Chapter 450: Qin people and Xiongnu people are treated equally
Outside Gaoque City.
Although it is said to be outside the city, there is actually no difference compared to inside the city except for the yurts and people.
Ying Chengjiao sat alone on the ground, away from the crowd, listening to the noise and looking at the twinkling flames.
With his chin in his hand, he was motionless like a stone statue.
"Why are you following me if you don't want to drink and eat meat?"
He spoke suddenly, his voice sounding particularly clear amidst the faint sounds of joy coming from afar.
"The chess piece's perspective, how can it be as good as the chess player's perspective?"
Dun Ruo walked out from the dim night, sat beside Ying Chengjiao, and looked into the distance with Ying Chengjiao.
"The curtain opens, and everything in Gaoque City is just as you expected. Everyone is like a puppet in your hand. How does it feel? Isn't it pretty good?"
Ying Chengjiao snorted lightly and did not comment.
Dun Ruo was not embarrassed and continued:
“I didn’t expect that there is a way to form an alliance through marriage.
“Although this plan is old, it is just right to use it here and it is indeed a brilliant move.
"You have had your mind set on this, so you should have told me. You shouldn't have let me be a villain last night."
There was undisguised complaint in Dun Ruo's words , and his words came from his heart, he was really depressed.
He is a disciple of the school of diplomacy, good at scheming, and well versed in human nature. He knows that Ying Chengjiao is also afraid of this.
Last night, when Ying Chengjiao released Wang Er secretly, he said a lot of things in front of the two of them, forcing Wang Er to die.
Although it seemed that he was going against Ying Chengjiao, when he was doing this, he actually thought he was helping Ying Chengjiao and cooperating with Ying Chengjiao.
Just like when Duke Xiao of Qin wanted to reform the law and insisted that Shang Yang take the lead, Dun Ruo thought that he was doing Shang Yang's work yesterday.
You, Lord Chang'an, are the commander-in-chief of the Taotie Army and the actual leader of Gaoque City.
You must maintain strict military and political order and ensure that everything develops according to plan.
You must also be careful about your reputation and lead the army into battle without losing the love and support of your soldiers.
So in order to have the best of both worlds, you are asking me, Dun Ruo, to be the bad guy!
Turns out you had other plans.
You don't want to let him go at all. You want to take him to get married. Then what's the point of me, Dun Ruo, being a villain?
Do you have other plans? Should you tell me in advance?
Just because I don't mind being a bad guy for the sake of a greater good doesn't mean I'm willing to be a bad guy.
Ying Chengjiao said indifferently:
“You deserve it.
“Before you spoke yesterday, I didn’t have any messy thoughts. It was you who forced the wedding of the two of them today.
"You said all that bullshit. If I let Wang Er go, he would still come back to die. I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure and ask him to marry Wu Su."
Dun Ruo sneered and didn't believe a word Ying Chengjiao said.
"It's amazing that the last-minute plan you came up with to deal with me is better than the one you carefully thought about."
Ying Chengjiao didn't want to pay attention to it.
But if Dun Ruo thought about this and formed a small conclusion in his heart, the slight difference in the two people's thinking today might lead to a huge gap in the way they deal with things in the future.
Then he turned his head and looked at Dun Ruo, who was full of ridicule, and said seriously:
“My strategies will only ever be used against external enemies.
"I really wanted to let Wang Er go yesterday, and I never asked you to stop me from the beginning to the end.
"We have known each other for ten years. You are not my enemy. If you have anything to say, just speak directly. Don't try to guess what I am thinking."
Dun Ruo's expression was even more sarcastic, and he said bluntly:
"Okay, then please tell me why marriage is a bad idea?"
The fact that he couldn't explain why it was a bad idea proved that Ying Chengjiao was not on the same page with him, but was just using his brain to trick him.
"Wusu was insulted by Wang Er, but she wanted to marry Wang Er as her wife. What do you think she would think?"
"She can think whatever she wants. It has nothing to do with the overall situation. Even if she can't stand this insult and commits suicide, it does ."
Dun Ruo answered casually.
In front of the country and the nation, personal thoughts are insignificant and have no influence at all.
"It's not fair to her."
"Fairness? You want to talk about fairness with a Xiongnu woman? To reassure me, you can even say this?"
"I told you before, the Qin people and the Xiongnu people are all human beings, and they are all the same to me."
Dun Ruo glanced at the countless lights and picked up a piece of grass and held it in his mouth.
"Just lie to them."
"I've said before that my schemes will only work against the enemy, not myself. I will treat you with sincerity."
With a weak "Puff", he spat out the dry grass and frowned.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"certainly."
"Not only will this not reassure me, it will make me doubt you. If you are acting, I advise you not to continue. It is much better for you to tell me now that you are scheming against me than to be honest with me."
Ying Chengjiao chuckled, then stood up and went back to the city.
