Chapter Seventy-Seven: Contest of Wills (Part Eleven)

This question was beyond Zhang Wansui’s ability to answer.

He was merely a powerful local figure from Yanmen, a man of courage, ambition, and daring. He was neither from the scholarly families of the northeast, nor from the military aristocracy descended from the Xianbei Six Garrisons. He had not been deeply involved in the century-long power struggles of great clans, nor the rise and fall of dynasties. He was simply a man of humble origins, desperate to carve his way into the ranks of the great and powerful through effort and skill.

Why had the Sui Dynasty risen so swiftly, only to collapse just as suddenly? The question was too profound—without being embroiled in the core of events, or possessing a deep understanding of the shifts in power since the end of the Han, how could one hope to grasp its essence? To expect Zhang Wansui to comprehend this was truly asking too much.

He only knew that, at this moment, he was here on behalf of Wang Ren Gong, begging for aid from these Turkic barbarians, and that his bargaining chips were painfully limited. He dared not bet that Liu Wuzhou would not ally himself with the Turks to turn against Wang Ren Gong!

If, as Wang Ren Gong’s envoy, he ended up facilitating an alliance between the Turks and Liu Wuzhou, what would become of him at the hands of the irascible, domineering, and ruthless Wang Ren Gong? The outcome was all too clear.

No matter what, he had to secure an accord with the Turks, to bring them onto Wang Ren Gong’s side. As for the people of Yunzhong and Shenwu under the Han family, he could only lament their misfortune. Compared to the fate of the realm Wang Ren Gong sought, or his own prospects, their suffering was negligible.

Night had deepened and the cold seeped in; within the tent, the lamplight flickered, casting the shadows of those seated or standing into wavering, elongated forms.

At this moment, Zhang Wansui’s figure seemed to shrink and hunch.

His voice trembled as he asked, “If Prefect Wang grants what your lordships request, how will your forces assist him in taking Yunzhong and crushing Heng’an?”

Zhibi Luoluo laughed heartily, his normally grim face breaking into a rare light. “By the Great Khan’s command, the Zhibi Division has been ordered to take charge both north and south of Yinshan, and to watch over Mayi and Yanmen on behalf of the Sui. The Great Khan has added twenty thousand tents to my command and brought the Nine Surnames Tribes, another twenty thousand tents, under submission. If we conclude an alliance with Prefect Wang, then the Zhibi Division will march south with an army of one hundred thousand horsemen!”

Zhang Wansui was aghast.

The Zhibi Division was already one of the major branches of the Turks, one of the seven great tribes under the Ashina clan. Its leader was entitled to be called Khan, bore the Turkic wolf banner, and favored the color blue. It originally numbered forty or fifty thousand tents, and in the past had campaigned north of the Altai, inflicting crushing defeats on the Western Turks. Shibi Khan, to reward these exploits, had permitted the royal tent of the Zhibi Division to be set north of Mayi, to act as the vanguard in controlling Mayi and Yanmen for the Turks, thus opening a southern route into the heart of China.

The Zhibi Division could already field thirty or forty thousand cavalry at a time; with the Ashina clan’s support of twenty thousand tents and another twenty thousand from the Nine Surnames Tribes, to claim one hundred thousand horsemen was hardly an exaggeration!

Steppe peoples always mobilized entire tribes as armies. The so-called one hundred thousand horsemen were not, like the Sui armies, fully equipped, highly trained, and organized into pure fighting forces. At most, only ten or twenty thousand could be called the elite wolf cavalry. But that did not mean that the rest—the older and younger men with whatever weapons they could muster—were without combat effectiveness!

When a hundred thousand horsemen swept south, even a well-equipped, battle-hardened Sui army would face enemies in every direction. In the chaos of battle, with the dark mass of tribal cavalry filling the field, how many troops could truly maintain their fighting spirit under such pressure?

This time, the Zhibi Division clearly meant to use the Sui’s deepening chaos to fully open the road south into the heart of China!

Yet these were matters for the men in power to worry over. Zhang Wansui’s mission was simply to strike a bargain with the Zhibi Division: to remove the thorn in Wang Ren Gong’s side, Liu Wuzhou.

If he could accomplish that, who cared if the sky itself collapsed?

Steeling himself, Zhang Wansui bowed deeply to Zhibi Luoluo. “Although I must report back to the Prefect, I can, on his behalf, agree to your lordship’s requests. As for when your forces will move…”

Zhibi Luoluo glanced at Zhibi Sili, who stood silent and absent, his mind wandering who knows where.

Zhibi Luoluo could only sigh inwardly. He had brought his nephew along to give him some experience, to prepare him, in time, to succeed as Khan of the Zhibi Division. Yet this nephew seemed utterly uninterested in matters as vital as subduing the Nine Surnames Tribes or allying with Wang Ren Gong to take Yunzhong—who knew what he was thinking? Was it really, as he often said on the steppe, that he resented not having been born Han? If so, perhaps it was time to reconsider whether he could ever take up the Khan’s mantle.

Leaving his daydreaming nephew be, Zhibi Luoluo turned a cold face to Zhang Wansui, “We attack in winter! First we bypass Yunzhong and strike directly at Shenwu. At that time, Prefect Wang must hand Shenwu over to us, and all the promised supplies, rations, and equipment must be delivered there. Should he fail to honor the pact, the Zhibi Division will turn back and ally with Liu Wuzhou. We’ll take Mayi ourselves!”

Cold sweat broke out all over Zhang Wansui.

He had thought to simply agree to the Zhibi Division’s terms for now. When the time came and, with their aid, Wang Ren Gong captured Yunzhong, whether Shenwu would be handed over or not would depend entirely on Wang Ren Gong’s whim. In the end, they might not even cede Yunzhong. After all, deceiving these Turkic barbarians—neither Wang Ren Gong nor Zhang Wansui would lose any sleep over it.

But now, the demand was to hand over Shenwu first, then the Turkic army would assist Wang Ren Gong in taking Yunzhong. And, to march in winter—if they gained nothing, by spring, who knew how many of their horses and livestock would survive? This was truly a pack of starving wolves risking everything on a southern gamble. If Wang Ren Gong dared renege, the next moment the Turkic army would join Liu Wuzhou and sweep through the entire Mayi district!

At this point, Zhang Wansui had nothing more to say. Matters had reached their limit—he could only return for Wang Ren Gong’s decision.

Inside the tent, Zhang Wansui bowed deeply, ready to take his leave.

But Zhibi Luoluo called after him, “Why so hasty? Since we are about to form an alliance, how can we not present a gift to return to Prefect Wang?”

Zhang Wansui stopped and replied with a forced smile, “Whatever your lordship bestows, I will deliver it to the Prefect myself.”

Zhibi Luoluo waved indifferently and ordered his blue wolf cavalry guard, “Go, tell Heiguo to send men to kill those nobles of the Nine Surnames who refuse to submit. Their heads shall be sent to Prefect Wang as a congratulatory gift. From now on, the tribes of the Nine Surnames who for years have defied orders and disturbed the Mayi frontier, shall be under Zhibi’s rule, ready to serve as Prefect Wang’s loyal vanguard!”

Zhang Wansui felt his hair stand on end.

Zhibi Luoluo was not bluffing. The Nine Surnames Tribes had truly been subdued by the Zhibi Division!