Chapter 87 Sudden Branching

  The inn where Ximen Qing and Xiaoluan stayed was called "Yue Lai Ke Zhan". This name is very common, almost every big city can find an inn with this name, but they do not belong to the same owner. The name "Yue Lai" comes from Confucius' sentence: "Have friends come from afar, isn't it a pleasure?" So it became the most popular name for people who open inns.

  In a city, of course, only one inn can be called by this name. Whoever used it first is naturally the owner. For this reason, people who often travel know that if an inn is called Yue Lai, it must be the oldest inn in the city. The oldest inn may not necessarily have the highest standard, but it must be a relatively decent place.

  When Ximen Qing and Xiaojie checked in, it was already dark. As soon as the night fell this time of year, it wasn't suitable to go out for a stroll even with lanterns lit, so the two simply ate something at the inn, then ordered two bathtubs, adjusted the water temperature, and took a nice bath.

  Two people were soaking in the hot water with their eyes closed when the last bus of Siji Car Service arrived just before the city gate was locked. The passengers on the bus got off and looked for a place to stay, among them two traveling merchants did not choose a nearby inn to stay, but instead went from door to door asking about the whereabouts of a person named Gao Sheng and another person named Xia Liu.

  The inn would not normally reveal a guest's information to others, but these two merchants had the waist cards of Jinan Prefecture officials. With this card, they had the right to request all the guest information they needed from the inn. Finally, they got what they wanted at Yue Lai Inn and soon moved in as well. The owner of Yue Lai Inn and two informed partners were given a gag order, prohibiting them from revealing their true identities.

  Their public identities are: Wang Ming and Wang Siyuan, two uncle-nephew duo, merchants from Jinan.

  The next day, Ximen Qing went out early. He had to contact the various vehicles that were rushing from different directions and also meet with people outside the pass. These secret relationships were all built up by him and his son over many years, so it was not convenient for Xiaonan to know about them. Although Xiaonan had never done business before, he understood these rules. Moreover, he originally only wanted to do it once, and then hand over all subsequent transactions to that expert in dirty tricks surnamed Cao, so he didn't think about these things either.

  Xia Bian waited leisurely in the inn until noon, when Ximen Qing rushed back excitedly. As soon as he saw him, he said: "The other side is urgent for winter grain and is also anxious to make a deal. They had already sent a messenger over earlier, and I have arranged a place for them to wait. Let's go, we'll go now." Xia Bian listened and hastily left the inn with Ximen Qing.

  At this time, Beiping was naturally very different from the Beijing he imagined more than 600 years later. Even if it were compared to the appearance after Yongle's capital relocation and reconstruction of Beiping, there would still be great differences. Nevertheless, every step taken and every glance cast would give people a sense of being in a majestic city that dominated the world.

  The streets are filled with people of all shapes and colors, not lacking in various ethnic groups, making you realize that this city is connected to the world. From time to time, a few elephants with long noses would leisurely walk by your side, which were raised by the devout Buddhist locals who abandoned them when they fled from Dadu. Occasionally, a team of armored soldiers would march by, their formation neat and their killing intent palpable, but the city's residents had already grown accustomed to it, and the vendors continued to hawk their wares while the strollers continued to stroll, without being disturbed in the slightest.

  Is this the great Ming dynasty's capital for over two hundred years to come, where the emperor guards the country gate, and the king dies for the altar of the land?

  Walking in the city, Xia Xun's eyes were full of wonder, his heart was full of emotion.

  Ximen Qing was not here for the first time, he had no intention of admiring the scenery, and only led Xia Lian forward, the meeting place was in a back room of a leather goods store, there was a sign hanging at the door, Xia Lian took a close look, it read "Xie's Leather Goods". Ximen Qing brought Xia Lian into the store, whispered a few words to the shopkeeper, and immediately led him into the backyard, where a big man was waiting in the guest room.

