Wu Zhao listened and whispered, "The Xiongnu also have their own gods."
At that time, although the Han and Xiongnu were constantly at war, the origin of the Xiongnu people was widely debated, and there was no definitive conclusion.
Even the Xiongnu people themselves were vague about their ancestors.
The "Records of the Grand Historian" believed that the Xiongnu were originally the Shanrong, Xianyun, and Hunzhou tribes. Wang Guowei's "A Study of Guifang, Kunyi, and Xianyun" argued that the Guifang, Hunyi, and Xunyu of the Shang Dynasty, the Xianyun of the Zhou Dynasty, the Rong and Di of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the Hu of the Warring States Period were all what later generations called the Xiongnu.
Some Xiongnu people considered themselves descendants of Yu the Great, so they called themselves "Xia people," indicating that in ancient times, a portion of the Xiongnu people may have shared the same origin as the Han Chinese.
Although there was much debate, it was generally believed in later generations that the Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty were not a single ethnic group and did not have a unified language. They may have included different languages such as the Turkic language family, Mongolian language family, Yeniseian language family, Tocharian language family, Iranian language family, and Uralic language family.
The Xiongnu people also called themselves Hu people. The name Xiongnu may have used the character "nu" (slave) to represent contempt for them, or it may be because "Xiongnu" and "Hu" were both pronunciations of "person" in Turkic and Mongolian languages.
However, regardless of the truth, the entanglement between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu had lasted for hundreds of years. The killings and grievances in between could no longer be stopped, just like the battles between the Yellow Emperor and Chi You in the beginning. Only the annihilation of one side could end the war.
Yuan Xi listened to Wu Zhao's words and smiled, "The talk of ghosts and gods is Nothingness . I told the soldiers that when digging tombs, they should report my name. If there is retribution, let it all come at me."
We materialist warriors are not afraid of this!
"I personally led the digging of the first few Xiongnu tombs."
"In a Xiongnu noble's tomb, in addition to armor, there are often dozens of corpses wearing Han Chinese women's clothing."
"Even so, does the young lady still think it's inappropriate to dig their tombs?"
Wu Zhao listened and softly said, "Even in the Great Han, there are many instances of funerary practices."
Yuan Xi listened and was silent for a while before softly saying, "Not everything the Han Dynasty does is necessarily correct."
Wu Zhao opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Qu Yi, who was driving the carriage in front, revealed a complex and inexplicable smile when he heard this.
Yuan Xi then realized that he had misspoke. He was somewhat surprised; how could he easily utter such words?
Although Wu Zhao's features were proper, her face was not one that people could directly look at. The reason Yuan Xi was willing to talk to her was because of her extraordinary knowledge and gentle conversation, which Yuan Xi felt was very beneficial.
Wu Zhao seemed to see through Yuan Xi's thoughts and quickly said, "This concubine has absolutely no disloyal intentions towards the General. What the General does is all for others, which makes this concubine very admire."
"I am only worried that the Xiongnu people will find out and come to retaliate against the General."
Yuan Xi listened and smiled, "I'm not the only one digging their tombs."
The "Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Biographies of the Wuhuan and Xianbei" records: During the reign of Emperor Zhao, the Wuhuan gradually became stronger and exhumed the tombs of the Xiongnu Chanyu to avenge Maodun. The Xiongnu were furious and attacked and defeated the Wuhuan to the east.
At this time, the Wuhuan, who had always been a subordinate tribe of the Xiongnu, were gradually recovering their strength and used the method of digging up the ancestral graves of the Xiongnu to avenge Maodun. There were also frequent wars between the two sides.
"Moreover, the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu have long been at odds. I also killed their Chanyu's son. What is there to fear?"
Wu Zhao listened and said solemnly, "This concubine has been abducted for several months and can understand some of their language. When forced to play music in the camp, I heard their route north, which was somewhat illogical."
Yuan Xi became interested upon hearing this and said, "Please enlighten me, young lady."
