Chapter 60: The Hu Jia (III)

Although it was deep at night, the central tent of the White Wolf tribe was still brightly lit.
Chieftain Suta sat upright on the hu bed at the head, looking quite serious.
He had convened all the tribe’s elders overnight to hold this meeting out of necessity. Those Tang soldiers who had invaded the Dafei River Valley had intruded upon their lives. Now, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo were locked in a fierce struggle over Shibao City, mobilizing the entire strength of their nations. At this exact moment, 30,000 Tang soldiers were passing through the Dafei River Valley—anyone with eyes could see their purpose.
Suta was certainly not as relaxed as he had appeared at the banquet; on the contrary, he was deeply troubled by this situation.
In fact, ever since the scouts reported that the Tang cavalry had entered the Dafei River Valley grasslands, two opinions had emerged within the Najie tribe. One group believed they should hold off Tang generals like Gao Xiuyan and Li Kuo before sending messages to the Tubo troops in Jiuku, to avoid drawing disaster upon themselves. The other group insisted on making a deal with the Tang army, using their elite forces to expand the White Wolf tribe’s grasslands southward all the way to the banks of the Wulun River.
The Tubo had long oppressed and exploited them—how could they resist the chance to exact revenge? Moreover, the Najie tribe had always valued integrity and could not do something that would earn them the scorn of the people of the highlands. Since the Tang people had kindly laid down their weapons and settled in their yurts, they were now considered friends.
To friends, the sons of the White Wolf tribe would offer only white scarves and fragrant wine.
“Chieftain, we should ally with the Tang army and use their strength to weaken the Tubo!”
A valiant White Wolf warrior shouted, waving his fist.
Suta frowned unhappily. “Our tribe has only about 5,000 strong warriors. Even if we add the 30,000 Tang cavalry, we’d have at most 35,000 men. How can we possibly compete with the Tubo, who have over 200,000 archers?”
“But, Chieftain, most of the Tubo soldiers are currently stationed at the Chiling front line and cannot be sent for reinforcements anytime soon. How can we know unless we try?”
The warrior argued stubbornly.
Suta waved his hand impatiently. “Enough! I understand. Listen to others’ opinions first.”
He was extremely frustrated—after more than an hour of debate, no consensus had been reached. If this continued, neither side would be satisfied.
“Chieftain, in my opinion, we should still hold off the Tang army and send someone to Jiuku City to inform the Tubo troops!”

An elderly man with white hair, draped in a yellow sheepskin, placed one hand on his shoulder and bowed deeply to Suta, speaking in a calm tone. Suta nodded and said, “Elder Has is right. There are only thirty thousand of these Tang soldiers, while Jiuqu City has twenty thousand defenders. It seems unlikely they can capture this city with just thirty thousand men. It’s better to be cautious.” As the chief of the tribe, Suta had an undeniable responsibility to make decisions for his people. On one hand, he had to offend the Tibetans and ally with the Tang forces to expand his tribe’s power; on the other hand, he had to betray his friends to gain the Tibetans’ trust. As chief, he could only consider the needs of his tribe first. After much deliberation, he still felt he should inform the Tibetans of the Tang soldiers’ whereabouts. After all, no matter how brave the Tang forces were, they were like dragons—they would retreat to Longyou after the Battle of Hehuang. The Tibetans, on the other hand, had controlled Jiuqu and Dafeichuan for generations. Even if he seized large areas of fertile grasslands in Nan Yuan, how could his tribe of less than five thousand strong men defend them? Suta shook his head—these Tang soldiers truly posed a serious threat. At that moment, a handsome young man suddenly rushed into the tent, knelt down, and cried out loudly, “Father, you can’t do this. We are descendants of the Divine Wolves—how can we do such a thing that disrespects the gods?” Clearly unprepared for the young man’s arrival, Suta was startled for a moment before shouting, “Isso, this is not your place to speak. The tribe is discussing important matters—leave immediately.” But the young man named Isso did not get up. Instead, he stubbornly bit his lip, trying to persuade his father with silent resistance. Seeing that even his son did not support him, Suta flew into a rage. His trembling finger pointed at Isso, and after a pause, he said only one thing, “Bring this traitor outside and lock him in the sheep pen. No one is allowed to release him without my order.” The chief’s words carried great authority. As soon as he finished speaking, two strong men from the White Wolf tribe dragged Isso away. Throughout it all, not a single elder spoke up to plead for Isso.

Suta seemed to dislike his son of Han descent. It wasn’t out of prejudice against the Han people, but rather because the son was too kind and weak. As the child of a tribal chief, he considered whether an action conformed to principles of kindness and righteousness rather than what was best for the tribe, which made Suta hesitant to entrust the tribe to him. Thus, even though he had only this one son, Suta didn’t show him much affection. Despite his reluctance, he had no choice but to let his restless brothers inherit the position of tribal chief.

