Uninvited Guests (2)

Anger needs an object, and soon, the flames of war spread to He Peiyu. Someone at the table asked loudly, "What's the matter? General Hr, within the He family's fiefdom, there are slaves raising troops and causing chaos. The He family is not ashamed of this, but proud of it?"

He Peiyu lowered his head and said nothing. He Langfei on the side laughed coldly: "Hehehehe, gentlemen, after so long, you have all forgotten the case of Chuhe Valley, right? It's better not to mention this group of slaves. If we mention it, I'm afraid it's Changxiang City that has let down my He family, not my He family that has let down Changxiang City!"

The voices of discussion continued to grow louder, and the words that were mentioned frequently included "Chu River Valley" and "He Peiyu".

Many people knew about the case in Chu River Valley, but many people had forgotten it. Now, the memories of the past were revived together.

The Chu River runs across Mulan Prefecture, flowing from west to east into the Mulan River. It is the largest tributary of the Mulan River in the territory of Xixiang State. The large canyon in the middle reaches of the Chu River is the Chu River Valley, which has always been a territory jointly managed by the He and Chu families.

The Chu River Valley is one of the most mineral-rich areas in Xixiang State, with gold, silver, and various gemstones. It is especially rich in a kind of ice mine, which is rare in the world and priceless.

The Chu River Valley has a four-month period of slow water flow every year. In the past, the He and Chu families usually fought over navigation rights and rarely got involved in mining. It was not because they were concerned about the indigenous people, but because the mountains here are high and rugged, the rocks are hard, and the cost of mining is extremely high, so the gain does not outweigh the loss.

Fortunately, a lot of broken ice flows out during the rainy season and floods every year, and many people outside the canyon rely on it to make a living.

There is a group of indigenous people in the Chu River Valley. They feed on birds and fish, sing and dance all day long and do nothing. Countless businessmen have hoped that they can mine ice and sell it, but all of them have failed - these people have no interest in any new gadgets, and they don't even need medicine. They worship the river god and have a set of beliefs that are difficult for outsiders to understand. They believe that choosing suicide when people get old is the most perfect destination, and taking medicine will only increase pain and fear of death.

About thirty years ago, a wealthy businessman named Li from Mulan Prefecture paid a huge sum of money to the He family to enter the valley to mine ice. The Li family was a low-ranking new noble family that spent a lot of money to buy a title, thinking that this title would help with business dealings, but it turned out to be just an increase in taxes, and the business did not improve at all. The Li family was determined to go all out and make a big deal to make a profit, so the He family was happy to see it happen and sold them the mining rights for ten years.

The Li family entered the Chu River Valley under ridicule. At that time, many people said that within three years, they would withdraw in disgrace like those who had done so before.

The Li family's rules of conduct were different from those of all previous merchants. In the past three years, they worked diligently to build a small road. This move won the favor of the people in Chuhe Valley, and even the merchants outside the valley benefited greatly.

The road was opened, but there were still no workers moving in. The next thing the Li family brought in was wine, all kinds of wine, and soon, there were taverns in Chuhe Valley, and then there were gambling houses. Young men all over the world were the same, and the young people in Chuhe Valley soon became addicted to it. The Li family encouraged them to buy on credit, and even generously gave away free wine at weddings and funerals in the tribe.

Three years later, the Li family still had no plans to open a mine. At this time, their savings were exhausted and everything that could be mortgaged was mortgaged. Amidst all the speculation, the Li family borrowed a large sum of money.

This was a risky move, as usury could turn commoners into slaves. The Li family had the protection of an aristocratic title, so they would not be reduced to slavery, but they could still be imprisoned or even executed.

But they continued their frenzy for another three years. Now there is only one year left of the ten-year mining rights. Even if they are very lucky and find a rich mine under the rocks, they are already unable to make up for their losses.

In the tenth year, the Li family began to settle accounts. They took out the account books, contracts and laws, and explained to the people of Chuhe Valley in a friendly manner as always that according to the laws of the Western State, when the usury reached a huge amount, if it could not be repaid, the debtor had to sell himself into slavery.

The people of Chuhe Valley were stunned. They were speechless because of the huge number. They calculated the amount over and over again, but the interest was not wrong, and the contract was not wrong. In other words, about 3,000 people in their tribe would become slaves, including the best young people.

