Chapter Thirty: Absolute Kill

  Thanks for "Zhao Wu Xu 2014" and "Hu Ye Bu Rao" two on-time supports.

  Under the White Sandalwood Mountain, the wet water rushes, the high ridge is winding, and the green grass connects to the sky. On a relatively open plain, two cavalry armies are facing each other from afar, with wolf-tail banners fluttering in the wind.

  The two armies were in a formation ready to start the battle, but surprisingly, between the two armies, there was a third party cavalry of dozens of people. At this moment, the leader of that cavalry was shouting loudly, persuading the leaders of both armies to make peace and stop fighting.

  "...The people of China and the Wuhuan tribe were originally neighbors, and it's normal for neighbors to have some disagreements. Why not sit back, relax, and discuss the pros and cons? Under the sword, all that will happen is that resentment will arise from the conflict, and in the end, it will be unbearable to heaven and earth, and unacceptable to people. How did it come to this?! Khan Ruo Wang has always been known for his generosity, Zuo Bi Hou's heart is broad-minded, and the Han Gua tribe's commander is not a brutal person. Why not temporarily stop the war, and gently inquire about right and wrong, in order to find a solution..."

  Yan Rou is indeed eloquent, and her courage is not lacking either. Moreover, she seems to be familiar with the tribal leaders, no wonder she can navigate through the fierce and brutal Hu tribes with ease. Ma Han secretly admired her while also becoming more vigilant.

  Why did Yan Rou want to do this? What benefits could he gain from it? It couldn't be just that he wanted to show favor to the Hangou clan, could it? In fact, the current situation is very similar to the conflicts between big shots in later generations. Yan Rou played the role of a powerful and respected underworld boss and peacemaker. These bosses who acted as peacemakers all had their own ulterior motives, and Ma Hong was clearer about this than anyone else. Otherwise, who would take unnecessary risks and stick their head out for no reason?

  Although he was wary of Yan Rou's intentions, Ma Feng was still pleased that this gentleman had appeared at this time. After all, this battle was not what he wanted - at least not for now.

  When Yan Rou shouted until his throat was about to smoke, the Wuman side finally made a move. A rare armored Hu cavalry rushed out under the wolf banner and said loudly to Yan Rou: "Zuo Xuan Hou invites Mr. Yan to go over and have a chat."

  Yan Rou made a gesture of apology towards Ma Xun and then followed the Huren cavalry into the Wuhuan cavalry formation.

  About a moment later, Yan Rou reappeared and rode towards the Han cavalry array. When he was still a hundred steps away from the array, he was intercepted by the Han cavalry who were on guard duty.

  Yan Rou on horseback bowed with a fist towards Ma Xun from afar and shouted: "General Zuo requests that Commander Ma come forth for a discussion."

  Ma Xun smiled and returned the courtesy: "Where are you headed?"

  "What about the two armies in front of us?" Yan Rou raised two fingers, "Only two guards are allowed."

  Ma Xun smiled with narrowed eyes: "With Zuo Huan Hou's sincerity and Yan Dashi's efforts, how can I bear to refuse?"

  Ma Hu truly admired this Pufulu a bit, having heard that he had killed three Xianbei warriors himself and still had the guts to meet in front of the formation. However, when he brought Wu Zhu and one of his subordinates riding horses to the middle line between the two armies' formations, facing Pufulu face-to-face, only then did he understand where Pufulu's guts came from.

  First of all, this so-called Wulan King (Wuyan's Khan Ruowang was self-proclaimed and did not receive recognition from the Han court) was a sturdy man with a rough face, not very tall but with a big head. At first glance, he seemed to be someone who had a lot of guts and would not easily submit to others. Therefore, he probably wouldn't believe Ma Xian's astonishing military achievements. Moreover, looking at his big, hairy face with an eager expression, it was possible that he still wanted to test Ma Xian.

  Secondly, behind this Ulan prince who is extremely confident in his own military strength, stood two big-headed Ulan people. Their shaved heads shone brightly in the sunlight, their disheveled hair fell over their shoulders, and the curly whiskers on their faces almost covered their entire face, only revealing a pair of fierce eyes like those of wild beasts, making one wonder if they had just run out of the deep mountains and old forests as primitive people.

