Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 267 Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick (Many thanks to Yong Su for being the Alliance Leader)

The Wugulun tribe, wiped out?
Wanyan Guangzhi heard every word very clearly, but for some reason, when put together, he found it difficult to understand.

Although the Wugulun tribe was not a large tribe, it had more than 20,000 people, of whom no less than 5,000 were young, strong and skilled warriors. If the conditions were relaxed a little, it would not be impossible for them to gather tens of thousands of warriors to fight and charge into battle. How could they have been wiped out?
However, Wanyan Guangzhi also knew that Mu Chi was not the kind of person who spoke nonsense. He was the best scout in the entire Jurchen tribe, and over the years, the news he brought back had never been wrong.

His pale face, which had the air of a sickly scholar, gradually darkened, and his eyes flashed with a sinister light.

Wanyan Guangzhi was a very ambitious and greedy man.

In Wanyan Guangzhi's eyes, the Jurchen people were all brave and skilled in battle, so why should they live in this godforsaken place called Haixi? Why should they endure the torment of freezing cold year after year? Why should they watch their elders die in the deep mountains and forests every year because there is not enough food?

The tribesmen were mostly ignorant and foolish, as well as reckless and belligerent. When there was no food to eat, they would fight each other, and at this time, those who died unjustly were treated with great respect.

No one has ever seen that in the far south, there lies fertile land suitable for cultivation, capable of producing abundant grain; there are slender and graceful women; there is an inexhaustible supply of fine wine; there is an endless supply of gold and silver…

Ningguo.

That is the place where humans can live.

Those people dared to slash their own people with curved swords, so why didn't they turn their weapons on the Han people? As long as they killed those Han people, they would have food, women, and beautiful clothes... They could even treat those Han people as slaves, making them farm, raise livestock, and weave, while they could just enjoy themselves.

To enter the Central Plains and become the ruler of all under heaven.

This was Wanyan Guangzhi's ambition.

He also understood that achieving this goal would not be easy. Although the Jurchens had a population of one or two million, the tribes were completely disorganized. For a single tribe to conquer the Central Plains was tantamount to suicide. Only by uniting all the Jurchen tribes could they have a chance to rule the Central Plains.

He was intelligent and capable. As the youngest son of the previous Jurchen Khan, he did not have much of an advantage over his elder brother. Instead of being brave and violent, he used his wisdom to open up trade routes between the Jurchens and the Central Plains. He used animal hides, lingzhi mushrooms, and ginseng to exchange for large quantities of pig iron from merchants, and then transformed the pig iron into weapons and armor.

Relying on his superior equipment, he defeated his brother and ascended to the throne of the Wuji Khan. During his more than ten years of rule, the Wuji tribe rose from a medium-sized tribe to become the most powerful among dozens of Jurchen tribes. When the Wuji cavalry, clad in light iron armor and wielding iron scimitars, roamed the Haixi grasslands, he became the Great Khan of the Jurchen tribes.

He knew that the Jurchen tribes were not truly submissive, and that once the Wuji tribe weakened, dozens of tribes would pounce on them like a pack of wolves and devour them completely.

There is only one way to truly unify the Jurchen people: to establish a state called Jurchen, in which there are no Wuji tribes, no Heishui tribes, no Mohe tribes, no Baishan tribes, no Boduo tribes... only the Jurchen people. Only in this way can true unification be achieved.

However, conquering the Jurchen state by force alone was not the way to establish the Jurchen state.

Conquest by force would inevitably result in heavy losses for the Jurchens.

The Jurchens were not like the Central Plains. Even though the Central Plains were divided into four countries, each country had tens of millions of people. Even with years of war and chaos, with mountains of corpses and the world devastated and only one in ten households remaining, they still had a rich foundation. They could recover quickly with just a dozen years of recuperation.

But if the Jurchens were to engage in several wars like this, they would likely face annihilation.

To put it bluntly, it's still a matter of cultural foundation.

There is only one way to truly unify the Jurchen people, and that is... to win their hearts.

