Shimen Fan (7)
Old Abu stared at the white stone in the hearth for a long time, then let out a desolate sigh and slowly said, "Do you two know that Dong La, Luo Zhong, and Na Re of Shimen Fan were sworn brothers who swore an oath of brotherhood?"
"Later, the Dong family alone presented fine horses and submitted to the Song Dynasty, breaking ties with their two brothers. The ancestors of the Luo and Nare families felt that this enmity was irreconcilable, and therefore refused to submit to the Song Dynasty."
"Later, the Dali Kingdom sent people to pacify the southwestern tribes, and these two families submitted to Dali. But before they could settle down for more than a few years, the Dali king became obsessed with Buddhism, and the tribes that had been pacified before rebelled one after another."
"The Dong family of Mahu, the Luo family of Nanguang, and the Fan Na Re family of Shimen have been at odds with each other for decades. Now, what affection is left between them?"
"Our Mahu tribe's 'local people,' the Dong clan alone make up 70%. Even if you were to meet the chieftain, who among you could be confident that you could persuade him to send troops?"
I said urgently, "The Abu people, Mahu, Nanguang, and Shimen Fan are not just the Dong, Luo, and Nare families! Must the feud between the three families drag the innocent people of the three places down with them?"
"Since the reopening of the Yuezhou border market this spring, countless caravans and merchants have come from the Mahu and Shimen directions. The people of the three places live in harmony and all benefit from it."
"What everyone cares about most is whether they can live a good life. The feud between the three families is just something to talk about over tea. The Abu chieftain is a native of Mahu. Don't you have any feelings for us Nanguang people at all?"
“What Lady Qing says is absolutely right,” Song Ninghai chimed in. “The Mahu and Nanguang tribes have successively surrendered their territory to the Song Dynasty.”
"Dong La and Luo Chong are both subjects, and with a formidable enemy at hand, they have a duty to defend the territory; personal grudges should be put aside. Moreover, they have rendered meritorious service in defending the territory, and the court will surely reward them, not only by granting titles and privileges to their wives and children, but also by bringing glory to their ancestors."
"Chief Abu, the reason I met with Qing Niangzi with Dong La was not to act as a persuader, but to explain the advantages and disadvantages involved. As for whether or not to send troops, it concerns the future of Ma Hu, and I hope that the leaders of the seven tribes of Ma Hu will all be aware of this matter."
"Alright!" The old man stood up, supporting himself on his knees. "For your sense of responsibility and loyalty, I, Old Abu, will risk my life to bring everyone here today! Yinghua!"
Yinghua followed the sound into the house: "Father!"
Old Abu said sternly, "Call all your children and grandchildren over the age of fifteen over here, and then bring in my coffin!"
Yinghua exclaimed, "Father!"
Song Ninghai and I looked at each other in bewilderment: "Abutou people!"
The old man waved his hand: "Go quickly!"
Before long, the able-bodied men of Abu's family carried a black lacquered coffin inside, followed by a large group of men and women, numbering around fifty.
After the coffin was placed down, everyone knelt in several rows according to their seniority. A man kneeling next to Yinghua crawled forward on his knees and said, "Father! Why did you do this? Even if the sky falls, your sons will hold it up!"
“Ah Da,” Old Abu pulled him up, looking at his children and grandchildren scattered on the ground, “Get up, all of you.” He walked straight to the coffin and ordered in a deep voice, “Children, Prefect Song and Qing Niangzi have important matters to discuss with the seven clan leaders. Out of trust, they have searched all the way to Deer Horn Cave. My Abu family cannot ignore this! Time is of the essence. To avoid anyone making excuses, all of you must go to their door under the guise of announcing the death! You must be back before sunset!”
Ah Da spoke up to dissuade him: "Father, we should go and invite them, but we absolutely cannot announce a death!"
A man standing beside him, bearing a striking resemblance to him, glared at me and Song Ninghai: "Who gave my father this terrible idea? Was it you two?"
"Second brother, don't be rude!" Old Abu raised his hand and slammed it down, making the top of the coffin thud loudly. "This was my decision, it has nothing to do with anyone else! Anyone who dares to disobey, get out of Deer Horn Cave right now! Third brother! Take your brothers and nephews, split into six groups, go and come back quickly!"
Another man standing beside Ah Da stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Yes!"
Abu's second son asked anxiously, "Father! What about me and my eldest brother?"
Old Abu pointed at him and Ah Da: "Third brother, you're meticulous. Go to Chief Dong's place yourself. If he asks for details, tell him that your eldest and second brothers fought over the position of chieftain in front of the coffin. Ask him to come quickly to uphold justice!"
The second son became even more anxious: "Father, my eldest brother and I aren't like that!"
Old Abu ignored him and said to Yinghua, "Yinghua, I'm leaving the affairs of the village to you. You can decide what to do and what not to do, and you can command the remaining people!"
Yinghua replied firmly, "Yes!"
A solemn silence fell over the surroundings, broken only by the mournful howl of the mountain wind, as Old Abu's children and grandchildren gradually dispersed.
Song Ninghai, having composed himself, faced the chieftain Abu and bowed deeply with his hands clasped; I, in turn, offered the old man the most solemn single-fist salute.
As evening approached, Yinghua had already led her people to prepare the mourning hall and mourning tent.
Old Abu sat at the front of the coffin and instructed the two of us to stand behind the banner for the time being.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the front of the hall. I looked out through the gap in the banner: the third brother was indeed meticulous. He had calculated the time perfectly, so that the leaders of the six tribes would arrive at the same time.
The chieftains entered and, upon seeing the old Abu sitting quietly before the coffin, gasped in astonishment.
The third son quickly walked to his father's side and said respectfully, "Father, as you instructed, I have invited all six leaders to our Deer Horn Cave."
