"Who goes there?"
Zhou Fugui, sword in hand, demanded loudly as he looked at the approaching dark-skinned man.
Zhou Fugui treated the man as a formidable enemy, primarily because of his sheer bulk. His muscles were like coiled ropes, radiating immense strength. With each stride, he thudded like a moving mountain. Zhou Fugui had seen strong men before, but compared to this one, Xue Wentai, Xu Mancang, and Suo Dacheng seemed frail.
Presently, Zhou Fugui felt no fear of him. He could even handle two or three more. But what if there were a fourth, fifth, or sixth? Or a peerless master? Thus, the establishment of a personal guard and the recruitment of skilled martial artists had become an urgent necessity. However, under the current circumstances, Zhou Fugui was unable to achieve this.
At this moment, only two men stood by Zhou Fugui's side, and one of them was the young man, Agu Damo.
"Benefactor!" the Kunlun slave exclaimed, rushing forward. He pushed aside the two men blocking his path and, with a thud, knelt before Zhou Fugui, kowtowing with tears in his eyes.
The Kunlun slave had indeed escaped from the jaws of death.
Just as the Kunlun slave was about to be executed, Zhou Fugui led his troops into the camp. The gruesome punishment was thus halted, to be resumed after Zhou Fugui and the Yan army were defeated.
However, the Xiongnu army was routed, and the Xiongnu Right Valley Leader Aodeng was beheaded by Zhou Fugui. The Kunlun slave was thus spared.
The Kunlun slave had been in despair. After narrowly escaping death, the first thing he saw was Zhou Fugui, carrying Aodeng's severed head, leading his troops into the encampment. He followed, and upon finding Zhou Fugui, prostrated himself in gratitude.
"Benefactor? Who are you?" Zhou Fugui asked, bewildered.
The Kunlun slave did not reply, merely continuing to kowtow.
"What is lost in the east, is gained in the west," a voice remarked from the side. "He is an unfortunate soul."
Hearing this, Zhou Fugui turned and saw a man with a refined appearance looking at him. The Kunlun slave, however, glared fiercely.
The "lingering death" torture had been proposed by Ye Guanting.
After Zhou Fugui's troops entered the encampment, they had maintained strict discipline, not engaging in indiscriminate killing or looting. Zhou Fugui was inwardly surprised, but he could not discern the origin of these "savages," as Ye Guanting saw them.
"Who are you?" Zhou Fugui inquired, seeing this.
"Also a person of ill fortune..." Ye Guanting first approached the Kunlun slave and clasped his hands in a bow. "Kunlun slave, I was also forced into this. I hope you can understand!"
"I am Ye Guanting of Anding, greetings, Great General!" Ye Guanting then turned to Zhou Fugui and bowed.
"Kunlun slave? Ye Guanting of Anding? Are you Han?" Zhou Fugui asked, pressing down on Ye Guanting's bowing arm.
A person surnamed Ye was not necessarily Han, but Ye Guanting's respectful bow was not that of a barbarian.
Ye Guanting nodded.
"I am Zhou Fugui, also Han," Zhou Fugui said, looking at Ye Guanting.
The name sounded Han, even somewhat cheerful... but the person... looked like a barbarian. Ye Guanting listened with surprise, his heart filled with doubt.
A full beard, deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, broad shoulders, and barbarian attire – what else could he be but a barbarian?
"A Han from Yanyun. Believe it or not, as you wish," Zhou Fugui said calmly, knowing Ye Guanting's disbelief.
"Benefactor!" Upon hearing Zhou Fugui's name, the Kunlun slave prostrated himself again, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Alas, why are you doing this?" Zhou Fugui sighed. "Kunlun slave? Who exactly are you? And why have I become your benefactor?"
"General Zhou, the matter is as follows." The Kunlun slave was not eloquent, and stammered. Thus, Ye Guanting took it upon himself to explain the entire story, including his own situation.
"So that's how it is..." Zhou Fugui asked the Kunlun slave after listening. "The name 'Kunlun slave,' I have heard of it. It is certainly not your real name. What is your name? And where are you from?"
Zhou Fugui's demeanor made Ye Guanting increasingly believe he was Han.
"Pivie of Congling. I wish to be your slave in this life, serving you eternally." The Kunlun slave, Pivie, replied.
Zhou Fugui had saved the Kunlun slave Pivie by chance and had personally slain his enemy. Pivie naturally considered Zhou Fugui his true master and vowed to serve him lifelong, without wavering.
"There are no slaves in the army..." Zhou Fugui shook his head. "All in the army are brothers. At least in my army, slaves are not permitted. Pivie, are you willing to join my ranks?"
What Zhou Fugui meant by this was that he was willing to take Pivie in.
Pivie's background was truly pitiable, and thus Zhou Fugui decided to take him in. Moreover, as Zhou Fugui's contingent was small, he wished to recruit more men as a precaution.
Zhou Fugui's words caused Ye Guanting to look at him with renewed interest.
"Master, Pivie is willing," Pivie exclaimed with great joy, kowtowing repeatedly.
Zhou Fugui did not wish to be called master, yet Pivie still considered him so, and was willing to be his slave.
