Chapter 91

Qin Sanzuan's face was solemn as he walked around the shop a few times.

In the past ten years, the Wuling Man tribes had experienced their most rapid period of development! However, the cause was merely that the governor of Cangwu, Shi Huang, had a moment of softness and agreed to allow the Lady Deng and the various Wuling tribes to privately open a market for trade.

Even Lady Deng herself did not expect that the underground market, which had been operating for seven or eight years, could provide such a powerful boost to the Wuling tribes.

Firstly, the mortality rate among the Wuling tribes dropped significantly, and the adult population increased by thirty percent. At the same time, the Youxi and Wuxi tribes each discovered a medium-sized iron mine, which increased their iron reserves considerably. This led to the upper echelons of the Wuling Man tribes developing ambitions for expansion. Currently, each tribe is making great efforts to increase their strategic reserves of grain, cloth, medicine, and other materials.

Of course, something significant happened during these ten years.

Duan Yue, the "Lord Duan" as those people called him, emerged from seclusion and returned to the Riliu Lake, once again taking control of two of the Wuling Man tribes: Chenxi and Manxi. Soon after, the Xiongxi tribe, which had been squeezed by the Wuxi and Youxi tribes, also voluntarily submitted to Duan Yue under the leadership of the Deng Qianwan couple.

The combined strength of the three tribes, Chenxi, Manxi, and Xiongxi, brought the Wuling region under control.

Although Qin Sanzuan disliked Duan Yue, he could not deny that his cousin was a capable person.

Qin Sanzuan had always detested Duan Yue, despite their close familial ties. He was extremely unwilling to get close to her because he sensed a similar ambition in her, which strongly repelled him.

For this auction, Qin Sanzuan came to Shennongjia under the pressure of his mother, but he had no intention of interacting with the other tribes.

Unexpectedly, Duan Yue personally came to see him, openly proposing to unite the Xiongxi, Chenxi, and Manxi tribes and support him as the supreme leader of the Wuling Man tribes.

This was an offer Qin Sanzuan could not refuse!

Since his father's death, the Wuling Man tribes had been in internal turmoil for twenty years, with at least three or four people vying for the position of supreme leader, including Sha Mogui, Sheng Da, Tang Nanzhen, and even the Deng Qianwan couple, all of whom harbored ambitions to reach the top.

With Duan Yue's support, everything would be different.

Damn it!

Once Duan Yue publicly supported him, Qin Sanzuan would control four out of the five Wuling tribes, allowing him to easily defeat Sha Mogui of the Youxi tribe and secure the position of the supreme leader of the Wuling Man tribes, truly wielding power over the Wuling region.

Of course, as a return, Qin Sanzuan also agreed to some of Duan Yue's conditions, including killing Shi Huang and persuading Qin Yu to become her disciple.

Of course, representing Duan Yue to meet Yuan Shu's envoy was not one of the conditions but a responsibility of the supreme leader.

Now, Qin Sanzuan must view things from a higher perspective.

As the end of the era approached and the Wuling Man tribes grew stronger, they also wanted to expand outward. However, limited by their own strength, their ambitions were not yet too great; controlling the neighboring Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang prefectures would be enough to satisfy them.

Currently, the Wuling region was largely under the control of the Wuling Man tribes. The original prefectural governor and chief secretary had been tamed and were very obedient. Some forces in Lingling and Guiyang had also aligned with them, while the powerful prefectural governor of Changsha, Zhang Xian, who strongly suppressed and influenced the surrounding areas, was hated by the Wuling Man leadership but not feared.

Originally, the Wuling Man tribes planned to cooperate with powerful warlords like Yuan Shu, purchasing advanced weapons from the north and waiting for the right moment to attack Zhang Xian's forces. The Changsha prefecture, located at the throat of the Wuling region, had always been hostile to the Wuling Man tribes and was the greatest threat at present.

However, a better option seemed to have emerged.

Sun Ce's offer of friendship suddenly appeared, with more favorable terms, and Qin Sanzuan was already swayed.

Although Zhou Yu's arrival was sudden and mysterious, Qin Sanzuan did not pay much attention to such details.

Zhou Yu was right; the Jiaozhou Inspector, Shi Xie, who was well-versed in border affairs and known for his gentle yet firm approach, was a thorn in the side of the Wuling Man leaders.

