Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Migration and Avoidance of Calamity
He Huer’s reaction was already within Lu Zhen’s expectations. Previously, the first messenger had come to recruit them because of some misgivings and did not agree. Now that the two sides had such a deep grudge, it was naturally even more impossible for them to submit. Wasn’t that sending him to the edge of the saber?

This path was just a cushion, but seeing that everyone had the same thoughts, Lu Zhen was still a little happy. However, his face remained calm as he stretched out his second finger and said, “Then the second path is to fight them first.”

Once these words were spoken, the expressions of He Huer and the others immediately changed. Many people even shook their heads repeatedly, their eyes filled with fear. Although the grasslands had not yet been completely unified, the reputation of the forces was enough to make everyone fear them. As soon as they thought of the consequences of being enemies, some people felt a chill run down their spines.

After a moment of silence, He Huer also shook her head, “Is this possible? We, Rahab Clan, simply do not have that kind of strength …”

“Patriarch, please hear me out.” Lu Zhen hurriedly interrupted him and said, “Rahab Clan alone is naturally no match for us, but what if we can unite some of the nearby tribes to fight against him?”

“This” Lu Zhen’s suggestion caused many people to be moved. Even He Huer hesitated.

But at this moment, Hezha, who had not spoken much, objected, “Not really. Although we have a good relationship with the nearby tribes, they probably do not dare to help us on this matter. After all, they have to face that terrifying power first. Moreover, he will only be able to use more troops than us.”

He Huer thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, “That’s right, this is indeed not a good idea.”

“Could it be that there isn’t any power on the grassland that can contend against the forces of the previous tribe?” Lu Zhen frowned and asked, “They are from the Tatar Tribe. Can any Tatars step forward to help us?”

This was the answer that Lu Zhen wanted the most. As a transmigrator, he was very clear about how much threat and destruction his subordinates would pose to the Central Plains after a few years. If he could completely trap him with internal friction before his power succeeded, or even take a step further, then Daming’s calamity would not appear again.

Unfortunately, what he expected was a negative answer: “Since Zhu Di’s army invaded several times, the Tartars have suffered heavy injuries to their vitality. The rest of them are just struggling to survive. It is simply impossible for them to contend with them first! And even if they do, no one is willing to fight for us first!”

Hearing this, Lu Zhen sighed a little regretfully. Although he already knew the answer, he still felt a little uncomfortable hearing it. This method was completely bankrupt, so he could only take a back seat. Fortunately, that was the goal he really wanted to achieve.

Before Lu Zhen could say anything, He Huer asked again, “I wonder what the third path is?” Actually, this second path was already quite tempting to him, so he was even more interested in this last path.

“The third way is to avoid the edge and go somewhere else,” Lu Zhen said without hesitation. “Although he was very powerful on the grassland, there are always places where his hands can’t reach. As long as we can leave this place and move elsewhere, they won’t be able to find us for a while.”

As soon as this suggestion was made, He Huer frowned somewhat awkwardly. Being unable to defeat them was indeed in line with the Mongol strategy, but it was a helpless choice when facing the powerful Ming army. It was not an easy task to leave this region for this reason and find another suitable place for the entire clan to reproduce.

Not to mention how difficult it was for these few thousand people to migrate, as long as they encountered any mishap on the road, it would be a disaster. Just finding such a grassland that could provide for more than two thousand people would not be so easy. Normally, places rich in water and grass were occupied by tribes of all sizes. Even if they weren’t occupied, they were still reserved for some tribes. At that time, it would inevitably create friction and conflict with these tribes, and even trigger war.

Another thing that made it difficult for him to leave this place was the rock wall that could provide the tribe with salt. If they left this place, the salt production that had brought wealth to everyone would be completely cut off, and Rahab Clan would be beaten back to its original state!

As the saying goes, from thrift to luxury is easy, from luxury to thrift is difficult. Although it was just over a month, Rahab Clan was already used to this kind of life. Not to mention all the conveniences and benefits, just being able to enjoy salt was not something that everyone wanted to give up.

In fact, this was why He Huer had resisted Ye Xian’s recruitment. No one wished to hand over the wealth and resources in their hands to anyone else.

Seeing the other party’s hesitation, Lu Zhen added, “Patriarch, the life and death of the entire clan is at stake. Don’t let a single thought ruin the big picture. Everything else can start over. Only the lives of the clansmen are at stake.”