The entire tribe was unable to repay the debt, and in the belief of the river god, freedom was far higher than death. All protests and prayers were futile, and the Li family reported the situation to the garrison outside the valley and asked them to help arrest the men.

The young people rebelled. Their fathers, brothers, relatives, friends... almost the entire tribe rebelled together. In the chaos, the Li family was polite, while the people of the Chu River Valley killed people.

Once bloodshed occurred, the fight escalated immediately. Chuhe Valley had no tradition of handing over its own people to outsiders, and legally, such behavior was a violation of the contract, harboring criminals, and gathering to cause trouble, and the entire tribe must be severely punished. This time, the Li family prepared well-armed mercenaries to launch a surprise attack at night. The Chuhe Valley people, who only had harpoons and were not familiar with fighting, were no match for the outsiders and were not prepared to fight to the death.

After dawn, all the men in the tribe were shackled, branded with fire, and became slaves of the Li family.

The young women were sold off - the dancers in the Chu River Valley were famous throughout the world for their beautiful feet blessed by the river gods.

It was then that the He family suddenly realized that the Li family had no intention of opening a mine. From the very start, their true aim was to engage in the slave trade.

The earnings from selling female slaves were enough to cover costs. The Li family had also acquired a large number of strong male slaves out of nowhere. They immediately fled far away and bought a large piece of rubber plantation in the south of Mulan Province. From then on, they leisurely became plantation owners.

Every step they took was impeccable in the eyes of the law.

This case was soon brought to Changxiang City, with the Chu family leading the complaints against the injustice in the business deal. The Chu family hadn't gained any benefits from this deal and sternly reminded the He family that they must take action—such large-scale enslavement of free people was extremely dangerous for the country, and the He family couldn't turn a blind eye.

But soon enough, the Li family sent over five hundred of the most beautiful young girls they had hidden away, and the Chu family fell silent. The controversy and opposition continued, but it wasn't enough for the He family to take action—people from the Chu River Valley becoming slaves was already a fact. While mass enslavement was inappropriate, mass pardoning of slaves was even more dangerous.

It wasn't until the approach of the national war that this case took a turn. The sympathetic officials in Changxiang City who had been advocating for reconsideration pressured the He family once again. Finally, the He family compromised, stating that as long as the people of the Chu River Valley were willing to unite and fight against external enemies during the national war, they would restore their entire clan's status as free citizens. As for the losses incurred by the Li family, after halving them, they would be compensated jointly by the He family and Changxiang City.

This was the greatest concession the nobility could make regarding slaves.

Of course, the slaves agreed too; they signed the contract.

With the urgency of military affairs, after the agreement was made, He Peiyu's uncle, who was the head of the He family at the time, immediately led the Wolf Fang Seventy Division to rush to the desolation Plain.

The conscription order arrived at the Li family's rubber plantation, but the Li family members didn't respond.

To them, the resolution of Changxiang City was not fair. These slaves weren't forcibly taken; they were acquired through wisdom and courage. Once sent away, they would lose seventy percent of the labor force on the rubber plantation, only receiving half the compensation, and they would only receive it after the war—who knows what would happen after the war? Perhaps... perhaps... after the war, neither the He family nor Changxiang City would exist.

What the Li family didn't expect was that the patience of the slaves had also reached its limit. The leader of the slaves, the young man who had inadvertently caused the downfall of the entire tribe years ago—now known as Li Jie—launched a surprise attack on a similarly unsuspecting night. Their revenge was just as brutal and resolute, sparing no one from the Li family, regardless of age or gender.

Countless slaves in Mulan Province were inspired, and the reputation of the three Li brothers among the slaves gradually rose to its peak. In just a month and a half, they made concerted efforts and occupied most of Mulan Province.

The pressure once again shifted to the He family. The He family's most elite generals had already been sent to the Plains, and the entire army had been annihilated. Now, Changxiang City issued a second military order, requiring the He family to send out their entire army once again, this time to the Plains to stop the iron cavalry of the Sikong Clan and win an opportunity for the reinforcements.

