Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

The leading tribal chief, his muscular body exposed, adorned with bone ornaments distinct from the Han people, eyed the fully armed axemen with hostility and vigilance, his hand instinctively resting on the weapon at his waist. He stated,

"Indeed, do you require us to deliver them inside?"

"No, simply instruct your subordinates to place those bandits on the ground," one of the axemen replied.

Upon hearing this, the five tribal chiefs who had come together exchanged glances before loudly commanding the Shanyue people to lay down the unconscious Han men they were carrying.

As the unconscious Shanyue men were placed on the ground, the tribal chiefs assumed the Han were preparing to inspect or identify them.

To the utter astonishment of the Shanyue tribal chiefs, the five hundred axemen approached the prone Shanyue men and abruptly drew their axes, hacking off their heads.

Almost instantaneously, five hundred pillars of blood erupted, turning the faces of the two thousand Shanyue carriers pale.

The five Shanyue tribal chiefs, momentarily stunned, exchanged glances, their eyes revealing a sense of relief alongside their shock.

Previously, during discussions among the Shanyue tribal chiefs, some had suggested launching a surprise attack on the Han army.

The number of Shanyue to be handed over was two thousand. The plan was to have those two thousand Shanyue feign unconsciousness and be carried down by another two thousand, infiltrating the Han army's camp.

With four thousand Shanyue elites launching a sudden assault, they might throw the Han army into chaos, allowing the remaining Shanyue to capitalize on the opportunity and break free from their predicament.

At that moment, as the five tribal chiefs exchanged glances, they felt fortunate that they hadn't tried to outsmart the Han, or they would have completely lost this last chance for negotiation.

Those two thousand Shanyue men were indeed unconscious.

However, those two thousand Shanyue men were not actually the ones who had attacked Qiantang County and fled back. The Shanyue internal tribes were numerous and disorganized, making it impossible to identify the actual two thousand attackers.

Therefore, these two thousand Shanyue men were from a small tribe, offered as sacrifices by the majority of tribal chiefs to appease the Han's anger.

This blatant massacre by the five hundred axemen further demoralized the remaining Shanyue, filling them with dread.

Who says the Han are not brutal?!

At that moment, in the eyes of these Shanyue people, the Han's brutality far surpassed their own, as they relentlessly beheaded the two thousand Shanyue men before finally stopping.

This truly etched a lesson in blood into the hearts of these Shanyue people for the first time: those who harm the Han people will be killed without mercy.

Only after the two thousand Shanyue men who had been delivered to their doorstep were all beheaded did Xu Sheng, leading a group of archers standing in readiness within the Han army camp, emerge.

He swept his gaze across the five tribal chiefs whose eyes now revealed deep reverence, and asked,

"Can you five represent all the Shanyue in the mountains?"

"We can," one of the tribal chiefs quickly replied.

"We Han people place great importance on promises. Since we have agreed to grant you a chance for negotiation, we will not break our word. Put your minds at ease."

Xu Sheng reassured them before continuing,

"Now that you can represent the other Shanyue, follow me into the camp to meet General Guan."

Upon hearing this, the five tribal chiefs immediately wanted to lead the remaining two thousand Shanyue, acting as guards, towards the main camp.

However, before they could take more than a few steps, Xu Sheng stopped, his gaze sweeping over the two thousand armed Shanyue, and he said,

"Are you misunderstanding something? Negotiation is a grace bestowed upon you Shanyue by my lord Liu Xuande, not permission for you to brandish weapons and flaunt your power."

"Since you five can represent all the Shanyue, what need is there for them to follow? If you desire a fight to the death, Xu Sheng will gladly oblige."

As Xu Sheng's words fell, the five hundred blood-soaked axemen also turned their blades towards the Shanyue.

Although the Shanyue outnumbered the five hundred axemen, the momentum accumulated by the Han army had already crushed the Shanyue's spirit, let alone any thoughts of a desperate fight.

Immediately, the five tribal chiefs hastily apologized in broken Han Chinese, ordering the two thousand Shanyue to wait there, before hurriedly following Xu Sheng into the main camp.

Along the way, Guan Yu intentionally had the Shanyue tribal chiefs witness the Han army's military might, with imposing ranks of soldiers arrayed along the route.

This display almost made the five tribal chiefs feel a sense of helplessness and fear, akin to a husky mistaking itself for a wolf among a pack of wolves, and even the path leading to the main tent seemed particularly long.

When Xu Sheng led the five tribal chiefs before the main tent, he bowed from afar and reported,

"General Guan, the five envoys sent by the Shanyue have arrived."

"Let them in," Guan Yu's arrogant and indifferent voice echoed from within the tent.

"Please," Xu Sheng gestured to the five tribal chiefs before leading the way into the tent.

After the five tribal chiefs entered, they were first drawn in by the sight of numerous armored officers within the camp, all staring intently at them.

