Hahaha, Lord Fang is indeed generous. Little Wang thanks you on behalf of my son for your cultivation!
I've heard the songs and dances of the Great Tang are captivating. Today, little Wang has also prepared some dancing girls. Would Lord Fang care to witness them?
After Yelü Yangwei left, the Khitan King smiled and looked at Fang Er.
He wondered what this fellow was thinking, not mentioning the territory snatched by the Tianyong and Tianmeng tribes.
Fang Er nodded, observing the situation.
The Khitan King waved his hand, and the general named Dusi stepped out.
Soon, he led in a group of young and beautiful women, who appeared to be from Goguryeo.
Indeed, the Khitan King's subsequent words confirmed Fang Er's guess.
Please don't misunderstand, Lord Fang. These women were captured from Goguryeo by me two years ago. They are not Han women from the Great Tang.
Fang Er nodded and remained silent.
One of the women, holding an erhu, knelt at the entrance of the tent and began to play a grating tune.
The other women wore hempen clothing, but these garments were similar to what women wear in gyms nowadays.
A hempen bra and a short skirt.
As the erhu began to play, the women started to dance.
However, Fang Er couldn't watch for long. What in the world were they playing and dancing to!
What's the saying?
There's no one the erhu can't make cry.
There's no suona that can't send off a soul.
Can you imagine what it's like to hear a sound like sawing wood from an erhu while watching a group of women dance awkwardly?
That's exactly how Fang Er felt now!
Incredibly uncomfortable!
As if sensing Fang Er's disdain, the Khitan King clapped his hands, "Change it!"
The erhu music abruptly stopped, and after a moment, it started again.
Admittedly, this time the playing was a tiny bit better, at least it wasn't torturing Fang Er's ears.
The dancing girls also changed their routine.
Before, they were just awkwardly gyrating.
Now, they added a high leg-kick.
When one of the dancers lifted her leg high, Fang Er was dumbfounded. This Khitan King was definitely a pervert!
She was completely bare underneath!
Enough, enough, all of you, withdraw!
Fang Er quickly waved his hand. It was too indecent for a group of grown men to be in a tent watching such a dance!
It seems I must write a memorial to the court, urging them to select some Confucian scholars to come and civilize them.
The Khitan King awkwardly waved them away: "All of you, withdraw!"
Then, he looked at Fang Er sheepishly: "Hahaha, it seems these women's dance moves still don't meet Lord Fang's standards."
Fang Er was a bit speechless and decided to cut to the chase.
Regarding the matter of your tribe's allegiance, I haven't inquired. What is the current situation?
The Khitan King laughed again, as if he had a screw loose: "Hahaha, upon Yelü Yangwei's return, he brought a personal letter from the Tang Emperor, stating that it should be handed over to Lord Fang. Please take a look."
Saying that, he took out a letter from his embrace and handed it over.
Zhuzi stepped forward, took it, and then presented it to Fang Er.
Opening it, Fang Er recognized the paper from Fang Family Manor. Looking at the signature and seal at the end, it was indeed Li Shimin's.
"Young man, you've reached Khitan territory. The Emperor and the court ministers have discussed it, and the matter of Khitan allegiance will be entrusted to you!"
There was only a simple sentence, which left Fang Er stunned.
This is just dumping the responsibility on me!
He put the letter away and saw the Khitan King looking at him expectantly.
No wonder this fellow was so fawning. It turned out that whether they could submit depended on his approval. Tsk, tsk, this feeling is great!
Alright, since that's the case, Fang will make this decision.
The terms agreed upon by your envoy in Chang'an shall stand: thirty thousand sheep, and ten thousand head of cattle and horses as tribute.
Additionally, you are permitted to build a city here. We shall unite the Xi and Khitan into one commandery, named Tianying. Do you have any objections?
Many thanks for Lord Fang's great kindness!
The Khitan King and the Xi chieftain both stood up and bowed to Fang Er.
The Xi tribe had no objections, as most of the tribesmen were already intermingled.
Furthermore, Fang has one more matter.
Fang Er continued.
Fang plans to establish a market in Shenyang. Initially, it was for trade with the eight Turkic tribes, now known as the Eight Wolf Tribes.
Since your two tribes have also chosen to submit, you may send people to Shenyang for trade and exchange in the future.
Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent was momentarily stunned.
This was great news!
Many thanks for Lord Fang's great kindness!
The Khitan King and the Xi chieftain bowed again.
Fang Er's words, however, were not finished: "Don't rush. Tribute is tribute; you need to send it to Chang'an."
Fang plans to purchase three thousand ewes, those that have given birth at least once. Those that haven't given birth are not acceptable, nor are old ewes. Is there any problem?
No, no problem! Instead of Lord Fang purchasing them, I, the King, will gift them to Lord Fang!
The Khitan King thumped his chest. Three thousand head was merely a drop in the bucket for the Khitan. They were already giving thirty thousand as tribute, so three thousand more was nothing.
This made Fang Er feel a little embarrassed.
After thinking for a moment, he took out a bottle of body wash from his pocket, a milk-scented one.
From the moment he entered the Khitan King's tent, Fang Er had felt extremely uncomfortable due to the strong odors.
Give and receive are the rules of courtesy. Fang doesn't want to accept so many sheep for nothing. This is for cleaning the body and removing odors. Gou Dan, smell it, are you satisfied?
He unscrewed the pump and offered the bottle.
The Khitan King was astonished by the exquisite glass bottle Fang Er presented.
He carefully took it and brought it to his nose to smell.
A rich fragrance wafted towards him, instantly causing him to close his eyes in intoxication, greedily inhaling the milky aroma.
No, this scent was richer than milk, the fragrance that remained after the gamey odor of milk was removed.
It was intoxicating!
Seeing him lost in the scent, the others in the tent became restless.
The bottle alone would be considered a treasure on the plains!
And the Khitan King's demeanor clearly indicated that the contents of the bottle were even more precious!
Gou Dan, are you satisfied?
Fang Er asked.
The Khitan King seemed not to hear him, continuing to greedily sniff the fragrance from the bottle.
This made Fang Er very speechless.
Damn it, this is body wash, not opium! Do you have to be so addicted?
Gou Dan?
Fang Er raised his voice.
Ah! Hahaha! Little Wang has lost his composure. Does Lord Fang truly intend to give this to Little Wang?
The Khitan King looked expectant.
Fang Er nodded, then asked, "Gou Dan, are you satisfied?"
Hahaha! Satisfied, more than satisfied!
The Khitan King nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice.
Very well, in that case, Fang can accept the sheep with peace of mind. Come, Fang will tell you how to use this.
Fang Er walked over, screwed the pump back on, and then explained to the Khitan King how to use it.