Zhang Tailing couldn't help but said: "If the Xile people and the Black Mountain bandits collude together and suddenly attack us, then... wouldn't that be a big disaster? Sir, do the Xile people really dare to come and kill us?"
"If someone is instigating it behind the scenes, then there is no telling." Yuwen Chengchao looked solemn and said in a low voice: "It is expected that the Liaodong Army will not give us the beautiful grassland. There are other grasslands in the Northeast, although the conditions are worse.
, but it is much safer than the place where Songyang Racecourse is located. Songyang Racecourse is right on the border and faces threats from Black Mountain bandits and even Sile people at any time. If the Liaodong Army chose it at random, I don't believe it."
Qin Xiao knew that what Yuwen Chengchao said was indeed to the point.
The Liaodong Army has been entrenched in the Northeast for nearly a hundred years and has deep roots. It must have frequent contacts with the surrounding tribes. The three Xile tribes are in the north. It is absolutely impossible to say that the Liaodong Army has no contact with the Xile people.
The Liaodong Army certainly did not dare to attack Long Rui's army directly, but there was no guarantee that they would use hidden arrows.
Yuwen Chengchao obviously suspected that the Liaodong Army might be instigating the Xile people to harass Long Rui's army behind his back, and used this as a means to force Long Rui's army to return to the pass obediently.
He only has three thousand soldiers and horses on hand. Even if Gu Baiyi arrives, the total number will only be five or six thousand. Before the military training is fully launched, he will definitely not recruit troops immediately.
Although many of these six thousand people are the remnants of Qingzhou, many of them are already quite old, and half of them have not received formal training at all. In fact, their combat effectiveness cannot be said to be very strong. If the Xile people really send out elite cavalry,
Harassment is indeed a big trouble.
“What is the combat effectiveness of the Xile people?” Qin Xiao looked at Yuwen Chengchao.
Yuwen Chengchao shook his head and said: "I haven't been in contact with them, so I can't say for sure how strong they are. But why do these three major tribes stand out, does the general know?" He knew that Qin Xiao definitely didn't know, so he explained: "The three major tribes,
Hegu is located in the northwest of the Zhenyu tribe. There are many mountains there. The largest mountainous area is called Iron Mountain. It is rich in iron ore and depends on the mountains. Hegu has the strongest blacksmiths in the entire desert. The forging of these people
The technology is unparalleled in the desert, and the Hegu Dao is also famous all over the world."
“He Gu Dao?”
Lu Xiaolou said: "Not only is the He Bone Knife, but the arrowheads forged from Tieshan ore are also extremely sharp."
"Yes." Yuwen Chengchao nodded and said: "The Hegu tribe has the smallest base and the smallest number of tribes among the three major tribes, but they have outstanding weapons. And using weapons, they can exchange for a large amount of horse food. This is why they
The foundation to stand on.”
“Selling his strongest weapon, if other tribes also have the He Bone Sword, wouldn’t the advantage of the He Bone Tribe be gone?” Although Zhang Tailing is not very old, he has a very flexible mind.
Yuwen Chengchao actually didn't care about Zhang Tailing's interruption. He knew that although Zhang Tailing was Qin Xiao's apprentice, the fire thunder he made was a unique skill. The power of the fire thunder was amazing. He saw with his own eyes that Zhang Tailing had a skill, even if he didn't
For Qin Xiao's sake, Yuwen Chengchao also admired him quite a bit.
Mr. Yuwen has a heroic personality and hates incompetent dandies, but he has always respected those who are capable.
"Nonsense." Before Yu Wen Chengchao spoke, Lu Xiaolou already said: "Of course the He Bone Department will not leak the real He Bone Knife. If outsiders want to get the real He Bone Knife, they must kill the He Bone People.
Obtain it from them, otherwise it will be difficult to get a real He Bone Knife. The He Bone Knife they trade with outsiders is simpler to forge than the real He Bone Knife. As far as I know, even the craftsmanship is slightly different.
.”
“Fake?”
Yu Wen Cheng said: "It is indeed a counterfeit, but even if it is a counterfeit, it is stronger than an ordinary knife. In fact, people who deal with them all know that it is impossible for He Gubu to take out the real He Gu knife, but they can't.
