Chapter 8, Preparing for the Expedition
Qian Zongsi Huang Dexia of Qiantun, Anxi Town, found it quite strange that Ou Yang had gone and returned in such a short time. However, after listening to Ou Yang's report, he quickly understood the circumstances of the matter
The term "the West" is somewhat vague to Huang Qianzong. After all, he has never seen a world map and lacks a sense of world geography
Huang Dexia has been serving in the military for over thirty years, and after years of hard work, he has only attained the rank of a garrison captain. His only wish now is to provide a good opportunity for his sons. Now that the opportunity has arisen, with over one hundred able-bodied men, along with other tribesmen, the population of this tribe should be no less than three hundred. If he can capture one third of them, the merit alone would be sufficient for his two sons to become citizens.
"Commander Pai Jiao Ouyang, heed the order!" He said decisively, adopting a serious expression: "You go and make the necessary preparations for the expedition, ensuring that the soldiers and provisions are ready. Assemble here on the second day of the tenth month!"
"If you have any thoughts, feel free to speak your mind about 'Qubing'." Ouyang had given himself the name 'Qubing'. Huang Qianzong's statement indicated that he had already regarded Ouyang as one of his own, as he felt that Ouyang was intentionally exaggerating the threat posed by Sheng Di, seemingly inciting him to rally his subordinates to take action together.
A tribe of the Shendi, with a population of over one hundred, also possesses a considerable amount of iron tools
Absolutely impossible! Huang Qian first denied it emphatically, then explained to Ou Yang: "Regardless of who it is, colluding with the Di people is a serious crime, and once discovered, one cannot escape the consequences. Moreover, these are merely the living Di; powerful officials can easily annihilate their clans at will, so what purpose does it serve to keep them alive? If one gets entangled in the issue of harboring bandits, it becomes difficult to clarify. No matter where these Di people obtained their iron weapons, we will know once we capture them, but they certainly were not given by any official. However, this is a good opportunity regardless!"
Alright. You can rest assured and go back. When the time comes, bring people over to meet. I still need to summon other allies. Huang Qianzhong thought for a moment and felt that he should first give Ou Yang a little incentive. He patted Ou Yang on the shoulder and promised, "Rest assured, this time we go to war, no matter how much we gain, you can choose half of what belongs to the public first!"
Huang Qian, who was currently in a state of excitement, was taken aback by this question. Having spent many years in the Western Regions, he was well aware that the Di people were discriminated against even more than the Yi people. The notion that the Di people are akin to beasts was not merely a saying. While it was one thing to keep attractive Di individuals as pets, it was quite another to genuinely support an alien race in any endeavor. In this regard, it was evident that the Yi people were more suitable than the Di people, as at least they appeared more human.
At your command
However, Huang Dexia ultimately decided not to take things too far. After all, that foreigner went directly to pledge allegiance to Ouyang, and this young man is an educated individual, certainly having many teachers, classmates, and old friends who can support him. It would be unseemly for oneself to seize all the credit. Moreover, Ouyang coming back to seek his assistance indicates that this young man still respects him, and he has already secured a substantial share of the profits.
Ouyang left Takulai to Huang Qianzong. This survivor has more than a dozen companions in the wilderness outside. After Huang Qianzong promised to avenge him, he asked him to bring everyone over. At that time, each of the armored teams would get one, and it would be good to have a guide as well. Even before setting out, there would already be more than a dozen mouths to feed, and Huang Qianzong felt that this was truly a stroke of good luck that could not be stopped.
What a noble character!" Ou Yang complimented.
General Huang Qian was almost inclined to summon his subordinates to "attack" this tribe. This way, the greatest merit would be his alone. He could justify sending troops under the pretext of preventing the Shengdi from encroaching on the borders, and as long as he displayed the captured iron weapons, the dignitaries along the way would certainly believe him. The Shengdi possessing so much iron could only mean that they had either received support from someone behind the scenes or had plundered some merchant convoy. In either case, it was only natural to send troops to exterminate them.
