Chapter 1 Bi Wenxin's Unit Annihilated

Bi Wenxin's entire unit was wiped out, while the Dongping army suffered less than a hundred casualties, with only eleven killed in action. Although it was an ambush, the casualty ratio still had the guides, who had suffered under Bi Wenxin for many years, praising them to the heavens. After annihilating the majority of Bi Wenxin's unit, attacking the camp was just a containment exercise. The key was not in the attack, but in gradually making the enemy lose hope. Tan Weiran and Chi Lei were not the kind of generals who were good at storming fortifications; their encirclement was not perfect, but they had the best scout team. No matter how many waves of reinforcements the defenders sent out, they were all searched and killed, and their heads were sent back. After repeating this four or five times, the already disadvantaged defenders finally had a nervous breakdown and surrendered. Of Bi Wenxin's unit, a total of 9,200 people, including Bi Wenxin, were killed in action, while the remaining 8,000 became prisoners.

The next task was simple. Tan Weiran and Chi Lei quickly contacted several nearby tribes and sent troops to help escort the prisoners. Tan Weiran only had to hand over the prisoners to the tribes; as for how many of them would actually provide labor for tribal construction, as they had said, that was not his concern. Countless amounts of wealth were seized from the annihilated Bi Wenxin unit, showing the extent of their corruption. Although Tan Weiran and Chi Lei declined in every way, the grateful tribes refused to take back all the spoils. Primarily, they lacked a mechanism to verify the source of the wealth and redistribute it. Knowing the strength of Dongping and its potential to lead them to a new life, they gave the majority of the spoils to the Dongping army. Besides distributing some to the soldiers, Tan Weiran decided to use a large sum of money to hire labor to open up a port large enough to berth large warships in the northeastern frontier of Bei Liao in the shortest possible time. Although they had reached this point, the area they controlled was just an enclave for Dongping and Yunzhou. If they couldn't obtain reliable supplies, it would be difficult to sustain. And it would be even harder to fight their way back.

The naval forces had already prepared a large fleet to attack the eastern route of Bei Liao. If the Old Master could gain a foothold here, there would be no need for a complicated and dangerous landing operation; they could directly establish a base in the north. Then, Tan Weiran and Chi Lei, along with the person in charge of the naval forces, could form a joint command to organize tribal resistance, train local soldiers, and use supplies and money to promote local circulation and improve the lives of the tribal people. All of these goals could only be achieved with at least one port to provide sufficient supplies.

Tan Weiran and Chi Lei's proposal to the tribes naturally received a very positive response. After resolving the most direct threat to the tribes, Bi Wenxin, these impoverished tribes naturally knew that while the Dongping army had demonstrated its strength and helped them resolve the threat, it was also a declaration of allegiance. There was no longer any possibility of wavering back and forth between Dongping and Bei Liao. Considering the possible retaliation from Bei Liao, the 20,000 troops from Dongping were not enough. Having a port to obtain supplies and assistance was also very important for these tribes that had finally united.

After meeting with the elders of several tribes, Tan Weiran continued his work of visiting and contacting them, while Chi Lei began building a larger camp at the original site of Bi Wenxin's unit. This time, he was building it to fortress standards. This would be their front line against Bei Liao's offensive, and it could not be lost. The construction of the camp progressed very quickly. In just a few days, due to their shared hatred of the Bei Liao court, their admiration for the heroes who annihilated the enemy, and their desire for sufficient food and good weapons, these tribes had mustered a large army of 25,000 men and placed it under Chi Lei's command. According to them, they might lack everything else, but they certainly didn't lack people. All the tribes that had received word of the arrival of Dongping reinforcements had sent their strongest warriors and most vigorous young men. And Chi Lei immediately began the first training exercise: physical fitness. Carrying earth and stone was the best way to build strength. Although the tribal warriors were quite puzzled by this, they saw the Frost Wolf and Silver Wing armies, as well as the Jingyun cavalry warriors from the Running Wolf Plains in the northwest, working tirelessly on the construction projects when they weren't on guard duty, so they wholeheartedly threw themselves into it.

