Shimen Fan (8)
The elder chieftain replied, "In my opinion, as long as the Shimen Fan don't provoke us, why should we go to their doorstep? We should just strengthen the defenses of the southeastern border."
The headman of Maliudong also said, "Yes! Let's say we need to send in 3,000 reinforcements—how much would it cost to send those 3,000 'local fighters' out to fight for a month?"
"If the battle is intense and drags on for a long time, leaving behind a group of orphans and widows, how much money will be spent on compensation in the future?"
“Our Mahu is already poor. If we were to act impulsively and get dragged into a quagmire, would that be a wise move?” He glanced at me and continued, “…”
The chieftain who suggested strengthening border defenses then said to Song Ninghai, “Lord Song, a few days ago I sent my son down the mountain to study. The Han teacher taught them the teachings of the sages, something like, ‘When poor, one should cultivate one’s own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven (Note 1).’ You see, even your sages said that when one is poor, one should take care of oneself; only when one is successful should one help others. Don’t you all agree?”
Song Ninghai glared, licked his dry lips, and finally swallowed his rebuttal.
Old Abu gently shook his head and asked Dong La, "Great Chief, what do you think?"
I quickly waved to Song Ninghai: "Lord Song, come and have some water."
Song Ninghai folded his hands and approached, took the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and said sullenly, "Listen to this, he's talking to me about Mencius. He actually...talked to me about Mencius! Isn't that infuriating?"
I twitched the corner of my mouth and said, "Confucius said, 'When others know something, one is also arrogant; when others do not know it, one is also arrogant (Note 2)'."
Song Ninghai said in a muffled voice, "Unreasonable, utterly unreasonable! Why are you so arrogant?"
At that time, Dong La said: "I will reiterate once again - if there is a summons, we will send troops immediately without hesitation; if there is none at present, we can only lay down our arms and wait."
“The tributary states are not like the regular states. The court allows us to raise ‘local troops’ for the purpose of defending the border and protecting ourselves. If we do not declare war, and afterwards someone reports that ‘the southwestern barbarian chieftains are holding onto their troops and refusing to obey orders,’ my Dong clan will have no place to stand in Xunzhou!”
As he spoke, he looked at me and Song Ninghai, "I have said all I can say. I wonder if you two can understand my predicament?"
Song Ninghai's face turned ashen: "The patrol officers are already on their way to Rongfu, but it will take at least three days to travel from Jiuzhouba to the city. By the time we receive the order and send troops out, it will probably be too late!"
The young chieftain then said, "Lord Song, why are you so stubborn! Although the Nan Guang tribe is not good at fighting, they are not made of paper. They can definitely hold out for ten days or half a month."
"That's right, there's still time, Lord Song, you don't need to worry so much."
"That's how it is in our border tribes. If you punch me, I'll kick you back. It's commonplace."
Everyone comforted Song Ninghai. One of the chieftains, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Have you all considered this? Nare is coming with great force. Will someone back him up? Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its master. Nanguang has been allied with Song for twelve years, yet Shimen Fan attacked without hesitation. And what about Luo Zhong? Is he really going to fight to the death? What if he surrenders the moment he touches Nare?"
The headman of Maxi said, "Then we absolutely cannot move. If Nan Guang and Shimen Fan are in cahoots, wouldn't it be asking for trouble if we from Mahu went along with it?"
I scoffed: "You leaders have finally figured out the crux of the matter after going around in circles. Back then, the Mahu tribe surrendered their territory and became one family among the southwestern barbarian chiefs. Such an earth-shattering act now seems to be a matter of national righteousness; but in the eyes of some, doing so is nothing short of breaking the treaty and betraying the alliance."
Dong La's expression changed drastically, and he pointed at me angrily, saying, "Qing Niangzi, what do you mean?!"
I took his hand and looked him in the eye, and said frankly, "Chief Dong, what I mean is that whether Nan Guang is captured or surrenders, once it joins forces with the Shimen Fan, their next target will definitely be your Mahu!"
There's an old saying among the Dong people: "If you have sheep, burn the mountain; if you have enemies, find friends." If you're unwilling to burn the mountain and abandon your friends, how will you feed the sheep? And if enemies come, who can you rely on for help?
"Qingcheng knew of the Mahu tribe's predicament and understood the chief's difficulties, which is why he volunteered to go to Xunzhou to deliver the message!"
Old Abu sighed, "We, the three barbarian tribes of Bodao, are like the pot stones in this hearth. We can't get too close to each other, nor can we be too far apart. But no matter what, we're all in the same hearth. Whether we become brothers or enemies, it's time to settle things."
Song Ninghai said, "Nanguang and Mahu have already entered Song territory, so they are naturally brothers. If we can seize the opportunity to take down Shimen Fan this time, the three routes of Bodao will be reunited. After that, we can travel, intermarry, and trade freely, and everyone's lives will definitely get better."
The chieftains began whispering among themselves: "Can we really trust these two?"
"What Lady Qing said is true. Back then, the leader of the Shimen tribe was so angered by our side that his arrow wound burst open and he died. If it weren't for Nan Guang in the middle and the natural barrier of the Mahu River, we would have fought countless battles long ago. Sigh, all things considered, Nan Guang has saved Mahu from a lot of disasters over the years. We should still lend a hand if we can!"
