Chapter 22: The Xianbei Who Were Scared Away

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Under the escort of several constables, Cao Li arrived at the prince’s mansion and announced the plan to dig a canal starting the next day, after which the common folk dispersed.

At dawn the following morning, over ten thousand villagers surged out of the city, startling the soldiers guarding the gates.

Just two days prior, twenty to thirty thousand people had eagerly arrived in Yan City; now, a crowd of ten thousand, wielding all manner of crude tools, rushed desperately outward.

The constables in charge of maintaining order during the canal excavation hurried to report to the prince’s mansion. Upon hearing the news, Zhao Bin cursed furiously, “Damn it! Are they using the pretext of corvée labor to rob the wealthy? Does the prince’s mansion have that much grain?”

“The prince, there isn’t that much grain, but we do have sheep,” replied a constable.

“Where the hell are the sheep? Weren’t all the sheep already distributed to the countryside outside the city?” Zhao Bin snapped.

“Before I returned, I saw a large flock of sheep to the north of the city. They were likely driven by the Xianbei tribesmen. However, upon seeing so many people rush out, they hurriedly turned the sheep back,” the constable cautiously explained.

“Damn these unruly peasants! Xiao Chu, quickly send someone to intercept those sheep for me!” Zhao Bin shouted.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Xiao Chu replied and dashed out of the hall.

Soon, five swift horses galloped out of the north gate, heading north in pursuit. Before long, they spotted a vast sea of white sheep stretching beyond the horizon.

The Xianbei saw the five riders speeding towards them. Their leader ordered five hundred men to cover the rear, while the sheep continued northward.

When Xiao Chu and his men arrived, the five hundred Xianbei warriors drew their large waist blades.

Xiao Chu reined in his horse and shouted, “Are you the Xianbei Suhe tribe sent to deliver the sheep?”

At that moment, a man in his fifties with a graying beard stepped forward—it was Su He Tu himself.

Su He Tu’s face was grave as he asked, “I have already negotiated with Prince Yan to exchange cattle and sheep for salt. Why then do you send men to seize them?”

“Ah, clan leader Su He, there must be some misunderstanding. The people who came out of the city were not soldiers but commoners conscripted for corvée labor to dig the canal,” Xiao Chu answered.

A burly man with a beard beside Su He Tu suddenly shouted, “Nonsense! Who has corvée laborers like that? It’s clearly a charge!”

Xiao Chu was speechless. He never saw how the crowd exited the city; by the time he rode out, he only saw from afar the commoners noisily digging pits.

“I recognize you—you are one of Prince Yan’s guards,” Su He Tu said.

“I am Xiao Chu, chief guard of Prince Yan’s mansion. The prince heard the Suhe tribe was bringing cattle and sheep and specially sent me to assist to avoid misunderstandings. Those commoners really are out digging the canal. Clan leader Su He, if you doubt me, you may send men to verify,” Xiao Chu replied.

“Don’t believe him, clan leader. The Han are the most cunning. He must be stalling us; the main force is surely following. Before they catch up, we should kill them,” warned the bearded man.

Su He Tu hesitated, uncertain of the prince’s true intentions. Was he really coming to seize the sheep?

He wasn’t herding just a few animals this time; the cattle, horses, and sheep totaled tens of thousands.

This was a command from the Xianbei Khan to trade livestock for salt. If the prince actually robbed them, the entire Suhe tribe would be executed. He regretted rashly trusting and gathering all the livestock at once.

Yet, the prince had never broken his word before, always delivering salt punctually. Moreover, their flock was still moving northward without pursuit. Could this truly be a misunderstanding?

Seeing no response, Xiao Chu continued, “Clan leader Su He, since you saw the commoners exit the city, no one has chased after you or tried to seize the livestock. If the prince had sent men to rob you, even if they couldn’t catch you, they wouldn’t let the sheep leave so easily. Look behind me—there is no sign of anyone in pursuit.”

