Chapter 940: Chapter 2: The Hardships and Wealth of the Western Regions, Grand Ambitions and Compassion
The Western Regions also have great rivers.
In spring, the vast snowy mountains even further north melt their snow and ice, causing the water flow to swell. This creates new oases, where animals follow the water source, and these small tribes, constantly on the move, pursue these small animals.
To hunt them, to gather medicinal herbs from the snowy mountains and treacherous places.
Then they follow the water flow to the places of the large tribes, selling furs, young cattle and sheep, and herbs to exchange for salt, tea bricks, and weapons essential for the tribe’s survival, before continuing to chase the water source away.
“We can’t afford to live in city-states.”
Li Guanyi was surprised: “Tu Yu unified the Western Regions for three hundred years, didn’t they build many cities?”
Saatanati asked in confusion: “But those cities belong to the Tuyuhun people.”
“Now it’s the Dangxiang people, then the Central Plains people.”
“We’ve never been accepted.”
“And ever since that great hero died more than three hundred years ago, things have been a mess, and now there are many cities, each establishing its own state.”
The people of the Thirty-six Tribes established states; although the Tuyuhun unified the Western Regions, they ultimately lacked the vision and couldn’t completely unify thought, making it a typical era of personal rule and heroism.
They didn’t imprint the idea of unity in everyone’s heart.
When there’s an unparalleled hero, these various tribal city-states can be integrated into a great and prosperous nation through the ages. But when such a hero dies, the nation he built disintegrates.
Li Guanyi scanned this tribe and curiously asked, “I see you have so many cattle, sheep, and game. How much salt and iron can you exchange for in the city-states?”
Saatanati was silent for a moment, counting on her fingers:
“Three sheep can be exchanged for a pot.”
“One cow can be exchanged for a tea brick, like this.”
Li Guanyi stopped his movements, looking at the furs, dried meat, and herbs that this tribe had accumulated over a year, which perhaps could only be exchanged for a little tea brick and salt. Even the oppression of the Central Plains dynasties was far from comparable.
Li Guanyi for a moment didn’t know what to say. Saatanati thought for a moment and put a small dagger, polished from cow horn, into Li Guanyi’s hand, saying, “This is a gift from my grandma, and now I give it to you.”
“We were originally going to leave the elderly of the tribe here with a little food and then leave, because this year there were more children in the tribe. The annual harvest couldn’t support a few more people, so we had to leave the elderly here.”
This is the strategy of control by the Western Region aristocrats.
Li Guanyi instantly realized this, but Saatanati didn’t know these things, just saying, “Perhaps we aren’t working hard enough, unable to support so many people. If it weren’t for you coming down from the heavens, they would have definitely stayed here.”
“I heard there’s a celestial burial near the Holy Mountain. When people die, they’re put on the mountain for vultures to eat their intestines, returning to the earth and heavens.”
Li Guanyi grasped the exquisite cow horn, saying, “Is that so?”
Saatanati said, “There’s no other way.”
“The Western Regions use money, silver coins, small coins. Only the clan leaders can go to the large cities, as they are samurai who wear swords. Wandering people like us are inferior, our lives worth only a straw rope.”
Saatanati and Li Guanyi continued talking about these things, then went off to help the elders. Li Guanyi put down the pottery; the people here were somewhat afraid to speak to him, just putting their hands together and saying, “Golden Pearl.”
“Golden Pearl.”
Li Guanyi curled his lips.
He was not some Golden Pearl.
Furthermore, it was supposed to be called Golden Beans.
The people from the Heavenly Strategy Mansion each investigated the situation and regrouped, discussing the information they had learnt, finding it all rather complex. Although they had known early on that the situation in the Western Regions was dire, they hadn’t expected it to be like this.
Only Changsun Wuchou was accustomed to this place, saying, “Since the Tuyuhun King was born a serf but overturned the ones who oppressed him, after becoming the overlord who unified the Western Regions, his descendants oppressed the wandering people and serfs even more harshly than before.”
“Maybe they feared another Tuyuhun would arise?”
Fan Qing whispered, “I infiltrated that Holy Lake and found many corpses. The bones bore bite marks; it seems those left here engaged in cannibalism before dying.”
“The victors probably ate the others and then starved to death.”
“And suffered mutual destruction, with the vultures eating the bleeding.”
“Underneath the lake, it’s almost a mass of white bones.”
Li Guanyi rubbed his forehead, remained silent for a moment, and said, “After this, we’ll first head to the place we agreed upon before, Wuchou.”
Changsun Wuchou bowed, “Lord.”
Li Guanyi said:
“Tomorrow morning, you go find Erlang, and give him my handwritten letter.”
Changsun Wuchou heard Li Guanyi’s address, looked a bit odd, and said:
“Yes.”
Li Guanyi said: “Nangong.”
Nangong Wumeng was lost in thought, and only responded in a fluster after Li Guanyi called several times, “What?”
Li Guanyi said: “Your Qinggong is the best, and you have the Divine Weapon; go find Qibi Li.”
“Tell him where I am and ask him if he still remembers our agreement that day?”
Nangong Wumeng’s face was serious, saying, “Yes.”
“Nangong accepts the order.”
She hesitated, “What about you, General?”
Li Guanyi looked at this tribe and answered, “Since I am a travelling merchant from the Central Plains, I will temporarily stay with these people to understand the situation in the Western Regions. Such a complex situation can’t be understood without seeing it on the ground.”