Chapter 29: The Real Test

  (Thanks for the support from "Zhao Wu Xu 2014" and "54656515".)

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  "Are you Yan Ruoshui's younger brother, Yan Zikun?" In the main tent with white thick felt and simple furnishings, Ma Hong sat behind a low table, his eyes gazing at the young man in front of him who was only a few years older than himself, with an air of arrogance.

  Yan Rou was a person that Ma Huai knew vaguely, and indeed there was such a figure in the history of the Three Kingdoms. However, his reputation was not well-known, far inferior to those famous ministers and generals. As for his younger brother Yan Zhi, he had never even heard of him. But when he returned to his camp and met Yan Zhi on the way, asking around, whether it was Tang Nu or Wu Zhui, even his groom Alu, they all knew the great name of the Yan brothers. From their words, one could hear their admiration for the Yan brothers. After all, being able to survive as a Han person among the fierce and ferocious Hu people, and still manage to gain such a great reputation, was indeed impressive.

  Knowing the identity of the visitor, especially being a famous brother who can be recorded in the history of the Three Kingdoms, Ma Dai's reception standard naturally also increased, from outside the account to inside the account.

  "Yan Zhi, I've heard of you." Yan Zhi performed a salute by removing his hat and bowing, a gesture usually reserved for meeting high-ranking officials from various tribes. In contrast to Ma Xun's calm demeanor, Yan Zhi appeared composed on the surface but was inwardly shocked. He couldn't have imagined that this young man, who had single-handedly held off three hundred Xianbei elite cavalrymen and killed three Xianbei warriors, would be a gentle-looking youth with a subtle smile and an air of quiet confidence.

  Young hero! The phrase flashed through Yan Zhi's mind, and he couldn't help but feel the pressure of his mission. Hmm, I just hope this person is inexperienced, brave but not wise, only then can I complete my brother's entrustment.

  After the host and guest had a drink, Yan Zhi spoke first, trying to ask about Ma Hong's background. But Ma Hong only said that he was from Ju Lu, and his other matters were as mysterious as silence. Yan Zhi spent half a day's effort, but still couldn't find out what he wanted to know, and his heart cooled down a few more degrees, it seemed that this young man wasn't easy to deal with either.

  After chatting with Yan Zhitou for half a day, Ma Xun finally smiled and asked: "Xun first thanks Mr. Yan for the heavy gift he sent, I wonder if there's anything you'd like to teach me?"

  Yan Zhi, on this trip, represented the Xianbei chieftain Jiefu to negotiate, of course, he couldn't come empty-handed. He brought a large gift that included ten fine horses, twenty camels, one hundred heads of cattle and sheep, ten ingots of gold, and thirty households of Han slaves.

  The heaviest gift in this list is "Thirty households of Han slaves", which is as many as one hundred Han slaves, although most are old and weak. According to market prices, a slave is worth at least 3,000 coins, so nearly one hundred Han slaves are worth at least 300,000 coins. However, for the Hanguo Department, Han slaves cannot be calculated in terms of money, they are the parents, relatives, brothers and sisters of our own ethnic group. Compared to horses, cattle, sheep and goats, this is a truly great gift.

  No matter what Yan Zhi's purpose was in coming here, Ma Xun would listen carefully to what he had to say, just for the sake of this great gift.

  Yan Zixiao replied: "Commander, I have come on this trip at the behest of the Xianbei elder, Helian Bobo. I hope that you will accept his good intentions..."

  Ma Xun listened to Yan Zhi's transmission of Ke Bi Nai's conditions and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh: "Ke Bi Nai won't have gone crazy, will he? - Please forgive my wording. What I mean is, I finally managed to rescue the Han people and establish a separate department. If we surrender to him, wouldn't that be sending the entire tribe back into the fire pit and enslaving them again? In that case, what's the point of doing this?"

  Yan Zhibusy said, "No, Ke Bi is willing to obey the adults, and the Han Ge Department is still the department commander. He just wants obedience. As long as the department commander follows the adult's orders, from the south bank of the Niu Shui River to the Bai Tan area within a hundred miles, it will be allowed to be the pasture of the Han Ge Department, and the Han Ge Department can set up its account. Such conditions cannot be said to be unfavorable, why doesn't the department commander think thrice?"

  Ma Xuan glanced at Yan Zhi lightly and said, "After all, we are Han people. The wish of all the Han people in the department is to return to the old land of Da Han. If that Xianbei adult thinks we want to end our lives outside the pass, then he is wrong."

  Yan Zhi smiled quietly: "No matter what the commander is after, first seek to establish a foothold, then gradually plan for it, that's the best strategy."

  Ma Xian sank into thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Sir, your words are reasonable, but I still need to discuss this matter with the elders of my department. Let's do it this way, courtesy calls for reciprocity, I will return 100 Xianbei slaves to you, so that you can also complete your task. If Qi Biao wants more people back, then please ask him to exchange them with an equal number of Han slaves. My department has nearly a thousand Xianbei slaves, if he is willing to exchange them, I will seriously consider this proposal."

  Kui Bin demanded the unconditional return of all Xianbei slaves and property, while Ma Hu proposed an equal exchange. The conditions were too far apart, and Yan Zhi could not make a decision, so he had to agree to convey Kui Bin's message.

  Ma Huan also had his own abacus, what he needed most now was time, and what he lacked most was also time. If he could receive thousands of Han slaves from the Xianbei people in a peaceful manner, this transaction would be absolutely cost-effective. Even if it was to exchange strong Xianbei people for weak Han people, it would still be cost-effective - the power generated by a united group with a common enemy would be far stronger than that of a disunited group.

