Chapter 74
A few days ago.
Ayu and Lu Huaying left Xizhou to search for Wei Mingsu, who had disappeared without a trace.
Given the turbulent situation in the western region, finding someone who is concealing their identity is no easy task.
Lu Huaying learned about Shabona from Fan Hui and decided to go directly to Shabona, who would surely know where Wei Mingsu was.
Shabha was a disciple of Sabo, and he had a wide circle of friends and was very unpredictable. They searched for several days without any clue and were extremely anxious when they heard that a gathering was going to be held nearby, which Shabha would attend every year, so they rushed over immediately.
As expected, Lu Huaying and Ayu saw the caravan of Shabona at the gathering and asked someone to grant them an audience.
There were no strangers in Shabona.
Even though Lu Huaying hinted that they came from Xizhou, Shabona refused to see them.
“Shabona doesn’t want to see us, so Third Sister is anxious to find out about her husband and has bribed several dancers who perform for the tribe’s nobles…”
At this point, A-Yu looked troubled and paused.
Wei Mingsu didn't urge him. After putting on his light clothing and asking the doctor to leave, he asked, "And then?"
Ayu lowered her eyes.
Then, Lu Huaying disguised herself as a dancer and infiltrated the tribal camp, performing a sword dance for the tribal nobles in their tents. Shabona then took her back to his own tent.
Ayu could only stay at the gathering and wait for news.
A few days later, Shabona agreed to help and took Lu Huaying to the Tulun tribe.
Ayu didn't know what had happened during those days.
He dared not say it.
Wei Mingsu asked, "Did she instruct you to keep this from me?"
Ayu smiled wryly and said, "Yes."
He had promised Lu Huaying he wouldn't tell, but Wei Mingsu's casual "Tell the truth" made him realize he dared not hide it.
After drinking the medicine, Wei Mingsu regained some color in his pale face and said, "Since you promised her, there's no need to say anything more."
Ayu didn't want to break her promise, so she was taken aback when she heard this, and then let out a long sigh: "Thank you, my lord."
Wei Mingsu put on his outer robe, fastened his belt, stood up and walked outside, saying, "I'm going to see Shabo now and ask him face to face. Listen to what he says, and if he doesn't tell the truth, shake your head."
Ayu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.
When Wei Mingsu returned, the person he was to see was Shabona. He was summoned not to interrogate him, but to confirm Shabona's words.
He dared not utter a word of dissent and took off to follow Wei Mingsu.
...
Shabona was drinking with the warriors of the Tulun tribe by the campfire when his attendant came over and said that Wei Mingsu wanted to see him.
He held a woman from the Tulun tribe in his arms, raised his wine bowl and laughed, "Today the tribes are reunited. The Khan and his people have received titles and lands from the Great Zhou. He has completed his mission, and I have received my reward. Please, Governor Wei, come and drink with us!"
The attendant said, "Governor Wei said he would like to have a drink with you in the main tent."
A smile appeared on Sha Bo's lips. He finished the wine in his bowl, released the woman, and stood up.
He returned to his main tent, where Wei Mingsu was already waiting for him, with a personal attendant carrying a sword standing beside him.
Without even exchanging pleasantries, Wei Mingsu went straight to the point: "What did you make Lu Sanniang do?"
Shabo sat down cross-legged and laughed, "Why does Governor Wei ask that?"
Wei Mingsu looked at him and said, "You're not the type to agree to help easily."
“Governor Wei understands me best.” Shabona smiled faintly. “She did do something for me.”
Wei Mingsu's expression was icy, his jaw clenched, as he asked, "What is it?"
“Governor Wei, you should know that besides being greedy, I, Shabona, have another flaw.” Shabona pulled open his collar, revealing his chest, and said with a smile, “I am a womanizer.”
"Lu San Niang is a beauty. To get close to me, she danced for me, stayed with me in my tent for several days, and went to great lengths to please me... Guess what she did for me to save you?"
Shabona smiled, his expression defiant.
Wei Mingsu's face suddenly darkened, and a fierce glint flashed in his calm and deep eyes.
tent
Suddenly, the place was filled with murderous intent.
Shabona finally got his wish. Seeing Wei Mingsu's angry expression, he said triumphantly, "I've never seen a Han Chinese woman before. She really has a unique charm."
Wei Mingsu remained silent.
A cold glint suddenly flashed inside the tent.
Caught off guard, Shabona was startled and tried to dodge, but the sudden flash of cold light was already right in front of him, and Ayu's sword was pressed against his neck.
His drunkenness had completely worn off. Looking at Wei Mingsu, he suddenly remembered that the man in front of him was a cruel official who had eliminated dissidents for the Empress, ruthlessly eliminated members of the imperial clan, and had blood on his hands.