It was for this purpose that Wanyan Guangzhi, after becoming the Great Khan, gathered the elites of dozens of tribes and launched a fierce attack on Ningguo Liaodong in the autumn, plundering a large amount of grain, gold and silver, and male and female slaves.

When the Jurchen people fare better than in previous years during this extremely cold winter, they will inevitably feel grateful for the Great Khan's kindness. In this way, within a few years, the Great Khan's prestige among the various tribes will gradually surpass that of the tribal leaders. At that point, even if force is used to suppress them, there will be little resistance, and the losses can be minimized.

The agreement reached with Qian Yaozu was also a crucial step in achieving the goal of returning to the heart of the people.

That's why, when the wedding envoy failed to appear, Wanyan Guangzhi sent Mu Chi to investigate. However, he never expected Mu Chi to bring back news of the Wugulun tribe's annihilation. A thousand thoughts flashed through Wanyan Guangzhi's mind: "What exactly happened?"

"Do you know who did this?"

Mu Chi pursed his slightly chapped lips and took another swig of strong liquor: "Judging from the traces at the scene, it should be... a Han Chinese wedding envoy."

call.

Wanyan Guangzhi suddenly stood up: "That's impossible."

This is probably a subconscious reaction.

After he spoke, Wanyan Guangzhi realized his lapse in composure. As the supreme ruler of the entire Jurchen people, such a reaction was truly undignified.

Thinking this, he took a deep breath and sat down again: "I don't think those weak, sheep-like Han people could have such courage."

Did they have the guts to wipe out an entire Jurchen tribe?
Ha ha.

If the Han people were truly so brave and valiant, how could they have allowed their own army to breach the passes and let the Jurchen cavalry ravage Pingyang Prefecture for months? They stole the food the Han people depended on for survival, burned down their houses, raped and abused Han women, and slaughtered Han men…

They didn't sheathe their weapons for a month, robbing any grain they could find and killing anyone they encountered.

It's like unleashing the wildness within your soul.

How many people did they actually kill?

One hundred thousand?

Hundreds of thousands?
There should be, right?
Throughout the entire ordeal, Qian Yaozu only dared to lead his soldiers to hide behind the high city walls, lacking any courage to venture out and confront the Jurchen cavalry head-on. He simply couldn't believe that such a man had the courage and ability to slaughter the Wugulun tribe.

Mu Chi grinned and said, "Following the Khan's orders, I rode a fast horse along the route of the wedding envoy, passing through the Heshilie and Wendihen tribes, but I didn't see the envoy's caravan. It wasn't until I was almost at the Wugulun tribe that I met a dozen or so Wugulun tribesmen and learned from them about the destruction of the Wugulun tribe."

"These dozen or so members of the Wugulun tribe escaped this disaster because they returned late from hunting in the mountains."

"However, they were not particularly clear about the specifics. They only knew that when they returned, the entire Wugulun tribe was engulfed in flames, all the tents were on fire, and countless tribesmen were struggling and screaming in the fire."

“Countless Han Chinese wandered in the firelight, hacking and killing people until no one in the entire tribe survived.”

Mu Chi's voice was sinister.

Coupled with the cold wind outside the tent, even the interior of the royal tent suddenly became more gloomy.

Wanyan Guangzhi pursed his lips: "Where are they?"

"After informing me of the news, they left, seemingly preparing to cross the mountains and enter Han territory, intending to seek revenge."

Mu Chi rubbed his hands together, his throat bobbing slightly. Wanyan Guangzhi tossed him a roasted lamb leg. He opened his mouth and tore off a large piece of roasted meat. The scalding fat burst in his mouth, finally dispelling the chill in his body. He swallowed the lamb in one gulp, and then Mu Chi spoke again: "I heard them say that Prince Olibu called out a name before he died... Song Zhe."

"They speculated that Song Zhe must be the culprit who wiped out the Wugulun tribe, and they wanted to cut off Song Zhe's head."

Song Zhe?

Wanyan Guangzhi knew almost all the truly influential figures in Ningguo, but even after searching his memory, he couldn't recall anyone named Song Zhe.

