Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 11: Legends Return to Legends

A Hu tribe is a small society.

The stronger the tribe, the clearer the division of labor within it.

The core are military nobles and wizards, the periphery are craftsmen and other artisans, and the bottom is ordinary herdsmen.

The same was true of Qifumoyu's tribe.

After sending the soldiers in the tribe to Erzhu Rong, there were still more than 25,000 people left.

Jia Sixie has been extremely happy these days.

Unlike the Han people in Taiping Village who were only thinking about fighting and killing, Jia Sixie was surprised to find that these Hu people were unexpectedly versatile.

They knew how to raise livestock, treat animal diseases, make cheese, brew wine, build fortifications, and forge iron...

Although in Jia Sixie's opinion, the skills of these Hu people were not very sophisticated.

These Hu people did not object to Jia Sixie teaching them skills.

What made Jia Sixie most gratified was that they were even willing to farm!
"There is a master in the army commander's camp!"

Liu Gui followed Li Shuang and sighed as he looked at the well-ordered camp.

Li Shuang asked with a smile:

"How do you see it?"

Liu Gui pointed to the herdsmen who were herding sheep and horses not far away and said:
"The Hu people surrounding Pingcheng are often brave and aggressive, but not good at business. The military commander has just taken over Qifu Moyu's tribe, but the people there don't seem to be panicking at all. Everyone is at peace. Furthermore, along the way, I've seen herdsmen producing food in a very organized manner, unlike the Hu people."

Liu Gui is not an ordinary businessman.

He was a Xiongnu. His father had been the governor of Sizhou. When he was young, he had traveled to Luoyang and witnessed the best scenery in the world.

Liu Gui looked down on these Hu people who had not yet been assimilated into the Han culture, and thought they were barbaric and vulgar.

However, not everyone could get into Luoyang's circle. Only the Xianbei royal family, relatives by marriage, and the children of the Han Chinese aristocratic families could enter.

He was a Hun, belonging to the outermost of the outer circles.

After Liu Gui could no longer stay in Luoyang, he had to return to his hometown and do some business with the help of his father's relationship as the former governor of Sizhou.

Coinciding with the rebellion of the Six Garrisons, Liu Gui remembered what his good friend Gao Huan had said about the world being in chaos, and he began to have some ideas.

He approached Li Shuang because he thought that Daye Shuang, the famous military commander in Beixiurong, was more needed by Bir Zhurong.

Li Shuang walked to a large tent and opened the door. There were more than a hundred people sitting in the huge tent.

The leader was Jia Sixie.

He was wearing a short jacket at the moment, grinding his bones like the other Hu people in the tent.

Jia Sixie was studying very seriously and didn't realize that there was an outsider coming in.

"This is the master you mentioned!"

Li Shuang pointed at Jia Sixie. Liu Gui looked at the ordinary Jia Sixie in the crowd and was a little surprised. Does this fool in front of him look like a master?

However, Liu Gui didn't say much, and he felt a little happy in his heart.

Li Shuang's willingness to bring him to meet Jia Sixie and this arms manufacturing workshop meant taking the first step in trust.

Jia Sixie was more of a Mohist than a Confucian scholar, and he was extremely obsessed with technology.

From the time Li Shuang and the other man walked into the tent to the time they left, Jia Sixie didn't notice anything from beginning to end. He was completely focused on the technique of making bone arrows.

Outside the big tent, Li Shuang asked:
"The North is in great need of iron, and they have no choice but to use bones as arrows. Do you have any way of getting extra iron?"

Liu Gui knew that Li Shuang was testing him.

"The salt and iron from Hengzhou, Shuozhou, and the Six Garrisons are all strictly controlled by Pingcheng. Normally, even if we could get them, we wouldn't have much. But now that the Six Garrisons are in chaos, these things are actually easier to handle."

Around Pingcheng, whether it is the Hu tribes or the Han villages, there is a clear division of labor.

In the past, no matter how chaotic the court in Luoyang was, there was still order.

The Six Garrisons rebelled, and the northern border, both Han and Hu, was plunged into a dark forest. The old division of labor was gone, and everyone wanted to protect themselves first.

"what do you need?"

Liu Gui thought for a moment, then bowed and said:
"Five carts of grain, wine, cheese, and furs, and I can exchange them for one cart of iron for the commander."

"I'll give you twenty carts and ten bags of gold!" Li Shuang approached Liu Gui and whispered in his ear:
"I also want some crossbows!"

Li Shuang was more generous than Liu Gui had imagined, but also bolder than he had imagined.

Compared with salt and iron, crossbows and armor are even more prohibited items.

Even if he is a military commander, if he is caught with evidence of buying and selling crossbows and armor, he will have no way out but death.

An ordinary person would have broken out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, but Liu Gui was only filled with excitement, eager to try.

Liu Gui thought for a moment, then bowed and said:
"I know a tribe that can do it, but I have to bring my own people."

Li Shuang didn't care at all after hearing this.

"can!"

"Master, aren't you worried that I'll run away with all this treasure?"

"I believe you!"

After hearing this, Liu Gui felt a little touched.

Liu Gui was very familiar with the story of the Three Kingdoms, and he had also known about the harmonious relationship between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang since he was a child.

Especially in this chaotic world where morals are declining, the story between the monarch and his ministers of Shu Han is even more enviable.

I really didn't expect that the young military leader in front of me would have such a magnanimous demeanor.

What a peerless bandit leader!
It seems that everyone is just following the crowd!
For a moment, Liu Gui looked at Li Shuang with a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

Could it be that I met a wise ruler like Emperor Zhaolie of Han?
But at this moment, Hou Jing came over and shouted:

"My Lord, I have already caught the guy who cheated you out of money last time and broke his legs."

Li Shuang was very unhappy.

"How could you be so rude to break someone's leg so quickly? Hurry up and ask a wizard to set his bones!"

Hou Jing was a little confused.

"Why set that liar's bones?"

"He betrayed my trust. Once the call is connected, interrupt it again."

"Good Le!"

Hou Jing received the order and ran down in a hurry with great interest.

When Liu Gui heard this, his heart suddenly rose to his throat, and for some unknown reason, he felt a dull pain in his breast.

Rough bandit!

He is definitely a gangster!

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, sir!"

Liu Gui was not afraid of such a serious crime as buying and selling crossbows and armor, but when he saw the smile of the young man in front of him, he felt an inexplicable chill in his spine.

"Don't worry, Lord. I will definitely complete what you have entrusted to me!"

When Liu Gui said this, his voice was very clear.

The cavalry galloped, and three Qihu knights of the Erzhu clan came quickly.

As they got closer, the three Khitan warriors dismounted from their horses, knelt respectfully on the ground to salute Li Shuang, and brought news about Erzhu Rong.

"The clan leader said, 'Third brother, it's time to head south!'"

Erzhu Rong's words were conveyed exactly by these Khitan warriors.

After listening to this, Li Shuang looked at Liu Gui beside him and smiled.

"It seems Pingcheng can no longer dominate the North!"

At this moment, Li Shuang had an inexplicable aura that frightened Liu Gui.

His short words contained a meaning that Liu Gui found difficult to put into words.

"I've done what I just said. Come find me at Xiurong!"

(End of this chapter)