It was a tragic order. Sikong Zhilong was at the height of his power at the time, with strong soldiers and horses, like a meat grinder made of steel. Any opponent thrown at him would soon become a pile of corpses. At this time, the wisest course of action was to disobey orders, first to protect their home base, and then to make plans.

After an emergency meeting, the He family chose to defend their honor and loyalty and obeyed the order. They dispatched all men over the age of twenty with combat experience, taking away most of the food and supplies. They left He Langfei behind and appointed him as the caretaker of the old, weak, women, and children of the He family.

That year, He Peiyu was twelve years old and couldn't join the army.

When He Langfei decided to retreat to the deep mountains, He Peiyu was the only one who stood up against it. He wore the family emblem of the wolf bone on his neck and never took it off for the next ten years. He vehemently, almost fanatically, demanded to suppress the rebellion, believing that if the He family didn't stand up now, they would forever lose Mulan Province.

They were a group of ragtag people, and all their hatred was directed at the Li family. Their leader made a reckless decisions—once the rebellion spread from the Li family's estate to the entire Mulan Province, they wouldn't know what to do next. Now was the time when they would start to lose control, and retreating at this time would give them time to formulate new goals and strategies, and by then, it would be too late. He Peiyu said this—"Give me three thousand people, just three thousand people, and I will show them what real soldiers are."

He Langfei was not a good leader, but he was a good father. He trusted his son wholeheartedly and, against all odds, gave He Peiyu five thousand people—almost all of the He family's guards at the time.

At about the same time, the momentum of the slave alliance began to decline, and rumors of their widespread looting, arson, and massacres swept across Mulan Province. Initially stunned aristocrats, wealthy merchants, and many indifferent commoners gradually found the courage to stand up. They needed a strong and determined leader, and the He family stepped forward at the right time.

He Peiyu's ruthlessness was astounding; he ordered torture for all prisoners without end. He used bloodshed to counter bloodshed, strength to counter strength, and he used the military signal of three long and two short—that meant no prisoners.

Many of his peers were called young men, but not He Peiyu. From the moment he appeared in front of everyone, he looked like an adult, matched only by adults. In the following seven years, he became more shrewd and confident with each passing year. In the seventh year, the slaves finally retreated into the deep mountains, and He Peiyu decided to reorganize the Wolf Fang Seventh Division.

Looking back, it was a genius's imagination and confidence. At that time, Changxiang City was in a crisis, and most of the people in West Xiang were still in fear of the country's demise. Even Qi Xiang and Yang Dingtu, who were thousands of miles away, were planning to do what they could and listen to fate, but He Peiyu firmly believed that in this battle, the West Xiang would win, and after the victory, the He family would need a mature Wolf Fang Seventh Division.

He was nineteen years old and already the uncrowned king of the He family.

At the age of twenty-two, he left behind the solid foundation he had established in his feudal state and, with the newly reorganized Wolf Fang Seventh Division, followed his father into Changxiang City. Because at that time, everyone said that you had to visit Changxiang City at least once in your lifetime; only achievements made in Changxiang City could be called achievements. Achievements made elsewhere could only be called accomplishments.

At this time and place, He Peiyu had full confidence. His familiar opponents and prey had arrived; the vast plain outside Changxiang City would become his arena.

Amidst the clamor, Qi Xiang remained silent, and He Peiyu remained silent as well. In the silent confrontation, the young man was turning the tables—

Now it was no longer a national war; the sixteen families had each returned to their respective territories, and Qi Xiang could not summon the entire city to take up arms and defend their homeland again. He was a civil official with military achievements, but he still didn't have a military force directly under his command. This had been his Achilles' heel for many years. The Wind Shadow Riders were ultimately just a personal guard, incapable of heavy responsibilities. The Qi family had almost no decent family soldiers they could use. The only thing they could hope for was the Dianjiang Academy that Yang Dingtu was setting up.

However, the Dianjiang Academy was not the Yang family's private property; it was a military school established in the name of the state, with the original intention of training a military force for the country. Moreover, to this day, the first batch of young commanders had not yet graduated. 

