"Mr. Moore." Finally, one of the defeated soldiers couldn't take it anymore and cautiously pleaded with Frank Moore, who was sitting by the river. "Could you please ask Mr. Moore to request a spear from those men, and use it to break up the ice?"

Frank Moore, who was covering his face and wrapped in a fur coat, frowned at these words. Although his face was injured, he hadn't lost his senses like Philip King, and he could see the situation here very clearly. So, in the end, he nodded and decided to go ask those overbearing personal guards for a spear.

And then, he got another whipping in return!

This time, Frank Moore was truly furious. How could anyone be bullied like this?!

Just think about those Han Chinese from the Anli Company—such a big and prosperous business. He had been their subordinate for years, and they always made sure their subordinates didn't suffer losses, never looking down on him. But today, in front of his own Xianbei people, it was just a few personal guards by the lord's side—defeated soldiers at that—yet they kept humiliating him again and again?!

Why?!

The more Frank Moore thought about it, the more stifled he felt. And seeing that after cleaning his wounds, Lord Philip King was still not in his right mind, a bold idea suddenly arose in his heart.

"Temporarily settle in your tribe?" The leader among Philip King's personal guards looked at Frank Moore's fawning expression and was momentarily stunned, but after glancing down at his own bare left foot, he couldn't help but ask eagerly, "How far is it from here?"

"Not far," Frank Moore became even more obsequious. "It's only twenty or thirty li away. If we leave now, we'll definitely arrive tonight... I even have two jars of fine wine in my tribe, looted and never opened."

...

"Mo Hu tribe, a branch of the Bai Xianbei. During the reign of Emperor Huan, they lived beside Liucheng in Liaoxi. Their leader was called Frank Moore. Whenever they plundered and obtained goods, they would divide everything equally, making decisions on the spot, never keeping anything private, and thus won the people's utmost loyalty." — Book of the Later Han, Volume 90, Biographies of the Wuhuan and Xianbei, No. 80

Chapter 9 Domestic Violence

"Is everything taken care of?" That evening, in the Mo Hu tribe located forty li west of Liucheng in Liaoxi, Frank Moore squatted by the warm fire upon returning home, his expression already changed.

"According to your orders, big brother, we killed them all!" As these words were spoken, a Xianbei man with a scar on his forehead, looking even more robust than Frank Moore, stepped out from the shadows and also squatted by the fire pit. "Actually, big brother, since we outnumbered them, there was no need to get them drunk first. Those were the last two jars of good wine in the tribe..."

"Cut the nonsense. Is wine more valuable than human lives?" Frank Moore touched the wounds on his face, now treated, his expression very indifferent. "Did you cut off all their heads?"

"All of them."

"And those lowly herdsmen, you didn't go soft on them, did you?"

"No mercy. We chopped them all as you ordered." The Xianbei man's face was fierce. "Don't worry, big brother. We know how important this is. We were very careful—no word will leak out."

"Good, good." Frank Moore let out a weary sigh. "If it weren't for those dog slaves pushing us too far, I wouldn't have done this. After all, we're all Xianbei. Our Khan, Tan Shihuai, is like a god... Enough about that. Make sure the heads are cleaned and hidden. You personally sneak them to Liucheng, and once there, find the manager of the Anli Company and sell the heads. This battle was fought personally by their young master, so the heads can definitely be exchanged for merit—they'll pay well for them."

"What should we trade for?" The man looked expectant.

"Of course, grain and hemp cloth!" Frank Moore was exasperated. "Don't even think about trading for wine. In the dead of winter, that stuff is useless to the tribe!"

"But big brother, you traded a horse for a buyao crown and then lost it... Why can't I trade for two jars of wine?" The younger brother immediately protested.

"Fine!" Frank Moore was helpless at his brother's words, and thinking of the beautiful buyao crown lost in the camp made his heart ache even more. "But only two jars! Don't waste time. We'll split up. You leave at dawn with men to escort the heads to Liucheng. As for me, I'll wait a bit. Tomorrow, some people will probably escape back from Lulong Fortress. After I gather a few, I'll escort Lord Philip King to Murong Temple..."

"Big brother." The Xianbei man's eyes suddenly turned strange. "Who did you say you were escorting to Murong Temple?"

"Of course, Lord Philip King." Frank Moore became smug again. "He's not in his right mind and has no idea what we've done. When he comes to, he'll only see me as his savior. And while you sell the heads to the Han, I'll take him back to our headquarters... Profiting from both sides—that's what makes a real businessman!"

"But..."

"But what? Isn't this a good plan?"

"It's a good plan, but, but Lord Philip King's head has already been cut off?!"

"What?!" Frank Moore's facial wounds split open in shock. "Whose head was cut off? That's the lord personally appointed by Khan Tan Shihuai! Who dared cut off his head?!"