In the northern desert, there was a mountain called Geqi Mountain, whose primary mineral resource was iron ore.
The importance of iron ore was self-evident, serving as a crucial raw material for forging weapons, armor, and other vital items.
Naturally, such an important iron mine was controlled by the Xiongnu nobility, and the miners were, of course, their slaves.
In this world, descending into a mine was almost equivalent to a journey through the eighteen levels of hell.
"Crack!"
"Get down, hurry down, why aren't you going down?"
A Xiongnu mine overseer viciously whipped a slave miner, urging them to descend into the pit.
"Master Handuo, if we go down today, we will surely die!" an old miner pleaded, dodging the overseer's whip.
It was a day of rain and snow, a drizzle mixed with snowflakes that had been falling for the entire day. Although the rain and snow had momentarily ceased, the ground remained a muddy mess. The wooden supports of the mine shaft, ancient and decayed, were on the verge of collapse. Dust, gravel, and dirt continuously fell from the ceiling. Under such conditions, a mine collapse was imminent, and descending into the mine was tantamount to certain death.
"Crack!" The overseer, upon hearing this, flew into a rage and struck the old miner again with his whip. The barbed whip left bloody gashes across the old miner's body. As he whipped, the overseer cursed, "You old scoundrel, what do I care if you die? If you delay the matters of the Right Valley Leader, every one of you will die!"
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The overseer wielded his whip with brutal force, each lash following the previous, beating the old miner down into the mud and water. The old miner coughed up blood, staining the muddy water on the ground red. His body was a bloody, mangled mess from the whip.
The other slave miners watched in shock and fear, unable to do anything but witness the old miner being beaten to death by the overseer.
"Father is being beaten to death!" At this moment, a miner, built like a mountain, as strong as an ox, with curly black hair, could no longer bear to watch. He rushed out from the crowd, knelt on one knee, grasped the overseer's whip with one hand, and helped the old miner up with the other. He glared at the overseer and roared.
"How dare you, Kunlun slave, rebel?" The overseer struggled to reclaim his whip, like a dragonfly trying to shake an iron tree, his face turning red and his neck bulging, yet he could not break free. Enraged, he shouted, "Guards! Guards! The lowly slave is rebelling!"
A group of Xiongnu soldiers rushed forward, pressing him with their swords and spears. Faced with the deadly weapons, the ox-like Kunlun slave dared not resist further, only glaring at the Xiongnu soldiers.
The Xiongnu soldiers then chained the Kunlun slave. The thick iron chains cut deep into the slave's bare skin, leaving deep marks. His powerful muscles bulged through the gaps in the chains.
"Give him one hundred lashes. Let's see who dares not to go down the mine!" the overseer commanded coldly after his men had bound the Kunlun slave to an execution frame.
If anyone else dared to disobey, the overseer would not hesitate to kill a few more as a warning. Slaves were plentiful, and their lives were cheaper than livestock, even less valuable.
The execution frame was stained with blood, and countless people had died upon it.
Two Xiongnu warriors, upon receiving the order, each picked up a barbed whip and took turns lashing the Kunlun slave bound to the frame. After just over fifty lashes, the Kunlun slave's skin was no longer intact, and he had been whipped unconscious.
The slave miners became even more terrified, standing frozen and trembling.
"Down the mine!" The overseer, having instilled fear, then ordered with a triumphant air.
And so, to the sound of whips cracking against flesh, the slave miners descended into the mine, one after another, in silent obedience.
However, the situation unfolded exactly as the old miner had predicted. Not long after, the mine shaft collapsed, burying the hundred or so slave miners who had descended. There was little hope of survival.
The Kunlun slave, having been whipped unconscious, had miraculously escaped.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Good! Excellent!"
"Right Valley Leader, how are these Tongsse starved wolves I captured?"
"Haha, you have a discerning eye. I shall reward you with a female slave."
"Many thanks, Right Valley Leader!"
Ao Deng was the Right Valley Leader of the Duoyongjian tribe of the Xiongnu.
The title of Valley Leader was an official position within the Xiongnu hierarchy and a noble title. The Valley Leaders, like the Wise Kings, were divided into Left and Right, forming the Xiongnu's two wings.
The Great Chanyu, of course, sat at the center, flanked by the Left and Right Commanders. The elder was on the left, and seniority was given to the left, a system similar to that of the Han. Therefore, officials of the left wing held slightly higher status and rank than those of the right wing.
However, Ao Deng, the Right Valley Leader, held a significant position within his tribe, second only to the Great Chanyu, the Left and Right Wise Kings, and the Left Valley Leader. He commanded the Left and Right Great Generals, Left and Right Great Captains, Left and Right Great Officers, and other officials. His forces were not to be underestimated.
On this occasion, when the Great Chanyu Duoyongjian was leading his southern campaign, the Right Valley Leader Ao Deng was ordered to remain and guard the Xiongnu royal court.
With the Xiongnu Left and Right Wise Kings and the Left Valley Leader accompanying the Great Chanyu Duoyongjian on the southern campaign, the royal court was under Ao Deng's authority as the senior figure. Ao Deng thus indulged in revelry without restraint at the Xiongnu royal court.
