The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 213 Mutation
At the alliance meeting of the Daban Shengzhu tribe and the Shanyu tribe.

Mo Bisheng presided over the meeting. In the presence of many Taijis, Mo Bisheng took Shuo Erhui's hand and walked towards the Chanyu. Shuo Erhui was full of shame. The Chanyu's younger brother, Aldai, stared fiercely at Shuo Erhui. If his brother hadn't stopped him, he would have definitely torn Shuo Erhui to pieces.

Mo Bisheng sincerely said to the Chanyu, "Our tribes outside the pass should unite, otherwise we will be easily bullied. Only when we are united can we force the merchants of the Great Zhou to make concessions."

This year's border trade has resulted in heavy losses for all regions, with prices in the Great Zhou border markets being reduced by as much as double compared to previous years.

Mo Bisheng seized the opportunity to win over various tribes and negotiated with Datong to agree on a fixed market price that could not be easily changed. Mo Bisheng's proposal received the support of many Taijis.

In order to appease the Shanyu tribe and gain their trust, Mo Bisheng returned Shuo Erhui, who had defected from the Shanyu tribe and sought refuge with him, to the Shanyu, while also resolving the enmity between the two.

“Shuoerhui, you should apologize to the Chanyu, offer your loyalty, and beg for his forgiveness,” Mo Bisheng said sternly as he turned around.

Shuoerhui knelt on one knee, palms facing upward, tears streaming down his face, and said, “Great Chanyu, I have made a terrible mistake. I became a coward and actually fled from the battlefield, disgracing the majestic name of the eagle you bestowed upon me. Please punish me, Chanyu under the sun.”

The Chanyu said in a deep voice, "I should kill you to wash away the humiliation of the tribe, but Mo Khan is right, we should unite." The Chanyu looked at Mo Bisheng, took Mo Bisheng's hand and raised it high, shouting three times to the countless Hu cavalry around him, "Khan! Khan! Khan!"

"Yo hehe."

"Yo ho ho ho ho"

Like water being poured into a calm oil pan, it instantly exploded, with all sorts of shouts rising up and gradually merging into one voice.

"Khan!"

"Khan!"

"Khan!"

Amidst the deafening cheers, the horse beneath Hu Qi, though initially restless, remained calm under its master's skillful control; at that moment, only one voice could be heard in the world.

This is a consensus reached by the Dabansheng tribe and the Shanyu tribe, making him the first Khan in nearly a century.

Mo Bisheng's face was flushed, his eyes were red, and he tried his best to remain calm. His voice still trembled slightly as he raised his hands and said, "I will definitely make the Hetao region prosperous and strong, and everyone will live a good life."

The nearby Taijis nodded in agreement. Mo Bisheng was the most powerful Taiji, and he originally represented the Dabansheng tribe in contacting the Da Zhou. Now, with the addition of the Shanyu tribe, everyone believed that Mo Bisheng could accomplish this.

Ou Yanhu poured the wine himself. Mo Bisheng took out a dagger, cut a hole in his palm, squeezed blood into the wine glass, and finally picked up the wine glass, raised it high and drank it all in one gulp.

The herders on the outermost edge also saw it; a smile appeared on their aged faces, which were as weathered as tree bark, like those of a hundred-year-old tree due to years of wind and sun exposure; and a glimmer of hope appeared in their cloudy eyes.

Life was too hard for them, and they hoped for a better life. They didn't dare compare themselves to the Zhou people, and they just hoped that next year's prices wouldn't be like this year's.

"Mo Bisheng seems to be a Zhou person."

"Is he trustworthy?"

"Many of the tribes under Dabansheng are Zhou people, and we probably have Zhou blood among us. As long as Mo Khan can lead us to a better life and keep his promises, I will be convinced by him."

"That's right, who cares where he's from?"

The Hu people smiled as they discussed the alliance meeting. No matter how you looked at it, the unification of the Hetao region was a joyous occasion for them, and even the poorest slaves felt a sense of greatness.