If there were another ten years, even five years, Qi Xiang wouldn't be in such a difficult situation. When the Dianjiang Academy was inaugurated in the past, Qi Xiang and Yang Dingtu had once toasted to it—saying that as long as the world was peaceful, a brand new Western Xiang was just around the corner—unfortunately, heaven never fulfilled human wishes; the emperor returned, and the rebel slaves came as well.

The situation was clear now. Regardless of past merits or demerits, the top priority was the defense of Changxiang City. However, the defense of the city should not be divided between the West Camp and the South Camp. Under Yang Dingtu's rule, the Western Camp was in a weak state. Yang Dingtu was old, and he hadn't personally mounted a horse after the national war. His family soldiers were depleted, and the young students under his command lacked practical combat experience. The Western Camp he controlled was completely unable to compete with the Southern Camp, which had the Wolf Fang Seventh Brigade. In peacetime, reputation could prevail, but on the battlefield, reputation and age were useless.

Changxiang City urgently needed young and strong defenders. He Peiyu was the best candidate.

Qi Xiang pondered repeatedly—if the full authority over the city's defense were taken away at this juncture, he might never regain it. In other words, at this family banquet, the true "number one family of Changxiang" would be the He family.

If he fought against the He family with all his might, he would risk being accused of disregarding the safety of Changxiang City and striving for power and profit. Such accusations were equally dreadful and could lead him and his family into an irreversible situation.

The situation was too passive, and it was unclear where the mistake had occurred—anyway, it wasn't until He Peiyu burst into the hall with a letter from Lian Zhengnan, everyone realized together the news of the slaves' rebellion, which was truly humiliating.

In the past, he had relied on accurate and rapid sources of information and the balance of power within the sixteen families. But this time, He Peiyu was one step ahead. Before entering the hall, he had stepped on these two points— the He family had received the military report first, cut off all information channels, and thereby gained a large part of the sixteen family's support. Moreover, he still had the invincible Wolf Fang Seventh Brigade.

Qi Xiang sighed quietly. It was difficult for him to make a move, so he could only defend himself. The only hope was that He Peiyu wouldn't want to vie with him for dominance at this critical moment and that they could both compromise.

But how easy was that? Once today passed, with the marriage alliance between Qi and Yang and the defeat of the slaves, He Peiyu would never have such a good opportunity again.

To be fair, He Peiyu was an outstanding general, sharp and straight to the point, with the precision of knowing when to stop, and even his arrogance could be controlled at will.

His evaluation of He Peiyu was much higher than that of others. He Peiyu was the only one he had ever seen who was full of enthusiasm for attack. Most people, including himself, only attacked when necessary and when they were sure of success, but He Peiyu was always attacking; most people hated war, but He Peiyu liked the battlefield. He was eager to throw himself into battle at the age of twelve and remained enthusiastic ever since, even willing to face Qingzheng's challenge of the Hundred-Man Battle with all his might.

No! He had seen another person like this, whose name had once made the entire Xiangguo Continent tremble; he was called Sikong Zhilong—such people liked to win. They were like suits of armor wrapped in ambition, they were the scions of troubled times, uninterested in peace, and in their world, there was no compromise or backing down.

Qi Xiang closed his eyes lightly, perhaps there were bloodier ways to stop He Peiyu, but that method was a bit beyond his bottom line—he was a scholar, always had been, and deep down in his soul, he was weary of bloodshed.

"Lord Xiang—," He Peiyu finally spoke, as polite and courteous as ever, "Lord Xiang and the gentlemen need not worry too much. Although this is a national affair, it is not yet a national crisis. Those slaves have been hiding in the deep mountains for years, elusive and indomitable. If they are willing to come out in full force this time, it is fortunate for Changxiang City. Instead of waiting to be ambushed halfway, it would be better to lure them to the outskirts of Changxiang City and annihilate them in one fell swoop, to completely eradicate the threat."

"Wise words, nephew," Qi Xiang was surprised and doubtful; He Peiyu's tone was unexpectedly softening.

"The Old Sirs merits cover the world, and with Qingzheng as well, it's truly an extra layer of strength. Peiyu is not talented, but after dealing with that group of slaves for many years, I have about seventy or eighty percent confidence in victory. As long as Lord Xiang leads us all with one heart and one mind, even Sikong Zhilong would not be a problem, let alone mere rabble. How could they move us a single step?" 

