Moma Liangshan

Chapter 222 Distribution of Profits, New Khitan Warlords

Yelü Xinilie felt both deep apprehension and sincere admiration for Wang Hao, saying, "An army still in its preparation stage, yet you've bestowed upon it the title of King of War? Is this prince's ignorance, or has the Duke of Bohai become arrogant?" Cao Hong showed no anger; men of the grasslands always spoke so directly, replying, "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is. Whether the Hungry Wolf Legion will become the King of War, Your Highness Prince Zhao only needs to wait and see!" Yelü Xinilie, as a member of the Liao royal family, was speechless after being utterly humiliated by a mere soldier like Cao Hong. How could he feel good? But behind this soldier stood Wang Hao, the god of wealth, leaving him no choice but to swallow his anger. Rilian and his son quickly noticed Cao Hong's difference; he was nothing like an ordinary guard. The father and son exchanged a silent glance, revealing a tacit understanding.

To avoid being ridiculed by the Rilian father and son, Yelü Xinilie said, "This prince wishes to request the Rilian tribe to transport another two thousand warhorses. Would you and your son be willing to accept this task?" The Rilian father and son exchanged glances, and after a long pause, the Rilian king replied, "Willing! Willing!" Seeing the opportunity, Cao Hong said, "My young master never mistreats his friends. Your Highness, Prince Zhao, might consider offering a generous reward for the Rilian tribe!" Yelü Xinilie frowned slightly, but quickly relented, as Cao Hong had kept his previous agreement and was still cooperating with the Rilian tribe through him. He slowly said, "The Duke of Bohai did not provide a price for each warhorse, so it is difficult for me to give an accurate promise!"

When Wang Hao appointed Cao Hong to accompany Yelü Xinilie on his visit to the twenty Khitan tribes, he had given clear instructions that Cao Hong would have the final say in negotiating with them. Seeing the opportunity, Cao Hong smiled slightly and said, "I have a suggestion. Would Your Highness be interested in hearing it?" Yelü Xinilie considered it briefly and said, "Please speak!" Cao Hong said, "Before joining the army, I was a horse trader within the Liao territory. I have a deep understanding of the dangers of horse trading. Now, with war raging, there are even more uncertainties. Therefore, let the Rilian tribe make the first offer!" Looking at the expectant eyes of the Rilian father and son, Yelü Xinilie could only say, "I have no objection!" King Rilian hesitated for a long time before finally mustering his courage and saying, "This humble general does not want gold or silver coins; I only hope to exchange goods." Yelü Xinilie involuntarily looked at Cao Hong, who replied, "That's fine!" Hearing Cao Hong's agreement, the Rilian father and son, along with Yelü Xinilie, almost simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. The Rilian father and son cautiously replied again, "Fifty catties of refined iron for each warhorse!" Cao Hong did not answer directly, but looked at Yelü Xini Lie and said, "For every three warhorses traded, my son will pay His Highness Prince Zhao one hundred and seventy catties of refined iron, but all horses must be between three and six years old, and must consist of two females and one male!" King Rilian hurriedly said, "Three to six years old, and two females and one male, according to this standard, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to gather two thousand warhorses!" Yelü Xini Lie did not give King Rilian any room for bargaining, and said, "In that case, the Rilian tribe will be responsible for gathering six hundred warhorses!"

King Rilian, momentarily confused, asked, "Didn't the Duke of Bohai want two thousand warhorses?" Yelü Xini sneered, "Since the Rilian tribe's capabilities are limited, then I, Your Highness, will find you a helper!" Seeing Yelü Xini's anger, the Rilian father and son were terrified and dared not utter a sound. Cao Hong intervened, saying, "Young Master, the recruitment of soldiers is imminent; let's send three hundred warhorses to the allied army camp as soon as possible!" Yelü Xini despised the Rilian father and son's weakness and said, "This matter must be handled well!" King Rilian immediately replied, "This humble general guarantees with his head that the three hundred warhorses will be safely delivered to the allied army camp!"

After Rilian and his son left, Yelü Xinilie said, "Tomorrow I will summon the chieftains of all the tribes at the Rilian tribe. I want to know how much merchandise your son can handle!" Cao Hong replied, "Two thousand five hundred warhorses per month, the standard remains unchanged!" Yelü Xinilie verified, "Two females and one male, aged three to six?" Cao Hong answered, "Exactly!" Yelü Xinilie continued, "And the price remains unchanged?" Cao Hong nodded and said, "Yes!" Then he continued, "Besides that, we also need cowhide!" Yelü Xinilie was somewhat surprised and repeated, "Cowhide?" Cao Hong nodded again and said, "Cowhide for making leather armor!" Yelü Xinilie understood and asked, "Is the wool mentioned earlier also included in the trade?" Cao Hong said, "Wool will be included in the trade after the decisive battle in Shangjing!"

Yelü Xinilie was not entirely satisfied with the transaction, saying, "When you left Shangjing, your son personally promised that I would become Jiaozhou's sole agent in the Liao Dynasty. But today, you directly negotiated the price of each warhorse with the Rilian tribe. I would like to ask what authority I, as the sole agent, still have?" Cao Hong made no attempt to conceal his intentions, saying, "Whether it's warhorses or hides and wool, the pricing power and the total transaction volume must be controlled by my son. As for the authority held by His Highness Prince Zhao?" At this point, Cao Hong smiled slightly and said, "How this piece of meat that my son has offered is distributed among the various tribes is entirely up to His Highness Prince Zhao!" Hearing this, Yelü Xinilie finally burst into laughter, saying, "The Duke of Bohai is indeed straightforward. From today onwards, I will certainly fulfill my role as agent!"

Cao Hong hadn't revealed his final trump card. Now, seeing that Yelü Xinilie had finally come to his senses, he spoke up, saying, "My lord also gave His Highness Prince Zhao a secret letter!" Yelü Xinilie was puzzled and asked doubtfully, "I haven't received any letters!" Cao Hong calmly took out an open letter from his robes and handed it to Yelü Xinilie, saying, "The letter is here!" Yelü Xinilie took the letter, but seeing that it had neither a seal nor a wax seal, he became even more suspicious and said, "This is the secret letter you spoke of?" Cao Hong nodded and said, "The letter is in my lord's own handwriting." "What I wrote was simply that I found this envelope randomly!" Yelü Xinilie hurriedly took out the letter, quickly read it, and couldn't help but beam with joy, saying, "Can your young master really help me build three thousand private soldiers?" Cao Hong said, "My young master is only responsible for providing weapons and armor. Of course, these things are all in exchange for something of equal value. As for other matters, that depends on His Highness Prince Zhao's abilities!" Yelü Xinilie laughed heartily and said, "The grasslands have no shortage of warhorses and warriors. As long as your young master can provide me with weapons and armor, why should I worry about not being able to train an elite army?"

The longer Wang Hao stayed in the Liao Dynasty, the more he realized that perhaps the most beneficial outcome for the Song Dynasty would be to allow the Khitan to enter an era of warlordism. The Jurchen army was strong and well-equipped; even with Wang Hao's extensive maneuvering, conquering the five capitals of Liao wouldn't take too long. Historically, the reason the Jurchen were able to attack the Song Dynasty so recklessly after conquering the five capitals was because the main Khitan force was annihilated with the fall of the five capitals. If Wang Hao could foster a group of warlord forces during the Jurchen's attack on the five capitals, then a buffer zone would be created between the Song and Jin Dynasties.