  Just as Ma Hu was lavishly entertaining the first noble guest of our tribe, a sudden horseshoe sound entered his ears, and immediately a hurried voice came from outside the account: "Report to the commander, a warning message has come from the southeast direction of Baitan, 50 miles away. A large number of cavalrymen have been found, with unclear intentions. How to deal with it, please decide by the commander."

  Ma Hu's cool action was frozen in place, fifty miles away, in a southeast direction, a large batch of cavalry, could it be...

  Yan Zhi's expression remained unchanged, but in his heart he thought: "It's here, it's here. This time, let's see how you'll respond?"

  Ma Xun's movements were momentarily frozen, and he gave Yan Zhi a faint glance: "It's probably the Wuman people coming to make trouble, sir. Please sit back and relax, I'll be right back."

  Ma Huan's body just moved, Yan Zhi stretched out his hand and pressed it, smiling: "As for this batch of invading enemies, Zhi has been hearing some news on the way south, I don't know if the commander is willing to listen?"

  Ma Xuan slowly sat down and made a gesture to Yan Zhi that said it didn't matter.

  Yan Zhi nodded, his expression solemn: "When Zhi Nan arrived, he heard that the Khan of Shanlu was enraged by the attack on his camp and ordered his eldest son, Left Lu Hou Pu Fu Lu, to lead 500 elite Uwan cavalry westward to avenge this affront. Judging from the time it takes for news to travel, it should be around now."

  "Wu Yan, Pu Fulu, five hundred cavalry..." Ma Yuan muttered to himself, closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly opened them with a smile. "Although they came earlier than expected, the number of troops is roughly as expected. Good, since you're here, let's fight!" He stood up, saluted Yan Zhi, and strode out, lifting the curtain.

  Yan Zhi smiled and gazed at Ma Han's departing back, muttering to himself: "He has courage and a strong backbone, indeed a talent worth using. The only question is how his troops will fare in battle. Brother, it's up to you now."

  The biggest difference between the Hango tribe and the Hu people's tribe is that there is a circle of earth walls, one person high, around the tent, with watchtowers set up on all sides. The tribespeople, livestock, vehicles, and property are stationed within, having certain defensive capabilities, effectively preventing theft and looting.

  At this moment, except for the Han people who were grazing too far away and couldn't rush back in time, the nearby herdsmen had already driven their cattle and sheep into the pens. On each watchtower, there were herdsmen holding bows and knives on guard. Behind the earth wall, the Han people who could wield clubs and draw bows and arrows also took up arms to defend themselves. Among them were the weak and frail, old man Muji, silversmith Yu De, accountant Tao Liang, groom A Su, and even the delicate and weak figure of Nianslave...

  Thousands of eyes, on the vast grassland outside the earthen enclosure, Ma Xun rode a tall horse, wearing an iron helmet, wearing crimson leather armor, with small iron scales all over; On the left side of the saddle hung a leopard bow, and in the skin bag on the right rear side were inserted two ring-headed knives and two short axes. The saddle had four large quiver bags hanging from both sides, front and back, eighty arrows in total. That kind of armed-to-the-teeth ferocity and sharpness sent chills down one's spine.

  Before him were three hundred Han Gog cavalrymen, all with solemn expressions and resolute faces.

  "The moment we've been waiting for has finally arrived!" Ma Huan pulled out a feathered arrow from his quiver, held it horizontally with his arm straight, and looked around. "Two months of hard training, struggling, and testing have finally come to the moment of verifying our results. Don't think that just because we defeated seven Xiongnu tribes before, our Han Gou tribe's cavalry is already a top-notch force on both banks of the river. Wrong! Defeating a group of miscellaneous Hu nomads doesn't count for anything; today, we're facing the real enemy! I'm glad to see you're not afraid, but what I need to know is: do you have the determination to defeat the enemy?"

  "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

  Tang Nu, Wu Zhui and dozens of other fierce warriors shouted loudly, but the majority of the Han cavalry, especially those from the riding department, although they also raised their arms and shouted, were much weaker in momentum, clearly lacking determination.

  Ma Xun pointed the feathered arrow in his hand at the Han people inside the camp, took a deep breath, and suddenly shouted: "I just want to tell you that in this war, you can die, but you must not lose! If you die in battle, the Han tribe can still be preserved, your parents, sisters, relatives, friends, even the women you love can continue to survive - as a person with dignity! But if you lose, everything will go back to the past, and there may not even be an opportunity to return to the past. Are you willing to fight to the death or become slaves?

  "Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

  This time, no one hesitated again. At first, it was the Han cavalry who shouted loudly, and later even the Han civilians inside the camp joined in unison, with thousands of people shouting together, their voices shaking the eight directions, their morale surging, urging them to kill the Huns.

  Yan Zhi stood with his hands behind him in front of the tent, looking up at a distance with an expression of extreme surprise. This small tribe composed of a group of escaped slaves actually had such a strong will to fight, how did they do it? This Ma Hong, was more and more incomprehensible.

  "Tan Nu, take a hundred cavalry to guard the camp. Until I return, you are in command of the Han Gou Camp. The remaining two hundred Han Gou elite cavalry will follow me to meet the enemy." Ma Huan raised his hand with the feathered arrow, looked around, and snapped his thumb, breaking the arrow shaft with a sound like splitting metal, "Kill the Hu---"

  "Kill Hu——kill Hu——kill Hu——"