After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Deep in the grasslands, the Chahar tribe.

A convoy fully loaded with goods slowly drove into the camp.

The leader was a teenager, none other than Turuborot.

"Father Khan, I'm back!"

Turubolot, weary from his journey, entered the golden tent.

Inside the main tent, Dayan Khan was holding a meeting with his generals.

Since the Ming Dynasty closed the border markets, goods could only be obtained through smuggling.

Recently, border towns have been under increasingly strict control, and smuggling channels have become increasingly scarce.

Essential supplies like tea and salt can be fatal if they run out!

The leaders split into two factions. The radicals proposed that since the Ming Dynasty wouldn't sell, they should just rob it!

The moderates suggested restoring the tributary system. Although it might sound like a step down, the tributary system and trade would be a win-win situation. They believed that war should be avoided if possible, as far as supplies were being lost in battle.

Hearing the shout, Dayan Khan abruptly looked up and asked, "Was the trip successful?"

Turubolot placed his right hand on his chest, knelt on one knee, and said, "Your son has followed Father Khan's teachings and successfully brought back the soybean paste!"

Dayan Khan immediately asked excitedly, "How strong is that head of the Fan family?"

The reason for sending Tulu to meet them was secondary; the main purpose was to conduct a face-to-face inspection of the Fan family.

As the Ming army tightened its control over the border towns, it seemed that the area under the Ming's actual control was shrinking. However, this made smuggling more difficult, and many merchants who used to transport goods to the grasslands no longer dared to do so.

If the Fan family truly possesses this ability, it would be a timely and crucial assistance to the various tribes of the grasslands.

Turuborot shook his head and said, "I didn't see anyone!"

"Didn't you go to meet them? Why haven't I seen them?"

"When I arrived at the agreed location with my men, the twenty-tael mule cart was just there, and there wasn't a single person in sight! I was wondering why the Fan family was so strange; did they not even ask for money in their business dealings?"

"Young master, you are unaware of this!"

At this moment, an old man in the main tent said, "The Han people believe that nothing is done without a reason, and what is given away must be returned in kind."

This person was none other than Akunda, the Grand Preceptor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and also the High Priest of the grasslands.

The Mongols lived on the grasslands, worshipped the Eternal Heaven, and believed that all things had spirits. They communicated with the gods through shaman priests, who could divine good and bad fortune, cure diseases, and exorcise evil spirits. The high priest was the messenger of the Eternal Heaven and the bridge between the Eternal Heaven and the lower world.

Akunda was not only proficient in shamanistic culture, but also in Han Chinese culture; he was a polymath of the grasslands.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he continued, "The Fan family sent this batch of goods to the Khan, probably hoping to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with him, or even monopolize the grassland trade. It seems the Fan family has quite the appetite."

Tulu suddenly realized, "Oh, I see! If you want to cooperate, just say so! Why all the secrecy?"

Akunda laughed and said, "From the emperor to the officials, and even to ordinary scholars, they all like to beat around the bush when they speak and act."

Turu scoffed, "Why can't you speak properly? You're just guessing. What's wrong with you?"

Akunda said, "The Han people are shrewd; they never speak definitively and always leave room for maneuver in their actions. Young Master, you will understand this as you deal with them more in the future."

Dayan Khan couldn't help but nod, then said, "Sauce is a rare commodity; each of you, Grand Preceptor and everyone else, will receive one cartload!"

The leaders all expressed their gratitude, and Akunda then asked, "Does the soybean paste that the young master brought back have a brand name?"

Tulu thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I do, but I don't recognize Chinese characters. Someone, bring a jar over!"

Two men went to unload the goods from the truck. Dayan Khan asked, "They're all soybean paste, is there a difference?"

Akunda said slowly, "The Han Chinese's sauce-making techniques are best represented by the Liubiju Sauce Workshop in Beijing, followed by the sauces from Wuding Prefecture in Shandong, also known as Wuding Pickles, and then sauces from other places."

Upon hearing this, Tulu said with some regret, "I remember the Fan family said their sauce came from Linfen."

Akunda said, "If it's the sauce from Linfen Sauce Shop, although it's slightly inferior to Liubiju, it's still considered top-notch."

As they were talking, two burly men carried in a large jar and placed it in front of everyone.

When Akunda saw the sign on the jar, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "This is Liubiju sauce!"

Tulu frowned slightly, puzzled, and asked, "How come I remember the Fan family talking about sauce from Linfen!"