  Then there was Yan Rou, the intermediary, who stood by with four mailed and bow-bearing guards.

  If such defensive measures are still not enough to deter them, then Pufleur doesn't need to be on the prairie anymore.

  However, Ma Huan didn't take all this to heart. He never intended to play a game of cat and mouse with the king. Capturing Xiao Wang would only attract Da Wang, making things more complicated. Unless it was Han Lu Wang himself, that would be worth capturing. If he could resolve the situation peacefully with relatively reasonable conditions, that would be for the best. As Yan Rou said, if they could solve it with words, then there's no need to resort to violence.

  Of course, if we really can't talk things through and end up fighting in the end, then the simplest way to end the battle is still to capture the bandits and the king.

  The two sides stood thirty paces apart, each holding out their arms to indicate they were unarmed.

  Pu's nostrils flared, his thick and black nasal hair tangled with his whiskers, making him look at least ten years older than a man in his late twenties.

  "My demands are simple: return all the people, slaves, livestock and property of my tribe; compensate for thirty households of slaves, one hundred heads of cattle and sheep. The Khan of the Han Gao tribe must come to the yurt of Khan Lu Wang to apologize and surrender. If not, I will lead my cavalry to destroy the Han Gao, capture their Khan and take all their people!"

  Ma Huan's language talent was quite good, and in just two months, he could basically communicate in the Xiongnu language. Therefore, what Pu Fu Lu said did not need to be translated, and every sentence was understood. Such conditions were simply heaven and earth compared to those opened by the Xianbei people.

  "Is this guy still asleep?" Ma Xun looked around, shocked, "The battle hasn't even started yet, and it seems like we've already been defeated miserably. How can he propose such a condition?"

  "This son of a bitch is begging for a beating!" Wu Zong furiously said, bowing to Ma Han, "Commander, there's nothing left to discuss, let's fight."

  That's right, Pufu is indeed owed a beating, to be exact, it's the Wuman people who owe him a beating.

  Why did the Xianbei people offer such generous terms? Why were the Wuhuan people so aggressive? The reason is simple: the Xianbei people had been severely humiliated and knew that they couldn't mess with Ma Chao, so they tried to win him over with kindness. On the other hand, the Wuhuan people knew nothing about Ma Chao's battles against the Han dynasty and even doubted his military achievements. Under these circumstances, there was no need for further discussion, it was like a gang fight over territory, where you strike first and talk later.

  Ma Xun's right hand flexed and extended its five fingers, faintly emitting a metallic scraping sound. He turned his head to say to Yan Rou, who was over ten steps away on his right side: "What did Mr. Yan say?"

  Yan Rou was also embarrassed, not expecting the Wuhuan people to come up with such harsh conditions. Compared to the Xianbei people's conditions, who could accept them? After a moment of thought, he said in a low voice: "The Xianbei people's conditions are good, but they are far away, hundreds of miles away. The Wuhuan people's conditions are harsh, only because their army is at our doorstep... Commander Ma is an intelligent person, he should know what to choose."

  Ma Xun glanced back at the two hundred Han cavalrymen behind him and said calmly, "If it were General Yan, how would you deal with him?"

  Yan Rou smiled and suddenly said a very abrupt sentence: "If it were me, I would unite with others of the same clan and we should take care of each other."

  Ma Xun suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Yan Rou: "Is anyone willing to unite?"

  Yan Rou nodded deeply.

  Ma Huan said bluntly: "Conditions?"

  Yan Rou smiled and said: "Alright, let me talk to Zuo Xuan Hou first."

  When Yan Rou drove the horse to mediate, Ma Xun whispered an order to Wu Zhui: "Immediately return to the main array and let everyone make preparations, listen to my command, and fight according to the predetermined tactics."

  Wu Zhui led the troops back to the formation, and on the other side, the Wuhuan people seemed to have also noticed Ma Xun's unusual movement, pointing and talking about something. After a while, Yan Rou came with a loudspeaker, saying the result of his efforts: "The Wuhuan people gave two options, one is that General Ma does not need to go to apologize, but must offer the white horse of the general to Khanluo Wang as compensation. The other conditions are the same, no discount. Two is that General Ma and Khanluo Wang's guard Hei Lao brothers compete in wrestling at the same time, if they can win, they can exempt compensation."

