"Yes! They were merchants from the Han Dynasty, but they were just passing through and didn't trade with us!"

The old man nodded, and then told Huang Zhong and the others about the caravan they had encountered before.

Gongsun Du frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Hansheng, something seems off about this caravan!"

Huang Zhong pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Indeed, they went to such great lengths to take a detour and pass through here; they certainly aren't ordinary caravans!"

Although the tribe where Huang Zhong and others were located was not far from Liaoxi in a straight line, in order to get there, in addition to crossing that mountain forest, the only way was to detour through Youbeiping, pass through Liaoxi, and then head north.

Ordinary merchants, if they wanted to trade with the north with the approval of the government, could only choose ancient counties west of Yuyang, or Xuantu County and Liaodong east of Liaoxi. They would never pass through this area.

What kind of merchant would pass through such a remote tribe? They must be either smuggling or have some ulterior motive!

Huang Zhong then looked at the old man and asked, "Does the old man remember where they went?"

"Hmm... I remember they seemed to have headed northwest towards the territory of the Northern Barbarians!" the old man thought for a moment, then asked.

Huang Zhongchong smiled and nodded at the old man, "Thank you, sir! You just mentioned that they also had typhoid fever. I wonder if they have recovered?"

Seeing Huang Zhong's politeness, the old man was flattered and quickly said, "General, you are too kind! When they passed through our tribe, they asked us for help with grain and salt. I led my men to the nearby mountains and forests to dig up some ginseng, which helped them cure their fever!"

"Oh? Ginseng? There's actually something like that here?"

Huang Zhong couldn't help but look at the old man. He often dealt with people from the medical school in the Imperial Guard and naturally knew how precious ginseng was. However, as far as he knew, only Shangdang had such a thing.

The old man nodded. “That’s right! Those ginseng roots are very helpful in dispelling cold and refreshing the mind, and they are especially helpful for people suffering from typhoid fever.”

Ma Teng, who was standing nearby, quickly asked, "Does your tribe have any extra ginseng?"

"No, those ginseng roots are a gift from the gods. We only harvest them when we need to save lives; we wouldn't dare take them on ordinary days!"

The old man shook his head. In their eyes, those ginseng-like creatures were nurtured by the mountain god, and they were filled with the same awe.

The old man then continued, "However... please rest assured, generals, those soldiers are seriously ill. I will immediately lead men to collect the herbs and use them to treat their illnesses!"

Huang Zhong nodded, "That's good! Please rest assured, old man, we will never shortchange you on grain and salt!"

Upon hearing that there was grain and salt, the old man's eyes lit up. He then bowed respectfully to Huang Zhong and the others, saying, "Then this old man will take his leave!"

"good!!"

......

Inside the main tent of the Northern Wuhuan encampment, Relic sat in the main seat with a worried expression, while the other chieftains stood quietly on either side, eyes downcast and seemingly oblivious to their own thoughts.

In the first half of this year, he had a two-month-long conflict with the Murong tribe of the Eastern Xianbei, which resulted in heavy losses for him. This was because his soldiers had raided several tribes in the northern part of the Southern Wuhuan and discovered that they actually had grain and salt.

So Sheli prepared to raid south again before winter to try and survive the winter. But to his surprise, the Han army sent troops to help the Southern Wuhuan fight them. Now they have been locked in a stalemate for a month, and the seven thousand men he brought are also about to give up.

His main concern was that the Xianbei would take advantage of the situation and destroy his base once they received the news.

Relic looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Speak up! What should we do? If this stalemate continues, then we've come all this way for nothing!"

Upon hearing the relic's question, everyone in the tent lowered their heads, and not a single person came out to answer.

"Are they all mute?"

Seeing that none of his subordinates responded, Relic flew into a rage and glared at them with a sinister look.

Seemingly sensing the relic's anger, everyone shuddered and lowered their heads once more.

"Get out, all of you get the hell out!"

Relic couldn't help but curse, but seeing the state of his subordinates, he gave up the idea of ​​asking questions.

"We...we take our leave!!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and hurriedly took their leave!

"These useless bastards!!"

Watching everyone flee as if they were running away, Relic couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment.

Although these people were nominally his subordinates, each of them was a leader of their own department and had their own selfish motives. The reason they dared not answer Relic's questions was simply because they were afraid that Relic would make them lead the charge. No one wanted their soldiers to suffer heavy losses.

After everyone left, the relic let out a heavy sigh, calming himself down.

Then, Reishi looked at a guard beside him and said, "Go! Bring those Han Chinese slaves in!"

The guard nodded in agreement and then turned and left.

Before long, five men dressed in Han Chinese clothing were brought into the tent. The leader was a middle-aged man, followed by four young men. Li Ru was now in the far left position.

"We greet Lord Relic!"

As soon as the five entered the tent, they bowed respectfully to the relics on the seat, their expressions and words full of reverence.

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