Chapter 21: Use This Test to Evaluate Officials

"Captain, the Hulü tribe has arrived!"

Yu Jin was ordered to Ma Yi to retrieve military grain, but his first stop was not Ma Yi City, but the Chile tribe.

The Hulü tribe is one of the six Chile clans.

Hulü Jin is a renowned chieftain of the Hulü tribe.

Decades ago, a folk song circulated across the northern grasslands: "Seek a good husband, and find one like Bei Houli."

This Bei Houli was Hulü Jin’s great-grandfather.

Thanks to superior family genetics, Hulü Jin’s lineage differed from the short, narrow-faced Hu Ren—every member was tall and imposing.

When Rouran Khan Anagui returned north, he was escorted by Yang Jun, commander of Huaihuo Garrison, and Hulü Jin; when Anagui invaded Gao Lu, he was repelled by Hulü Jin leading his troops.

Hulü Jin held great prestige among the northern grasslands, but was not noble.

Yu Jin sought him out precisely because of his prestige.

Among the many Hu Ren chieftains near Ma Yi, Hulü Jin was the foremost.

When Yu Jin met Hulü Jin, he was training with his son, Hulü Guang, by the riverbank.

Upon learning that someone had come from Pingcheng, Hulü Jin immediately came to greet him.

But upon hearing Yu Jin’s purpose, Hulü Jin shook his head.

"If it were another matter, I could help—but pressuring Ma Yi’s city governor Li Shuang for grain and money? I cannot assist."

"Why not?"

"Captain, do you know what is most popular in Ma Yi City right now?"

Yu Jin began to guess.

"Ma Yi has always been a hub for livestock; warhorses must be top of the list."

"Qin’s lacquerware is exquisite and favored by all tribal chieftains—it might rank first."

"The grasslands are short on iron—could it be iron tools from various regions?"

Hulü Jin shook his head and gave the answer.

"It’s Hong Manlan!"

Yu Jin’s face filled with confusion.

"What is Hong Manlan?"

"It is a dance house opened by Liu Gui, a merchant under Li Shuang. Its dancers come from everywhere—Western Hu women from the Western Regions, Korean maids from the East—all dazzlingly beautiful. The name derives from 'Red clouds reflect afar, waves shimmer brilliantly.'"

Yu Jin stroked his beard and sighed:

"That name does carry some charm!"

After his remark, Yu Jin realized he had been probing, and asked:

"But how does this relate to my request of you, chieftain?"

"Since Hong Manlan opened, Li Shuang has invited all nearby tribal chieftains to gatherings. They flock there daily; some haven’t returned home for many days. Frankly, even my own tribe has many who go, spending lavishly."

"It’s just a dance house—how could it be so powerful?"

Hulü Jin felt a pang of regret—these sons of noble families were out of touch with reality.

A dance house might be unremarkable in Luoyang, but here, in the northern frontier?

What did these Hu Ren, who spent their days among wild beasts, know of such things?

"Captain, you’re right—but the northern frontier is remote. These chieftains have never seen Luoyang’s wealth—how could they resist the songs and dances of Hong Manlan?"

Even a renowned chieftain like Hulü Jin, granted privileges by the Northern Wei court and required to serve in Luoyang’s palace guard, had seen such things.

"Moreover, this dance house differs from those I saw in Luoyang."

Yu Jin snorted, his expression darkening.

"But even so, that alone shouldn’t make you so reluctant."

"Frankly, Captain, every chieftain who has visited Hong Manlan has been drawn into an organization called the Tongxin Alliance."

"What’s that?"

"Simply put, all future output from tribes near Ma Yi—furs, herbs, livestock—will be uniformly purchased by the Tongxin Alliance, then sold south. Profits will be distributed by the alliance. Additionally, the alliance will collectively procure iron tools, salt, tea, pottery, lacquerware, and other goods from Bing and Si provinces, then sell them to each tribe."

The words from Hulü Jin’s mouth filled Yu Jin with grave alarm.

Li Shuang was secretly forming a faction, favoring allies and crushing rivals—his ambitions were vast.

He turned a suspicious gaze toward Hulü Jin.

"Chieftain, you haven’t joined this Tongxin Alliance, have you?"

Hulü Jin gave a bitter smile.

"Captain, how could you say such a thing? If I had joined, why would I reveal everything to you?"

"Then what is your meaning?"

"Since the rebellion of Po Liuhan Baling, the northern frontier has been in chaos; both Eastern and Western Chile tribes feel uneasy. I ask you to persuade Prince Guangyang: not all are traitors plotting rebellion. Most are simply driven to revolt because life has become unbearable. If Prince Guangyang can restore order and persuade the court to transform the Six Garrisons into prefectures, how could the Six Garrisons remain unstable?"

Yu Jin fell silent. After a long while, he spoke:

"Chieftain, I deeply admire your loyalty. But court affairs are now a tangled mess—even Prince Guangyang cannot untangle them. The immediate priority is for the Eastern Theater Grand Commissioner to defeat Po Liuhan Baling; only then might there be a turn for the northern frontier."

With that, Yu Jin bowed:

"Since you are burdened by your people’s ties and unwilling to break with Li Shuang, I shall take my leave. Also, Prince Guangyang has prepared some livestock and grain—please accept them."

Ma Yi.

In the governor’s mansion, Yang Kan, shirtless, lifted two hundred-pound stone weights in the bitter cold.

Seeing Li Shuang arrive, Yang Kan set down the weights and bowed.

"Lord!"

"I’ve never seen you go to Hong Manlan. Liu Gui spends all his time there—do you find the girls there unattractive?"

Yang Kan smiled wryly and explained:

"It’s not that the girls aren’t beautiful—warriors like us prioritize strengthening bones and sinews; we avoid being weakened by lust, so I’ve never gone."

"What about Gao Ang?"

"Ao Cao may be unruly, but he’s a warrior—he knows the stakes, so he hasn’t gone either."

"Then where has he gone?"

"He seems to have taken a group of wandering knights outside the city—no one knows why."

Not long after Yang Kan spoke, Gao Ang rushed back, breathless.

"Lord, I’ve found out something!"

Li Shuang looked puzzled.

"What did you find out?"

"The tribe that gave us a thousand crossbows isn’t Po Liuhan’s—it’s a small tribe that serves under them. Their chieftain is a woman, beautiful as a flower, slender and alluring—just looking at her from afar, she’s breathtakingly graceful."

Li Shuang glanced at Yang Kan, exasperated.

"Didn’t you say he wasn’t lustful?"

Yang Kan felt awkward.

But Gao Ang waved his hand dismissively, as if they hadn’t understood him.

"Though small, the tribe is wealthy and commands three thousand Xiongnu elite cavalry. All tribal chieftains around Ma Yi are watching her. Lord, if you marry her, those three thousand Xiongnu cavalry are ours!"

Gao Ang finished, beaming, rubbing his hands.

"I’ve long wanted to test the taste of Xiongnu cavalry—surely they’re different from ordinary soldiers."

Li Shuang stared at Gao Ang’s dazed expression, utterly speechless.

How could you say such a bizarre thing with such a serious face?

"You train your sinews—do you think I don’t?"

Li Shuang wore a haughty expression, but inwardly he didn’t believe a word.

For those three thousand elite cavalry, even if the woman looked like a sow, Gao Ang would call her more beautiful than Xi Shi or Diao Chan!

Could Hong Manlan truly become Ma Yi’s top seller?

……