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Chapter 542: King Kuari

Those who met with King Kuari gave him many compliments. Fang Wenshi was one of them, and he told the Dragon King, “The future of Norland is bound to be in the hands of King Kuari. He is an exceedingly important figure. We only have two choices: side with him or kill him.”

Gu Shenwei discovered that King Kuari was different from others by observing one detail.

Gu Shenwei entered the noble area with Butler Han and his six guards. No one had gone ahead on their way to King Kuari’s encampment to inform him of their arrival. However, as soon as they walked into the encampment, Gu Shenwei saw a man of about thirty years opening his arms to welcome them. He seemed to have foreseen their arrival in advance.

“Dragon King, you are finally here. I thought I would not have the honor of your visit,” greeted King Kuari.

King Kuari had a handsome, genteel look. He was more like a well-read, highborn master from the Central Plain than a rude illiterate born in Norland who spent most of his time on horseback. Now Gu Shenwei understood why Fang Wenshi thought so highly of him.

“It’s natural to visit the most important people,” replied Gu Shenwei.

King Kuari burst into laughter when he heard these words. His laughter was lively and sincere, typical of the Norland style.

Butler Han came forward, bowed and said, “I beg your pardon, My Lord. I brought the Dragon King here without your permission.”

“The Dragon King is a distinguished guest. How could I punish you?” laughed King Kuari.

Butler Han was very relieved, with a bright smile on his face. He bowed to King Kuari, and then dismissed himself.

The tent of King Kuari was neither as luxurious as King Dari’s nor as simple as King Rizhu’s. Sets of armor, bows and arrows, and sabers and swords were displayed in the tent. A brass incense burner of the Central Plain style stood in the corner. The light scent of the incense pervaded the entire tent.

Gu Shenwei thought, “It’s a strange combination of decorations.” He decided to make a judgment about King Kuari after more observation.

“You must wonder why King Rizhu and King Dari were so eager to meet you,” said King Kuari straightforwardly.

Gu Shenwei liked King Kuari’s frankness. He replied, “Yes, I did. I was confused, especially when they dodged my questions.”

King Kuari laughed again. During the whole conversation, he always laughed at the proper time. He seemed to consider the Dragon King as his ally. Avoiding small talk and persuasion, he went straight to the point.

For the past six months, Fang Wenshi had been paving the way for the Dragon King to seek an alliance in Norland. King Kuari thought that there was no reason for the Dragon King to refuse to form an alliance with him.

“There is only one person who can change the Norland lords’ attitudes,” King Kuari said. He was the first man from Norland who was honest with the Dragon King. “A few days ago, the Khan summoned ten lords and gave them an order: anyone who persuaded the Dragon King and the Supreme King to make peace with each other and work together to fight against the Central Plain would become the Lord of the Western Region,” he told Gu Shenwei.

Gu Shenwei admired King Kuari. He was not supposed to be trusted here, as he had just left King Dari’s encampment. However, this lord neither showed any displeasure nor inquired about his conversation with King Dari. Instead, he openly told him the secret that the others had concealed.

Even so, Gu Shenwei could not accept Khan’s order. He asked, “Do you mean that the Khan will turn the Western Region into a dependency of Norland?”

King Rizhu and King Dari did not want to irritate the Dragon King too soon, so they had hidden this from him.

King Kuari said, as if he had no such concern, “You do not need to take these words seriously. The Khan’s real purpose is to select his successor.” After pausing for a while, he continued, “This is the way that the Khan handles matters. He asks you to do one thing, but he actually has another plan. Haha, he is getting old.”

King Kuari was also the first who dared to show disrespect to the Khan. Gu Shenwei had discovered that no one in Norland dared to tease the Khan behind his back.

The people of Norland regarded the Khan as the leader of the gods.

“Even if the Khan had another plan, he would take the Western Region as well. Am I wrong?” asked Gu Shenwei.

“Dragon King, don’t worry about it,” King Kuari said with a grim look. “There is a border between the Western Region and Norland that no one can cross. It’s not the natural moat, the pass or the strong troops, but the lifestyle,” he continued.

“The people in Norland go out on horseback, while the people in the Western Region go by carriage; the people in Norland eat meat and drink horse milk, while the people in the Western Region plow the land and eat pancakes and pastries. If the people from Norland resided in the Western Region, they would have no place for their horses. If the people from the Western Region lived in Norland, they would have no land to plow. Since ancient times, the two kingdoms have been on good terms for these very reasons,” King Kuari went on.

“Now thousands of cavalry from Norland are galloping into the Western Region,” replied Gu Shenwei.

“It’s temporary. Dragon King, you are from the Western Region. You could come to Norland and stay months, or even years. However, you would eventually go back, because no one here woud treat you as a Dragon King. If you insisted on staying here, you would slowly become a man of Norland, abide by our rules, and serve the Khan. In the end, you might be granted with the title of Lord, but do you want to lead such a life?” quipped King Kuari.

King Kuari was an eloquent master. Compared to him, Fang Wenshi was a clown.

Still, Gu Shenwei was a practical man who only cared about his own interests. He asked, “Are you saying that the cavalry from Norland will withdraw someday?”

