Chapter 73: Tumochuan Plot

Chapter 73: Tumochuan Plot

Tumochuan.

After Ruo Lan sent out the letter, it wasn't long before the sky brightened, and Tuo Bahuai arrived.

She had taken over Tuo Bahuai's position, but he hadn't shown any resentment. In fact, he had been diligently helping her these days. She had been cautious at first, but Tuo Bahuai truly hadn't schemed against her.

It's always better to have one more friend than one more enemy, especially since their current goals aligned.

Ruo Lan dismissed the others, leaving only the two of them in the tent. Then, she told Tuo Bahuai about her discovery from the previous night.

"Lord Zhou wants to make a move against the Yuwen Tribe. What do you need me to do?" Tuo Bahuai immediately understood why she had called him.

"I want you to contact Du Gubo and persuade him to join us in capturing Yu Wentuo."

Tuo Bahuai paused for a moment. "Are you planning to escalate this matter? It's quite risky."

The flooding of the wheat seedlings could be a minor or major issue, but she intended to use this opportunity to expand the conflict to the entire tribe, aiming to completely overthrow the Yuwen Tribe.

It must be said that she was bold, far beyond what he expected from ordinary women.

She was merely a maid serving the Han Princess. They had been in the royal court for less than a month, and yet they dared to make such a bold move before even establishing themselves. What gave them such confidence, or was she truly so self-assured that she believed she could control everything?

Tuo Bahuai lowered his eyelids, deep in thought.

Ruo Lan stared straight ahead. "I know. I'm ready to take the risk, but I wonder if Tuo Bahuai has the guts!"

Her tone wasn't intense, but her words were clearly meant to provoke him. Tuo Bahuai didn't take the bait, but he wanted to see how far she would go.

"I don't think I've given you the idea that I'm weak," Tuo Bahuai said.

Ruo Lan smiled. "Then I'll leave it to you to contact Du Gubo."

"When do we act?"

"Tomorrow night, catch them red-handed!"

...

During the day, Ruo Lan acted as if she had discovered nothing, continuing her routine patrol of the wheat fields. She even showed anxiety over the new condition of the wheat seedlings, ordering the farmers under her command to quickly find a solution.

Tuo Bahuai followed her orders and soon set off to find Du Gubo.

Du Gubo welcomed him warmly, inviting him into his tent and ordering fine wine and a whole roasted lamb to be prepared, treating him with great warmth. Tuo Bahuai couldn't refuse and had to accept.

Once the food and wine were served, Du Gubo dismissed the servants and leaned in closer, his tone cautious and ingratiating, with a hint of suggestion. "Lord Mo Ti, it's rare for you to visit."

Tuo Bahuai pretended not to understand.

Du Gubo had to spell out his intentions. "You don't realize, but my people have been complaining to me. That Han woman has been pushing them to do farm work they're not familiar with every day. Now that the wheat has recovered, can't she go back? Lord Mo Ti, you alone can handle these matters here."

"Besides, she's a Han, and a woman to boot, always bossing us around. Where does that leave the dignity of our Xianbei warriors?"

"Could you think of a way to handle this?"

He filled a bowl with wine and offered it to him.

Tuo Bahuai pushed the wine away and laughed lightly, "Chief Du Gubo, I'm afraid things won't go as you wish."

"Not only can we not send her back as you want, but we might even have to take orders from her."

Du Gubo asked, confused, "What orders?"

"Yu Wentuo is planning a rebellion. Are you aware of that?"

"!!!"

Du Gubo's eyes widened, his hand trembled, and the wine in the bowl spilled out without him noticing.

"Absolutely impossible!" he blurted out.

Tuo Bahuai looked at him coldly, "What? Are you close to him? How do you know he's not rebelling?"

Du Gubo's intelligence finally returned, realizing the danger in his words, and quickly shook his head, "No, no, not at all, Lord Tuo Bahuai, you’ve got it wrong, I just, just..."

"No need to explain further. I know, you definitely wouldn't conspire with Yu Wentuo."

Du Gubo's heart finally settled, but then Tuo Bahuai added, "I’m inclined to believe you, but Lord Zhou might not. She is the king's confidant, and if she misunderstands and whispers a few words to the king..." His tone became very dangerous, and Du Gubo felt like a sword was dangling above him.

"So you must make your position clear."

Tuo Bahuai took the lead, and Du Gubo, now unable to think about whether Yu Wentuo was really rebelling, instinctively followed his words, "What should I do?"

