Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 265: Inciting Defection

Hu Lie had gone to converse with the general who had led the raid on the merchant caravan the previous night. Just as they were talking, a soldier came from outside and reported, “General, Batu says he is here to see General Hu Lie. He claims that General Hu Lie invited him.”

Hu Lie was stunned for a moment. “Hm? He just told me that he wasn’t in the mood to help me.”

The general lowered his voice and asked, “Why did you invite him?”

They were directly affiliated with Khagan Timur’s tribe, which led them to have different perspectives compared to the other tribes. At this critical juncture, as the coalition forces prepared to march southward, Timur was not in the mood to create any trouble by swallowing up the Warring Lion Tribe. But logically speaking, he should have also intervened and sorted out any major internal issues before proceeding with the plans of attack, yet he allowed the internal strife of the Warring Lion Tribe to continue without interference, with various tribes watching eagerly. In other words, he had his own agenda.

It was nothing more than wanting Batu to be sensible, to surrender their tribe’s treasures and seek refuge, and allow for the seamless absorption of their tribe, sparing any expenditure of men or resources.

Hu Lie chuckled. “The khagan does not wish for any unsightly incidents to take place during this time when we must unite and march southward, but there are ways to do things cleanly. For example, if Batu died at the hands of Yue Hongling, but we managed to kill Yue Hongling in the aftermath...”

The general understood what his guest was implying. “I see. Invite Chief Batu in.”

Soon, Batu entered the tent, accompanied by several guards. Hu Lie and the others glanced at the guards he brought, but they did not pay them much attention. Even though Batu was currently down and his tribe was in disarray, he was still the legitimate chief of his tribe, inheriting the heirloom treasures from He Lei and having a loyal group of tribesmen. As such, it was entirely normal for him to have some guards with him.

Hu Lie smiled. “Are you in the mood now?”

Batu said in a dull voice, “Since I can’t really sell that thing anyway, I might as well go with you to capture Yue Hongling. After all, she’s someone from the Central Plains. Dealing with her will at least give my uncle some peace in the afterlife.”

Hu Lie chuckled inwardly, but said on the surface, “Good! At this time, all our tribes must work together! If you can contribute to capturing Yue Hongling, the khagan will surely take notice, and some things might become easier for you.”

Batu asked, “Do you know where Yue Hongling is?”

“We did not know originally, but when she showed up at the merchant caravan on the outskirts of the market last night, we were able to come to a rough conclusion. She is most likely in the northwest at Rocky Mountain.”

“However, she isn’t stupid. She has a vast field of view on Rocky Mountain. As soon as an army appears on the horizon, she’ll be able to see it from afar and flee,” commented Batu. “There have been similar situations before, right? It’s not that easy to surround and trap her.”

Zhao Changhe was also puzzled by this. Even if they could guess Yue Hongling’s exact location, in such a vast area with a broad view of the surroundings, Yue Hongling should be able to see any sign of danger from afar and escape. Why would they think that they could catch her this time?

The general from the previous night said with a smile, “Someone from the Central Plains gave us an idea. They said that Yue Hongling, as a chivalrous heroine, has a fairly strong sense of justice and would be keen to act on it. So, what do you think she would do if we brought out some female slaves from the Central Plains and pretend that they’ve just been captured near where she is? Wouldn’t she try and rescue them?”

Batu said, “If she sees too many people, she definitely wouldn’t. She isn’t stupid.”

Hu Lie said, “So we’ll only send a few people, with a couple female slaves disguised as recently captured young maidens... If she sees that there’s only a few of us, and with her not having encountered many strong opponents in our region, wouldn’t she try and act as a lone bandit?”

Batu fell silent.

Considering Yue Hongling’s personality and the fact that she had already acted as a lone bandit before, this scenario was in fact very plausible.

The rest of the army would not even need to approach. They could simply wait in a distant place where they could not be seen. Then, once the engagement began, they could suddenly swoop in to surround her. Even if Yue Hongling did manage to escape from Hu Lie’s hands, she would not be able to escape the encirclement of the army afterward.

