291: Secret Report

“Totomu is dead in battle? Appointed Xiongnu King?” Lin Yue exclaimed in surprise after receiving the secret report from She Jian.

“That’s not right, wasn’t Totomu sent to the Great General by She Jian?” Lin Yue thought to himself. He then looked up at She Jian, feeling that something was off, but he didn’t dare to ask She Jian, after all, he couldn’t withstand She Jian’s sandbag-sized fists.

“Could it be that Touman didn’t want to exchange Totomu?” Lin Yue pondered for a moment before asking.

“Boy, you’ve finally been smart for once.

At this time, a great war is imminent, and it’s not the time to negotiate. Moreover, the insider also mentioned in the secret report that Totomu is one of the Four Martial Gods of the grassland, and does not belong to any faction on the grassland. That’s why Touman didn’t want to bother with him, directly announcing his death and treating him as a dead person. This way, he could also put an end to others’ thoughts of getting involved with him,” She Jian said with a smile, feeling a bit relieved.

“He’s still a First-rate Military General, how can they just disregard him?” Lin Yue said in surprise. Could it be that the Xiongnu’s First-rate Military Generals were so worthless now?

What’s more, Zi Long had said that Totomu’s strength was already very close to that of a peerless First-rate Military General, even stronger than General Yang Ye, who had a Martial Power value of 93.

Touman had no reason to refuse such a warrior.

“You blockhead, I’ve already said that Totomu doesn’t belong to any faction.

Such Xiongnu Martial Gods only have two paths in the future: one is to establish their own sect, recruit apprentices to form a martial arts force, to ensure they are not affected by tribal conflicts; the other path is to wholeheartedly study martial arts until they break through to the realm of a peerless First-rate Military General, at which point they can enter the world, pledge allegiance to the Chanyu, and be directly appointed King!

However, he came out early this time, reportedly because he encountered a bottleneck in his martial arts, but also to gain merit on the battlefield and make a name for himself, preparing for future power. After all, no one wants to miss such a major war that determines the fate of the Xiongnu.

Speaking of which, since he has already entered the world early, he must abide by the rules of entering the world.

He was sent by Touman to Wuluoli’s side, ostensibly to protect Wuluoli’s safety, but even a three-year-old child knows what Touman is thinking. Yet he remained indifferent to Wuluoli, holding himself aloof, still thinking he was in that detached state? That’s dreaming!

With such actions, how could Touman make up his mind to exchange him back? Wouldn’t Touman worry that the person he exchanged back would be Wuluoli’s future opponent?

So, it’s better to just say he’s dead, as if he never existed. The Xiongnu high-ranking officials are also happy to see it happen, after all, no matter how vast the grassland is, no one wants to share it with him,” She Jian cursed, then explained to him.

“But isn’t he also appointed King now? His son can also inherit, right?” Lin Yue said.

“What kind of a bogus King is that? He has neither a Fief nor troops under him. Any Local Official or military commander in the royal court who manages hundreds of thousands of people wouldn’t even bat an eye at him.

If he truly became a peerless First-rate Military General, then with various factions vying for him, Touman would very likely appoint him as a King with real power, like a ‘Jian Jiang King’. At that time, Totomu could be said to be one of the few dozen most powerful people in the Xiongnu.

But because of his wavering, not clearly stating whether he supported Modu or Wuluoli, he ended up in such a predicament,” She Jian explained.

Lin Yue nodded silently. Totomu’s predicament could be said to be his own doing, and he couldn’t blame others. It was just that the Great General’s side might have to make some changes to the handling of Totomu.

“So, people must take sides early. Temporarily observing is the act of a wise man, but if one remains indecisive and watches from the sidelines, they will gain nothing from either side,” She Jian glanced at Lin Yue, then sneered:

“If Totomu had declared his stance earlier, even if he didn’t support Wuluoli but supported Modu, he wouldn’t have ended up in this situation today.

However, Zhao Yun’s merits are solid, so you don’t have to worry,”

“Alright,” Lin Yue’s heart sank. He always felt that She Jian seemed to be hinting at something. Was he referring to the various factions within the army? But he had always been on Wang Li’s side!

He couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it and then spoke with a smile, “So, if we release him now, what kind of expression will Touman have?”

She Jian scoffed, then chuckled, “Touman will laugh heartily and coincidentally thank your ancestors for eight generations.”

“Why? Isn’t he afraid that Totomu will turn against him?”

“Turn against him? Do you dare to turn against His Majesty? Let alone His Majesty, do you dare to turn against the Great General?” She Jian scoffed.

Lin Yue shook his head.

“Well, there you have it. You must know that Totomu has no power or influence. To be appointed King, he still relies on Touman’s enfeoffment. How dare he turn against him?

As for Touman, he only needs to say that his subordinates misreported, which gives Totomu a way out. If Totomu still doesn’t know how to appreciate it, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be decapitated,” She Jian said with a disdainful laugh, then changed the subject and said to Lin Yue:

“But that’s a First-rate Military General! To return to the Xiongnu so effortlessly, I’m starting to wonder if you’re a spy sent by the Xiongnu.”

“How could I be? My loyalty to Great Qin is evident to heaven and earth!” Lin Yue quickly said. This was not something to joke about, as it could cost him his head.

“Indeed, our General Lin Yue’s head is worth as much as three Titled Generals. How could he be a spy?” She Jian laughed.

However, Lin Yue heard a different meaning in his words. He cupped his hands and smiled, “That’s all your merit, General. My inclusion in that ranking is entirely due to Wuluoli, but my capture of Wuluoli, isn’t that all your merit, General?

Without you, General, I would have been stabbed to death eight hundred times by now. My achievements today are entirely thanks to you, General!”

“Smooth-talker.” She Jian, upon hearing these words, widened his mouth and burst into laughter.

Just as Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief, he saw She Jian’s shadowless kick suddenly coming his way. Fortunately, he was prepared and dodged it with a sidestep.

Immediately after, he heard She Jian’s voice: “What caliber dares to be compared with a Titled General? Do you really think that just because they’re all called General, they’re all the same? I’m not even on the list yet!”

Lin Yue listened and retreated, somewhat bewildered by the sudden turn of events. However, upon hearing the last sentence, Lin Yue finally understood.

This was She Jian’s petty habit acting up again. At first, he didn’t mention it, and Lin Yue thought he had improved, but he didn’t expect him to be waiting for him here!

Lin Yue dared to say that She Jian didn’t care about the Titled General thing at all; what he cared about was not being on the list himself!

A wise man knows when to retreat. Lin Yue took to his heels and ran, hearing She Jian shout from behind, “You brat, if you ever disobey orders and deploy troops without authorization again, I’ll break your legs!”

Lin Yue ignored the barking and, flipping onto his horse, left She Jian’s temporary camp. He had come here for the contents of the secret report, and now that he understood, he planned to return to camp.

However, the secret report said that Wuluoli had gone to Beihai again, which surprised him.

That place was not a good place. In another hundred years, Su Wu would be sent there to herd sheep. It was said that the place was sparsely populated, and without anyone guarding Su Wu, he couldn’t escape. It could be said to be the Xiongnu’s place of exile.

One must know that the Central Plains’ places of exile were all desolate mountains and wilderness, where it was easy to die in a foreign land, let alone the Xiongnu’s places of exile.

It was said that Su Wu almost died several times there, which showed how harsh the environment was. It was said that Dingling People still lived near Beihai, meaning it was constantly fraught with danger.

In Lin Yue’s impression, that place only gradually improved in later generations, with countless people going there to visit. Unfortunately, by then, Beihai no longer belonged to Great Qin...