Chapter 265: Instigating Rebellion

Chapter 265: Turning the Enemy

Hulie was conversing with the general who had led the caravan raid the previous night at the military camp outside the market. They had not spoken long when a soldier reported from outside: "General, Batu requests to see General Hulie, saying that General Hulie invited him."

Hulie was taken aback: "He just said he wasn't in the mood."

The general lowered his voice and asked: "Why did you invite him?"

They belonged to the Great Khan Temur's direct tribe, with a mindset different from others. At this moment, as the allied tribes marched south, Temur had little inclination to stir up trouble by annexing the War Lion tribe. Yet, logically, he should have mediated, prioritizing the southern campaign first. But he allowed the internal strife within the War Lion tribe to fester, and with other tribes eyeing the situation, he neither spoke nor intervened—naturally, he had his own calculations.

It was simply a matter of making Batu wise up and hand over the treasure in exchange for protection, then smoothly devour the entire tribe without expending a single soldier, all while maintaining a good reputation.

Hulie laughed: "The Great Khan also doesn't want to cause an ugly scene during this united push south, but it can be done gracefully. For instance, if Batu dies at Yue Hongling's hands, and then we kill Yue Hongling, doesn't that make everything neat and tidy?"

The general suddenly understood: "I see. Please, invite Chief Batu in."

Batu entered the tent, accompanied by a few guards. Hulie and the others glanced at them but paid no mind. No matter how down-and-out Batu was now, with his tribe fractured and warring among themselves, he was still the legitimate chief, possessing the secret treasure of the Hulei lineage and a loyal band of followers. Bringing a few guards was perfectly normal.

Hulie smiled: "So, what changed your mood?"

Batu said gruffly: "Since I can't sell that thing anyway, I might as well come and capture Yue Hongling. At least she's a troublemaker from the Central Plains, and I can avenge my uncle."

Hulie chuckled inwardly at this simpleton, but outwardly said: "Right! At a time like this, all tribes must unite! If you can contribute to capturing Yue Hongling, the Great Khan will think highly of you, and some matters might become easier."

Batu asked: "Do you know where Yue Hongling is?"

"We didn't know before, but after she showed up near the caravan by the market last night, we can roughly guess—she's most likely in the northwest Rocky Mountain."

"But she's not stupid. The Rocky Mountain offers a wide view; as soon as troops appear on the horizon, she'll see them from afar and vanish," Batu said. "Hasn't something like this happened before? How easy is it to surround her?"

Zhao Changhe was also puzzled by this. Even if they could pinpoint Yue Hongling's location, in such an open area, she could spot any sign of trouble from a high vantage point and flee. What made them think they could catch her?

The general from last night laughed: "A Central Plains man gave us an idea. He said that for a chivalrous woman like Yue Hongling, her moral integrity is paramount. What if we take two Central Plains female slaves from the animal pens and bring them out? Would she try to rescue them?"

Batu said: "If she sees a large group, definitely not. A chivalrous person isn't brainless."

Hulie said: "So we'll go with only a few people, taking two or three female slaves disguised as recently abducted innocent women. Seeing we're few, and she's never encountered too strong an opponent before, might she attempt to act as a 'lone horse bandit'?"

Batu paused, falling silent.

Given Yue Hongling's temperament and her past actions as a lone horse bandit, this was entirely possible.

Meanwhile, the other troops wouldn't approach; they'd wait far away, out of sight. Once a skirmish broke out, the army would suddenly charge in to surround her. Even if Yue Hongling could escape from Hulie, she wouldn't be able to flee the encirclement of a large army.

The chances of success were actually quite high.

Hulie said: "Originally, we didn't have many experts, so it wasn't a sure thing. Now that Chief Batu is here—you're among the Hidden Dragons, and having inherited the treasure, you should have improved. You can at least exchange a few moves with Yue Hongling, which is a great help. That's why I invited you."

Batu said: "Understood. When do we go?"

Hulie looked at the sky and smiled: "We can't wait until nightfall. In the dark of night, her vigilance is different; she might run at the sight of anyone and won't meddle. So it must be during the day. We should leave now; it'll take some time to get there, arriving before dusk."

Batu nodded: "Let's go, then."

As he spoke, he glanced at a disheveled barbarian beside him, who remained expressionless.

In truth, Zhao Changhe felt this scheme wouldn't work on Yue Hongling. She wasn't some naive heroine from a storybook. Though young, she had roamed the martial world for many years and was a seasoned veteran. The rivers and lakes were treacherous; she had seen all sorts of tricks. If she were so easily fooled, she wouldn't be the Yue Hongling of today.

But regardless, since others had laid a trap here, he had to go and help. Zhao Changhe silently followed them onto horseback, galloping swiftly toward the Rocky Mountain.

Before long, the army behind them set out, quietly approaching. The shadowy figures numbered over a thousand, all to capture a single person—a massive undertaking.

During the ride, Batu leaned close to Zhao Changhe, his expression grim: "Hey, how did I end up actually going to fight Yue Hongling? Weren't we just exchanging information?"

You only just realized? You had to participate to get the information, but once you participated, how could you not go?

Zhao Changhe found it amusing and transmitted his voice: "Brother, do you really think they need you as an 'expert'? Or do they need us as 'guards'?"