“He Huer, what the Divine Envoy said is extremely true. This is the last and best choice.” Hezha said.

After pondering for a while, the others also expressed their agreement. The pressure on them was too great. As long as they thought that a large number of ferocious men would soon come in the name of revenge, they wished they could leave this place immediately.

Seeing that everyone was saying this, He Huer could only nod her head, “Then choose this path. We will leave this place tomorrow and find another place to settle down!”

When Lu Zhen heard this, he unconsciously exhaled deeply. The result he hoped to achieve had finally been realized. He didn’t expect that he would be able to create such a variable just by killing one person. This made him feel a little proud in his heart.

He offered this countermeasure not only to help the Rahab tribe, but also to consider it at a deeper level.

The first point was to make it easier for him to escape. If he stayed here, it wouldn’t be so easy for Lu Zhen to leave. After all, the identity of the Divine Envoy was too eye-catching. Unless he really encountered an attack, the entire clan would be in chaos, leaving no time for others to care about him. But in this way, he would have to take a lot of risks. However, as long as it was the migration of a few thousand people, it would be impossible for him to be as thorough as before, so he would naturally find an opportunity to escape.

The second point was for the sake of Great Ming in the south. Rahab Clan’s own strength was not small, and staying here would probably pose a threat to the Great Ming border. Although it was impossible for them to attack the city and uproot the village like they did a few years later, just harassment and hay grazing were enough to cause great damage to the Han people at the border. Especially as their power grows, the threat grows.

If Rahab Clan were to move away, they would no longer pose a decent threat to the Great Ming border, and the people there would suffer a lot less.

The third point was a situation that Lu Zhen wished to see, but was not under his control. Once they left this place, the Rahab tribe would be completely useless, and they had recently become so rich that it was likely that they would be easily targeted. Perhaps they would be attacked by various forces along the way, enough to make them suffer.

This was also Lu Zhen’s way of avenging Xie Lao Qi and the rest of the Han people who had been slaughtered. He believed in the notion that ordinary people were innocent of their sins, and once they moved this time, it would be enough for these guys to drink a pot.

Although this strategy of counting birds with one stone was suddenly thought of by him, it was very successful. Not only did it not attract the suspicions of others, but it also raised Lu Zhen’s status in the hearts of the crowd once again. However, even in their dreams, these simple Meng people would never have imagined that the respectable Divine Envoys in their eyes were always plotting against them …

@ @ @ @

The whole Rahab tribe did not delay any further after receiving Hur’s order, and they quickly began to pack up and prepare to leave their homeland that they had lived in for several years.

Fortunately, as nomads, they had long since gotten used to this kind of migratory life, so they didn’t complain much. Everyone knew what would happen if they stayed here. It took less than a day for everyone to be ready by noon the next day. After putting all their belongings on the reined-in carriage or on the horses’ backs, the entire Rahab Clan slowly and orderly embarked on an unpredictable journey.

Hezha rode on his horse and looked back at the empty grassland, but he was still familiar with it. He let out a long sigh. He hadn’t expected that things would end up like this. If he had known this, he shouldn’t have clashed with those messengers because of his momentary anger at that time, otherwise, he wouldn’t have caused so many things to happen.

But there was one thing he still couldn’t let go of–who was the murderer?

Although the people in the clan did not pursue the matter, they were more likely to point their fingers at him. This made it difficult for Hezha to argue. After calming down, he had faintly sensed that something was amiss. It seemed that someone was deliberately controlling all of this, and this person …

The calm Lu Zhen had shown in this incident made Hezha suspicious. He was the one who ordered the arrows to be fired and killed the remaining messengers, leaving no room for change. He was also the one who proposed to migrate. All of this was closely related to him. It was truly strange.

Lu Zhen was one of the few people in his tent who could casually take away the saber. All sorts of questions and doubts were combined together, and it was impossible for him not to have doubts about it.

However, Lu Zhen’s status in the clan was now quite stable, and the identity of the Divine Envoy could no longer be questioned. In the absence of certainty, even Hesha would not be able to deal with him. The only thing he could do was instruct his subordinates to keep an eye on the other party’s movements along the way.

Lu Zhen seemed to have noticed this as well, and the undisguised suspicion in his eyes made him fearful.

When he noticed that someone was spying on him in the dark, even though he had discovered some opportunities to escape, he didn’t dare to take any action.