I won’t pay too much attention to it.” After a pause, he continued: “But compared to the He Gu Dao, the undead army of the Bu Liuda tribe is the one that sends chills down the spine.”
"The Immortal Army?" Zhang Tailing was very curious about knowledge: "This name is very strange. Sir, can they really survive?"
Yu Wen Chengchao smiled and said: "Unless you are an immortal, there is no one with an immortal body. This undead army is an army that the Buliuda tribe is proud of. There are only three thousand people in number, but these three thousand people are extraordinary.
Normally, the Buliuda Tribe will start selecting tribe babies when they are born. They have wizards who are responsible for selecting children. The children selected by the wizards will soon be sent to secret places for training. If they can survive, twenty
When he reaches the age of 18, he will return to the tribe and join the undead army."
Lu Xiaolou said: "I have also heard the legend of the undead army, but I don't know much about it. I only heard that these people were sent to the gate of hell and had to go around the gate of hell. Only those who survive can be qualified to become a member of the undead army.
.”
"Either one of the two." Yu Wen Chengchao's expression became stern and he said slowly: "Only half of the selected babies will survive in the end, and only these half will be qualified to join the Undead Army. What kind of process did they go through?
Naturally, we outsiders don’t know about their training. Even among their own tribe, only a few know the truth. However, the trained undead soldiers have become real killing tools. As far as I know, these people are skilled in bow and horse.
, physically strong but very agile, they cooperate tacitly on the battlefield, but their attacks are extremely ferocious. Although on the battlefield, you will die or I will live, but this undead army is different from other armies.
, either every opponent will be killed, or the entire Undead Army will be wiped out. There is no other result. It can even be said that the Undead Army is a group of beasts that exist purely for killing."
Lu Xiaolou said solemnly: "They are cruel to the enemy and even more cruel to themselves, so as long as the opponent sees the banner of the Undead Army appearing, they will be timid before fighting."
Qin Xiao couldn't help but touch his nose.
"The He Gu tribe relies on weapons to gain a foothold, Bu Liuda has the undead army, and the Zhen Yu tribe relies on war horses." Yu Wencheng said: "Among the three Xile tribes, the Zhen Yu tribe has the most extensive land and the richest pastures.
, there are naturally more tribesmen. Their biggest advantage is that they have the best war horses. When you go to the Zhenyu Grassland, you can see horses everywhere. What the Zhenyu people are best at is raising horses, and they have the purest breeds.
The grassland horses, coupled with the herdsmen's extremely clever methods of raising horses, make the cavalry of the True Feather Division famous all over the world."
Qin Xiao smiled and said: "I knew as soon as I guessed that Zhen Yubu might be relying on war horses to gain a foothold."
"The climate conditions of Zhenyu Grassland are not good, so the war horses raised are extremely cold-resistant and full of tenacity." Yuwen Chengchao said sternly: "There is an important reason why the Bohai people were able to be arrogant and domineering in Liaodong, and that is because they and Zhenyu Grassland were
The Yu tribe has maintained trade relations for a long time, and a large number of true feather war horses were purchased by the Bohai people. The Bohai people then created a huge elite cavalry. They relied on this cavalry to expand their territory and even occupied Xuantu and Liaodong counties.
Emperor Wuzong sent troops to conquer, and although the Bohai people were forced to retreat for a time, they later fell into a stalemate because the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty was not as capable as the elite Bohai people."
Qin Xiao seemed to understand something and asked: "Is the subsequent defeat of the Bohai people related to the Zhenyu tribe?"
Yu Wencheng nodded and said: "That's right. Emperor Wu Zong recovered the two counties, sent troops and horses to the east, and used both grace and power to subdue the tribes in the Black Forest. The Black Forest was controlled, which directly cut off the road between the Bohai Sea and the north.
The Bohai Navy's war horses could not be replenished, and every horse killed in battle meant one less horse. However, His Majesty Wu Zong sent envoys to establish good relations with the Zhenyu Department and purchased a large number of war horses from the Zhenyu Department. Over time, the cavalry strength of the Tang Dynasty and the Bohai Navy was reduced.
One goes down and the other goes up, and the Liaodong Iron Cavalry, which later became famous all over the world, was built based on the real feather war horse."
Qin Xiao was even more in awe of Yuwen Chengchao.
