Chapter 112 Annual Tribute of Cattle and Sheep
For Qiao Yan, this was naturally "just the right time".
Even though the situation was chaotic, there were still clear differences between the Xianbei Lords and their subordinates, such as Budugen in front of her.
From the way he dresses, to the state of his fans, to the calmness he displays when facing the crisis, it is not hard to see that he is truly a character.
There is no way such a person could be unknown in the Xianbei tribe.
He did not leave with the group of people being chased by Lu Bu, but ran in the direction where she could pursue him. It was a pleasant surprise.
But for Budugen who was standing in front of her, this was definitely not good news.
When Tan Shihuai was drinking water and shooting arrows at Khan Mountain, he also learned a lot of Chinese.
Although he didn't understand the sophisticated words like "缘缺一面", it was okay for him to understand that Qiao Yan treated him as a big fish that she had caught.
Being regarded as a prey in a trap is definitely not a comfortable feeling, but at this moment, with himself at the mercy of others, he could only be forced to follow Qiao Yan and leave westward, becoming a hostage who could not be rescued by his own people in a short time.
When the bonfire was lit in the makeshift camp on the grassland, Budugen finally spoke: "What do you mean by Qiao Bingzhou?"
Qiao Yan did not answer his question, but just raised his eyes and said, "It seems that you have not explained your identity to me yet."
The fact that this guy could speak Chinese undoubtedly saved her a lot of trouble, but there was no need to say such words as a compliment to the other party.
After learning that the other party was Budugen and not Kuitou, Qiao Yan felt better.
Budugen was stronger than Kuitou, but he was younger than Kuitou, which was why he was able to take on the position of Xianbei Chanyu. More importantly, Budugen had a similar style to the people of Bingzhou, and his external characteristics were -
He is willing to submit to the strong.
After Cao Cao rose in the north, Budugen experienced several defeats and began to show his closeness to Cao Wei.
Regardless of how much sincerity there was in this closeness, at least he could temporarily turn the plundering of the border into a confrontation with Kebi Neng, and make his first goal the unification of the various branches within the Xianbei.
This is also what Qiao Yan is happy to see.
Then there is something to talk about with one of the Xianbei leaders.
But now we have to wait for news.
She did not tell the other party her purpose at this time, but just slowly turned the branch for roasting the lamb, looking like she was strolling leisurely on the grassland and enjoying herself, which only increased the pressure on Budugen.
The other party was held down by Zhang Yang and could not move. He could only watch as the young governor in front of him cut the food in front of him a few more times with his knife.
So much so that he couldn't tell for a moment whether she was roasting a lamb that had gotten lost in the chaos, or him, Budugen.
This state of being cut by a soft knife was temporarily relieved when Lu Bu, who had gone to pursue Kui Tou and Qian Man, returned.
Lu Bu and Zhang Liao met up at one place, and were brought here by the scouts sent by Qiao Yan. When they turned around, they saw Budugen's somewhat ugly expression.
What made him feel embarrassed was obviously not that Qiao Yan used these 4,000 people to attack their Xianbei royal court.
Considering that Lu Bu and his men were in such an elite state, it was completely understandable that this sudden attack on their camp could scatter them.
But——
Why was there no news before such a large number of elite Han troops broke into the grassland?
Could it be that this Lord Qiao is like General Huo of the Western Han Dynasty, and has the ability to summon divine troops from the sky?
His gaze briefly rested on Zhang Liao's face again.
Zhang Liao had been a member of the Bingzhou Wumeng Army for nearly a year. When he and Fuluo Han were stationed at the outposts, they had fought against each other many times.
This young man was extremely brave and always led the troops by example, so it was not difficult for Budugen to recognize his identity at this time.
But recognizing Zhang Liao meant that he saw another attitude of the Han army. They could use the Yanmen defenders as one of the attacking teams, and they were not even afraid of Fuluo Han discovering the emptiness of the border defense line.
I'm afraid Fu Luohan has died in their hands!
Within the Xianbei, the relationship between brothers was more like a cooperative alliance rather than a close relationship, but Budugen could never remain indifferent to Fuluohan's death.
