239: Chapter 239 Political Purpose

"To sell them, of course."

Zhao Gang said, "A Wool Sweater only costs thirty coins. You can exchange thirty catties of wool for one Wool Sweater."

"How is that possible!"

Yuwen Dali couldn't understand; he couldn't figure out why a Wool Sweater would be so cheap.

If clothes were that cheap, then they, the Xiongnu people, wouldn't have to wear one garment for several generations.

The robes the Xiongnu people wore were made of sheepskin.

The process was extremely complex and time-consuming.

They were warm to wear, but the cost was extremely high.

"Why wouldn't it be possible?"

Zhao Gang said, "His Majesty the Head of State invented the Steam Textile Machine and the Steam Power Loom, which greatly increased the efficiency of cloth production."

Yuwen Dali had never heard of the Steam Textile Machine or the Steam Power Loom.

But he understood one thing: the fact that Great Qin had changed so much was all related to His Majesty the Head of State.

This made Yuwen Dali very curious about the Paramount Leader of Great Qin.

"Go back to your tribe and properly persuade the leaders of your tribe."

Zhao Gang said, "Choosing to join Great Qin will not result in any loss for you!"

"Alright."

Yuwen Dali agreed.

He chose to trust Zhao Gang for the time being.

"Clatter, clatter..."

In the desert, a troop of cavalry galloped past at lightning speed, kicking up a cloud of sand.

Yuwen Dali led his escort, rushing non-stop toward the pasture where the Yuwen Tribe was located.

They ate and relieved themselves on horseback.

At night, they slept on horseback.

They could travel 240 li a day.

This was even with them passing through some snowy areas that slowed them down; otherwise, they could have been faster!

After three days of travel, the travel-worn Yuwen Dali finally approached the Yuwen Tribe.

"Halt!"

The entire Yuwen Tribe was on high alert. Yuwen Dali's group of over a dozen people was intercepted by a troop of cavalry.

Yuwen Dali did not recognize them.

"Who are you?"

Yuwen Dali asked the leading Ten-Rider Commander.

"We are from the Huyan Tribe."

The leading Ten-Rider Commander asked back, "What tribe are you from, and what are you doing here?"

"I am Yuwen Dali. Yuwen Hu is my father."

Yuwen Dali replied.

"That's impossible."

The leading Ten-Rider Commander said, "Chief Yuwen Hu's son, Yuwen Dali, has already been buried. Several of us saw it."

"What?"

Hearing this, Yuwen Dali was dumbfounded.

"No, when did I die? How come I didn't know?"

"This dagger is my token."

Yuwen Dali unfastened a dagger from his waist and said, "Take this dagger and go report for me."

The leading Ten-Rider Commander dispatched a rider who, after taking the dagger Yuwen Dali handed over, went to the Yuwen Tribe to report.

The rider arrived at the Yuwen Tribe to request an audience with Chief Yuwen Hu.

"Reporting to Chief Yuwen, a troop of cavalry has arrived outside the pasture. The leader holds a golden dagger and says he is Yuwen Dali."

Yuwen Hu was not tall, but he was exceptionally lean and tough, with tight muscles and agile movements.

"What!"

"Isn't my son dead!"

Yuwen Hu was shocked.

This time, the Yuwen Tribe, acting as the vanguard for the White Wolf King, had suffered extremely heavy losses. Three Thousand-Rider Commanders, including his son, had died in battle.

They were first bombarded by mortars and then trampled by thousands of warhorses; their remains had long since vanished.

In his grief, Yuwen Hu could only dig up a handful of earth from the place where his son died, put it in a coffin, and build a grave for him.

Yuwen Hu's resistance to Zhao Gang was also related to his belief that his son had died at the hands of the Qin people.

At the first sight of the golden dagger, Yuwen Hu knew that the visitor might truly be his son.

"Let's go!"

Without a word, Yuwen Hu strode out of the yurt, flipped onto his horse, and, led by the rider, headed outside the pasture.

After seeing that Yuwen Dali was indeed not dead, Yuwen Hu's face lit up with joy.

"Dali, you're really not dead!"

"Yes."

Recalling his narrow escape, Yuwen Dali couldn't help but feel a lingering fear in his heart.

"Father thought you were dead!"

Yuwen Hu wiped the tears overflowing from the corners of his eyes.

Yuwen Dali was also somewhat sentimental; he had indeed taken a walk through the gates of hell.

"Father, I have something to say to you."

"This is not the place to talk."

Seeing him say this, a sharp light flickered in Yuwen Hu's eyes, and he became thoughtful.

After returning to the yurt, Yuwen Dali dismissed the people around them.

"You can speak now. What is it?"

Yuwen Hu's serious gaze turned toward Yuwen Dali.

"Father."

"You've united so many tribes—is it to go to war with the Qin people?"

"Correct."

Yuwen Hu said, "The Southern Desert belongs to us Xiongnu, not to those Qin people!"

"Father."

Yuwen Dali said, "But the Qin people said that as long as we are willing to submit to them, they can exempt us from paying tribute, and we can also exchange wool for grain and honeycomb briquettes..."

"Dali."

Before Yuwen Dali could finish, Yuwen Hu interrupted him directly, saying, "Tell Father honestly: you didn't die in battle, but you didn't return to the tribe for all this time—were you captured by the Qin people?"

"Nothing can be hidden from Father."

Yuwen Dali didn't hide it either.

"Then you were sent by the Qin people to be a lobbyist!"

Yuwen Hu's face instantly turned cold.

The look he gave Yuwen Dali also became unfriendly.

In his eyes, the son he was once proud of—the eagle of the grasslands—had broken his wings and lost his former bravery.

"Father."

How could Yuwen Dali not see the look of disappointment in his father's eyes?

He said, "The Qin people and we Xiongnu both belong to the Huaxia race; we should help each other and develop together."

It had to be said that the ideological education classes Zhao Gang gave Yuwen Dali were indeed effective.

He truly believed it.

"Psh!"

Zhao Gang could fool a youngster like Yuwen Dali, but an old hand like Yuwen Hu wasn't buying it.

He said disdainfully, "Even biological brothers fight, let alone us Xiongnu and the Qin people, who have been separated for over two thousand years."

"Besides, look at the Qin people in their own territory—aren't they still fighting each other!"

"They only say these things to achieve their political objectives!"

"Father, if we acknowledge what the Qin people say, isn't that also a way to achieve our political objectives?"

Yuwen Dali's words made Yuwen Hu's eyebrows twitch. He couldn't help but take a serious look at this son of his, whose muscles were usually more developed than his brain.

He clearly hadn't expected his son to be able to say such a thing.

"Explain in detail."

Yuwen Hu wanted to hear what Yuwen Dali had to say.

"Father."

Yuwen Dali said, "What difference is there between submitting to the Royal Court and submitting to Great Qin? We would be controlled by others either way."