Chapter 83: No Eternal Enemies

Late at night.

Dong Zhongshu arrived at the residence of Chief Hai Lu, his expression resolute as he said: "Chief, relying solely on our own strength to resist foreign enemies will ultimately leave us outnumbered and outgunned; we must also unite the surrounding Qiong tribes and jointly resist the invaders. Only by working together can we have a greater chance of protecting our homeland."

Hai Lu frowned, his face full of worry, and sighed helplessly: "Mr. Dong, it's not that we don't want to ally with them, but we have feuded with these tribes for years; the Qiong tribes have long been fragmented, relations extremely strained. Under these circumstances, they will certainly not come to our aid."

Dong Zhongshu's eyes gleamed with confidence as he patted Hai Lu's shoulder, saying: "Chief, don't worry; leave everything to me. Our Son of Heaven has said, there are no eternal enemies, only shared faith and heritage. I believe that if we reason with them and move them emotionally, we will surely persuade them."

That night, the darkness was deep and all was silent; Dong Zhongshu and Chief Hai Lu took a few carefully chosen warriors, and under the cover of night, they rode hard and fast, traveling day and night to the neighboring Qiong tribe to seek aid.

The sound of hooves echoed in the quiet night sky; everyone carried hope and apprehension as they galloped toward the unknown ahead.

After several hours of travel, they finally reached the neighboring tribe.

The tribe's guards, seeing a group of unexpected visitors, immediately became alert and surrounded them.

Dong Zhongshu remained calm, stepped forward to state his purpose, hoping to meet the tribe's chief for a detailed discussion.

After some negotiation, they were brought before the chief.

Chief Yue Man sat in the seat of honor, his expression cold, a hint of contempt in his eyes; after hearing Dong Zhongshu's request, he snorted coldly: "Your grudge with the Dian people is none of my concern. After all these years, our feud remains unresolved, yet you now ask for my help—utterly absurd!"

Dong Zhongshu was not discouraged; he spoke earnestly: "Chief, the Dian people now harbor great ambitions; their goals extend far beyond our tribe. If we fall to them, you will be next. The principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold'—you surely understand that."

"'We are all of the same Qiong lineage; why, at this critical moment, should we slaughter each other instead of joining forces against the external enemy? Only by uniting can we protect our kin and our homeland.'"

Chief Hai Lu listened to Dong Zhongshu's words, his expression shifting slightly, yet he remained indecisive; moreover, they were indeed frequently harassed by the Dian people and other tribes, their living space steadily shrinking.

At that moment, an elder beside Chief Yue Man stepped forward and said: "Since you are so confident, why not settle this with a martial contest? Each side sends one warrior to duel; the loser must obey the victor's commands. If you win, we will naturally send troops to assist; if you lose, let us never speak of this again."

Hai Lu's face turned pale at once upon hearing this; he quickly tugged at Dong Zhongshu's sleeve and whispered: "Mr. Dong, this won't do! Their warriors are all strong and sturdy, while ours are no match for them."

Dong Zhongshu, however, remained composed; he nodded slightly and said: "Very well, we accept the challenge."

Word spread, and the tribe's people gathered around, eager to watch this intense showdown.

The warriors of the neighboring tribe all clenched their fists, eager to try, while on the Qiong tribe's side, everyone wore worried faces, murmuring among themselves.

When Dong Zhongshu announced that he would send the tribe's Yue Zhao into battle, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Yue Zhao was slender and unremarkable in the tribe; he lacked a strong physique and had no notable battle record, and in everyone's eyes he was a hopeless weakling.

Hai Lu grew even more frantic, stamping his feet, and again whispered to Dong Zhongshu: "Mr. Dong, Yue Zhao… how could he possibly be a match for them? Isn't that just sending him to his death?"

Dong Zhongshu merely gave a faint smile, saying nothing more.

He stepped up to Yue Zhao, solemnly placed a fine iron sword in his hand, and spoke softly:

"Yue Zhao, I believe in you. This sword is a divine weapon bestowed by the Son of Heaven; it embodies our tribe's hope. Remember, true strength comes not from a strong body, but from firm resolve and fearless courage. Fight with all your might—for the tribe, for the Great Han!"

Yue Zhao took the sword, felt its weight, looked into Dong Zhongshu's trusting eyes, and a mysterious strength welled up in his heart; he bowed deeply.

He then drew a deep breath, rose, and strode purposefully toward the dueling arena.

The neighboring tribe sent their strongest warrior, a towering figure with bulging muscles, who stood before Yue Zhao like a small mountain.

He gazed at the frail Yue Zhao, a sneer curling his lips, and jeered: "You? Want to fight me? That's nothing short of overreaching!"

Yue Zhao gave no reply, merely gripping his sword tightly, his eyes shining with steadfast determination.

At the sound of the command, the duel officially began.

The neighboring tribe's warrior launched the first attack, swinging his great blade like an enraged bull as he charged at Yue Zhao.

Yue Zhao nimbly sidestepped, skillfully evading the opponent's strike.

No one had expected Yue Zhao's agility to be so remarkable.

In the ensuing fight, Yue Zhao relied on his agility and wit, continually dodging the opponent's attacks while seeking openings to counter.

Meanwhile, the neighboring tribe's warrior, unable to land a blow, grew increasingly impatient.

At the instant the opponent revealed a flaw, Yue Zhao's eyes flashed with a cold gleam; he swiftly swung his fine iron sword, a blade of light slicing through to strike precisely at the opponent's arm.

The neighboring warrior cried out in pain, and his great blade clattered to the ground.

The arena fell silent, everyone stunned by what they saw. Moments later, the Qiong tribe's warriors burst into a deafening cheer, rushing forward to hoist Yue Zhao high, shouting his name in excitement.

Hai Lu was so moved that tears welled in his eyes; he gripped Dong Zhongshu's hand tightly and said: "Mr. Dong, your foresight is truly miraculous—this sword could serve as the Qiong tribe's holy artifact! I am ashamed; my old eyes have failed me, and I underestimated this youth."

Dong Zhongshu smiled and said: "Chief, rest assured; from now on, every warrior of our Qiong tribe will be equipped with such weapons, as well as powerful short firearms."

He did not let Yue Zhao use the short firearms because he feared harming allies and making a mess; moreover, the fine iron long sword was sufficient.

The neighboring tribe's chief and elders were also stunned, never expecting that the seemingly insignificant Yue Zhao could defeat their strongest warrior.

Chief Yue Man sighed helplessly and said: "A bet is a bet; from now on, our tribe's warriors will follow your commands."

Dong Zhongshu bowed in thanks to the chief, then led the newly allied warriors back swiftly to the Qiong tribe.

At that moment, the Dian tribe's first assault had already begun; the Qiong tribe barely withstood the impact, but was soon breached, suffering heavy casualties.

At that time, Dong Zhongshu led the reinforcements to arrive just in time, like a fresh surge of strength pouring onto the battlefield.

Through everyone's united effort, the Dian tribe's first assault was successfully repelled.

The Qiong tribe's people leapt for joy, feeling deep admiration and gratitude toward Dong Zhongshu and Yue Zhao.

From this moment on, Dong Zhongshu's prestige took root ever more deeply in the Southwest Yi region, while Yue Zhao rose from an overlooked nobody to become a hero of the tribe.

Dong Zhongshu stood on the platform of the square, gesturing for everyone to quiet down, then proclaimed loudly: "Fellow villagers, brothers and sisters, although the Dian tribe has temporarily withdrawn, we must not let our guard down; they will return in an even fiercer manner."

The crowd responded in unison.