At this moment, the thought in his mind was closer to this: if this happened, the majesty of their Xianbei royal court would inevitably be damaged. After suppressing the Xianbei branch with great difficulty, the central government that had been established would also be greatly reduced.
Just as he thought of this, he heard Qiao Yan ask Lu Bu, "What was the outcome of the battle?"
Lu Bu sighed: "Let that kid get away."
Before Budugen could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Lu Bu continue to say: "But it doesn't matter. When I broke through their defense and rushed forward to kill them, I cut off one of his arms and shot him with an arrow from a distance. With the medical treatment methods outside the Great Wall, it is impossible for him to save his life. Even if he can barely survive, in a tribe that relies on physical strength to make a living, you can imagine the treatment of someone with one hand missing, unless he is a wise man among the Xianbei."
Lu Bu simply couldn't see that his opponent had such potential.
"It's a bit of a pity. Does this not count as a military achievement?"
Qiao Yan replied: "If the news of his death spreads, I will give you another credit!"
Lu Bu's face lit up immediately.
Although it is easy to think about it, his promotion to the rank of captain based on his achievements in this battle was already a remarkable promotion, and it would be impossible for him to move up to the rank of general.
But Lord Qiao is a boss who rewards and punishes people in a realistic way. Since he has said that he will be credited with a merit, there should naturally be a corresponding reward.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
He clearly saw a man fleeing with the Xianbei leader when he was chasing him. The man looked younger and was probably also a Xianbei noble. However, because he was so focused on his goal, he did not cause any harm to the man.
He honestly reported the situation to Qiao Yan, but only saw a more cheerful smile appear on the other's face.
For Qiao Yan, no matter what results Lu Bu achieved, she did not lose anything through this action.
Allowing Lu Bu to pursue was not an act of chasing a desperate enemy, but rather a way to allow him to fully display his martial arts skills.
After all, no one would have thought that the bow and arrow held by Lu Bu would have such great power and such a long-range shooting effect. It would be enough as long as this arrow, which was not easy to guard against, was used at the right time.
And even if they failed to kill him, how much dignity could a Chanyu retain if he was chased by the Han army like a stray dog?
The result achieved now is exactly the most beneficial one for Qiao Yan.
This made her think about whether the luck value she added to herself a while ago had been reflected at this time.
The current situation is——
Shanyu Kuitou was shot with an arrow and was injured, and he would most likely die soon. The previous Shanyu and his young son Qianman escaped. Kuitou's second brother Fuluohan died at the hands of Lu Bu, and his younger brother Budugen fell into the hands of Qiao Yan and became a hostage.
Qiao Yan looked towards Budugen and saw his even uglier expression.
The reason why Kuitou was able to snatch the position of Chanyu from Qianman was, firstly, because Helian was tyrannical and reckless, and secondly, because Qianman was still young when Kuitou died while robbing the northern land. But what about now?
The powerful force originally formed by their brothers fell apart overnight, with people dying or getting injured. Once Kuitou died, the position of Chanyu would most likely return to Qianman's branch.
The resources controlled by the Xianbei were too scarce, so the ambitious people living in this tribe had to do their best to seize power in their own hands. Budugen thought so.
But now it seems that if he wants to achieve such a goal, to succeed the Chanyu after Kuitou's accident and gather the Xianbei people who were driven away and scattered today, it will be an extremely difficult task, unless...
"If I am willing to let you go, what reward can you give me?" Qiao Yan asked Budugen while directing Zhang Yang to take the roasted lamb off the fire and put it on the wooden plate they brought with them.
Budugen looked at Qiao Yan in astonishment. For a moment, he could not tell what she was thinking from her calm face.
All he could see was that she had someone place another plate opposite her, and then raised her hand, motioning Budugen to sit down in front of her.
Although it was such a close invitation, and even those powerful generals stepped back a few steps, as if to make room for them to talk, Budugen did not think that he had the opportunity to attack Qiao Yan and take her hostage.
This Marquis Qiao was unusually unable to make judgments based on common sense. First, she personally led her troops to the frontier, and at this time, she also demonstrated that her martial arts skills were not bad at all.
