Chapter 72 Burigude

Chapter 72 Burigude

Chapter 72 Burigude
After selecting the candidates for the troops, Erris seemed to have aged a lot all of a sudden. Burigude picked up almost all the young and strong men in his tribe, even his son Hatulig and grandson Turigen.

Erzhi had four sons and five daughters in his life, but nearly half of them died young, and only two sons and two daughters grew up to adulthood.

His daughter had been married off to another tribe, and he hadn't seen her for years. As for his two sons, one had died on the battlefield a few years earlier, and even his body was nowhere to be found. Hatulig was the only son who stayed with him, and Tuzhigen was his only grandson.

Ershi is old. Old people like him live day by day on the grassland. No one knows when the Eternal Heaven will take him away. This only son and grandson can be said to be Ershi's last hope and his only hope and concern in this world.

But who could have imagined that this sudden gathering of troops would take away his son and underage grandson. Once on the battlefield, no one could predict the consequences. If they lost their lives, they would never come back. How could Erris survive?

However, the Khan's order could not be disobeyed, and he could only accept the cruel reality without any thought of resistance.

As if noticing that Eris was in a low mood, Burigude raised his hand, patted his shoulder, and whispered a few words of comfort to him.

After hearing this, Erris's eyes regained some spirit. He nodded repeatedly and thanked Burigude solemnly.

After selecting the people, according to the next arrangement, Burigude was going to take them away.

But it was already afternoon, and the Mongols had to pack their bags and prepare. After that, it was almost evening, and looking at the sky, Burigude and his people were going to rest in the Eris tribe for one night and set out again the next day.

When Burigude arrived, he noticed that there were several people dressed in Ming Dynasty clothes and several carts not far from them. After gathering the troops, he asked Eris what was going on with these Ming people. In the face of Burigude's question, Eris naturally told the truth. When he understood that Zhu Shenzhu and his men were merchants who came to the grassland to do business and the goods they brought, Burigude's eyes suddenly lit up.

After looking in the direction of Zhu Shenzui, Burigude strode towards him.

"Dear Ming friend, be well!"

"I'm fine, respected general." Zhu Shenzui placed his right hand on his chest and saluted Burigude.

After greeting Zhu Shenzhu in fairly fluent Chinese, Burigude didn't beat around the bush and told him directly that he was very interested in the goods they brought and hoped to buy them.

Zhu Shenzui came to the grassland to do business, so it didn't matter to whom he sold the things. Since Burigude wanted to buy them, there was no reason for him not to sell them.

However, Zhu Shenzhui was stunned by what Burigude said next, because Burigude told Zhu Shenzhui that since he came out to gather troops according to the order of the Khan, he did not bring gold, silver or other exchangeable property, and could not trade with Zhu Shenzhui immediately.

However, he hoped that Zhu Shenzui and his caravan would follow him, and the transaction could be carried out once they arrived at their camp.

"Don't worry, the great Khan has always welcomed our business friends from the Ming Dynasty to come to the grassland to do business. I swear to the Eternal Heaven that your safety along the way can be absolutely guaranteed. Once you arrive at the place and finish the transaction, you can leave. I also hope that our friends from the Ming Dynasty can agree to my small request." Burigude said with a smile.

Although he spoke politely, his words carried an unquestionable tone. Coupled with his tall stature in armor and the Mongolian cavalrymen who were eyeing him covetously behind him, it brought a lot of pressure to people.

"Sixth Master, don't refuse!" Ma Shizhou reminded softly from the side.

Having lived in Mongolia for many years, Ma Shizhou knew the Mongolian people's style too well. Although Burigude was polite, what he said was not a real request, but a demand.

Once rejected, no one knows what Burigude will do. If Zhu Shenzhui and his men are big merchants with the care of Mongolian nobles, it will be a different matter. But as a small caravan, Burigude may turn against them. At this time, it is better to do as he asks.

Zhu Shenzhu was also thinking about this. He didn't expect to encounter such a situation as soon as he entered the grassland. The first transaction was when the Khan gathered his troops, and he also encountered such a "request". As Ma Shizhou reminded him, refusing in this situation was not a wise choice.

"Of course, it's my honor to do something for you, the honorable general." Zhu Shenzhui smiled and respectfully touched his chest with his luggage. Then he said, "But you can see that we are moving slowly with our carts, and your subordinates are all cavalrymen who come and go like the wind. I am worried that if I travel with you, it may hinder your march." "As for the transaction you mentioned just now, there is no problem. You are a trusted subordinate of the Khan, and of course I believe in you. How about this, you can first choose what you need from the goods we carry, and when it is convenient in the future, you can settle the bill in the same way."

"Hahaha! You are such an interesting person. I have never seen such a Ming Dynasty businessman." Zhu Shenzui's words made Burigude burst into laughter. Zhu Shenzui's words clearly meant that he refused to go with the company, but he also found a suitable and reasonable reason.

