Free Web NovelChapter 2150: Chapter 1561: Tenggeri’s Blessing! A Large Iron Pot Worth Thirty Horses!
In front of Huli Ping Village, two hundred of the Kingdom’s Warriors, armored and holding bows, stand in a distant standoff with a hundred tribal bow cavalry of the River-side Tribe. The Noble Chief of the River-side Tribe, Bule, walks while leading his horse, approaching the horse of Maha Agudah with respect, offering a snow-white sable fur and his daughter, Pearl. Meanwhile, the Chieftain Ao Hala of the River-side Tribe widens his eagle-like eyes, waiting for a response from the "Lord Leader" across from him to determine the actions of the tribe’s Warriors.
"..."
At this moment, Maha Agudah sits on a Jurchen warhorse, looking down from above at the humble Noble Chief of the tribe with a cold expression. Then, with a scrutinizing gaze, he sweeps over the Pearl on horseback, who also purses her lips, widening her eyes to look at him.
As for the bundle of sable fur in Pearl’s hands, it doesn’t catch Agudah’s attention at all. The Maha tribe is a Shengshu Jurchen Tribe that hunts in the forest, and such quality fur is abundant in the tribe. As a Shengshu Jurchen Chieftain, he isn’t interested in the snow-white and luxurious fur, with no "aesthetic" beyond the instinct for survival. What he prefers, of course, is...
"Give it to me!..."
Maha Agudah extends his large hand, his eyes blazing, staring intently beneath the girl Pearl... at the lively and rather tall Mongolian horse, the second-best horse in the River-side Tribe after the Chieftain’s steed. Seeing the hand extended by this "Lord Leader," Bule is momentarily stunned, then quickly understands. He grits his teeth, feeling pained for a few moments, before handing over the reins to the other party.
"Let Tenggeri the vast sky bear witness! Great and brave Lord Leader, I offer the best fur, the girl, and the warhorse from our tribe to you! I hope you leave a peaceful negotiation opportunity for the River-side Tribe..."
"..."
Bule speaks Mongolian quickly and urgently, even Ali cannot fully understand, let alone Maha Agudah. But he doesn’t need to understand or care; he simply acts according to his own ideas, just like those truly powerful Lords of great tribes.
"Haha! A fine horse!..."
Maha Agudah forcefully grabs the reins, pulling the Mongolian warhorse along with the girl in front of him with astonishing strength.
"Ah!"
"Halt!"
The girl Pearl screams in surprise, her body swaying, and the horse she rides neighs in defiance. But soon, it smells the thick beastly scent on Agudah, especially the odor of bear blood, and obediently quiets down. It lowers its eyes, allowing a large, rough hand to rub its head like a bear, without making a sound.
"Haha! What an obedient horse!..."
"..."
Bule’s mouth twitches, his heart bleeding, watching his warhorse almost without resistance being controlled by the Lord Leader opposite. In Mongolian Tribes, this feels more upsetting than having one’s wife taken. And what’s more disheartening is that not only can this incredibly strong Lord casually subdue his warhorse, but even the bear-like trusted aides under this Lord can easily do it.
"Wu Xiong! Take the reins, keep a close eye on this fine horse! If it gets away, I’ll peel your skin!..."
"Yes! Master... uh... Lord! ...What about this woman and the fur?"
"Keep the fur, it’s a reward for you! I’ll keep the woman as a wife. My previous wife died of migration sickness, so she’ll marry me as my new wife! Hmm... According to tribal customs, I should present a betrothal gift!"
Maha Agudah looks at the girl Pearl for a moment, surveying her up and down, nodding slightly.
"She’s a good breeder, looks decent too! Didn’t expect to pick up a wife this trip... and from a ’Great Tribe,’ with a Noble Chief father who can muster a hundred cavalry..."
"Huh?"
The Mongolian girl Pearl widens her eyes but understands nothing. She uneasily shifts atop the horse, looking over with the curiosity of a daring deer. Agudah smiles as he reaches out, covering the girl’s head with his large hand, pressing it like he’s patting a deer, then tosses her a bulging water pouch.
"Here! Deer Blood Wine, drink up! Lest you can’t handle it tonight..."
"Huh??..."
The girl Pearl blinks, wanting to say something more. Maha Agudah has already shifted his gaze towards the watching Zuwaro.
"Zu! Stop looking! You swore to the Chief Divine about agreeing with Henü!..."
"Uh!..."
Zuwaro rubs his nose, responding awkwardly.
"Agudah, it seems in the eyes of these Mongolians, you appear more like the ’Lord Leader’ of the southern great tribes than I do. You must play this role of ’Lord Leader’ well! ...So, what do you plan to do next?"
"Zu! Bring me a cooking pot and a bag of salt from the goods we brought for trading! I want to gift them to this Mongolian Noble Chief, as a betrothal gift and as commodities for the tribe to see... As for what to do next... let their tribe find a translator who speaks Jurchen!"
"Hmm... Alright!..."
Zuwaro trusts Agudah. This brother-in-law of his, unlike Wu Xiong, is of the fierce tiger kind, not only rugged and brave in appearance but also meticulous in mind. Thinking of this, Zuwaro gives a few instructions to his confidants, and soon a Kingdom’s Warrior brings over a ninety-centimeter radius iron pot and a bag of eighty-pound salt, dropping them heavily in front of Bule.
"Ah?! What’s this? What’s this?!..."
"For you! A reward! The betrothal gift!..."
Maha Agudah, holding a whip, points to the large iron pot and salt bag on the ground, then points at Bule, shouting a few sentences. Bule is momentarily puzzled, then quickly understands. He incredulously looks at the large iron pot on the ground, directly flops down to knock on it, even biting it with his teeth.
