Free Web NovelChapter 2137: Chapter 1555: Du’erbi River Guard Deputy Commander, Maha Aguda! (2)
"Aguda! Could it be that he ate the wrong mushrooms and died of poisoning?"
"Ancestor! Why do you always think about eating mushrooms? We’re all from the old forest tribes; who would eat such things that just cheat your stomach if nothing’s wrong? Unless they’re really starving and have no other choice... But eating raw Mahayu, their stomachs bloated, throwing up worms and dying, that’s possible. That’s how my uncle died..."
"Master! I think, could Grandpa have eaten something crispy that upset his stomach, then died from constant diarrhea? Several old men in their thirties from the tribe died this way..."
"...You don’t say, it’s quite possible! Our Maha tribe also had deaths like this. Dying from diarrhea is a common cause..."
The three of them squatted on the ground, examining the weathered, dried bones while discussing the various ways tribes in the Forest Sea met their deaths. They exhibited a kind of open-mindedness, viewing life and death indifferently and without fear. The conclusion they arrived at was that Wudou Wen’s Grandpa either died of wound infection or from eating wrongly out of hunger. Essentially, he died from lack of medicine and food, like injured beasts in the forest.
Yes, the Jurchen tribes, lost to the civilized order and food production, however fierce the individuals and tribes, are inevitably heading toward barbaric extinction unless they obtain "supplies" from the fringes of civilization! Whether through trade with tribute rewards or battling and plundering, or both, they are like vines clinging to the Soron Pillar...
"Chief Divine’s protection! Ancestor High Priest, Aguda Chieftain... I’ve thought it over carefully. With these two guardhouse copper seals, the reconstruction of the three guards we had envisioned, including next year’s tribute plan... there’s room for improvement! Yes, a lot of room, including securing official status from the Ming Dynasty, and even establishing a legitimate path!"
Under the Tree of Soron, the Shushu Jurchen Ali sat cross-legged in front of the predecessors’ bones. He picked up the two copper seals from the guards, but before he could speak, Wudou Wen shouted out.
"You guy, these are Grandpa Mafa’s treasures! We had agreed on two bags of white mud and one bag of pickled fish?"
"Wu Xiong, don’t worry. Give us the copper seals, and you’ll get the food when you return!"
"Uh... No, it’s not okay!..."
"? You’re going back on your word?..."
Wudou Wen rolled his eyes, displaying a bear-like clumsy cunning. Baring his teeth, he stretched out two fingers and glared fiercely at Ali, shouting.
"These are two copper seals! Two! What’s promised to me... should be doubled!..."
"..."
Ali looked at the two guardhouse copper seals in his hands, stayed silent for a moment, and then nodded.
"Alright! We’ll double it! Four bags of potatoes and two bags of pickled fish for you!..."
"Ah? You agreed just like that?... Then I want... uh!"
Wudou Wen winced as he was smacked again. Maha Agudah gave him a slap to shut him up and then turned to Ali.
"Brother Ali, you are the oldest, and the most knowledgeable among us... please continue!..."
"Ahem!"
Zuwaro touched his nose, lightly coughed, and also focused his attention on Ali. Ali pondered for a while and continued from the topic mentioned two days ago, speaking seriously.
"Ancestor High Priest, Aguda Chieftain... The court in the South places different levels of importance on each guard station and assigns them varying roles, which can be seen from their official positions..."
"Right now, we have five guardhouse copper seals, representing the qualification to pay tribute from five Jurchen guard stations! I have the Harman Guard, Fuduo River Guard copper seals, while the Ancestor High Priest holds the Manjing Guard copper seal. Additionally, we have the Turuting Mountain Guard and Du’erbi River Guard copper seals here..."
"Among them, the Manjing Guard is almost integrated with Nurgan, symbolic political significance too great to be easily used for a tribute... The Harman Guard and Fuduo River Guard were my original plans for tribute identities, with the Ancestor High Priest impersonating the Fuduo River Guard Chieftain..."
"But now, we’ve obtained the Turuting Mountain Guard and Du’erbi River Guard copper seals! These two are located on the north side of Xing’an Ridge, set up as part of Taizong’s development in the Xing’an Ridge Range... Though the Turuting Mountain Guard was established earlier, it’s not notably important. The truly crucial one is the Du’erbi River Guard! This guardhouse is headed by a Deputy Commander! It’s responsible for the vast Xing’an Ridge Valley, with two rich lakes, a major route for Wild Man tribes in the North moving south!... "
At this point, Ali paused, handing the Du’erbi River Guard copper seal to Maha Agudah. Maha Agudah’s eyes flickered as he looked at the light but heavily symbolic copper seal in his hand and said in a deep voice.
"Brother Ali, are you suggesting that I should take this copper seal and impersonate the Chieftain of the Du’erbi River Guard, essentially Wu Xiong’s identity, and proceed to the Ming Dynasty for tribute?!..."
"Exactly! With the identity of Du’erbi River Guard for the tribute, but it’s more than just paying tribute!... Aguda Chieftain, you are the bravest warrior I’ve ever seen in my lifetime! Though Nurgan is good, it can’t be exposed to the court, it’s not your stage. Du’erbi River Guard, though chaotic, is truly a good place where you can flourish. This guardhouse copper seal is the name given to us by heaven and the Chief Divine!..."
"Name?..."
"Correct! Aguda Chieftain, although the Ming Dynasty has withdrawn from the lower reaches of the Great River, the status they left behind remains extremely important, influencing the surrounding Jurchen tribes! A Wild Man tribe without status, no matter how formidable, can’t last long in the Black Water Forest... because it can’t cooperate with the surrounding Ming-ennobled tribes, nor can it obtain vital military resources from the South. Cough! That was the case, at least before the Ancestor High Priest appeared..."
