Chapter 72
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Negotiation
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The scorching sun of Dunhuang seared the skin, while the ceaseless sandstorm wormed its way into the gaps of our armor.
Jia Xun rode beside me, his face still set in stone.
Jia Zhi seemed displeased with this meeting as well. I recalled the spat in the camp a few days earlier.
When the letter arrived from the Northern Xiongnu offering to mediate, Jia Xun had flown into a rage.
"Administrator Lu! How can you trust those bastards? This is an obvious trap—you absolutely cannot go! Northern Xiongnu or not, they're barbarians at heart. How could we possibly trust them!"
Jia Xu had stepped forward then, gently fanning himself.
"Administrator Jia, no need for excessive worry. The Northern Xiongnu may be barbarians, but they've clashed with Han for generations. They might not grasp our laws or customs, but they know our strength and its consequences all too well."
Jia Xu had continued.
"Moreover, they're in a severely weakened position right now. They have no reason to risk harming you, the Administrator. Quite the opposite—they'll likely seize this chance to shore up their standing among the Qiang tribes."
Tian Feng had chimed in too.
"Master Jia is correct. What they crave is stability, not battle. That's why they volunteered as mediators. They lack the boldness to lay a hand on you recklessly."
I had tapped Jia Xun with my spear.
"Administrator Jia, if they've dug a trap, wouldn't that be perfect?"
"What do you mean by that!"
"If they spring an ambush, that spot becomes their tomb."
Jia Xun had shaken his head in disbelief at my words.
"...Ha, if you're that set on it, I won't stand in your way. But we must take every precaution!"
'...In the end, here we are.'
At last, the promised oasis came into gradual view.
Several yurts had already been pitched, with Northern Xiongnu and Qiang banners fluttering in the wind around them.
In the oasis's center stood a makeshift conference pavilion, where several figures awaited us.
A familiar face caught my eye.
Beha, chieftain of the Xianling Qiang, his hair cropped short, his expression brimming with resentment.
Beside him loomed several other Qiang chieftains, their faces equally grim.
And directly across from them, in the highest seat, sat an unfamiliar elderly man.
Sharp eyes, sturdy frame. Age had not diminished his formidable aura.
'So that's the Northern Xiongnu chieftain, Yufuluo.'
I dismounted and gave Zhang Liao and Gao Shun a glance—stay vigilant.
As we approached the conference pavilion in the oasis center, the elderly Yufuluo rose from his high seat and offered a slight bow.
"You've had a hard journey. Administrator Lu. I am Yufuluo of the Northern Xiongnu. My thanks for making this arduous trek."
His voice was steady, but the eyes raking over me were piercing.
Standing beside him, Beha had turned his head away entirely. The severed locks clearly still rankled.
"I came because I was invited. Though I never expected the Northern Xiongnu chieftain to step forward personally."
"I am Commandery Administrator Jia Xun."
Jia Xun stated his name stiffly from beside me.
"Come, take your seats."
Yufuluo gestured to the spots opposite, and we sat facing one another. Tension crackled through the pavilion.
"Administrator Lu. Qiang chieftains. We've gathered today to prevent further needless bloodshed."
Yufuluo spoke first.
"That recent battle was... truly lamentable. But what's done is done—like water spilled on the ground. What matters is the path ahead. We must restore peace to this land and find a way for all to prosper, yes?"
The moment Yufuluo finished, Beha bolted to his feet and jabbed a finger at me, bellowing.
"Peace?! What peace before this Han plunderer! Have you forgotten what he did in the Jutian lands, Yufuluo?!"
Beha fiddled with the ends of his cropped hair, seething.
"This bastard slaughtered warriors from other tribes and stole our livestock!! And now you prattle on about mutual gain?"
"Chieftain Beha speaks true! We cannot trust that Han!"
I shot Beha a cold look.
"Stole? Who was it that brazenly seized our lands, blocked the roads, and preyed on Han merchants? You drew steel first, Beha. I simply exacted the price."
I scanned Yufuluo and the other chieftains.
"I'm not here to wipe out your seed like Deng Ai. Like General Zhang Huan before me, I seek to impose fair laws and order. Open the roads, let trade flow for all our benefit, and I'll gladly sheathe my blade."
"I grasp your intent, Administrator Lu. We've long heard of Zhang Huan's deeds. Then what if we make this pact?"
Yufuluo began laying out concrete terms.
"First, we acknowledge Han authority over Dunhuang territory. Second, in exchange, vow not to encroach on our nomads' established ranges and grazing lands. Third, my tribes will guarantee safe passage from Dunhuang to Wuyi. Merchants pay a fixed toll, but plundering is strictly forbidden."
Yufuluo recited them fluidly, as if long rehearsed.
"Fourth, establish formal trade markets at Dunhuang County or key oases along the route, where Han and nomads exchange goods fairly. Joint oversight from both sides—how does that sound?"
Yufuluo fell silent, watching my reaction.
"This is the best offer we can extend. Trade over war, profit for all. Your thoughts, Administrator Lu?"
'...More detailed than expected. Roads open, commerce flowing—it aligns with the Liang Province Governor's aims and mine. But enforcement? None guaranteed.'