"When Maodun comes back to look for you, you should return to Xianyang and be the Marquis of Zongheng. The emperor is the leader in your mind."
Dun Ruo followed, his face gloomy.
"You are indecisive because of a woman. What's the difference between you and King You of Zhou who lit beacons to amuse the princes just to win Bao Si's smile?"
After a pause, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, there is. Baosi was the concubine of King You of Zhou, but Wusu has nothing to do with you. I really can't understand what you are thinking."
Ying Chengjiao seemed not to hear the sarcasm in Dun Ruo's mouth, and said softly:
“First, Wu Su is my sister.
“Second, Wusu did nothing wrong and should not be sacrificed.
"Third, Wang Ershi and Wu Su got married because of this matter. I cannot accept the trend caused by this matter."
Suddenly he let out a weak cry.
"No wonder Chang'an Jun is the most popular among the beauties in the pavilions. He really cherishes women..."
The two walked and talked, getting farther and farther away.
From darkness to light.
Not long after returning to Gaoque City, Wu Su sent someone to report that Wang Er refused to enter her yurt and went back to his tent to sleep.
Ying Chengjiao had a gloomy face and strode quickly to the tent where Wang Er originally lived.
Before I even entered, I heard a man's lewd laugh that I could easily understand, as well as the clinking of wine bottles and loud shouting.
"If the general hadn't asked me to marry her, would I have married her? When I pinned that woman down, she wanted to struggle but didn't dare. Her expression was so cool! Let me tell you, there's no difference between Xiongnu women and those from the Central Plains. First of all, their moans are different..."
Ying Chengjiao was angry and pulled down the curtain.
The autumn wind blew into the tent, clearing the minds of the seven or eight veteran soldiers who were drinking and eating meat in the field.
They cursed and swore, and the birds chirped and the flowers bloomed.
Looking back, they discovered that the culprit was Ying Chengjiao. They sobered up immediately, stood up and called him General!
Ying Chengjiao rushed forward and kicked Wang Er to the ground, then stepped on his chest.
With a swish, he drew out the Qin sword from his waist and thrust it hard into the head of Wang Er, who was wearing new Hu clothing.
The sword was an inch below the ground, trembling constantly, and occasionally touching Wang Er's cheek.
Everyone in the field had experienced battles on the battlefield and could clearly sense the murderous aura from Ying Chengjiao. They were all silent as a cicada and dared not say a word.
"Wusu is my sister, your husband."
Ying Chengjiao's voice was very flat, which was totally inconsistent with the murderous aura that supported the entire tent and prevented Qiu Feng from entering.
"Don't make me kill anyone."
Stepping on Wang Er, Ying Chengjiao turned his head to look at the veterans and continued in a voice as calm as a glass of boiled water:
"You too, go back and tell your comrades to calm down."
Ying Chengjiao got up and left, and everyone hurriedly helped Wang Er up.
The autumn wind continued to blow in, making them feel cold.
There was silence for a moment. Before they could recover, a Qin soldier entered and announced loudly.
"The general has ordered that Wang Er be demoted to a centurion!"
Wang Er looked depressed.
Battalion commander, there are only one hundred Taotie soldiers.
And the centurions of the Taotie army number five hundred.
He thought that his general was just trying to cover up his mistake, and that recognizing Wu Su as his sister was also to make it easier for him to marry her, and it was just a superficial effort.
It seems that he might have misunderstood...
"Centurion..."
He laughed, stood up, and staggered out of the tent.
Everyone came to help him, but Wang Er pushed them away in anger and almost fell to the ground.
"Get out!"
"Where are you going, kid? The general is angry now. If you go to him now, you will only get beaten!"
"Go to the bridal chamber!"
A night passed and the carnival ended.
Over the next few days, Gaoque City developed steadily, the Xiongnu continued to prepare for winter, and the Qin army continued to recruit new patrols.
The change that can be seen with the naked eye is that the two sides have begun to have some awkward communication and are no longer in a hostile situation.
In the Tuteng tribe, Ying Chengjiao came to the yurt he built with his own hands.
Inside, there was a young man with a miserable look on his face, sighing constantly.
"Why are you here?"
Ying Chengjiao said in surprise .
If Li You hadn't come to report to him, he wouldn't have known about this.
"If my uncle can come, why can't Jianglu come?"
The young man held his head high, a little proudly. He came to live in this yurt the day after his wedding.
In such a harsh environment, the boy felt that he was able to hold on for several days, which was enough to be proud of.
Ying Chengjiao took a few quick steps and slapped the boy on the head.
"Watch who you're talking to!"
The boy rubbed his head and said seriously:
"Jiang Lu can't always rely on his uncle for help. Knowing and learning about the Huns is what Jiang Lu should do."
Ying Chengjiao raised his hand again expressionlessly, and the young man was so frightened that he quickly covered his head and shrank back.
