150: The Messenger Arrives

"This humble general has no objection!" The Generals replied, cupping their hands.

Previously, the Great Wall Legion they represented had been in contention with the garrisons of other counties, so they naturally argued strongly, not wanting to give an inch.

But now that the quota had been set, and in their internal distribution, General Wang Li's Legion had the greatest merit and received the most, which was only right. Naturally, no one had any further objections.

After all, military merit came first. Without Lin Yue, they wouldn't have acquired these cavalry!

"Good, then this matter is settled," General Meng Tian nodded.

Subsequently, an official dressed as a civil servant requested an audience with General Meng Tian. After he entered, he handed General Meng Tian a document, then cupped his hands and withdrew.

General Meng Tian opened the document, his expression gradually changing from impassive to somewhat somber, finally looking up in General Wang Li's direction.

The Generals also looked at General Wang Li, following General Meng Tian's gaze, not understanding what had happened.

Even General Wang Li felt puzzled. He stood up, cupped his hands, and asked, "Great General, what's wrong?"

General Meng Tian's anger turned to a faint smile, and he spoke slowly, "The person who just came was an envoy dispatched by His Majesty in advance, responsible for taking over and inspecting the warhorses, cattle, and sheep sent by the Xiongnu people."

At this moment, General Wang Li's mind raced. He couldn't understand where the mistake was. Wang Da Tou had clearly guaranteed with his head that the number of warhorses, cattle, and sheep was absolutely correct!

Why was the Great General's expression so terribly grim now!

"The numbers are correct, but some livestock have already started falling ill and dying.

Fortunately, His Majesty sent some physicians with the envoy, which helped control the rate of livestock reduction," General Meng Tian said in a deep voice.

General Wang Li breathed a sigh of relief. If they were dying of illness, that was fine. It only meant the Xiongnu people were too cunning, and some problems were within everyone's expectations. After all, they were soldiers, not veterinarians, who could tell at a glance which cattle or sheep were sick.

As long as the number of warhorses, cattle, and sheep he was responsible for was correct, General Wang Li secretly rejoiced.

"But that's not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is why you didn't inspect them when you received them, leading to a severe imbalance in the male and female livestock.

The envoy who arrived first, after three days and three nights of tireless inspection, found that the number of cows, mares, and ewes was significantly lower.

Especially the cattle; out of a total of four million cattle, there were only three hundred and seventy thousand cows, the rest were all bulls!

The cows accounted for less than one-tenth of the total!

How did you oversee this!"

After hearing General Meng Tian's words, General Wang Li broke out in a cold sweat and quickly cupped his hands to beg for forgiveness.

What His Majesty valued most were probably these cattle. After training, these cattle could be distributed as plowing oxen to various places, easing the burden on farmers and increasing grain production!

But now, the proportion of plowing oxen was imbalanced, which was extremely detrimental to their reproduction. His merits would be greatly discounted. He couldn't help but curse inwardly, Wang Da Tou really was a big head!

He had no brains at all!

If Wang Da Tou were here, he would also feel very wronged. No one told him back then that he had to differentiate between male and female. Inspecting the numbers was already a huge undertaking; who would pay attention to such minor details?

This matter could be big or small; General Wang Li was a bit uneasy now, it all depended on how General Meng Tian wanted to handle it.

Lin Yue also felt a bit startled and amused. To be honest, anyone who acquired millions of livestock as spoils of war wouldn't have the mind to distinguish between male and female; as long as the numbers were correct, they wouldn't fuss over it.

Fortunately, the male-female ratio of warhorses wasn't too outrageous, perhaps because the Xiongnu people knew the border Army valued warhorses and didn't dare to play too many tricks.

But he still wanted to laugh after hearing it. Those cows must hate General Wang Li to death.

A ratio of one cow to nine bulls, truly a case of few cows suffering!

"Your warhorses will be reduced by one hundred thousand and distributed to the other four legions. Sit down," General Meng Tian said with a sigh.