Oh? Huang Qian seemed to have calmed down a bit: "But it is no harm to speak."
Moreover, he did not find any feuding tribes or people from his own family who had been captured in the town, which at least proves that the side they have allied with is not the Han people of Anxi Town; otherwise, they should have surrendered the majority of the spoils of war.
I, the undersigned, express my gratitude to Lord Xie for your teachings. Before my arrival, I had already selected 30 individuals, all of whom are skilled archers, and it would not be a problem to take down a few of the enemy.
Ou Yang looked at the excited Huang Dexia and thought that if this were a comic from a past life, he would surely see dollar signs in his eyes. This General Huang had been captivated by the profit prospects of this investment, completely overlooking the potential risks. This was not a mistake one would expect from someone experienced in military affairs.
The information revealed in the Taku Lai dialect made Ouyang hesitate for a moment. Iron is not rare in the inland regions, but it is entirely different in the border areas of the Western Regions. Especially for those Di people who exhibit beast-like characteristics, iron is almost equivalent to gold. It is indeed worth pondering where these people obtained so many iron weapons; it is difficult to say that they are not supported by some imperial officer or other forces behind the scenes. Moreover, if the opposing side has already popularized iron weapons, the 30 men he brought on this hunt would have no advantage at all.
Moreover, for General Huang Qian, regardless of whether Ouyang's speculation is accurate, a tribe of several hundred people already constitutes a worthy target that requires considerable effort to hunt. With this in mind, General Huang resolutely said to Ouyang: "We must be vigilant against the illness that one cannot afford to ignore. As the officer in charge of the thousand households, I must alleviate the concerns of His Majesty and the esteemed ministers. If it turns out to be nothing, then so be it; but if there are indeed Westerners supporting the barbarians, we must eliminate this threat for the Empire!"
Ouyang, on the other hand, was completely different. Upon arriving in this world and discovering the existence of the Deren species, he began to contemplate the issues of the West. From books and newspapers, he learned that there were also elves and dwarves in the West, which led him to pay special attention to collecting snippets of information about the Western world. Initially, it was merely a curiosity, but upon reaching the Western Regions, he found that the western border of the empire had long since surpassed the Congling Mountains. If the two Earths were of the same size, Ouyang's current position would be further west than the four towns of Anxi during the Tang Dynasty. Initially, it was merely a curiosity, but upon reaching the Western Regions, he found that the western border of the empire had long since surpassed the Congling Mountains. If the two Earths were of the same size, Ouyang's current position would be further west than the four towns of Anxi during the Tang Dynasty.
When Ouyang brought back the bows and arrows, Takulai was watching from the corner. He thought that if his tribe had so many good bows and arrows, they would definitely not lose to those barbaric tribes with horns. This Han person also bought a mountain of grain, and by aligning himself with them, not only was revenge hopeful, but he might also be able to have a few hearty meals after finding his child. As for selling himself into slavery, selling to whom is not selling? At least the Han people indeed have money. This Han person also bought a mountain of grain, and by aligning himself with them, not only was revenge hopeful, but he might also be able to have a few hearty meals after finding his child. As for selling himself into slavery, selling to whom is not selling? At least the Han people indeed have money.
General Huang Qian also witnessed the merchant caravans from the West, not to mention that maritime exchanges between the East and West have never ceased. There are indeed quite a number of Caucasian Westerners in the Western Regions. However, the vast forest that separates Eastern and Western civilizations is an insurmountable barrier, making large-scale conflicts between the two sides highly unlikely. Yet, upon further reflection, since merchants can traverse the great forest, it stands to reason that small-scale military units could do the same. Supporting a few tribes of several hundred strong men to expand their foothold in the great forest would certainly not be difficult.
Back and forth, Ou Yang spent quite a bit of time at Huang Qian's home, and today he would likely return to the village in the dark. However, Ou Yang's subordinates had no complaints; Takulai had set an example for them—out in the great forest, the life of a free person was not necessarily better than that of a slave.
Ouyang helplessly reminded, "My lord, I still have a question, and I hope you can clarify it for me."
