Chapter 324
When faced with a massive external enemy, it is human instinct to band together, no matter how bitter the internal rivalries.
Common sense dictated that this was the right thing to do.
Conversely, a group that refused to stop fighting itself while powerful foreign foes threatened was already doomed to fall.
Countless nations throughout history had met such an end.
History overflowed with examples of factions going beyond mere infighting to actually invite foreign powers in to kill their rivals.
The current Han Dynasty fit this description perfectly.
Wang Mang, the supreme authority, shifted all the blame for the nation's decline onto the son of heaven.
He also claimed that the disgraceful, crushing defeat at the hands of Rome was the result of the son of heaven's flawed judgment.
After swiftly deposing the son of heaven, Wang Mang elevated a young crown prince—who was little more than a puppet—to the throne.
In response to this tyranny, protests and criticism erupted like volcanoes across the empire.
The regional lords had already gathered significant military forces due to the threat of the Xiongnu.
Using the pretext of condemning the traitor Wang Mang, they rebelled against the central government's orders.
In turn, Wang Mang declared that those who refused to recognize the new son of heaven were the true traitors.
For the Xiongnu, who were watching the Central Plains suddenly tear itself apart, the situation was simply absurd.
It completely overshadowed their original strategy of making Han impatient and slowly whittling away its military strength.
Of course, the Shanyus mistakenly believed this was all Achilles's master plan and could not hide their admiration.
"So, you're saying you wish to extend the armistice for that reason?"
The Han envoy nodded repeatedly at Achilles's incredulous question.
"That is correct. The Grand Tutor is currently struggling to suppress the regional traitors. In truth, the Grand Tutor never had any intention of fighting the warriors of the steppes. All the misunderstandings accumulated thus far were caused by those rebels."
"Oh, is that so? If there were such wicked people, they deserve to die a hundred times over."
"Exactly. The Grand Tutor highly regards the spirit of the heroes of the steppes and hopes to maintain a good relationship going forward."
A smile tugged at the envoy's lips; he thought the foolish barbarian was falling for his sweet talk.
Achilles stared blankly at the envoy's face and casually voiced an outrageous demand.
"Then, should we assume that the land we currently occupy will be handed over to us?"
"Excuse me?"
"Bingzhou and Jizhou, followed by Qingzhou. And even Youzhou in the far north. You will have to offer at least this much as a gift of peace for us to feel the Grand Tutor's sincerity."
"O-Of course, that is true, but still, four provinces is too much..."
Demanding four of the thirteen provinces held by the Han Dynasty was a proposal that defied all common sense.
Moreover, handing over such key northern strongholds would eliminate any means of keeping the Xiongnu in check.
"Then are you telling us to just meekly withdraw? Without any compensation? That won't do."
"Naturally, I'm not saying that. We will give you Bingzhou and Youzhou, or Youzhou and Jizhou—two provinces in total."
"Hmm..."
In truth, even this much was the best possible outcome for Achilles.
Even though they currently occupied three provinces, the Xiongnu were never adept at stabilizing conquered territories.
Even if they forcefully suppressed the locals, rebellions were bound to spring up like bamboo shoots after rain the moment they withdrew their troops.
Therefore, officially receiving two provinces and ending the conflict there was akin to reaping a harvest without lifting a finger.
Above all, the greatest advantage was that advancing down to Bingzhou or Jizhou would automatically neutralize Han's Great Wall.
It would be a different story if Han built a new wall, but tearing itself apart from within, Han lacked the capacity to do so.
Having finished all the calculations in his head, Achilles nodded with a solemn expression, acting as if he were doing them a huge favor.
"I didn't originally intend to settle for this much, but just this once, I will trust the Grand Tutor's sincerity."
"Thank you. Then the armistice shall be strictly observed until three years have passed since the traitors are completely subjugated..."
"Add one condition to that. If the agreement is not fulfilled, additional reparations must be paid."
"Understood."
Achilles's proposal wasn't bad from Han's perspective.
Gleefully drafting the agreement, the envoy presented it to Achilles for review.
Taking a closer look at the concluded armistice, it seemed the Xiongnu essentially benefited unilaterally.
First, Han would recognize Youzhou and Bingzhou as Xiongnu land and make no attempts to reclaim them.
Second, it explicitly guaranteed that the Xiongnu held equal footing with Han, naturally requiring no imperial investiture.
Third, Han would withdraw its soldiers from the border and refrain from any provocations until Youzhou and Bingzhou stabilized as Xiongnu territory.
These three points were the gains the Xiongnu secured.
In return, the Xiongnu agreed not to launch any armed provocations while Wang Mang suppressed the regional rebellions, and for three years afterward.
At first glance, it seemed the Xiongnu had gained something for nothing, but some of the Shanyus questioned whether they could have gotten more.
"The Central Plains bastards wouldn't have been able to make a peep even if we had pushed harder."
"Indeed. With rebellions breaking out in every region, how could they dare fight us?"
"If we had just pushed our advance instead, couldn't we have destroyed Han?"
Achilles offered no rebuttal to his subordinates' reasonable doubts.
Instead, he calmly issued an order.
"Assemble the troops so that the Han soldiers won't notice. Exactly two days from now, wipe out the forces on the border."
"Excuse me?"
The Shanyus' jaws dropped at the Grand Chanyu's unimaginable order.
"Ah... did you never intend to keep the agreement from the start?"
