Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 483 - 453 - War Horse Price Increase!?

Chapter 483: Chapter 453 - War Horse Price Increase!?

"What the heck!? You’ve tricked the Demon Clan to come here?"

Changsun Bubai felt insecure for the second time in his life when he heard Zhang San mentioning that he had brought hundreds from the Demon Clan, intending to settle them in the Helan Mountains to the north of Lingwu.

The first time Changsun Bubai felt insecure was just when he was about to change into a new set of undergarments his daughter had made for him in his sleeping tent, and just as he took off his pants, Zhang San burst in.

"Military Envoy, think about it! First off, there are only a few hundred of the Demon Clan left, and half of them are the elderly, women, and children. Although each of them has strong combat abilities, as a whole, they pose no threat to us," Zhang San argued.

"Secondly, the Ying Zhao clan are centaurs, with the lower body of a war horse, even more robust than ordinary war horses, and the upper body of a human. They are quite human-like and can communicate. Thus, their reproduction and thriving in the Helan Mountains would perfectly serve to guard against Tujue invasions."

Zhang San said as he drew several lines in the air using Qi, explaining as he pointed at them.

"We are here in Lingwu, above us is the Yellow River, and further up lie the Helan Mountains. This location right here is Stone Mouth Mountain!"

"Stone Mouth Mountain is where the Yellow River meets the Helan Mountains, and it’s also a spot where Tujue often sends troops southwards. The Ying Zhao clan has a feud with Tujue. Originally a thousand strong, now only four to five hundred remain, half of whom have been killed by Tujue, who also wish to use the Ying Zhao as mounts. If we propose that the Ying Zhao can settle in the Helan Mountains with the precondition that at least half of them stay in Stone Mouth Mountain, it would create an excellent line of defense and alert."

Changsun Bubai didn’t quite understand the map Zhang San drew with Qi as it was too abstract, but he deeply memorized the terrain of the entire northern Longyun Path, the northern Jin River and the vast grasslands further north.

Changsun Bubai had to admit, if the Ying Zhao clan could indeed, as Zhang San said, help Great Sui hold Stone Mouth Mountain, then it was indeed feasible to let them stay.

After all, sending troops there would also require considerations for encampment, military provisions, and other issues.

Even if the troops sent failed to send an alert before being annihilated by the Tujue people, it would be like making a wasted move in chess.

But now, at least according to Zhang San’s plan, the strength of the Ying Zhao clan still appeared very strong, with each adult equivalent to the early stages of the Primordial Qi Realm in combat power.

"But can the Town Demon Office agree to this? After all, this is tantamount to us establishing a cooperative relationship with the Demon Clan, and I’m worried about the Capital..."

Zhang San knew Changsun Bubai didn’t want to be responsible for this. Zhang San said, "I, the Town Martial Office, will vouch for this. Just write it like that in your petition to Kaihuang. However..."

"I can guarantee it, but Kaihuang must issue an order that no one from the Great Sui side, whether the Town Demon Office or the military, is allowed to harass them. Otherwise, after I guarantee, if those fools provoke the Ying Zhao clan, what can I do?"

Changsun Bubai nodded and replied, "Alright, I will immediately draft a memorial and hurry it to the Capital. What are your plans next?"

Zhang San thought for a moment and said, "There’s something I realized, and I don’t quite understand. The cattle and sheep I brought back today were initially agreed to be split with the Ying Zhao clan. But they wanted all the horses. Considering we just met, I decided to give them a favor by trading the horses for the cattle and sheep, and then gave away the rest of the horses to them too. But the Ying Zhao clan being half-human, half-horse, why would they want so many horses? I can understand if it’s about the amount, but having more than three thousand horses under their control, I just don’t get it."

Changsun Bubai was shocked, staring at Zhang San and asking, "Don’t you know the current price of horses?"

"Aren’t the prices always that a good horse can be exchanged for thirty sheep? Sometimes even twenty-five or twenty-six can be exchanged," replied Zhang San.

