Chapter 603 - Returning Back (1/2)
The birth of the new foal had gone quite well considering the circ.u.mstances. Perhaps it was because the mother horse had eaten fodder that had spiritual energy in it, so she was in good shape. Not long after Xiaocao arrived there, the mare had given birth on her own to a red colored foal. Once Doctor w.a.n.g arrived, he inspected both the mare and her new foal from head to toe. After ascertaining that both animals were doing well, he left.
Black Whirlwind squeezed through the group of people and curiously regarded the pitiful little fellow who couldn’t even stand up properly. It turned its head away in disgust and walked away. However, it was also afraid that its master would start loving the other fellow more than it, so it ended up waiting obediently at the side, acting completely different from its usual fiery and childish self. In fact, it didn’t even try to steal the drop of mystic-stone water that Xiaocao had fed to the other little foal.
The new little foal had a decent bloodline and had just been fed some mystic-stone water to improve its const.i.tution. After spending a winter at the stud farm, the little foal would likely not be the least bit inferior to Snow Scar once it grew up! Yu Xiaocao noticed that within the wild horse herd there were quite a few other pregnant mares. Thus, she especially sent out a few experienced grooms to take good care of these mares and their future little ones. These foals were all the hope for the future at this farm! She was pretty convinced that the next generation of these horses, who would spend their entire childhood in the cozy environment of the horse farm, would likely be quite reluctant to leave such a wonderful ‘home’ in the future.
After she finished settling everything down with the wild horse herd, it was already getting close to the twelfth month. Yu Xiaocao took a few of her maidservants on a day with good weather and had them pack all of their belongings in preparation to head back to the capital.
During this time period, the guards at the stud farm had caught a few outside spies who had tried to infiltrate the area to poison their water source. After interrogating them, they confirmed that these spies had come from the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe and had been sent out by Xiao Rong’s brainless younger brother on this mission.
Did they really think that the Great Ming Empire, a fierce tiger, was a weak little h.e.l.lo Kitty ah? In a pique of fury, Zhu Junyang took these spies along with some soldiers from the firearm barracks and headed out to attack the tribe with a night ambush. This group ended up setting the tribe’s winter supplies all on fire and they also hung the heads of the slain spies on the flagpoles at the camp. For these ambitious foreign tribes, it was necessary to teach them a hard lesson. Otherwise, they would never learn!
The elite warriors of the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe had finally experienced the savagery of the long-distance gunpowder powered firearms. After experiencing a complete defeat, they finally realized the giant gap between themselves and the troops from the Great Ming Empire. Just because the other side didn’t bother with them did not mean it was because they were afraid of them. Instead, it meant that they truly didn’t even regard them as a rival and saw them as little jumping fleas instead.
In the middle of winter, it was extremely difficult for a tribe like them, which lived on the outskirts, to gather extra food and supplies. Almost half of their wintering supplies had been burnt to a crisp, which meant that a large portion of the tribe would go hungry during the long winter. In addition, the new chief of the tribe was tyrannical and muddleheaded. Many of the lower-ranking warriors and commoners were quite unhappy about this turn of events and began to long for the times when Great King Xiao Rong, who was a wise leader, was still around.
Xiao Rong, who had recovered fully from his wounds in the outer residence at the outskirts of the stud farm, had already infiltrated the tribe with his two loyal advisors. He was patiently waiting for the perfect time to strike and regain his throne. When Royal Prince Yang’s firearm troops began their ambush, he took advantage of the situation and struck when the iron was still hot. He roused the warriors and people who were still loyal to him and swiftly rounded up all of the turncoats and imprisoned them. Thus, he finally regained the power that he had lost within the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe.
At this time, the tribe was facing a crisis with their lack of supplies for the harsh winter. Xiao Rong called all of the high-ranking warriors to take part in an urgent meeting and stated that he was thinking of making Tuha'erhanbu a subject-tribe under the Great Ming Empire such that the common people would be able to survive the upcoming season. Although there were a few high-ranking warriors who vehemently disliked this idea, the vast majority of people were cool-headed enough to a.n.a.lyze the situation logically. After realizing the severity of their situation, the votes came in and Xiao Rong’s plan was approved.
Xiao Rong then informed Royal Prince Yang of their sincere desire to become a va.s.sal under the Great Ming Empire, so the prince immediately sent someone off on a fast horse to send this information to the capital. The emperor swiftly sent over some officials to negotiate this settlement and the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe ended up signing an agreement. Every year, the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe would give a tribute to the Great Ming Empire in raw silks and cash while the Great Ming Empire would provide the tribe with enough food and supplies to get through the harsh winters in the north. Furthermore, they would craft a marketplace where the two nations could trade freely, leading to an improved business relations.h.i.+p between the two…
But none of this could affect Xiaocao’s desire to go back home. Did she want to go back to Dongshan Village to celebrate the New Years this year? Or should she bring her family into the capital to celebrate it instead? Since she wasn’t sure herself, she wanted to go back earlier so that she could discuss this matter with her parents.
Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, hoped every day for a giant snowstorm. That way, they would be stuck here in the north, unable to travel. If that happened, he would be able to celebrate the New Years with the little la.s.s himself, just the two of them! Naturally, if he could also find a way to get rid of that eyesore, Chief Steward Su, that would be even better!
Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with his wish. The eleventh month pretty much only had clear skies and bright sun every single day. He began to find every excuse he could to delay their departure back but his antic.i.p.ated blizzard never appeared during that time.
Naturally, Su Ran, as a perceptive man, had long seen through his desires. Although he also wanted to spend a happy and bustling New Years with that la.s.s, Xiaocao, he didn’t want that brat, Zhu Junyang, to get his heart's desire either. As Zhu Junyang was trying to find another excuse to delay Xiaocao heading back, Su Ran lampooned his idea with a single sentence, “If Royal Prince Yang is much too busy to go back, I can go in your stead and escort Xiaocao back to the capital!”
Zhu Junyang was infuriated by Chief Steward Su’s suggestion. This stinking old eunuch was definitely doing this on purpose! He was definitely deliberately going against him and instigating that la.s.s to go back to the capital earlier! What made the prince even more angry was that the little la.s.s expressed her approval of Chief Steward Su’s idea and was nodding her head in agreement. Did she truly want to leave him behind and head off with Su Ran alone, who only had a pretty face?