The Jiaozhou region of the Eastern Han, with its capital in Panyu (modern-day Guangzhou), included the two Guang provinces and northern Vietnam, comprising seven prefectures and fifty-six counties, rich in resources. However, due to the Han Empire's limited reach, it had not received much attention, leading to economic backwardness and a relatively small population.

For the Wuling Man tribes, Jiaozhou was a heaven-sent blessing. If they could obtain Jiaozhou, their living space would significantly expand.

However, conquering an entire prefecture was beyond the Wuling Man tribes' capabilities and would also trigger heightened vigilance and a strong backlash from the Han government.

But with the help of Sun Ce from Wu, these problems could be solved.

Shi Xie must be eliminated!

How to convince the other tribal leaders, especially Duan Yue?

"Jingfu, Jingfu!" Qin Xiong suddenly rushed back, looking flustered.

"What's the rush?" Qin Sanzuan stopped, his thoughts returning to the present.

"Just received news that the treasure convoy from Shouchun is within a hundred miles of Shennongjia."

"Is there really such a convoy?" Qin Sanzuan had heard rumors about the Shouchun treasure convoy but had not taken them seriously, thinking they were just baseless gossip. As a newly established ruler, Yuan Shu had many pressing matters to attend to and would not care about a civilian auction.

Why would he come to the Shennong auction?

"Not only is there a treasure convoy, but the Deng Qianwan couple from the Xiongxi tribe also led four hundred personal guards to seize the treasure." Qin Xiong looked distressed, unsure how to report this shocking news.

"Ah, what a fool! Immediately call Sheng Chang, Tang Nanzhu, and Sha Mogui. We must go and save him." Qin Sanzuan was suddenly very anxious.

He and Deng Qianwan had a deep-seated enmity, and they were known for not getting along. When Duan Yue designated him as the sole candidate for the supreme leader, Deng Qianwan immediately stopped cooperating with any work.

However, upon hearing that Deng Qianwan had acted rashly, fantasizing about seizing a share of the treasure, Qin Sanzuan could not stand by and do nothing, even if it meant gloating.

This was the difference in behavior caused by their different positions.

Duan Yue had secretly entered Shennongjia and brought Sha Mogui from the Youxi tribe, who represented the Youxi tribe. Thus, all five tribes had their representatives in Shennongjia.

"Jingfu..." Qin Xiong hesitated but then spoke the truth, "The Deng Jingfu and his men have already clashed with the Zhong army. When the news came, it said..."

"What did it say? Speak quickly!" Qin Sanzuan's eyes bulged, almost ready to devour Qin Xiong for not speaking clearly.

"It said... Deng Jingfu has been killed, and out of the four hundred personal guards from the Xiongxi tribe, only about thirty returned."

"What? Four hundred elite soldiers, only thirty returned?" Qin Sanzuan leaped up, furious. He could hardly believe it. "Impossible, this is impossible!"

"Yes!" Qin Xiong was also very upset, wondering what had gone wrong.

"Then... what about Lady Deng?" Qin Sanzuan paced around, gradually calming down.

"Lady Deng was severely injured but was rescued by Lady Yinyin and Master Qin Yu." Qin Xiong's information was not entirely up-to-date but was relatively comprehensive, even knowing that Qin Yu had participated in the rescue.

"Qin Yu?" Qin Sanzuan paced around three more times and then gave a decisive order, "Quickly summon Sheng Chang, Tang Nanzhu, and Sha Mogui to discuss the grand strategy of the Wuling Man tribes."

"Understood!" Qin Xiong turned to leave but was stopped by Qin Sanzuan.

"Do not tell them about this yet."

"Understood." Qin Xiong replied.

"Also, quickly gather all information about the treasure convoy and contact... Master Yu!"

"Understood!" Qin Xiong looked at his master, wondering if there was anything else.

"Go quickly!" Qin Sanzuan, seeing that Qin Xiong was still standing, became angry again.

"Understood!" Qin Xiong was frightened and immediately ran out.

Qin Sanzuan originally planned to carefully consider Zhou Yu's alliance proposal for a day or two before discussing it with the other tribes, but he could not afford to wait now.

The Xiongxi tribe's devastating defeat could not be the first major event of his tenure as the supreme leader.

Qin Sanzuan clenched his fists tightly, shouting in his heart: Deng Qianwan, you fool! Even in death, you must drag me down?

——

I have had a lingering cold, which has been very troublesome, making my head feel heavy like lead. I struggled to get up and update, then will lie down again...

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