Su He Tu raised his voice, “Then where is His Highness the Prince?”

“My prince is not good at riding horses, so he sent me to explain. Clan leader Su He may send men to inspect or even accompany me back to the city,” Xiao Chu answered.

Su He Tu considered for a moment and said, “Very well. Guli Tuo, take a few men to investigate. Suhe Lituo, since you have been to the prince’s mansion before, accompany Chief Guard Xiao Chu back to meet the prince. I want to hear the prince’s promise with my own ears.”

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“Yes, clan leader!” The bearded man obeyed, turning his horse northeast toward Yan City with several men.

Suhe Lituo slowly left the group to approach Xiao Chu. Xiao Chu glanced at him, then said to Su He Tu, “Clan leader, I will stay here and let the others escort Suhe Lituo to meet the prince. Is that acceptable?”

Su He Tu looked at Xiao Chu and thought it would be fine with only him present. He nodded in agreement.

Xiao Chu instructed several guards behind him, who then turned their horses around and rode swiftly toward Yan City with Suhe Lituo.

Xiao Chu looked at the flock behind Su He Tu, puzzled. “Clan leader Su He, your cattle and sheep usually arrive in the afternoon. Why have they come so early this morning?”

Su He Tu glanced back at the sheep still moving northward and said, “There are many livestock this time; it would be difficult to drive them to Yan City in a single day, so we set out yesterday.”

There was no need to hide this—it was obvious the animals couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere. Xiao Chu’s question was just to confirm his guess.

Watching the flock continue north, Xiao Chu grew anxious. “Clan leader Su He, you and my prince have traded many times. Since the sheep have arrived, why not stop here for now?”

Su He Tu replied coldly, “Until my men return, I cannot let the flock stop. Please understand, Chief Guard Xiao.”

Xiao Chu could only helplessly watch the sheep slowly but steadily moving farther north.

Su He Tu stared intently at Xiao Chu. Fortunately, it was not long before Guli Tuo returned. He spoke briefly with Su He Tu in the Xianbei tongue. Su He Tu’s face showed confusion, and he glanced at Xiao Chu repeatedly.

Finally, curiosity got the better of him. “Chief Guard Xiao, why are you digging a canal outside the city?”

Xiao Chu took the lead to explain, “The city lacks sufficient water. The prince ordered construction of a canal to bring water here, mainly to supply the city’s residents. You nomads follow the water and grass, going wherever they are. We Han people live in cities, so we must dig wells and canals.”

“Chief Guard Xiao, I can allow part of the flock to stop, but not all,” Su He Tu said.

“That’s fine. But, clan leader Su He, surely by now you can see we have no intention of robbery. Your men haven’t seen any pursuers. Even if there were, chasing you down and seizing all the livestock would be impossible. Your tribe is only a few dozen leagues from Yan City, isn’t that so?” Xiao Chu said calmly.

Su He Tu did not answer directly. Instead, he whispered to someone nearby, who then turned his horse to pursue the retreating flock.

After a short while, the sheep gradually stopped moving. Xiao Chu smiled and said, “Clan leader Su He, very wise.”

Half an hour later, Suhe Lituo and several guards galloped back toward the group.

Su He Tu asked in Xianbei, “Did you see the prince?”

Suhe Lituo caught his breath and said, “I did, clan leader. The prince confirmed the commoners are indeed digging the canal. The prince’s mansion has already begun transporting fine salt to the city gate, though His Highness did not expect us so early. The prince also invites you to the mansion for a meeting. Clan leader, what does ‘meeting’ mean?”

Su He Tu listened with interest until the last question, then rolled his eyes at Suhe Lituo.

One of the guards approached Xiao Chu and said, “Chief, the prince orders them to camp where they are. Have someone collect the salt at the city gate. Also, invite Su He Tu to the mansion for a meeting.”

