Chapter 655: Hu-er Ran’s conditions!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Within Yue Zhong’s camp, Yue Zhong was hugging Yin Shuang, and beside him stood Bai Xiao Sheng and Ji Qing Wu. Tenpyo Saka was hidden in the shadows. 20 Evolvers of above Level 40 that had withstood countless battles stood neatly in 2 rows.
Under the watchful gazes of all these experts, as well as Yue Zhong, Hu-er Ran walked in, his countenance calm and not a nary of worry on his handsome face. Yue Zhong spoke, "What guts! Truly the Mongol King Hu-er Ran. You actually dared to walk alone into my camp. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you right now? If you die, the entire Mongol Empire will crumble, and no faction can stand up to me."
The moment Yue Zhong’s words landed, all the experts tensed up, their eyes fixed on Hu-er Ran.
Yin Shuang also shot daggers out of her eyes while looking at him, her little fists curled up tightly. Should Yue Zhong give the command, she will immediately rush out to blast his head.
Hu-er Ran looked straight at Yue Zhong, without any intention of cowering nor submitting, "When I left, I already gave the order. Once I’m dead, all the resources of the Huangjin Clan’s stronghold would be set ablaze. If you want to take over a broken and useless building, by all means!"
As a warlord, even when he was pressed to such circumstances, Hu-er Ran still retained his demeanor and did not grovel to beg for his life.
"Good! You can be considered a hero." Yue Zhong eyed him, a look of appreciation in his gaze.
Many people found it hard to retain their calm under the threat of death. Those who were usually officials were mostly cowards. As the Mongol King, Hu-er Ran had actually risked his life to enter Yue Zhong’s camp by himself, just this alone cause Yue Zhong to admire him.
Yue Zhong continued on oppressively, "Hu-er Ran, I want the entire Huangjin Clan to submit. There can only be my voice throughout the Central Plains. State your conditions."
As the victor, Yue Zhong had the advantage, and thus, only he could possibly call for the conditions in such a prideful tone.
Hu-er Ran kept his gaze fixed on Yue Zhong, each of his words clear, "If I were to submit, how would you deal with me? Give me a glass of poison wine, or let me rot as a commoner?"
Hu-er Ran was not just a peak-level Evolver, but also the tyrant of the Central Plains once. Whenever a new power managed to conquer their enemies, they would not let such existences continue to live, and thus, they would choose to wipe them out.
Yue Zhong stared back, "I will not kill you, instead, I’ll transfer your family and you to Vietnam, and you won’t be allowed to return to the Central Plains ever again. As long as you stay there obediently, I will let you live your life out as a rich man. As long as you don’t take arms against me, I won’t kill you. If you dare to try and contest my power again, I will wipe out all of your family lines. How’s that?"
Hu-er Ran’s presence in the Central Plains had been too resounding, and Yue Zhong wasn’t willing to let this unstable element stay here. If he didn’t kill him, he had to make sure he was far away, with no way to regroup with his old subordinates. Of course, the best method was still to kill him.
Hu-er Ran became silent, and he knew it was the best way.
He then replied, "If I want to remain here in the Central Plains, how would you deal with it?"
Yue Zhong’s eyes flashed coldly, "Then I will choose to kill you right now. Even if chaos erupts in the Huangjin Clan stronghold, I will not let you leave here alive."
A capable leader could expand his power and authority fast. Hu-er Ran was too outstanding, Yue Zhong could not allow him to continue his activities on the Central Plains. Otherwise, there will be countless troubles to come.
Hu-er Ran’s heart turned cold, he could tell that Yue Zhong was determined from his words. If he insisted on staying on, Yue Zhong would definitely not spare him.
His eyes flashed, and he hesitated, before saying, "I will bring the Huangjin Clan to submit to you, and fight for you, how about that? Since there’re still many factions out here in the Central Plains, I’m willing to bring the troops to help you persuade them."
"Oh?" Yue Zhong felt incredulous, he had never expected Hu-er Ran to suggest joining him. He sunk into deep thought.
If Hu-er Ran truly joined Yue Zhong, Yue Zhong would gain a terrifying strength. The elite troops under Hu-er Ran were all powerful and valiant warriors. Be it dealing with humans or zombies, they would be a powerful addition to his current might.
This time, Hu-er Ran’s army had lost not because they weren’t brave or lacked manpower, they lacked measures against the aerial assault. In modern warfare, losing the flow of the battle to aerial attacks was a terrifying thing. Especially out here in the plains, where there was not a single shred of cover to protect against any aerial assault, ground troops were at a huge disadvantage.
