"Those hateful traitors in the family!!"
Upon hearing the scout's report, Shefu on horseback immediately gritted his teeth and cursed angrily.
He had just been mocking the Goguryeo people, and now his own home had been stolen by the Southern Wuhuan people. What an irony!
Who the hell is hiding this?
Thinking about it, Shefu's face also darkened.
Seeing this, Li Ru asked, "How many of them are there?"
"There are probably about 20,000 people!"
"Twenty thousand...? Where did they get so many people?"
Shefu's expression changed. He had dealt with the Southern Wuhuan for so many years, but he had never seen the Southern Wuhuan mobilize so many people.
Li Ru, who was standing to the side, smiled and said, "In the past, the Southern Wuhuan had the backing of the Han Dynasty, so in order to avoid their own losses, they naturally wouldn't send out too many people."
Given the Han Dynasty's years of appeasement and assistance, it's not surprising that they can muster so many men now.
She Fu nodded. "Mr. Li is right. I just didn't expect Qiu Liju and Nanlou to be two-faced! I really underestimated them!"
Thinking of Qiu Liju and Nanlou, now that old grudges remain unavenged and new hatreds have been added, the resentment on Shefu's face intensified.
Shefu then looked at the scout and asked urgently, "What is the extent of our losses?"
"Reporting to you, sir, uh... only two of our small tribes were attacked because they are close to the south. They were attacking other chieftains' tribes!"
The leaders of various tribes also organized forces to pursue them, but all returned in failure. Therefore, they have specifically requested assistance from our department, hoping that you, sir, can help them recover their plundered followers and supplies!
The scouts then gave Shefu a general report on the losses suffered by each unit.
"Phew~, that's good....!"
Hearing that his tribe had suffered no major losses, Shefu breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Thinking of the tribal leaders who had been plundered, Shefu's expression shifted, and then he looked at Li Ru beside him and asked:
"Mr. Li, what do you think? Should we send some people to help the leaders of each tribe recover the looted goods, in order to win them over?"
Li Ru smiled and shook his head, "Lord Shefu should know that there are many ways to win people's hearts, but being too proactive is the least valuable."
Even if you help them reclaim their troops and supplies today, they will at most express their gratitude and may temporarily obey your commands, but it won't last long!
“Mr. Li is right! These people are all ingrates. My father and I treated them so well back then, but as soon as my father died, they immediately turned their backs on us and even tried to take my position. They are truly hateful!”
Recalling his experiences last year, Shefu harbored deep resentment towards the leaders of the various Northern Wuhuan tribes.
"However... if we stand by and watch them die, won't that incur their resentment? If that happens, it will be difficult to integrate the various departments!"
Shefu looked at Li Ru with a troubled expression. Despite his resentment, he still longed to integrate the various departments.
Li Ru smiled and said, "Of course we can't just stand by and watch them die, but we'll have to wait until Qiu Liju and the others have completely left before we can talk about that!"
Why is that?
Shefu looked at Li Ru with a puzzled expression.
Li Ru laughed and said, "You are determined to completely integrate the various tribes, which will inevitably lead to conflicts with their leaders in the future. Now that they have been attacked by Qiu Liju and others, their strength has been greatly reduced. If we help them take it back, their losses will be limited, which will not be in our favor!"
"Mr. Li is right!"
Shefu then looked at the scout and said in a deep voice, "Go back immediately and tell them that we have penetrated deep into Goguryeo's territory and are on our way back. Tell them to hold on a little longer!"
"promise!!"
After receiving the order, the scout immediately turned his horse around and rode away quickly.
On their return journey, Shefu and his companions encountered a caravan sent by Jia Xu to Fuyu.
With Li Ru's cover, Shefu didn't think much of it and immediately led his men to trade with them, since there were many smugglers in the Han Dynasty in the past.
"You even have soldiers and armor?"
When Shefu learned that the caravan was carrying a thousand suits of armor, he was greatly surprised.
The caravan leader said smugly:
"That's right, but those were discarded by the Han army and were of no use to us, so we sold them to them to make farm tools. Do you want them?"
Although these armors were discarded by the Han army, they were still hundreds of times better than the tattered cloth armor they wore, and were more than enough to arm their personal guards.
At that time, whether he is fighting against the Northern Wuhuan or attacking the Southern Wuhuan, he will be able to greatly reduce the casualties of his troops.
Shefu quickly replied, "Yes, of course I want one! How much is a pair?"
The caravan leader held out his palm, flipped it over, and laughed:
"One hundred thousand coins per set!"
"What? It's so expensive?"
Hearing the other party's offer, Shefu was stunned. This was outrageous!
The caravan leader looked at Shefu with a cold face and said in a deep voice, "Although we can easily obtain these weapons and armor, the imperial court has issued a ban, and they must not be allowed to leave the country."
"If it weren't for making money, who would risk being executed along with their entire family to sell themselves to you?"
Upon hearing this, Shefu's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. At that moment, he truly wished to have the entire caravan slaughtered and their food and armor seized.
Seeing this, Li Ru quickly stepped forward, pulled She Fu aside, and whispered:
"Lord Shefu, what he said is also true. In the Han Dynasty, the private possession of weapons and armor is considered a crime of treason. It is indeed not easy for them to transport them out. Although they are a bit expensive, it is reasonable."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
