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The morning sun had already climbed into the sky, bringing some warmth to the yellow earth grasslands of spring.
Many Hu people drove their flocks of sheep, searching for patches of lush grass. Swinging long whips, they herded back sheep that had strayed too far in their greed, while leisurely singing the pastoral songs of the grasslands.
This was Yu Fuluo's camp, the temporary place where he and his tribe settled to herd.
However, today, inside Yu Fuluo's great tent, there were not only his younger brother Huchuquan but also a black-robed elder.
"This matter is of great importance. Allow me to consider it," Yu Fuluo said.
This was to be expected. But the black-robed elder inside the tent appeared quite confident, chuckling as he said, "Very well, then. I shall await favorable news from the Chanyu." After speaking, he stood up. He took two steps but paused…
"I hope the Chanyu does not make this old man wait too long," the black-robed elder said with a smile. "One grows old; the days are always few. I dislike wasting them lightly…"
"…Naturally," Yu Fuluo replied.
The black-robed elder saluted with cupped hands, then followed a Hu man to another tent to rest.
"By the Heavenly Father Tengri, my respected Chanyu, that Han man…" Huchuquan looked back towards the black-armored old general who had just left the great tent to rest elsewhere, said, "…only thinks of using us. I doubt he genuinely wishes to help us…"
"If we no longer even have value to be used, that would be the most frightening thing." Yu Fuluo unhurriedly cut a piece from the roasted mutton before him, placed it in his mouth. His indifferent gaze swept over Huchuquan.
Huchuquan shrank his head under Yu Fuluo's look. After a long moment, he cautiously asked, "Then, does the Chanyu mean to agree to him?"
Yu Fuluo picked up the mare's milk wine, took a sip, then held it in his hand, looking at it, and sighed. "The wine the Han people brew is not bad, but our own wine has more strength, more suitable for the descendants of the wolf to drink."
Huchuquan scratched his head a little. This elder brother was good in every way. Perhaps because he had interacted with Han people too much and for too long, he had also begun to talk mysteriously, saying things that were hard to grasp.
Yu Fuluo frowned slightly, looked at Huchuquan, somewhat frustrated at his inability to improve. "I say, Huchuquan, sometimes you need to use your brain a bit. After all, you are the Right Wise King now. In the future, you will always have to lead the tribe."
Huchuquan swallowed the mutton in his mouth and said, "I do use my brain. Didn't I just realize that Han man is using us?"
Yu Fuluo nearly choked on his mare's milk wine, coughing twice before saying, "Alright then. Continue using that clever head of yours. Tell me, why did that Han man come to us?"
Huchuquan scratched his mutton-grease-covered beard, pondered for a while, and said, "I know! It's because we have value to be used!"
"That's what I said!" Yu Fuluo glared in annoyance. "Think of another one yourself!"
"This…" Huchuquan blinked, straining his mind. Suddenly, he felt some flatulence. He secretly tilted his buttocks and let out a "Boom"…
Ah, damn!
Too loud!
Seeing Yu Fuluo grab the small meat-cutting knife as if about to throw it the next moment, Huchuquan hurriedly said, "I… I've got it! I've got it!"
Yu Fuluo slightly relaxed his grip and asked, "What have you got?"
Huchuquan laughed triumphantly and said, "I've realized that Han man couldn't win, so he came looking for us!"
Yu Fuluo looked at Huchuquan with some surprise. He had only wanted Huchuquan to use his brain a bit more, not to rely on others for everything, hence forcing him to think. But he hadn't expected Huchuquan to actually come up with something, and it was even somewhat on point. Therefore, he let go of the matter of him passing gas and put down the small knife in his hand. "Hmm, not bad. Tell me, how did you think of that?"
Huchuquan laughed heartily, shaking his head. "Isn't it simple? On the grasslands, when you encounter a larger group and can't win, naturally you find more people and fight back! Haha, am I right?"
Yu Fuluo sighed but still nodded slightly. Although Huchuquan had clearly thought of it on the spot, the example wasn't entirely accurate, and he hadn't fully grasped the key point, it wasn't completely wrong either. There was some of that meaning in it.
Seeing this, Huchuquan widened his eyes. Aha! Judging by Yu Fuluo's expression, it seemed he was actually right. Delighted, he picked up the mare's milk wine and downed it in one gulp, exhaling a breath of alcohol with a "Ha!", looking very pleased.
Seeing this, Yu Fuluo shook his head helplessly, not continuing to make things difficult for Huchuquan. Instead, he slowly said, "The Han people naturally have their own Chanyu. But right now, this Han Chanyu is young, so the Han royal court is currently under a man called Dong Zhuo… Hmm…"
Yu Fuluo rolled his eyes, recalling. "…This Dong Zhuo holds a position among the Han… Well, in any case, it's even higher than the Three Excellencies. The Three Excellencies are roughly like our Left and Right Wise Kings…"
"Higher than the Left and Right Wise Kings?" Huchuquan had no concept of this.
"Anyway, that's how it is. So right now, the Han royal court isn't under the Chanyu's control, but under this Dong Zhuo's." Yu Fuluo took the small knife, cut off a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and said while chewing, "Before, when we went to find the Han Chanyu, we were actually mistaken…"
Huchuquan suddenly understood. "No wonder when our people went to the Han royal court and submitted our documents, we got no response! Ah! Then shouldn't we just find this Dong what's-his-name now?"
Yu Fuluo clicked his tongue. "The Han people are currently moving their capital. No time." Yu Fuluo truly didn't see any problem with the Han capital move. After all, the Hu were accustomed to following water and grass; even their own royal court wasn't fixed in one place but rotated within a range.
"Then… that old Han man… does he belong to the Han Chanyu or that Dong what's-his-name?" Though Huchuquan disliked using his brain, he wasn't stupid. He immediately grasped the crux of the matter.
"Him… probably belongs to the Han Chanyu…" Yu Fuluo wasn't entirely certain either, but he should be roughly right.
"Then who is the Han Great Right Wise King?"
"…What do you think?" Yu Fuluo chuckled.
Huchuquan tilted his neck, thought for a long time, and said, "…That old Han man belongs to the Han Chanyu. Then the three-colored Han man at Northern Bend should be the Han Great Right Wise King's?"
Yu Fuluo nodded, then shook his head. "Should be. But… not entirely certain yet."
"By Tengri!" Huchuquan was utterly confused. "Then, Chanyu, what do we actually do? Do we not listen to that old Han man anymore?"
Yu Fuluo lowered his eyelids, pondered for a while, then suddenly smiled and shook his head. "No. How can we not eat meat delivered to our doorstep? Moreover… hehe…"
"…There's such a child who refuses to tell you who his parents are, and you want to find the child's parents. What do you do?"
Huchuquan didn't hesitate, opening his mouth to say, "Drag him over and give him a beating!" A brat daring to act up? A good beating will make him behave.
Yu Fuluo laughed heartily. "Hahaha, right! Beat the young one, and naturally the old one will come out…"