"Don't be ridiculous. If a man makes a promise, he should keep it. We aren't people who know so little of trust and loyalty, are we?"
"Then why... I understood that breaking the armistice would incur massive additional reparations. Of course, we could just ignore it, but wouldn't that mean the Grand Chanyu broke the agreement...?"
"What are you talking about? The ones who broke the agreement are the Han bastards."
The Shanyus wore increasingly perplexed expressions.
Achilles chuckled and recited a passage from the agreement.
"Han promised to withdraw all their soldiers from the border. But look closely. They didn't specify when they would withdraw. Therefore, even if we attack two days from now, we have ample justification. They are the ones who failed to keep their promise to retreat."
No matter how fast they moved, it was impossible for the soldiers stationed at the border to pack up and evacuate in just two days.
It took time for orders to reach the commanders leading the troops, and gathering equipment and supplies required plenty of preparation.
Attacking just two days after signing the treaty was a stretch by any measure.
However, this loophole only existed because the Han envoy had carelessly drafted the treaty.
Setting a deadline for troop withdrawal was practically common sense.
It was a mistake that never would have happened if Han had sent someone more competent.
Sending a man of such meager caliber offered a glimpse into just how terrible Han's situation was.
"Then the reason the Grand Chanyu asked to add the reparations clause was...?"
"Of course, it was to wring additional reparations out of the Han bastards as the price for breaking the treaty. We can settle for taking Jizhou on top of Youzhou and Bingzhou."
The Shanyus clicked their tongues in awe at this unimaginable cunning.
Even the Shanyus, who had little connection to civilization, wondered if this was really acceptable, but logically speaking, they held the justification.
Regardless, the Xiongnu were acting strictly in accordance with the agreement.
Perhaps the Han envoy never imagined that barbarians would possess the sharpness to exploit loopholes in the treaty.
"Diplomacy between nations is also a war. And when engaging in war, one must consider every possible variable and constantly question common sense. Those who cannot do so are bound to be the first to fall."
It was a ruthlessly cold statement, but in the realm of international relations, it was an undeniable truth.
Ancient international society operated strictly on the logic of the strong eating the weak.
To survive, or to build power, one had to employ every available method and concentrate all their capabilities.
The side incapable of doing so would inevitably vanish into the shadows of history.
As they left their seats one by one, the Shanyus' eyes flashed with fighting spirit and bloodlust.
They could now feel in their bones that the era had completely changed.
The once-mighty Han was no more.
The men before them were no longer soldiers of a powerful empire.
To the Xiongnu warriors who had already tasted a string of consecutive victories, they were now nothing more than prey.
Exactly two days later, the Xiongnu Shanyus attacked and annihilated the Han defenders who had not yet departed the border.
The hunt declaring the turning of an era had begun.
*
Caught by the Xiongnu's surprise attack, the Han defense forces were swept away without putting up any resistance.
It was only natural.
There was no way they could properly respond when the people they had just signed an armistice with suddenly attacked two days later.
Fierce protests poured in, but the Xiongnu turned the tables on them instead.
Shrewdly shoving the agreement forward, they cursed Han for failing to withdraw their troops, calling them wicked swindlers speaking out of both sides of their mouths.
It was a ridiculous claim, but there were no grounds to refute it.
Han protested, asking how they could possibly withdraw an army in two days, but the Xiongnu's answer was brief.
"If it were us, it wouldn't have even taken a single day to withdraw the entire army."
In any case, the Xiongnu had not done anything contrary to the treaty.
Insisting that the treaty was still valid, they stirred up trouble everywhere, demanding reparations.
This absurd situation spread in a flash, not only to the capital but to the provinces as well.
The regional lords, who had been eagerly battering each other, had no choice but to accept this new reality.
The era of the Central Plains, which had once boasted mighty power, was fading.
It was not simply because they had lost to Rome in the previous war.
Han lacked the power to punish the Xiongnu, even when they acted this arrogantly.
Even if the divided lords pooled their strength, there was no guarantee they could handle the nomads of the steppes.
The sight of the Xiongnu triumphantly ravaging the north and loudly demanding reparations was a symbol of a new era.
Moreover, the Xiongnu astutely refrained from destroying Han themselves.
This was an ironclad rule Achilles had learned from Marcus.
If a unified dynasty of the Central Plains completely collapsed to outside nomads, it would only ignite their will to resist.
Even if they fell in the short term, the towering pride of the Central Plains people would inevitably flare up again to reclaim dominance.
Knowing this well, Marcus had instructed Achilles and Sophia to bring down the Central Plains through a different method.
Achilles thoroughly followed his father's teachings.
While pressuring the Han court, he treated the regional rebel forces with strange generosity.
If they needed help, he lent them soldiers and even blocked the central government's troops when they came to suppress the lords.
As this continued, individuals finally emerged who sought to elevate their own power by using the Xiongnu.
It began in Yanzhou, which directly bordered Jizhou, a region that had fallen under the Xiongnu's sphere of influence.
Dao Jun, the Inspector of Yanzhou, declared himself king with Xiongnu support and named his kingdom Western Jin.
In the name of the Xiongnu's Grand Chanyu, Achilles recognized the King of Western Jin as a legitimate king and proclaimed them friends of the Xiongnu.
The order of the Central Plains was torn to shreds.
It was the beginning of the Great Division.