A chill suddenly ran through Shabona's heart.
Would Wei Mingsu be so furious that he kill him to silence him?
A true man can bend and stretch; he forced a smile and said, "Governor Wei, it was just a joke."
Wei Mingsu looked at Shabona with a gloomy gaze and said coldly, "Shabona, you can joke with me, but not with Lu Sanniang."
Shabona sneered, "Alright, I've got it."
Wei Mingsu's gaze swept over A Yu.
A-Yu sheathed his sword and withdrew.
Wei Mingsu's expression was stern as he said, "Shabo, take San Niang to see the chieftain of the Tulun tribe and help her persuade the Tulun tribe to submit to Zhou. I will report to His Majesty and request credit for you."
Shabona rolled his eyes at him and said sarcastically, "Governor Wei is a cunning man, and I dare not presume to teach him. To tell you the truth, I did not take advantage of your misfortune. It was only because Third Sister defeated me that I agreed to help."
...
Lu Huaying disguised herself as a dancer and entered the tent. Shabona was shocked when he saw her and took her back to the tent. She told him her purpose and asked for his help.
Shapona refused.
Lu Huaying did not give up and continued to plead and persuade.
Shabona teased her, saying that recently there had been hungry wolves roaming the grasslands, and caravans often heard wolves howling when traveling at night. People who left the camp drunk at night were dragged away and eaten by wild wolves. He made a bet with Lu Huaying that if she could hunt a few wolf pelts for him, he would help her.
He wanted Lu Huaying to back down.
That evening, Lu Huaying took a bow and arrows, a saber, and a bag of strong liquor, and rode away from the camp.
On the morning of the third day, as dawn broke, a surprised cry came from the camp fence. A bloodstained man rode back to the camp from the east, dismounted, took off the bloodstained wolf skin hanging beside the saddle, and dragged it to the hangover Shabona.
The faint sunlight shone on her, her face was covered in blood, her clothes were stained red with blood, and her disheveled hair was also red, with blood clots stuck to it. She said, "I did it."
Shabona accepted his defeat.
He took Lu Huaying to see the chieftain of the Tulun tribe and asked him to lend him troops.
The chieftain coldly replied, "Whether the Duosang tribe can submit to Zhou or not is none of our Tulun tribe's business. Why are the Han people coming to us for help?"
Lu Huaying looked solemnly at the chieftain of the Tulun tribe and said, "I have come to ask the Tulun tribe for help for the sake of my friends, for the sake of the Duosang tribe, for the stability of the western region, and also for the sake of the Great Khan's Tulun tribe!"
The chief sneered, "For the Tulun tribe? Didn't you come to beg our Tulun tribe to save your friends and the Duosang tribe? What does this have to do with the Tulun tribe?"
Lu Huaying did not answer, but stared at the chief, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly smiled.
The chief frowned, looking displeased, and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Lu Huaying said, "Before I came to the Tulun tribe, I heard that all the tribes were afraid of the Xiliang people. Only the Khan of the Tulun tribe was a true warrior who had the courage to lead his people to resist the Xiliang people. The Xiliang people killed the Tulun people, and the Tulun tribe killed the Xiliang people in retaliation and threw the corpses to the wolf pack. It turns out that the rumors cannot be believed. The Khan is a short-sighted man."
The chief's face darkened, and he flew into a rage.
Lu Huaying remained calm and said, "My swordsmanship teacher was from Xiliang. I heard him say that in Xiliang, tribal leaders are also military officers, every man in the tribe is a soldier, and all able-bodied men in the country must regularly undergo military training to ensure a constant supply of soldiers. Xiliang's ambitions are obvious; they will continue to expand. Although the Khan of the Duosang tribe is old, he is decisive and, for the sake of the tribe, resolutely led his people to surrender to Zhou. From now on, the women and children of the Duosang tribe can stay away from war and live in peace."
Grazing. The Tulun tribe, having offended the Xiliang people, had long been a thorn in their side, constantly harassed and bullied, yet they remained timid and hesitant. Now, with the Duosang tribe drawing away the Xiliang forces, it was the Tulun tribe's chance to escape. Yet the Khan dared not seize this golden opportunity. It seems the Tulun tribe was still inferior to the Duosang tribe!
The chief's face turned ashen.
When the atmosphere became tense, Mang Bao and Mo Te rushed into the tent, drew their scimitars, and, with faces full of grief and indignation, went to die together with the Xiliang people.
The Lamabang people retaliated against the Tulun tribe, using a pretext to kill members of the Tulun tribe.
Another blood debt has been incurred between the Tulun tribe and the Xiliang people.
The crowd was in high spirits.
The chief wavered.
