Chapter 59

Zaisang was furious. In Daishan's impression, this always smiling, skinny old man was now furious.

Daishan was taken aback, but he soon regained his composure and said with a stern face, "Chief Zaisang, are you sure you want to protect this person from the Ming Dynasty?"

Zaisang replied with a stern face, "Of course. If we can't even protect the merchants who come to our tribe to trade, who will dare to do business with us in the future? Daishan, if you can guarantee to provide our Khorchin tribe with sufficient salt, tea bricks, clothing, and ironware, then consider my previous words null and void! You can deal with these people as you wish! Can you do that?"

"Do you think I'm your sister? Why should I feed your people!"

Daishan's face turned a bit green with anger. Although he controlled the two banners of the Plain Red and the Border Red, which made him appear powerful, the saying goes that even the landlord has no surplus grain. The area outside the pass was a harsh and cold land. Not to mention him, even the Great Khan Huangtaiji had to frequently lead troops into the Ming territory to raid for supplies. These Mongolians were all big eaters. If Daishan dared to promise, it wouldn't take more than two months for the tens of thousands of people in the Khorchin tribe to eat him out of house and home.

Seeing Daishan's face as if he had swallowed three pounds of feces, Zaisang spoke even more enthusiastically, sneering, "Great Prince, since you dare not agree, don't harass my guest. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

PS: Brothers, have you voted today?

Looking at the righteous and stern Zaisang, Yueyang was a bit confused. Having seen people only care about their own affairs, even hesitating to help an old lady who had fallen, he was surprised to witness such a positive and energetic scene. The current Zaisang seemed too positive and perfect, like a good person of the new era. But does such a person really exist? Yueyang wouldn't believe it. So, the question was, Zaisang must have some ulterior motive.

Seeing Zaisang's determination to protect the young man, Daishan knew he wouldn't get what he wanted from him today. Reluctantly, he turned his head and said coldly to Yueyang, "Young man, you're very lucky. But luck won't always be with you. I hope you still have such good luck after you leave the Khorchin grassland!"

"Don't worry, my luck has always been good. I don't need the Great Prince to worry about it!" Facing Daishan's threat, Yueyang naturally didn't show any fear. With some knowledge of history, he knew very well that Huangtaiji had no special treatment for his brother who had helped him ascend to the throne. Instead, he constantly found reasons to reduce his power. In a few years, he would be reprimanded for overstepping his bounds, disrespecting the ruler, and neglecting the law, eventually living in seclusion and dying in depression.

"I'll see if your luck is always this good!" Daishan knew he couldn't do anything to the young merchant under Zaisang's protection today. He waved his hand and left in a huff. Seeing Daishan leave, some of his over a thousand cavalry followed him, while the others stayed behind to collect their comrades' bodies.

With Daishan gone, Yueyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He dismounted and walked to Zaisang, bowing and saying, "Chief Zaisang, I really owe you one. If it weren't for your righteous words, our small caravan might have been in grave danger!"

"Don't mention it. Since you've come to our tribe, you are our honored guest. We Mongolians are the most hospitable people, and we can't let our guests be wronged, right?" Looking at Zaisang's smiling face, Yueyang felt he looked like a fox about to steal a chicken. He had only sold some goods to him; was it worth such a great effort to protect him?

"Am I just imagining things?" Yueyang wondered, but even though he didn't know what Zaisang was up to, he remained cautious, not believing in falling from the sky.

Zaisang turned his head and kept looking at the soldiers in shiny armor and their crossbows behind Yueyang. His smile grew wider, and the wrinkles on his forehead spread like a chrysanthemum.

At that moment, a clear voice rang out, "Father, what happened? Did you ask Uncle Wudamu to blow the muster horn?"

Zaisang turned his head, and his smile grew even wider. He laughed and said, "Oh, it's our Borjigit family's most beautiful nightingale. Come, come, my little nightingale. Let's not talk about this now. I'll introduce you to a guest from afar, Yueyang from the Ming Dynasty!" He then waved to the person who had just arrived.

Following Zaisang's gesture, Yueyang also looked at the newcomer. When he saw her, he was completely stunned. Standing next to Zaisang were two young girls in Mongolian attire. The one in the back was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with braids and a rosy, cute face. The one in front, however, made Yueyang gasp.

The girl was about twenty-one or twenty-two years old, exquisitely beautiful, and radiated a unique charm. Her beauty was enhanced by a touch of heroism and a bold demeanor, and her noble and elegant presence commanded respect. Her beauty and heroism were so striking that Yueyang was momentarily speechless.

For Hailanzhu, Yueyang's expression was something she often saw. As a bold and open Mongolian girl, she wasn't offended; instead, she smiled and nodded at Yueyang, making him blush.

Yueyang's reaction didn't escape Zaisang's notice. Seeing this, he was even more confident in his plan. He laughed and said, "Mr. Yueyang, let me introduce you to my precious daughter, Hailanzhu, the most beautiful nightingale of the Khorchin grassland. Daughter, this is Yueyang from the Ming Dynasty. Why don't you two greet each other?"

"Mr. Yueyang, welcome to the Khorchin grassland!" Hailanzhu stepped forward and greeted Yueyang with great poise, while Yueyang, who usually considered himself open-minded, felt a bit awkward.

"Miss Hailanzhu, hello!"

Yueyang took a deep breath, suppressing his surprise and greeted Hailanzhu. Honestly, having been in this time for half a year, this was the first time he had seen someone whose name was in history books.

Zaisang watched the two young people greet each other with a smile. He had noticed Yueyang's unusual reaction, and it only strengthened his confidence. He had always been proud of his daughter, and now he was even more determined. Some might find it unbelievable that Zaisang would consider marrying his beloved daughter to a man he had known for less than two days, but for Zaisang, the primary concern was the safety and resource scarcity of the entire Khorchin tribe.

In terms of safety, the Khorchin tribe was largely secure after the alliance with the Later Jin. As long as the Later Jin remained strong, the Khorchin tribe didn't have to worry about its safety. However, while the safety issue was resolved, another problem constantly troubled Zaisang: the survival of the tribe.

The Later Jin couldn't help much with resources. In fact, Huangtaiji, who was both his brother-in-law and son-in-law (since Huangtaiji had married Zaisang's sister and his second daughter, the relationship was quite complicated), often came to raid for supplies. Therefore, Zaisang had to look to the resource-rich Ming Dynasty, which is why Yueyang caught his attention.

Nomadic tribes on the grassland had a characteristic that had persisted for thousands of years: they didn't engage in production, so they were extremely lacking in living supplies, relying entirely on plundering and trade with the inland. Therefore, Zaisang's outburst wasn't entirely for show. After all, trade caravans from the inland were crucial to a tribe. If Zaisang could have a merchant from the inland as his son-in-law, the Khorchin tribe wouldn't have to worry about resource scarcity in the future. Today, to achieve this goal, Zaisang played the role of a matchmaker.

"Mr. Yueyang, I'm truly sorry for what happened today. It was our Khorchin tribe's fault for not taking good care of our guests. To make up for it, would you like to join me and Hailanzhu for dinner tonight?"

"Um..." Yueyang was taken aback, looked at Zaisang, and then at Hailanzhu, who also had a peculiar expression. He nodded, "Well... I'll accept your invitation..."

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