I paused in silence before speaking.
"Intriguing proposal. But pacts only matter if honored. What if you break it? Who sets the tolls and how are they split? Who runs the markets, arbitrates disputes?"
I fixed Beha with a glare.
"And... that Xianling Qiang sitting there, Beha. Do you truly believe he'll honor this pact in earnest?"
My words flushed Beha's face crimson; he surged to his feet.
"Ha! You see my Xianling Qiang as craven oath-breakers! How dare you insult us!"
As Beha roared, Jia Xun cut in.
"Insult? Weren't you the first to rampage in plunder the instant General Zhang Huan departed these lands?"
"Th-that...!"
Beha's face swelled beet red at Jia Xun's retort, but he could only tremble wordlessly. Then he whirled on me with a shout.
"Fine! If you can't trust us that much! Take my daughter! Trustworthy now?!"
"...What?"
My eyes widened in sheer absurdity.
"What utter nonsense is that!"
"What?! Are you refusing my daughter now! Disdaining my Xianling Qiang?!"
Beha bristled as if to draw steel. I bellowed back.
"Not refusing—I don't need her! Speak sense!"
"Now, now, both of you, calm yourselves!"
Yufuluo rushed between us.
"We're not here to fight! Administrator Lu spoke of equitable laws, but we must deliberate step by step for consensus. And surely we'll need approval from your superior, the Liang Province Governor?"
Yufuluo invoked the Governor to defuse things. He turned back to me.
"Yet no bond stronger than marriage... Truly no interest, Administrator Lu?"
"None."
I shut it down flatly.
Yufuluo clucked his tongue in regret. He pondered briefly, glancing between Beha and me before floating a fresh idea.
"Hmm... Then how's this? Pick a daughter from one of Chieftain Beha's subordinate chieftains, select an unwed man from your ranks, and wed them."
A twinge of relief hit me at Yufuluo's words. Anyone but me would do.
"Not a direct union between Administrator and chieftain, but it could stand as our pledge against incursions all the same."
'...Proxy marriage.'
One face sprang to mind amid Yufuluo's pitch.
—Wei Sok!
That walking disaster might be better off shipped off as a groom.
Beha mulled it over. Insulted as his own daughter was rejected, but war anew was no option here.
Besides, preferable to hostage son or brother.
"...If that's the extent... fine, I accept."
Beha yielded grudgingly.
"Good. I accept as well."
A faint smile tugged inside at the notion of offloading Wei Sok.
Our accord on the compromise eased the standoff. Specifics deferred for later; the gathering wound down.
The negotiation concluded, yet tension hung thick around the oasis.
Yufuluo had men hastily arrange a banquet, but even with cups arrayed, no one broke the ice.
Beha sulked with head averted; the other Qiang chieftains eyed him warily.
"Come now, grave matters settled—let's drink!"
At last, Yufuluo forced a grin and lifted his cup to thaw the mood.
"Post-battle wine—that's the brew for real men! Administrator Lu, here's to you!"
"An honor from the chieftain himself."
I accepted the cup.
A few rounds passed, but stiffness lingered. Then Takya, seated beside me, poured discreetly and murmured low.
"Administrator, pay those Xianling scum no mind. Our Qiang stand with you."
Mokta offered a hunk of roasted mutton, nodding firmly.
Myagon downed his cup while openly glaring Beha's way. Yufuluo observed all, deftly guiding talk.
"Chieftain Beha, join us in a drink. Past is past—eyes forward? We've witnessed Administrator Lu's might; now let's pool strength for shared gain."
Yufuluo persisted in lightening things, then gingerly revisited the proxy marriage.
"Well then, shall we seal that token we pledged? Chieftain Beha, whose daughter to offer?"
Beha wavered before indicating a middle-aged chieftain at his side.
"This is Agolta, chieftain under my command. A blood-brother to me, practically. He has a daughter—exquisitely lovely."
Beha eyed me upon finishing.
"Administrator Lu, who steps forward from your men?"
"Haha! I have one much like a blood-brother myself, still wifeless—a worry till now. Timing's perfect."
At 'blood-brother', Beha's features eased imperceptibly. A sense of matched honor, it seemed.
"...Oh? And who might this blood-brother be?"
I pointed to Wei Sok in the far corner, drunk and hollering arm-in-arm with Qiang soldiers.
"Right there. Wei Sok. As you see, brimming with... vigor."
Gazes converged on the swaying, inebriated Wei Sok. Silence fell.
"...Him?"
Beha's brow furrowed.
"Indeed. My dearest brother—no shortcomings there."
I pressed on brazenly.
Beha wore a sour look but, words spoken, could only nod.
Yufuluo beamed approval, outlining wedding rites in detail; the banquet's air softened markedly.
'Phew... Crisis averted for now.'
I tilted my cup, surveying the scene. Mood lifting, laughter and chatter spread.
Yet blades might lurk behind those smiles.
These foreigners strike weaklings' backs without hesitation. Still... preferable to the capital's tangled, treacherous politics.
Here, at least, power proved and crushed openly.
'In the end, might rules all in this world. Easier on the mind than the capital's games.'
Superior to the splendor and lethal intrigue of the court—a wry smile escaped me.