It was the Start of Spring, but for Shengle City in the north, there was no sign of spring's arrival; the tail end of winter still stubbornly lingered.
Shengle City was situated in the north of the Jin State, almost at the foot of the Skybreak Mountain Range. Hundreds of years ago, when wild people could still occasionally cause disturbances in the Three Jin, Shengle City had played the role of a frontline stronghold for the Jin State.
However, that was long ago. By then, in the stretch of the Skybreak Mountain Range from its western section to this central part, the wild people were no longer a significant force. Only the eastern part and the snowfields further north still bore the pressure of the wild people's presence, a region under the control of the Situ Family.
In the eyes of the people of the Three Jin, Shengle City was considered a poor and barren land. Firstly, its geography was too remote. Secondly, it was too far north, and the climate was extre, even for the majority of people living year-round in the northern states of Yan and Jin.
But Shengle City was by no ans deserted. In its early years, it had been a battleground. Over the past hundred years, as the wild people gradually declined, it had transford into a trading waypoint. In tis of peace, it might have been an exaggeration to call it bustling with traffic, but it was certainly far from desolate.
At that mont, in a private room on the second floor of a tavern in Shengle City, five people were seated.
At the head of the table sat Tufa Chengji, patriarch of the great Tufa Tribe of Shengle City.
On his left was a scholar, about thirty years old. Though dressed as a scholar, his face was weathered, bearing signs of premature aging.
His na was Zhou Zhengwen, a forr strategist for the Helian Family. He had been dispatched here by the Helian Family to manage their business interests for seven years.
Sitting to Tufa Chengji's right was a burly man draped in animal fur. His hair was styled in nurous small, drooping braids, and the skin visible beneath his furs was entirely covered in tattoos—a typical wild man's appearance. His na was Xiong Lie.
War was the cruelest form of integration. In this region of the Skybreak Mountain Range, many wild people settlents had changed their surnas and gradually beco "Jinified." They also descended from the mountains to engage in trade.
Sitting opposite them were a man and a woman. The man was cloaked, while the woman was young and beautiful. Both were chief managers of the two largest local trading firms. It could be said that these five individuals were the most influential figures in Shengle City.
After three rounds of drinks, Tufa Chengji broke the silence, "Heh, I thought we could continue watching the spectacle, but who knew these Yan people were actually so formidable in battle."
Zhou Zhengwen nodded in agreent. "Indeed. We initially believed the Yan people were attacking the Qian State. The old family head and the head of the Wenren Family joined forces, intending to seize the opportunity to carve off a piece from the Yan. Who could have known that instead... alas..."
Tian Wujing's two hundred thousand cavalryn had swept through Jin, annihilating the two major families in one fell swoop, like a hurricane devastating most of the lands of the Three Jin.
Those beneath felt as if they hadn't yet regained their wits; when they suddenly looked up, it seed the very heavens had transford!
Previously, with the Helian Family backing him, Zhou Zhengwen's word had been law in Shengle City. All the various factions there had to defer to him.
Now, with the Helian Family's demise, Zhou Zhengwen had instantly beco a minor figure. Fortunately, he still retained so influence in Shengle City and had taken in so refugees from the Helian Family, thereby supplenting his strength. Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been qualified to sit at this table.
"Just spit it out," Xiong Lie urged, gnawing on a leg of lamb.
Tufa Chengji didn't mind the barbarian's coarseness. In fact, a few hundred years ago, they might have shared a common ancestor.
Whether it was the Yan State, Chu State, or Jin State, the initial records in their respective history books all stated that their ancestors had been sent by the Xia emperor to their assigned territories to resist the incursions of Barbarians, wild n, and the Shanyue people.
The truth was, Chu State had initially been quite small, and its territory had been almost entirely the domain of the Shanyue Tribes. After hundreds of years of expansion and conquest, the original inhabitants, the Shanyue people, were reduced to waging guerrilla warfare in the rainforests and marshes.
As for the original wild n, they were not inherently inclined to climb mountains or live in them. In fact, they had been the true masters of the lands of the Three Jin.
However, the Yu clan had spent hundreds of years forcibly driving them into the Skybreak Mountain Range.
From powerful families like the Helian Family down to smaller groups like the Tufa Tribe, many originally descended from wild people. However, having been assimilated into Jin society for hundreds of years, they naturally no longer considered themselves wild people, but Jin people.
The Helian Family was the most successful among the assimilated tribes and had begun to "whitewash" their ancestry early on.
Emulating the royal family of Chu State, they started concocting fairy tales about their forebears.
The the was singular: you could claim my ancestors were born of phoenixes, divine oxen, or sacred eagles—it didn't matter what divine beast they supposedly descended from, as long as no one ntioned their wild people origins!
Tufa Chengji began, "I trust everyone has received the news. Ten days ago, Yu Huacheng of the Yu family—the Sword Saint's younger brother—rebelled against the emperor, intending to assassinate him. However, the emperor was rescued by the Yan people. Subsequently, their Southern Marquis led his troops and overran the capital city region."
"We heard that long ago," Xiong Lie grumbled.
Tufa Chengji gestured with a suppressive motion of his hand and said, "What happens to Emperor Jin doesn't really concern us much. But the Situ Family has remained silent from start to finish. Has anyone considered what that implies?"
"What does it imply?" Xiong Lie pressed on.
This wild man might have seed crude, but he was, in fact, extrely shrewd. He personally managed the businesses of four or five settlents.
At this mont, Ning Cuicui, the chief manager of Ning's Trade, spoke up.
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