Although she was tasting food on the Mobei grassland, she also kept her long spear with two pointed ends at her side, as if she could thrust it forward at any time.
"Why is Qiao Bingzhou willing to let me go?" Budugen hesitated for a moment and finally sat down.
For some reason, he vaguely saw the shadow of the former Chanyu Tan Shihuai in the generous actions of the young man in front of him, or to be more precise, it was the temperament of a hero.
However, he remembered that although he was the losing party, he still had to maintain the dignity of the Xianbei people. That was why when he sat here, he adopted an attitude of negotiating with others in an upright manner.
Qiao Yan's tone was still relaxed. "There are many tribes on the Mobei grassland. To the west are the migrating Northern Xiongnu, and to the east are the Wuhuan who invaded the Han territory. If I kill you too, there will only be two results—"
"Either a hero is born, and a new leader is born in a certain Xianbei tribe, or the son of Helian can take on the responsibility of the tribe. This new leader covets and hates the Han land, but he is not afraid to attack again."
"Either the Northern Xiongnu return to the east and rebuild the Xiongnu royal court in Yanran, or the Wuhuan forces in the east expand further until they swallow you up and become a new generation of foreign dynasty dominating the north of the Han Dynasty."
“It’s a nuisance to me.”
She said she was talking about troubles, but from Budugen's point of view, there was no worry on her face, but only a sense of amusement as if she was watching someone's little fight. Sure enough, her next sentence was: "I have to come here again, what a hassle."
"..." Even though everyone knew that it might not be easy for her to get here, it was true that as long as she succeeded once, even if it was such a difficult task, no one would doubt that she could do it a second time.
Bu Dugen was silent for a long time before replying, "Qiao Bingzhou is right."
He could roughly guess what she was thinking from her words.
If she let him go, it would indeed be a relatively good deal.
He still retained his authority here. Even though he had been captured by her, it would not affect his ability to quell the chaos here after he had completely mobilized his old subordinates who were truly loyal to him.
But relatively speaking, his succession was not so logical. Also, because he had had direct contact with her and knew very well what kind of enemy Bingzhou to his south was, he was destined not to become her strong rival.
Even if he tried to convince himself that, given the Central Plains people's usual tendency to be mysterious, the Qiao Yan in front of him might just be trying to elevate her image after her success. But when he asked himself again whether he had the ability to be her enemy and the enemies of Lu Bu, Zhang Liao and others under her command, he found that he could only come up with a negative answer.
The sharp blade that struck her before dawn had left an indelible impression on her heart, an impression that would last until someone was able to defeat her head-on.
But the other party is the Governor of Bingzhou and Marquis of Leping appointed by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. Who would have the need to defeat her?
Budugen couldn't help but take a deep breath. In the face of this trade invitation, he is undoubtedly at a disadvantage.
The situation Qiao Yan faced was nothing more than whether or not to send out troops again, but what he was faced with was the choice between life and death.
He gritted his teeth and replied: "What kind of bargaining chip do you want to release me?"
Qiao Yan calculated it in his mind and replied, "Twenty thousand cattle and sheep."
She added: "Every year."
"This is impossible!" Budugen shouted subconsciously.
Such a huge expenditure would certainly cause him great pain, and it would be difficult for him to establish his authority within the Xianbei for the next few years because of this incident.
But Qiao Yan just replied in a bland tone: "Then let me do some calculations with you. The Grand Commandant Duan Jiming has been attacking the Western Qiang for 20 years. He has seized a total of 440,000 cattle, sheep and horses from the Western Qiang, and beheaded 40,000 people. That's about 20,000 heads per year. I killed more than 4,000 of your people this time, which is a little higher than the average. You can just come and take advantage of it next year."
"If you want to do this, I don't mind. After all, I can regard this trip north as a training exercise. There are so many passes in Yinshan Mountain. My Han people can build a city and set up defenses on the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain, but you Xianbei cannot build a foolproof defense line in the northern part of Yinshan Mountain. If I want to come, you can't stop me."