  Although he was dressed in Han Chinese attire, his hairstyle and grooming were all done according to Han customs. However, the thick eyebrows, curly whiskers, high nose bridge, and sharp eyes still gave off a hint of the nomadic Han's aura. He had clearly met Ximen Qing before, and upon seeing him, he stood up, clasped his fists together in greeting, and said in slightly stiff Mandarin: "Brother Gao has arrived quickly, I presume this is Brother Xia Chuo that Brother Gao spoke of?"

  Xia Liu returned the courtesy: "Indeed it is I, but I don't know how you should be addressed?"

  Ximen Qing smiled and said: "Xia Laoxiong, this good fellow is called Lakshen, he is the trusted confidant of Bolinachen, the tribal chief of Harachin. Lakshen, this is Xia Dongzhu, who wants to buy a large quantity of fur and tendon from you. Xia Dongzhu is wealthy and powerful in Shandong, and has a strong backing behind him. He doesn't just need a lot of goods this one time, but will continue to purchase from you in the future. If you can get in good with him, your tribe's future days will be much better."

  Lakshen's face showed a few points of joyful smile: "Oh, yes, I...I've already heard the person who told me to come say it."

  Lakshen ushered the two of them to their seats, but he himself stood up straight, without even a word of courtesy, and immediately got to the point: "Nikolai Sukhbaatar Khan has always wanted to return to Zhongyuan and retake Dadu. And your Ming country's Prince Yan is very formidable, every time he defeats our Khan's army and drives them far away. They fight back and forth, and we small tribes who only guard a small grassland and have no power to migrate suffer."

  We have no salt, no rice, no cloth, no iron pots and no medicine. Life is very difficult for us. There are not many able-bodied men left in our tribe; most of those who remain are old people, women and children. They are weak and if they do not eat, they will starve to death; if they have no clothes, they will freeze to death; and without medicine, they will easily die from illness.

  He said, emphasizing his words with powerful gestures: "Our great Khan doesn't care about these damn wars. He just wants our people to live well and every day ride out to pasture with a whip and sing happy songs. We can provide you with all the fur and sinew you want - the best materials for making armor and crossbows. But I want to know how much money you'll give us? And let me make one thing clear: if you want such a large quantity of goods, I won't be able to bring them in myself. You'll have to figure out a way to transport them."

  Xia Liu couldn't help but want to laugh, is this also a businessman? I haven't even done anything yet, and he's already laid out all his cards. This price isn't something I can just push down? Doing business like this, wouldn't he suffer a huge loss? But precisely because of this, Xia Liu couldn't bear to lower the price too much. The money was being paid by the Qi King, while the other side was a group of elderly, weak, and disabled people waiting for food and clothing. Xia Liu really couldn't bring himself to take away the few coins that would buy them a mouthful of porridge or a piece of cloth.

  Xia Jian stored a few good thoughts, the other party had something to ask of him, and under Ximen Qing's coordination, they quickly settled on a price. Ximen Qing smiled and said: "Lakshen, to be honest, this price is indeed a bit low, but you also know that we are responsible for transporting the goods in, greasing palms and smoothing out the customs clearance, all of which cost money."

  Lakshen nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand. Those officials are more greedy than jackals."

  Ximen Qing smiled and said, "I know what you need most are tea leaves, cloth, grain, and medicine. However, in order not to attract attention, we didn't bring any goods this time. The transaction will mainly be done with precious notes, is that okay?"

  Lakshen slightly furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and nodded very readily: "No problem! The precious notes of the Great Ming are also usable in our place. We can use them to buy things from the Jurchen people, and there are many Han merchants in the west who trade with us but are not willing to accept these cumbersome items that are difficult to carry. With money, we can directly buy grain and medicine from them. Moreover, the people who escort the carts over can also use this money to purchase some daily necessities near North Peace and secretly transport them back."

  Xia Liu smiled and said: "Good, then you can inform your clan leader to prepare the goods."

  Lakshen glared with his cow-like eyes: "When are you going to? Can you get it in?"

  Xia Fu Dao said: "We'll take care of these things. You just need to make preparations, and as soon as we get the news, you can set off with the goods immediately!"

