Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 818: On the Lonely Mountain
Zhu Su also thought so. Fu Puxin led a thousand men under him, relying only on mountain springs and wild fruits. How could they fill their stomachs? They fled in a hurry, and by the time they got here, the food they brought with them should have reached its limit.

Even if the tribe on the mountain is not an accomplice, it must have been robbed by the bandits... In short, they must know something.

Therefore, Zhu Su followed suit and immediately ordered his men and horses to go to the mountain.

Zhu Su was wondering why this tribe chose to live in the mountains. You know, the environment of Dawan Island is more suitable for living as you move towards the west coast. Even if you live in the mountains, you usually have to rely on water for food. Unlike many Miao tribes in Yunnan and Guizhou, although the mountain tribes in Dawan are called savages and do not trade with the Ming Dynasty, they do not just live their own lives behind closed doors. Generally, they have to row boats along the river to go out of the mountains and trade with many coastal tribes.

After all, if they don’t trade with the coastal tribes, these mountain tribes will often have problems with even basic survival.

That is why each of their tribes is often small in number, and they are willing to be ruled by the Big-Bellied King. It is because the lifeline of the tribe's survival is always in the hands of the Big-Bellied King who occupies the coastal areas, so they may not be willing, but have to submit.

But this tribe did the opposite and set up on the top of the mountain... Although the mountains on Dawan Island are generally not high, it must be very troublesome to go up and down to trade along the coast. After all, although there are streams on the mountain, you can't just take a boat down the mountain along the turbulent stream, right?

But when he looked closer, Zhu Su understood the deep meaning of the tribe's actions: although the mountain was not high, the terrain was quite steep, with rocky peaks like walls that could not be climbed easily. There was only a small path winding up the mountain, and the reason why the tribe was set up on the top of the mountain must be for the convenience of defense.

The guide was called to ask, and it turned out to be true. The Gaoshan guide said: "The Hulali tribe is closest to the coastal tribes of Dadu, and they often clashed with the coastal tribes in the past."

"So they moved to the mountains and relied on the terrain to defend themselves... that's how they managed to survive. But after the Big Belly King conquered the tribes in the mountains, they had already lived here for several generations and had long since gotten used to it."

Zhu Su nodded. It seemed that the Hulali tribe had once produced a leader who was decisive, which allowed the tribe, which was originally the first to bear the brunt of the attack by the Big Belly King, to still be able to maintain itself. In these primitive civilizations outside of historical records, there are also such turbulent stories.

"I hope that such a tribe that has been maintained with great difficulty will not be destroyed by the looting of the White Lotus bandits." Zhu Su said.

The Hulali tribe did not seem to be robbed. At the foot of the mountain, Zhu Su and his companions met the barbarians who were on guard. After learning that these people were the heavenly soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, the barbarians on duty immediately changed their expressions and enthusiastically invited Zhu Su and his companions to go up the mountain for a chat.

"Our Ming Dynasty is truly famous... Even these foreigners have heard of our reputation." Chang Mao was complacent.

Zhu Su had a doubtful look on his face. Shouldn't this mountain tribe be isolated? How could they know the reputation of the Ming Dynasty? Moreover, they invited him and others to the mountain... How lazy!

Could it be that he had surrendered to the Big Belly King for so long that he had lost his vigilance...

He and Chang Mao led more than 100 people up the mountain, while Li Jinglong and the remaining generals camped at the foot of the mountain. While walking in the mountains, Zhu Su was always on guard, fearing that these foreigners had been bewitched by the White Lotus Sect and had set up an ambush on this steep mountain road. However, until the group arrived at the fence gate of the tribe on the top of the mountain, they did not encounter any attacks.

"Am I really overthinking it?" Zhu Su put aside some of his doubts.

The tribe on the mountain seemed a little deserted. The tribe leader was a kind old man with a dark complexion. When he saw everyone, he greeted them warmly: "It is a pity that a noble from the Ming Dynasty came to visit us in this remote place... It is really a rare guest, a rare guest!"

This person had a heavy accent, but he spoke in a proper Han language. Chang Mao was quite surprised, "Old man, can you speak Han Chinese?"

"Although I am a barbarian, I have also been influenced by the rule of the Central Plains... When I was young, I was saved by a kind person in your country and learned a lot from him!" said the patriarch with a smile.

Then, he told his own experience. It turned out that Dawan Island had always been visited by many merchants from Fujian, Guangdong and Chaozhou. In the early years, when this team leader went out to trade, his boat was wrecked and he fell into the water. He was rescued by a Chaozhou merchant by chance.

The merchant was doing business with the aboriginals on the island. Seeing that the wind had come, he had to leave Da Wan, but he brought the chieftain back to Chaozhou, took good care of him, and then sent him back safely.

The clan leader had lived in Chaozhou, Daming for quite a while during his recovery. Because the Han merchants had done him a favor, he was always friendly to the Han people. It was the first time that Chang Mao and his companions had seen such a foreigner who was so proficient in Chinese. They could not help but feel close to him and their vigilance was mostly gone. The clan leader was really very friendly to the Han people. He even set up a banquet in the wooden house and invited several Daming nobles to come in for a chat.

Zhu Su was also interested in consulting, so he did not refuse. One hundred warriors were stationed outside the house, so they were not afraid that these people would dare to poison them. During the banquet, the clan leader kept asking about the Ming Dynasty. He really yearned for Han culture. Zhu Su answered everything he knew, and the banquet was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests. Suddenly, the clan leader asked, "You were so busy drinking with the nobles that you forgot to ask about their identities."

"I only know that the Ming Dynasty built a port in the north, and my clansmen often go there to trade... Are you the ones who built the port? I don't know who is the noble in charge? And why did you come to me?"

"Hahaha, it's a great honor for you to welcome us here, old man... The person in front of us is none other than His Royal Highness Prince Zhou, the fifth son of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty! Although the Tamkang Port was not built by His Royal Highness, it is closely related to His Royal Highness. If you have a good relationship with His Royal Highness, do you still worry about the prosperity of your tribe in the future?" Chang Mao said with a smile.

The old man was startled, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and after being stunned for a while, he actually knelt down and kowtowed to Zhu Su: "It turned out that the prince of the Ming Dynasty came here... This old man is really, really..."

He seemed to be unable to find the right Chinese words to describe his excitement at the moment. Zhu Su smiled politely and asked his attendants to help him up: "My dear father, you are too polite. You are not from the Ming Dynasty, so you don't need to show such great courtesy to me."

"I have something to ask you: Did a group of Han people pass by here a few days ago?"

(End of this chapter)