The tradition of following leadership in China has existed since ancient times, a practice common among both nomadic tribes and central plains dynasties. Since the chief himself disdained his own children, the elders also became indifferent to them. It was no wonder, then, that as the chief’s only child, Iso, at just twenty years old, still didn’t have his own herd or pasture.

“Ah, why did I give birth to such a useless child?”
After Iso’s disturbance, Chief Suta changed his mind and decided to first control the Tang soldiers and see how things developed.

“Tubo, are there any signs from those Tang generals?”
After making up his mind, Suta gently tapped his forehead and asked softly.

A young man from the Naji tribe standing nearby placed one hand on his shoulder, bowed slightly to Suta, and said loudly, “Chief, I’ve already sent people to watch their tents, but I haven’t noticed anything unusual.”

This young man was Tubo, the bravest warrior of Suta’s White Wolf tribe and the chief’s most trusted ally. Out of concern for the tribe, Chief Suta even considered adopting Tubo as his son. As a result, Tubo’s status was higher than that of Suta’s own son, Iso.

Suta narrowed his eyes slightly, smiled faintly, and said softly, “I doubt they’ll notice either. But you still need to keep a close eye on them. If the Tibetans demand someone from us, we’ll have to abandon our tribal morals to protect the tribe.”

Tubo nodded and prepared to leave to assign more people to monitor them. At that moment, Aina, dressed in a milky white sheepskin jacket, stepped lightly into the tent, wrapped her arms tightly around Suta’s neck, and said coquettishly, “Dad, I just like that man from the Central Plains. I don’t care—you have to get him for me.”

Chief Suta sighed bitterly; he really didn’t know what to do with this spoiled girl.

He gently stroked his daughter’s cheek and said softly, “Aina, I suppose those Tibetans won’t care about a man from the Central Plains. If you wish, I’d like to bring that Tang boy into our tribe too. With his talents, he’ll surely bring prosperity to our tribe.”

Tuoba Wen, who was standing by the felt tent, heard these words and his cheeks instantly turned red. In frustration, he pounded his chest. After letting out a long cry to the sky, he left the tent in anger.

Chief Suta sighed softly and signaled Aina to step back, giving himself some time alone. Aina smiled gently at her father and walked slowly toward the tent curtain. The moment she lifted the curtain, she suddenly noticed that her father, who had always seemed like a majestic eagle in her eyes, now had gray temples. His still handsome face showed signs of age that could not be hidden.

In a modest small felt tent to the north of the central tent, Suyas sat alone, staring blankly at a bowl of mare’s milk drink.

The tent curtain fluttered, and a cold wind blew in. A young man dressed in nightwear appeared before Suyas like a ghost. Without any pleasantries, he spoke in a low voice, “The master ordered you to cut off that man’s head within a month. Why have you kept delaying? Have you developed pity for that boy?”

The young man’s cold eyes showed no emotion, as if he were just a beautiful statue, indifferently overlooking the joys and sorrows of the world, uninterested in human affairs.

Suyas didn’t seem angry. After drinking the entire bowl of mare’s milk drink, he sighed, “I’ve never forgotten the master’s orders. But these people are from the Tang Dynasty. I thought I could get information beneficial to the master from them, that’s why I slowed down the plan. How can you not understand, Axuan?”

The young man in black seemed annoyed and shouted, “Stop calling me Axuan. I’ve grown up now. We both serve the master. I won’t allow you to treat me like a child.”

Suyas was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to reply. After taking a few sips of the mare’s milk drink, he said sadly, “Axuan, your mother loved you the most. I remember on New Year’s Eve, she always saved the fattiest dumplings for you. Seeing your cheeks puffed up from eating, she would cry with joy. Life was poor back then, but it was full of warmth. Sometimes I wonder if our choice was right.”

The young man’s cheeks twitched as he snapped, “Since you remember your mother, you must not betray the master. Have you forgotten how she died? Only the master can avenge this deep blood feud for us.”

Suyas suddenly stood up and declared loudly, “Axuan, remember—I will never forget who killed my mother, nor will I betray my master. But after we take revenge, wouldn’t it be good to live in seclusion in the mountains, leading an ordinary life?”

The young man in the darkness sneered, “Are you afraid? When a nation is on the verge of chaos, a true man should wield his sword to carve out a legacy in the world. How can he settle for a mediocre life, imitating those peasants in the mountains?” (Note 1) With that, he said no more, drew his sword, and vanished into the night. Su Yas sat down dazed on the couch, staring fixedly at the curtain of the tent, utterly stunned. Note 1: From Romance of the Three Kingdoms