Yuwen Chengchao grew up in Xiling, but he knew all the tribes thousands of miles away. It can be seen that the eldest son has always been very concerned about the general trend of the world, and tried to learn as much as possible about the situation in various places. If Yuwen had not been there this time,
Chengchao himself didn't even know the existence of the three Xile tribes, let alone knew that these three divisions had their own strengths.
"Every man is innocent of the crime of harboring a jade." Yuwen Chengchao said slowly: "The three tribes of Xile were fighting endlessly. At the earliest, the Zhenyu tribe had an absolute advantage among the three tribes because of the large number of people in the land. However, it was also
Because of this, both He Gu and Bu Liuda knew that they would be at a disadvantage when fighting the Zhen Yu tribe alone, so they tacitly regarded the Zhen Yu tribe as their biggest enemy. He Gu was in the north and Bu Liuda was in the east.
, the True Feathers are pressing forward step by step from both sides. The True Feathers seem to have shrunk in territory in recent years, and their situation is quite difficult."
Lu Xiaolou said calmly: "No matter how difficult it is for them, I'm afraid they can't compare to our current situation."
These words were very embarrassing and brought everyone back to their real situation. They all knew that what Lu Xiaolou said was true. If they really wanted to enter Songyang Grassland, the situation would indeed be more difficult than when the True Feathers were attacked from both sides.
Much more.
"Master, you came here on an order to train troops. They deliberately gave you a bad pasture. You can directly report it to the court and file a lawsuit against them." Zhang Tailing was a little angry when he learned about the situation and said angrily: "Let the saint issue the order directly.
, give us the best racecourse, how dare they resist?"
Before Qin Xiao spoke, Lu Xiaolou glanced at Zhang Tailing and said calmly: "If it is true that a decree can make the Liaodong Army vacate the grassland, then can the emperor's decree transfer the Liaodong Army away? What if the decree comes down?
, the Liaodong Army refused for various reasons, and in the end it was the court that had no face. And when we arrived in the Northeast, would the court still bargain with the Liaodong Army over a horse farm? Those adults would not do such a dishonorable thing."
Another hit to the nail on the head.
Everyone present knew that Lu Xiaolou was really perceptive.
Qin Xiao suddenly understood why the decree handed over all military training matters to him. Even the Prime Minister did not say a word about this. There is no doubt that they knew that there were difficult things everywhere in the Northeast. These things could only be done by Qin Xiao.
Solve it yourself. If the imperial court comes forward to discuss with the Liaodong Army, the Liaodong Army will find countless reasons to block the imperial court's intention, making it impossible for the imperial court to achieve its goals. In the end, the imperial court will lose face.
“When we left the customs, we knew that things would not be easy this time.” Qin Xiao looked relaxed: “Take one step at a time, and we will make further calculations when we get to Songyang Grassland.”
He knew in his heart that if he showed depression and embarrassment at this time, other people would be affected by his emotions. As a result, the period would be even more depressed. In this case, he should maintain an optimistic mood and let others know.
No one will be discouraged.
He had been mentally prepared for a long time, knowing that if training in the Northeast was so easy, he would not be able to take on this job so smoothly. After all, it involved military power, and he could have military power in his hands without any effort.
, it is definitely not his turn. If that happens, the Prime Minister and the military will definitely stop it with all their strength.
While the lakes in the south are still rippling, the climate in the northern grasslands has begun to become colder.
On the boundless Zhenyu Grassland, the felt tents look like stars in the night sky.
When the weather is cold, most people on the grassland will hide in felt tents to keep warm. Singing and dancing have also become a program for the Siler people to pass the time in the cold weather.
However, the atmosphere in the Mahabe Khan Court these days has become somewhat depressing and even tense.
Zhenyu Khan has been bedridden for more than ten days. Although they tried their best to block the news and prevent the news of Zhenyu Khan's illness from spreading, many people in the Khan Court headquarters still heard the news, and the tribesmen were praying devoutly.
Pray for Zhenyu Khan.
The three tribes of Xile all claim to be the orthodox of the Xile Kingdom, so the heads of the three tribes each claim to be Khan, but they do not recognize each other.
But in the hearts of everyone in the Zhenyu tribe, Zhenyu Khan is the Khan of the entire Sile tribe and a great and wise Khan.
