Chapter 74: Scare the envoys from the two tribes...
The envoys from the two tribes were watching each other's actions, and were hoping that the other side would make some mistakes first so that they could take the opportunity to express their intention to get closer to the Jinjiang tribe.
To put it bluntly, I just want my peers to make me stand out.
However, the two sides had the same idea, and they both believed in "I won't move unless the enemy moves", so in the end no one moved.
When the sunset glow dyed the western sky, two attendants in bamboo armor came and said that the leader was holding a banquet in Tingtao Pavilion to welcome the two envoys.
Hong said politely, "Please wait a moment while I wash up and change into clean clothes as a token of my sincerity."
The two armored soldiers were serious and nodded at the words, standing guard at the door like door gods. Before entering the inner room, Hong gave his followers a wink.
The attendant personally poured tea to comfort the two soldiers, but the two refused to drink it. No matter what the attendant asked, they kept silent. Not only did this make the attendant anxious, but even Hong, who was hiding in the inner room and eavesdropping under the pretext of changing clothes, became nervous.
Thinking of the team of young and strong men newly sent out by the Jinjiang tribe, he couldn't help but feel suspicious: Could it be that the new leader of the Jinjiang tribe is dissatisfied with my Fengsui tribe?
If their Fengsui tribe became stronger, Hong would only be angry and think that Jinjiang Bu was ungrateful and ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.
But now it was the Jinjiang tribe that was the strongest, and he could only wonder: Could it be that the news of the Wu tribe's envoys arriving at the Fengsui tribe first had been leaked? Or had he secretly brought supplies to exchange for refined salt without informing them in advance, causing dissatisfaction among the Jinjiang tribe?
His heart seemed to have turned into a deep well, with fifteen buckets of water being drawn from it, the ups and downs of which were making him annoyed; it was also as if he had twenty-five mice in his arms, making him feel very anxious.
But in the end, he could only smile bitterly and put on the brightest clothes he brought this time, and humbly followed the two soldiers to Tingtao Pavilion for the banquet.
The name of Tingtao Pavilion is very nice. It is actually a small building built with wood and bamboo. However, the location of its construction is very clever, built on the mountain opposite the waterfall.
When people sit upstairs, they can clearly hear the sound of flowing water and the roar of the waterfall hitting the water. If they close their eyes, they can almost hear the waves.
Therefore, Fuli was named Tingtao Pavilion.
Hong followed the soldiers and met Zhou Shan downstairs. They both stopped almost at the same time and saluted each other silently, Zhou Shan in front and Hong a step behind, and they went up the stairs one after the other.
Nothing can be seen on the surface, but they themselves know that an invisible gap has been created between them.
The host Fu Li pretended to be oblivious and enthusiastically invited the two envoys to take a seat, with Ge as the guest, while she closed the table herself.
The table was filled with the best barbecue and steamed buns made from a piece of zhatou (old dough containing yeast) that Fuli asked for from Huajing. In front of each person was a dish of sauce made with dogwood, leeks, garlic and wild lemon juice.
The wine is monkey wine from the mountains, which is very sweet and refreshing.
This seating arrangement and this specification can be said to be the best possible treatment.
During the meal, Fuli was polite and Ge was cheerful. One of them urged people to eat, the other to drink, just like a simple and hospitable host.
But the more they did this, the more uneasy Hong and Zhou Shan became.
Initially, due to their previous suspicions, there was a certain coldness between them. But now, with their hearts filled with anxiety and no one close to them to consult, their hearts miraculously became closer again.
They exchanged glances, though they didn't have enough tacit understanding, they were both smart people and could roughly guess what the other meant.
The only pity is that we are on someone else’s territory. Even if I have a thousand words to say, I can’t say a single word.
After three rounds of wine, the dishes have five flavors.
Fu Li suddenly put down her wine glass and sighed heavily, which scared Hong and Zhou Shan, and they subconsciously put down their glasses as well.
The two finally looked at each other openly, and Hong asked cautiously, "Is your leader feeling unwell?"
