Chapter 23: Ma Yi Is a Place Where the Law Still Matters

"I never thought it would be this chaotic here too!"

The girl in the red coat rode a magnificent white horse atop a high ground; below her stood women armed with crossbows, and beyond them, three thousand elite Hu Ren cavalry stood in tight formation.

Outside the tribal encampment, countless scattered bandits galloped in circles, probing and testing.

Horse trading in the northern frontier faced no strict restrictions, but armor—especially horse armor—was tightly controlled and extremely scarce.

These three thousand Hu Ren cavalry each wore rhinoceros-hide armor, armed with horsebows and curved sabers, and were already considered elite riders.

The scattered bandits on the periphery couldn’t even muster basic equipment.

"Aru, weren’t they supposed to join Han Baling? Why are they heading south?"

The tribal elder’s face was full of confusion; he simply couldn’t understand what was happening.

The girl named Aru, however, saw through the essence of the matter.

"The northern frontier has no grain. Pingcheng won’t supply them, and they lack the courage to go to Wo Ye Zhen—so they’ve come south to raid."

The tribal elder looked helplessly resigned.

"What kind of situation is this? Doesn’t the court intervene?"

"If the court could intervene, wouldn’t Wang Yuanshen still be hiding inside Pingcheng?"

The girl in the red coat showed not the slightest respect for the high-ranking Prince Guangyang, her tone dripping with disdain and mockery.

"Then what should we do?"

"As long as they don’t attack, we just hold out."

Aru didn’t want to fight. Fighting these southern tribes was meaningless—it would only waste the lives of her tribe’s young men.

But reality didn’t follow her wishes; the bandits outside were gathering in greater numbers.

Someone had spread word of her tribe’s wealth, and now many were watching her closely.

"Do they really think I’m a woman and can be trampled on?"

As the enemy prepared to charge in, the girl in the red coat’s eyes flashed with resolve. She raised her hand and swung her horsewhip.

The women of the tribe were tough as men; instantly, each pulled back their crossbow strings, aiming and ready to fire.

At that moment, a deep, booming horn sounded.

The cavalry surrounding the girl’s tribe suddenly fell into chaos.

Those below didn’t understand what was happening, but the girl saw clearly.

A fully armored cavalryman charged into the bandit group, carrying a large banner, causing massive disruption.

The bandits who had moments before been like tigers and wolves, ready to plunder the girl’s tribe, now cowered like rabbits.

The warrior bearing the banner rode straight to the bandits’ leader, spoke only a few words, then bound him to his saddle and turned away.

He moved through the crowd of thousands as if walking through empty land.

The girl stood high above, seeing only two characters carved on the banner.

"Da Ye!"

Beneath the vast sky, in this chaotic age, there were still some people, some deeds, that moved the girl.

"Is there still law? Is there still justice?"

In the great square of Ma Yi city, a row of captured Hu Ren chieftains lay face-down, being beaten on the buttocks with sticks.

Li Shuang stood at the gate, roaring.

"My men were riding in carriages, singing happily, transporting goods—then suddenly you robbed them!"

"You robbed them, fine—but at least recognize what you’re stealing! You ate ginseng like radishes, roasted sea eagles like roast chicken, turned sable pelts into underwear!"

"Commander, calm down!"

Liu Gui stepped forward to persuade, but Li Shuang’s anger did not subside.

"Beat them! Beat them to death!"

The square was filled with cries of agony.

Gao Ang rode in from outside the city, banner in hand, and threw the Hu Ren chieftain he’d just captured onto the square.

"Lord, I’ve brought him."

"Was it you who killed my horse?"

The man Gao Ang had captured didn’t beg for mercy like the others—he was defiant.

"Yes."

"Why did you kill my horse?"

"Because I was hungry."

The man stood up, speaking with complete conviction, then glared at Gao Ang with clear resentment.

"If I hadn’t gone two days without food, do you think you could’ve caught me?"

Li Shuang clapped his hands; servants brought over a large platter of lamb and several Hu cakes.

"Eat your fill!"

The man didn’t hesitate—he sat down and devoured the food greedily.

Soon, the Hu cakes and lamb on the small table were gone.

After eating, Li Shuang brought him a bowl of lamb broth.

He took it, drank it down in one gulp.

"I, Kedi Gan, never eat for free. You feed me, I serve you. Tell me—what do you want done? Except Prince Guangyang Wang Yuanshen, there’s no one on this northern steppe I won’t kill!"

The man before him was stubborn, unyielding to the extreme.

Li Shuang smiled.

"You’re a general appointed by the court—how did you end up so destitute, even without a meal?"

"Our general titles are hollow. Our soldiers are our own tribe’s sons—we must feed them ourselves. What good are the few coins the court gives? Every year we must serve guard duty in Luoyang—that’s another huge expense. To be blunt, the court gives more to the Rouran than it gives us."

"Then from now on, follow me."

Kedi Gan asked:

"Can you make sure everyone in my tribe eats?"

"Yes."

"Then fine. If you feed us, I’ll walk through fire and mountains for you!"

Li Shuang pulled Kedi Gan up, smiling.

"No need for that. We use our brains, not our lives."

"Chief, trouble!"

Hulü Jin sat on the ground, face grim, silent, listening as his subordinate spoke:

"The matter in Pingcheng has blown up. Wang Yuanshen can’t explain it away—he’s arrested several men, and they’ve all confessed you ordered them to stir up trouble!"

Hulü Guang exploded:

"Lies! My father didn’t join them—he helped the court calm everyone down! Why are they framing us?"

"Your name’s too big—you’re the perfect scapegoat!"

Hulü Jin clenched his fists at these words.

"What did Prince Guangyang say?"

"Wang Yuanshen said nothing—only had the confessions filed away."

"If he said nothing, then there’s still room to maneuver."

Hulü Jin spoke slowly. Outside the tent, the girl in the red coat entered.

"Do you still harbor illusions about Pingcheng?"

Hulü Jin showed no surprise at her arrival, only spoke coolly:

"Are you here to speak for Han Baling’s tribe against me?"

"No. I’m here to tell you what Wang Yuanshen will do next."

In this tent full of men, the girl showed no fear—her aura commanded silence, forcing all to lower their heads.

"Now Li Shuang controls Ma Yi, this treasure trove, holds the trade routes, and has the grain reserves of Si Zhou. Half of Hengzhou no longer obeys Pingcheng—it may erupt into chaos. Wang Yuanshen isn’t ignoring you—he’s waiting for the right moment to hand you over to the court as a sacrifice."

A shadow fell over young Hulü Guang’s heart. He looked at Hulü Jin and asked:

"Will the court really treat us like this?"

Hulü Jin didn’t answer.

After a long silence, he sighed.

"The loyal and righteous—why does heaven refuse them?"