Zhenyu Khan has inherited the throne for more than thirty years. During these thirty years, he has worked hard for the Zhenyu tribe. Many times when the tribe was in danger, Zhenyu Khan led the tribe through the difficulties.
Moreover, in the past thirty years, the Zhenyu tribe has been recuperating and recuperating, rarely having wars with other tribes, and the people have lived a relatively stable life.
However, in recent years, Tie Han of the Monan Duer tribe has risen rapidly. He is invincible on the grassland and has annexed many tribes. Although his power is still only in Monan, the rapid rise of a behemoth on the grassland has naturally brought troubles to the surrounding tribes.
A great threat.
Many years ago, Tiehan convened a meeting of various grassland tribes and reached a resolution to ban the sale of war horses from the grassland. Although many tribes were dissatisfied with this resolution, no one dared to disobey under Tiehan's threat.
Compared to other tribes, this decision naturally hits the True Feather Tribe very hard.
The war horses of the True Feather Tribe are famous all over the world, and they have been able to maintain their strong strength and stand firm in the battles among various tribes on the grassland. This is because they can make huge profits by selling war horses. Whether it is trading with the Tang Dynasty or the Bohai people, the True Feather Tribe has
The Yu tribe all makes a lot of money.
Zhen Yubu was full of complaints about this resolution, but did not dare to openly confront Tie Han.
The Du'er Hu tribe has become the largest tribe in Monan. Although the Zhenyu tribe has stronger strength among the tribes in Modong, compared with the Du'er Hu tribe, the gap is still too big, and the Zhenyu tribe is attacked from both sides.
Both the He Gu tribe and the Bu Liuda tribe are watching with eager eyes. Once they fall out with Tie Han, Tie Han hooks up with the other two tribes and attacks the True Feather tribe from three sides. The True Feather tribe will surely face disaster.
Although the True Feathers still trade secretly in private, compared to the upright transactions, both the quantity and the profit are greatly reduced. Over the past few years, the True Feathers have been weakening due to the horse ban.
In a grassland that follows the natural law of the weak and the strong, the weakening of power is destined to create greater crises.
What makes the Zhenyu tribe most angry is that although Tiehan prohibits the grassland tribes from trading with the Tang Dynasty and the Bohai Sea, they can still trade with each other. If it is just that, that's it, but the Du'er tribe has the first right to purchase horses.
, In other words, if the True Feather Tribe wants to trade horses with the grassland tribes, it must give priority to trading with the Duer Hu Tribe.
As the best war horses on the grassland, the True Feather Horses naturally took as much as they could get, and they tried their best to keep the price down. Compared with the original trade with Datang and Bohai, the price of the war horses sold to the Duer Guards was seven percent less.
There is almost no profit at all.
On the contrary, the Duer tribe purchased the real feathered horses and sold them to other tribes at high prices.
Everyone knows that the Duer Hubu is sucking the blood of Zhen Yubu, and Zhen Yubu is also angry in his heart, but facing the powerful Duer Hubu, he can only dare to be angry and dare not speak out.
The True Feathers can trade war horses, but this will only worsen the situation of the True Feathers. Without the necessary items in exchange for the war horses, the True Feathers' strength will only weaken faster.
Under the threat of the other two troops of Xile and the pressure of Duer's troops, Zhen Yuhan tried his best to support him, but in the end he was still too worried and couldn't afford to fall ill.
Shamans prayed for Zhenyu Khan for seven consecutive days, but Zhenyu Khan's condition still did not improve.
In the Khan King's tent, the once heroic Zhen Yuhan was already emaciated, his weak eye sockets were sunken deeply, and his body was covered with thick bearskin. There were more than a dozen people kneeling around him, with his right hand on his heart, his head lowered.
A solemn look on his face.
"Never surrender...!" Zhen Yuhan's voice was weak, as if he was giving instructions to everyone, and seemed to be muttering to himself: "One day, Xile will be able to regain his country...!"
"Khan, you are the sun in the sky, shining brightly, but the sun also sets." A strong middle-aged man closest to the bed said in a deep voice: "If the sun sets, the sun will rise the next day.
who is it?"
“Zhen Yuchui, what do you mean by this?” A one-eyed man suddenly raised his head, his remaining eye showing anger: “Are you cursing the Great Khan?”
