Chapter 27 Fair Duel: You Alone, I a Whole Kingdom
Why did the Lesser Yuezhi suddenly attack? Before Zhang Yang and the others could figure it out, an answer arrived.
Inside Lord Yan's Residence.
The envoy of the Lesser Yuezhi stood tall and proud, saying, “We have come this time solely for Minister Zhang of the Shang Kingdom.”
At these words, everyone turned to Zhang Yang, wearing puzzled expressions.
Even Zhang Yang himself parted his lips slightly, quite surprised.
Coming for me?
Although Zhang Yang knew his reputation was tremendous, renowned throughout the lands with admirers everywhere,
but to bring 200,000 soldiers just to chase fans—that was too much.
He joked to himself, with no hint of impending disaster, and laughed, “Ha, this is rather amusing.”
“The Khan of the Lesser Yuezhi leads over a hundred thousand elite troops, coming only for me.”
The envoy said, “Minister Zhang’s fame is known far and wide across the eight directions of the world; none fail to recognise it.”
“Since Minister Zhang led the Shang Kingdom to dominance, all the northern tribes have been crushed to the point of barely breathing and had no choice but to unite against the increasingly powerful Great Heng.”
“The Greater Yuezhi and Lesser Yuezhi owe their advancement today entirely to you.”
Zhang Yang’s expression remained calm.
He was of course aware of the northern tribes’ situation.
Since the Shang Kingdom annexed the Jing Kingdom, the nation's power had rapidly expanded.
Although there had been no large-scale warfare since, expansion continued westward and northward.
Whether it was the western tribes or those in the north, faced with the mighty Shang Kingdom, they barely had any ability to fight back. They were either driven out or swallowed up. Under such circumstances, the northern tribes, which had once fought each on their own, rapidly united.
Fifteen years ago, the Greater Yuezhi Alliance emerged in the north, rallying the major tribes to resist the Shang Kingdom. Over the next decade, the Greater Yuezhi grew steadily stronger, becoming undisputed rulers of the north.
But five years ago, the Greater Yuezhi split into two factions: the Greater Yuezhi in the west and the Lesser Yuezhi pushing eastward. The two tribal alliances often clashed, which in turn eased the pressure on the Shang Kingdom considerably.
Zhang Yang pondered this and said, “To dispatch over a hundred thousand elite troops just for me, your Khan holds me in high regard indeed.”
The envoy of the Lesser Yuezhi replied, “Minister Zhang, you jest. You pioneered the Great Heng martial path, becoming the first in countless years to break through the ‘Vitality Like a Galloping Horse’ realm. Your disciples and followers spread throughout the land—you are rightly called the progenitor of martial arts.
Since your arrival in the Shang Kingdom, you have fought one hundred battles and not a single defeat. Under your leadership, the Shang Kingdom has grown from a precarious small state with mere ten cities to a dominant power commanding two hundred cities—you are truly a god of war.
In Great Shang and Great Heng, you are no longer just human but a living god among men. Fighting mere mortals does not warrant deploying such a vast army. But to face a god, even mobilising all the troops in the nation is justified.”
Zhang Yang shook his head with an amused but somewhat exasperated smile. He raised his hand and said, “Alright, no need for flattery. What does your Khan want?”
The envoy of the Lesser Yuezhi said, “Our Khan wishes to have a duel with you.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang had yet to react, but Heitu and the others were already sneering.
A duel! How laughable. Who didn’t know Zhang Yang was the greatest expert in the world?
In the present age, only three people had reached the Tongmai Realm.
And Zhang Yang was not only the number one but also its founder.
However—
“Chief Minister Zhang may come alone or bring anyone he wishes.”
“My Khan awaits Chief Minister Zhang with the finest troops of the entire Lesser Yuezhi nation.”
“If by noon tomorrow my Khan does not see Chief Minister Zhang outside the city, a great army will advance to the borders and annihilate the Yan Kingdom.”
With that, the envoy turned and left, leaving behind Heitu and the others cursing loudly.
“Son of a bitch, shameless scoundrel.”
“This is what they call a duel? What a damn insult.”
“Chief Minister, you must not fall into the enemy’s trap.”
Heitu and the others wore grim expressions, some shouting insults at the Khan of Lesser Yuezhi, others pleading with Zhang Yang.
Only Zhang Yang, his eyelids lowered slightly, sighed quietly.
He remarked, “They truly hold me in high regard.”