Why does this merchant choose to support the Shengdi rather than the Shengyi
"Take him with us, let's head back to the town first." Ouyang decided to report this matter to General Huang Qian. He should have the means to understand what is happening with these Di people. If there is indeed no imperial background behind this, it would be better for General Huang to bring his men along rather than risking it with just his 30 people. If they could capture an entire Di tribe, he could repay a significant portion of the debt he owes.
The empire stipulates that regardless of whether it is hunting or warfare, the division of spoils is as follows: 10% is dedicated to the royal family, 20% is paid as tax, the commanding officer of the unit may take 10% for themselves, and 30% is submitted as public funds for the unit to be redistributed later. The remaining 30% is confirmed as personal property. The 30% of public funds is primarily intended for additional rewards for those who have made contributions. The reward given by General Huang Qian is that Ou Yang can take an additional 15% from the spoils of all units involved in this operation.
As a half-hearted military enthusiast, Ouyang was aware that the Tang army had experienced a defeat in the Western Regions. Therefore, he always felt that there was a force from another civilization lurking near the western borders of the empire. Since he was already a frontline soldier stationed at the border, to let his guard down would be an act of irresponsibility towards his own life
As soon as we left the city again, we saw several of General Huang Qian's private soldiers riding swiftly on horseback, simultaneously holding a wooden trumpet and shouting: "In October, we will march out, each unit will deploy 20 soldiers..."
Yes, my lord, I am concerned whether this tribe is privately maintained by some noble, and I have come to inquire to avoid any loss of face should a conflict arise
After receiving the order from Ouyang, Huang Qian put on a smile and said: "Ouyang, make sure you are well prepared and bring more people. This time we can also go hunting and strive to have a good year. The slaves in your village must have suffered from hunger this year, right? Although losing a few won't be blamed from above, they are ultimately state property, which is an important assessment criterion for us as garrison troops. If they starve to death or become emaciated, we will still be punished."
Taku Lai cautiously hid in the town for 5 days. With the snow falling, it was already very dangerous for Sheng Yi to remain in the town, but he held onto a glimmer of hope and continued to observe the situation recklessly. Fortunately, the imperial forces did not anticipate that Sheng Yi had not left after the snowfall. He also had quite a bit of food from previous exchanges with him, which allowed him to evade detection during these days.
Huang Qian was unaware of what Ou Yang was thinking, but he was quite satisfied with the reason Ou Yang provided. If there were indeed external forces supporting Sheng Di, then his decision to gather his subordinates for an offensive could be claimed as an intelligence-gathering operation. Moreover, since this was a suggestion made by Ou Yang himself, even if there were no noteworthy forces behind Sheng Di, he would not be seen by Ou Yang's friends and relatives as a petty person who snatched away the achievements and resources of his subordinates.
Having listened to the words of the elders, I suddenly thought, could it be that some Western forces are supporting the Di people beyond the borders?
Ouyang continued to explain: "I have heard from the merchant caravans traveling to the West that beyond the vast forest of the Western Regions lies a land of extraordinary beauty, a place that rivals our Huaxia. There are dozens of countries there, with a population in the millions. Although the great forest prevents the Westerners from sending large armies, it is not impossible to support a few barbarian tribes."
In light of this, Huang Qianzong continued to speak to Ouyang: "The prominent figures look down upon these Di people, but the lesser individuals do not necessarily share the same view. Especially those merchants, who maintain a group of Di barbarians to strike against rival merchant caravans. Although the court forbids this, it is said that there is no business without deceit. As long as they do not cause a major disturbance that would attract the imperial army's crackdown, no one pays them any mind. However, this time is different; selling dozens of iron weapons to the Sheng Di must be reported to this official, so that taxes can be duly collected. Now, this official truly does not know, which means it is smuggling weapons. Merchants without roots or connections who fall into this crime could face execution! If we break this tribe, not to mention how many slaves we capture, at the very least, we will receive a commendation from our superiors for our keen observation and effective prevention."