Zhenyu glanced back and sneered: "Am I right? Even if the sun shines brightly, it will sometimes set, but Zhenyu still exists. If the sun sets, without the protection of the sun, all the people will be dead.
will be plunged into darkness. Is it wrong for me to ask the Great Khan who can continue to protect the people of Zhenyu?"
"Don't think we don't know your thoughts." The one-eyed man sneered: "You want to become the Great Khan yourself, but you are not qualified."
As soon as he finished speaking, a person next to him sneered: "He is not qualified, how can you be qualified? Zhen Yuke, Zhen Yuchui is the brother of the Great Khan, and he is also the first warrior of the Zhenyu tribe. If the sun sets, Zhenyu
Chui must be able to lead the Mahabebe out of the darkness."
"He is the number one warrior?" the one-eyed man Zhen Yuke laughed sarcastically: "If he really has the courage, he will fight with me outside the tent now. Warriors can't just talk with their mouths."
Zhen Yuchui stood up abruptly and said angrily: "You want to duel with me? Very good, let's go out now and see whose knife is sharper."
“Do you want Dahan to still have no peace despite his illness?” A white-haired old man beside the bed said calmly. Everyone in the tent was kneeling, and he was the only one sitting cross-legged beside the bed.
This old man obviously has a high prestige. Although Zhen Yuchui and Zhen Yuke looked at each other angrily, they did not dare to say anything anymore.
"You guys go out first." The old man ordered: "If Tag arrives, ask her to come over immediately!"
Zhen Yu heard the word "tag" and frowned. Although he tried his best to stay calm, there was a clear look of uneasiness in his eyes.
At this moment, a person suddenly came in from outside. He walked quietly to Zhen Yuchui and whispered a few words. Zhen Yuchui frowned. Everyone else looked at Zhen Yuchui. Zhen Yuchui ignored him and quickly
After leaving the tent, he asked: "Where is he?"
The man whispered something, and then Zhen Yuchui walked eastward.
At dusk, the cattle and sheep on the grassland are clearly black and white, just like the clouds in the sky dotting the grassland. If you have good eyesight and look to the northwest, you can vaguely see the outline of the mountains. Wherever the feathers pass, the herdsmen are bowing slightly.
Walking outside a large tent, two true feather warriors armed with swords were guarding a person. The man was also dressed as a herdsman, but his facial contour was completely different from that of the Siler people.
"You want to meet the Great Khan?" Zhen Yu glanced at the man and saw that he was over forty years old, with kind eyes and a gentle smile on his face. He frowned and said, "Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am. I came here just to report to Zhenyu Khan that a disaster is imminent for the Zhenyu tribe!" The man said with a smile: "May I ask who the warrior is?"
“I am Zhen Yuchui.” Zhen Yuchui said directly.
The man smiled and said: "It turns out to be Teqin. I have long heard that Teqin is brave enough to crown the grassland and is the best warrior in Zhenyu. When I see him today, he is indeed so majestic and impressive that he is a dragon and a phoenix among men!"
"You are from the Tang Dynasty." Zhenyu said coldly, "There is no need to use the rhetoric of the Tang Dynasty to show off here. What do you mean when you say that the Zhenyu tribe is in danger of disaster?"
“Special Service, can you let me see Zhenyu Khan and report the details?”
Zhen Yu lowered his head and said: "No, Da Khan has something to do and doesn't want to see anyone else. If you have anything, you can tell me directly and I will report it to Da Khan." He seemed to have no intention of asking that person to enter the account and asked: "
May I have your name?"
"I am Liu Shutong." The visitor cupped his hands and said, "Actually, I am half of the blood of the Siler people, and my mother is from the Zhenyu tribe."
Zhen Yuchui was a little surprised, but he could tell that Liu Shutong spoke authentic Liaodong dialect. Zhenyu Grassland was not far from the four northeastern counties of the Tang Dynasty. The two sides had frequent trade exchanges, and it was not uncommon for them to even intermarry with each other.
“Liu Shutong, what does it mean that disaster is imminent?” Zhen Yuchui asked again.
Liu Shutong looked around, his expression became serious, and he said slowly: "Does Special Qin know that the Tang State is planning to use troops against Zhen Yu?"
ps: I will draw the map later so that everyone can understand the fictional geography. Due to force majeure, the official account cannot be posted temporarily. I will wait a few days before posting!