Wu Zhao nodded and said, "The Southern Xiongnu court is not located outside the Great Wall but within the borders of Bing Province."
"The current Southern Xiongnu Chanyu, Yufuluo, is nominally subordinate to the Great Han and is monitored by the General of Liao and the Protector-General of the Xiongnu. However, the Han court is now in chaos. Liu Bao, as the son of the Chanyu, is able to plunder southward, indicating that the Southern Xiongnu have lost control."
"They dare to openly plunder in the heart of the Great Han, unafraid of the Han court. This is not only bold but also likely due to some reliance."
"This concubine guesses that they are going north from Ji Province and You Province instead of returning to Bing Province from the closer Zuofengyi. This seems illogical, but it is likely that they have opened up certain relationships to be able to safely take this route."
"If the Southern Xiongnu learn that the General has killed Liu Bao, they may not hesitate to raise troops to retaliate. This place is located at the junction of You and Bing Provinces, only a few hundred miles away from the Xiongnu court, and they could arrive in an instant."
"What worries this concubine even more is that the mastermind colluding with the Southern Xiongnu is very likely to be south of the General, such as Zhang Yan's Black Mountain bandits."
"If Beixin City is attacked from both sides, it will be difficult to defend. I hope the General will prepare early."
Qu Yi, who was listening in front, chuckled and said, "The young master just randomly rescued a woman, and she has such knowledge?"
"This young lady knows more about military affairs than those subordinates I brought!"
Yuan Xi thought that he might have found a treasure. Wu Zhao might have been a servant in the residence of some court official, which is why she was so familiar with the general situation of the world.
In this way, there are problems in the south and problems in the north.
Because according to Dong Zhao's speculation, Gongsun Zan is very likely to be colluding with the Southern Xiongnu!
The route of Liu Bao's group may pass through Beixin City from the west and then take the Wuruan Pass, which is more than a hundred miles to the north, directly to outside the Great Wall.
The key is that the current Wuruan Pass is under the control of Gongsun Zan. Under normal circumstances, how could Liu Bao's group pass through?
Therefore, Dong Zhao speculated that it was very likely that the Southern Xiongnu and Gongsun Zan had reached a deal. Gongsun Zan let Liu Bao pass through the pass to contain the Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes who were at odds with Gongsun Zan.
With Dong Zhao's speculation as a premise, Yuan Xi used this matter to gamble with Zhao Yun, who was unaware of the truth, to sow discord between him and Gongsun Zan.
Although this matter cannot be said to be Aboveboard , Yuan Xi had too few cards to play, and Gongsun Zan was already being unethical in the first place.
However, after Yuan Xi and Zhao Yun fought side by side, he realized that he had misunderstood some things, and he was very wrong.
Zhao Yun may not have known the truth of this matter!
Zhao Yun's agreement to go with Yuan Xi to kill the Xiongnu was probably not just because of the bet but because Zhao Yun really wanted to be like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, cleansing the Xiongnu enemies and saving the Han people!
This can also explain why Zhao Yun readily admitted defeat after the battle and left with his troops without even taking the wealth.
If Zhao Yun really cared about Gongsun Zan's military orders, he would definitely not have admitted the value of Liu Bao's head. In that case, Zhao Yun would have won instead, and Yuan Xi would have had no choice.
It was precisely because Zhao Yun was fighting for the ambition in his heart and did not care about the gains and losses of a city or a place that he readily admitted that Yuan Xi had killed Liu Bao and had won against him.
Therefore, Yuan Xi's plan can be said to have been a lucky strike. If that is the case, Zhao Yun should have been dissatisfied with Gongsun Zan for a long time and might find an excuse to leave soon.
Thinking of this, Yuan Xi suddenly woke up. Zhao Yun went back to report to Gongsun Zan and did not even distribute the wealth. Could it be that he had already realized something?
If that is the case, Zhao Yun may be in danger!
Thinking of this, Yuan Xi suddenly stood up from the carriage and decisively said to Qu Yi, "Gather the troops and leave the city!"