"Besides, the environment in Western Qiang is obviously less suitable for grazing than your vast grassland. They can still have such savings, let alone you?"
"I just want you to make a choice. Do you want to spend some of your disposable wealth to avoid disaster, or do you want me to come to this grassland to hunt regularly? Don't you think this makes sense?"
Qiao Yan's words made Bu Dugen's expression change constantly.
The Duan Xing she brought up gave him a bad feeling.
After all, General Duan’s notoriety was not limited to Xiqiang Liangzhou. When the Xianbei invaded Jiuquan in the past, he was also repelled by the other side!
Rather than saying that he was suppressing the invasion of foreign races into the Han Dynasty, it would be more accurate to say that General Duan was pursuing a policy of genocide.
If this Bingzhou governor, who also had great martial virtues, had chosen this path after the failure of the negotiations, then as she said, now that the positions of offense and defense had switched, she could indeed do this hunting.
It would be better to do as she said and lose money to avoid disaster.
He listened to Qiao Yan continue to say: "You might as well think about it. Since I want a stable source of cattle and sheep, I naturally want to support you to sit firmly on the position of Chanyu. You did not choose to naturalize like the Southern Xiongnu, so I will never interfere in your internal affairs. This is actually a good thing for you."
"If you don't want to give only cattle and sheep, you can provide war horses on a one-for-one basis."
Budugen couldn't help but smile bitterly. The first one might be considered as a concession from the other party, but the second one was a blatant calculation that slapped him in the face. Cattle and sheep were just food, but war horses were war resources. Even exchanging one for one would be a loss.
But in the face of the facts listed by the other party, this was really the bottom line tribute he could accept.
He said, "I have one condition. If I return to Xianbei now, the expenditure can only be 5,000 cattle and sheep. If it is more, my people would rather give up on me and choose another leader."
"Okay." Qiao Yan did not reject his condition.
In fact, even if Budugen didn't say so, she would definitely ask the other party to pay in batches. Otherwise, with only 4,000 cavalry and 2,000 infantry going deep into the grassland, and bringing 20,000 cattle and sheep, she would most likely be ambushed by the angry Xianbei.
Thinking about the other purpose of her visit, she said, "I can even relax your conditions. You take out 4,000 cattle and sheep, and then pick up the remains of 1,000 cattle, sheep and horses, load them and transport them to the Yanmen border for handover. The remaining 15,000 cattle and sheep can be delivered before winter this year. In exchange -"
Qiao Yan clapped her hands, and Zhang Yang, who had received her instructions, handed over a mulberry leather jacket. "I will exchange it for 20,000 cold-proof clothes and other winter supplies. What do you think?"
Budugen rubbed the clothes in his hands for a moment and made a decision, "Since Qiao Bingzhou has no intention of cutting off our chance of survival, I'll do this deal!"
This attack on the royal court did cause him to lose a lot of manpower and wealth, but the four thousand cattle and sheep were enough to be used as ransom as winter was over.
Even though he later saw the 4,000 cattle and sheep mixed into Qiao Yan's cavalry and marched away, which made him feel indescribably heartbroken, but at this moment, he did not have the extra time to mourn the loss, because he still had to look for the whereabouts of his brother Kuitou.
If he really died, then Budugen would have to establish his position as the Chanyu as soon as possible! We must not let Qianman take advantage of any opportunity!
But how could he know that amid the cheers of the Bingzhou governor and his people returning in triumph, Qiao Yan turned his head and glanced towards the north again. What he was thinking at this moment was -
When we get back, let Fengxiao find a way to contact Qianman or Kebineng.
She didn't say that she would only support one Chanyu on this grassland!
Qiao Yan thought this in his heart and turned his gaze back to the nearby area.
In order to regain his freedom as soon as possible, Budugen gathered the 4,000 cattle and sheep before noon. It was the time when the sun was at its brightest in the spring on the grassland. The joy of returning victorious made this team still like a ball of fire running rampant here, burning people's blood boiling.
She was also moved by this, and she whipped the horse and shouted loudly: "Let's go! I will personally host a banquet when we return to Bingzhou and engrave a stone to celebrate your success!"
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