Li Jun frowned slightly. He knew this was no excuse from Hulei Khan. Although Hulei Khan held absolute authority in his largest tribe, his words might not have the same effect in the other two tribes. Furthermore, the post road traversed the grasslands and was crucial to the fate of all the Rong people; it would be difficult to construct without the unwavering consent of the other two tribes.
“It’s alright, I’ll persuade the other leaders.” Ji Su smiled apologetically at Li Jun. “As a War God’s attendant, I can get the support of the Breaking Heaven Sect. Although there will be some twists and turns, I can eventually convince them. It’s just that I can’t be by your side anymore.”
Li Jun's heart was filled with tenderness. Separating from Ji Su after only a month of marriage was difficult for both of them. However, he received news from Kuanglan City that the naval battle with the Japanese pirates had reached a critical stage, and that Li Jun needed to coordinate with Jiang Tang and the wealthy merchants of Kuanglan City regarding the upcoming large-scale project.
“Sister Ji Su…” In front of Si Haihan, he was too embarrassed to make any intimate gestures, and even ashamed to linger his gaze on Ji Su’s face for long. Ji Su, on the other hand, smiled frankly: “Your affairs are my affairs. Don’t worry, I will be back in Kuanglan City soon.”
"I'm not in a hurry to go back to Kuanglan City." A blush rose on Mo Rong's face. Thinking about facing all those familiar faces every day after returning to the city, she couldn't help but feel shy. Although she knew that no one would joke with her to her face, she didn't know why. When she and Li Jun were not yet truly in love, she dared to hold Li Jun's hand and wander around Kuanglan City. But after their relationship became public knowledge, she didn't even dare to walk side by side with Li Jun.
"Sister Rong should go back with him. Otherwise, with his reckless and foolish temper, I'm afraid no one can persuade him," Ji Su said with a smile. No matter how smart and wise a man is, in the eyes of the woman who loves him, he is a big fool, especially someone like Li Jun who doesn't know how to understand a woman's heart.
Li Jun smiled as well. He knew perfectly well why Mo Rong didn't want to go back, but she couldn't just stay away from Kuanglan City forever because of that. So he said, "Sister Rong is going back. Some preliminary preparations for the post road still need to be confirmed by the Bureau of Gewu. How can things work without you, the head of the Bureau of Gewu?"
Mo Rong rolled her eyes at him, but said nothing more.
The next day, after seeing Li Jun and his party off, Hulei Khan and Jisu began preparations for a meeting of tribal leaders. The construction of the post road was of great importance, and although Hulei Khan was persuaded, he could not guarantee that it would be approved at the tribal leaders' meeting, known as the "Great Khural".
According to the customs of the Rong people, the Khan, Huli, can decide on the daily affairs of the Qionglu Steppe, but if the matter is of great importance, it must be approved by the Great Khural before it can be implemented. Therefore, the news of the Great Khural's meeting has been spread by fast horses in the past few days, and the leaders of various tribes should be able to arrive within ten days.
"Brothers, the reason we have summoned the Great Khural is because the Peace Army made a proposal to us."
Hulei did not mention that he had already agreed to Li Jun's request. Instead, he avoided his position and directly stated Li Jun's suggestion: "They proposed to build a post road and develop mineral resources on the Qionglu Grassland. Because it concerns all our people, we have gathered everyone together."
The leaders of the three major tribes and their numerous subordinate tribes had received some prior information. They also sent people to congratulate Li Jun and Ji Su on their wedding. Most of them had witnessed Li Jun's extraordinary martial prowess, but inevitably there were always some who were not convinced.
"No, no, cattle and sheep can go home without roads, and falcons can fly without roads. The roads for us Rong people are in our hearts. What good would building roads do us?"
The first to object was Ugula, who had been defeated by Li Jun. He had always harbored feelings for Ji Su, but Ji Su's marriage to Li Jun had deeply disappointed him. However, his objection was not because of Ji Su, but because he knew Li Jun's strength. If Li Jun intended to seize the Qionglu Grassland, once the post road was opened, the Rong people might lose even their only geographical advantage.
Hulei Khan stroked his beard, remaining silent. Although Wuguli was a rising star among the younger generation, leading a tribe of over ten thousand people, he was not enough to change anything. The silence of the leaders of the other two tribes was what worried him.
