But such a large ship, besides the Upper Country Ming, who else could build it? It certainly can’t be the Koreans from south of the Yalu River, or the Mongolians from the farthest west branch of the Heilongjiang River’s upstream. The other party’s accent is unmistakably Man Language! Moreover, that tall, fierce warrior is holding up that copper seal... without a doubt, it is the commander’s official seal bestowed by the Upper Country Ming, identical to the one in his hand!

"...Manjing Guard Commander...Mang Achan Tribe..."

The Chief of Harman reined in his horse, hesitating with the last five cavalrymen by the river’s edge. Behind him were the Wild Man Jurchens’ gathered cavalry, and in front, the vast river; where could they go?

After just a moment of hesitation, three flat-bottomed longships had already approached, lowering heavy gangplanks. Then, a dozen armor-clad Samurai, including the fierce warrior carrying the copper seal, along with another burly man, moved closer.

"Copper seal! It’s our commander’s! Take it and look! ... The enemy’s cavalry is coming! Quickly! Get on the ship!..."

The Chief of Harman gaped in astonishment as the towering Hu Nu stuffed the Manjing Guard Commander’s official seal directly into his arms! Clumsily accepting it, still instinctively checking the engraving on the official seal, he felt a tightness at his waist, as Hu Nu forcibly carried him down. Then, the strong Xiong Da led his warhorse, and the tall Hu Nu dragged him, nearly coercively, onto the longship!

"Get on the ship! Quickly get on the ship!..."

As for the remaining five cavalrymen, they were surrounded by groups of armored warriors and similarly coerced onto the three ships, separated and taken on board. Some had already noticed that something was amiss, but in front of those armored warriors’ long spears, heavy axes, and bones, and the heavy bow and arrows aimed from the ship, they could say nothing, nor could they do anything.

"Friends, hand over your weapons!..."

The armored warriors bundled up the six cavalrymen onto the longship, immediately leading away their horses and collecting their weapons. By now, Chief Ali of Harman, his face changed several times, realized he had boarded a pirate ship!

"What are you? What is this?!..."

Only to see behind the ship’s rail, many archers and armored warriors, all with long, thick braids, clearly resembling the Shengshu Jurchens. Of course, Manjing Guard being at the northernmost point, with a large number of Shengshu Jurchen tribes, was understandable. But aside from half of them being Shengshu Jurchen, there was another quarter of round-faced, hat-wearing archers, looking very much like Mongolians!

As for the last quarter, though they too had black hair and eyes, their faces were very deep-set and distinctly different from the various clans, making it impossible to discern their origins. But it was certain that all the armored warriors on the ship carried an air of ferocious strength, each a seasoned killer!...

"It’s over! Such a large ship, yet not from the Ming... these people must be... from the Mongolian Tribes of the West?... This... this is escaping the wolf’s mouth only to enter the tiger’s den!..."

After realizing something was amiss on the ship, Chief Ali of Harman was bitter but dared not open his mouth to call for help. He bowed to the chieftain-looking Zuwaro, feigning closeness as he spoke.

"Holy Emperor above! Ali, Deputy Commander of the Harman Guard, thanks the lord for your help! The Harman Guard and the Manjing Guard have been friends for generations; our ancestors had dealings in the past... Though we have not met in over a decade, meeting today feels incredibly close!..."

"Good! Good!..."

Zuwaro, smiling warmly, mimicked the manner of Chief Harman, bowing slightly. The other’s Man Language was spoken too fast and urgently for him to understand, and it was inconvenient to ask anyone at the moment, so he only ambiguously smiled.

"All is well! We are all friends! ... You first disarm and rest! Watch me rescue people!..."

"Ah? This accent?..."

Upon hearing Zuwaro’s unfamiliar and strange accent, Chief Ali of Harman’s heart sank further, convinced that this was undoubtedly a group of Mongolians impersonating the commander! The Mongolian Tribes had long been infiltrating Liaodong. Since the Tumu Pass Incident, the powerful Duoyan Sanwei of Northwest Liao had already defected, leaning towards Mongolia. Further north, the Wuliangha Thousand Households, the Wulianghai people among the Forest People, had become one of Dayan Khan’s most battle-hardened thousand households, continuously expanding their pasturelands to Outer Northeast...