Batu paused, his face suddenly changing.

So he wasn't completely foolish.

Zhao Changhe continued: "Wait and see. If they actually capture Yue Hongling, the next moment their blades will turn on us. Or during the fight with Yue Hongling, when her sword points at us, no one will help."

Batu fell into a gloomy silence, deep in thought.

It seemed that his recent hardships had taught him something about the treachery of human hearts. He knew that this yellow-faced man's analysis was entirely possible.

But what could he do?

Turn his coat and help Yue Hongling attack Hulie? If they could quickly kill all of Hulie's men before the army arrived, fine. But if they couldn't, and the pursuing army saw them, his entire tribe would face annihilation.

Yet how could they kill all of Hulie's men? He was ranked forty-first on the Human Roll—who would kill whom?

How had exchanging information turned into this? Batu was so furious he almost couldn't suppress his voice transmission: "You got the information anyway. I'll just tell Hulie I have something to do and can't go. He can't force me. What about your information? Where's the grain?"

Zhao Changhe didn't intend to cheat him; fair trade was fair trade: "Qiao Er's grain was originally meant to be sold to you, right? But when he arrived at Yellow Sand Market, his carts were empty, and you couldn't do anything about him, could you?"

Batu was even more shocked: "How do you know?"

"Because I know he sold the grain to the Desolate Wolf tribe halfway."

Batu's face darkened further.

The Desolate Wolf tribe was indeed a small tribe, only a few thousand people. On paper and in terms of righteousness, he could have bloodily raided that tribe to take back the grain without spending a coin. But the problem was that he was now in dire straits and didn't have the strength to do so. Moreover, why would the Desolate Wolf tribe dare to do this? Was it backed by the Great Khan? Or at least by the regional commander, Ubulu?

Zhao Changhe said calmly: "Brother Batu, I suggest you abandon any illusions. The one who wants to swallow your tribe is none other than the Great Khan."

Batu suddenly asked: "Who are you?"

Zhao Changhe felt a bit awkward. Hulei had been "injured by Wang Daozhong." If he pretended to be Wang Daozhong, Batu might want to kill him first. Using his real identity could cause unpredictable trouble. After thinking for a moment, he came up with a brilliant idea: "I am the Maitreya Sect's Northern Buddha, Dharma Name 'Dian.' Brother Batu, when you went south of the river, you had dealings with our sect. We have some karmic ties."

Batu: "?"

When did the Maitreya Sect produce a Northern Buddha?

"Not that I don't trust you, but can you prove it?"

Zhao Changhe turned to look at him, his eyes suddenly becoming deep, as if a vortex spun within, hiding a lotus platform.

Batu felt his mind blur and nearly fell off his horse. He couldn't help but say: "Enough... That's indeed authentic Extreme Bliss Technique. What business does the Buddha have here?"

Zhao Changhe said: "I just want to toy with Yue Hongling and see if I can have her all to myself."

"..." Batu believed it. This was truly the Maitreya Sect in the flesh.

Zhao Changhe continued: "What I want to do, Brother Batu need not worry about. But seeing your situation, I feel it's quite unfair for you. Honestly, if I were you, I'd be thinking about gathering all my strength to quickly destroy the Desolate Wolf tribe, capture their people, seize their grain, and use that as a base to crush the other rebellious factions, reuniting the War Lion tribe. Only with the entire tribe in hand would the Great Khan dare not act rashly against you. Otherwise, you're like meat on a chopping block, and your head will eventually be cut off by a traitor and used as a wine jug. Hoping for protection from others—wake up."

Batu said: "Venerable Buddha, aren't you allied with the Great Khan? Why help me?"

Zhao Changhe said coldly: "Our alliance is to coordinate an uprising. If we truly break through the Central Plains, friend and foe will change."

Batu nodded silently, inwardly despising this infighting before success, but said nothing. He had seen too much of this lately.

Zhao Changhe said: "The reason I want to help you is simple. If Brother Batu gains power, setting aside other matters, can I have my way with the slaves of the Desolate Wolf tribe?"

Batu nodded: "If it comes to that, of course, the Venerable Buddha may choose as he pleases."

Zhao Changhe let out a smug, lecherous laugh. He looked ahead at Hulie galloping on horseback and lowered his voice transmission again: "On the grasslands, tribes rise and fall; it's nothing new. Whoever has the bigger fist is king. Today it's the Golden Tent Khanate; tomorrow, why can't the War Lion be the ruler? Brother Batu, a man should not languish under others forever!"

Batu took a deep breath: "How many people can the Venerable Buddha provide to help me?"

"Our hidden forces are quite substantial. Brother Batu, do you believe me?"

Batu nodded. He was willing to believe that; he had seen in the south how skilled the Maitreya Sect was at covert persuasion.

If the Maitreya Sect was willing to support him secretly, he could rally his men and, with lightning speed, flatten the Desolate Wolf tribe. It seemed feasible...

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

Zhao Changhe and Batu also instinctively slowed their pace, looking up to see the sky ablaze with sunset clouds in the distance, a cluster of jagged rocks piercing through the heavens—a scene of spectacular and rugged grandeur.

Vaguely visible atop the rocks, a figure in red robes fluttered in the wind, merging with the sunset glow as if standing within the clouds, gazing into the distance.