“I also object. The Rong people are like eagles soaring in the sky, while ordinary people are just cattle and sheep crawling on the ground. If roads are built, then the cowardly and bad habits of ordinary people will inevitably be passed on to us Rong people.”
Sure enough, Manpu, the chief of a large tribe, slowly spoke up, and his three sons behind him gripped their waist knives, looking menacing.
"Is there anyone else who objects?" Hulei asked, his gaze fixed on Badar, the leader of another major tribe. Apart from leaders like Ugula, who were both powerful and ambitious, most of the other small tribe leaders followed one of the three major tribes. Therefore, with Manpu's opposition, Badar's wishes would be crucial.
“A herdsman will not enter the pasture without preparation, and an eagle will not take to the sky without sharpening its talons.” Badar said slowly, “Khulei Khan is a wise man among us Rong people. He will only make a judgment after full preparation. I think that Kulei Khan must have reached some agreement with Commander Li Jun.”
Hulei's expression didn't change, but his heart skipped a beat. Badar, that old fox, didn't directly state his attitude. It seemed that he also thought that whether or not to repair the post road was not the most important thing. The most important thing was whether the Peace Army would turn against the Rong people if the post road was not repaired, and what benefits the Peace Army would give to the Rong people if the post road was repaired.
“Li Jun is my son-in-law, and you are all my brothers. The son-in-law is an outsider, but the brothers are like family,” Hurekhan said. “Therefore, when Li Jun made this suggestion, I did not agree to it, but said that it was up to Hurar to decide.”
"Li Jun proposed that the conditions for building the post road and mining were that impregnable checkpoints be built at both ends of the post road, and that we send people to collect customs duties from merchants, with all the revenue going to us. In addition, he also proposed that a large city be built for us in the constellation land, a city large enough to accommodate 100,000 households."
After explaining Li Jun's terms, Hulei stared at Badar: "Brother Badar, these are the terms I got from Li Jun. What do you think?"
“I still object. We can’t kill a pregnant ewe for meat in front of us. We can’t ruin our thousands-year-old tradition for such a small gain,” roared one of Manpu’s sons. One of his brothers had died in the battle against the Peace Army, so even now he still hated Li Jun intensely. Badar, who was being questioned by Hulei, remained silent.
"The God of War told us that every thousand years, his incarnation will be reincarnated on earth, and he will save us Rong people." Seeing that the situation did not seem optimistic, Ji Su also spoke up: "A thousand years ago, the Khan of the Four Seas brought the bravery of us Rong people to the whole continent. Now my husband has taken off my helmet, and he is the incarnation chosen by the God of War. I asked the elders in the sect, and they gave me a divine oracle, 'In order to follow the god's warhorse, we must change.'"
"Shut up! As the daughter of the Rong people, you have married an ordinary man. You have lost the right to speak because you are a traitor among the Rong people!" Manpu's other son shouted. The ancient religion of Potianmen, which worships the war god Potian, has a great influence on the grasslands. The female attendants of the war god, as the spokespersons of the war god among the Rong people, have an extraordinary status. Therefore, Manpu's son seized on the fact that Li Jun was Ji Su's husband to make the Rong leaders consider the authenticity of the divine oracle that Ji Su had said.
"Is that so?" Badar, who had been silent until now, asked himself in a low voice. After a while, he raised his head and said, "To be honest, every year we had to rob ordinary people of their food to survive the winter, and even then, the old and weak would die of hunger. In the past two years, we haven't lost a single warrior, yet we have enough food and tea. This is entirely due to the agreement we reached with the Peace Army, and to reach this agreement, Jisu had to marry an ordinary person as a servant of the God of War. Our wealth is all thanks to this woman and her husband. To accuse her of being a traitor to the Rong people is like accusing your own mother. Manpu, tell your son to watch his mouth."
Manpu raised his hand to stop his son from arguing further. His face twitched, and he said, "Then, Brother Badar, do you support the agreement between Hulei Khan and the common people?"
“No, I haven’t made up my mind yet.” Badar glanced at Ji Su, who was looking at him with gratitude, and a faint smile appeared on his face. “Whether or not to repair the post road is just a superficial issue. The real issue is whether we Rong people should continue to live the way we have lived for thousands of years, or whether we should change ourselves.”
“The herdsmen sing, ‘As many stars as there are in the sky, so too is Badar’s wisdom.’” Hurekhan nodded. “Brother Badar, I believe you can see what choices are in our best interest.”