They soon learned from their interactions with those warriors how enthusiastic the tribes on the Running Wolf Plains were about advanced construction techniques. Moving with the water and grass was still the main way of grazing, with penning as an important supplement. But with the four fields at peace, a small number of herders could manage a large number of livestock, and the efficiency of animal husbandry continued to improve. The tribal warriors united to patrol their common borders or joined Dongping's unification war to reap glory and spoils, rather than wasting their strength on infighting. And many of the tribes' people gradually began to engage in various other types of production and labor. With sufficient manpower, financial resources, and materials, the improvement of some related production techniques was very rapid. For example, the originally rough leather-making technology had now become a systematic industry, with the cooperation of many people, that was attracting attention throughout the continent. Some leather products were already taking the initial form of luxury goods. Was Yunzhou's present the future of these ethnic minorities in northeastern Bei Liao? This situation made many people ponder. But as this information continued to spread, Tan Weiran and Chi Lei's image as saviors became more and more distinct, and the respect they received and their influence on these tribes also increased.

"Your Highness," said Tulu Dan, the elder of the largest Dongba tribe, who had been accompanying Tan Weiran recently, introducing him to the representatives of various tribes and coordinating communication between them. Tulu Dan seemed unusually respectful today as he said to Tan Weiran, "We sincerely invite you to attend the oath alliance of forty-seven tribes from the Xiang, Momo, and Zharga tribes. You will be our most honored guest."

Tan Weiran had heard about the oath alliance long ago. Basically, after the oath alliance, all the tribes would unite to fight against a common enemy and combine their strength. In the history of the entire northeastern continent, there had only been three oath alliances. The first was during the era of the original Middle Earth Great Tang, when these three tribes united to fight against the Great Tang's suppression army. The second was during the era of continental upheaval, when it was to resist a series of natural disasters that were the most terrifying in centuries. Either they would all die, or they would all withstand the natural disasters together, which forged a deep friendship between these tribes. Although they would not merge or simply become a small country because of friendship, these tribes had never attacked each other since then, although their opinions might differ, at most there were only minor frictions. The third was to jointly resist the attack of Bei Liao, but that time it became the first case in history of an oath alliance failing to achieve its goal. Now that they were inviting Tan Weiran to participate in the oath alliance, it was clear that all the tribes had reached a consensus in private. Considering how short the time they had entered the tribal territory was, the efficiency was really high. This was partly because they had been bullied too badly by Bei Liao, and this time the combat power and determination shown by Dongping was too strong.

"Elder Tulu Dan, may I ask, what do I need to do at the oath alliance? We will always be your best friends and strongest supporters," Tan Weiran said modestly.

"Your Highness, at the oath alliance, you will ascend the high platform surrounded by incense and torches, surrounded by the chiefs and elders of the various tribes. You will join the chiefs of the various tribes in dripping blood into the strong sheep's milk wine. When you drink the wine, you will become our master, and you will gain our complete loyalty, from now until you are summoned by the divine master..." Tulu Dan became a little excited when he thought of the sacred oath alliance.

"Elder, if the object of allegiance of you brave tribes is to me personally, I cannot accept such an oath alliance... I am only a representative of Dongping. Although I have been granted full authority to decide how to make the tribes a powerful part of Dongping and obtain the good life they deserve, I have no right, nor do I intend, to make the tribes my private force," Tan Weiran said seriously. "I think I am willing to participate in such a ceremony, but I hope that what you are loyal to is Dongping, the country that will eventually unify the continent. I can guarantee that if your lives are not improved, if your contributions and sacrifices to Dongping are not rewarded, then you will not be retaliated against for terminating such loyalty. But if you get what you deserve, I hope you can always become a part of Dongping."

Tulu Dan was stunned for a moment, then he put his right hand on his chest and bowed deeply, his lowered hair touching the ground. He said equally earnestly and respectfully, "As you wish." Tulu Dan and the elders had originally thought that being loyal to him personally would greatly enhance his strength in the competition for the throne. And he would also focus more on strengthening his ties with them, but now it seemed that the royal family and the country this prince was in were not what they had measured.

"Well then, when will the oath alliance begin?" Tan Weiran asked with a smile. Then, he slightly strengthened his tone and asked, "So, forty-seven tribes... Is that all the tribes? Are there any tribes that are dissatisfied with the oath alliance? I think we need to be united, and some things always need to be faced and dealt with."

Tulu Dan was stunned for a moment, and he murmured, "This... Your Highness, please give them a way out. There are a few tribes... they don't yet understand that Your Highness has come with sincerity."

Tan Weiran smiled and said, "Elder, don't worry, I don't intend to use force to suppress them. I just hope you can send guides to take me to chat with them. That's all."

Tulu Dan bowed deeply again and said, "Your Highness, I will be by your side."