Then, they saw Guan Yu, seated in the main position, wearing a deep green brocade robe, his face like a heavy jujube, a two-foot-long beard under his chin, gently stroking his beard with one hand while holding a volume of the Spring and Autumn Annals, squinting as he studied it.

In terms of imposing presence, Guan Yu was truly astonishing.

Facing Guan Yu at such close range only made the already frightened tribal chiefs feel as if they were facing a celestial deity, and they stood frozen in place.

Guan Yu turned his eyes and said faintly,

"Gentlemen, be seated."

Immediately, two soldiers carried over the prepared seats and placed them behind the five tribal chiefs.

Seeing this, the five tribal chiefs could only imitate the Han people and kneel uncomfortably.

Only then did Guan Yu put down the bamboo scroll in his hand and speak,

"Guan is pleased with your sensible actions, but Guan is not very satisfied that you have taken so long to arrive."

After a pause, Guan Yu opened his squinted eyes slightly, as if only then noticing the five people before him, and said,

"You have delayed for so long, could it be that you were secretly plotting something? Or were you planning to have those two thousand Shanyue enter the camp and then cause trouble?"

This question made the five tribal chiefs feel as if they had been completely seen through, and they instinctively panicked, repeatedly crying out, "We wouldn't dare!"

"Hmph, I trust you don't have the courage. If you disregard the benevolence bestowed by my elder brother, Guan will reduce you all to dust in Mount Fuchun."

Guan Yu said casually, then glanced at Xu Sheng, as if losing interest in speaking with such insignificant figures, and closed his eyes to rest.

Xu Sheng, who had already been instructed, stepped forward and said,

"Listen well, my lord Liu Xuande upholds the principle of benevolence, stating: If you are willing to hand over the wicked criminals who committed crimes in Qiantang County, it shows that you still have a heart for good and peace. To kill them all would violate benevolence."

"However, the death penalty may be waived, but the living cannot escape punishment."

These words immediately tightened the hearts of the five tribal chiefs, and their faces paled involuntarily, understanding that the real focus was about to begin.

"Since you committed crimes on the border, harming my people's livelihood and wasting countless resources, you must compensate with labor."

"Therefore, for the two months and thirteen days that you have troubled my Mount Fuchun, you will use this as the deadline to enter my Wu County to work as laborers, reclaiming good land and assisting in cultivation. After the deadline, you will be allowed to return home…"

Logically speaking, considering that these Shanyue were trapped in Mount Fuchun, this condition did not seem harsh.

However, these words caused the expressions of the five tribal chiefs to change, and before Xu Sheng could finish speaking, they almost all protested.

"Impossible! If our people are scattered to various places, how can we know if we will be treated like fish on a chopping board?"

"If many young and strong men cannot return to the tribe for more than two months and no food is sent back, the elderly, weak, women, and children within the tribe will likely starve to death."

"We absolutely cannot accept this condition! We would rather fight to the death!"

"General Guan, have mercy! We all know our mistakes! But this condition is too harsh to bear."

"General Guan, are you mocking us, trying to deceive us with this?"

…

However, as Guan Yu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes slightly, saying,

"Since you want to fight to the death, then fight to the death! Now you are all birds in Guan's cage, turtles in Guan's urn. It would not take any effort to destroy you. Why bother with such a waste of effort? If you do not intend to listen to the end, then leave."

Instantly, the five tribal chiefs felt Guan Yu's oppressive gaze sweeping over them, and all their words were choked back.

This was the epitome of "man is the knife, and I am the fish!"

And what seemed to be a negotiation was actually Guan Yu never intending to discuss anything with them. He was merely giving them a chance to announce the conditions for survival after they handed over two thousand Shanyue.

Seeing that the five tribal chiefs had quieted down, Xu Sheng continued,

"In addition to the above necessary punishment, considering the hardship of the Shanyue people's livelihood, Wu County will emulate the tea and horse trade markets established in You and Yan and establish a mutual market in Mount Fuchun."

A mutual market?!

Upon hearing this, the faces of the tribal chiefs, originally filled with resentment and fear, all revealed shock.

In the past, the Shanyue, regarded as a minor ailment by the Great Han Dynasty, would not have been specially granted a mutual market.

Therefore, when the Shanyue tribes truly lacked something, they could only find ways to snatch it from the outside.

Now that the "Border Market" has been established, it undoubtedly provides the Shanyue with a channel to obtain external resources.

"What can be exchanged through the Border Market? And what needs to be offered in exchange?" one of the tribal leaders asked impatiently.

"The Shanyue can provide medicinal herbs, exotic fruits, rare trees, and so on. As for what can be exchanged in the Border Market, it will naturally include all essential goods for life, including food..."

After a pause, Xu Sheng continued, "However, what my lord upholds is giving a man a fishing rod rather than just giving him fish."

(End of this chapter)