Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 507 - 475: Do You Want to Hear a Story About an Imperial Uncle?

Chapter 507: Chapter 475: Do You Want to Hear a Story About an Imperial Uncle?

Zhang San originally thought that the other party was very important and considered capturing them, hoping to exchange them for quite a number of cattle, sheep, and even gold and jewels.

But when Zhang San learned that the other was the eldest son of Khan Muzhen, his thoughts changed.

"So you are Dashi Bian! I’ve long admired you!"

As he spoke, Zhang San planted the Mo Blade into the ground beside him and raised his hand in a gesture to stop.

The Martial Artists from the Town Martial Office as well as those disguised as regular Martial Artists from the Heavenly Punishment Sect immediately ceased their actions.

Although Dashi Bian was not very familiar with the culture of the Great Sui, he knew that "I’ve long admired you" meant admiration for a long time.

He had heard this phrase before from some merchants of the Great Sui.

"You know me?"

"Of course, on the entire steppe, who doesn’t know that you, Dashi Bian, and your grandfather Khan Muzhen are both top-notch heroes! The future eagle of the steppe!"

When he heard Zhang San praise him like this, Dashi Bian, holding his long sword ready to fight at any moment, felt somewhat embarrassed.

"So you..." Before Dashi Bian could finish, Zhang San bowed with clasped hands and said, "You are a hero of the steppe, and I like nothing better than heroes of the steppe. Thus, these people and livestock, they are my spoils of war! Those defeated by my hand become my slaves, and this rule applies on your steppe as well, right? But I respect that you, Dashi Bian, are a hero. I’ll give you half of these cattle and sheep!"

Dashi Bian originally saw a tribe migrating towards the Land of the Midday Sun and wanted to send someone to remind them that recently an Evil God, Black Dragon, had appeared in the Land of the Midday Sun, which was very dangerous. [Note 110]

But he never expected to encounter the very incarnation of the Black Dragon Evil God here.

Nor did he expect that the Black Dragon Evil God would admire him for so long.

Zhang San shouted to a Purple Mansion Realm master from the Ying Zhao clan who was still fighting in midair, "Senior, you can stop now, he’s a friend."

The Purple Mansion Realm master from the Ying Zhao clan was very confused, wondering just when this mess had become friendly.

But since the Purple Mansion Realm master from the opposing Tujue side had already retreated, and his injuries had not fully healed, not fighting was naturally the best option.

And with the end of the battle, Zhang San first had his people take away the captured Tujue people and half of the cattle and sheep, then he actually gave half of the cattle and sheep on the spot to Dashi Bian.

Ying Jun felt uneasy and whispered to Zhang San, "Brother San, isn’t this your booty? Why give them half?"

Zhang San glanced at Prince Ying Jun, feeling that telling him the truth might be too much for his understanding.

"The person’s status is distinguished, as the eldest son of Khan Muzhen from Tujue. If we kill him, Khan Muzhen will surely annihilate your Ying Zhao clan. But if I don’t kill them, they will keep pursuing us, so I left half of the cattle and sheep and asked him to let you go. So go quickly! Go quickly!"

It was then that Prince Ying Jun realized that Zhang San’s gift of half the cattle and sheep was actually for his sake, and he was profoundly moved.

"Rest assured, they’re just some cattle and sheep. Then I’ll stay back and compensate them with the valuables on me and negotiate some more. He should then leave your Ying Zhao clan untroubled. Don’t worry, I’m here, you must leave. If he changes his mind, you’ll be in danger."

"But if I leave, what will you do, Brother San?"

Zhang San thought to himself: Naturally, I will be enjoying wine and delight with my hero of the steppe!

"Ying Jun, you must understand, you are the future of the Ying Zhao clan! Hurry, leave! I’ll be here! If... if something happens to me later, you must become steadfast allies with the Great Sui to jointly oppose Tujue. Hurry, leave!"

Finally, Zhang San sent Prince Ying Jun and his own subordinates away.

Then he came with Dashi Bian and others to a place with a wide view and sat down.

Zhang San took out several jars of fine wine directly from the Gluttonous Bag and started offering drinks to Dashi Bian.

Given that Zhang San had come to loot the Tujue, Dashi Bian was still somewhat worried that there might be something wrong with Zhang San’s wine.

Seeing Zhang San start to drink, he then drank together with him.

However, the bond between men is very subtle.

A moment ago they were ready to fight each other, but now because they were drinking together, they quickly became confidants.

