The first day of the second month of the second year of Jianning.

Although it was already February, the weather on the northern grasslands was still extremely cold.

In the western Xianbei royal court, Chu Qian, dressed in Han official robes, stood outside the tent holding a staff, with several Han soldiers sent by Dong Zhuo closely guarding him.

Chu Qian was facing south, a thoughtful expression on his face. A biting wind blew by, and Chu Qian couldn't help but shiver. His mind cleared up in an instant.

Chu Qian realized that he had been at the Xianbei royal court for a month, but Tan Shihuai still showed no intention of negotiating with him. He understood that this was Tan Shihuai's deliberate act to delay the process and increase his bargaining power.

Chu Qian was not anxious about this. Along the way, he passed by many Xiongnu tribes and could see that the Xiongnu were nearing their end.

The real threat would certainly be the rising Xianbei. At this moment, Chu Qian understood to some extent the Emperor's intention in sending him to negotiate.

The attack on the Xiongnu was a pretense; the real target was probably the Xianbei.

Therefore, Chu Qian was not in a hurry. He had not been idle for the past month, but had been constantly traveling around the royal court, talking with the Xianbei people and learning a lot about the true situation of the Xianbei.

"Minister Taihang, it's getting cold, why don't you go back to your tent and rest?"

A young soldier stepped forward, looking at Chu Qian, who was standing there in a daze, with a worried expression.

"Okay! Let's go!!"

Chu Qian snapped out of his daze, smiled at the soldiers, and then turned and walked into the tent, with several soldiers following closely behind.

"Come, come, sit down!"

After entering the tent, Chu Qian invited several soldiers to sit around him.

Having overcome numerous hardships along the way, Chu Qian had completely shed his arrogance as a scholar and had become one of the soldiers who had protected him all the way.

"Brothers, how's the situation with the inquiries?"

After everyone was seated, Chu Qian looked around at them and asked with a smile.

A middle-aged soldier whispered, "Minister Taihang, yesterday when I was drinking with a Xianbei soldier, he told me that the Xianbei are now only recruiting young and strong men around eighteen years old!"

Chu Qian nodded, his brows furrowing slightly. "Hmm... the conscription requirements are so strict. It seems the Xianbei population is quite large..."

Another soldier said, "I've also learned that there are quite a few Han Chinese in their royal court now, and most of them seem to be scholars..."

Chu Qian hurriedly asked, "How did you get here?"

"I don't know, but in the last two years, the Xianbei haven't invaded the borders of our Han Dynasty, so they probably didn't come here by plunder..." The soldier shook his head and said uncertainly.

"If it wasn't kidnapped, could it be...?"

Chu Qian couldn't help but think of the Han women he had seen before, and he vaguely guessed that someone was probably still selling Han slaves.

This conjecture made Chu Qian frown. According to what he had seen and heard, the Xianbei were most lacking in grain, salt, and refined iron. So why would Tan Shihuai spend so much money to buy Han women and scholars?

Thinking of Han Sui standing beside Tan Shihuai, Chu Qian understood somewhat.

Tan Shihuai either wanted to learn about the Han Dynasty through the scholars there, or he wanted to use them to advise him on how to integrate and manage the Xianbei.

Combining the information he had gathered with his own speculations, Chu Qian couldn't help but think of a name that had once resounded throughout the grasslands: "Modu".

"This Tan Shihuai, his ambition is truly extraordinary!"

The actions of Tan Shihuai were so similar to those of Maodun Na in the past that Chu Qian couldn't help but realize the danger Tan Shihuai was.

Meanwhile, Tan Shihuai was also in the royal tent, hosting a banquet for the slaves he had bought from the Han Dynasty at a high price.

Inside the royal tent, Tan Shihuai sat in the main seat, while Han Sui sat beside him.

Looking at the more than twenty scholars sitting nervously at their desks on both sides of the tent, Tan Shihuai smiled.

Then Tan Shihuai looked at everyone with a sympathetic expression, "You are all people of high status and promising futures in the Han Dynasty. It is a pity that you have suffered at the hands of that little emperor, resulting in the destruction of your families and the loss of your lives, and that you have become slaves. It is truly regrettable..."

It turns out that these people were the families of corrupt officials and powerful figures who had been dealt with by Yang Qiu, Zhang Jian, and others and were exiled to the frontier, but were bought by Tan Shihuai from some people at a high price.

"Sigh...!"

Tan Shihuai's words made these people sigh. Thinking about their current predicament, most of them couldn't help but show a hint of resentment on their faces.

Seeing this, Han Sui, who was sitting next to Tan Shihuai, also stood up and looked at everyone.

"Gentlemen, please hear me out!"

Upon hearing Han Sui's words, everyone turned their heads and quietly looked at him.

Meeting the gazes of the crowd, Han Sui smiled and then said loudly:

"The Han emperor was tyrannical, and his corrupt officials ran rampant, wantonly seizing your family wealth and killing your family members, so that you were all exiled to the harsh and cold frontier to suffer endless hardships!"

Fortunately, Chief Tan Shihuai learned of your plight and took pity on you. Therefore, he paid a great price to rescue you from your dire situation. From now on, you can rest assured here!

Han Sui's words touched everyone's hearts, and many people cast grateful glances at Tan Shihuai.

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