Bielbu Kuotuo, ruler of the Lingyuan Kingdom, glanced at the body that had just collapsed to the floor. His hands were still trembling violently.
Before coming here, all he had been thinking about was how to profit from this alliance’s war against Dachu — ideally as the greatest beneficiary of all.
Now, all he could think about was how to distance himself from what had just happened, to make it look as though none of this had anything to do with him.
Because Deshike’s country shared a border with his own, and if the Liangzhou cavalry came down hard and simply continued on their way…
He didn’t dare even imagine what that would mean.
Truthfully, he had genuinely been willing to attack Dachu. For many years, Dantai Qi had been a great mountain pressing down on the heads of all the Western Regions kingdoms.
The Liangzhou Army’s prowess in battle was something every one of the Western Regions kingdoms had experienced firsthand, and clearly so.
And Dantai Qi was domineering — everything had to follow the rules he laid down.
This did allow more Western Regions tribes to profit from their trade with the Dachu people, but Dantai Qi’s iron grip also bred deep resentment among those Western Regions kingdoms that wanted to monopolize that trade for themselves.
Now, at this very moment, everything had been shattered to illusion by Dantai Qi’s arrival.
What came next seemed even more terrifying to him, because he did not believe that Dantai Qi would be satisfied with killing only Deshike.
Thirteen rulers of the Western Regions kingdoms had gathered for this summit. It could be said that not a single one of them had come without hoping to gain something — that was simply the truth.
Which also meant that Dantai Qi would not be wronging anyone he chose to kill. It was simply a matter of who was unlucky enough.
“Grand General…”
Bielbu Kuotuo looked toward Dantai Qi and offered an awkward smile. “I have already killed this traitor to demonstrate my loyalty and friendship to the Grand General. If the Grand General has any further instructions, you need only say the word.”
Dantai Qi smiled. “The decisiveness of the Lingyuan ruler is truly something I admire.”
He swept his gaze across the others — those whose faces had gone somewhat pale with fright — and raised his hand, gesturing toward the seats. “Everyone sit down.”
Not one of them dared to actually sit immediately. They all stood there, stumbling over each other to say that they were fine standing, they’d prefer to stand…
“Sit.”
Dantai Qi said, “Or is it… that there are certain things you can only discuss among yourselves seated, but cannot discuss while seated with me?”
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone scrambled to find their seats.
In truth, each of them had brought at least several thousand soldiers, and if Dantai Qi had truly come with only eighty men, they would have had a very real chance of killing him.
But imposing aura was something impossible to explain away.
“When I came in, I saw the camps stretching for a dozen li outside. All your personal guards and escorts combined would number in the tens of thousands.”
Dantai Qi spoke in an even tone. “The guide who came partway to meet me on the road…”
He glanced toward Bayinke, the Eqin of the Bake Alliance, who had arranged the guide waiting in the distance to lead Dantai Qi here.
Bayinke heard his name and immediately bent forward. “To serve the Grand General is the honor of every man and woman of the Bake Alliance.”
Dantai Qi nodded. “The guide you sent to receive me, when we were nearly at the pasture grounds, told me that the gathered forces numbered in the tens of thousands — all the personal guards of the various rulers, formidable in appearance. Then he asked me: Grand General, you have come with only eighty men — how do you intend to enter the pasture?”
He looked around the room and asked, “Do you know how I answered him?”
The assembled rulers exchanged glances. No one dared to venture a response.
Dantai Qi said, “I told the guide to raise the great banner of my Liangzhou Army — and ride in just like that.”
He lifted his wine cup and drank, then swept his gaze across them once more. After a brief pause, he continued.
Dantai Qi shifted his tone: “The reason I dared come in is because I knew there were still friends of mine among you. Not all of you came here seeking to make enemies of my Liangzhou Army — some of you were deceived into coming.”
A chorus of voices immediately replied: “Yes, yes, that’s right — we were all deceived by Deshike.”
