Chapter 59: Envoys from Liaodong Arrive

  (Thanks to "Zhao Wu Xie 2014", "Yu Xian Yue Xia", "Qi Meng Zi", "Mei Ying - Bing Xin" and "Qi Qing Liu Yu, Mo Ri" for the rewards!)

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  Ma Xian returned, as if injecting a stimulant and energizer into the entire Han Gou department. The long migration team was like a long dragon, only this long dragon had no head, so even a small answer dared to cheat on the door. Ma Xian came back, and the dragon had a head.

  Ma Huan was not alone, and beside him was a slender woman with her face covered on a hot day. Tian Yu and Wu Zhui knew who she was, and they were shocked beyond measure. The commander was too powerful, stirring up trouble in Rouran Water and still managing to escape unscathed with the woman, the Xianbei people must have been driven mad.

  After the passionate and grand welcoming ceremony, Ma Xun's main tent was filled with people from the Han Gou department. Everyone who was someone had come, not just to hear Ma Xun recount his narrow escape, but more importantly, to listen to his plans for the next step.

  Many people have heard many versions, some of which are exaggerated to the point of being mythical. The most enjoyable one for the Hango Department is Ma Hu's new title, which is also the loudest title so far - Khongbuturu!

  "Khünbü Türlü", in the Donghu language, means Greedy Wolf Archer. In the mythological legends of the Donghu people, there is a divine guard who serves the mountain god, with the head of a wolf and the body of a human, in charge of bows and arrows. Once upon a time, he was ordered by the mountain god to get rid of a thousand-year-old giant python that was causing trouble on Mount Da Xianbei. Khünbü Türlü held the divine bow from a thousand miles away and shot an arrow to kill the giant python, saving countless lives of the Donghu people. From then on, Khünbü Türlü became the revered and respected title of the supreme god archer passed down among the elderly of the Donghu people.

  The Xianbei and Wuhuan both originated from the Donghu, naturally inheriting all of the Donghu people's culture, which mainly refers to mythology. For thousands of years, whether it was the Donghu, Xiongnu, Xianbei or Wuhuan, each tribe had countless skilled archers, but no one ever became widely recognized as the greatest archer in the north of the desert, nor did anyone receive the title "Khongbatur" from the people.

  Now this title, however, has fallen on the head of a Han man, which really makes the grassland warriors drop their jaws. But thinking carefully, it seems to be reasonable, because the magic bow offered in the Xianbei ancestral temple is the sacrificial instrument dedicated to Qunbaturu. All Xianbei people believe that only Qunbaturu can use this bow. Now this bow has fallen into the hands of a Han man, and he even uses this bow to shoot fire arrows, burning down the yurt and devouring tens of thousands of lives, which is simply divine punishment. It's hard not to associate the three - god, bow, and man - together, and thus produce endless fantasies...

  The people of the Han tribe were more familiar with their commander's exploits, and they knew which ones were exaggerated and which might be true. At first, they thought it was just a fantasy of the grassland tribes who had never seen Ma Xian's person, but when they heard that the commander, with his own strength, guarded the mountain road alone, shooting hundreds of arrows from one bow, killing hundreds of Xianbei people, and making thousands of Xianbei troops helpless, everyone was amazed.

  When the commander-in-chief was four hundred steps away, he shot and hit the target. The thousand-step fire arrow burned down the enemy's camp. Tian Yu, Tang Nu, Wu Zhui and others, who were good at horseback riding and archery, were all shocked. This completely broke their understanding of the range and accuracy of bows and arrows. Even with innate divine power and eagle-like eyesight, it was hard to explain. On the contrary, the legend that had been passed down on the Mongolian grasslands was closer to the truth.

  Everyone at this moment, in addition to worship, adds reverence, "Khumbutulu" - Greedy Wolf God shoots, indeed apt.

  "I had thought that our tribe might also suffer a surprise attack by the Wuhuan people when we were surrounded and killed by the Xianbei people. This is the two main enemies we have in the north of the desert, and it was a situation set up by the Yan brothers with the help of the Kui and Yu tribes. Fortunately, you finally broke through the siege of the Wuhuan tribe and kept most of our people safe, arriving safely at the banks of the Yinliang River." Ma Yuan's face showed relief as he nodded to each of the representatives of the tribe present, then his expression turned serious and solemn as he said, "But it is not yet time to celebrate. We have escaped from the Wuhuan tribe's sphere of influence, but we are still on Kui territory. The Kui tribe is currently in a state of chaos and cannot pay attention to us for the time being. We cannot stay here for long and need to leave as soon as possible and enter Liaoxi."

  Tian Yu worried: "Leaving as soon as possible is a matter of course, but we are concerned about the Wudang tribe of Liu City and the Sufu Yan of Liaodong. The three tribes of Wu Dan, although they have disputes with each other, are ultimately still allies. If we defeat Uyan greatly, will he...

  Ma Huan calmly waved his hand: "As Guo Rong said, the three counties of Wuhuan have been in dispute with each other, and it's not just a dispute. In fact, they all want to swallow each other up and unify Wuhuan. In those years, Qiu Liju almost succeeded, fortunately he died quickly; Tan Shi Huai did succeed, but he died even faster. Whether it's Xianbei or Wuhuan, one side is weakened, the other side will only secretly rejoice. Just like when I heavily injured Chebie Neng, burned the Xianbei tooth account, but I didn't worry about the big men of the Eastern Xianbei, Su Li, Que Ji and Mi Jia finding trouble with me. On the contrary, they would find trouble with Chebie Neng."

  Mujiao Lao Han stroked his beard and sank into thought for a moment before saying, "As the commander intends, we don't need to worry about being trampled, is that right?"

