Anda Khan decided against using his wife to pay for grain. However, as the Great Khan and leader of the Mongol Tatar Tribe, he had a duty to protect the people under his rule. His people were starving, and if he merely relied on military force to suppress Ados's army, he would lose his authority as the Great Khan. In a wolf pack, when the alpha wolf fails to provide food for the pack, other strong wolves will continually challenge its position.
To resolve this matter completely, relying solely on force was insufficient. The root of the problem—food—had to be addressed.
But everyone was short on grain. Where could they obtain it?
Ba Han Naji, Anda Khan's grandson, stepped forward to share his grandfather's burden and said, "Great Khan, the White Lotus Sect still has surplus grain. Their leader nearly bought out all the grain in Fengcheng during the winter, driving prices up fivefold at their peak. Even dried meat became more expensive. Now my tribe is also starving, and we lack the gold and silver to purchase grain. It was the White Lotus Sect's hoarding and price manipulation that created this crisis. They should be forced to disgorge the grain."
Ba Han Naji was eighteen this year, a handsome young man. His father, Bu Yan Tai Ji, was Anda Khan's third son and the leader of the Bayue Tribe, but he had died young, leaving Ba Han Naji as his only son.
Anda Khan, pitying this orphaned grandson, brought him to the Khanate Court to be raised under the care of his second Hatun, Yi Ke Hatun. Having grown up under his grandfather's watchful eye, Ba Han Naji was naturally different from the other grandsons—he was Anda Khan's most beloved.
Similarly, Ba Han Naji was the only grandson who opposed sending Zhongjin Khatun to Ados in exchange for grain. He believed Zhongjin Khatun was his grandfather's woman, and his grandfather was happy with her. As the favorite grandson, he felt it was his duty to uphold his grandfather's dignity.
However, Ba Han Naji's status was too low, and without his father's support, his words carried little weight. The moment he spoke up, his eldest uncle, Huang Ji Tai, rebuked him, telling his nephew to shut up and that he was too young to understand anything.
Now that Huang Ji Tai had been banished by his grandfather to guard the city gates, Ba Han Naji dared to step forward and offer his strategy.
Ding Wu listened and nearly applauded Ba Han Naji's idea. It was another blow to the White Lotus Sect—a perfect two-for-one strike.
Ding Wu said, "Ba Han Naji is right. The White Lotus Sect has enjoyed the Great Khan's protection and was given the fertile Bansheng Land for farming. Now it is time for them to repay the Great Khan. This is the fastest way to obtain grain and force Ados to withdraw his troops."
Anda Khan felt somewhat guilty. As early as last winter, the most productive Bansheng Land had already been squeezed dry by him. The sect leader, Zhao Quan, had contributed forty thousand dan of grain to the Khanate Court, leaving only ten thousand dan for his own people. During the winter, the White Lotus Sect suffered starvation, and half of its followers defected and fled inside the passes. To stabilize the restless populace, Zhao Quan exhausted his family's wealth to buy grain for the winter. Now, to demand more from him would likely...
As Anda Khan pondered this, court officials stepped forward one by one, saying, "I second the proposal!"
"This is exactly what should be done! The trouble caused by the White Lotus Sect should be resolved by the White Lotus Sect!"
"None of us have as much grain as the White Lotus Sect. If they don't provide it, who will?"
Everyone supported Ba Han Naji's suggestion—better to let others suffer than oneself. As long as it didn't come from their own granaries, who wouldn't agree? Cutting into one's own flesh was painful; better to cut into the White Lotus Sect's.Anda Khan thought to himself: The White Lotus Sect has a faith but no country. Its followers are loyal only to their leader. It was for this reason they followed Zhao Quan in betraying their homeland and migrating to Bansheng Land to farm for self-sufficiency. They abandoned their native land without hesitation, so how could they possibly be loyal to me? They are not my subjects and owe me no allegiance. Squeezing them dry of grain and letting them starve—what concern is that of mine?