Ge was displeased. "What are you talking about? Our leader is a disciple of Master Zhao of Mount Emei. He has cultivated a body of skills since childhood. His physique is incredibly strong. How could he be feeling unwell?"
She was a straightforward person, and she showed a very cheerful image in front of the two envoys. Although these words were a bit harsh, when they came out of her mouth, they would only make people feel embarrassed, not frightened.
Hong smiled dryly and looked at Zhou Shan. Zhou Shan knew he couldn't escape today, so he suppressed all his thoughts and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "The Jinjiang tribe has fertile land, strong and brave young men, and now they have the benefits of fish and salt. It's like a god's life. I wonder what worries your leader?"
Fu Li said, "You two may not know that although my teacher is a Daluo Jinxian, he never likes to fight with others. He only likes to do business and make profits. He has always taught me to value peace.
Although I am not talented, I am honored to be chosen by my tribesmen as their leader. As the saying goes, "When you are in a position, you must do your job." As a leader, I naturally have to consider the safety and well-being of my tribesmen.
However, people have no intention to harm tigers, but tigers have the intention to hurt people. The Wu tribe and my Jinjiang tribe have been relatives for many years. There are nephews of the Wu tribe among the children of my tribe, and there are also many nephews of my tribe among the children of the Wu tribe.
Logically speaking, in a relationship like this, the two sides should help each other, not plot against each other. But the Wu tribe is greedy and wants to barter, but in reality they are deliberately making things difficult for us."
At this point, she sighed and shook her head. She looked at the two messengers on her left and right and said meaningfully, "There are some things that even if I don't say them, I think you two know them. Today, I would like to ask the two messengers to judge who is the wronged one and who is the creditor."
Both of them felt a little uneasy. After all, Zhou Shan was young and had less experience, so his face turned pale.
Just before they set off, envoys from the Wu tribe had arrived at their tribe.
They even dared to come directly to the door to ask for an exchange of salt, which was a confirmation that the Wu tribe had already torn relations with the Jinjiang tribe, and they were more or less taking advantage of the situation to rob.
From Fu Li's implicit meaning, he already knew that the Wu tribe had sent an envoy to their tribe.
Thinking of the dozen or so young men carrying bags and the indifferent attitude of the soldiers, they could no longer deceive themselves.
In fact, Fu Li was deceiving them, but Zhou Shan's reaction already explained a lot.
Hong took a deep breath, stood up and said, "Before, there were so many people around, some things were difficult to say. Your Excellency, I have something else to report."
Zhou Shan was a beat slow to react, secretly cursing Hong for being dishonest, and quickly stood up, saying that he also had something to report.
The two of them talked back and forth, and revealed everything about the Wu faction's envoy contacting them.
Ge slammed the table and stood up, gritting his teeth and saying, "Sure enough, he has wolfish ambitions!"
This time Zhou Shan took the initiative and immediately dispelled the accusation, saying, "As soon as the Wu tribe arrived at my Langyi tribe, the leader sent me here to tell your tribe that our Langyi tribe will stand side by side with you!"
The smile on Hong's face paused slightly, and then immediately replaced with a more genuine one, and his tone was also extremely sincere: "The same is true for my Feng Sui tribe."
He sighed inwardly: "He's still too young, still too young! How could he let up so quickly? He should have delayed it a bit, let the Jinjiang leader spill the beans first."
Even Fu Li didn't expect Zhou Shan to be so straightforward. He was now going to skip half of the originally planned remarks.
"I have sensed your sincerity. Please take a seat, both of you."
After asking them to sit down again, Fu Li signaled the waiters to take away the leftovers and bring up some other side dishes.
Fu Li said: "To be honest, the last time I went out was not for personal matters, but for a major event that concerns several of our tribes.
I just didn't expect that just when things were starting to work out, I returned with Gao Huantian, only to be greeted not by the peace and prosperity of my tribe, but by the flames of war from friendly nations."
Anger flashed across her face, but she quickly forced a smile: "Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll toast you two again."
