A young general rode out alone and slowly approached the front of the formation, about a hundred paces away.
He wore a silver helmet and cowhide armor, held a ten-foot-long spear, and had a angular face with sharp eyes like an eagle.
"I am Prince Mezang Epang of the Dangxiang! Please, Commander of the Yin Army, answer my question!"
The voice was loud and carried far on the night wind.
Wu Shangzhi signaled his men to prepare for battle, then rode forward alone, reining in his horse fifty paces away: "I am Wu Shangzhi. Mo Cang Epang, you have plundered government troops' supplies, do you know that this is a capital offense?"
After scrutinizing Wu Shangzhi for a moment, Mo Cang E Pang suddenly smiled: "So you are General Wu, the War God of the Western Regions. I've long admired you. However..."
He changed the subject, "The general accuses me of robbery, but have you ever considered why I robbed?"
Why?
"Because the imperial court promised tea, salt, and iron for three years, but only delivered half of it last year!"
Mezang Epang's voice turned cold, "Our tens of thousands of Tangut people lack tea and salt, the elderly and children are sick, and pregnant women are having difficult childbirths... General, do you know what it's like to lack salt and tea on the grasslands?"
Wu Shangzhi remained silent.
Of course he knew.
When I was stationed on the border in Shuozhou, I saw too many northern tribes weakened and their livestock died because of the lack of salt and tea.
“Even so, it is wrong to plunder government troops,” Wu Shangzhi said in a deep voice. “Do you know that this oil is destined for military supplies on the front lines in Luoyang? Delaying military operations is an even greater crime!”
“I know.” Mei Zang E Pang actually nodded. “It is precisely because I know that I have come to rob you.”
He paused, then said, word by word, "General Wu, I want to use this raging oil to find another way."
"What road?"
"The path of the Tangut men." A flame ignited in Mezang Epang's eyes. "I've heard that under the Grand Commander, the Qiang and Rong tribes can obtain pastures, exchange them for tea, salt, and iron, and live with dignity."
"We Tangut men are also seven-foot tall men. We no longer want to be slaves of the Northern Barbarians, nor do we want to live by plundering!"
He raised his spear, pointing it eastward: "I want to lead these two thousand brothers to follow the general and achieve great deeds! If we achieve military merit, we can give my Tangut people a dignified way of life!"
The words echoed in the night wind, and silence fell over the two armies.
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