CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 451: PREPARATIONS (PART 1)

This Rouran Horse Slave, with dark skin and a forehead full of wrinkles, knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the grass, not daring to lift his head: "Slave greets the Commandery Princess."

His Mandarin was quite good, without any noticeable accent.

Jiang Shaohua became interested and asked with a smile: "What’s your name? How old are you? How many years have you been at the racecourse?"

The horse slave remained kneeling: "Slave is fifty-three years old this year. I’ve been at the racecourse for eighteen years. My former name, slave has long forgotten. Now, slave’s surname is Ma, called Changqing."

Jiang Shaohua raised her eyebrows and looked at Ma Yaosong.

Ma Yaosong coughed and said in a low voice: "There are quite a few foreign horse slaves at the racecourse. Simply relying on the Ma Family is insufficient for management. Grandfather chose those among the horse slaves who could speak Mandarin and were clever, granted them the surname Ma, and had them act as stewards."

County Magistrate Ma had his own methods for managing the racecourse. These horse slaves, away from their home, living in a completely unfamiliar place, inevitably harbored hostility toward their so-called masters. Mere suppression wasn’t a solution. Instead, selecting some capable and ambitious ones among the horse slaves to act as stewards meant that it was the stewards who exploited the horse slaves, sparing the Ma Family from intervening directly in everything.

If a steward harbored ulterior motives, they could just find a reason to kill him and replace him with someone else. It wouldn’t stir up much trouble.

This Ma Changqing was among the best of the stewards, loyal to County Magistrate Ma and the Ma Family.

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly and began asking about the customs of the Rouran Clan.

Ma Changqing had already been instructed by Ma Yaosong, and naturally spoke without reservation: "The Rouran Clan is a nomadic people. Regardless of age or gender, they can ride horses with blades. When dismounted, they are herders, living by water and grass."

"... There are hundreds of tribes, large and small, combined. The Khan is the leader of the largest tribe, the Prime Minister handles civil affairs, and the State Preceptor governs religion."

"When it’s time for war, all the tribes must send troops. Gold, silver, jewelry, cattle, sheep, women, and children that they seize must partly be handed over to the Khan, with the rest belonging to their own tribe. Hence, tribes are eager to wage war, and annexing each other is common."

"The year slave fought a losing battle, women and children were killed, and cattle and sheep were stolen. Slave was lucky to be bought by the Ma Family as a horse slave. At the racecourse, slave can raise horses, even married and had three children, living a prosperous and peaceful life. Slave is a member of the Da Liang Ma Family, only wishing to remain at the racecourse forever."

He even expressed his loyalty.

Indeed, he was quick-witted.

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly, giving Ma Yaosong a look.

Ma Yaosong caught on, and said softly: "Ma Changqing is loyal and capable, earning Grandfather’s appreciation. The wife he remarried wasn’t a Rouran woman but a widow from here, whose husband’s family sold her. Grandfather bought her and gave her to Ma Changqing."

In other words, the family contract of this household was all in County Magistrate Ma’s hands.

From the details, one could see the meticulousness of County Magistrate Ma’s work.

Jiang Shaohua made a sound of acknowledgment and continued asking: "Who is the current Rouran Khan?"

Ma Changqing responded: "When slave was in Rouran, it was under the rule of Khan Shou Luo Bu. The Khan was wise and courageous, and everyone admired him. However, the Khan died of illness five years ago. Now it’s Fumingdun Khan. Slave left Rouran over ten years ago and isn’t familiar with this new Khan. However, slave has heard from many horse slaves from Rouran in recent years that Fumingdun Khan is cruel, loves to kill, and there are often wars and deaths between tribes."

So, the one who massacred Peng City was this Fumingdun Khan.

Jiang Shaohua’s gaze turned cold as she said indifferently: "Housekeeper Ma, go find a newly arrived Rouran horse slave. I want to ask about Fumingdun Khan."

Ma Yaosong clasped his hands and went, soon bringing over a horse slave.

This horse slave appeared to be only thirty years old, with similarly dark skin and a well-defined face, even somewhat handsome. Moreover, this horse slave was tall with long legs, had spirited eyes, and his left hand was strong, demonstrating that he was a valiant rider.

The pity was that his right sleeve was empty. A rider without a right arm, even if he could mount, couldn’t draw a bow or wield a knife anymore. In the grasslands, a physically incomplete man was no different from a dead man.

The Ma Family, when purchasing horse slaves, sought those who were well-versed in the temperaments and care of horses, so lacking a right arm wasn’t a significant issue, and they bought this one with a missing right arm.

Ma Yaosong spoke softly: "Commandery Princess, this horse slave was bought into the racecourse last year, his name is Mani. He was originally the chief of a small Rouran tribe, but later his tribe was annexed by a larger one, leaving its people utterly destroyed. He would also have been killed, but my uncle fancied him and bought him back."

"He lost his right arm and was considered a cripple on the grassland. So, buying him didn’t cost much silver. He took ill during the journey and it took much effort to cure him. Later he tried to escape twice, but was caught each time."

"Since coming to the racecourse, he has nowhere to run anymore, so he stopped escaping. He spends his days living in the stables and is really skillful at tending to horses. Moreover, he can appraise horses, truly talented."

Mani showed no expression, so it was unclear if he understood this long explanation.

Jiang Shaohua carefully scrutinized Mani: "Have you seen Fumingdun Khan?"

Ma Yaosong immediately asked in Rouran language.

Upon hearing Fumingdun Khan’s name, Mani’s face suddenly twitched, and a deep hatred flashed in his eyes. He suddenly shouted loudly.

Jiang Shaohua looked at Ma Yaosong.

Ma Yaosong hastily translated: "Mani says Fumingdun is his mortal enemy."

Mani’s tribe, originally had six or seven hundred people, with two hundred cavalrymen, was an insignificant small tribe. Since they accidentally grazed too close to Fumingdun Khan’s tent, Fumingdun Khan sent cavalry to destroy the tribe. Mani had his right arm severed and became a slave.

After that, he was bought by the Ma Family and brought to Biyang Racecourse.

Mani was too agitated, and Ma Yaosong instantly scolded him, causing Mani to shut up, his gaze sinister and fierce. Like an eagle with broken wings, even if it couldn’t soar anymore, it was certainly no easy prey.

Jiang Shaohua said indifferently: "Have him describe Fumingdun Khan’s tribal situation, the more detailed the better."

Mani had only been at the racecourse for a year, and usually didn’t talk or interact with anyone, as he still couldn’t speak Da Liang dialect. After Ma Yaosong asked him, Mani spoke with a sinister face for quite some time.

Ma Yaosong, being meticulous, pulled out a charcoal pencil and paper, noting everything down, filling an entire page.

Jiang Shaohua looked at the notes on the paper, and frowned.

Fumingdun is the leader of the largest tribe, with fifty thousand cavalry warriors under his command. Additionally, there are three other large tribes with about ten thousand cavalry each. Other medium or small tribes have varying numbers of cavalry. In total, if all sent their troops, there would be over a hundred thousand cavalry, but Mani wasn’t clear on the exact number.

Rouran Cavalry are brave and skilled in battle, even a thousand-strong cavalry unit could break through ten thousand troops of Da Liang. With such a massive cavalry force launching a full-scale attack, it’s no wonder the border army is struggling to fend them off and is retreating successively.