“Sooner or later. If I could make the call, I would command them to come back to Norland immediately. Once our soldiers stay there too long, they get accustomed to the lifestyle and become like the people of the Western Region. That’s my main concern,” he replied.

“What about the Central Plain? People there make their livings as farmers,” said Gu Shenwei.

“That’s why the Central Plain is the biggest threat to the Western Region. Actually, the Western Region has been under Norland’s protection, but everyone has ignored that fact. If Norland had not been fighting against the Central Plain for years, the whole Western Region would have become a county of the Central Plain within a year,” explained King Kuari.

King Kuari paused again to give his guest time to think about what he had said. Then, he continued, “Norland will be in a war with the Central Plain one day, but any victory by either will not last long. Tens of thousands of people from the Central Plain live in tents within the range of the Royal Court. They came to Norland for various reasons. As times passes, they will become the true people of Norland. I have never doubted their allegiance to the Khan. Meanwhile, many people from Norland escaped to the Central Plain to plow the land, leaving their livestock behind. Among these people, I can hardly find anyone who is willing to be a spy. It is the endless fights between the Central Plain and Norland that keeps the Western Region independent,” he explained further.

Gu Shenwei knew that he was almost convinced by King Kuari. He had met countless eloquent people, including Zhang Ji, Shangguan Yun and Fang Wenshi, but none of them could manage to set his mind at ease the way King Kuari had.

He did not entirely trust King Kuari, but he had to admit that most of what he’d said made sense.

“In this way, the Western Region has no need to please large countries,” said Gu Shenwei.

King Kuari laughed and replied, “Independence is a long-term goal, while survival is much more pressing. Norland and the Central Plain may not be able to occupy the Western Region forever, but they can easily invade and destroy several kingdoms and crush their Royal Crowns. I believe that your purpose to seek out new alliances in Norland is for the sake of your survival, and not about the future of the Western Region,” King Kuari said.

Gu Shenwei looked down and pondered, “I did not plan to make a decision so early. But he showed his sincerity, so I must give him something.” He then asked, “You want me to reconcile with the Golden Roc Fort, don’t you?”

“A compromise between commoners is simply cowardice. However, a compromise between leaders is strength. Dragon King, if you made peace with the Golden Roc Fort once, you can do it again. But this time, you should both show more trust and cooperation with each other. As for who gets to rule the Western Region, I will be on your side, and you have my word,” King Kuari said.

“King Kuari, how do you plan to persuade the Golden Roc Fort to agree to this?” Gu Shenwei asked, for he wanted to postpone giving an answer.

“I heard that the Third Young Master, Shangguan Yun of the Golden Roc Fort, and his teacher, Zhang Ji, are wise and sensible men. I think I can persuade them. Well, actually you are the key to me persuading them. As long as you refuse to be roped in by any other lords, the Golden Roc Fort has no choice but to negotiate with me. Dragon King, you will win a perfect victory. Now, it only remains for the Golden Roc Fort to accept my offer.”

Having realized that King Kuari was forcing him to show his stance, Gu Shenwei became more alert. His paranoia caused him to find something suspicious about King Kuari.

“Did King Kuari say the same thing to the messenger from the Golden Roc Fort? He must have promised them that he would be on their side,” Gu Shenwei mused.

Gu Shenwei knew that there were many sharper weapons than sabers and swords that could kill people. Nice, friendly words was one of them.

Soon, he realized the problem. “He tried to convince me that I did not have any other choices, which means that he has no intention of making any offers to me,” he thought.

Gu Shenwei preferred practical benefits over empty promises.

“I think I must have come too early,” Gu Shenwei said, shrugging his shoulders, with a look of confusion. He quickly hid his doubt and said, “Most of what you said is beyond my understanding. I am better at weilding swords than thinking. I never considered the big picture, as you described it,” he commented.

King Kuari frowned in exasperation, and said, “I thought Military Counselor Fang…” Then he immediately changed the subject and said, “It’s my fault. I should not have expressed such complex ideas. Anyway, please stay. When your military counselor comes back, we can discuss the big issues together.”

“As you ask, King Kuari. I have to think about what you said. Perhaps I will have a better understanding after I get some sleep,” said Gu Shenwei.

King Kuari laughed loudly and lively again, and then said, “I’m a terrible host. My guest came here after a long journey, but I kept him up, chatting. Where is my hospitality?”

When Gu Shenwei walked out of the tent, it was almost daybreak. Two attendants of King Kuari were waiting outside the tent to escort the Dragon King to his tent.

There were two tents; one was big, and the other was small. The two tents were close together.

One attendant said, “The large one is for you, Dragon King, and the small one is for your guard.”

The two attendants left, showing no curiosity towards that mysterious guard.

Maid Lotus walked out of the shadows and told the Dragon King, “There is something that you should know.”

“What?” asked Gu Shenwei.

“The butler who brought you here was killed. The reason was because he brought you here without his lord’s order,” she said.

“King Kuari treats his subordinates in a cruel and strict way. If I want to be his ally, I must follow his orders. Any small mistake may get me killed,” Gu Shenwei mused.

At that moment, Gu Shenwei was thankful to have not been persuaded by King Kuari.