Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1023 - 97: Xiongnu and the Locust Plague (Part 2)

While the Xiongnu geared up for their third assault on the Northern Border, a devastating locust plague erupted across the grasslands, compelling them to scrap their intentions of invading the Great Zhou from the southern front.

Soon after the locust swarm ravaged the Xiongnu lands, the insects surged past the northern frontier into the northern territories of Great Zhou.

The locust disaster inflicted a crippling strike on the Xiongnu, sparking a severe shortage of provisions for the cold season. In order to endure the winter, they were compelled to advance southward and strike at Great Zhou. Raiding Great Zhou for supplies and riches was their only path to weathering the harsh months ahead.

As the locust calamity raged in the north, the Xiongnu unleashed brutal offensives against Great Zhou, with each assault growing fiercer than the previous. Prince Dai and Chu Ying, commanding the Northern Border Camp's forces, not only thwarted the Xiongnu incursions repeatedly but also claimed the lives of numerous enemy warriors.

The Xiongnu hadn't anticipated that even amid the locust devastation, Great Zhou would cling so stubbornly to their defenses. Throughout this barrage of attacks, they had committed seventy percent of their military might. Beyond that, the Xiongnu had unleashed their formidable Iron Cavalry. They believed deploying their elite Iron Cavalry would overrun the northern border, yet astonishingly, Great Zhou's Northern Border forces held firm against the Iron Cavalry.

Not only did Great Zhou fully repel the Xiongnu’s Iron Cavalry, but they also obliterated over half of it, inflicting devastating losses upon them.

Despite the destruction of half their Iron Cavalry, the Xiongnu refused to yield. Right as they readied themselves for yet another savage onslaught against Great Zhou, chaos erupted in their rear. The Qiulin Tribe once more joined forces with the Han Tribe to strike at the Xiongnu Royal Court.

In the last few years, the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe had suffered intense suppression under the new Modu Chanyu. Even so, these two groups refused to bow to the new Modu Chanyu and persisted in their fierce opposition to the Xiongnu Royal Court.

The new Modu Chanyu had long desired to bring these two tribes back under his control. Regardless of his threats or temptations, they stubbornly declined to yield. They preferred total annihilation in combat over submission to the Royal Court.

Enraged by the defiance of these two tribes, the new Modu Chanyu resolved to eradicate them completely. Two years prior, he threw every resource into wiping out the Qiulin Tribe and the Han Tribe. Together, their warriors numbered far less than the Royal Court’s vast army.

Victory for the new Modu Chanyu appeared inevitable in this clash, but fate twisted otherwise. The Royal Court’s forces stood on the brink of crushing the two tribes, who were already too weakened to continue fighting. At that critical juncture, the new Modu Chanyu commanded his troops to pause, issuing ultimatums for the tribes to capitulate without further resistance.

Deep down, the new Modu Chanyu had no true intention of slaughtering every last member of these two tribes. Such an act would tarnish his standing and authority across the steppes. Though the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe had broken away from the Royal Court years earlier, they shared blood ties with it.

Given their common heritage, should the new Modu Chanyu wipe out these two tribes, the rest would surely rise against him.

Seizing the moment of the new Modu Chanyu’s demands for surrender, the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe recovered their strength and unleashed a ferocious retaliation against the Royal Court’s army.

During this counterassault, fighters from these two tribes adopted a reckless, all-in mindset, storming forward without fear of death. The Royal Court’s troops, daunted by their suicidal fervor, swiftly crumbled in spirit before the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe.

With their fighting spirit shattered, panic gripped the Royal Court’s soldiers. It wasn’t long before the two tribes scattered them in defeat.

Having suffered defeat at the hands of the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe, the Royal Court’s soldiers utterly despaired. Observing his troops’ terror, the new Modu Chanyu seethed with rage, yet he recognized they were unfit for further battle, forcing him to abandon the campaign against the two tribes and withdraw to the Royal Court.

The Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe chose not to press their advantage. Continuing the pursuit might have rallied the Royal Court’s forces, leading to their own downfall. Moreover, they lacked the power to chase down the retreating enemy.

Upon returning to the Royal Court, the new Modu Chanyu initially intended to rally his forces and resume the assault on the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe. But infighting erupted within the Royal Court, obliging him to shelve those plans.

In the midst of the Royal Court’s internal turmoil, the new Modu Chanyu came perilously close to losing his role as Chanyu. Though he ultimately clung to power without disaster, his influence had eroded substantially.

Over the previous two years, the new Modu Chanyu refrained from targeting any tribes and limited himself to border skirmishes against Great Zhou. Meanwhile, the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe avoided vengeance against the Royal Court during this time, as they focused on healing from earlier wounds and rebuilding their reserves.

Throughout these two years, the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe maintained a subdued profile outwardly while covertly amassing power. They hadn’t abandoned their quest for retribution against the Royal Court, simply awaiting the perfect moment—which had now arrived. The Royal Court’s invasion of Great Zhou offered their prime opportunity for payback, and they refused to let it slip. As the Royal Court’s troops battered Great Zhou, they stealthily assailed the Royal Court itself.

Noticing that the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe exploited their offensive against Great Zhou to seize the Lang Clan Tribe, the new Modu Chanyu dared not persist in the assault on Great Zhou. He raced back to the grasslands to confront the Qiulin Tribe and Han Tribe. Permitting them to claim yet another tribe would jeopardize the Royal Court’s stability and threaten his grip on the Chanyu title.

Once the Xiongnu retreated, Prince Chu and Prince Han turned their attention to combating the locust plague.

Disaster relief fell outside Prince Dai’s responsibilities; his primary role remained safeguarding the northern border against any renewed Xiongnu push southward. Prince Chu and Prince Han handled the locust crisis and stayed uninvolved in the Xiongnu confrontations.

The people of the north, terrified by the locust onslaught and fearing famine, found solace as the court dispatched provisions, averting the threat of starvation.

In this trying era, with Northern Border troops clashing against the Xiongnu and the locust plague descending, the northern folk believed divine wrath aimed to ruin them. Yet, against all odds, the court intervened swiftly. It efficiently managed the locust disaster and decisively drove back the Xiongnu invaders.

The northern inhabitants brimmed with appreciation for the court, holding special thanks for Prince Han’s initial grain shipment. Without Prince Han’s prompt delivery of a thousand pounds of grain to the court, they might have perished before aid arrived.

Appreciation flowed toward Prince Han, even as criticism targeted him.

Prince Han resided in Youzhou. When the locust plague hit the north, he delayed any relief efforts, neglecting even his own domain.

Only after the emperor’s directive did Prince Han unlock Youzhou’s storehouses for relief supplies.

Though the northern people harbored discontent toward Prince Han, he remained untroubled by it. This indifference left Prince Chu and Prince Dai baffled.