Chapter 762: Flash Bun

Raise your heads!

The Great King sat on his horse, relying on the White Dragon's superior shoulder height to look down upon the Xiongnu.

I am the emperor of Great Jin, Baili Jing. At the same time, I am also the Supreme Commander of the Northern Border's 400,000 Mysterious Armor Cavalry. However… whether it's the past hundred years or just three months ago, you and I have been enemies. Now I stand here; if anyone among you is dissatisfied, you may step forward now and seek vengeance against me!

The 10,000 Xiongnu below stared at each other, yet no one moved.

"Isn't it because you don't dare?!' There are 10,000 Xiongnu here—doesn't anyone want to make a desperate last stand for their homeland?!' As the words fell, the Heaven-Covering Lord, who had been observing him from the sky for half a day, descended and stepped arrogantly onto the Great King's right shoulder, further amplifying the visual impact.

Subutai immediately lowered his head on his horse, feeling this was definitely a trap; he had seen that bird on the battlefield before. They are numerous—not mentioning that ominous bird, just saying they have no weapons, any move would likely get them shot full of holes. Moreover, that lazy golden-furred beast looks nasty too.

Nobody? It seems everyone is smart.

Zhang Tu: ……

Wei Shen: ……You've said it all.

Well then. I know you've lived in the Northern Desert for generations, separated from Great Jin by a thousand li, with different customs. Previously each kept to your own territory, occasional clashes occurred, but that was no major crime.

On past battlefields, when we met, you fought for the Xiongnu royal court, for your own tribes, for your wives and children; I do not hold the past against you.

Now the tables have turned; I am the ultimate victor. The Xiongnu royal court has collapsed, the lands south of Gudulun have been renamed Southern Desert Commandery, and the Xiongnu have become Jin people—do you understand what I'm saying?

The Great King thought these illiterates were bold enough to understand; he gave Zhang Tu a look, saying, "Get someone to translate!"

Xiao Jin yawned beside him, muttering something! Previously it understood eighty percent of the Great King's words, but today it didn't catch a single sentence—how boring~

The Great King's speech wasn't even close to over: "You differ from the other herdsmen of my Southern Desert Commandery; they just need to settle their minds to become Jin subjects, but you? You are prisoners of war. Each of your hands has taken countless Jin lives, bearing the guilt of war. Even if I pardon your death sentence, you should spend the rest of your lives as slaves—you can't escape your crimes."

The Xiongnu below grew ever more disheartened, so what exactly are we doing to them here?!

Do you know how many Xiongnu and Xianbei tribal prisoners I hold in total? Hundreds of thousands! Do you grasp what hundreds of thousands of able-bodied young men mean? How many people are there in the Northern Border? With constant natural disasters, the Northern Border doesn't need that many slaves for labor, yet you still have to eat.

Subutai's face turned deathly pale—so these strong, threatening… are they in danger?!

The Great King paused for a moment, observing the crowd below. Everyone's complexion looked awful, and he felt pleased.

Under heaven, all beings are inherently equal; from now on, my Southern Desert Commandery and Cloud Capital Commandery will be just like the Western Qiang's Green Jade Commandery and the Western Regions' Chushi Commandery—all are my subjects, with no distinction of rank. You, in the prime of your life, before encountering my Mysterious Armor Cavalry, were also warriors of the steppe.

Since you are all my subjects, I cannot bear to see you spend your lives as slaves. This time, you have stood out from the hundreds of thousands of prisoners; it is because I have a great fortune to bestow upon you… Wait a moment. Zhang Tu, can they even understand what a great fortune is? How annoying—I hate talking to illiterates.

Wei Shen: ……

Zhang Tu hurriedly had the military clerks communicate with the announcers' translators.

I announce that if you have the ability, our past grudges have a chance to be wiped clean. You can also shed your slave status and regain freedom.

You have ten thousand here; I only need the outstanding five thousand among them. I will give these five thousand an opportunity to join my Mysterious Armor Cavalry.

These words caused a bit of a stir below.

My Mysterious Armor Cavalry is divided into many units; I am a martial enthusiast and wish to create a force composed of the people I have personally conquered from the Southern Desert Commandery, making it a new unit of the Mysterious Armor Cavalry. Such an army formed from steppe peoples is something I still lack. Once these five thousand are formed into a unit, they will enjoy the pay and benefits of the Great Jin's regular army. Although you bear the guilt of war, if you later earn military merit, you can shed your slave status. Are you wondering what I gain from doing this? How dare I? Does Great Jin lack troops?

Tell you, we lack neither people nor troops. With just ten thousand of my cavalry, I can sweep the steppe and, as a side note, destroy the Xiongnu and the Bald-Haired Xianbei.

I merely wish to give my new subjects a chance to prove themselves, letting you become the guardians of the new commandery and allowing its people to live peacefully under my rule.

Of course, also to prove it: in the hands of that worthless Chanyu, you fought a hundred battles and suffered a hundred defeats, but in my hands you can display your full sharpness. It's not that you're incapable or don't know how to fight; it's that the Xiongnu's fate has simply run out.

A minister said, "Non-our kind, their hearts must differ." That's correct. However, the strong have no fear.

We're not strangers; we've seen each other on the battlefield.

Fine birds choose their trees to roost; the Xiongnu Empire of the Northern Desert has already been buried by history, its royal family and all nobles interred beneath Mount Gudulun. In life they enslaved you, and there's nothing to miss about that, is there? Wise people know how to choose.

The Great King raised a hand behind him, the Owl Cavalry shouting, "As long as you are selected for the new army, follow me and I'll give you a chance to turn your lives around, gain freedom, achieve stability and prosperity, and secure your descendants' future. You may return home in honor, or relocate your whole family to Great Jin. Aren't they just examples of success?"

Nobody else knew, but Subutai's eyes lit up. He still has his mother and an underage younger brother among the Donghu—could it be that he might yet have a chance to see them again in his remaining life?!

Subutai clenched his fists; thus… he could fight for the Xiongnu royal court, or serve the Great Jin emperor.

The Great King turned his head, giving a proud glance to his cousin; Wei Shen stared, speechless. I feel Wei Taiping's skill at painting buns has leveled up!

Lord Xiao Jin successfully caught that glance; it looked at the Great King, then at Wei Shen, this fellow wearing a 'wise' expression, deep in thought. What are you two up to?! Don't even think about getting rid of Lord Xiao Jin!