Chapter 21: Testing Cadres With This

"Staff Officer, the Hulü tribe has arrived!"

Yu Jin had been ordered to go to Ma Yi to retrieve the military rations. However, the first place he went was not Ma Yi city, but the Tiele tribe.

The Hulü tribe was one of the six Tiele clans.

Hulü Jin was a renowned tribal chieftain of the Hulü tribe.

Several decades ago, a folk ballad had been circulating across the northern grasslands: "If seeking a fine husband, look to Beihouli."

This Hulü Beihouli was Hulü Jin's great-great-grandfather.

Thanks to the excellent bloodline within the family, Hulü Jin's lineage was unlike those short, sharp-jawed Hu Ren — every one of them grew tall, mighty, and imposing.

When the Rouran Khagan Anagui had once returned north, it was Huaishuo Garrison Commander Yang Jun together with Hulü Jin who escorted him north; and when Anagui raided Gaolu to the south, it was also Hulü Jin who led his warriors to drive him back.

Hulü Jin enjoyed great prestige on the northern grasslands, but was not of high rank.

The reason Yu Jin sought him out was precisely that prestige.

Among the many Hu Ren tribal chieftains near Ma Yi, Hulü Jin could be called the foremost.

When Yu Jin met Hulü Jin, he was at the riverbank practicing martial arts with his son Hulü Guang.

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

However, after learning the purpose of Yu Jin's visit, Hulü Jin shook his head.

"If it were any other matter, I could help, but to pressure Ma Yi's garrison commander Li Shuang for money and grain — there I cannot lend a hand!"

"Why?"

"Does the Staff Officer know what is currently the most popular thing in Ma Yi city?"

Yu Jin began to guess.

"Ma Yi has always been a gathering place for livestock — warhorses must surely take first place."

"Bingzhou's lacquerware is exquisite and has always been favored by tribal chieftains; it might also rank first."

"The grasslands are short of iron these days — could it be all manner of iron goods?"

Hulü Jin shook his head and gave the answer.

"It's Red Romance!"

A great big question mark appeared on Yu Jin's face.

"What is Red Romance?"

"It is a song-and-dance house opened by Liu Gui, a merchant under Li Shuang's command. Its dancers come from everywhere — Hu girls from the Western Regions in the west, Silla maidservants in the east — nothing is lacking, and each is radiant and enchanting. Its name is taken from the meaning 'rosy clouds reflect afar, waves blossom in splendor.'"

Yu Jin stroked his beard and sighed:

"That name does carry a certain charm!"

After his exclamation, Yu Jin caught himself probing and asked:

"But what does this have to do with the matter I entrusted to you, Chieftain?"

"Since this song-and-dance house opened, Li Shuang has widely invited nearby tribal chieftains to come for talks. The chieftains of every tribe linger there day after day; some have already gone many days without returning. I won't hide it from the Staff Officer — even within my own tribe, many have gone, and the spending has been extravagant."

"It's only a song-and-dance house — how could it be so?"

Hulü Jin felt a touch of emotion — these sons of noble houses were out of touch with reality.

A song-and-dance house, if it were in Luoyang, would naturally be nothing remarkable, but this was the northern frontier.

When had those Hu Ren of the northern tribes, who spent their days among wild beasts, ever seen the likes of this?

"What the Staff Officer says is true, yet the northern frontier is remote, and these chieftains have never seen the abundance of Luoyang — how could they possibly resist the warbling and dancing within Red Romance!"

Hulü Jin, a tribal chieftain of such renown, had received the grace and bounty of the Northern Wei court and was required to serve as a palace guard in Luoyang — he too had seen and experienced it.

"Moreover, this song-and-dance house is also somewhat different from those I saw in Luoyang."

Yu Jin gave a cold snort, his expression turning very unpleasant.

"But surely that alone is not enough to make Chieftain Hulü act this way?"

"I won't hide it from the Staff Officer — every tribal chieftain who has been to Red Romance has been drawn into an organization called the United Hearts Alliance by Li Shuang."

"And what is that?"

