The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

A flash of surprise suddenly crossed King Shaodang's deep eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He was silent for a moment before he spoke slowly, "I have indeed heard a little about this matter, but I'm not entirely clear on the specifics. The Qiang people are comprised of dozens of tribes, large and small! The Zhong Qiang, Xian Ling, and our Shaodang tribe are the most powerful. As for the smaller tribes, they either choose to submit to these larger tribes for protection, or they can only band together!"

After a pause, King Shaodang continued, "Xianling and we, Shaodang, have always maintained a neutral stance, solely desiring to jointly resist foreign invasion. As for the Zhongqiang tribe, they are located on the northern edge of the Qiang territory, right next to the Xiongnu border. Therefore, the possibility of them secretly colluding with the Xiongnu cannot be ruled out! However, this king has always had a deep friendship with the Central Plains and will never get involved in such a dispute!"

Hearing this, Meng Yi nodded slightly in agreement. He thought to himself, "This King Shaodang's response is impeccable. It's hard to say for a moment whether he has any connection to this matter."

Thinking of this, Meng Yi immediately decided to change the subject and continued, "From what I've learned, the Zhongqiang tribe seems to have had quite close contact with yours in recent days. I wonder what your Majesty thinks of this?"

At that moment, Tariq, standing nearby, couldn't help but frown slightly. His expression was serious and solemn, and his words revealed a heavy tone. "Your Excellency, are you worrying too much? Even if the Zhongqiang tribe has some trade exchanges with us, what's wrong with that?"

However, before Tariq could finish his words, King Shaodang suddenly shouted, "Brother, stop talking nonsense! Such rude behavior is unbecoming!"

Then, King Shaodang turned his gaze to Meng Yi and said in a sincere and firm tone, "Please be at ease, Your Excellency. My Shaodang clan has always strictly adhered to the principle of 'I will not offend others unless they offend me' and will never rashly get involved in any disputes."

After hearing these words, Meng Yi's originally anxious heart was relieved a little.

He quickly clasped his hands together and bowed, expressing his sincere gratitude. "Your Majesty, I appreciate your frank words. I firmly believe that with your wisdom, strategy, and high prestige, you will be able to safeguard the peace and tranquility of this vast land. If the need arises in the future, our Great Qin will unhesitatingly fight alongside the Shaodang Tribe, working together to resist this powerful foreign enemy."

King Shaodang laughed heartily, his voice resounding like a bell. "Hahaha! Very good, General Meng, rest assured. I, Taridun, always keep my word and always keep my promise!"

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Meng Yi bowed and said goodbye, turning to leave.

King Shaodang immediately assigned several trusted guards to lead Meng Yi to a resting place.

On the way back to camp, Meng Yi pondered: While King Shaodang's words were sincere, they shouldn't be taken lightly. After all, living in this turbulent world, the future is uncertain and full of uncertainties. So, he decided to send trusted men to secretly spy on the Shaodang and Zhongqiang tribes, just in case.

At this moment, Tariq's face was solemn as he whispered to King Shaodang, "Brother, you must not be complacent and easily trust the Qin. We, the Shaodang clan, must strengthen our military and sharpen our will. Whether the Qin or the Xiongnu, they are all foreigners. Only by strengthening ourselves can we be fearless of them."

Talilan, standing by, disagreed. He said, "Uncle Wang, in my opinion, the Qin people simply hope that we will not join forces with the Xiongnu. They have no other ill intentions."

Talilan and Tariq were still trying to argue, but King Shaodang waved his hand gently, signaling them to stop. He said, "Enough, my brother! I am well aware of your trade relations with the Zhongqiang tribe and the Xiongnu. I also understand that you are doing this for the sake of our Shaodang clan's strength. However, this matter must be carefully considered and must not be rushed."

As soon as he finished speaking, King Shaodang turned around, looked at Talilan tenderly, and said earnestly, "My daughter, never trust others easily. You must have the ability to think and judge independently. Your brother is still young, and the future prosperity and decline of our Shaodang clan depends on you to lead it!"

Tariq, standing nearby, couldn't help but reveal a hint of unwillingness when he heard this. He clenched his fists and vowed to prove his strength.

Talleyrand nodded solemnly and responded, "Don't worry, father. I will never let you down." Her voice was firm and powerful, revealing a determination that could not be ignored.

At this time, King Shaodang whispered again, "Daughter, for the next few days, you will be responsible for leading the envoy from the Qin Dynasty on a tour and show him the hospitality and sincerity of our Shaodang tribe."

After saying this, the two of them bowed and took their leave, walking out of the tent one after another.

Talilane's heart burned, anxiously pondering the current situation. She knew full well that her father, King Shaodang, had placed immense trust in her uncle, Tariq. But her father was now advanced in age and failing health, while her younger brother was still young and immature, unable to shoulder the responsibility of leading the entire tribe. Undoubtedly, the future of the Shaodang tribe would fall on her shoulders, and it would be up to her to guide this vast tribe forward.

However, Talilean was deeply concerned that her uncle, Tariq, secretly maintained close ties with the Zhongqiang tribe and even the Xiongnu. Although he publicly claimed that this was merely normal trade between tribes, she was unsure whether her uncle had any ulterior motives. Even more worrying was that Tariq commanded a powerful rearguard force of 6,000 men.

You must know that the Shaodang tribe is a massive Qiang ethnic group, with a total population of 150,000! Of these, a full 50,000 are capable combatants clad in armor! These individuals are organized into five guard armies: East, West, South, North, and Central. Besides the Central Guard, which boasts 20,000 troops, the other four guard armies, each 5,000 strong, guard the four borders of the Shaodang tribe's vast territory. The crucial Central Guard carries the sacred mission of protecting the royal tent.

It is worth mentioning that the Central Guard is further divided into different units: the Royal Guard of 5,000 people, the Rear Army of 6,000 people, and the Left, Right and Front Armies of 3,000 people each.

At present, Talleyrand is in charge of the elite guards; as for the left, right and front armies, they are directly under the command of King Shaodang himself.

Faced with such a complex situation, Talleyrand felt a tremendous pressure and a heavy responsibility. How to ensure the stability and prosperity of the tribe while guarding against possible threats from within became a difficult problem that she had to solve.

Tariq returned to the tent with a gloomy face, his chest heaving violently, as if a ball of blazing anger was raging inside him. He slammed his fist down on the table, shaking the items on it.

Then, he grabbed the innocent water jug ​​and threw it to the ground without hesitation. The jug instantly broke into countless pieces, splashing water everywhere, as if venting his anger and dissatisfaction at the moment.

However, after his anger subsided, Tariq gradually regained his composure. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Then, he sat down at his desk, picked up a pen and paper, and began to write furiously. When he finished, he carefully folded the letter and put it into an envelope.

At that moment, a trusted confidant walked in. Tariq glanced up, a subtle glint in his eyes. He whispered, "Hurry and deliver this letter to the Zhongqiang tribe. Don't make any mistakes! Be extremely careful along the way. If the king and princess find out, you should know how to handle the situation, right?"

After hearing this, the confidant knelt on one knee with a solemn expression, took the letter with both hands, and replied firmly: "Master, don't worry, the letter is here!"

Tariq nodded slightly, expressing his satisfaction. Then he waved his hand, signaling his confidants to leave.

The confidant stood up and turned to walk out of the tent. As his figure gradually disappeared from sight, the entire tent fell into silence again. Only the broken jugs on the ground still silently told the story of what had just happened...