If Yue Zhong didn’t have the 30 assault helicopters, even if he threw all his forces at the Mongolian Army, at best, both sides would have suffered great casualties, but the victor would not have been so clear.
Yue Zhong was unsure, because he had little troops on hand right now, and the true elites did not exceed 5,000. It was going to be tough to expect them to exert sufficient pressure on tens of thousands of Mongolian soldiers. Should things go awry, his own troops might be even be swallowed.
"I know you must be thinking that my troops will be hard to control. However, you can rest assure, modern warfare is fought with ample equipment and proper support. A troop without any support could not engage in a long battle. Once I submit and join your ranks, the resources of the Huangjin Clan would be in your hands, as long as you hold on to them, we can’t possibly rebel. Furthermore, our families and loved ones will be in your grasp as well, and they’re the best tool to use against us."
"If you’re worried that there’re too many of us, you can split us up, and fill the ranks up with other Hans. Or you can disarm a number until you’re satisfied. In addition, there’re over hundreds of thousands of slaves of various ethnicity groups, once you set them free, they’ll follow you. You can choose people from them to form a matching force to keep us in check. Like that, the total number of Hans will be more than us. Since the Central Plains are vast, there are numerous Han factions out there. I can bring my troops to subjugate them and send them to you. Like this, the battle power of the Hans will only strengthen, and you will have no worry about us betraying you." Hu-er Ran explained in detail, much to Yue Zhong’s surprise.
Yue Zhong stared at him, "Why do you want to work for me?"
Normally, a leader would rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond. Even if they were captured, they wouldn’t submit so easily like this. Yue Zhong was suspicious of Hu-er Ran’s sudden proposal.
There was struggle in Hu-er Ran’s eyes, as he replied, "Before the apocalypse, I had been a rich man’s son, and led a wastrel’s life. There was no goal or aim, and I only sought to enjoy myself. After the apocalypse, I’ve grown to love this exciting life of battle. There’s no way for me to go back to enjoying myself in pleasures. If I don’t have power, or forced to be idle, I would suffocate to death."
There were some who preferred to live peaceful and quiet lives. Some chose to live theirs on the edge. Many officials had lost their lives at the start of the Apocalypse, because they had lost the authority that came with their positions, and could not adjust accordingly.
Hu-er Ran was also not willing to bury himself in a small corner of Vietnam, living a quiet life. Even if he had to die, he wanted to go out with a bang, on the battlefields.
Yue Zhong looked at Hu-er Ran for a long while, before deciding, "Fine! I’ll promise you! As long as you join me, I can let you continue to lead warriors to roam the Central Plains. However, all your subordinates will have to obey my every command. If there’s a single instance of you disobeying, then don’t blame me for being merciless. How’s that? Do you still want to lead?"
It was as Hu-er Ran pointed out, as long as Yue Zhong held the logistics, there was no way for Hu-er Ran to go. After all, they were an entire force of riders, if they couldn’t even eat their fill, how would they win any fights? Much less fight against an armored troop with aerial support.
Hu-er Ran immediately went down on one knee as he announced, "I’m willing to serve Leader with my life!"
He was decisive, having made the decision to serve Yue Zhong, he was willing to put down his position as the Mongol King and wholeheartedly serve as Yue Zhong’s subordinate.
Yue Zhong eyed Hu-er Ran and spoke slowly, "All those who had partaken in the killing and slaughter of the Hans and other races, I will not let any of them off. Do you understand?"
Hu-er Ran’s face turned cold, "Yes! Leader! I will go grab those bastards for Leader, and execute them as an example!"
Yue Zhong then dismissed him, "Alright, go back! First, transport the resources out, I’ll get my men to receive them."
"Yes! Leader!" Hu-er Ran then quickly left the room.
After Hu-er Ran left, Bai Xiao Sheng could not help but ask, "Leader, are you really going to use that guy? He’s not simple at all. Too ambitious! If we’re not careful, he might turn around to swallow us!"
Yue Zhong replied, "That’s right! He’s a double-edged sword. If we can utilize him properly, he can be the sharpest blade in our troops. However, the moment we show any weakness, he will be the first to bite us."
Bai Xiao Sheng was confused, "Then, you still promised him…?"
Yue Zhong’s eyes glinted, "We have to quickly amass our strength, and take down the capital in a year’s time. Otherwise, things will be bad then."