Chapter Twenty-One

Hearing Lin Feng laughingly curse the Khorchin Khan, and seeing how relaxed he looked, Wang Shirong felt greatly reassured as well. A few days earlier, when the Han King had suddenly received news of the upheaval in Khorchin, he had flown into a terrible rage and given Wang Shirong several dark looks. Ever since then, Wang had been somewhat on edge. Whenever he reported to his lord, he spoke with deliberate lightness and added a touch of humor, making many genuinely serious matters sound trivial while throwing in no small amount of ambiguity. As an exceptionally self-important scholar who habitually styled himself a “minister of strategy,” he was deeply ashamed of behaving like a court jester. Yet, as the saying went, serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger—and this sacrifice had not been without reward. His lord now appeared to be in an excellent mood.

“My lord, your judgment is indeed clear. At the beginning of this year, Buryagmar sent Jamukha under the pretext of offering New Year greetings to ask Tumen Ure, the Tushiyet Taiji, for his daughter’s hand. The matter was rather amusing. According to my spies, the herdsmen on the steppe have been laughing about it ever since. At first, Tumen Ure thought Buryagmar was asking for the girl on behalf of his son. The Khorchin second prince was also a renowned warrior, after all, and had once won the horse-racing championship at a Naadam festival, earning widespread fame. So Tumen Ure thought that even if Baorilongmei married him, it would not be a disgrace...” Wang Shirong chuckled and continued, “But when he learned that it was the old coffin Buryagmar himself who was proposing, he was so furious he nearly vomited blood. He drove that Jamukha fellow out on the spot. Thus, the first proposal ended in failure.”

“Heh, my lord is joking—” Wang Shirong smiled and shook his head. “That tactic has a name in our Chinese stratagems: yielding in order to advance. Think about it. Khorchin is now strong in soldiers and horses, dominating the Mongolian steppe, while Tushiyet has only recently suffered a crushing defeat and must rely on others even to protect itself. How could Tumen Ure possibly become khan? Even if he had the courage, he would not have the strength. Buryagmar’s move may appear to demonstrate admirable sincerity, but in truth it was a threat to Tumen Ure: he could agree to the marriage—or agree to it. There was no third choice!”

“Politics really is complicated,” Lin Feng thought with a wry smile. Aloud, he said, “Buryagmar played that move beautifully. At this point, I imagine Tumen Ure has no choice but to submit. For the survival of his tribe, sacrificing one daughter would still be worthwhile!”

“My lord, my lord, you are mistaken again!” Wang Shirong sighed. His lord could be astonishingly wise at times, yet at others he was as naive as a child. As an outsider to the situation, he could not even see something so obvious. What a strange man.

“Yes.” Wang Shirong bowed slightly before continuing. “In my humble opinion, Buryagmar’s ‘marriage proposal’ was the first step in his plan to annex Tushiyet. If he succeeded, he would become Tushiyet’s son-in-law. What do you suppose he would do next?” He smiled and asked rhetorically, “My lord, in your view, if Tumen Ure, the Tushiyet Taiji, and all his sons and nephews were suddenly to die in unfortunate accidents, who would inherit the Tushiyet tribe?”

Lin Feng opened his mouth wide, finally understanding. He nodded. “Indeed, indeed. How sinister!”

“Tumen Ure is no fool. He saw through it as well, which is why he refused absolutely to marry his daughter to Buryagmar,” Wang Shirong said with a cold laugh. “As long as his daughter remained in his hands, he might still preserve his own life. But once he gave her away, he and all his sons and nephews would certainly be doomed.”

Lin Feng could not help wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. People often said that Mongolian heroes were frank, hearty, and straightforward. He had never imagined that the struggles among the steppe tribes could be so terrifying—no less ruthless than the court intrigues of the dynasties. Clearly, he was still far too inexperienced in such matters.

“So the second proposal failed as well. What about the third?”

“The third time, they used a knife,” Wang Shirong replied. “After repeated refusals, Buryagmar did not become angry. He acted as though he had forgotten the matter entirely. My lord, do you remember that at the beginning of last month we sent an envoy to Khorchin to request military assistance?”

So many envoys had been dispatched to Khorchin during that period that Lin Feng could not recall the matter at once. He nodded vaguely.

“Ordinarily, as the Khan of Eastern Mongolia, Buryagmar personally controlled the reception of envoys. This time, however, he played a clever trick.” A flash of anger crossed Wang Shirong’s face as he spoke indignantly. “Using our response to the Han envoy as an excuse, he summoned the chiefs of the various tribes to discuss whether troops should be sent. Tumen Ure suspected nothing and went there with several attendants. The discussion came to nothing, but during the banquet Buryagmar suddenly brought up the old matter and asked for Tumen Ure’s daughter’s hand again. Tumen Ure politely refused on the spot and prepared to leave. Before he could even reach the door, however, Buryagmar’s eldest son pretended to be drunk, drew his knife, and chopped off Tumen Ure’s head!”

Wang Shirong stole a glance at Lin Feng. Seeing that he was listening intently, his expression full of concern, he continued.

“But that was not the end. The moment Tumen Ure died, Khorchin’s iron cavalry set out in force and charged straight for Tushiyet’s royal camp. Tushiyet was caught completely unprepared. To make matters worse, Khorchin had already bribed a large number of spies to keep watch over the tribe’s nobles and generals. With inside and outside forces working together, Tumen Ure’s sons and nephews were all killed, and the tribesmen scattered in every direction. Only the princess, Baorilongmei, led a personal guard in a desperate resistance and fought her way out of the encirclement.” He licked his lips before explaining, “According to the reports from our spies, Khorchin had prepared everything with great care. Baorilongmei should never have escaped, but Buryagmar had issued strict orders that the princess was not to be harmed and must be captured alive. The various commanders therefore had their doubts and did not dare pursue her too fiercely. That was how Baorilongmei managed to survive!”

Lin Feng drew a deep breath. Wang Shirong had described the events with extreme brevity, treating each one as though it were insignificant, yet Lin Feng understood how much intrigue, treachery, blood, and slaughter must have lain beneath those few words. Buryagmar was indeed ruthless and cunning, worthy of being a great lord of the desert. Looking back at the history of his former world, Lin Feng wondered how many heroes had been suppressed under the iron hand of the Kangxi Emperor, their names swallowed by the tides of time and forgotten forever.

He remained lost in thought for a long while before suddenly coming to himself. Turning to Wang Shirong, he asked, “That Baorilongmei... where is she now?”

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Happy New Year, everyone! May fortune smile upon you all, and may everything go as you wish!

Hurray! The second female lead makes her grand entrance! Let’s hear a round of applause!