  Ma Huan nodded: "There's another point, this time it was the Wuyan Department that invaded our Hangou Department. After the Wuyan failed, Toudon, as the king of the three counties of Woulan, may come forward to mediate. So, he will not be unfavorable to me."

  Tian Yu thought for a moment and then turned his gaze to Ma Xun: "Then, will the commander accept mediation?"

  Ma Xiu sneered repeatedly: "Killing my people, forcing me to move east, if you can't win, just apologize with a smile, haha, is there such an easy thing in the world?"

  "General, I don't want to say this, but I have no choice: for now, we still need to borrow a road from Liu City to migrate our troops, so it's not suitable to break up with Tuan Tuo yet."

  Even Tan Nu, who was notorious for his temper, held back and said: "General, let the people of our tribe settle down in Liaodong first, and after we have regained our strength, we can look for Wu Yan to settle accounts. If he obstructs us at that time, we will turn against him."

  Ma Huan did not respond immediately, and after a moment of contemplation, said: "Actually, what I am truly worried about is not the Wuhuan people, but rather Liaodong."

  Yu smiled slightly: "Before the tenth day, I had already sent a team of envoys to report to Governor Gongsun Shengji of Liaodong about borrowing the road."

  Ma Xun was taken aback: "Borrowing a road?"

  Yue smiled and said: "Yes, in the letter I only mentioned that we are borrowing a road to avoid disaster and enter Goguryeo."

  Ma Xuan thought for a moment, understood, and smiled nodding: "Not bad, when the time comes to haggle, won't be taken advantage of."

  Tian Yu counted on his fingers and said: "According to the route, at most in another ten days, there will be news..."

  Before the words were finished, a sudden report came from outside the account: "Report to the department commander, a team of horses and men came from the front, claiming to be the envoy of Gongsun, the governor of Liaodong, requesting the department commander to meet."

  For a moment, everyone was stunned, and Ma Xiaoqiang burst out laughing: "It seems that someone is more anxious than us."

  ……

  The envoy of the Governor of Liaodong, Gongsun Du, was a young man of about 27 or 28 years old, with a refined and elegant demeanor. He wore his hair tied up in a bun and a crown on his head, stood at a height of seven feet five inches, had a slender build, and wore a narrow-sleeved robe suitable for long-distance travel. The fabric was of high quality, indicating that he came from a good background. His appearance was also impressive, with a long face, thin mustache, and a pair of bright, intelligent eyes shining with wisdom.

  "Certainly, Gongsun, the governor of Liaodong, sent his county magistrate, Liu Yi and Liu Zhongping, to meet with the cavalry commander."

  Ma Huan's heart was both surprised and delighted. The chief clerk, this person's status is not low. The position of the chief clerk is not high, with a salary of no more than 300 stones, but he is in charge of important matters, issuing and receiving orders, and is an important assistant to the governor, equivalent to the confidential secretary of the head of state in later generations. It belongs to the kind of low-ranking but powerful position. In the Liaodong Governor's Office civil servant system, it can at least rank among the top five. Gong Sun Du sent someone with such a status to make contact, and it must be said that he attaches great importance to himself and the Han Gou Department.

  Ma Xun and Liu Yi exchanged courtesies and invited each other to take their seats, which was simply adding a short mat next to Ma Xun in the tent.

  Tian Yu couldn't help but ask when he met Liu Yi: "Why did the chief clerk come so quickly?"

  Liu Yi smiled: "His Excellency had long intended to contact the Han Ge Department, and I was ordered by His Excellency five days ago to go to Youyang from Liaodong to recruit General Ma. As a result, I met an envoy from your department on the way to Liaodong. Haha, it's really that great minds think alike!"

  Tian Yu and others understood that the war between the Han Dynasty and the Wuhuan, especially the heavy defeat of the Xianbei Qiebi Neng tribe, Gongsun Du as the governor of Liaodong, was the closest to the Xianbei among all the governors of the Han Dynasty. How could he not know? The Liaodong Prefecture had always been on the northeastern edge of the Han Dynasty, surrounded and isolated by various forces of the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes. Over the years, it had also suffered from the harassment of the Hu people. Now that they heard about such a powerful Han family tribe and its leader, they naturally wanted to make contact with them in every possible way and win them over.

  Ma Xun also tasted the flavor, first raised his cup with Liu Yi to toast each other, and after drinking it all in one gulp, he smacked his lips and said: "The protector of Wudan, Colonel Xi, had also wanted to recruit Ma Xun, but was rejected by him."

  Liu Yi smiled slightly: "What position did General Xing seal?"

  "Hu Wuguan Xunjian Qi Bu Jia Sima."

  Liu Yi burst out laughing: "Xing Shijun is indeed blind to a true hero! My family's Gongsun Shijun wants to appoint Ma Jun as the Cavalry Captain and establish his own battalion."

  "Riding Captain?!"

  Ma Xun and Tian Yu exchanged a surprised glance, and the people in the tent also excitedly whispered to each other.

  Qí Dū Wèi is a high-ranking military officer in a commandery, second only to the Commandery Governor, and half a rank higher than the Protector of the Wuhuan Cavalry Colonel. Gongsun Du actually appointed himself as Qí Dū Wèi, this cost is not small.

  However, compared to the high rank, Ma Xun is more concerned about the independence of this riding attendant, and not a fake "Simashi" with the title of riding attendant.

  Liu Yi seemed to see through Ma Huan's thoughts, and with a smile, he took out a roll of silk map from a small box by his side, unfolded it and presented it to Ma Huan. He pointed to a certain place on the map: "This is Bailing Castle in western Liao, General Ma can station troops here, serve as the commander of the cavalry and lead the defense of Bailing Castle, establishing an independent camp."

  "Liaoxi! White Wolf Castle!"

  Everyone in the tent widened their eyes.