Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 623 - 576: Ding Kucha’s Dream of the Great Khan_2

Chapter 623: Chapter 576: Ding Kucha’s Dream of the Great Khan_2

"Ding Kucha Khan, truly astute as expected. In that case, let me not beat around the bush in the presence of clear-minded people. From the beginning, we in Kaihuang had heard of you, knowing you are the uncle of Khan Muzhen, and we from Kaihuang believe that you are the rightful Khan of the steppes!"

"After all, Khan Muzhen is only good at fighting, but does being able to fight necessarily qualify one to become a Khan? Isn’t that what Military Generals are supposed to do?"

"Now, finally seeing you become the Khan, we in Kaihuang are overjoyed. Thus, we sent me to bring you gifts, hoping that Ding Kucha’s tribe and our Great Sui can become eternal allies!"

"Kaihuang even said, as long as Ding Kucha Khan is willing to become friends with our Great Sui, gifts like the ones today will come every year, and they will only increase, never decrease!"

Zhang San himself didn’t believe what he had just said.

But whether he believed it or not didn’t matter, as long as Ding Kucha believed it.

Indeed, Ding Kucha’s eyes lit up upon hearing Zhang San’s words.

"Did Kaihuang really say that?"

Zhang San nodded.

"But Kaihuang probably wants more than just friendship, perhaps you’ll need my help with something when necessary, right?"

Zhang San smiled and gestured, saying, "Our Kaihuang is always considerate of friends when acting. He is concerned that Sharlobi has just come into power and wants to use this opportunity of invading the Great Sui to make you lose troops. Our Kaihuang has always disliked such two-faced people!"

Ding Kucha had been merely worried about the loss of his troops, but now, hearing Zhang San’s words, he felt even more that his forces might be diminished in this battle.

"So, does the Great Sui expect me not to participate in this war?"

Ding Kucha had already decided that if Zhang San confirmed that this was indeed what the Great Sui wanted, then he would demand a hefty price.

However, Zhang San simply smiled and shook his head.

"The Great Sui never makes things difficult for a friend. Thus, this time, Khan Ding Kucha, you should still dispatch troops. It’s just that your troops traveling south cannot gather all at once before setting off, right? Certainly, you’d send a portion of your forces as the vanguard, to scout ahead and help collect some food and military pay from the tribes along the way."

Hearing this, Ding Kucha’s eyes gleamed.

He had worried that if the battle went awry, he wouldn’t gain anything substantial.

But now, following Zhang San’s suggestion, he could send troops down south and have the other tribes along the way provide food and support.

After all, if his great army marched south with large quantities of food, who knows when they’d be ready, but asking others to prepare was different.

Moreover, as the grand Khan of the steppes, what was wrong with demanding some military contributions from them?

At that moment, Ding Kucha, looking at Zhang San, found everything about him agreeable.

"So, the Great Sui means that they hope I will deploy my troops?"

Zhang San nodded and said, "Indeed. Although Sharlobi calls for all Khans to deploy troops in his name as the Great Khan, the Khans of Dashi Bian, Long Bo, and Long Bo’s daughter, these three Khans, plan not to deploy, allowing our Great Sui forces to concentrate against the enemy. But the Great Sui never puts friends in difficult positions."

Understood!

Totally understood!

Ding Kucha had completely understood.

Dashi Bian was outright unreliable.

Long Bo Khan was the one who even dared to handle Khan Muzhen, surely he wouldn’t fear Sharlobi.

It seemed that this time, when Great Sui Sharlobi ordered the troops to invade Great Sui on five fronts, only two fronts would actually send troops.

Not right!

Ding Kucha quickly realized that ever since the break between Xing Luohou and Sharlobi, there was no likelihood of their cooperation being as before.

Thus, it was highly probable that Xing Luohou wouldn’t send troops either.

They all wouldn’t deploy troops, so why should he?

Was he foolish?

So, it would be better to do as Zhang San suggested, taking the opportunity of deploying troops to benefit from the tribes along the way.

At this moment, Zhang San, seeing Ding Kucha tempted, added another weight to the greedy scales.

"Khan Ding Kucha, you must be very careful on your march south! I am friends with Kucha Shahhan, and since you are his elder brother, I naturally consider you a friend too. Be cautious of some tribes along the way that may have already colluded with the Great Sui."

Ding Kucha was stunned.

You’re literally from the Great Sui!

What nonsense are you talking about?

But the next moment, Ding Kucha instantly understood that asking the other tribes for more military pay along the way was not much.

But if any tribe showed a poor attitude towards him, throwing down a hat of collusion with the Great Sui could make the entire tribe his!

This was far more powerful than merely plundering the tribes along the way!

Zhang San, it’s got to be you!

Ding Kucha and Zhang San talked more and more congenially, enjoying the conversation more and more.

Even Ding Kucha, if he weren’t worried about appearing too friendly with the people of the Great Sui, would have wanted to form a sworn brotherhood with Zhang San.

The various methods Zhang San provided for identifying whether someone had colluded with the Great Sui were simply brilliant!

If someone in a tribe has black shoes, it certainly indicates they have been bought by the Great Sui.

Because black represents ’mysterious’ and symbolizes the North, the North is where Tujue is, isn’t it? Stepping on the North symbolically supports the Great Sui.

If someone in a tribe has white shoes, it certainly indicates they have been bought by the Great Sui.

Because white represents ’surrender’, just by putting on white shoes and getting on a horse, it signifies imminent surrender! Symbolizing that Tujue will surely be defeated in this battle.