"Ahhh," He Peiyu slapped his forehead, "before the family banquet, my father prepared a small gift and asked me to bring it to present to Lord Xiang in celebration of the reopening of the family banquet and Old Dingtu's joy in gaining a son-in-law. I truly deserve a scolding; I was too hot-headed, forgot all about the joy of the family banquet, and rashly offended everyone. Please forgive me, uncles and brothers. I apologize, Lord Dingtu, and Lord Xiang." 

He Peiyu placed his hand on his chest, bowing respectfully, as if he had suddenly realized he had been impulsive and lost control. There were no fools in the hall; everyone looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion, not believing he would back down so easily and help elevate the Qi family's reputation. Only Yang Dingtu furrowed his brow, turning the bowl of sheep's milk in his hand upside down.

"Nephew, what are you saying? Throughout history, national affairs have always taken precedence. This is the demeanor of a noble family," 

"Thank you, Lord Xiang, I deserve to be reprimanded for getting carried away and forgetting it completely. Quickly, come in—"

At his command, a servant entered with a red lacquer tray, bowing low and not daring to approach Qi Xiang. The servant knelt at a distance, holding the tray aloft.

On the tray were two documents.

He Peiyu picked up the first one and presented it to Yang Dingtou with both hands. "Old Sir, this is the deed to a suite in the Sky Garden, a gift for my virtuous younger brother Qingzheng and my sister Xuetan, as a token of my brotherly affection and a place for them to live independently."

His gesture was indeed grand. In the upper city, land was incredibly precious, and the Sky Garden was exceptionally expensive and rarely available. All the banquet attendees had brought gifts, but no one knew in advance about the Qi-Yang marriage announcement, so none had prepared such a lavish gift. He Peiyu, however, seemed to have foreseen this, as if he had known about the marriage beforehand.

Qi Xiang and Yang Dingtu exchanged astonished glances. This young man was inexplicably peculiar. If he intended to be an enemy, why try to curry favor at a critical moment? If he aimed to be a friend, why was he so aggressive earlier, almost overpowering Qi Xiang?

The second gift required He Langfei's personal presentation.

It was a map made of tanned leather, the topography resembling a curved knife sheath, with a faint reddish hue under the light, as if soaked with the blood and fire of war, awaiting expansion.

He Langfei stroked the map and turned to Qi Xiang. "This Chuhe Valley is the boundary between the He and Chu families, a source of our conflicts. Now that the rebel slaves will eradicated, peace should prevail between our families. Heh... Prime Minister, Dingtu, my son Peiyu has been smitten with your daughter Qingran since he first saw her. As a father, I take the liberty of seeking Lord Dong's approval to buy Chuhe Valley. Today, I present it as a betrothal gift, requesting permission from both brothers to marry Qingran."

His words stunned everyone. The ancient tradition of presenting land as a betrothal gift had not been seen since before the Great Xiang Kingdom's division. For over 150 years, families had adhered to their ancestral lands without altering boundaries. The Chuhe Valley, the largest canyon in Western Xiang, was incredibly expensive to purchase, yet the He family managed to do so and offer it as a gift.

Even though Qi Qingran was Qi Xiang's cherished daughter, this betrothal gift seemed unprecedentedly extravagant.

Qi Xiang maintained his composure until now. His hand trembled, nearly spilling his drink, had his brother not discreetly covered it with his sleeve.

"Well... Brother He, my daughter Qingran is still very young..." Qi Xiang stammered, uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

"Ah, dear brother, state affairs are your domain, but family matters are mine," Qi Hedong said, grasping He Langfei's hand and Qi Xiang's arm, laughing heartily. "The Qi family is truly blessed to gain such an excellent son-in-law. Unexpectedly, today's double joy is a great comfort to my old heart."

This was the best possible outcome, transforming the Qi-Yang marriage into a three-family alliance. The earlier tense atmosphere dissipated, and the family heads present burst into laughter, with Qi Xiang following suit with a smile.

Music, dance, wine, and delicacies flowed once more, filling the hall with cheers and laughter. The rankings and statuses of the sixteen families were finally settled. Barring any unforeseen events, it would take many years and another monumental event to disrupt the governance of these three united families.