One person added: “He claimed it was a meeting to discuss trade affairs between our kingdoms and Dachu. That’s the only reason we came.”
“Yes, exactly!”
The others echoed in agreement.
Dantai Qi smiled. “And you, Lingyuan ruler — were you also deceived into coming?”
Bielbu Kuotuo immediately bowed forward. “Grand General, I truly was deceived by Deshike. That man had treacherous intentions. He only told us after we had all arrived that the purpose was to move against the Grand General. Naturally, none of us were willing. He then threatened us, saying that we had already attended the summit and thus already angered the Grand General, and that once you learned of it you would never let us go.”
Dantai Qi laughed heartily.
He laughed for quite some time before saying, “I would, of course, not go after all of you — but… there are some here who surely were not deceived into coming.”
He looked at Bielbu Kuotuo. “I have heard that the previous summit you all held was convened by the Lingyuan ruler himself?”
Bielbu Kuotuo shook his head vigorously. “Impossible — absolutely not. That was entirely Deshike’s idea. Truly, it has nothing to do with me.”
Dantai Qi smiled, then turned to the others. “Whatever has happened here, there needs to be a resolution. Do any of you have a grievance with my Liangzhou Army?”
The group immediately shook their heads. “No!”
“We all wish to be friends with the Grand General — all of us want to come to Liangzhou City to do business.”
“Yes, yes — all these years, we have held the Grand General in the highest esteem.”
They spoke over one another in their eagerness, but what truly frightened them was not Dantai Qi here in this moment, nor those eighty battle-hardened Liangzhou personal guards.
It was the Liangzhou Army.
If the Liangzhou cavalry had already destroyed Deshike’s kingdom, and if something now happened to Dantai Qi, then the Liangzhou Army would fight to the last soldier to eliminate every single person in this tent.
After all these years of dealing with Dantai Qi, all these years of crossing blades with the Liangzhou Army — they knew him far too well.
Dantai Qi listened to them finish, then gave a somewhat satisfied nod. “So none of you have any grievance or grudge against my Liangzhou Army, and no dissatisfaction of any kind — which means, naturally, this summit of yours was never directed against my Liangzhou Army.”
The moment those words came out, everyone eagerly nodded in agreement once more.
Dantai Qi said, “I have no conflict with any of you, no enmity. And yet I have witnessed a killing here — someone has died, and a ruler at that.”
He paused, then smiled. “Over the years, thanks to the kindness you have all shown me, I have always been the one to mediate disputes between the various kingdoms. And so this time — this time, let me mediate once again.”
He turned to Bayinke. “Go and summon Deshike’s men in here.”
Bayinke immediately acknowledged the order and dispatched someone to call for them.
Shortly, Dumunne, the commander of the personal guards who had accompanied Deshike, came striding in quickly. The moment he entered, he saw his ruler lying in a pool of blood.
“Your Majesty!”
Dumunne rushed forward and dropped to his knees beside the body.
Dantai Qi said, “Bring Bielbu Kuotuo’s men in as well — have them wait outside the tent.”
At his word, Bayinke immediately complied, having already made his choice and thrown his lot in with the Liangzhou Army.
Shortly after, Woshilu, the commander of Bielbu Kuotuo’s personal guards, arrived and stood waiting outside the great tent.
Dantai Qi addressed Dumunne: “Your ruler Deshike, for reasons unknown, fell into a dispute with the Lingyuan ruler. The two of them quarreled, and the Lingyuan ruler seized my side-blade and stabbed Deshike to death with it.”
Hearing this, Bielbu Kuotuo’s eyes snapped wide open.
Before he could speak, Dantai Qi continued: “Every ruler seated here witnessed this with their own eyes — all can attest to the truth of what I have said.”
Bayinke immediately added: “I saw it with my own eyes. The Lingyuan ruler suddenly snatched the Grand General’s blade and drove it straight into your king.”
Dumunne shot to his feet, drew his blade, and pointed it at Bielbu Kuotuo. “You treacherous dog!”