"Deploy your troops with us to capture Yu Wentuo."

"Huh?"

"You don't want to? Can’t bear to sever ties with him?"

"Not at all."

He had no friendship with Yu Wentuo; their tribes both grazed in Tumochuan, which naturally led to frequent clashes. He had even been robbed of pastures and livestock, but such actions were commonplace among the Xianbei. As long as one had strength, anything went. They were only temporarily aligned because of the wheat planting. Now, hearing that Yu Wentuo was rebelling, he was eager to distance himself.

"Then immediately gather two thousand men and stand by for further instructions."

"Understood."

Only then did Tuo Bahuai's expression ease up slightly.

Du Gubo then realized he had been manipulated by Tuo Bahuai, and had agreed to his demands in a daze.

He said Yu Wentuo was rebelling? What’s the proof?

Du Gubo hurriedly asked.

Tuo Bahuai smiled, "He ordered his men to flood the wheat fields at midnight."

"? Just this?" Du Gubo's jaw almost dropped, "And you say Yu Wentuo is rebelling..."

"The wheat is the king's top priority, and he has repeatedly ordered you to plant it well. When problems arose, he sent me and Lord Zhou to solve them. The king values it so much, and Yu Wentuo knowingly violated it, isn't that rebellion?" Tuo Bahuai interrupted sharply before he could finish.

Du Gubo was speechless for a moment.

In short, he was now forced into a corner by Tuo Bahuai. He had just agreed to deploy troops, and if he backed out, Tuo Bahuai could immediately accuse him of being an accomplice.

Ugh!

Du Gubo was overwhelmed with regret. What did any of this have to do with him? He had been following the king's orders and farming diligently, yet somehow he got caught up in this mess. Once it was over, people would probably think he had backed that Han woman, even willing to take orders from her.

It was also that sly Han woman's doing, sending Tuo Bahuai, which caught him off guard. If she had come herself, he would have refused.

Du Gubo sighed again, exasperated.

Once he stopped sighing, Tuo Bahuai discussed the details of mobilizing troops with him, stressing the importance of keeping it under wraps. If Yu Wentuo caught wind of this, Du Gubo would be the one to spill the beans, and he'd be in deep trouble.

Du Gubo quickly assured him he wouldn't dream of it.

After wrapping things up with Du Gubo, Tuo Bahuai headed back to meet Ruo Lan.

Everything was set. The next night, under the cloak of darkness and howling winds, the Yuwen Tribe carried on with their covert operation of flooding the wheat fields. Just as they wrapped up and were about to head back, figures emerged from the edges of the fields, encircling them.

In the flickering light of torches, the Dugu Tribe's soldiers, swords in hand, stood ready.

The flooders were armed with nothing but buckets, and only a handful had swords. Unarmored and poorly armed, they stood no chance. Without a fight, they gave up like sheep, huddling together, waiting to see what would happen.

Meanwhile, Yu Wentuo grew uneasy and started second-guessing his plan. Could it really go unnoticed?

That Han woman was so shrewd and had brought so many farmers with her. Could they have already discovered his scheme?

The thought sent chills down his spine, and he couldn’t sleep all night. Just as he finally dozed off, shouts and the clashing of weapons erupted outside his tent.

He rolled out of bed in a panic. "Someone, what's happening?"

A subordinate rushed in. "It seems the Dugu Tribe is attacking."

A cold shiver ran down Yu Wentuo's back. He urgently commanded, "Quick, gather our men! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

Yu Wentuo didn't even have time to put on his shoes. He grabbed a long sword from the wall and rushed outside.

Around his tent were his closest clansmen and subordinates. Hearing the commotion, they didn't have time to assess the situation and instinctively followed his orders, grabbing their weapons to face the enemy.

Before they could form a proper formation, they were surrounded by at least a thousand men.

Being fellow Xianbei people without any blood feud, Du Gubo hesitated to kill. He couldn't bring himself to do it, wanting to leave some room for retreat. He simply ordered his men to surround them, and the situation reached a stalemate.

"Du Gubo, what are you doing? Are you rebelling?" Yu Wentuo, standing barefoot, shouted angrily at Du Gubo, who was on horseback.

Du Gubo sneered, "It seems the rebel is you. Was it you who ordered the flooding of the wheat fields?"

Yu Wentuo was momentarily speechless. Their preparations tonight were so thorough; it was clear they hadn't just discovered the plan.

He regretted not being more cautious, wishing he had waited until that Han woman left. But now, it was too late for regrets.