"Yes!" General Wang Li cupped his hands, then sat back down on the stool.

Let the warhorses be reduced a bit. Since General Meng Tian had punished him, it meant he wouldn't be punished again, and this matter was now closed.

That Wang Da Tou, when he returned, he really had to give him a good dressing down! General Wang Li cursed in his heart.

Meanwhile, Wuluoli, far away on the grassland, was also looking troubled. Elder Aikala smiled and comforted him, "Prince, you don't need to be disheartened. Your temporary failure hasn't had too much impact. You will still receive favor when you return."

"How is that possible, Elder Aikala? I'm sure those people must hate me to death," Wuluoli said in a low voice.

"Not at all. This winter will be very cold, and the herdsmen have too many cattle and sheep. It's inevitable that some will die due to insufficient care. Now that some have been dealt with in advance, they don't have too much resistance," Elder Aikala chuckled.

"Cattle and sheep are their property; how could they easily abandon them?"

"Prince, you don't need to consider their thoughts now. You only need to consider the Chanyu's thoughts, that's enough," Elder Aikala said.

Wuluoli thought for a moment and cheered up a bit. He said to Aikala:

"Elder Aikala, I have disappointed you and my father. Such a great price was paid to bring me back to the grassland.

In the future, I will not easily take risks. What I lost today, in due time, I, Wuluoli, will personally reclaim!"

Elder Aikala smiled cunningly, "Actually, the price paid wasn't that great. The Chanyu's bottom line for me was ten million warhorses and ten million cattle and sheep of each!"

...In the main tent of the Military Camp in Fushi County City, Luo Xi walked in and whispered a few words to General Meng Tian.

General Meng Tian then nodded to him and stood up, saying, "His Majesty's envoy has arrived. Follow me out of the camp to greet him."

"Yes!" The Generals responded, following General Meng Tian out of the Encampment in order.

"Are you Lin Yue, the one who captured the Xiongnu people Little Prince and outwitted the Xiongnu people envoy?"

"Precisely. This humble general greets the General." Lin Yue turned his head and saw Dong Zhuo asking him.

"A young talent, a young talent indeed!" Dong Zhuo laughed heartily, then patted Lin Yue's shoulder and said, "Come find this old man for a drink sometime. This old man especially likes young people like you."

Then he walked forward, laughing loudly, with Li Jue and Hua Xiong following closely behind.

Lin Yue was left looking somewhat bewildered and confused.

"General Dong Zhuo just likes to make friends; don't overthink it," She Jian said to Lin Yue.

"Stay away from him; he doesn't look like a good person," General Wang Li said indifferently, glancing at Dong Zhuo before continuing forward.

"Do they have a grudge?" Lin Yue asked quietly.

"No, but General Wang Li dislikes him very much," She Jian shook his head and said.

Lin Yue sighed inwardly. General Wang Li was indeed from a family of military strategists; his Political acumen was far beyond what a rough person like She Jian could compare to.

In his early years, Dong Zhuo was indeed extraordinarily brave and martial. The 'Records of the Three Kingdoms' states: Dong Zhuo possessed talent and martial prowess, his arm strength was unmatched, he carried two arrows, and could shoot while galloping left and right.

In his youth, he had a chivalrous heart, was generous, excelled in martial arts, and was quick to help others with his wealth. When friends traveled far to visit him, he looked left and right, and actually slaughtered the family's only plowing ox to entertain them, earning unanimous praise.

From the current perspective, Dong Zhuo was still loyal to the imperial court, or perhaps he was very good at hiding his ambition, but one day he would turn into a wicked dragon.

Subsequently, the group walked out of the Encampment and stood silently in the cold wind, waiting.

Until a grand cavalry Army in the distance, surrounding a carriage, slowly approached.

"Who's coming, putting on such a big show?" Dong Zhuo muttered disdainfully.