"Uncle! I'm telling the truth! You have to fight for this!"
The big hand fell on his head and just rubbed it gently.
"I've grown up a bit."
The boy put his hands down unexpectedly. This seemed to be the first compliment he had received since his uncle came to the northwest.
“I will ask someone to send you a human skin mask. You should change your tribe and don’t reveal your identity.
"Do it well, my Hun King."
Ying Chengjiao said with a smile.
The boy nodded heavily.
If you can’t be the King of Qin, then be the King of the Xiongnu!
One day later.
The five Qin soldiers raped Xiongnu women.
Ying Jianglu, the leader of the Taotie tribe, ordered that he should be beheaded according to the law.
On that day, five Qin soldiers who had violated the law were pressed on the execution ground. The stands around the execution ground were crowded with Huns.
They all stared intently.
Looking at the tribal leader Ying Jianglu who was personally supervising the execution, his face was as cold as iron.
Watching the executioner in the field raise five Qin swords high and then drop them heavily.
Watching the blood rushing up into the sky, watching the head fall to the ground.
The sound of heads falling to the ground was so loud that except for the nearest rows, the people in the back could hardly hear any sound, but they did seem to hear it.
Along with the heads, the hearts of the Huns also fell to the ground, and what they heard was the sound of their hearts falling.
They felt relieved.
The Taotie tribe, which was mainly composed of Qin people, was led by Ying Jianglu, who did the most important thing in his promise to the Huns.
Qin people and Huns are treated equally.
The sight of five Qin soldiers’ heads falling to the ground couldn’t be more real.
In the field, Centurion Wang Er, who served as the executioner and cut off the heads of his comrades with his own hands, did not feel the sorrow of the fratricide.
He didn't know the five dead people, and they were not veterans.
Ying Chengjiao's calm yet intense anger that day made the veterans very calm in recent days.
Wang Er had a grim face, but he was glad in his heart that he did not die here.
He did want to commit suicide some time ago.
But after those few days of the most passionate emotions, although he would die if the general asked him to, he would no longer seek death on his own initiative. Death is really a terrible thing.
Dun Ruo, who also came to the execution ground to watch, sighed.
"It was a bad wind indeed."
He was present when the five Qin soldiers were interrogated.
He heard with his own ears the five Qin soldiers talking about how Wang Er could have committed adultery without any problems and how he could get married, and how the bride could be the general's sister. How unfair!
"Fortunately, it was removed in time."
In the center of the execution ground, Ying Jianglu sat on the high platform, continuing to maintain the cold expression he had practiced all night last night.
He felt a little awkward at first because of the execution ground, which was designed by his uncle and was very different from the Central Plains.
The execution place was in the center, and ripples began to spread out in all directions. The farther it spread, the higher the stands became, ensuring that everyone who came to the execution ground could see what was happening in the center of the field.
Ying Jianglu, who was in the center of the scene, supervising the execution and giving the order to behead, felt like he was being treated as a performance.
Moreover, since ancient times, those in high positions have been on top and those in low positions have been at the bottom in China.
But this time, he, the Huns King, was at the bottom. How could he adapt to it?
But it turns out he can adapt.
The burning gazes around him made him feel like a king.
He had seen the way the ministers looked at his father, and he felt that it was not much different from the way the Huns looked at him.
Cool!
From that day on, the Qin army's bullying of the Xiongnu people declined drastically.
Qin Jian can educate those who cannot be educated by virtue.
Two days later, the second Qin and Xiongnu couple appeared in Gaoque City.
This time there was no city-wide carnival, but only a small-scale excitement, which was incomparable to the wedding of Wang Er and Wu Su .
After the wedding, the Qin army sent a sheep.
The leader of the Taotie tribe, Ying Jianglu, added a new law that whenever someone in the Taotie tribe got married, he would send a sheep as a gift.
After this decree was issued, the Taotie soldiers, who were as greedy as looking at sows and Diao Chan, began to have affairs with the cheerful Xiongnu women who were willing to marry warriors.
Inside Gaoque City, the huge gap between the Qin army and the Huns completely disappeared.
If there are fights, fights and quarrels, they are mostly due to personal grudges.
Ying Chengjiao brought 50,000 Taotie troops, rebuilt Gaoque City, recruited Huns, found wives for the soldiers, and lived there.
The weather was getting colder, which meant winter was getting closer, and Ying Chengjiao spent longer and longer times looking towards the northwest.
He was waiting for Touman to attack Loulan and for Maodun to steal the horses and escape. He wanted a name for his expedition.
But if the title didn't come within three days, he would give up, as he couldn't march in winter.
Two days later, frost falls.
The temperature dropped suddenly and there was a big temperature difference between day and night.
There is news coming from the northwest.
The Xiongnu sent troops to attack the Zishan grassland of the Yuezhi State and occupied it entirely.