"Alas, I said there are no slaves in the army..." Zhou Fugui sighed and then ordered, "Fetch him some clothing to cover himself, and send for a doctor to treat his wounds."
Some people were born into slavery for generations. Over time, they came to believe they were meant to be slaves, born to serve others. This had become their norm, their undeniable truth. This, perhaps, was the "slave mentality."
Pivie was still bare-chested, his body covered in wounds.
Pivie smiled foolishly upon hearing this, unsure of what to say.
"You may go. Once you put on clothes, you will be one of us in the White Tiger Camp," Zhou Fugui said with a smile.
Pivie kowtowed again and then followed a Yan soldier away. Before leaving, he shot Ye Guanting a glare, thinking that Han people were cunning and silver-tongued, and that his master should beware of being deceived.
Pivie completely forgot that his master was also Han, and, of course, did not know that his master was of mixed Han and Xiongnu heritage.
The White Tiger Camp? Who were these soldiers? Ye Guanting was inwardly puzzled.
He did not hold out hope for the Han army of the Great Xia Kingdom; they could not have traveled so far. So, where did they come from?
"Come with me, I have something to ask you." As Ye Guanting was full of doubts, Zhou Fugui spoke to him.
They walked aside, and the beautiful grassland maiden, Abiya, brought over a pot of mare's milk wine.
Zhou Fugui glanced at Abiya with surprise, then saw Agu Damo behind her.
What did he mean? Zhou Fugui mused, then dismissed the thought of the siblings. He led Ye Guanting to sit down and asked, "Were you implying something with your earlier words?"
Abiya gracefully poured the mare's milk wine, cast a joyful and admiring glance at Zhou Fugui, and then withdrew.
Zhou Fugui had killed the Right Valley Leader Aodeng, effectively saving Abiya and her brother. For their great benefactor, Abiya naturally felt joy and admiration.
"What words?" Ye Guanting asked, feigning surprise.
"'What is lost in the east, is gained in the west.' Do you really think I don't understand? What have I gained, and what have I lost?" Zhou Fugui said.
"The General is indeed both cultured and martial. Guanting has misjudged you," Ye Guanting flattered Zhou Fugui and then asked, "General, you are... who exactly are you?"
Zhou Fugui was undoubtedly Han, but he and his retinue were dressed in barbarian attire. Ye Guanting could no longer contain his curiosity and asked Zhou Fugui.
"Soldiers of the Great Yan Kingdom..." Zhou Fugui replied with a smile. "Surprised? You should be. I am also surprised to have traveled thousands of miles to this place."
"What is there to be surprised about? In war between nations, what cannot happen?" Ye Guanting also smiled.
So he was a Han traitor, Ye Guanting thought with disdain.
Ye Guanting felt he was different from Zhou Fugui. He himself had been captured and forced to serve the Xiongnu, out of necessity. Zhou Fugui, however, was acting as a pawn for them...
"That is reasonable," Zhou Fugui nodded. "Do you have any other questions? Ask them."
"'What is lost in the east, is gained in the west,' and also 'When a horse strays, how do we know it's not a blessing?' The General has achieved victory against greater odds and captured a vast encampment, with countless people, horses, cattle, and sheep. However, this has also sown the seeds of future trouble for the General," Ye Guanting said.
Ye Guanting was, in fact, a person of great wisdom. After being captured by the Xiongnu royal court, Aodeng had recognized his talent and wished to make him an advisor. However, he still treated him as a servant. Ye Guanting, like Xu Shu entering Cao Cao's camp, remained silent and offered no strategies.
Meeting Zhou Fugui now, Ye Guanting felt a sense of encountering an old acquaintance in a foreign land, and thus spoke at length.
"What trouble?" Zhou Fugui asked, frowning.
"Is it not obvious?" Ye Guanting replied. "The General should know what place this is, and whom you have killed. This is the Xiongnu royal court, and the man you killed, Aodeng, was a high-ranking and powerful figure among the Xiongnu warriors. Does the General not believe that by sheer luck you killed Aodeng and captured this encampment, you can defeat the Xiongnu army that will surely arrive?"
Zhou Fugui nodded and asked, "What is your plan?"
The Xiongnu royal court was the Xiongnu's central stronghold. Therefore, Zhou Fugui had naturally considered that the Xiongnu army would retaliate fiercely, but he had not yet devised a countermeasure.
The principle of "one cannot sleep soundly with a neighbor who snores" applied equally to both Han and Xiongnu.
"Why did the General come here?" Ye Guanting asked, instead of answering.
"You are a slave of the Xi, and I am not much better off..." Zhou Fugui replied with a wry smile. "To put it nicely, I am a general of Yan. To put it crudely, I am a slave of Yan! Sent by my superiors, I have come to this place..."
Zhou Fugui felt the same sense of encountering an old acquaintance. He proceeded to tell Ye Guanting his story in detail, including why he had come to the Xiongnu royal court and why he had been forced to lead a southern campaign years ago.
As they spoke, the sky gradually darkened. Zhou Fugui then invited Ye Guanting to move to his tent for a more in-depth discussion.
Ye Guanting was also eager to talk and respectfully accepted.
Meanwhile, Agu Damo and Abiya became Zhou Fugui's attendants, and both were willing.