Previously, when Zhang San went to Spring Breeze Town with Changsun Wuji, he had also inquired about the prices, hence Zhang San had agreed with Prince Ying Jun on the rate of forty sheep for one horse.

When Zhang San speaks, how could he not hike the price?

Changsun Bubai looked at Zhang San and said in a low voice, "Be mentally prepared for what I’m about to say next."

Zhang San nodded.

"Recently, because the Jin River Path side is planning a move against Gao Junxian, a remnant of Northern Qi, they urgently need warhorses. Now, if a horse can be used as a warhorse, the price is more than double that of before. Do you know what this means?"

Zhang San’s eyes widened in shock and said, "Does it mean that the price of a good horse could not be for thirty sheep, but at least sixty, or maybe seventy? Eighty?"

Changsun Bubai nodded slightly.

Zhang San took a deep breath, then smiled and said, "No worries, how big of a deal is it? I, Zhang San, when befriending the prince of the Ying Zhao clan, naturally have to be generous. Such a minor detail isn’t worth calculating. Definitely not, definitely not..."

"Zhang San, what’s wrong with you clutching your heart?"

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing. It’s just a bit itchy, I’ll rub it and the pain will go away."

Changsun Bubai watched Zhang San leave, shaking his head helplessly.

He knew that when the regular soldiers of the Great Sui Army went out to raid the Tujue, they typically grabbed what they could and ran, but Zhang San really went looting!

As a result, he lost so much on this raid that, if sheep were used as a unit of currency, Zhang San likely gave away at least seventy to eighty thousand sheep for nothing.

That was seventy to eighty thousand sheep!

Even if one were to count those sheep all night without sleeping, it would take three days and nights!

Now even the war horses in Longyun Path had increased in price, fearing that the battle conditions over at Jin River were quite fierce.

...

Meanwhile, outside Baizhou City on Jin River, cries of battle filled the sky.

Changsun Wudiao watched as the soldiers charged toward the base of Baizhou City and were then repelled by the Northern Qi Army, frowning deeply. He spoke in a low voice to a close soldier beside him, "Is our commander out of his mind? We should be alternating powerful assaults, not have wave after wave rush up only to fall back if they can’t take it. How long will it take to capture it this way?"

The close soldier immediately whispered to his own Third Young Master, "We should keep our voices down. This is Jin River, not our Longyun Path. Besides, two thousand of our soldiers are aiding in defending other cities, and we’ve only brought a thousand men here. Let’s not stir up trouble."

"But this strategy really isn’t working! I need to speak with General Du about this! Otherwise, this is just too..."

At that moment, an infantry soldier nearby glanced at Changsun Wudiao.

Changsun Wudiao noticed that the flag-bearing soldier was unusually tall and dark-skinned.

Logically, at this distance, the conversation between him and his close soldier should not be audible to anyone further away unless the listener was a martial artist, and a strong one at that.

But how could a martial artist end up as just a pawn in the army?

The tall, dark man was also surprised. He knew that a thousand-strong vanguard unit from the Longyun Path had arrived, but he didn’t expect the leader to be from Longyun Path and so young.

Changsun Wudiao pointed at the tall, dark man and said, "You, come here!"

The tall, dark man handed the military flag to an adjacent deputy flag bearer and walked toward Changsun Wudiao.

As he approached, Changsun Wudiao leaned in and spoke softly, "What’s your name? With your strength, you shouldn’t be just a foot soldier here!"

"I am Wang Junwu, recently enlisted, and have not yet established any merits. Being a flag bearer is quite normal," he replied.

"I am from Longyun Path, here to assist, and will return afterwards. Would you like to join me?"

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[Note 108] Historical Mini-lesson

According to the military organization of the Tang Dynasty, 50 people made up a large unit, which consisted of 5 middle units and a 5-person officer team.

Each middle unit comprised three small units, each small unit having 3 people.

The five-person officer team included one team leader, one deputy team leader, one flag bearer, and two deputy flag bearers.