Moreover, Zhu Shenzhu was very smart. He took the initiative to propose the way of credit to Burigude. If Burigude agreed, it would be like spending money to avoid disaster. As for the later mentioned convenience of settlement, it was just a polite remark.

Since Burigude was able to gather troops for the Khan and undertake such a task, he was certainly not an ordinary Mongolian. How could he not understand these?

After laughing for a while, Burigude's face suddenly became serious, and he asked in a very serious tone: "Ming people, do you think that we Mongols are all robbers?"

"Of course not!" Zhu Shenzhui denied it without even thinking about it, but he really thought so in his heart.

Why did the Mongols come to attack the Great Wall every time over the years? Could it be that they were tired of herding cattle and sheep on the grasslands and signed up for a one-day tour to the Ming Dynasty?

The Mongols did so many bad things on the border, which one of them was not to rob property? Let's not talk about other things, just look at the armor that Burigude was wearing. I couldn't see it clearly from a distance before, but now I can see it clearly standing in front of him. It looks like the standard armor of Ming army officers. Could it be that the border army officer took it off his body and gave it to Burigude because they had a deep relationship with each other and drank too much yellow soup and became sworn brothers?
If my guess is correct, this set of armor should have been snatched by Burigude from the Ming Dynasty, or even most likely taken off the body of a border army officer after killing him.

It is so ridiculous that such a person actually asked himself such a question.

But the situation was stronger than the person, even if Zhu Shenzhu knew it in his heart, he absolutely could not admit it. Instead, he had to lie with his eyes open, otherwise Burigude would get angry and attack, not only would he lose the goods, but even his life would be in danger.

"It is my honor to meet you, General. Since you need it, what are these goods worth? Besides, do you think you are a dishonest person? I absolutely do not believe it. You have a handsome appearance and a noble bearing. You are a hero among the Mongols. Otherwise, you would not be so valued by the Khan."

"General, you can take these things. Although my caravan is not a big one, I have always liked making friends. When I saw you today, I felt close to you for some reason. And the fact that we met here might be arranged by Changshengtian. What do you think?"

Zhu Shenzhui said righteously and sternly, with a matter-of-fact expression. These words made Burigude very happy. Although he was a centurion, his military position in the Mongolian army was not high. There were many centurions like him under Lin Danhan.

People always like to hear good words, and they also think they are good people, even if the person is obviously a bad person. No bad person will ever say that he is bad, this is human nature, and Burigude is no exception.

Burigude laughed out loud. The more he looked at Zhu Shenzui, the more he liked him. It was the first time he met such a bold and eloquent Ming person, and every word he said touched his heart.

To be honest, Zhu Shenzhui's suggestion to take the goods first and settle the bill later really touched Burigude. If he did that, he would get a great deal. But Burigude was a man who cared about his reputation, and he didn't want to do such a thing in public.

It was one thing to go to the Ming Dynasty to plunder, but it was another to trade with merchants on the grassland. This custom had become a rule for Mongolians with a certain level of knowledge, especially those like Burigude. Moreover, this rule was required to be followed by the Khans of all generations. As a subordinate of the Khan, if the news of breaking the rules spread, he would be punished.

Because of this, Burigude would pretend to ask Zhu Shenzhui back, to show that he had no such idea. But who would have thought that Zhu Shenzhui would say these words again. Although the meaning was the same, his speaking skills were much more pleasing to the ears than the straightforward Mongolians. After hearing them, Burigude felt that his moral character was instantly sublimated. Maybe his father had foresight when he named him with the word "virtue". Perhaps this was destined by the almighty Changshengtian.

The more he looked at Zhu Shenzhui, the more he liked him. For a moment, Burigude felt embarrassed to take advantage of him. After thinking for a while, he waved his hand and told Zhu Shenzhui that a deal was a deal. As a subordinate of the Khan and a proud Mongolian, how could he take advantage of a Ming merchant like him?
It was not easy for them to come to the grassland. They worked so hard to make money. They couldn't come back empty-handed. How could they show the hospitality and straightforwardness of the Mongolians? Therefore, Burigude thought it would be better to let Zhu Shenzhui and his men follow him. When they arrived at the camp, they would complete the transaction according to the rules and would definitely not let Zhu Shenzhui suffer any loss.

Besides, Zhu Shenzhui couldn't finish all the goods he brought by himself, so he could introduce a few colleagues to buy them together. This would also be considered as helping Zhu Shenzhui. Since we are all brothers, isn't it normal for us to help him?

As for the inconvenience in traveling mentioned by Zhu Shencui, that was not a problem at all. Although Erris's tribe was small, there were still horses here. He could let Erris pick out a few good horses to help Zhu Shencui and his men pull the cart. In this way, Zhu Shencui's travel speed would be much faster and their journey would not be delayed at all.

(End of this chapter)