The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 252 Permit
The autumn wind blows and the grasses wither.

Zhou Jun reappeared in the Shanyu region.

Five hundred elite cavalrymen were used as an envoy delegation, which is a waste considering the current strength of the various tribes under the Chanyu.

"The general said that all the Taijis must arrive at Zhenlu City before the first day of the eleventh month, or they will be regarded as barbarian invaders."

Upon hearing the orders from Zhou Jun's general.

Batel was stunned. After a while, he asked unhappily, "General Wang is so unreasonable. Doesn't he care about us at all?"

"I do not know."

"This is the general's order."

The general ignored Batel's words and simply repeated the military order.

"Our tribe is not under General Wang's command, so what right does General Wang have to give us orders?"

Another person couldn't help but voice their objection.

The Zhou army general glanced coldly at the man and said in a contemptuous tone, "You want to oppose the general?"

No one answered.

far away.

Five hundred Zhou cavalrymen stood ready, prepared to launch an attack at a moment's notice.

Zhou Jun's cavalry consisted of one man and two horses.

The horse's coat was glossy and shiny, a testament to the meticulous care it had received.

With their superior weaponry, although they weren't fully armored, everyone wore cotton armor.

Zhou's cavalry was not large in number, but it was extremely elite and its tactics were very powerful, especially the three-wall tactic. No one in the Shanyu region was unaware of the Zhou army's prowess.

Since Wang Xin arrived in Datong, the Shanyu tribe has suffered the most losses.

Those who don't learn from their mistakes never have a good ending.

Seeing that no one dared to step forward, the general stared intently at Batel.

Batel swallowed hard, trying to appear calm.

"Batertaiji, have you received the general's orders?" the man asked again to confirm.

In front of everyone, Batel wanted to say something harsh, but in the end he said nothing and simply nodded slightly as a reply.

The general glanced at Batel, then stopped pressuring him and led his men north.

The current Shanyu tribe consists of dozens of tribes of varying sizes and more than a dozen Taiji.

Each Taiji must be notified.

Compared to the original hundreds of tribes, the number has been reduced by half. Only those tribes that are obedient and willingly offer half of their cattle and sheep are allowed to remain in the Shanyu region, and they are not allowed to wander around.

As for those tribes not on the list, they were all wiped out.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief once they confirmed that Zhou Jun had left and wouldn't return.

"Taiji, are you really going?"

Some people worried, "General Wang has always been untrustworthy, changing his mind at the drop of a hat, and even killing people without blinking an eye. The Chanyu doesn't mention it, but Shuoerhui was his dog, and he killed him without hesitation."

Batel didn't want to go either, but after thinking about it, he realized he couldn't refuse.

“This isn’t targeting me; all the Taijis are going. He can’t possibly kill us all, can he?” This was the source of Batel’s confidence to go.

If Wang Xin had only summoned him, Batel honestly knew he wouldn't have dared to go.

Batel did not want to fall out with Zhou Jun unless he was forced to.

The consequence of turning against them was China.

Batel didn't want to be a stray dog.

However, Batel still felt it was not safe, so he immediately left the tribe and went to visit other tribes' Taijis in person.

The Shanyu region has a population of about 20,000 to 30,000.

Due to the war over the past two years, the population has been reduced by half.

Some died, and some were lost.

With a population of less than 20,000, the Shanyu region should be able to live a good life. If trade with the Great Zhou can proceed smoothly, the Shanyu tribe will become prosperous in less than 20 years.

But that was twenty years later.

Now, Wang Xin, who has personally built Zhenlu City, is like a demon king, and no one dares to breathe too loudly.

Everyone was on edge, and the Taijis quickly reached a consensus.

We must stand together against Wang Xin and not let him bully us. If anyone is targeted by Wang Xin, we must all stand together and force him not to act recklessly.

There were a total of twelve Taiji.

They arrived at Zhenlu City together.

Looking at this earthen city that rises from the ground, although it is far inferior to the cities in the interior, this is Tu Mao Chuan.

The reason why the old site of the Xiongnu has not been rebuilt to this day is because of insufficient resources.