Akunda pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "The Fan family deals in goods. Whether it's sauce from Linfen or sauce from the capital, it's just a matter of cost for them. If I'm not mistaken, they must have gone to the capital specifically to buy the finest sauces. In that case, they're quite sincere!"

After saying that, he lifted the mud seal on the jar, and a strange smell wafted out.

Everyone sniffed, their faces turning pale, some even covering their mouths and noses in disgust.

Dayan Khan frowned and asked, "What's wrong with this sauce? Has it gone bad?"

Akunda also sensed something was amiss, but since he had just said that Liubiju's sauce was the best, he couldn't simply deny it. So he explained, "Sauces that have been stored for a long time will develop a slight odor; that's normal!"

Dayan Khan stepped forward and noticed that the smell was even stronger, and the color of the soybean paste was also somewhat strange.

"Shouldn't soybean paste be blackish-red? Why is this all yellowish?"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Soybean paste is all pickled. The ingredients, fermentation time, and climate vary from place to place, which can cause slight color changes. This is perfectly normal."

Seemingly still not satisfied, he dipped his right index finger in the water and put it in his mouth to suck on it.

"Hmm...it seems like I didn't put in enough salt; it's not salty enough."

Dayan Khan looked at it more and more and felt something was wrong, so he squatted down, stretched out his finger, licked a little bit, and put it in his mouth.

It tastes very strange; it smells bad, and it tastes even worse, to the point of being nauseating.

This taste is completely different from any soybean paste I've ever had before; it seems...

"Pooh!"

Finally, he realized what was happening and spat forcefully!

"This is fucking shit!"

Akunda froze, staring at the soybean paste in the jar, then at his own fingers.

The others had already quietly left the main tent because the stench was unbearable; it stung their eyes!

Dayan Khan's face flushed red, and he roared, "Turu, what kind of junk did you bring back?"

Tulu scratched his head, looking puzzled, and asked, "Isn't it soybean paste?"

"I'm asking you, where are the Fan family members?"

"I didn't see it!"

"How do you know this is the goods they delivered if you haven't seen anyone!"

"When I arrived at the agreed place, I saw twenty mule carts loaded with soybean paste... If it weren't for the Fan family sending it, what coincidence could there be in the world?"

"How do you know the truck was carrying soybean paste if you didn't see anyone? Did you open it and check?"

"I was very close to Xuanfu at the time, so I didn't dare to stay long. Besides, these jars are obviously for sauces..."

Dayan Khan became even more enraged, roaring, "Look closely, this isn't filled with soybean paste, it's filled with excrement!"

"what?"

Tulu crouched down and examined it closely; the strong, pungent smell made him nauseous.

He hurriedly left the main tent and ordered his men to unload several more jars. Upon opening them, they all contained the same contents…

"Father, I've been tricked! Please, Father, give me an army, and I'll go and wipe out the Fan family!"

Dayan Khan was so overwhelmed by the stench that he couldn't even speak. After a long pause, he finally managed to say, "Quickly, have someone throw all this stuff out!"

With everyone working together, they loaded the jars onto the car and drove away, finally dispelling the strong smell.

Dayan Khan let out a heavy sigh and exclaimed, "This battle cannot be fought!"

Turu was greatly puzzled and asked, "Why does Father Khan say this?"

Dayan Khan said, "Have you forgotten your mission?"

Tulu lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Pretend to harass the border town of Xuanfu to attract the attention of the border troops, then go to meet the Fan family and assess their strength in person..."

"good!"

Dayan Khan nodded and said, "What merit or ability does the Fan family have to challenge my Great Yuan? Besides, they are merchants, driven by profit. Why would they forgo making money and instead deliberately annoy us?"

"Someone must have figured out our intentions and replaced the soybean paste with excrement. This is a blatant insult!"

"The Ming Dynasty has a capable person, and this person is unfathomable!"

Turu, however, disagreed, saying, "How can Father Khan boost the morale of others?"

Dayan Khan glared at him and said angrily, "Think about it, the enemy even knows where you're going to pick up the goods. If they've ambushed you with troops all around, how could you possibly get back?"

"Huh? This..."

Tulu panicked immediately, feeling a wave of fear wash over him.

Dayan Khan then said, "They released you to humiliate me, which is why I said this man is unfathomable! With such a capable person, how can we possibly win?"

"Issue my order that all tribes refrain from any rash actions and prepare for tribute."