Chapter 806: Next Time, Have Commander Chen Come
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen, the Ordos tribe leader, watched the spectacle from afar, his face turning ashen. "The Wushen tribe is finished," he muttered, "everyone will be slaughtered."
A subordinate whispered, "Should we go save them?"
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen replied, "Nonsense! Of course not. We have no ability to save them. Let's go... back to pack up. We need to move even further away from these Han people."
The Ordos tribesmen immediately rode off.
Meanwhile, the Wushen tribe leader watched anxiously from the perimeter, his subordinates unable to break through to save the women and children in the settlement. Their cattle and sheep, startled, scattered everywhere.
The Gao Family Village Cavalry Battalion quickly brought the entire settlement under control.
Shi Jian led a squad of soldiers to the front of the largest tent. Inside were four women and five children, the wives and children of the Wushen tribe leader.
Shi Jian spoke in a menacing voice, "Obey quietly, and we won't kill you for now. Otherwise, you'll all be cut into minced meat and fed to the dogs."
The threat was highly effective!
Shi Jian's men held knives to them, forcing them out of the tent.
Then, Shi Jian raised his blade high, pointing it at the head of the eldest child. "I'll count to three. All Mongol cavalry come here and surrender," he roared, "or I'll chop off his head with one strike. Then, one by one, I'll kill all the women and children in this settlement."
His words weren't menacing enough, so Zao Ying nudged him and called over a fierce old bandit subordinate. The subordinate had several saber scars on his face; he looked like a brutal man who'd taken dozens of lives.
Raising his blade...
"One!"
"Two!"
"No...!" the Wushen tribe leader shrieked, then ran over obediently, tumbled from his saddle, and flopped to the ground.
The remaining Mongol cavalry all meekly lay down and surrendered.
With the situation under control, Shi Jian let out a sigh of relief. He had genuinely worried the Mongols wouldn't surrender, and in that case, he wasn't sure he could bring himself to kill a child. He wondered if Scarface could... The guy looked ugly, but he was very gentle, with cold eyes and a fervent heart.
Fortunately, they had surrendered, so he didn't have to test his own humanity.
Shi Jian declared loudly, "Today I came here to tell you that my name is Shi Jian, Regional Commander Shi Jian of Yansui. From now on, this entire border region around Yulin belongs to me. Since I've arrived, everything around here goes by my word. Anyone who disobeys will be shot."
The Mongols lay prostrate on the ground, daring not to speak.
Shi Jian pointed at the Wushen tribe leader. "You're the leader here, aren't you?"
The leader slowly got to his feet and nodded.
Shi Jian said, "Good. Do you understand who you should obey from now on?"
The leader, humiliated, replied, "I will obey Regional Commander Shi Jian of Yansui."
"Good that you understand," Shi Jian said. "I can't come here for nothing. Go fetch ten cattle and a hundred sheep, and I'll spare your women and children."
The leader had no choice but to order, "Do as he says."
Several Mongol cavalrymen obediently went to herd the cattle and sheep, a vast procession of them.
Zao Ying's horse bandits, skilled at herding cattle and sheep, took charge of the livestock, gathering them together with a few cavalrymen watching over them.
Shi Jian finally threw out one last sentence: "I'll be back in a few days, so have cattle and sheep ready to entertain me. If you dare resist, you'll all be slaughtered. But if you obey quietly, and someone bullies you on the plains later, just tell them my name."
With that, Shi Jian waved his hand, "Go!"
The Gao Family Village Cavalry Battalion retreated south...
Once they were far away!
Shi Jian finally let out a heavy sigh. "Heavenly Lord, your subordinate has fortunately not failed his mission," he reported, "and I truly nailed the portrayal of a fierce and wicked Han general."
The Puppet Heavenly Lord on his chest shook its head. "No good," it said. "Your acting is terrible. Not fierce at all, let alone wicked. Once you return, immediately summon Commander Chen. From now on, he will be responsible for dealing with the Mongols."
Everyone exchanged looks of surprise.
Well, at the mention of Commander Chen's name, everyone was convinced.
When it came to playing villains, there was no one in the Heavenly Lord's domain more formidable than Commander Chen.
Now, if a child in Gao Family Village cried and refused to sleep at night, parents only needed to say one thing: "If you cry again, Commander Chen will come looking for you."
The child instantly quieted down, not daring to utter another sound.
Using Commander Chen's terrifying demeanor to scare the Mongols would definitely be effective!
Shi Jian asked, "Heavenly Lord, aren't we overdoing it with this performance? We're killing people, seizing cattle and sheep, and threatening them, without giving the Mongols any benefits—only violence and intimidation. Will this really make them obey?"
"This is exactly what works!" the Puppet Heavenly Lord replied. "They have a 'wolf culture'; they respect strength. The stronger and more domineering we appear, the more readily they'll obey. If you show even a hint of weakness, they'll challenge the 'alpha wolf,' trying to seize your position."
Shi Jian gasped, "Hiss! Why are there such people in the world?"
The Puppet Heavenly Lord explained, "Because of their harsh living environment. Of course, constant suppression alone isn't enough. After a certain degree of suppression, you must also give them a little benefit—just a little is enough. Then they will become utterly devoted. This is called... Stockholm Syndrome."
Shi Jian looked utterly bewildered.
Zao Ying was equally confused.
Zheng Daniu exclaimed, "Oh, I see! Understood!"
Shi Jian and Zao Ying were astonished. Why hadn't either of them understood, but Zheng Daniu had? Had he suddenly become intelligent?
Curious, they turned to Zheng Daniu. "What did you understand?"
Zheng Daniu grinned, "We'll have mutton tonight."
The two looked exasperated. "That's all you understood?"
Zheng Daniu replied, "What else?"
The two were speechless.
Zheng Daniu lectured, "Whatever the Heavenly Lord says, just do it. Why bother understanding so much? What the Heavenly Lord says is divine revelation! If we mortals understood every single divine revelation, would we still be mortals? Tsk! Don't overthink it."
Shi Jian and Zao Ying exchanged glances, finally understanding why Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu received the most favor from the Heavenly Lord.
These two had one great advantage: they just "did whatever the Heavenly Lord said." No overthinking, no need to understand.
The Puppet Heavenly Lord continued, "However, these brutal methods we're using now are only temporary. Once we have assimilated the Mongols to a certain extent, when they have learned enough Han culture and abandoned their inherited 'wolf culture,' we will treat them as brothers and sisters, just like us... Hmm... that will take a very long time, so there's no rush for now."
Shi Jian replied, "Understood!"
Zao Ying echoed, "Understood!"
Meanwhile...
The Wushen tribe leader sat glumly in front of his tent, his four wives, five sons, and loyal subordinates, as well as all the men, women, and children of the tribe, a large crowd awaiting his instructions.
The Wushen tribe leader thought for a long while, then waved his hand and declared, "That Han man, Shi Jian, is too formidable. We currently have no way to contend with him. We must move! Northward!"
Comments