"Afterwards, I went to the Wugulun tribe again. At that time, the snow was not so heavy. All I saw was a charred black area after the fire. There were stiff corpses everywhere. Some corpses were burned to charcoal, and some corpses had their heads cut off."

"Broken wine jars can still be seen at the scene."

"There were also messy carriage tracks."

“I even found a few flags of the wedding procession.”

Wanyan Guangzhi frowned deeply: "So, you also think it was those Han people who did it?"

“Oh no, Your Majesty the Great Khan, I don’t think so.” Mu Chi chewed on a piece of meat while shaking his head. “In the Ugulun tribe, I also found some extremely important clues… You can’t tell anything from charred corpses, but those who have been beheaded have no clothes on them.”

"They were naked."

Wanyan Guangzhi roughly imagined thousands of naked corpses in his mind and inexplicably shuddered.

This scene is a bit too much for my eyes.

"It wasn't just their clothes; their weapons, leather armor, warhorses and chariots in the stables, copper coins and silver coins—all their valuables had vanished without a trace. Even the grain that the Wugulun tribe had buried underground had disappeared completely, not a single grain was left."

"What does this have to do with whether the destruction of the Wugulun tribe was done by the Han Chinese?"

"It's very simple. If they were Han Chinese... their goal would be to expand their gains, or retreat before being discovered by other Jurchen tribes, not to plunder these so-called spoils. These spoils might be valuable to the Jurchen tribes, but they're insignificant to the wealthy Central Plains. To the east of the Wugulun tribe is the Anchegu tribe, and to the northwest is the Funie tribe... These are two of the seven major Jurchen tribes, large tribes with nearly 100,000 members. Aren't the Han Chinese army afraid of being surrounded and annihilated by these two major tribes?"

After speaking at length, Mu Chi felt his throat was dry, so he took a big gulp of strong liquor, and his head was buzzing.

Wanyan Guangzhi did not speak, but his eyes narrowed into slits, as if he was thinking about something.

Clearing his throat, Mu Chi spoke again: "Moreover, although the wheel tracks found in the Wugulun tribe are chaotic, it is still possible to determine that, apart from those of the wedding envoys, some wheel tracks are heading towards the Anchegu tribe, and some wheel tracks are heading towards the Funie tribe."

"I then went to the two tribes myself."

“In these two tribes, I saw some people wearing clothes with the mark of the Ugulun tribe and carrying Ugulun scimitars…” “I asked the chiefs of the two tribes.”

"They told me that they saw flames shooting into the sky above the Ugulun tribe in the dead of night. The next day, they took people there and found that the Ugulun tribe had been burned to ashes. Seeing that the clothes and food were left there was too wasteful, they took them away. It was all for survival. I'm sure His Majesty the Great Khan will not blame them."

Wanyan Guangzhi's expression grew increasingly calm, but his eyes revealed a sinister and cold light: "Mu Chi, what do you think of what they said?"

"Pure lie."

Without the slightest hesitation, Mu Chi immediately gave his answer.

“The Anche Valley tribe and the Funie tribe, relying on their large numbers, have never shown much respect for the Great Khan and often harbor rebellious intentions.”

"The Great Khan will specially plan the route so that the wedding envoy can pass through the Heshilie, Wugulun, and Wendihen tribes. These three tribes have also gained a lot of benefits from this, and have begun to align themselves with the Great Khan. There are even rumors that these three tribes are preparing to abolish their tribal names and surnames and completely integrate into the Wuji tribe. In this way, the forces loyal to the Great Khan will increase significantly. The Anchegu and Funie tribes obviously do not want to see this happen."

"Therefore, I suspect that it is very likely that these two tribes joined forces to ambush and kill the envoy, then slaughtered the Wugulun tribe, and finally burned all the evidence. They wanted to warn all the Jurchen tribes in this way that this is the consequence of surrendering to the Great Khan."

Mu Chi's lips curled up. Although he was already somewhat drunk and his eyes were blurry, his expression became more and more smug: "Although the Anche Valley Tribe and the Funie Tribe did it very secretly, and even fabricated a Song Zhe... unfortunately, they still couldn't escape my eyes and I saw the truth."