“The heads of the Rong people can be cut off, but the pride of the Rong people cannot be lost.” Manpu also said to Badar, “Brother Badar, we Rong people have lived proudly for thousands of years, and we die proudly. I hope you can let us continue to preserve our pride.”
Badar gave a bitter smile. He hesitated to make a decision because he knew that if he did, it would mean that the Rong people on the Qionglu Grassland would split apart.
After a brief meeting with Ma Jiyou, Liu Guang indeed withdrew his troops. Qian Sheye ordered a pursuit, but Ma Jiyou dissuaded him.
"Your Majesty is wise. Liu Guang saw that I had escaped from Wutai City and come here. He knew that the war would be prolonged, so he withdrew his troops. But if we retreat before being defeated, there must be an ambush. If we pursue rashly, the old traitor will surely launch a counterattack. Now most of the country's available troops are here. If Tianhe City is lost, I fear that the outcome will be reversed."
Looking at Ma Jiyou, who was respectful in his manners but exuded confidence in his words, Qian Sheye smiled coldly. He reached out and lightly fiddled with his purple-gold belt, his gaze shifting uncertainly over Ma Jiyou. If Ma Jiyou were to look him in the eye at this moment, he would surely see something that terrified him in his gaze.
"Does the General mean that the old scoundrel Liu Guang doesn't take His Majesty's army of over 100,000 seriously at all, and only retreated because he was afraid of you alone?"
Chai Zifeng, a court attendant who accompanied the expedition, noticed something in Qian Sheye's eyes and thus boldly spoke up.
"What do you know!" Ma Jiyou could no longer tolerate this minister known for his sycophancy. In front of Qian Sheye, he rebuked him, "His Majesty is of inestimable worth. If it weren't for the instigation of a meddlesome person like you, how could he have placed himself in such a dangerous position on the battlefield? That old scoundrel Liu Guang isn't afraid of me, so why would he be afraid of a treacherous villain like you who only has a silver tongue?"
"You...you...you dare to insult a minister in front of His Majesty? Do you intend to rebel? Your Majesty..."
…Your Majesty, please do justice for this humble subject… Waaah… “Chai Zifeng has no other skills. He was originally a penniless man from Haiping City. He squandered all his family’s meager fortune on gambling, which gave him many ingenious ideas about gambling. Later, by chance, he was recommended to Qian Sheye and accompanied Qian Sheye in running various gambling games, thus gaining Qian Sheye’s favor. He knew that Qian Sheye was suspicious of Ma Jiyou, and now, relying on Qian Sheye’s closeness, he did not hesitate to wail in public.”
"Shut up!" Qian Sheye glared at him, then smiled and turned to Ma Jiyou: "Jiyou, the old thief has gone deep into the country to plunder and cause chaos among the people. If we let him go without a fight, how will I explain this to the people? Jiyou, if you are cautious, then stay in Tianhe City. I will send another general to pursue him. No matter the outcome, just come back as soon as possible."
Ma Jiyou frowned slightly and said, "Your Majesty, it's better to be safe than sorry. What if Liu Guang is really prepared?"
"No problem, no problem. With you here, Jiyou, what tricks can Liu Guang pull?" Qian Sheye chuckled and ordered, "Wan Yongchun!"
"Your subject is here." Right General Wan Yongchun stepped forward from among the officials and knelt before Qian Sheye.
"I order you to pursue Liu Guang. Do you have the courage?" Qian Sheye glanced at Ma Jiyou and asked.
"I would gladly go through fire and water for Your Majesty, even unto death. What do I, a mere Liu Guang, have to fear?" Wan Yongchun said quickly without even raising his head.
"If that's the case, then..." At this point, Qian Sheye suddenly had an idea and said to Ma Jiyou, "General, how many troops do you think we should send to chase after them?"
Ma Jiyou took a breath. If Wan Yongchun brought too many troops, they would suffer heavy losses if they fell into Liu Guang's ambush, and even Tianhe City might be difficult to defend. If Wan Yongchun brought too few troops, they might not return and the entire army would be wiped out. Regardless of the outcome, he was certain that Liu Guang would have a backup plan.
"Rather than letting him lead too many troops and cause an uncontrollable situation, it is better to send him to his death while preserving most of his strength."