Reborn as Murong Fu: This time I am the protagonist

Chapter 552 Golden Wind Manor

After spending some time cuddling with Wanyan Yingge, Murong Fu met up with Aguda and the others to tally the results of the battle.

"In this battle, our Wanyan tribe suffered three dead and twelve wounded, a truly heavy loss. Although the initial estimate of the bandits' deaths is no less than a hundred, wasting our precious Jurchen warriors in such a meaningless battle is truly... alas..."

Aguda sighed, not wanting to continue. The Jurchen people were few in number. Even the most powerful Wanyan tribe had only a little over a thousand warriors. Every Jurchen warrior who could wear iron armor, draw a bow, and fight on horseback was a valuable resource for the tribe and the capital for future success. They were simply too precious to lose.

Uyashu said dejectedly, "This is a mistake on my part as the chieftain. Alas, I will take full responsibility. But what should we do with these twelve wounded men and save their lives? In this freezing weather, we lack medicine, and caring for these wounded will be a huge problem."

In this day and age, an arrow wound, if not treated properly, could very well lead to infection and death. To cite a recent example, the death of Zhao Guangyi, the so-called "Taizong" of the Ming Dynasty, who was famous for his donkey cart drifting on the Gaoliang River, is said to be closely related to an arrow wound he sustained in the thigh during that same river. Li Jiqian, the de facto founder of the Western Xia Dynasty, also fell victim to an ambush by the Tibetan tribes and ultimately died from an arrow wound. If even rulers with access to the best medical care are like this, the plight of ordinary people is unimaginable.

Therefore, Wuya Shu's concerns were not unfounded. The loss of three people in such a battle was already painful enough. If the wounded of the twelve Wanyan tribe members were not properly cared for, he, as the clan leader, would have no face to return to his tribe.

Murong Fu, of course, would not stand by and watch his allies suffer such heavy losses on his own turf. So he directly proposed, "My Murong family's Golden Wind Manor is just fifty miles away. Friends from the Wanyan tribe can rest and recuperate at my Murong family's manor. I can guarantee that none of these twelve wounded heroes will perish."

Aguda's eyes lit up, and he patted Murong Fu's shoulder hard, saying, "Good for you, Murong! I knew I was right to come looking for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cavalry unit galloped in from the east. Upon seeing the billowing dust and the uniform movements and imposing presence of the riders, Aguda instinctively assumed that the enemy had returned. Just as he was about to order his men to prepare for battle, Murong Fu waved his hand, signaling the other side not to panic: "These are all my men." Aguda then relaxed, but still looked at the newly appeared cavalry unit with surprise.

The twenty or so people who had just appeared were all dressed in gray and white iron armor, and the horses they rode were all tall and well-chosen. Each of them also had two spare horses to take turns riding.

One rider and three horses, clad in iron armor, though few in number, exuded a fierce and capable aura. Each rider's horse had one or two severed heads hanging around its neck, clearly indicating that they had encountered a retreating band of bandits on their way here and had wiped out a small group. The stench of blood, combined with their superior equipment, gave this small cavalry unit an invincible presence. It is no exaggeration to say that these twenty armored knights alone, if used well, would be enough to crush the rabble of over a thousand men from before.

Aguda looked at the fine iron armor on the small group of knights and showed an envious expression. Heavy cavalry with iron armor were undoubtedly the kings with absolute dominance on the battlefield in this era.

Despite the Wanyan tribe's three generations of effort over the years to collect iron ore and manufacture armor for their future grand cause, they had only managed to amass a few hundred suits after decades. The workmanship was also extremely crude, far inferior to the fine armor worn by the Song Dynasty's imperial guards. Naturally, Aguda was filled with envy upon seeing this small squad of well-equipped knights. The lead knight dismounted, knelt on one knee, and bowed to Murong Fu, saying, "Reporting to my lord, we encountered a group of fleeing bandits. I took it upon myself to order an attack, resulting in the beheading of thirty-six. Therefore, we are late. Please punish us, my lord."

How could Murong Fu punish these subordinates he had placed in the imperial guards? He had brought these people to gain merit and promotion. However, he still had to put on a show. So Murong Fu looked at Tong Guan beside him and said, "Eunuch Tong, what do you think should be done?"

What could Tong Guan do? He was a young eunuch who had just left Kaifeng for the first time. He was used to serving others and had never seen anything like this before. However, he wasn't stupid. Murong Fu's behavior along the way clearly showed that he had already become close with the Imperial Guards. He had received so many gold leaves from Murong Fu, how could he not have this much insight? He immediately said, "Your Excellencies have done a great service in killing the bandits. I will definitely report the truth to the Emperor when I return to the capital."

Murong Fu continued, “Jingdong Road is close to the capital, yet such a large-scale peasant uprising has occurred. This is a dereliction of duty by the local officials. If we rashly enter the government office now, we might alert them. There is a manor of my Murong family fifty miles ahead. Why don’t you come with me to the manor to rest for the time being, Eunuch Tong?”

Upon hearing this, Tong Guan was overjoyed: with Murong Fu's generosity, how could he not benefit from going along with him? He readily agreed. He secretly resolved in his heart that this time he would obediently play the role of a rubber stamp, simply nodding and agreeing with whatever Murong Fu said.

So a group of dozens of people, carrying goods and the wounded, headed to Jinfeng Manor in a grand procession.

Murong Fu and his companions rode their horses for half a day. As sunset approached, the silhouette of a manor came into view in the distance.

Murong Fu frowned slightly. He saw a dozen or so richly dressed servants standing in front of the three beast-head gates, each carrying a sword and standing on both sides. Their imposing manner was quite impressive. However, Murong Fu snorted coldly upon seeing them, feeling rather displeased.

As Murong Fu and his entourage approached, a leading servant trotted forward and blocked their way: "Friends passing by, please stop. Horses are not allowed within two miles of my Golden Wind Manor. All travelers and merchants must dismount and walk. Please cooperate."

Tong Guan was immediately enraged: their group consisted of elite imperial guards in full armor, who wouldn't even dismount before local officials. What a grand display at Jin Feng Manor! However, he only glanced at Murong Fu and said nothing.

Murong Fu was too lazy to bother with these small fry. With a flick of his hand, he tossed out a small black flag: "Tell the person in charge to come out and see me!"

(End of this chapter)