  Lakshen patted his chest and said: "No problem, our things have been ready for a long time, and can be transported out at any time!"

  He suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead, saying: "Oh, I have a gift here that our clan leader wants to give to the noble Xia Liu friend."

  He turned around, walked to the wall with big strides, and picked up a large package from the chair. The package looked shabby, but as soon as it was opened, Ximen Qing and Xiaojun's eyes lit up in front of them. What beautiful fox fur! Three pieces of fox fur, all fiery red, like a flame. As soon as his palm touched it lightly, he could feel its softness and warmth.

  Lakshen held the three bundles of fox fur in his arms and said to Xiaojun with a serious expression: "Our elder says that it was you who saved our tribe. Otherwise, this winter, our elderly would have starved to death, our women and children would have been taken away by other tribes as slaves, and our young men would have become bandits who only know how to burn, kill, and plunder, becoming a group of inhuman beasts. Our Harakmari tribe would no longer exist.

  "This is the best fox fur, obtained by the best hunter, and the arrow only pierced its eyes, so there is not a single scar on the fur. Even in our prairie, it is an extremely rare treasure. Mr. Borigtena asked me to bring it here, to present it to our most noble friend, our benefactor, please accept it."

  Lakshen stretched out both arms and bowed deeply.

  Xia Fu smiled and happily took over the fox fur, he began to feel that this trip to Beiping was easier than he had expected, perhaps he would soon complete his mission, return home in glory, and marry a new wife...

  On the vast grassland of Harrah Mongol, scattered snowflakes fluttered and fell, melting before they even reached the ground.

  The early winter grassland looked like a vast and lifeless wilderness, with large and small felt packages scattered all over the field. The largest one in the middle was a white felt yurt, which was the big yurt of Haracham, the chief of the Halacham tribe.

  At this time, the account was filled with elders and dignitaries of the tribe. The one sitting alone at the top table was Bao Jitian, wearing a leopard skin cloak, his hands on the case, his eyes wide open, pounding the table and shouting: "Xiribajie, can't you let me worry less? Do you still have me this father in your eyes? Do you still have me this tribe leader?!

  "I've worked so hard to secure a deal with a major buyer from the Central Plains, who can pay us enough to help our entire tribe get through the harsh winter. And now you're trying to ruin everything! What are you inciting those young people to do? Don't think that just because I'm old and my eyesight is failing, and my ears are deaf, I don't know about all the things you've been doing behind my back!"

  Standing in front of him was a young man with an arrogant and unruly attitude. Facing his father's furious anger, he had an expression of not being bothered at all and said: "Father, the things you sold to the Ming people were used to make excellent military equipment. They use these things to manufacture sharp weapons and then turn around and use them on us again. If the Khan knew about it, would he let you off?"

  Bo Ri Tie Chi waved his hand heavily and said angrily, "Don't mention anything about Da Han to me. Our tribe is struggling to survive, where was he when we were in dire straits? During the great famine two years ago, when so many of our people froze to death or starved to death, where was he? I am the chief of the Ha La Meng Come tribe, and I only take responsibility for the men, women, and children of this tribe. I just want my people to survive. What do you know, you little brat? Are you also like E Le Bo Ke, always dreaming of returning to the Central Plains? That's just a fantasy. If we had the ability to do so, we wouldn't have been driven out in the first place!"

  Young people laughed even more brightly and proudly, like a young lion standing in front of an old lion king, with a condescending gaze, implying provocation and disdain: "Father, you're old, you're really old. You gave your sons strong bodies, but didn't give us a brave and powerful heart, because you were too weak! But what you didn't give us, the heavens have given us. The heavens have given us wisdom, given us bravery, given us strength."

  He scornfully glanced at Borojitei and coldly said: "Father, I think you are no longer suitable to be the leader of our tribe. I hope that Heshibai can replace you because what our Haranmuren tribe needs is a lion as its leader, not a sheep."

  "What? You beast! How dare you speak to me like that?! I'll exile you, drive you out of the tribe...!"

