388: Chapter 388 Killing the father and taking the stepmother, this is how a true man should act!

Zhang Liang's gaze stared intently at these children.

If children so young had such excellent horsemanship, how much would their skills improve by the time they grew up!

It was no wonder that the Hu people had been their great enemy since the Zhou Dynasty.

This was for the best; the stronger the Xiongnu people were, the more powerful the impact they could have against Great Qin!

For this trip to Mobei, Zhang Liang had brought a large amount of salt and tea.

These items were scarce on the grasslands and could be sold for a high price.

If Zhang Liang wanted to possess a powerful force in Mobei, wealth was indispensable.

Transactions between Xiongnu Tribes in Mobei were usually conducted through bartering or using gold and silver.

Through the salt and tea brought by his caravan, Zhang Liang obtained a significant amount of gold and silver from the Langwo Tribe in Mobei.

The Langwo Tribe was a medium-sized tribe with a population of over five thousand people.

They occupied a stretch of grassland along a river.

Both the people and the livestock shared the water from this single river.

Naturally, those who lived closer to the river were the most powerful people within the tribe.

Not only was it convenient for their families to fetch water, but it was also easy for their horses and sheep to drink.

The more marginalized a person was in the tribe, the further their Yurt was from the river.

Not only was it difficult for them to get water for personal use, but it was also quite hard for their sheep and horses to drink.

Zhang Liang did not leave the Langwo Tribe immediately, instead deciding to stay for a while.

Zhang Liang's group consisted of over a hundred people, and they needed food and drink to live there.

Thus, they used gold and silver to purchase a large number of cattle and sheep from the Langwo Tribe.

The leader of the Langwo Tribe was also happy to earn their gold and silver, so he welcomed Zhang Liang and his group staying in the tribe.

Mohist Disciples were skilled in crafting machinery; under Zhang Liang's instructions, they helped the nomadic people repair damaged wagons and even dug a well in the tribal settlement. This allowed many people living far from the river to avoid traveling several kilometers to fetch water, earning them a lot of goodwill from the herdsmen.

Gudu was an old herdsman; the dwellings around the river had all been occupied by the prestigious people of the tribe.

A man like him, with no strength, had to ride several kilometers every day to the river to fetch water.

Because water resources in Mobei were limited, it wasn't as if water would be available for him to fetch as soon as he reached the river.

He had to wait until the tribal nobles had finished using the water, and then wait for the strong young men of the tribe to finish, before it was finally the turn of a wretched old man like him.

In Mobei, there was no such thing as Confucian thought regarding respect for the elderly.

This was a land of barbarians, and the people here were uncivilized.

Whoever had the biggest fist was the boss.

A son killing his father and seizing his own stepmother—things that violated human ethics in Confucianism—were perfectly normal here.

If someone killed their own father and seized their stepmother, it was not considered shameful; instead, it was something to be proud of.

After all, the current Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu Royal Court in Mobei had killed his own father and seized his stepmother.

In the eyes of many Xiongnu people, a real man should be like this!

An old man like Gudu was like a wolf being phased out of the pack, destined to be driven away.

The Xiongnu people called themselves the Wolf Tribe and took the wolf as their totem.

The Langwo Tribe, in particular, was exceptionally cold-hearted toward the elderly within the tribe.

Not only would they not pity the elderly, but to prevent the tribe from being burdened by them, they would even drive the elderly out of the tribe to fend for themselves.

As Gudu looked at the young people acting arrogantly in front of him, there was no sorrow in his heart.

He had treated the elderly the same way when he was young, so the way the young people in the tribe treated him now didn't strike him as strange.

Zhang Liang watched all of this and silently shook his head.

They truly were a group of uncivilized people; they saw things far too superficially!

The consequence of them not respecting the elderly was that when they themselves grew old, they would also suffer humiliation from those who came after them.

Respecting the elderly is equivalent to warning the next generation that if they do not show respect, their own descendants will treat them the same way when they grow old.