“Heitu.”
At the sound of his name, Heitu immediately stood up.
He cupped his hands together and said, "Present."
Zhang Yang said, "The Khan of the Lesser Yuezhi has come for me."
"The fact that they’ve sent an envoy to openly declare this shows they are determined to kill me."
"My own life or death means nothing."
"But the people of the Yan Kingdom are innocent."
Hearing this, Lord Yan Yun relaxed slightly, but the worry soon returned to his face.
He sighed, "Our Yan Kingdom’s army numbers just over ten thousand, with barely two thousand in armour."
"Though we don’t know how many troops the Lesser Yuezhi have mobilised, judging by their scale outside, it must be in the hundreds of thousands."
"Even if all of Yan’s warriors were gathered, it would be impossible to withstand the Lesser Yuezhi’s advance."
"Our only hope now lies with reinforcements from the Shang Kingdom."
"Minister Zhang, how soon could Shang troops arrive?"
Lord Yan Yun’s eyes shone with hope, though tinged with nervousness.
Zhang Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly, remaining silent.
The Shang Kingdom was a thousand miles from Yan.
Though river routes could be used, the journey would still take at least one or two months at best.
Yan was a small nation with a population barely reaching two hundred thousand.
It would be difficult for them to hold out even three to five days, let alone nearly a month against the Lesser Yuezhi.
Zhang Yang considered this and then said carefully, "With Yan’s current forces, holding out until help arrives is unlikely."
"But I can’t trust the Khan of the Lesser Yuezhi’s promise either."
"The best plan now is to catch the thief by first capturing their leader."
Heitu said, "Chief Minister, give the order. We are willing to live and die with you, to fight to the bitter end."
Zhang Yang raised his hand, signalling Heitu to be silent.
He pondered before saying, "With our current forces, whether we hold out and wait for reinforcements or launch a full-scale assault, the chances of success are slim."
Heitu responded solemnly, "Since death is inevitable, how can we kneel and beg for mercy?"
"We—"
Zhang Yang shot Heitu a sideways glance and scolded him with a laugh, "You stubborn blockhead, after all these years, you still haven't learned a thing."
"If we all die, wouldn't that play straight into the hands of the Khan of the Lesser Yuezhi?"
Heitu parted his lips slightly, awkwardly smiling, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Zhang Yang then considered a plan: "Tomorrow, I will lead a thousand men to launch a surprise attack on the Khan of the Lesser Yuezhi’s location. You, escort Lord Yan south."
"Take my seal and borrow troops from the surrounding feudal states. The future of the Yan Kingdom rests with you."
Heitu quickly objected, "Chief Minister, the attack on the Khan of the Lesser Yuezhi is too dangerous. You should take Lord Yan south while I carry out the raid."
He grit his teeth, knowing death was certain, but was resolute and unflinching.
However!
Zhang Yang laughed and scolded, "If you go, can you really hold them off?"
"Tomorrow, I will use a secret technique to temporarily break through to the Tongmai’s third realm, the Little Heavenly Cycle realm."
"The hallmark of the Little Heavenly Cycle realm is endlessly renewing qi and blood, greatly enhanced regeneration, allowing one to fight fiercely for an entire day."
"Only then can I buy you enough time."
Heitu's expression flickered, and he wanted to say more.
But Zhang Yang knew him well.
He sighed deeply and said, "There are some things I just can’t entrust to others."
"Only you can put my mind at ease."
Zhang Yang said this as he looked at Heitu, then at Guan.
Both men wore solemn expressions, tinged with a trace of sorrow.
"After you leave the Yan Kingdom, Guan will head to the Feudal States to borrow troops and lead them here to assist. Heitu will immediately return to the Shang Kingdom to report the situation to the Duke of Shang."
"Also, pass this message to Wuyou from me: 'That thing, the time has come.'"
Heitu and Guan exchanged puzzled looks. What did 'that thing' mean?
Although they didn’t understand, they committed Zhang Yang’s words to memory.
The next day, the weather was clear.
Amid the howling cold wind, Zhang Yang led a thousand elite soldiers of the Xuan Bird Battalion out through the gates of Xinxian City.
Dust swirled around his streaked white hair, adding a layer of desolation.
Outside the city, the two hundred thousand-strong army of the Lesser Yuezhi stretched like a steel torrent.
Spears clustered like a forest!
Standards fluttered in the wind!
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