Old Abu nodded, and the third brother stepped back behind his two older brothers.
The atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment.
Suddenly, a chieftain roared in fury: "Old Abu, have you eaten too much 'Nie Nie Qing'? Why did you call so many people to go crazy with you!"
Old Abu stood up, bowed to the crowd, and said loudly, "Old Abu is not crazy. It was just an emergency, and I had no choice but to do this. Please forgive any disrespect."
"snort!"
"Brother, what's the relationship between Deer Horn Cave and Willow Cave? You don't need to pull this stunt on me!"
"That's right!"
Several chieftains surrounded old Abu, complaining one after another.
Dong La, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly glanced at where Song Ninghai and I were hiding and said coldly, "Chief Abu, shouldn't those two familiar faces behind the banner show up and greet us?"
Dozens of eyes turned to look at me. I lifted the white banner, and Song Ninghai straightened his back and walked out hand in hand.
The five tribal chiefs exclaimed in surprise, "Prefect Song, what are you doing here?!"
"Isn't that... isn't that Lady Qing from the Nan Guang tribe?"
"Now that all the chieftains have arrived, I will get straight to the point," Song Ninghai said solemnly. "The new chieftain of the Shimen tribe, Nare, will be leading a large army to Nanguang on the winter solstice."
"Prefect Wei Ji and Vice Prefect Luo Chong entrusted Qing Niangzi to deliver a message to this official, requesting assistance from the Mahu tribe. The mountains are high and the rivers are far, but fortunately, the chieftain Abu has come to our aid, bringing us all together. I hope that you all—for the sake of the people of Nanguang and Mahu, and for the sake of the peace and security of our Great Song border, will make a decision as soon as possible!"
These words, like boiling oil meeting water, instantly caused an uproar in the mourning hall.
"This Nare is the younger brother of Nare Wuli, the former chief of the Wumeng tribe, right? All the warriors of the Nare family are dead, and now it's the turn of a half-blind man to be the leader."
"Isn't that right? He even calls himself 'Official Lord,' but 'Official Lord' and 'Ghost Lord' are titles bestowed by the emperor of the Central Plains. What is Naremuze anyway?"
"The Nan Guang tribe is really unlucky. They were bullied by the Shimen Fan in Dali; after surrendering to the Song Dynasty, they were still bullied by the Shimen Fan. The Luo family has been jumping around for generations, but they can never escape being beaten up!"
"There are few people and we are poor, there's nothing we can do about it."
"You can't say that. The Song people were very rich, but they still couldn't defeat the northerners, could they?"
"Shut up!" The five tribal chiefs fell silent upon hearing this. Dong La stared intently at me and Song Ninghai. "I wonder if Qing Niangzi was entrusted by someone to deliver a verbal message or a written letter to Prefect Song?"
Without hesitation, I replied, "A verbal message!"
“A message?” Dong La snorted. “Prefect Song does trust Qing Niangzi.”
I took out my waist token and the post station dispatch slip and showed them to everyone: "This is the patrol station's token, and the signature slip for changing horses when passing through the post station."
"It's not that Prefect Wei and Chief Luo were intentionally negligent; it's just that the incident happened suddenly, and the two officials were overwhelmed with other matters. They also didn't want to put the governor of Xunzhou in a difficult position, so they only sent a verbal message."
I took out a bamboo branch from my bosom, raised my hand and swore, "Mountain God Bamboo Elder above, everything Qingcheng said to Lord Song Ninghai today is true. If there is even a single falsehood, may my soul be shattered and my spirit vanish, and may this branch be given to me!" After saying this, I bowed to Old Abu again, and after receiving permission, I placed the bamboo branch into the fire pit.
Song Ninghai clasped hands and said excitedly, "Gentlemen! Hunan and Guangxi are as close as lips and teeth. At present, the Changning Army is still fighting against the Yanzhou rebels in Yujing and cannot return to provide reinforcements in time."
"With the winter solstice approaching, only the Mahu Righteous Army can save Nanguang from this dire situation. Song Ninghai earnestly requests that you all send troops as soon as possible to fight alongside our brothers in Nanguang against the enemy!"
A young chieftain said, "Lord Song, it's not that we don't respect you, but the leaders of the Nan Guang tribe no longer consider the Ma Hu tribe as brothers. If you don't believe me, ask Chief Dong!"
Song Ninghai turned to Dong La: "Chief Dong, the Dong family was the first to surrender the southwest to the Song Dynasty. They have been deeply favored by the Emperor for generations."
"Now that the neighboring prefecture is in trouble, if the chieftain can set aside past grievances and go to its aid, firstly, it would be an act of loyalty to the court; secondly, such a righteous act would surely bring about the reconciliation between the two tribes."
Old Abu said, "Chief Dong, it's easier to resolve enmity than to create it. Prefect Song is right."
Dong La waved his hand: "Gentlemen, whether we are enemies or brothers is not important. My Dong family is grateful for the Emperor's grace and should do our duty. How could we rashly raise an army without orders from our superiors?"
Song Ninghai lamented, "This is an invasion by foreign enemies! Chief Dong, we must act expediently in this urgent situation!"
The young chieftain who had spoken earlier said again, "Lord Song, please don't be anxious. The Shimen Fan haven't even reached our Mahu yet, have they?"
An older chieftain chimed in, “The Shimen Fanwu barbarians have never been afraid of death. I don’t think we at Mahu should have a direct confrontation with them. To the west of Mahu are the Xuhen and Lianglin tribes; to the south are the Adu and Shama tribes. None of these Dali tribes are easy to deal with. If we reinforce Nanguang, leaving the border defenses vulnerable, what if they cross the border and take advantage of the chaos?”
Old Abu looked at the two of them: "Then, according to the two chieftains, what should we do?"
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