After the well was built, it was much more convenient for old men like Gudu to fetch water.

Consequently, they were extremely grateful to Zhang Liang.

Once Zhang Liang became familiar with them, he used gold and silver to hire them as guards for his caravan.

For these elderly men who had been discarded by the tribe, this was a great thing.

Thus, Zhang Liang's group grew from over a hundred people to four or five hundred.

Even though the new additions were all old men.

Their physical strength was inferior to that of young people.

But that didn't mean they weren't skilled with the bow and horse.

Zhang Liang also had his own calculations.

The strength of these recruited Xiongnu elders could not compare to that of the young and strong Xiongnu people.

However, they were all marginalized figures discarded by their tribes, so the cost of recruiting them was relatively low.

Their individual combat power was not high.

But just as many ants can bite an elephant to death.

As long as he recruited enough Xiongnu elders, he could build up a significant force!

To that end, Zhang Liang had the Six-Fingered Black Knight take men to recruit elders from other Xiongnu Tribes.

After spending a good amount of gold, they indeed recruited over six hundred more elders.

The people of the surrounding tribes did not refuse their recruitment of the elderly.

After all, these elders had declining vitality and were far from being a match for the young Xiongnu people.

It was no joke that one young Xiongnu man could fight five Xiongnu elders.

As for the young nobles, they didn't care about the elderly at all.

After all, they had achieved their positions precisely by getting rid of the elders.

If the old guys didn't die, how could the young ones move up?

These old fellows had enjoyed themselves for so many years; it was time for the young people to have their turn.

In this manner, Zhang Liang's subordinates reached over one thousand one hundred people.

This was already no small number.

However, they were all a bunch of old men.

The eyes of these old men were devoid of light.

But Zhang Liang did not look down on them.

He gathered everyone together.

"Everyone!"

Zhang Liang spoke to them in the Xiongnu language.

Looking at these weathered faces and hunched figures, Zhang Liang spoke softly yet powerfully: "I'm sure you all know in your hearts that within your tribes, you have already become marginalized. The power that once belonged to you has been taken by others."

"Now, many of you don't even have a Yurt to shield you from the wind and rain!"

"Once the bitter winter arrives, how will you resist that bone-chilling cold? I fear that when the time comes, you can only wait for death in the freezing cold!"

Zhang Liang's words were like a heavy hammer striking the heart of every Xiongnu elder.

A flash of helplessness and sorrow crossed their eyes; they all knew Zhang Liang was not wrong.

Every winter, the howling cold winds would ruthlessly sweep through Mobei, taking countless lives, and most of those who froze to death were elders like them who had been gradually marginalized in their tribes.

After a brief silence, Zhang Liang straightened his back and raised his voice: "I intend to establish a Qihuo Army."

"Seventy is exactly the age to start striving!"

"We must fight for our own survival!"

"We can no longer sit and wait for death, nor can we allow ourselves to be toyed with by fate. We must take up arms, fight for our right to live, and fight for survival!"

Zhang Liang's gaze swept over every elder as he continued: "Now, those who are willing to join the Qihuo Army, please stand to one side."

"And those who are unwilling, please leave this place and wait to be frozen to death by the wind and snow in winter!"

Complex expressions appeared on the elders' faces; in some, a spark of hope ignited, as if they saw the dawn of changing their fate; some showed hesitation, for they were no longer young and their physical weakness filled them with fear of unknown battles; others still had confusion in their eyes, not knowing where to go.

Gudu was the first to step forward; though his steps were somewhat faltering, his gaze was incredibly firm.

He walked to the side Zhang Liang had indicated and said, "I am willing to join the Qihuo Army."

"Rather than waiting to die silently in this cold winter, I would rather take a gamble and fight for a chance at survival!"

"I'll join the Qihuo Army too!"

"..."

Immediately following him, several more elders joined, a sense of strength gradually gathering in their eyes.

More and more elders were moved and stood on Zhang Liang's side one after another.

They knew deep down that this might be their one chance to change their fate.