Although not all of the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver invested by the merchant guild was used to build the city, such a large amount of silver, as well as the goods that could be traded, was far beyond the control of the Taiji.

Zhenlu City.

An ordinary courtyard.

"Put some effort into it."

Wang Xin and Xue Baoqin kneaded the millet flour.

"It's so hot," Xue Baoqin said, feeling wronged.

Wang Xin was speechless, and quickly said, "Don't worry."

Take the freshly steamed millet flour out and put it into a wooden bucket. While it's still hot, knead it vigorously.

Because the millet noodles were too hot, a basin of cold water was placed next to them.

It was Xue Baoqin's first time kneading dough, and she was afraid she would make a mistake.

"Watch me do it again."

Wang Xin demonstrated.

I dipped my hands into cold water, then quickly kneaded them in the millet flour bucket. After a few moments, I felt the water getting too hot, so I dipped them back into the basin of cold water.

Xue Baoqin was a clever girl. She wasn't very familiar with it before, but now she imitated Wang Xin's actions, and sure enough, it wasn't as hot as before.

"Giggle."

Feeling the soft warmth in her palm, Xue Baoqin couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably.

Wang Xin shook his head speechlessly and said, "Silly girl."

The corners of my mouth couldn't help but curl up.

"You're the silly one, the older brother is the silliest."

Xue Baoqin was not one to tolerate Wang Xin and immediately retorted.

Wang Xin was too lazy to bother with it.

Keep a low profile and do things quietly.

After a while, when the millet flour cooled down, it became too hard to knead. So, he lifted the stiff millet flour with both hands and placed it on a flat bamboo board.

Xue Baoqin stared at Wang Xin, and did exactly what he did.

At this time.

Wang Xin smiled and turned to look at Shi Ping.

"Would you like a piece?"

"It's all cold."

Shi Ping shook his head.

"I'll heat it up for you," Wang Xin said with a smile. "It's no trouble at all."

Yellow millet flour was transformed into yellow rice cake.

When you want to eat it, just cut off a piece, steam it, and it's ready to eat.

Shi Ping shook his head again.

What's so good about yellow rice cake? The yellow rice cake from Datong is the worst.

Do not chew.

The more you chew, the stickier it gets, and eventually you can't swallow it.

It must be swallowed whole.

And you know what? After swallowing the whole thing, you won't feel hungry all day, but it doesn't taste good. Your stomach feels heavy, like there's a stone pressing down on it.

"You've changed."

Wang Xin sighed with emotion.

Xue Baoqin nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and said with a smile, "Shi Ping is picky."

Shi Ping rolled his eyes.

"The general once said, 'It's foolish to force yourself to endure hardship if you don't want to.'"

Xue Baoqin didn't argue with Shi Ping, she just made a face.

Shi Ping raised an eyebrow.

Shi Ping knew that the general valued the Xue family's maid and did not want to offend her.

Wang Xin smiled.

Xue Yan is becoming increasingly important to me.

But Xue Yan is a businessman.

Wang Xin believed in the truth of business efficiency, but he did not trust businessmen.

It wasn't that he doubted Xue Yan, but rather that Xue Yan's influence on him was simply too great. He was not only one of his assistants in controlling Juzhongchang, but also the core of Juzhongchang's trade routes to the interior.

Currently, the only one who can threaten him is Xue Yan.

So not only did Xue Ke work by her side, but Xue Baoqin also stayed by her side and was pampered like a younger sister.

This can be seen as having an unusual relationship with Xue Yan, or it can be seen as being a hostage.

The same thing can lead to different opinions depending on one's attitude. As long as Xue Baoqin is happy, Xue Ke is indeed growing rapidly. Neither Xue Yan nor Xue Ke himself has any objections.

After a while.

Wang Xin and Xue Baoqin set to work, carrying the finished yellow cakes inside the house, when Zhai Wen arrived.

"General Wang, the Taijis have all arrived. What do you plan to do?"

Zhai Wen, who came from Datong, had not received any definite news from Wang Xin.

(End of this chapter)