The wine was good, but the two of them had no intention of savoring it carefully. They were eager to know what was going on.
But then, whether it was Fu Li or Ge, they kept talking about other things, changing the subject again and again, and both of them were able to change the subject either cleverly or bluntly.
It is easier to get drunk if you have something hidden in your mind.
When the moon was at its zenith, both of them were helped back by the soldiers.
By the next day, the entire Jinjiang tribe was bustling with activity. Men, women, young and old were all preparing to celebrate the new leader's ascension to the throne. The envoys from the two tribes were so busy that they felt embarrassed to disturb them.
But Fu Li would not let them idle, so he specially sent the clever and eloquent Xiao Shi as a guide to lead them to appreciate the scenery of Jinjiang tribe.
Xiaoshi had received instructions in advance and took them to see the new house, the newly opened fields, the newly established handicraft workshops, and even passed by the salt factory.
However, this place was confidential, so Xiaoshi just mentioned it briefly, pointed to the high wall and said, "This is the salt factory," and then led them over without any intention of taking them in for a visit.
Hong and Zhou Shan followed Xiao Shi with eager eyes, winking at each other, hoping that the other would speak first.
But before the two of them could decide the winner, they suddenly heard a burst of orderly shouts of killing, and their minds suddenly became clear.
Zhou Shan asked, "Where is this sound coming from?"
Xiao Shi said "Oh" and casually said, "This is the leader training the troops. Previously, when the Wu tribe invaded, the leader was dissatisfied with the warriors' results. She had studied military tactics with Grand Master Wen of Shang Bang and decided to train the troops herself to better defend the tribe."
They had never heard of the name of Master Wen, but they had heard of the Shang family, who now ruled the Central Plains outside of Shu.
The heritage of the great clans in the Central Plains has never been comparable to that of these remote places.
Seeing the two men in complete silence, Xiao Shi smiled to himself and said, unconcernedly, "Would you like to take a look? Going this way, there's a flat, wide valley. It's not suitable for farming, but the chieftain has opened it up as a training ground for his troops."
"This..." The two looked at each other, and Hong asked cautiously, "Is this okay? Is it too presumptuous?"
"Of course not." Xiao Shi walked over there directly, "Please follow me, both of you."
——How can it have a deterrent effect if I don’t let you see the appearance of our troops?
Although the two had some concerns, they couldn't resist the temptation and followed Xiaoshi all the way to the entrance of the valley.
The sounds of shouting and killing were audible, but what made Hong and Zhou Shan tremble even more was the bronze armor plates worn by the more than 500 young men and the uniform bronze weapons in their hands.
These five hundred men and women were all tall and strong, wearing armor woven from a mixture of bamboo and bronze. Their weapons included spears and halberds, but they were all made of pure bronze.
These were all brought by Fu Li from Boyi.
Since she started mining iron ore near Boyi to make weapons, the Shang State entered the Iron Age, and the previous bronze weapons were gradually eliminated.
The batch of weapons that Fu Li got were all used by the soldiers of the Grand Tutor's Mansion in the past.
Mr. Mu has already agreed to collect more discarded bronze armor and weapons for her.
Xiao Shi said, "These weapons and armor pieces were all obtained by the leader from the Central Plains. He said that his first trip back was too hasty, and their stock was limited. He said that he would be able to bring back more next time he goes."
"Gurgle!"
Hong swallowed hard, unable to maintain his composure any longer. He said with a pale face, "I didn't expect your leader to have such a connection with the princes of the Central Plains."
In the next few days, Xiaoshi was still carefree. He took the two messengers around all day and went wherever there was fun.
But the two envoys had no intention of sightseeing at all. They just felt that every minute and every second was extremely torturous. They just hoped that these five days would pass quickly so that they could go back to their leader to discuss countermeasures.
On the sixth day, they could finally say goodbye. The two envoys had been tense for several days and suddenly felt relaxed. They had the illusion that the world was as vast as the sea and the sky.
Fu Li was happier than them because Ling Zhuzi had come.
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