield. Wanyan Zongwang had also hoped to escape, but lacking the necessary prowess, he could not withstand Meng Wu’s methodical, steady advance and ultimately paid with his life.

In truth, the Han army’s victory was a stroke of fortune. The Xiongnu had not deployed their fierce general Nian Deli, and the other generals of the Wanyan clan accompanying Wanyan Wuqimai had remained on the sidelines. Had they all participated, Xiong Kuohai and his companions would never have held out until the arrival of Xing Tian.

Meng Tian’s contribution was indispensable. Beyond his initial surprise strike that severely wounded Wanyan Yindanzi and deprived the Xiongnu of a major combatant, his "Border Defense" skill boosted the martial prowess of the entire army by two points. Without that augmentation, Xiong Kuohai would have fallen to Shan Shituo, and more disastrously, Liu Yang and Lin Chong would have been cut down long before Xing Tian arrived.

"Ding! Xing Tian has slain Lian'er Xinshan, and Meng Wu has slain Wanyan Zongwang. Lian'er Xinshan’s base martial prowess was 103, and Wanyan Zongwang’s base leadership was 96. Congratulations to the Host for gaining 19 Summoning Points. The Host has 104 Summoning Points remaining."

"With the death of Wanyan Zongwang, the Host has completed a portion of the 'Regicide' mission. You are awarded one Random Summoning Card and one Divine Weapon Card."

Far away, hearing these system notifications, Li Xiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that not only had Xiong Kuohai survived, but he had also secured a significant victory.

Back at Yanmen Pass, although the Xiongnu had been beaten back, the pass had exhausted its final reserves of strength; even the three thousand cavalrymen who had arrived with Xiong Kuohai had suffered nearly fifty percent casualties.

Once the fighting ceased, Meng Tian, Xiong Kuohai, and the others collapsed on the blood-soaked ramparts, gasping for air. The toll of the battle had been immense. Meng Tian had fought two opponents at once, and while Xiong Kuohai had seemingly fought Shan Shituo to a stalemate, he had pushed his martial capabilities beyond their natural limits, leaving him far more exhausted than his foe. Had Shan Shituo not fled at the final moment, Xiong Kuohai would surely have been defeated. Only Xing Tian and Meng Wu retained any fighting spirit.

Suddenly, the thunder of hooves echoed in the distance. Xing Tian and Xiong Kuohai instinctively grabbed their weapons and rose. Meng Tian, however, remained calm. "Rest easy, generals. These hoofbeats come from the south of the pass; they must be our own. With Yanmen Pass standing, the Xiongnu cannot bypass us."

As he spoke, a Han dragon banner emerged, followed by ten thousand iron cavalry charging forward. Li Xiang had truly gambled everything. Although Bingzhou was one of the three great horse-breeding regions of the late Han, elite cavalry took years to train. Beyond the three thousand already sent with Xiong Kuohai, these were the entirety of his remaining mounted forces. His anxiety during that time had been profound.

Xue Rengui, arriving at the head of the force, felt a deep sense of frustration. Despite his haste, he had arrived too late. He was caught between relief and chagrin: relieved that the Xiongnu had been repelled and the pass saved, but bitter that he had missed his chance to prove his worth as a newly appointed colonel. He had hoped to demonstrate his capabilities to his peers through a grand feat of arms, only to find the battlefield already silent.

Despite his inner turmoil, Xue Rengui lived up to his reputation as a god-tier commander. After a brief exchange with Meng Tian and Xing Tian, he immediately took charge of the pass's defenses to forestall any Xiongnu counterattack. After the brutal fighting, even with the two waves of reinforcements sent by Li Xiang, fewer than fifteen thousand men remained. Against the twelve thousand Xiongnu riders outside the walls, vigilance could not be relaxed.

Little did Xue Rengui know, the Xiongnu were in no state to launch a second assault.

Inside the Xiongnu command tent, Yufuluo roared, "Wanyan Aguda, how could you guarantee that one more push would break Yanmen Pass? I sent two of my most trusted generals, and only one returned alive! And the pass? Did we take it?"

Indeed, Shan Shituo and Lian'er Xinshan were Yufuluo’s men, as was Nian Deli, who had been kept in reserve to guard the Khan. Wanyan Aguda was merely one of several tribal leaders, and he lacked the pull to command such talent. Among those brought by Wanyan Wuqimai, only the Wanyan clan members were Aguda’s subordinates. Yet, they were formidable; unlike the brutes, the Wanyan men were skilled in both martial arts and strategy, far superior in leadership.

"Great Khan, it is true my considerations were flawed. No one expected the Han reinforcements to arrive at that exact moment, nor that the Han army possessed two warriors capable of matching Shan Shituo," Wanyan Aguda explained, suppressing his seething rage.

"Wanyan Aguda, our Xiongnu sons have suffered heavy losses, and you bear the blame. Do you admit this?" Yufuluo was not about to let him off easily.

Though he felt the injustice—the defeat was not his fault, and his own tribe had suffered, including the death of his son—Wanyan Aguda knew the situation favored the Khan. He suppressed his resentment and bowed. "I accept responsibility for the defeat. But I ask for a chance to redeem myself. In the next engagement, I will lead the warriors of the Wanyan tribe myself to avenge our fallen heroes."

Yufuluo was secretly overjoyed. He had only intended to undermine Aguda’s prestige, but this was an unexpected windfall. If he could use the Han army to devastate the Wanyan tribe, he would no longer have to fear Aguda’s influence.

Wanyan Aguda was no fool. He offered to lead the charge not only because a prolonged stalemate would drain the Xiongnu’s remaining vitality, but to lower Yufuluo’s guard, setting the stage for a decisive strike of his own. He had made up his mind: after this war, he would be the King of the Xiongnu, just like Modu Chanyu at the end of the Qin Dynasty, sweeping across the vast grasslands—and perhaps, claiming a share of the Han’s glorious empire for himself.