"I don't know. Who flooded the fields? It must have been my men who didn't want to farm and did it on their own."

"Is that so?"

At that moment, a distinct female voice rang out.

Following the voice, they saw a woman of imposing presence riding forward from the crowd.

"They've already confessed. It was you who gave the order personally."

Yu Wentuo's eyes widened in fury.

He looked around and saw that he and his subordinates were surrounded on all sides. Though he had a good number of men, they were unprepared. If he dared to make a move now, Du Gubo would surely order his archers to shoot immediately.

Was he really just going to roll over and accept defeat?

No, there was still Du Gubo, and him.

Yu Wentuo's eyes narrowed, and his attitude suddenly changed. He asked aggressively, "Du Gubo, what are you doing? Are you seriously taking orders from a Han woman to attack me? Are you still a Xianbei warrior? She's just an outsider, but we are the sons of Tumochuan. How could you point your arrows at me because of her?"

"Do you know that once Tumochuan is filled with wheat fields, this land will no longer be yours? Growing wheat requires so many people, and the king will order more to come and occupy this place. You'll be pushed into a corner, left with nothing but a scrap of land. You will never dominate Tumochuan again."

"You need to join me now and kill this Han woman. As long as the wheat planting fails, the king will give up, and this grassland will still belong to you," Yu Wentuo shouted loudly.

Du Gubo finally understood why Yu Wentuo had been sabotaging the wheat seedlings. If things went as he said, the land Du Gubo would own in the future would shrink...

Seeing Du Gubo's hesitation, Yu Wentuo pressed on, continuously tempting him, "This Han woman only has a dozen or so people with her. She's no match for you. Kill her!"

A Mao, understanding their conversation, was on edge. She quietly approached Zhang Zheng and informed him. Zhang Zheng's expression hardened, and he ordered the Liangzhou Imperial Guard to stay alert, in case Du Gubo turned against them.

The air was thick with tension.

Yu Wentuo kept urging Du Gubo, but Ruo Lan remained silent, watching him coldly.

Du Gubo was almost swayed by Yu Wentuo's words, but he suddenly came to his senses and shook his head vigorously. "No, Yu Wentuo, you're deceiving me. How would I explain killing this Han woman to the king? If the king finds out, I'll die a horrible death."

Du Gubo was no longer swayed by his temptations. "Yu Wentuo, surrender. Admit your mistakes to the king, and you might still save your life. Otherwise, I'll have to take action."

Yu Wentuo, unwilling to be captured, drew his sword and charged forward.

As soon as he moved, the Yuwen Tribe members followed suit, and Du Gubo had no choice but to order his men to engage.

Nearly a thousand men fought in a chaotic brawl.

Zhang Zheng stepped forward and dove into the fight, his eyes locked on Yu Wentuo.

"Take him alive," Ruo Lan ordered before he joined the fight.

The outcome of the battle was never in doubt. In less than half an hour, Yu Wentuo was captured. With his capture, his men gave up the fight and dropped their weapons, now under the watch of Du Gubo's men.

With the situation settled, Tuo Bahuai approached Ruo Lan. "Lord Zhou, you’ve got guts. Weren’t you even a little afraid Du Gubo might turn on us?"

If Du Gubo had turned against them, even if the king punished him later, their lives would have already been lost.

Ruo Lan gave him a calm, knowing smile. "Of course not."

Just as Tuo Bahuai was about to ask more, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from the distance. A well-equipped squad approached, led by none other than General Modolou.

"Aunt Ruo Lan," he greeted with a smile, then glanced around. "You wrapped this up fast. Didn’t even let me have a little fun."

He had actually arrived earlier, stationed about ten miles away. Ruo Lan had sent someone to tell him to wait, as she wanted to gauge Du Gubo's intentions.

"Do you think this is some kind of game?" Ruo Lan chided him with a smile. "Things are under control here, but we still need you to handle the Yuwen Tribe."

The Yuwen Tribe has tens of thousands of members in Tumochuan. They might rebel if they find out their leader’s been captured.

Seeing Modolou, Tuo Bahuai’s eyes widened, and his expression toward Ruo Lan shifted.

"Did the king send General Modolou?" he asked.

"Yes, we brought three thousand men with us," Modolou replied.

Hearing this, Du Gubo broke into a cold sweat. He looked at Ruo Lan with even a hint of fear. This woman was too clever. If he’d listened to Yu Wentuo’s lies, his head would’ve been on the chopping block by now.