Bielbu Kuotuo knew no explanation would be believed now. He immediately shouted toward the tent entrance: “Come and save me!”
His guard commander Woshilu moved to charge inside, but several Liangzhou soldiers drew their blades and cut him off.
Dantai Qi spoke in an unhurried tone: “Grievances are meant to be resolved. Debts are meant to be repaid. Whoever owes something pays it back, and whoever has been repaid lets it go.”
He looked at Dumunne. “If the Lingyuan ruler gives your people no satisfaction, your two kingdoms will go to war — and when that happens, the common people on both sides will suffer terribly. That is not what I wish to see. Therefore, this matter must be settled here and now. It cannot be left to fester.”
He asked Dumunne: “Do you understand what I mean?”
Dumunne shouted: “I understand!”
And with that, he swung his blade at Bielbu Kuotuo. “Our king is dead — and so must you be!”
Bielbu Kuotuo ran back and forth through the great tent trying to dodge the blows. Everyone else scrambled to get out of his way — wherever he fled, people shrank aside. Dumunne swung and chased after him, and the two of them knocked the tent into disarray, toppling tables and sending wine jugs and platters crashing to the ground.
Dantai Qi paid them almost no attention whatsoever. He picked up a bunch of grapes and popped them into his mouth one by one.
Bielbu Kuotuo was no match for a trained general. After a short chase, Dumunne caught up to him and drove the blade into his abdomen.
As Bielbu Kuotuo crumpled to the ground, outside the tent, his guard commander Woshilu’s eyes went red. He let out a roar and tried to surge forward.
“Stop shouting.”
Dantai Qi looked out toward the entrance and addressed Woshilu: “Your ruler killed someone else’s ruler. That ruler’s people took revenge and killed yours in turn. By my reckoning, it would seem neither side owes the other anything.”
Woshilu bellowed: “It was you! You are the ones who killed His Majesty!”
Yet Dantai Qi’s voice remained as unhurried as ever, cutting cleanly through Woshilu’s roar.
“Do you want to be ruler?”
Woshilu, mid-shout, suddenly froze. He looked instinctively toward Dantai Qi, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Dantai Qi continued: “Their ruler is dead and they must return to install a new one. Your ruler is also dead. If you move fast enough — before others have word of it — the position of ruler should be beyond anyone else’s reach to contest.”
Woshilu’s expression shifted rapidly through a cascade of emotions.
Dantai Qi said: “And I happen to like the look of you. If you become the new Lingyuan ruler, the gates of Liangzhou City will remain open to your Lingyuan Kingdom — business as usual. What’s more, I will naturally send a generous gift to congratulate the new ruler.”
Woshilu stood at the entrance for quite some time, unable to decide.
Dantai Qi said: “Or perhaps this — have both of your kingdoms’ people go back and report that the two rulers disagreed and came to blows, and — to everyone’s surprise — both were killed. No one could have predicted it.”
His fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop. “The rulers of every kingdom seated here are willing to corroborate this account for whoever returns to carry the news. With that, there would be no cause for conflict between your two kingdoms — after all, both lost a king. Neither side comes out ahead.”
He looked at Woshilu. “If you are willing, go back on those terms. If not — well, it seems I cannot mediate this one after all. The Liangzhou Army’s approach to mediating Western Regions disputes has always been the same: if reason can prevail, we speak; if it cannot, we fight. Whoever is willing to be reasonable — them we help, against the one who won’t be.”
After saying this, Dantai Qi rose to his feet. “Work it out among yourselves. When you’ve decided, send someone to let me know. Otherwise, how will my Liangzhou cavalry know which side to ride against?”
At the entrance, he turned and said: “The Bake Alliance is a friend of my Liangzhou Army, and Bayinke is my personal friend. From this day forward: harm one man of his, I kill one man. Harm his kingdom, I destroy that kingdom.”
With that, he strode out in great steps.
Outside, eighty personal guards raised their hands in unison and gave a crisp military salute.
—