"Simply put, from now on, the furs, medicinal herbs, livestock, and other goods produced by the tribes near Ma Yi will all be purchased uniformly by the United Hearts Alliance, and then sold south. The profits will be distributed by the United Hearts Alliance. Besides this, the United Hearts Alliance will also uniformly purchase ironware, salt, tea, pottery, lacquerware, and other goods from Bingzhou, Sizhou, and other provinces, and then sell them to the various tribes."

The words from Hulü Jin's mouth gave Yu Jin a sense of grave crisis.

This Li Shuang was secretly gathering partisans, siding with his allies and attacking those who differed — his schemes were no small matter.

Then he turned a suspicious gaze upon Hulü Jin.

"The Chieftain hasn't also joined this organization called the United Hearts Alliance, have you?"

Hulü Jin gave a bitter laugh.

"Whatever is the Staff Officer saying? If I had joined, how could I have laid everything out before you?"

"Then what does the Chieftain mean?"

"Since Han Baling's rebellion, the northern frontier has been in turmoil, and the Tiele of east and west alike have all grown uneasy. I wish to ask the Staff Officer to go and counsel the Prince of Guangyang — not everyone is a traitorous minister harboring great treason. Most of them simply cannot survive any longer, and have been forced to rebel! If the Prince of Guangyang can set things right and persuade the court to convert the Liuzhen into provinces, what worry would there be that the Liuzhen cannot be pacified?"

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

"Chieftain, your loyal and righteous heart commands my deepest respect. Yet at this moment the affairs of the court are a tangled mess — even the Prince of Guangyang cannot sort them out. The pressing matter now is that if the Grand Commander of the Eastern Route can defeat Han Baling, the situation in the northern frontier may yet turn for the better."

Having spoken, Yu Jin cupped his fists and said:

"Since the Chieftain is constrained by his clansmen and unwilling to fall out with Li Shuang, I shall take my leave. Additionally, the Prince of Guangyang has prepared some livestock and money and grain — I hope the Chieftain will accept them with a smile."

Ma Yi.

In the garrison commander's residence, Yang Kan was stripped to the waist, hoisting two hundred-pound stone locks in the bitter cold.

Seeing Li Shuang arrive, Yang Kan set down the stone locks and offered a salute.

"My lord!"

"I don't recall ever seeing you go to Red Romance. That fellow Liu Gui is there all day long — what, do you find the Miss there not beautiful enough?"

Yang Kan smiled and explained:

"It is not that the Misses over there lack beauty; it is merely that we martial artists value strengthening our bones and sinews above all, and must avoid being harmed by feminine charms, so we have never gone."

"What about Gao Ang?"

"Although Ao Cao is unruly, he is also a martial artist and knows the importance of things, so he has never gone either."

"Then where did he go?"

"He seems to have taken a group of knights out of the city; I do not know what he is doing."

Not long after Yang Kan spoke these words, Gao Ang came running back cheerfully.

"My Lord, I have found out."

Li Shuang looked strange and asked:

"What did you find out?"

"That tribe which sent us one thousand crossbows is actually not the Poluhan tribe, but a small tribe attached to the Poluhan tribe. Its leader is a woman, beautiful as a flower, with a charming figure; seen from afar, she is simply graceful and elegant."

Li Shuang glanced at Yang Kan, looking helpless.

"Did you not say he was not lustful?"

Yang Kan was also somewhat embarrassed.

Who knew that Gao Ang waved his hand, looking as if they had ignored his meaning.

"Although that tribe is small, it is very wealthy, and under its command are three thousand elite Xiongnu cavalry. The tribal leaders around Ma Yi are all eyeing that woman. My Lord, if you marry her, those three thousand elite Xiongnu cavalry will be ours!"

After Gao Ang finished speaking, he looked excited and rubbed his hands together.

"I have long wanted to taste the Xiongnu iron cavalry; it must be different from ordinary soldiers."

Li Shuang looked at Gao Ang in this infatuated manner and felt extremely speechless in his heart.

How can you say such strange things with such a serious face?

"You strengthen your bones and sinews; does that mean I do not strengthen mine?"

Li Shuang looked proud and tsundere, yet in his heart he simply did not believe it.

For those three thousand elite cavalry, even if the other party looked like a great sow, Gao Ang could still say she was as beautiful as Xi Shi and surpassed Diao Chan!

If what Gao Ang said is truly so, could Hong Langman become the top seller in Ma Yi?