"this……"
He Lian was also taken aback by the boy's sudden change and looked at Li Ru with some confusion.
Li Ru said in a deep voice, "Young Master, judging from their attire, those people are probably dressed the same as us, which is why he is so afraid!"
He Lian's face darkened: "These bastards, who are they? Why are they killing their own people?"
Li Ru thought for a moment, then said, "Young Master, have you forgotten? The King once sent a group of men to harass the Han territory. Judging by the days, they should have returned several days ago. Do you think it could be them?"
"How could this be? They are all my father's personal guards, how could they do something that would destroy their own foundation?"
Upon hearing this, He Lian frowned and looked at Li Ru with some disbelief.
If word got out that Tan Shihuai's personal guards had raped and murdered his subordinates and their people, Tan Shihuai's reputation would plummet, and he might not even be able to remain king.
Li Ru chuckled lightly: "Young master, don't forget that those who led the teams were all powerful figures in the Han Kingdom. When they were in the Han territory, they didn't treat these ordinary people as human beings."
Even I was framed by them and almost lost my life. I know their true nature very well.
After they joined the king, they were well taken care of, but they were far less happy than before.
Now that they had plundered the Han Dynasty and tasted the sweetness of victory, they naturally would no longer suppress their desires.
Furthermore, the King is away on campaign and unaware of the situation here. As long as they remain silent, who can find out?
As Li Ru spoke, he made no attempt to conceal his disgust and hatred for those powerful Han people.
After hearing Li Ru's words, He Lian gritted his teeth and said, "What you say is true, sir. These bastards are indeed extremely despicable. When I get back, I will definitely kill them all!"
Li Ru stepped forward and said, "Young Master, the Yuwen tribe's troops have already entered this territory. We should catch up with them as soon as possible. As for those guys, we can deal with them after we return to the royal court!"
He Lian nodded: "Sir is right, let's go!"
Afterwards, Helian left two hundred men to bury the corpses in the tribe, and then led the army toward the royal court.
After traveling for half a day, He Lian and the others arrived at a medium-sized tribe not far away.
Upon seeing He Lian and his group, the people of the tribe did not warmly welcome them. Instead, they ran around in panic, and many young men picked up knives and bows and gathered together, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
"Sir, it seems the news has spread, and those herders now regard us as enemies!"
Upon seeing the situation within the tribe, He Lian's face turned completely dark.
As the son and future heir of Tan Shihuai, he was now being treated as an enemy by the herdsmen under his command. Thinking of this, he hated those guys even more.
"Alas, those from powerful families act without restraint, so it's not surprising that such a situation could occur."
Li Ru couldn't help but sigh, and then said, "Young master, the situation is urgent and there is not much time to waste. Let's leave first, and we can explain to these herdsmen when the king returns."
"Sir, you're right. Let's go!"
He nodded, then led the team around the tribe and continued westward.
The people in the tribe breathed a sigh of relief after seeing He Lian and the others leave.
A minor chieftain from the tribe entered a tent where several young women were inside.
The leader looked at the women and asked, "You said before that the people who killed your tribesmen were really from the king's inner circle, right?"
A woman sobbed, “Yes, they said they were ordered by the king to raid the Han territory and returned victorious, so our tribe prepared a lavish feast to celebrate for them.”
However, after drinking too much, some Han Chinese men began to grope the women in the tribe. Then, they suddenly started drawing their swords and killing our tribesmen, and the soldiers joined in.
Our people were caught off guard and were killed by them. We only escaped because we were busy preparing food in the back..."
The woman, with tears in her eyes, recounted her experiences in the tribe to the chief in detail.
The leader pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm... So, the mastermind behind all of this was those Han Chinese around Your Majesty?"
The woman sobbed, "It's true that they caused this, but without those soldiers, they couldn't have done anything. It's clear that the people around the king don't take us ordinary herders seriously at all...!"
"Sigh, you guys should just rest well!"
Upon hearing this, the leader couldn't help but sigh, then turned and walked out.
The woman's words had also deeply moved him.
For these small, peripheral tribes, the people of the royal court have always been high and mighty.
The purpose of these tribes was to help the nobles of the royal court by providing them with cattle, sheep, horses, young men, and even women.
As the woman said, although the incident was caused by those few Han Chinese, the underlying reason was that the people of the royal court simply did not take them seriously.
Otherwise, even if the royal army was incompetent, they should have at least sent someone to explain or give them a perfunctory response.
However, they didn't even bother with a perfunctory excuse and just left, as if the previous attack on the tribe had never happened at all.
This feeling of working hard without complaint for so long, yet being ignored, made the minor leader feel extremely frustrated.
"Hmph, since you are so heartless, don't blame us for being unjust!"
The leader exhaled and then ordered his men to gather all his subordinates into his tent.
Looking around at everyone, the young leader said loudly, "Gentlemen, you all know that our brother tribes were killed by the royal court."
"I've waited so many years, contributing manpower and effort to the royal court, helping Your Majesty establish this empire, only to be treated like this in return. Tell me, is it still necessary for us to endure this any longer?"
The people inside the tent exchanged glances, then said in unison, "No!!"
"Good." Seeing that his subordinates were all in agreement, the leader said loudly, "I have decided to send people to unite all the non-royal tribes and then go to surrender to the Han Dynasty. We will no longer serve those greedy nobles. Are you willing to come with me?"
"Yes, yes!!"
The people inside the tent shouted in unison once again.
Soon, the leader dispatched his men to various tribes to deliver messages, and at the same time began to organize his herdsmen to prepare for migration.
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