As evening approached, Mo Bisheng's stomach pain intensified, and he returned to his tent.

"Quickly, send Mo Da, Mo Er, and Mo San to the Great Zhou."

Mo Bisheng summoned his trusted confidant, and despite the excruciating pain in his stomach, he gave orders while sweating profusely. The confidant was startled and asked with concern, "Khan, what's wrong?"

"Someone is trying to frame me." Mo Bisheng didn't know who had done it.

The Chanyu? Ouyanhu? Or perhaps someone else?

There is something wrong with the wine.

I was careless, and it's too late. After I die, my sons probably won't be able to stand up to Ou Yanhu. The only ones who would dare to poison me are either Ou Yanhu or someone stronger than him.

There was no anger, only regret. Mo Bisheng knew that only by sending his sons to the Great Zhou would they have a chance to survive.

Seeing that things had come to this point, the confidant knew further words were useless and left under the cover of night.

In the night sky, the lasso landed on his neck, and he fell heavily off the horse. The riders who rushed over glanced at him and took him back.

Soon, the man opened his eyes and found himself bound hand and foot, struggling fearlessly.

"Stop struggling, just tell me if Mo Bisheng is dead or not?"

Upon hearing the question, the man finally saw the figure inside the tent clearly. The tent was crowded with people, many of whom he recognized as Taijis from various tribes. The speaker was Ou Yanhu. "It really is you!"

The man bared his teeth, as if he wanted to devour Ou Yanhu's flesh raw. Then he saw a familiar face beside him, stared for a moment, and suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Shanyu! You're a liar too!"

"Don't you Zhou people have a saying, 'Those who are not of our kind must have different hearts'? Everyone serves their own master, so how could I be a liar?" the Chanyu sneered, having already prepared a reason to clear his name as a liar.

The man said angrily, "Chief Mo has always been fair in his actions and has never wronged anyone. You should examine your own consciences and see if you can be at peace with yourselves after doing this."

Some people lowered their heads.

"Stop talking nonsense. Mo Bisheng is afraid of the Great Zhou and is blocking our way. If it weren't for this coward, how could the various tribes be having such a hard time? Tell me quickly, is Mo Bisheng dead or not? Confess honestly and I'll spare your life."

The man laughed loudly: "Chief Mo saw through your plan long ago. You're all going to die."

The crowd was terrified, and some even tried to run away.

"You're lying." The Chanyu sneered, then looked at Ou Yanhu, "Mo Bisheng is doomed to die. We might as well make a move now, or things will change."

Ou Yanhu did not hesitate any longer and immediately gave the order.

The Hu cavalry, who had been prepared in advance, suddenly attacked Mo Bisheng's tribe.

Horse hooves trampled the tents, scimitars slashed at the enemy's throat, torches burned the camp, and in a short time, Mo Bisheng's tribe was slaughtered without any power to fight back, along with Mo Bisheng's loyal tribes.

"Mo Bisheng is dead."

"We will spare no one who is a Zhou person!"

"Kill all the Zhou people!"

The continuous shouts in the dark night caused many panicked tribes to quietly abandon their plans to rescue Mo Bisheng, deciding instead to wait and see who would win.

The flames set the tent ablaze, illuminating half the sky in the darkness. Mo Bisheng's troops were burning; the daytime laughter and merriment were replaced by agonizing screams. Many died with their eyes wide open, not knowing why they had been attacked.

Early the next morning.

The news that Ouyanhu and the Shanyu tribe had joined forces shocked everyone.

"We are born warriors."

"Kill the men and children of the Great Zhou."

"Rob their wealth and burn down their houses."

“Riding their wives and daughters.”

"This is what we soldiers should do."

"The Zhou people are evil liars, thieves, robbers, and untrustworthy traitors."

Mo Bisheng is dead, and the elite troops he brought with him have been almost entirely wiped out.

His loyal followers were also wiped out.

Ouyanhu was the most powerful and had the support of the Chanyu. The next day, they reconvened and he proclaimed himself the greatest Khan.

