Chapter 18: Remember to Be Cautious

In winter, Liu Gui’s caravan returned to Li Shuang’s estate, bringing back five hundred crossbows and several carts of iron as agreed.

Li Shuang immediately inspected the crossbows and found their craftsmanship excellent, with an effective range beyond two hundred steps and good accuracy.

The Hu Ren were skilled archers, but mostly used bows, not crossbows.

Crossbow production was an engineering craft, mastered mostly by Han artisans, who were strictly monitored by both the Northern Wei and Southern Liang courts.

Liu Gui acquiring so many crossbows at once meant the Hu tribe he visited had a large number of crossbow makers, and they were not under Pingcheng’s control.

Li Shuang became curious, but Liu Gui stammered and refused to reveal details about the tribe.

Li Shuang did not press further.

“Then get me another thousand crossbows. The payment remains the same.”

Such a large deal naturally appealed to Liu Gui, but he was troubled.

“The war in Wuchuan and Huixu has become extremely difficult. Yuan Yu holds Yuncheng and dares not advance—his fear of the enemy is obvious. He will likely not defeat Po Liuhan Baling. Tribes along the northern border are all in fear, worried both that the Six Garrisons army will come and that other tribes allied with the imperial forces will swallow them whole. In this situation, a few bags of gold are no longer enough to win loyalty.”

“Then what do they want?”

“They want protection!”

Li Shuang understood—they wanted security.

For example, in early Northern Wei, peripheral tribes of the Xianbei submitted oaths of allegiance and received the Xianbei’s protection, ensuring their survival.

That person could not be Li Shuang—he must be Er Zhu Rong.

Whether by official rank or reputation, the Marquis of Liang, Er Zhu Rong, who had just captured Si Prefecture, was the best candidate.

“Why don’t they go to Yuan Shen?”

Liu Gui gave a forced smile and shook his head helplessly.

“Yuan Shen is now guarding against all northern tribes even more fiercely than against the Six Garrisons. Many tribes have realized this Prince of Guangyang is no gentle soul! They’re just a small tribe—they fear that if they submit to Yuan Shen, he’ll devour them down to the last bone. If the military commander can persuade the Marquis of Liang to accept them, those thousand crossbows will come without a single coin spent.”

“Which small tribe?”

“The Po Liuhan tribe!”

Liu Gui glanced nervously at Li Shuang, who nearly spat out his drink.

“The Po Liuhan of Po Liuhan Baling?”

Liu Gui nodded, looking utterly innocent.

After much thought, Li Shuang told Er Zhu Rong about the matter.

When Li Shuang found Er Zhu Rong in Xiurong County and told him the Po Liuhan tribe wished to submit an oath of allegiance, Er Zhu Rong became deeply interested.

The Po Liuhan tribe originally belonged to the Xiongnu, a major clan of Hexi, with deep ties to the Er Zhu family.

Now that Po Liuhan Baling had become a notorious rebel, most of the Po Liuhan tribe had joined him; the rest were in a precarious position.

“Second brother, what do you think of this? Could it be a trick?”

Li Shuang’s concern was reasonable, but Er Zhu Rong shook his head.

Er Zhu Rong understood the feuds among these Hu tribes far better than Li Shuang, a Han man.

“The Po Liuhan were once a great Xiongnu clan; their internal unity was never absolute. It’s natural that some within the tribe would refuse to follow Po Liuhan Baling’s rebellion. Tell Liu Gui—I accept.”

Seeing Er Zhu Rong agree, Li Shuang breathed easier—at least the thousand crossbows were secured.

“Once they move south, where do you plan to settle them?”

Er Zhu Rong led Li Shuang to the map and pointed with his finger.

Li Shuang was startled!

“Ma Yi?”

Li Shuang thought again—Er Zhu Rong’s seemingly casual gesture was in fact brilliantly planned.

Ma Yi was a strategic border stronghold linking Hengzhou and Si Prefecture, still under Yuan Shen’s control.

Placing this branch of the Po Liuhan tribe near Ma Yi.

If they harbored rebellious intentions, Er Zhu Rong could then launch a campaign to reclaim Ma Yi, eliminating all future threats.

If they truly meant to surrender, then as kin of the rebel leader, their only reliable ally would be the Er Zhu family, with whom they had deep ties. Should anything happen, they would become Er Zhu’s backing.

At that moment, Er Zhu Zhao rushed in, his expression grim.

He glanced at Li Shuang and reported:

“The Governor of Bingzhou, Su He Po Lunxian, has rebelled. The court has issued an edict ordering Uncle to march south and suppress them.”

Er Zhu Rong studied the edict and knew it was written by Yuan Yi, the Regent General of Luoyang.

“What else did the Regent General say?”

“He said that since Liu Teng’s death, the situation in Luoyang has grown delicate. With Su He Po Lunxian’s rebellion, some in court want him to lead the campaign. The Regent General suspects foul play and urges Uncle to resolve this quickly.”

Several years ago, Yuan Yi and the eunuch Liu Teng had jointly imprisoned the Hu Hou, seizing control of Luoyang’s court.

But recently, Liu Teng had died. In the inner palace, Yuan Yi lost his key ally.

The Hu Hou, once imprisoned, had become increasingly active. Yuan Yi felt the pressure and dared not leave Luoyang.

Yuan Yi was Er Zhu Rong’s pillar in the Luoyang court—his fall would bring no benefit to the Er Zhu clan.

“Reply to the Regent General—I will immediately prepare troops and march south.”

After Er Zhu Zhao left, Er Zhu Rong turned to Li Shuang.

“Bingzhou is not Si Prefecture. Su He Po Lunxian commands many troops and generals. For this campaign, I will march south with my elder brother. Third brother, I give you three thousand horses—you lead troops north to meet the Po Liuhan tribe.”

Er Zhu Rong feared that if he took his elite forces south, northern tribes might imitate the Er Zhu and seize Si Prefecture in his absence.

“Second brother, I understand.”

Er Zhu Rong looked skeptically at Li Shuang and confirmed again.

Be absolutely safe!

“Don’t worry!”

Li Shuang nodded firmly and strode out swiftly, heading to choose his horse!

Er Zhu Rong watched Li Shuang’s back and felt inexplicably uneasy.

“Why does this boy’s quick agreement make me so uneasy?”

Several days later.

As Er Zhu Rong led his seven thousand Qihu warriors and Yuan Tianmu’s three thousand elite troops southward, he suddenly realized something!

“Tianmu, have you figured out how to deal with Su He Po Lunxian?”

“No. I’ve just realized why I’ve felt uneasy.”

“Why?”

Yuan Tianmu frowned, then saw Er Zhu Rong’s face turn pale.

“How did I forget what my third brother used to do? Sending him to Ma Yi—a treasure trove—is like leaving a salted fish under a cat’s watch!”

Yuan Tianmu chuckled.

“It can’t be that bad!”

But then he froze, glancing at Er Zhu Rong—both men thought the same two words.

Hard to say!