This plan’s likelihood of success was quite high.

Hu Lie continued, “Originally, we didn’t have many experts, so success wasn’t guaranteed. But we’ve even got the addition of a hidden dragon like you now. With you having inherited your tribe’s treasures, you should be able to exchange a few moves with Yue Hongling, and that would be a great help. That’s also why I invited you.”

Batu said, “Alright, when are we going?”

Hu Lie looked at the sky and said, “We can’t wait until nightfall. She will be much more on guard in the dark, and she’ll probably flee just at the sight of anyone. It’s best to go during the day. In fact, we should leave now. It will take some time to get there, and we need to arrive before dusk.”

Batu nodded. “Let’s go then.”

As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at the disheveled barbarian next to him. The barbarian’s face was expressionless.

In fact, Zhao Changhe felt that their plan would not work on Yue Hongling. Yue Hongling was not some naive heroine from storybooks. Despite how young she was, she had already roamed the jianghu for many years and was a seasoned veteran. She had seen all sorts of schemes and tricks, and it was unlikely she would fall for something like this. If she were so easily deceived, she would not have reached where she was today.

But regardless, since others were heading toward her with malicious intent, he would at least go and make sure nothing went wrong. He followed them silently onto their horses, and they immediately began speeding toward Rocky Mountain.

Before long, the army behind them set off as well. They numbered in the thousands, and they all set off just to capture a single person. It appeared that they truly took this operation seriously.

As they traveled, Batu approached Zhao Changhe with a troubled look on his face. “Hey, how did I end up actually being dragged along to deal with Yue Hongling? Didn’t we just agree to exchange information with each other?”

Huh? Is this guy serious? In order to get the information, you had to go to them, and once you went to them, how could you not go with them?

Zhao Changhe chuckled inwardly and transmitted his voice, “Brother, do you seriously think they’re lacking an expert like you? Or guards like us?”

Batu was stunned, and his expression suddenly changed.

It seems he’s not entirely stupid.

Zhao Changhe continued, “Just wait. If they really manage to capture Yue Hongling, then their blades will turn on you and me the next moment. Or perhaps while we’re engaged in battle with Yue Hongling, should her sword aim at you or me, they simply would choose not to help us...”

Batu fell into silent contemplation. He looked truly spiritless now.

It seemed that after these days of hardship, he had gained some understanding of how sinister people could be, and he knew that Zhao Changhe’s analysis made perfect sense.

But what could he do about it even if he knew?

Was he supposed to turn against Hu Lie in the heat of battle and help Yue Hongling? If he could quickly eliminate Hu Lie and his people before the rest of the army arrived, then he might be fine. However, if he could not finish the job in time, and he was seen by the rest of the army, his entire tribe would be annihilated!

Not to mention, how could he possibly kill even just Hu Lie, in the first place? He was ranked forty-first on the Ranking of Man, far beyond the reach of someone like Batu.

It was supposed to be a simple exchange of information, so how did it turn into this?! Batu was so infuriated that he almost could not control his voice as he transmitted a message, “Anyway, you got the information you wanted. If I tell Hu Lie that I don’t want to go anymore, he can’t force me to go. What about the information you were supposed to give me? Where can I get enough food for my tribe?”

Zhao Changhe did not plan to deceive him. “Qiao Er was originally supposed to sell you grain, right? But when he arrived at Huangsha Market, his carriages were empty, so there was nothing you could even do, right?”

Batu was surprised. “How did you know?”

“I found out that he sold the grain to the Desolate Wolf Tribe on his way to Huangsha Market.”

Batu’s face turned grim.

The Desolate Wolf Tribe was indeed just a small tribe, with only a few thousand people in total. On paper and in terms of righteousness, Batu could simply slaughter that tribe and reclaim the food they were supposed to get without having to spend any money. But the problem was that he was in dire straits, and it was unlikely that other tribes were going to allow him to do such a thing.