Currently, the vast Inner and Outer Northeast, the west belongs to the Mongolian Tribes, the north was shattered by southward Wild Man attacks. Meanwhile, the Ming established a border wall defense line in southern Liaodong and used the immensely loyal Shushu Jurchen tribes as outer barriers. Any Jurchen tribe willing to pay tribute would be rewarded and conferred titles...

And the purpose of the Ming’s generous rewards and control over the Jurchen tribes was mainly to prevent these fiercely brave and unruly fishing tribes from being lured by the Mongols and joining in raids and pillaging of the Liaodong heartland...

"Remove armor and rest? This?... Yes! Yes!... As you say!..."

The Chief of Harman nodded twice in agreement, and was then relieved of his armor by Xiong Da and Hu Nu, before being led aside and surrounded by a group of Samurai.

"Stow the gangplank! Ready the bow and arrows!..."

The landing Samurai all returned, and the heavy gangplanks were stowed away. The three large ships anchored at the shore, and various tribal archers lined up at the ship’s side, awaiting the reaction from the Wild Man Tribes ashore.

"Da da da!..."

Soon, under the leadership of three chieftain leaders, some eighty Wild Man Jurchen Cavalry arrived surrounding the riverbank area. Behind the cavalry, there were also one to two hundred Wild Man Archers spreading out and approaching, like a pack of wolves ready to attack.

"Stop!..."

Upon seeing the rows of greatbows from the ship’s side, the strongest chieftain leader raised his arm, halting the cavalry’s advance. He then stared intently, sizing up the group of armored archers on the ship looking down at them, counting nearly two hundred, showing vigilance and dread. Finally, he reluctantly glanced at the six horses on the ship and from over a hundred paces away, he shouted towards the tribes on the ship.

"Which tribe are you?! These are the prey we have worked hard to encircle! Hand over the six horses and armor!..."

Zuwaro carefully observed the Wild Man Jurchen on the shore, signaling Maha Agudah to respond. It required one who shared the wild origins and unmatched bravery like the Great Chief Agudah to deal with such Wild Man Tribes.

"Ha! We are the Da Faha Tribe! A riverside lineage! In the forest hunting wolf packs, everyone relies on their own teeth and skill, every wolf encountered has a share! Which tribe are you from to dare snatch meat out of our mouths?..."

"..."

In Man Language, "Da Faha" means Big Mahayu, also indicating "fishing tribe". Upon hearing this familiar mode of communication, the strongest chieftain leader was momentarily stunned, then turned to the other two chiefs. The three exchanged glances, realizing they had encountered a true same clan, truly the "wolf pack" coming from the North Southward. After a quiet discussion, it was again the strongest chieftain leader who stepped forward to loudly call out towards the fleet.

"We are the Wudiha Tribes! A forest lineage! We put in so much effort to encircle this prey, losing several dozen warriors before breaking their village!... You did nothing and just snatched a big piece of ’meat’!..."

"Roar! According to the forest’s rule, you must hand over the meat! Or prove your skill as truly sharp-toothed wolves qualified to share the meal with us!..."

"Haha! Good! I’ll prove it to you!... Our teeth are very sharp! This small bite isn’t enough, we need much more to satisfy!..."

Maha Agudah laughed heartily, vigorously patting his chest. Then, he took up a heavy stone hammer, swung it mightily in a circle, took two steps forward, and tossed it onto the riverbank!

"Hit!..."

"Bang!..."

The heavy stone hammer outlined an arc from the ship, flew over twenty steps and landed in the sandy shore, producing a loud "bang"! The spraying sand on the shore disturbed the frontmost two horses, causing them to stamp their hooves uneasily.

"Da da!..."

Such astonishing force caused the three chieftains’ eyes to widen. However, more remarkable feats were yet to follow. Maha Agudah let out a wild roar, slowly drawing his fifteen-strength, two-hundred-pound giant bow. Amidst the teeth-grating sound of bowstring pulling, a thick, long arrow had already aimed at the leading Wudiha chieftain. With eyes narrowed, Maha Agudah coldly curled his lips, roared like a furious tiger, and released the exceptionally heavy bowstring!

"Roar!... Hit!..."

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