Ao Deng secretly wished for the Great Chanyu Duoyongjian and the Xiongnu Left and Right Wise Kings, and the Left Valley Leader to perish in the south. That way, he could seize the opportunity to become the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu.
This morning, Ao Deng, surrounded by his wives, concubines, officials, attendants, and servants, was engaged in a "beast fight" in front of his grand tent in the camp.
The so-called beast fights that Ao Deng and the Right Valley Leader watched were not between beasts, but between humans and wild animals. Slaves were thrown into a wooden enclosure and forced to fight ferocious beasts. A slave who defeated the beast could preserve their life, but if they lost, they would be devoured by the beast. Even if they managed to win, if they were injured, Ao Deng and his companions would deem them useless and either let them fend for themselves or execute them to avoid wasting food.
The beast fights were extremely bloody and brutal.
At this moment, a muscular slave, wielding a club, was fighting five starved Tongsse wolves. Although he managed to kill one wolf, he was knocked down by the remaining four. These wolves, enormous in size, had not eaten for days. After tackling the club-wielding slave, they began to tear into him ferociously. In an instant, the slave's flesh was ripped away by the wolves, his stomach burst open, and blood flowed everywhere, accompanied by his screams of agony, a horrific and unbearable sight.
Yet, Ao Deng and his entourage watched with great amusement, clapping and cheering.
"Worthless slave, so useless." In a flash, the slave wielding the club was torn to shreds by the wolves. Ao Deng said with lingering dissatisfaction.
"Right Valley Leader, I captured a fierce tiger from Beishan. How about..." a Captain under Ao Deng said with a smile.
"Good, good..." Ao Deng was delighted and repeatedly exclaimed, "Tigers from the north are all ferocious beasts. How many people do you think would be appropriate to fight it?"
"Right Valley Leader..." the Captain replied, "Although the tiger is fierce, how can it compare to an armed warrior? One would be enough, or perhaps..."
A group of people fighting a tiger would be less interesting. They wanted to see a single person face off against a tiger – thrilling and exciting.
"Or what?" Ao Deng asked.
"Ten female slaves fighting a tiger. What do you think, Right Valley Leader?" the Captain asked with a smile.
"Ah!!?" Ao Deng's wives and concubines gasped in surprise.
They had seen male slaves fight wild beasts many times, but they had never witnessed female slaves fight a tiger.
Women were naturally weak; how could they fight ferocious beasts?
Ao Deng glared fiercely at his wives and concubines, then said to the Captain, "Go and make the arrangements."
Ten female slaves, almost naked, fighting a tiger. While it was a bit regrettable, Ao Deng had never witnessed such a scene and was therefore extremely eager and excited.
The Captain acknowledged and went to make the arrangements.
He wondered how the southern campaign was going and how long such a pleasant life could last. As the Captain left to make arrangements, Ao Deng held a cup of wine and contemplated.
In fact, regardless of whether Duoyongjian's southern campaign was victorious or not, it would be beneficial for Ao Deng. If Duoyongjian won, he would likely march into the Central Plains and would probably not return to the Xiongnu royal court. If Duoyongjian lost, unless he died at the three passes of Xue Lin City, he would return to the royal court. However, if Duoyongjian lost, his strength would inevitably be weakened, which would also be good for Ao Deng. Ao Deng could then further weaken his strength, kill him, or drive him away, thus becoming the supreme leader of the Xiongnu tribes.
On the grasslands, it was a case of the fittest surviving, and everything was decided by strength.
"Right Valley Leader, something has happened, something has happened." As Ao Deng was lost in his calculations, the Geqi Mountain mine overseer, in a state of panic, galloped into the camp and reported to Ao Deng at his tent, dismounting his horse.
"What has happened?" Ao Deng's pleasant dream was interrupted by the overseer, and he asked irritably.
"The Ge... qi Mountain mine has collapsed. Over... over a hundred slaves have died." the overseer reported in a panic.
"What?" Ao Deng was greatly shocked and stood up from his seat, exclaiming.
Ao Deng was both surprised and distressed. The distress was not for the hundred or so slaves, whose lives were cheaper than livestock, but for his iron mine.
Mineral resources were scarce on the grasslands. This iron mine was owned by Ao Deng's family and was the foundation of his power. Ao Deng had become rich through this iron mine.
Recruiting soldiers and horses required vast sums of money.
"Right Valley Leader, do not worry..." the overseer quickly reassured him, "The mine shaft collapsed. We can order it to be rebuilt. But those miners have rebelled. They refuse to go down the mine anymore and have even armed themselves and fought with us."
The overseer's panicked report was not due to the mine collapse or the death of over a hundred slaves, but because the Geqi Mountain miners, in their anger, had fought back fiercely against the overseer and the Xiongnu guards, refusing to enter the mine. Such an incident was beyond the overseer's authority.
"Useless fools! Capture their leader, kill their head, and execute one to warn a hundred. Let's see who dares to rebel?" Ao Deng said, glaring at the overseer.
"I have already captured him. He is a Kunlun slave," the overseer quickly replied.