Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 331 Hemu (Part 1)

For the past two years, Zhan Fei has been traveling around outside the Great Wall, buying horses. The hardships he has endured need not be detailed; one only needs to look at his sun-wrinkled, orange-skinned face to know.

The once pampered and arrogant salt merchant is now lean, dark-skinned, and wrinkled, but his eyes have become increasingly bright.

"I dare not accept such high praise from the general." Zhan Fei cupped his hands and smiled, "It is the general who has worked hard, leading the army to a great victory over the Xiongnu barbarians, and raising the morale and spirit of our Great Jing Kingdom."

“In the past, when we traveled on the grasslands, we often encountered arrogant herders. But ever since the Xiongnu barbarians were defeated and returned, the herders have become much more polite to us wherever we go as a group of Jingchao merchants.”

The sudden rise of the Pei family army became a thorn in the side of the Xiongnu Khan. It also greatly enhanced the status of the Jingchao merchants, giving them much more confidence when traveling abroad.

Zhan Fei not only led the caravan and warhorses back safely, but also brought back more than a dozen men with high noses, deep-set eyes, and curly hair.

“General, these are Xianbei people. Their tribe bordered the Xiongnu barbarians and was robbed and killed by them. Their cattle, sheep and women were all taken away, leaving only these dozen or so people. They escaped on warhorses and have been wandering the grasslands ever since.”

Zhan Fei whispered about the origins of these men: "After we entered the grasslands, we had to avoid the large Xiongnu tribes and the Khan's camp. We went deep north and ran into them. Before we could even fight, we encountered a pack of wolves."

Encountering a pack of wolves on the grasslands is extremely dangerous. One wrong move and you're dead. The two groups, disregarding their mutual hostility, were forced to fight the wolves hand-to-hand.

After losing several lives, the wolf pack was forced to retreat.

Seeing their exceptional horsemanship and archery skills, Zhan Fei decided to recruit them and invited them to travel with him. He guaranteed them provisions for the journey and promised them extremely high commissions.

These wandering Xianbei herdsmen, who originally had nowhere to go, were tempted by the various high profits and agreed to be hired to travel together.

This group of people were very familiar with the grassland terrain. They led the caravan on a detour to exchange horses, mostly for top-quality mares and stallions that hadn't been foaled. Sure enough, on the return journey that lasted several months, 30% of the mares were pregnant.

Zhan Fei then offered them a large sum of money, which tricked them into... cough cough, he invited them back.

“We have people in the Pei family army who manage the stables, but when it comes to raising and training horses, we still have to rely on the nomadic herders of the grasslands.” Zhan Fei had already made his plans, and now his eyes gleamed as he spoke eloquently: “Buying horses outside the Great Wall is not a long-term solution. The Xiongnu Khan was furious after his cavalry suffered a crushing defeat and issued a strict order forbidding any tribe from selling horses. Once we enter the grasslands, we can only exchange horses with remote small tribes, and we also have to avoid the Xiongnu cavalry and bandits. The number of warhorses we can bring back is far from enough.”

"In the long run, we should open a horse farm and raise our own horses."

Pei Qinghe's eyes lit up: "Go on."

Zhan Fei had been thinking about this for a long time and was waiting for this day. He said in a deep voice, "Youzhou is close to the outside of the pass, and the grasslands outside the pass are suitable for raising horses. We in Youzhou can also select a place with a suitable climate and terrain to build a horse farm."

"The horses I brought back this time were all good horses that I traded with the Xianbei people. We'll use these horses as breeding stock and slowly raise and breed them. In the future, even if we don't go beyond the Great Wall, we can still have a continuous supply of good horses through our own horse farm."

“Running a horse farm is much more difficult than raising horses in a stable, so I specially invited them back. From now on, we will have them raise horses for us at the horse farm.”

The abacus in the Zhan family was clattering away.

General Pei's brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth turned up: "Your idea is excellent!"

"You brought back both the people and the horses. You'll be in charge of choosing the location for the horse farm and how to set it up. Once the horse farm is up and running, you'll be a great contributor to the Pei family army."

Zhan Fei's spirits lifted, and he bowed to accept the order: "Thank you for your trust and high regard, General. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Pei Qinghe then inquired about the situation of the Xianbei cavalry.

Zhan Fei laughed and said, "You'll have to ask Chief Fang for that." Master Zhan was a smart man; having already made a name for himself, he didn't forget to give Chief Fang a push.

Pei Qinghe smiled and looked at Fang Datou. Fang Datou hadn't seen his general for over a year, and his heart was filled with excitement. He stepped forward and reported, "Reporting to the general, the Xianbei cavalry originally numbered twenty-two. Three died when they fought the wolf pack. Later, they traveled with us and encountered bandits twice, resulting in the deaths of two more. Now, there are seventeen men in total."

"They are all skilled horsemen and archers, they eat and sleep on horseback, they are natural warriors. They are also first-rate horse breeders."

Their leader is called Hemu.

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed: "Bring He Mu over, I want to meet him."

Fang Datou agreed and went to invite Hemu over himself.

Fang Datou and Hemu had been traveling together for nearly a year, spending every day together and even facing life and death together several times, developing a deep bond.

Hemu was tall and strong, with a high nose, deep-set eyes, and curly hair; he was clearly a foreigner.

Fang Datou had learned a few phrases of Xianbei, and now, wanting to show off, he mumbled something in the language. Hemu immediately bowed respectfully, paying his respects to the strong and imposing General Pei with Xianbei etiquette.

To my surprise, as soon as I bowed down, I heard laughter.

"You've bowed to the wrong person!" Fang Datou exclaimed anxiously, pulling He Mu aside and gesturing as he spoke, "This isn't the general, she's the general's cousin, this is the real General Pei!"

Hemu paused, his gaze sweeping over the dark-skinned female warrior before settling on another delicate and spirited face. He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

Is this General Pei, the renowned female warrior who shook the grasslands?!
It was completely different from what he had imagined. It was still that strong woman, but she looked more like a general.

Urged by Fang Datou, Hemu bowed again: "Hemu greets General Pei."

Throughout the year, Hemu had been learning to speak the Jingchao dialect. Although his accent was somewhat strange, he spoke fluently. It was clear that he had secretly put in a lot of hard work.

Pei Qinghe stared intently: "You are a Xianbei, why are you willing to leave your homeland and come to Youzhou?"

Pei Qinghe deliberately slowed down her speech, and Hemu understood. He thought for a moment and replied in a strange tone, "My tribe is gone, my cattle and sheep have been taken away, and my women and children have also been taken away."

"I can't go back. I want to live and I want revenge."

"Only a general can defeat the Xiongnu."

"I want to join the general and fight alongside him."

Zhan Fei was startled, but he dared not speak rashly. Pei Qinghe didn't rush to respond to He Mu, but looked at Zhan Fei first: "Do you know He Mu's plans?"

Zhan Fei said with some shame, “General, I asked Hemu to come and tend the horses, and he hesitated for a long time before agreeing. He never mentioned to me that he wanted to fight alongside you.”

Therefore, never underestimate anyone.

Zhan Fei's plan was perfectly executed, and He Mu was no fool either.

(End of this chapter)