Wanyan Guangzhi's face was as dark as an iron pot.

Mu Chi's speculation makes a lot of sense.

Moreover, the clothing, scimitars, and food of the Wugulun tribe are the best evidence.

He grinned, his scarlet tongue sweeping across his lips like a wild beast ready to devour its prey: "So, Mu Chi, my best brother, what do you suggest we do now?"

"kill."

There is an old saying in the Central Plains: "Kill the chicken to scare the monkey."

“The Anche Valley tribe and the Funie tribe, at least one of them must be destroyed. Only in this way can the other tribes feel fear. If no punishment is imposed, even if there are tribes that want to integrate into the Wuji tribe, they will not dare to do so. I know that the Great Khan wants to unify the Jurchens through appeasement. However, while being benevolent, we must also let them see the Great Khan's strength. Otherwise, they will only think that the Great Khan is weak and easy to bully.”

There is an old saying in the Central Plains: "Thunder and rain are all the emperor's grace."

The ferocity on Wanyan Guangzhi's face gradually faded, and he returned to his sickly scholar appearance: "Then tell me, who would be more suitable to target?"

"Anshayabe!"

……

Pingyang City.

When Song Yan opened her eyes, it was almost noon.

The beautiful woman beside him was already sitting in front of the dressing table. The smooth and delicate bronze mirror reflected her pretty face. Her hairstyle, which was originally that of a young girl, had been changed to a mature updo. Compared with before, she had lost some of her girlish playfulness and gained a bit more maturity and charm.

Perhaps it was because the Golden Kidney was indeed effective, or perhaps it was because his strength had recently increased and his combat power was different from before, but even though Luo Tianxuan was a Grandmaster, Song Yan did not feel any strain.

My confidence has returned.

It's much better than when I was facing Hua Lian Yue.

"My husband is awake." Luo Tianxuan smiled gently, got up, picked up her outer robe and draped it over Song Yan. She inadvertently caught sight of the crimson stain on the bed and couldn't help but feel a little shy. Then she pushed Song Yan out of the room, found a pair of scissors, and carefully cut a hole in the bed sheet.

Song Yan was somewhat helpless; he didn't quite understand what the use of collecting these fallen petals was.

Inside the inner courtyard, several maids were whispering amongst themselves. When they saw Song Yan emerge, their expressions became somewhat ambiguous. Song Yan, too lazy to argue with the maids, shook his head and headed towards the government office.

Compared to Luo Yuheng, Yang Siyao, Princess Gaoyang, and Liu Yisheng, who were far away in Xinhou County, Song Yan was relatively free. To be honest, he had been constantly on guard against whether the Jurchens would go berserk because of the destruction of the Wugulun tribe and whether they would lead a large army to attack, but so much time had passed and there was still no news from Liu Yisheng.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the government office, I saw a carriage parked there.

An elderly man with gray hair stepped out of the carriage, holding a cane, and was supported by a beautiful girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old.

It was Zhang Ci, the patriarch of the Zhang family, and his granddaughter Zhang Yan.

He seemed to have business at the government office… Ever since the Huang family was wiped out and Qian Yaozu was cleaned up, Zhang Ci had personally handled any dealings with the government office. This Song Yan was a ruthless man, and his children and grandchildren were used to being arrogant. They were always worried that they might inadvertently anger this killing god. If this killing god got the chance, the Zhang family would be the next Huang family.

Upon seeing Song Yan, his cloudy old eyes suddenly lit up, while his granddaughter behind him turned deathly pale. He wasn't sure what image he had in the little girl's mind, but it must have been terrible.

"This humble subject greets Your Excellency..." As soon as he arrived in front of Song Yan, Zhang Ci bowed respectfully, without the slightest intention of taking advantage of his seniority.

"A commoner... a commoner with a net worth of several million taels of silver..." Song Yan thought to himself, then quickly stepped forward to help Zhang Ci up. He was joking, if others saw this, he'd probably be labeled as disrespectful to elders: "Master Zhang, is something the matter?"

