Chapter 65: Well Done!

Beneath the vast sky, green fields stretched in shade.

Inside the great tent, fine woolen carpets were laid out, incense burned, and sweet grapes and various drinks were arranged.

Today, envoys from Yunzhong were to hold a cordial yet polite meeting with the envoys of the Rouran Khagan.

“To ally with my master and attack the Liuzhen rebels, you must pay for my master’s mobilization costs and cede the Monan lands to our Rouran, to serve as dwelling grounds for our tribespeople.”

Inside the great tent, the Rouran envoy was speaking boastfully.

If the Liuzhen rebels were those betrayed by their own Xianbei kin in Luoyang, left with no future and full of resentment, then these Rouran were those who never had a future to begin with—there was no “loss” involved.

Why are steppe peoples so hard to defeat?

Simple: Central Plain armies cannot find them; even if they do and defeat them, they gain little—purely a losing proposition. Building the Great Wall is far more practical.

The Xiongnu declined, the Xianbei rose; when the Xianbei moved south, the Rouran rose.

Had events followed their original course, the Rouran should have become the next Xiongnu or Xianbei, masters of the steppe.

With three hundred thousand archers, their territory stretched north to the Hanhai , east to the Liao River, west beyond the Pamirs, and south to the Yellow River.

Yet the Northern Wei was an utterly unique entity.

If the Han people cannot find you beyond the Great Wall, how can the Xianbei not find you?

The poor, mistreated Rouran!

Being mistreated was bad enough, but the Xianbei established the “Pingcheng Model,” using campaigns against the Rouran to continuously strengthen their own economy and military power, forming a positive feedback loop unlike anything in Qin or Han times.

Where could the Rouran go to plead their case?

But now things were different.

The Liuzhen had rebelled; the very troops once tasked with suppressing the Rouran had become traitors, and the sinicized Xianbei now begged the Rouran to fight these Liuzhen rebels.

With new grievances added to old ones, the Rouran envoy felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

The Rouran envoy spoke passionately, but Li Shuang and the group of Han officials in the tent could not comprehend the Rouran’s state of mind.

Li Shuang was growing impatient.

“You’ve been yapping for half an hour—say it straight: how much gold do you want?”

After venting, the Rouran envoy heard this and held up one finger.

“A thousand gold!”

Li Shuang rolled his eyes.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, the Rouran envoy grew nervous and whispered:

“How about eight hundred gold?”

Li Shuang snorted, stood, and walked up to the envoy.

“What’s your name?”

Intimidated by Li Shuang’s aura, the envoy nervously gave his name.

“Yujiulu Fa.”

“Have you ever been to Luoyang?”

Yujiulu Fa was fat; his whole body wobbled as he moved. He nodded subtly, yet still held his ground, forcing composure.

“I went to Luoyang with the Khagan back then—so what?”

Having been to Luoyang, he understood the vast gulf between Rouran and Northern Wei.

Of all the world’s great cities, Luoyang and Jiankang represented the peaks of governance in the northern and southern courts.

Though Luoyang was under Northern Wei control, its degree of sinicization made it seem more like a Han regime than even the Jiankang court.

Luoyang’s splendor, the elegance of its Central Plain elites—none of it could be matched on the steppe.

Yujiulu Fa’s heart was humble, yet his demeanor was defiant.

“Now you’re begging us—give us gold and land, what’s wrong with that?”

“I’ll make you do it!”

Li Shuang slapped him hard, sending sparks flying before the envoy’s eyes.

The Rouran guards beside Yujiulu Fa rushed forward to protect him, but Li Shuang’s soldiers restrained them.

Yujiulu Fa, struck, roared:

“Why did you hit me?”

“I’m hitting you because I can!” Li Shuang grabbed the fat man by the collar and slapped him twice more. “You’ve been to Luoyang—how dare you ask for a thousand gold?”

Yujiulu Fa had been ready to fight to the death, but these words left him stunned.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think the friendship between Rouran and the court is worth only a thousand gold?”

Li Shuang shook his head and sighed:

“You’ve traveled great distances from Mobei across deserts to help the court crush rebels—how much should you ask for? It’s only right!”

Yujiulu Fa ventured cautiously:

“Then how much would be appropriate?”

“Five thousand gold, plus one hundred thousand shi of grain and thirty thousand cattle and sheep—non-negotiable!”

Hearing these terms, Yujiulu Fa was dazed, hardly believing it.

“You’re giving us this?”

“Of course—the court is giving it to you!”

Hearing this, the sting of the slap on Yujiulu Fa’s face vanished; his heart warmed, and his broad face broke into a grin.

He stood and shouted at the Rouran soldiers who had rushed in upon hearing the commotion:

“What are you doing here? Get out! You’ve disturbed my conversation with Brother Daye!”

“Your Highness, your face—?”

“It’s a new fashion in the northern frontier—you wouldn’t understand.”

After the soldiers were driven out, Yujiulu Fa draped his arm over Li Shuang’s shoulder and whispered:

“I understand your ways—after this is done, I’ll give you two-tenths.”

“Many thanks, Envoy!”

“No need to thank me—we’re family! When our royal court settles beside Shuozhou, you’ll have to look out for us!”

The Rouran envoy returned satisfied; Li Shuang waved farewell outside.

Watching the Rouran column vanish into the distance, Yu Jin, who had been beside Li Shuang all along, finally spoke:

“Allying with the Rouran is merely the Grand Commander’s private decision—the court hasn’t been informed yet, and even if it were, approval is far from certain.”

Yu Jin knew the Luoyang court’s ways all too well.

A deal like this would take months of bickering before any result!

How many years would it take to approve such a massive sum of money and grain?

“It’s all for the court—what’s a little money and grain? If needed, I’ll pay it myself!”

Yu Jin rubbed his ear, for a moment thinking he’d hallucinated.

“You’re saying you’ll pay out of your own pocket for the court?”

Li Shuang turned to Yu Jin, clapped his shoulder.

“Si Jing, I know you once misunderstood me, but believe me—in this time of crisis, everyone has the will and courage to step forward. A little money and grain? Even if I had to ruin my family to save the state, I wouldn’t hesitate.”

Yu Jin wept!

A sudden dread filled his heart!

Of course, not because he believed Li Shuang—on the contrary, Yu Jin didn’t believe a single word.

“General, you’re not planning to ally with the Rouran and raid Luoyang, are you?”

That day, as the autumn wind blew across the green fields, Yu Jin heard the most unforgettable answer of his life:

“What nonsense—if I could raid Luoyang, do you think I’d settle for five thousand gold?”

…