The first thing they did was lead their troops to slaughter Mo Bisheng's tribe.

The stable life of Mo Bisheng's tribe dissipated on this sunny morning.

The children were chosen to become slaves of various tribes, while the young women were kept in separate captivity and would become the best spoils of war for the tribes, inspiring their warriors.

Watching helplessly as their fathers and brothers were slaughtered, the young women wailed and cried out in pain, attempting to resist, only to be met with even more cruel and merciless treatment.

Mobisheng's tribe, along with his loyalist tribes, were the first to become spoils of war for the new Khan.

Numerous young women, children, slaves, cattle, sheep, horses, swords, spears, and bows were divided up, and many originally neutral tribes no longer hesitated and joined the victorious side.
-
Datong City.

Having not received a definite answer from the governor and censor the last time he met, Zhao Yong could only continue to wait. Being unfamiliar with Datong City, he was extremely bored, so he ate noodles at a stall with a few of his men at noon.

The soldiers in Datong City were a mixed bunch. Seven or eight of them were wearing uniforms, which were covered in dirt and had holes. One soldier's uniform was almost torn to shreds. He sat down at two tables without any ceremony and started urging the owner to hurry up.

The stall owner looked distressed and hesitated.

"What? Are business people afraid of business coming to their door?" a soldier cursed fiercely.

The stall owner said ingratiatingly, "This is just a small business, barely enough to make ends meet. Please, gentlemen, have mercy on me and go eat somewhere else."

"Oh, so you're starting to kick us out now, afraid we won't pay for our noodles? Damn it, you deserve a beating."

The crowd surrounded the boss, who was on the verge of tears. Although he was afraid of being beaten, he couldn't afford the losses. He was even more afraid that if word got out, other soldiers would follow suit, and he would be unable to continue his business.

If he lost this livelihood, his whole family would starve to death. For the sake of his family and children, the stall owner was terrified but had no intention of giving in.

It's one thing to owe money and not pay it back, but you can say that you'll pay it back once your military pay is issued. You're in the right and have nothing to fear.

Directly stealing is another matter entirely.

Seeing that the boss was so stingy and wouldn't budge, the soldiers were so angry that they couldn't help but want to take drastic measures.

"stop!"

"stop!"

Just as Zhao Yong shouted to stop them, someone in the far corner spoke up at the same time, which was quite a coincidence.

The two looked at each other. The man sitting in the corner, noticing someone taking the lead, shrank back. Seeing this, Zhao Yong didn't say anything and paid for the shopkeeper to make noodles for the soldiers.

Seeing Zhao Yong's attire, the soldiers knew he was an official and quickly became more subdued. They hadn't been subdued earlier because they needed to eat, but now that they had food, their resolve to cause trouble weakened; they were naturally afraid of officials.

Zhao Yong ignored him.

After a while, the soldiers finished eating in no time. Fearing that the official would cause trouble and hold them accountable, the soldiers, having eaten their fill, slunk away like country farmers.

May I ask your name?

The man walked over, cupped his hands in greeting, and introduced himself: "I am Wei Yi, the garrison commander of Datong Army."

Unexpectedly, the other party was also a Zuo Ji (assistant general). Zhao Yong stood up and invited him to sit down, and said with a smile, "I am Zhao Yong, Zuo Ji General of Yanmen Pass."

"Oh it's you."

The man looked surprised, then suddenly realized, "No wonder I said you looked unfamiliar; I've never seen you in Datong before." He then sighed, "Your reputation in Datong has grown quite a bit lately."

I was eager to try my luck. One of my friends had fallen into their hands, and I had the chance to run into them today. I wondered if there was any chance to get him out.

Zhao Yong had a good impression of this person and asked with a puzzled look, "The Yongxing Army is not bad either, but I don't know why their discipline in the city is not very good, which is different from what I expected."

Upon hearing Zhao Yong's curiosity, the man's face darkened.

(End of this chapter)