“What can we offer in return? Our village is truly poor! A while ago, those local 'farmers' almost rebelled against me because of the 'downhill settlement' policy!”
The night wind swept through the hall, carrying the damp chill unique to the mountains.
The mournful cry of an owl echoed from afar, and everyone instinctively moved closer to the fire pit, the flickering flames casting shifting shadows on each face.
Old Abu's children and grandchildren knelt on either side of the mourning hall, draped in felt. Yinghua, who was in the front row, suddenly stood up and shouted in the direction where Old Abu was standing, "Father! What brothers and enemies, rich or poor, I don't understand what you're saying!"
"Yinghua only knows that I have been married to Mahu for thirty years. If something happens to Mahu, I will never abandon my husband's family! Similarly, I am also a daughter of Nanguang. If something happens to Nanguang, I will never abandon my own family!"
"You guys keep talking, I'm going back to Nanguang by myself. If you have any connections, gather your men, grab your weapons, and come with me!"
The kneeling Abu family members all stood up in a flash: "Sister-in-law, we're with you!"
"Mom, your son is with you!"
Count me in!
"Me too!"
"Let's go!"
The unexpected turn of events caught everyone off guard, and the faces of the chieftains who were arguing incessantly around the fire pit grew increasingly grim.
Ah Da strode forward, opened his arms, and blocked the crowd, saying, "Yinghua, calm down!"
Yinghua retorted sharply, "How can you expect me to stay calm? The barbarians from Shimen have attacked, and my family home is in Qingling!"
Ah Da yelled at the children next to Yinghua, "Stop fooling around! Grandpa hasn't said anything yet! Hurry up and drag your mother away!"
Yinghua broke up with her sons, forcefully pushed them aside, turned around and pulled a young woman out of the crowd, bringing her together with Ada: "Abuyedu! Open your eyes and look, who is standing in front of you?!"
“Thirty years ago, you led the people of Lujiaodong to steal salt from Tianchi Lake. My third brother and the others were still young. If it weren’t for my brothers from my maternal family leading the clansmen to help us; if it weren’t for Ashi’s grandfather sacrificing himself to take a knife for you, do you think you would still be standing here, yelling at me and the children?”
Ash lowered her head and said in a tearful voice, "Uncle, Aunt, Ash begs you, please stop arguing..."
Ah Da's lips trembled, unable to speak, his dark face now turning purple.
Yinghua was still furious and pushed him, making him stumble: "Abuyedu, you're truly heartless! For thirty years, how have I, Yinghua, treated you and your brothers? Now that my brothers are in trouble, you don't want to help, and you don't want me to help either! Is that it?!"
The second and third brothers called out in unison, "Sister-in-law!"
A-Da stamped his foot, pushed through the crowd, and knelt down in front of Old A-Bu, kowtowing three times: "Father, your son is unfilial! What your son owes Ying-Hua, he must repay! What Lu-Jiao-Dong owes Qing-Ling, he must also repay! If your son doesn't come back, what he owes you, Father, he will repay in the next life!"
Old Abu waved his hand expressionlessly, walked to the chair next to the coffin, and sat down shakily: "The children have the blood of Nanguang people flowing in their veins. Old Abu can't persuade them or stop them. I believe the leaders can understand my difficulties."
“This time, I sent the children to six places to report the death. Firstly, it was to fulfill the entrustment of Prefect Song and Lady Qing; secondly, it was also for Old Abu’s own selfish reasons,” he said, standing up and looking at his children and grandchildren. “While we are still all here, I’m afraid that after this catastrophe in Shimen, we should say goodbye in advance.”
"Father!"
"Grandpa!"
The children of Abu's family all knelt down and kowtowed to the old man; the leaders of the five tribes by the hearth all looked at Dong La.
Dong La's gaze fell on me, and he suddenly asked, "I wonder what the relationship is between Qing Niangzi and Chief Luo of your Nan Guang tribe?"
I frankly said, "Chief Luo's second daughter and my daughter are sworn sisters."
“In that case,” Dong La raised his hands to his chest and nodded slightly, “I would like to arrange a marriage between myself and Qing Niangzi.”
A marriage alliance? What kind of marriage alliance... Do you think you're trying to take advantage of my Huai Xu?
I was completely bewildered and about to ask when Old Abu jumped out and clapped his hands: "Quick! Go catch a chicken! The chieftain wants to become sworn brothers with Qing Niangzi!"
Under Dong La's orders, the Mahu tribe quickly assembled four thousand men.
This team, mainly composed of members of the Dong and Abu ethnic groups, traveled day and night and finally arrived quietly at the outskirts of Nanguang at dawn the day before the winter solstice in the Song calendar.
Concerned about the situation in the prefectural government, and not wanting to speak frankly, I clasped my hands in greeting to Dong La, Ying Hua, and the others, saying, "Brothers and sisters, you have had a long journey. Why don't you rest here for a while, and let Qingcheng enter Junlian Town first to report back to the Prefect and the Vice Prefect?"
Yinghua quickly said, "Sister, I'll go with you!"
I tried to decline, but Dong La spoke up, his tone leaving no room for argument: "You all wait here, I'm going with the Qingcheng girl."
"Yes, Great Chief!"
As they approached the prefectural government office, a large crowd gathered at the alley entrance; judging from their clothing, they were not ordinary people.
My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly slid off my horse and tossed the reins to Dong La: "Brother, please!"
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