Chapter 824: Chang Wei Is Beating Lai Fu
Watching the Manchus being beaten into utter disarray and humiliation on the screen, Zhebu was utterly stunned.
At that time, the Manchus had the power to grind the Northern Yuan into the dust.
Many Northern Yuan nobles knelt at the Manchus' feet, either forming alliances with them or serving as their subservient lackeys.
In the eyes of all Mongols, the Manchus were terrifying monsters, far more powerful than the Han people.
But now...
This monster was taking a beating, and a brutal one at that.
A beating with no ability to fight back!
Zhebu didn't doubt the authenticity of the images on the Immortal Treasure Mirror, because he knew how formidable these Han people's firearms were. The Wushen tribe had been forced to their knees by these strange firearms, which was why they had sent him and his mother to Gao Family Village as hostages.
He had only known that Han firearms were powerful, but not to what extent. Now, seeing the Manchu army swept away as easily as withered leaves, he realized that the Han firearm soldiers were formidable beyond anything he had imagined.
Liu Maopao observed Zhebu's expression from the side and knew he had been awestruck. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly: "Ha! Mongols, scared now, aren't you? Now you'll behave and listen to us, won't you? My guidance and explanation weren't in vain. I've perfectly completed the task given to me by the student council, achieving a great merit, hahaha!"
Liu Maopao still harbored ambition in his heart. He wanted to enter the Gao Family Village Committee in the future and become a public official.
This ambition was instilled in him by his father, Liu You.
Liu You's Shuixian Heluo noodle shop had made a fortune, and he was now one of the wealthiest men in Gao Family Village, but merely having money wasn't enough; he also desired social status and standing.
So, Liu You often told his son: "Money is useless. No matter how much you have, you're still just a small merchant, ranked at the very bottom of the traditional social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. That won't do. Our Liu family can't just be rolling in wealth; we must become people of superior standing."
Thus, Liu Maopao was highly motivated from a young age. While diligently studying, he also volunteered to join the student council, cultivating a keen sense for navigating the system from childhood...
And just like that!
The prestigious assignment of handling the Mongolian boy fell into his hands.
And if this task could be perfectly completed, it would be immensely helpful for his future entry into the Gao Family Village Committee.
Zhebu stared at the images on the screen, speechless for a long while.
Liu Maopao immediately spoke, gently encouraging him: "Little Arrow Brother, what do you think of Gao Family Village's combat prowess?"
Zhebu replied blankly: "Even if not the greatest under heaven, it is certainly unparalleled in the world."
Liu Maopao smiled: "Your father and the others surely don't know that the Manchus have been defeated by us. Why don't you write a letter home and report this matter to your father?"
Zhebu: "Huh? As a hostage, I can still write home? Aren't you afraid I'll betray information about this place?"
Liu Maopao laughed: "What are you talking about? There's no question of betraying secrets. Look, how many people here are watching the Immortal Treasure Mirror? How many people know this information? It would spread far and wide in a matter of minutes. In such a situation, who would mind if you notified the Wushen tribe?"
Zhebu: "That's true, but I don't know many characters. I don't know Mongolian characters, much less Han characters."
Liu Maopao smiled: "I'll write it for you. Writing in Han characters will be fine; your father will find someone to read it for him."
Zhebu then asked: "How can the letter I write be sent back to the Wushen tribe? There can't be a messenger running that route, can there?"
Liu Maopao: "Well... you can give the letter to Chen Qianhu. The next time he goes to the grasslands, he can conveniently take it for you."
Zhebu was startled: "Chen Qianhu? I... I'm afraid to see him."
Liu Maopao: "How about this? You write it, and I'll accompany you to see Chen Qianhu. You don't have to say anything; I'll speak for you. I'm not afraid of Chen Qianhu... erm... not completely afraid, just a little bit..."
He was actually quite afraid of Chen Qianhu, but for the sake of his future smooth political career, he had to muster his courage and help deliver the letter.
Zhebu actually started writing the letter. He dictated, and Liu Maopao wrote for him: "Hello, Father, dear Father, last night I saw a bright, bright star in the treetops... I miss you very much here in Gao Family Village. The people here are quite good to Mother and me... Today, I saw the news in the village that the Gao Family Village army defeated the Later Jin. It was terrifying. Their cannons and firearms fired together, and in the blink of an eye, the Later Jin Eight Banner soldiers fell one after another as if they were paper effigies... The Han people are too formidable; we can never defeat such formidable Han people..."
The last sentence was actually secretly added by Liu Maopao, since Zhebu didn't recognize many Han characters anyway.
After writing, Zhebu signed his mark, pressed his fingerprint, and sealed it with sealing wax.
Liu Maopao: "Come on, let's take this letter to Chen Qianhu. He just returned to the village from Northern Shaanxi and has some minor business to attend to."
As soon as Zhebu heard that Chen Qianhu was in the village, he was utterly terrified. He quickly told his mother, An Jile, who also darted back into the main keep, scared.
The challenge now fell to Liu Maopao. He led the cowering Zhebu, holding the letter, towards the front of the Gao Family Village barracks...
Instructor He had already led a large army to Xuanfu and Datong. The highest-ranking military officer remaining in the village barracks was Chen Qianhu.
Walking into Chen Qianhu's territory was an immense psychological pressure for every child in Gao Family Village. Of course, the children brave enough to shoot Chen Qianhu with bamboo water guns were exceptions—those were warriors brave enough for the battlefield.
Liu Maopao was clearly not a warrior; he was merely a clerk aspiring to a political career.
His little heart hammered wildly, yet he couldn't let Zhebu see his fear; he had to maintain his cool facade.
Liu Maopao, with a demeanor that showed no fear whatsoever, stated their purpose at the barracks gate. The gate guard then led him and Zhebu inside. With every step down the corridor, Liu Maopao could hear his own heart thump.
Zhebu, even more terrified, was like a startled hamster.
"Bang bang bang!" The guiding soldier knocked on the office door: "Chen Qianhu, Liu Maopao, son of the wealthy noodle shop owner, wishes to see you, saying he has a letter he hopes you can deliver to the Wushen tribe."
Chen Qianhu's voice echoed from inside: "Oh, their Shuixian Heluo noodles are delicious. I like them very much. Let him come in."
His tone was quite gentle.
Liu Maopao thought: *He doesn't sound angry right now. Good, good.*
He mustered his courage, pushed open the door, and walked in...
The moment he entered, he saw Chen Qianhu beating someone...
It turned out that a new recruit named Lai Fu had been drinking while on sentry duty, violating military regulations. Chen Qianhu was whipping him according to military law. To save Lai Fu some face, Chen Qianhu didn't beat him in public but had called him into the office for a private beating.
"Whack!"
With a crack of the whip, Chen Qianhu struck, and Lai Fu shrieked: "Ah!"
Liu Maopao and Zhebu just happened to witness this scene: "Aaaah! Aaaah!"
The two children screamed even louder than Lai Fu.
Later, whenever Liu Maopao met someone, he would say: "I'd just walked in when I saw Chen Qianhu beating Lai Fu..."
And so, a new chapter in Chen Qianhu's tales of terror began.
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