"I originally intended to go to the government office to take care of some business, but since I've run into you, Your Excellency, it's convenient. I've heard that Snow Pavilion has reopened, so how about I host a dinner today? I would be honored if Your Excellency would do me the honor?" Zhang Ci said with a smile.

Snow Tower.

It was the largest restaurant in Pingyang City.

The restaurant had to close down before because there were so many refugees everywhere. As soon as the doors opened, countless people would flood in, and the restaurant simply couldn't handle it. Only now that the situation in Pingyang City has gradually returned to normal has the owner dared to reopen.

With his mother-in-law in charge, Song Yan figured there wouldn't be any problems at the government office, so he boarded the carriage with Zhang Gong. Zhang Yan sat opposite him, curled up like a little quail, but didn't even have the courage to look up at Song Yan.

Through the curtains, one could see that there were slightly more people on the street than before. The city gates had been opened, and some mountain people would leave Pingyang City to gather mountain products to sell, which would help supplement their household income. There were also hunters carrying strings of grouse and snow rabbits, and some people with spare money would gather around to bargain.

You can even see vendors who have set up a bonfire with a dozen or so palm-sized things on it... Upon closer inspection, they turn out to be duck necks... Pshaw, they're skinned field mice.

Is this thing edible?
……

The noise and bustle actually gave it a touch of everyday life.

Along the way, Zhang Gong enthusiastically told Song Yan about the local customs and culture of Liaodong, clearly eager to establish a connection with him. Although the Zhang family had become the largest merchant force in Pingyang City since the Huang family's massacre, Song Yan's methods made Zhang Ci realize that no matter how powerful a merchant is, they are ultimately insignificant in the face of true power.

Simply being a businessman is not enough.

Among the social classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were the lowest class and could not become officials. Therefore, having a powerful patron who was an official was their only way out.

It's just a pity about his granddaughter... Looking at Zhang Yan, Zhang Gong was somewhat disappointed. Perhaps she was frightened by the scene of Qian Yaozu's torture of her that day. Zhang Yan was usually quite normal, but whenever she saw Song Yan, she would tremble like a leaf and couldn't even say a normal word.

As for the Zhang family, although they had other women, they were either too far apart in age or not attractive enough. Sending them to Song Yan's side would probably be considered an insult.

There have been rumors lately that this lord prefers older women... I don't know if it's true or not.

After a shaky ride, they arrived at Xuelou. Looking up, they saw that it was indeed an antique-style pavilion. Zhang Gong was obviously a regular here, and he was immediately invited inside. The waiter did not know Song Yan's identity and simply addressed him as "Young Master," which saved Song Yan some trouble.

After arriving at the private room and ordering the food, Song Yan smiled slightly before looking at Zhang Ci again: "Master Zhang, is there anything you want to say?" He wasn't one to beat around the bush or like to ask questions indirectly; he preferred to speak directly: "I destroyed the Huang family but spared the Zhang family, which means I'm no longer holding you accountable for what you did before. As long as you don't go too far in the future, I won't harm the Zhang family, so you can rest assured."

Zhang Ci's expression stiffened slightly.

As a businessman, I still prefer to discuss business over drinks. Even when dining with adults, I usually only reveal my thoughts little by little after a few rounds of drinks and when everyone is tipsy.

People like Song Yan are truly rare.

After a brief hesitation, Zhang Ci finally spoke up: "There is indeed something I hope Your Excellency can decide on."

"what's up?"

"Open up trade routes."

"The trade route between Pingyang and the Jurchens?"

Zhang Ci nodded emphatically.

Song Yan chuckled: "Lord Zhang should know that Ningguo strictly prohibits trade with foreign tribes."

Zhang Gong chuckled, "Hehe, that's how the law stipulates..."

"Does the Zhang family frequently do business with the Jurchens?"

Zhang Gong shook his head: "It's not often. The Zhang family started doing business with the Jurchens relatively late, and currently we only have business dealings with one of the Jurchen tribes."

"Oh? Which tribe?"

"Anshayabe!"

(End of this chapter)