Having made his decision, Anda Khan said, "Summon Zhao Quan."
Ding Wu went to the White Lotus Sect's main headquarters under orders. With Ados' army besieging the city, Zhao Quan had gathered a group of young followers to form a suicide squad, intending to offer them to Anda Khan as cannon fodder.
Watching these young faces fervently reciting the White Lotus Sect's Precious Scrolls, impassioned and willing to die, Ding Wu felt both sorrow and rage. He inwardly cursed Zhao Quan for his shamelessness but maintained a calm facade. "Leader, Anda Khan wishes to see you."
Zhao Quan, already prepared, replied, "Does he need my troops to break the siege? Rest assured, I have everything ready. These thousand men are on standby, awaiting their journey to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."
Ding Wu asked, "Bansheng is already short on able-bodied laborers, isn't it? With planting season approaching, what will you do without enough workers?"
Zhao Quan shrugged indifferently. "After a few battles, there will be plenty of prisoners to use as slaves. I'll request two thousand young, strong slaves from the Khan to work in Bansheng. Slaves work harder and eat less—it's a profitable deal."
Zhao Quan had survived this long thanks to his cunning wisdom. In his eyes, human lives were no different from goods, all available for trade. These followers, deluded by his persuasion, even looked forward to death, believing it would bring them to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, far from all suffering.
Suppressing the urge to smash Zhao Quan's head, Ding Wu instead praised him, "Leader, your calculations leave no room for error. I admire your foresight."
Zhao Quan pressed further, "What exactly does Anda Khan want from me? How many troops does he need? I'd like to be prepared."
Ding Wu replied vaguely, "You'll find out when you get there. It has to do with Ados' siege."
When Zhao Quan arrived at the Khanate Court, he immediately sensed something amiss. Everyone was staring at him as if he were a sizzling piece of roasted meat. The feeling of being surrounded by wolves sent chills down his spine.
He turned to look for Ding Wu, but Ding Wu had already slipped away unnoticed, seeking refuge with San Niangzi.
Ba Han Naji blocked the entrance, as if afraid this prized catch would grow wings and fly off.
Steeling himself, Zhao Quan bowed in greeting. Anda Khan offered him a seat and said, "I need twenty thousand dan of grain—"
Before his rear even touched the seat, Zhao Quan sprang up and dropped to his knees with a thud. "Great Khan, the White Lotus Sect's granaries have long been empty! Moreover, we already lent you forty thousand dan of grain previously. Our sect has been tightening our belts to survive—we truly have no surplus grain to spare!"
Ba Han Naji, young and impulsive, burst out, "You have no grain? You bought up all the grain in Fengcheng and stored it away, driving prices sky-high! This is all your doing! How dare you lie to the Great Khan about having no surplus?"
The others joined in, accusing Zhao Quan of hoarding all of Fengcheng's grain and leaving others with nothing to eat.
Zhao Quan felt utterly helpless. He hadn't stolen or robbed—he had simply used his years of savings to purchase grain. What had he done wrong?
Now, the grain he bought at high prices was about to be requisitioned by Anda Khan. What would become of the White Lotus Sect's followers?
"Join the sect to avoid disaster" had turned into "join the sect to starve." Where would that leave the leader's authority? Wouldn't the remaining twenty-five thousand followers flee?Zhao Quan had no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy, "This won't do, Great Khan! Spring plowing is about to begin—we need laborers. If all the sect followers starve and flee inside the frontier passes, who will farm the land for the Great Khan? Part of the grain reserves is meant for seed. We'd rather let our parents starve than touch the seed grain—we cannot use these stores."
Anda Khan declared, "I am not here to negotiate with you. I command you to produce twenty thousand dan of grain today. Ba Han Naji will accompany you to the granaries to transport it. As for spring plowing labor and seed grain—we still have a month. I will have people bring seed grain from inside the passes and send slaves to farm the Bansheng Land. This won't delay sowing or harvest."