&
What finally convinced the chieftain to return to Zhou was his recently favored beauty, Paulina. Paulina's former tribe had been annexed by the Xiliang people, and her family had all perished under their iron hooves.
Therefore, the Tulun tribe selected several hundred able-bodied men to "assist" the Xiliang people in pursuing the Duosang tribe, while the others, led by their chieftain, secretly submitted to the Great Zhou.
...
Shabona recounted how he and Lu Huaying plotted against the Tulun tribe, and laughed, "A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation. When I saw Third Sister in Xizhou, she was hiding behind a stone tower and couldn't even catch my sword. The second time I saw her, she had killed a small pack of wolves."
Wei Mingsu glanced at A Yu.
Ayu nodded. Apart from the joke that had angered Wei Mingsu, what Shabona said was pretty much the same as what Lu Huaying had told him.
Wei Mingsu stood up and said, "Shabo, thank you for your help. This time, I, Wei Mingsu, owe you a favor."
He came out of the tent and went back to his room to write a memorial to the emperor.
When he wrote the name Lu San Niang, he lost control. Having worked as a scribe, the characters he wrote were all different sizes.
He put down his pen and instructed A-Yu, "Go and take a look."
A-Yu went to see Lu Huaying and returned to say, "Third Sister is asleep."
Wei Mingsu calmed down and rewrote it.
...
Daylight broke.
There was a knock on General Ma's door.
A guard came to report that Wei Mingsu was waiting to see him.
General Ma felt somewhat guilty.
Wei Mingsu must have come to demand an explanation!
He didn't want to see Wei Mingsu, but Wei Mingsu had already come to his door. If he avoided him, he would appear too weak, and people would laugh at him if word got out.
General Ma reluctantly came out to meet Wei Mingsu.
Just as he expected, Wei Mingsu stood with his hands behind his back in the corridor. Upon seeing him, he said, "General Ma, when I was in danger, my attendants risked their lives to return to Wuni City to ask for help, but General Ma refused to send troops. If I were to report this matter to His Majesty in detail, how would you explain it to His Majesty?"
General Ma was drenched in cold sweat.
He was from a prominent family and deeply despised people like Wei Mingsu who gained the Empress's favor by attacking members of the imperial clan.
A few days ago, Tong Jin rushed back to Wuni City to ask for help. He refused to send troops. Firstly, he heard that the chief of the Sheti tribe had been killed and the mission had failed. He did not want to risk his life for Wei Mingsu. Secondly, he was afraid of the enemy and feared fighting the Xiliang army. Thirdly, he sympathized with the royal family and wanted to use them as a tool to kill Wei Mingsu at the hands of the Xiliang people to avenge the royal family.
With Wei Mingsu dead, General Ma not only vented his anger but could also shift the blame for the mission's failure onto Wei Mingsu.
If Wei Mingsu is lucky enough to come back alive, General Ma is not afraid. He is the cousin of the Minister of War and has the Ministry of War as his backer. Moreover, his younger brother recently married a princess from the Wu family. He is not only not afraid of Wei Mingsu suing him, but he can also sue Wei Mingsu.
However, Wei Mingsu not only returned alive, but also successfully covered the return of the Duosang and Tulun tribes to Zhou, which shocked the western region.
With such achievements, General Ma's wishful thinking is no longer possible.
General Ma secretly wiped away cold sweat: "Governor Wei, I am only thinking about the overall situation and the long-term stability of the western region, so I dare not send troops casually. Although I did not leave the city, I took the risk of sending a team to meet Governor Wei, but unfortunately they were not familiar with the western region and got lost halfway."
Wei Mingsu said expressionlessly, "General Ma's excuse cannot convince me."
General Ma was annoyed
Enraged, Wei Mingsu was showing no mercy; was he here specifically to swagger and intimidate?
Wei Mingsu took out the completed memorial and handed it to General Ma, saying, "This is my memorial to His Majesty reporting on this mission."
General Ma was stunned. Before Wei Mingsu could file a complaint, he should show him the memorial first.
Is this just a pretense?
Demonstration?
General Ma gritted his teeth, took the memorial, read a few lines, paused, and his expression changed.
After reading it all, General Ma was incredulous. He was stunned for a moment, then felt a surge of secret joy.
Wei Mingsu said, "I want to recommend merits for the commoners who made contributions to the return of the Duosang and Tulun tribes to Zhou. The memorial recommending merits needs General Ma's signature."
General Ma understood his meaning, secretly relieved that he had been given a second chance at life, and nodded, saying, "They have made great contributions, so of course we should recommend them for credit! Governor Wei, I will definitely sign it!"
With General Ma taking the lead, the other officials also signed the memorial.
In the afternoon, the memorial requesting commendation was sent out of Xizhou.
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