  Ma Xun heard the words and looked straight at Pu Fu, seeing an expression of "I'm going to get you" on his face, as well as the ugly faces of two giants behind him, baring their teeth and sneering.

  Yan Rou said in a low voice: "General Ma would be best to choose the first option, the Wuman people hope you will choose the second option... don't do what your enemies want you to do."

  "Thanks for reminding me, Mr. Yan," Ma Xuan said with a bright smile, "I choose the second option."

  Yan Rou's urgent voice: "Marshal Ma is unaware, but this Hei Lian brother is a wild man from the harsh and cold land of Beihai, one of the most famous warriors under Khan Lu's command. He can lasso running cattle and retreat dozens of steps..."

  Ma Xun's eyes narrowed: "So that's how it is, I'm sure they'd be delighted to wrestle with people. Please, sir, just watch from the sidelines for now." With that, he jumped off his warhorse and strode towards Pufleur, shouting as he walked, "I choose the second option, Pufleur! Let your two dogs out!"

  Ma Xun would not have known that Pu Zhi's surface gave him a choice, but in fact it was even more ruthless. He intended to let the two bears capture and kill him directly - in this world, it was not only Ma Xun who thought of capturing the thief and the king...

  Ma Xun also made a plan to capture Pu Fuluo, first defeating two of his brave generals, and if the opportunity arose, he would take down Pu Fuluo as well!

  Ma Xun ran faster and faster, rushing towards Pu Fulu. A cruel smile flashed in Pu Fulu's eyes, and he waved his hands. The Black Bear brothers' footsteps thudded heavily, shaking the dust into the air, their massive palms as big as winnowing fans spread wide, charging forward like two human bears.

  Just as the three crazy figures were about to collide violently, Ma Xun suddenly dodged to the right, using his horse's body as a springboard to jump into the air. His right palm shot out like a spear, striking one of the Black Tiger brothers' necks. Fingers as sharp as broken steel sliced through the rough skin like cutting tofu, severing the carotid artery. The powerful arterial pressure pumped blood out, shooting it several feet into the air, forming a bloody mist that dispersed in all directions.

  One strike to kill! Ma Hong ignored the earth-shaking roar from behind, his figure rose and fell, without any pause, and rushed straight at Pufleur ten steps away - this was the real target.

  Pufulu was shocked and killed the first warrior of his tribe with a single stroke. He, who had always been proud of his bravery, was overwhelmed by Ma Huan's fierce momentum, and in his surprise, he turned around and fled on horseback. But just as he ran out a few steps, **his warhorse suddenly stood upright and let out a long neigh, refusing to move forward. Pufulu turned around in shock and found that it was Ma Huan who had grabbed the horse's tail.

  "Get down!" Ma Hong bellowed, his left hand reaching out to grab Pu'er's waistband and yanking him off the horse. He was about to seize him when suddenly his whole body stiffened, as if clamped by two iron bars, unable to move. A voice like a wounded beast's growl echoed in his ear: "You killed my brother, I'll devour you alive!"

  A pungent smell rushed towards his ears, Ma Xun's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he didn't dodge but instead rammed his head into the black python's big mouth. Several yellow teeth were knocked out, covered in blood. His right hand grabbed the black python's arm that was wrapped around him and twisted it, snapping it with a loud crack, revealing white bones. The black python let out an ear-piercing screech of pain, almost deafening Ma Xun.

  Ma Xun immediately followed up with a third strike - a rear kick that swept across the shadow of his leg, and in the midst of the sound of shattering eggs and the changing pitch of the black python's roar, he struggled to break free from the encircling hug. When he looked again, Pu Fulu had already rolled and crawled out more than ten steps away, while his guards also drew their bows and spears, desperately riding horses to charge over, only thirty steps away.

  So close!

  Ma Furiously angry, suddenly made a big spin, right hand five fingers grasped the throat of Hei Lian who was kneeling on the ground with his hands covering his crotch, one grasp and one pull, and suddenly pulled out Hei Lian's entire tongue bone, blood dripping high, left hand pointed forward: "Kill Hu!"

  PS: People of the Han Dynasty rarely referred to themselves as "Han people", usually referring to themselves as "people of China". Hmm, very modern.