His meaning was clear: let the sect followers flee if they must—they're not my people anyway. The land is mine. If the sect followers won't farm it, my people will. The White Lotus Sect has no say in this.
When Bansheng was still barren wasteland, Fengcheng's food supply largely depended on smuggling through border passes. Over the past twenty-plus years, Bansheng's grain production had become sufficient to meet the needs of both the White Lotus Sect and Fengcheng, with surplus every year—enough to even raise cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens. At its peak, they had fifty thousand horses and thirty thousand cattle, trading excess grain with surrounding herders for meat, living quite comfortably.
With abundant grain came rapid population growth. Then a drought sharply reduced harvests. The Great Khan took most of what remained, pushing them to the brink of starvation. To conserve food, the sect slaughtered all but over a thousand oxen and horses kept for plowing, transport, and breeding—eating the rest. They thought the crisis would resolve come spring, but instead came a "late cold spell" colder than winter. Anda Khan, indifferent to Zhao Quan's survival, was determined to squeeze the White Lotus Sect dry.
Zhao Quan crawled on his knees to Anda Khan's feet, clutching his legs in desperate plea, "It can't be done, Great Khan! Without twenty thousand dan of grain, the White Lotus Sect will collapse! When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. If all the followers flee... farming requires skill—slaves can't learn it overnight. You can't just start farming. Herders and farmers are worlds apart in their trades!"
Ba Han Naji, fearing Zhao Quan might resort to desperate measures and harm his grandfather, grabbed Zhao Quan's hands and forcibly peeled him off Anda Khan's legs. "Stop trying to scare us. If herders can't farm, we'll keep a few farmers to instruct them. It's all manual labor—anyone can do it. Cease your alarmist talk here. This grain was grown on our land—it belongs to us. For over twenty years, the Great Khan never collected rent from you. Now it's time to repay him."
Half dragging, half pulling, Ba Han Naji removed Zhao Quan to transport grain from the Bansheng granaries.
Zhao Quan, still unwilling to yield, continued shouting as he was dragged along the ground: "We don't even have enough porridge! What will happen to over twenty thousand sect followers? Great Khan! I'm willing to give ten thousand dan! Don't take it all! Leave something for the White Lotus Sect!"
No one heeded Zhao Quan's pleas. The sect followers were Zhao Quan's people—whether they starved or fled inside the passes was none of our concern. Our own tribesmen were going hungry too.
No one sympathized with Zhao Quan. Ba Han Naji, annoyed by his clamor, struck him with a fist like a clay pot, knocking him unconscious. He hoisted Zhao Quan over his shoulder, stuffed him into a carriage, and departed the Khanate Court.
Ding Wu watched Ba Han Naji carrying the unconscious Zhao Quan on his shoulder, thinking he resembled a fattened pig at New Year's—fed and housed all year until plump and content, grunting with satisfaction. Only when the owner ties it up for the slaughterhouse does it realize the truth, struggling and squealing desperately—but it's already too late.Zhao Quan raised ignorant followers like pigs, ready to sacrifice them at any moment, while Anda Khan in turn raised Zhao Quan like a pig, slaughtering him for meat when the critical moment arrived.
Truly, the wheel of justice turns inexorably.
Author's Note: Don't assume this melodrama has reached its conclusion—far from it! The real drama is just beginning. Special thanks to all the angels who voted for me with the special tickets or nourished this work with nutrient solution between 2020-10-21 03:03:40 and 2020-10-21 19:48:29!
Thanks to Mu Suifeng for the landmine!
Gratitude to the nutritional fluid contributors: Xiaoxihong Tomato (30 bottles), Wushanju Youke (10 bottles), Anning (3 bottles), Haoshuai (2 bottles), and Jasmine (1 bottle)!
Your support means everything—I'll keep striving!
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