Chapter Forty-Three: Twists and Turns (Part 1)
"You... you've actually entered the Dao?" Qin Mo stared intently into Kaihime's eyes, where a subtle brilliance had appeared. This was a symptom of vital energy entering the body. Although it was so subtle that it was difficult to detect, its significance was that it represented a complete transformation for an ordinary person.
Qin Mo didn't release his vital energy during his evening cultivation, and Kaihime absorbed very little vital energy, so Qin Mo didn't feel any disturbance in the vital energy around him last night. It wasn't until Kaihime helped him change his clothes this morning, with their bodies pressed close together, and Kaihime's newly formed dantian being too active, that Qin Mo felt the resonance of vital energy.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness." Kaihime didn't say much, but knelt down devoutly, her forehead touching the ground to express her boundless gratitude.
Qin Mo remained silent for a long time, and Kaihime also didn't look up for an extended period. She was terrified; Qin Mo's silence had lasted too long. Did His Highness intend to change his mind? After all, she was a Japanese, and a woman at that.
"In the future, if you have any questions about cultivation, please ask your godfather. If you encounter any difficulties... you can also come to... this prince." Qin Mo's words moved Kaihime to tears, her face streaked with tears and snot. "...Kaihime swears to follow Your Highness to the death... until she dies in battle..."
"Don't say such discouraging things. You have a share, I'm just helping out a little. Go and prepare breakfast for me."
Watching Kaihime's busy figure, Qin Mo thought to himself, "Why are they all such prodigies... making me, the young master, seem so useless? One or two of them can attain enlightenment without even using potions... I'm practically cheating... and I still can't catch up with this female tyrant. Now there's another one. How am I supposed to compete?" Qin Mo muttered to himself for a while, most of the joy he felt from last night's increased cultivation speed dissipating after being thwarted.
The Great Xia army marched north silently and resolutely. The soldiers and nobles had lost the enthusiasm they had when they first set out, and they were like a group of puppets, repeating the marching actions to the beat.
Qin Mo's army was a rare exception, with each unit employing a different marching pattern. Some advanced slowly, conducting reconnaissance and searching, while others engaged in unrestrained pursuit and surprise attacks. In the evenings, they frequently held competitions, local opera performances, and other entertainment activities. Coupled with ample meals three times a day, the soldiers' individual physical condition improved, and their teamwork became increasingly seamless.
Half a month after leaving the capital, Qin Mo's army finally arrived outside Guihua City and set up camp. Guihua City, formerly known as Chulechuan, is a place with abundant water and grass. The Tatar tribe occupies the western half of this grassland and is also the largest grassland tribe in the vicinity.
Huba had already sent his trusted men back to the Tatar tribe to report the news. When the army arrived at Guihua City and set up camp, several dozen riders soon came to the outside of the camp to request an audience with Huba and Huqi.
Qin Mo doesn't concern himself with these trivial matters. He only expresses his decisions when formulating strategic directions, leaving the details to his subordinates. It doesn't matter if they don't do a good job; after suffering a loss once or twice, he will have a large group of experienced grassroots executors.
This business venture to sell salt to the grasslands was destined to be unsuccessful. After Qin Mo finished dinner and was being bathed by Kaihime, Huba and Huqi anxiously requested an audience outside the tent.
Qin Mo casually wore a long robe, sat barefoot with her hair down on the couch, and looked at the two grassland children kneeling below. The two sisters had obviously quarreled, and there were tear stains in the corners of their eyes.
"Please... in more detail..."
"Your Highness, my elder brother colluded with the Kereit tribe, injured my brother-in-law Bahu'er, and abducted many of my herdsmen. I beg Your Highness to send troops to punish them. From now on, my Tatar tribe is willing to pledge allegiance to Your Highness." Huba recited his lines with his head down. He was still too shocked by such a blow and was completely disoriented.
Looking at Huba's expression, Qin Mo knew that someone had given him this idea. It was either Hu Qi or someone else in the tribe. Perhaps they thought that as a member of the Great Xia royal family, conquering a few grassland tribes was a piece of cake.
However, Qin Mo knew that this was something he could not overcome. After pondering for a long time, he made a decision and said to Huba and Hu Qi.
"You can only be loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty and the Emperor, not me. If you say such things again, not only will our cooperation be canceled, but we will also become enemies." Qin Mo saw Huba raise his head to speak, stopped him with a gesture, and then continued.
“We are partners, and I can provide you with the necessary assistance, but these are matters that cannot be discussed openly with outsiders. You may leave now. I will send someone to provide you with the necessary help. Moreover, I will only stay here for two days. If you are unable to resolve the internal conflicts after two days... I will replace you.”
Qin Mo's statement was true. With the combined strength of him and the heirs of the two powerful clans, the Marquis of Kaiyang and the King of Hejian, they could control the Yanyue grasslands. All they lacked was a partner on the grasslands, either the Tatar tribe or the Kereit tribe. He couldn't afford to interfere too deeply in the conflicts between the grassland tribes, as that would arouse suspicion from the royal family and the court.
Hu Qi pulled Huba, who still wanted to continue talking, out of Qin Mo's tent. He was a few years older than Huba and knew more about the history of the Great Xia. The Great Xia was powerful and tough on foreign powers, but their internal strife was also frequent. Although there were few instances of inter-tribal warfare on the grasslands, backstabbing was commonplace, and Qin Mo would not give others any ammunition to use against him.
That very evening, the sisters received Qin Mo's "necessary help": three hundred cartloads of snow-white sea salt, fifty full suits of iron armor and matching sabers, and an old soldier missing an arm.
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