“Very well,” Xiao Chu said, then turned to Su He Tu. “Clan leader Su He, the prince says you may camp here. Leave guards to watch the livestock; the rest may come with us to collect the salt. The prince especially invites you to the mansion.”

Su He Tu consulted briefly with his men, then left two hundred to guard the animals and followed Xiao Chu with five hundred others back to Yan City.

Inside the prince’s mansion, Su He Tu crossed one arm across his chest and bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Your Highness the Prince.”

“Clan leader Su He, no need for formalities. Please sit. It is truly a pleasure you came in person,” Zhao Bin smiled and gestured for Ling’er to serve tea.

“Your Highness is too kind. It is my honor to trade with you,” Su He Tu replied with a smile.

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“How many livestock have you brought this time, clan leader Su He?” Zhao Bin asked curiously.

“Your Highness, I come by order of our Xianbei Khan Tuoba Hongda. This time I bring fifty thousand heads of cattle, sheep, and horses in total,” Su He Tu replied calmly.

“Fifty thousand?” Zhao Bin asked excitedly again.

“Fifty thousand,” Su He Tu repeated.

Zhao Bin could hardly believe his ears. Ling’er and Wang Wu also thought they misheard.

Fifty thousand heads — that was more than enough to distribute household by household, or even by person. This was a fortune.

“Hahaha! Ling’er, quickly prepare a fine banquet. Today, I shall drink with clan leader Su He until we are both drunk,” Zhao Bin laughed heartily, rising from his chair.

Su He Tu noticed Zhao Bin’s focus on the livestock rather than the salt and spoke up, “Your Highness, and the salt?”

“Ah, the salt,” Zhao Bin recovered from his earlier excitement.

Sitting down again, he said, “Clan leader Su He, you have brought so many animals that we don’t have that much salt ready at the moment.”

This made Su He Tu somewhat nervous.

“Do not worry, clan leader Su He. I have plenty of salt. It just takes time to refine it into the fine salt you see. But rest assured, you may take the salt we have now, and you give me as many cattle and sheep as I give you salt. Within ten days, I will have all the fine salt delivered to you. How does that sound?” Zhao Bin explained.

He was not unwilling to complete the transaction at once, but handling so many animals at once worried him. It was better to let the Xianbei herd them north of the city for now, where there was water and grass, without assigning special personnel to manage them.

After some thought, Su He Tu said, “Very well. I trust His Highness the Prince. Let us proceed as you say.”

Seeing Su He Tu so agreeable, Zhao Bin continued, “However, clan leader, I have one more request.”

“Please speak, Your Highness,” Su He Tu replied with curiosity.

“After you transport the salt back, could some of your men return to help me tend the cattle and sheep? I will pay each person a pound of coarse salt as wages. What do you think?” Zhao Bin asked.

“How many men do you need, Your Highness?” Su He Tu asked.

“I don’t know. Just as many as needed to look after the livestock. How many do you think are required?”

Zhao Bin was unsure how many men it would take, so he turned to Su He Tu for advice.

“Your Highness, to be honest, not all the men I brought are from the Suhe tribe. We number only a few hundred. I can select a hundred from my tribe, but the rest come from other tribes and the Khan’s camp,” Su He Tu answered.

“Very well, no problem. One hundred it is. If more hands are needed, I will send more,” Zhao Bin said happily.

At noon, Su He Tu stayed at the mansion to enjoy a Han-style meal. Meanwhile, He Miao received orders and rushed to the city gate with men to coordinate salt delivery and notify the surrounding villages to collect their cattle and sheep.

For ten consecutive days, He Miao was stationed at the gate. Every farm on the outskirts of Yan City received one cow and two or three sheep. All the ewes were distributed; the surplus rams were kept. When the capital’s restaurants opened, these extra rams would be slaughtered and sent there.

As for the countryside people, that very evening, everyone enjoyed mutton and lamb soup. It was a feast richer than their New Year’s celebrations.