Chapter 91

The sun rises quickly on the grassland, but it sets just as fast. By the time it was the hour of the dog, the earth was already shrouded in darkness.

Yueyang slowly walked on the silent grassland. Behind him were Shunbao and dozens of armored guards. Around them were several neatly arranged tents.

After walking for a while, Yueyang came to a tent with a white flag with a yellow border and a red lantern. In front of the tent stood two Jurchen guards in white armor, their tall and robust figures clearly showing a glare of hatred when they saw Yueyang, causing their bodies to tremble slightly.

Bathed in the dim light, Yueyang noticed their actions but was not concerned. As he put it, if looks could kill, what would be the point of weapons?

He slowly approached the tent and chuckled, saying, "A guest has arrived, shouldn't the host come out to greet them?"

No one answered, and the tent remained silent.

Yueyang shook his head, "It seems I have no choice but to go in myself!"

With that, he lifted the curtain and entered. Shunbao and the dozens of guards who had been following him took a few steps forward, forming a loose circle around the tent.

Inside the tent, the dim light revealed a man sitting there, eating a bowl of white rice. Hearing the footsteps, he ate a piece of green vegetable, still keeping his head down. He continued to pick at his food while speaking, "I was just thinking about how to persuade Brother Yue to be my friend. Should I invite a beauty to make the atmosphere more pleasant? But then I thought, how could someone like Brother Yue, who can make even Hailanzhu fall in love, be interested in ordinary women? So I decided against it. Men's affairs should be handled between men, don't you think, Brother Yue?"

The man laughed and lifted his head. Under the lantern, the person before him was none other than Dorgon, known as the "Black Prince of the Jurchen."

"Ha ha ha..." Dorgon chewed on something and pointed to a seat with his chopsticks, gesturing for Yueyang to sit down.

Yueyang sat down and frowned at the leftover vegetables and fatty meat on the table, "A prince of a nation wouldn't invite me to eat leftovers, would he?"

"In our Later Jin, many poor people can't even afford such leftovers. Brother Yue, you must be used to exotic delicacies. I doubt you've ever eaten such simple food," Dorgon said, picking up a piece of vegetable and chewing it, making a crunching sound.

"That's because they are too lazy!" Yueyang calmly poured himself a cup of water from the teapot and sat quietly.

"Oh... is that so?" Dorgon chuckled, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He then said, "Brother Yue, do you know? Sometimes I envy you Han people. Your land is vast and rich in resources. As long as you aren't too lazy, you will never go hungry. Not like us outside the pass! It's so cold there. Every autumn, we have to store food and firewood. Once winter comes, there is nothing but snow. Every year, many of our people die of hunger and cold. But despite this, we do not complain. We fight against nature, the land, and other people. To ensure the survival of our tribe, we do everything. At first, we fought the Ming, Korea, and the Mongols. We won, established a nation, and..."

Yueyang interrupted him, "So to survive, you do anything, including plundering, killing, and massacring. You use every means possible, right?"

"Yes!" Dorgon nodded without hesitation, his eyes bright. "As long as it helps our tribe survive and grow, we are willing to do anything. My father started with thirteen sets of armor, and now, though he has passed away, he left behind tens of thousands of elite soldiers. Our Later Jin cavalry is invincible. But look at your Ming, it is full of old and corrupt officials. Your emperor issues arbitrary orders, killing people left and right. Your ministers are jealous and exclude those who are different. Didn't they kill Yuan Chonghuan? Brother Yue, you have married Hailanzhu, and her sister is married to our Khan. In a way, we are already family, don't you think?"

"Family?" Yueyang laughed, "Yes, we are family. But I have a question: if I meet your Khan, should I call him my brother-in-law or my uncle? Prince, can you tell me?"

A flash of anger crossed Dorgon's eyes, but he quickly calmed down. He said, "That's not important. What's important is that by marrying Hailanzhu, you have become a de facto relative of the Jurchen and the Mongols. No one can deny this. If the Ming court learns that you have married a Mongol woman and are related to the Khan of the Later Jin, do you think the emperor, who is so suspicious, will let you off?"

The tent was silent. Yueyang's eyes shone as he stared at Dorgon, who met his gaze. They stared at each other for a long time, neither willing to look away first.

"Ha... ha... ha... ha ha ha..."

Yueyang laughed first, "I didn't expect a prince to resort to such low tactics, like a street thug. But will it work?"

"It will!" Dorgon said seriously, "With a little effort, even if the emperor doesn't punish you, your career will be over. I can guarantee that. Once the court abandons you, will what you are doing now have any meaning?"

"Ah..." Yueyang shook his head helplessly, "When you invited me, I didn't want to come, but I was curious. I wanted to know if your purpose was what I thought. But I am disappointed. Your purpose is exactly as I expected. Are all Jurchens so greedy?"

Dorgon smiled, "It's not about greed. Who wouldn't want such a powerful weapon? Since we are being honest, I will be straightforward. If you give us the method to make this weapon, I can even guarantee you a prince's position!"

"What if I don't want to be a prince?"

"Not want to be a prince?" Dorgon was taken aback, "If you think the title of prince is too low, a king's title is not impossible. As long as you lead your troops to join our Later Jin, give us the method to make this musket, and serve our dynasty, I am sure our Khan will not hesitate to grant you a king's title."

"Ha ha ha..."

Dorgon's words made Yueyang laugh, and his laughter grew louder, making Dorgon's ears ring. Dorgon could not help but frown, "Brother Yue, is what I said so funny?"

"Not just funny, but extremely funny!" Yueyang finally stopped laughing and looked at Dorgon seriously, "No, you really can't do it! Even if I give you the method, you won't be able to make it. The difficulty of making this weapon is far beyond your imagination. Your Later Jin can barely make a few axes and swords, but making our muskets is impossible. I am telling the truth, not lying."

"You dare to look down on our Later Jin!" Dorgon was finally angry. He couldn't believe that after all his efforts, the other party showed no reaction and even looked down on them.

"Of course, I look down on you!" Yueyang no longer pretended, "You say you do everything to survive, but you never think about creating what you need. You are used to taking what you want by force. You steal food, clothes, and even women. Everything you wear and eat is stolen. How can such a Later Jin deserve my respect?"

"Bang!"

Dorgon slammed the table, making a loud noise.

"You are being insolent!"

He stood up and pointed at Yueyang, "Do you really think I can't deal with you? If it weren't for Prince Zaisan, I would have captured you long ago! Don't refuse the wine and drink the penalty wine!"

"Hum... the fox's tail is finally showing." Yueyang was not angry now. He shook his head and said, "A bandit is a bandit, no matter how you disguise yourself. Fine, since you say you will be impolite, I want to see how