Why would the Desolate Wolf Tribe even dare to do such a thing? Do they have the backing of the khagan? Hm, they probably have Commander Ubalu supporting them at the very least.

Zhao Changhe said calmly, “Brother Batu, I suggest you put away your wishful thinking. The person who wants to devour your tribe is none other than the khagan himself.”

Batu suddenly asked, “Who are you?”

Zhao Changhe felt somewhat embarrassed. He Lei was supposedly injured by Wang Daozhong, so if he pretended to be Wang Daozhong, Batu might be the first to attack him. However, using his real identity could also stir up unpredictable troubles. After thinking for a while, he came up with a clever idea. “I am the Saibei Buddha Fa Dian of the Maitreya Cult. When you traveled south to Jiangnan, you once had dealings with our cult, so we can be said to have some karma with one another.”[1]

Batu’s eyes widened. Since when did the Maitreya Cult reach Saibei?

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but can you prove it?”

Zhao Changhe turned his head to look at Batu, his eyes suddenly becoming deep and mysterious. It was as if a vortex was swirling within, concealing a lotus platform, as he stared into Batu’s eyes.

Batu felt his mind become foggy for a moment and he almost fell off his horse. He could not help but say, “That’s enough... Indeed, that’s the authentic Pure Bliss Art. What brings you here?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I simply want to have some fun with Yue Hongling and see if I can have the opportunity to enjoy her myself.”

It really did seem like something that someone from the Maitreya Cult would do, so Batu found it rather natural.

Zhao Changhe continued, “Well, you don’t really need to worry about what I’m here to do. In any case, when I saw your situation, I could not help but feel sorry for you. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, what I would be doing right now is gathering as much of your tribe’s strength as I can and immediately eliminate the Desolate Wolf Tribe. I would then obtain more manpower, acquire food, and use them as a foundation to properly unify the Warring Lion Tribe. It’s only when your entire tribe is under your control that the khagan would not dare make any reckless moves against you. Otherwise, you’re just a pawn, and sooner or later, your head will be severed by traitors to be used as a wine cup. You’re better off relying on yourself.”

Batu said, “Shouldn’t you be allied with the khagan? If so, why are you helping me?”

Zhao Changhe said coldly, “Our alliance is based on the uprising. If we can really take over the Central Plains, our relations would change.”

Batu nodded silently, despising this kind of internal strife before anything was accomplished, but he didn’t say anything. He had seen this kind of thing too many times recently.

But I heard Zhao Changhe say: “The reason why I want to help you is very simple. If you are successful, then I’ll be able to play with the Desolate Wolf Tribe’s slaves, no?”

Batu nodded and said, “If it’s really like this, of course it’s up to the Buddha to choose.”

Zhao Changhe laughed contentedly, looked at Hu Lie galloping in front of him, and lowered his voice again: “For grassland tribes, ups and downs are normal. Whoever has the biggest fist is the king, and today it’s him. But why would the Golden Horde not have a lion as its king tomorrow? Brother Batu, how can a man live in a state of depression for so long?”

Batu took a deep breath. “How many people can help me?”

“Our forces are vast, brother Batu, do you believe it or not?”

Batu nodded, willing to believe his words. He knew very well how adept the Maitreya Cult was at manipulating people’s minds, especially after the time he spent at Jiangnan.

If the Maitreya Cult was willing to support him covertly, he could gather his forces and swiftly crush the Desolate Wolf Tribe.

Batu pondered for a long time and was about to speak when Hu Lie ahead slowed his horse.

Both Zhao Changhe and Batu instinctively slowed down as well and looked up ahead. In the distance, the sky was filled with the hues of twilight, and a cluster of rugged rocks could be seen piercing through the clouds, presenting a magnificent and surreal sight

Faintly visible high up on Rocky Mountain, there was a figure in red, her clothes fluttering in the breeze, blending into the evening glow.

1. Saibei was a historical designation for the region of Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia during the Qing dynasty, which somewhat corresponds to their modern-day regions. In this novel, I believe that it encompasses parts of the Grasslands and the Western Regions. ☜