"The wine from the Midday Sun isn’t strong enough, not good! It has to be our steppe’s wine!"

Dashi Bian waved at his guard beside him, who immediately brought up the Tujue wine.

Zhang San took a drink.

Well... this wine, it’s really disinfectant!

"You’re Zhang San? Then why are you robbing the Tujue people?"

Zhang San laughed and asked in return, "Given the relationship between the Great Sui and Tujue, isn’t it normal for me to come and take things?"

Dashi Bian thought about it and realized it indeed made some sense.

Moreover, Dashi Bian found that Zhang San was different from the People of the Great Sui from the Land of the Midday Sun whom he had met before. Those Sui people always talked about not wanting war, wanting to live in peace with Tujue, but in his view, he was sure that was not what they truly thought.

But this Black Dragon Evil God, Zhang San, was different; he really came to take, and he truly admitted he wanted to take.

Open and aboveboard!

A hero!

When Zhang San called Dashi Bian a hero, Dashi Bian also felt that Zhang San was a hero.

Although they started as somewhat hostile, they quickly became like good brothers in the midst of drinking freely.

Zhang San at one point praised the loyalty of the guards under Dashi Bian, feeling that Dashi Bian must be a good leader.

Another time, he said that Dashi Bian would be a Khan of the steppes in the future, with limitless prospects!

As he was praising, Zhang San suddenly thought of something and added a sentence.

"Dashi Bian, I feel a natural affinity with you, seeing how sincere you are with others. I bet the relationship with your brothers at home must also be very good! Next time, bring your brothers along, and let’s drink together!"

Upon hearing this, Dashi Bian felt a surge of sadness and drank all the wine in front of him in one go.

After finishing, whether it was the strong flavor of the alcohol or something else, Dashi Bian actually had tears falling.

"Evil God Brother, you don’t know, on the steppes, we actually place great importance on lineage. My mother was of humble origin, not from a noble tribe of the steppes. So my brothers have always looked down on me! Even though I am the eldest, they even refuse to call me ’big brother’!"

Upon hearing that, Zhang San realized it was just as he had guessed, the brothers did not get along.

Isn’t that inappropriate?

"No! Dashi Bian, you are a hero of the steppes, the future lion of Tujue! If you are willing, you are my big brother! Come on, big brother, let’s drink!"

Dashi Bian, seeing that even a man from the Land of the Midday Sun was willing to call him big brother, felt even more sorrow.

Seeing this, Zhang San immediately comforted him, "Actually, we in the Great Sui also value lineage, but the difference is, we have a saying, ’A hero asks not about origins!’ Come on, let me tell you a story about a hero!"

"In a dynasty before ours in the Great Sui, there was a man of low status who could only survive by selling straw sandals. Many people looked down upon him. However, he did not believe that was his fate. Later, he met his good brothers, a butcher and a fugitive. The three of them together conquered a territory!"

"So, you must believe, as a hero of the steppes, your future has infinite possibilities!"

Dashi Bian, listening to this story, was a bit puzzled; he could understand that the seller of straw sandals needed the help of a fugitive, as being able to kill and escape showed the man had strong martial skills.

But why also a butcher?

Was this the legendary beauty trap?

Probably?

Dashi Bian, not quite understanding the culture of the Great Sui and embarrassed to show his ignorance in front of Zhang San, was too embarrassed to ask.

"So, what was the name of this hero who sold straw sandals?"

"Imperial Uncle Liu!"

Although Zhang San only realized here that the story choice might not be fitting, as Liu Bei was originally a descendant of the Jing King of Zhongshan and an Imperial Relative, it was irrelevant to mention that to Dashi Bian.

As long as he believed that he could become a future Khan of the steppes, that was enough!

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[Note 110]Historical Mini-Science Pop

In "The Orkhon Inscriptions," it records: "Forward to the sun rise, right to midday, back to sunset, left to midnight, all peoples there are subject to me, I have organized all these people."

From here, it can be seen that the Tujue people’s sense of direction is based on standing on the ground facing east, then using the appearance of the sun in four directions—front, back, left, right—to determine directions.

Therefore, their reference to sunrise means east; their reference to sunset means west; their reference to midday refers to south, because their location is north of the Tropic of Cancer, so the sun they see is usually in the southern sky, hence the south is referred to as "midday"; their reference to midnight refers to north, because further north would actually result in polar night.

Hence, in the book, the Tujue people refer to the southern region as the "Land of the Midday Sun."