  Bei Rong's face turned red with anger, and he stumbled backward a few steps, sitting down on the couch while holding onto it. The young man stood proudly unmoving: "Father, as the leader of our tribe, all you know is to lead us in escaping, escaping from the Khan's conscription, escaping from the Ming army's siege, and after so many years of escaping, what has become of us? We originally had 80,000 people, a very powerful tribe on the grasslands, but now we've become what?"

  His voice grew louder, glaring at his father with a fierce gaze, step by step approaching: "My elder brother Haji Baj was killed in the battle against the Ming army, what were you doing at that time? I was still very young then, and I followed closely behind you. I saw it clearly, you kept urging our tribesmen to hurry up and escape. You always said that the Ming army was invincible, if we could fight, we wouldn't have been driven back to Sai Bei. Your only way to protect our tribe is to flee! That's what a yellow goat would do, who are we? We are Genghis Khan's warriors, under the heavens, who can't be defeated?"

  He suddenly raised his palm and began to sing in Mongolian with a loud voice, the sound was majestic and magnificent, as if it came from an urn.

  "I am the Great Khan,"

  Holding a banner and flag.

  Below, no longer see rivers and seas

  The sky is not visible above the clouds.

  Heaven has no Asura

  The earth is also devoid of spiritual beings.

  Heaven and Earth

  Prostrate yourself with reverence and respect.

  What a small clown

  But dare to be trampled by horse hooves...

  The sonorous singing voice echoed in the felt tent, and for a moment, the tribal leaders who were standing still were all stunned. As they sang, they remembered the invincible momentum of the Great Yuan army's conquests, and someone couldn't help but join in. Bao Riteke let out a loud roar: "Shut up, all of you!"

  The singing stopped abruptly, and Xirijabu burst out laughing. He laughed for a while, then suddenly stopped and asked, "Father, do you know where my second brother Ulanbajir went?"

  Bo Rijitie Chena gasped, his lungs making a rustling sound like a bellows: "You... didn't you say he defected to the Khan?"

  Hei Rijiriji smiled strangely: "Now it's no harm to tell you, yes, Second Brother has gone to surrender to the Khan, but... not Nikan Suojieer Khan, but a powerful Khan in the west. That Khan once said 'The world is big, but can't hold two masters', he wants to be the king of the world."

  Borjigidai was taken aback, his eyes wide with terror. He rose from his seat and exclaimed: "What are you saying? Did Ulan Bator defect to Boisuntu?"

  Hei Rui Ba said seriously: "To be precise, it's about bringing that lame man to the East..."

  Borjigidai sat back on the felt, panting hastily a few times, and said in a hoarse voice: "And what about you? Do you want to do the same as your second brother, invite that guy who claims to be the successor of Genghis Khan but has destroyed the four major khanates to come back and become our Khan?"

  "No! He is not of the golden family's bloodline, and does not deserve to rule over all Mongols. I think that with our great Khan's current power, as long as we can unite together, rather than being cowardly like you, only knowing how to escape, we can restore our former glory. I believe that if I lead my people to surrender to the great Khan and receive his favor, our people will no longer have to suffer from hunger and cold."

  "Ridiculous! With our current tribe, the old are old and the young are young. They're just a burden. Even when we're fleeing for our lives, they don't want to bring them along. You think you can go join him? Haha..."

  "That's because we've been running away, being cowards all along, that's why the Great Khan abandoned us. Now I'm going to do something, something earth-shattering..."

  A sly smile spread across his face as he said, "As long as I succeed, the Khan will reuse me and take me in. That way, we won't be wandering orphans anymore."

  "Bo Ri Tie Chi Na Nu shouted: 'I am the head of this family, I will not allow you to do this!'"

  Hei Ri Ba laughed coldly: "Father, you have already disappointed our people, do you think they will still listen to your orders?"

  Borjigit Ejen was taken aback by the words, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He glanced around, only to see pairs of cold, unfeeling eyes staring back at him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed weakly onto the ground.