The three clan leaders glanced at Ren Ning, their eyes sparkling.
He asked the servant next to him to go back and find a set of clothes, "These are my youngest son's clothes. He has been studying Yun Chui language in Xingji City for more than three years. Mr. Ning, try it on and see if it fits you?"
Ren Ning looked at him deeply and went into the tent to change into clothes.
The clothes fit me well, but are a little damp.
But now everyone's clothes are a little trendy.
When he walked out, everyone's eyes lit up.
"What a handsome young man." The three clan leaders nodded with satisfaction.
He looked meaningfully towards the densely packed tents and yurts in the tribe, "The tribe is in a mess. I'll take care of the horses in a while. Young Master, please leave as soon as possible."
Ren Ning didn't say anything, just cupped his hand to express his gratitude.
A group of people walked eastward.
Lanmang is a small tribe, and the livestock circle and tribe members are almost mixed together. Relatively speaking, Kailun is a large tribe. The cattle, sheep, and horses they raise are all on the periphery of the settlement.
But it's not very far.
It didn't take long for the group of people to arrive at the horse pen of the three clan chiefs. The horses in the pen were densely packed and neighing loudly.
The three patriarchs laughed slightly proudly.
"These are my horses."
"It's been raining heavily these past few days, and they haven't been able to walk around for several days, so they're a little irritated."
"There are more than 3,000 horses in the five circles. It's up to you to choose. But there are not many young horses that can be ridden, less than half. Don't mind, sir."
"Thank you." Ren Ning nodded understandingly.
He could be sent into the grassland to investigate the situation, and he also carefully understood some of the customs and agreements between officials and people in Xiliang.
In order to control the whereabouts of private horses, the Xiliang government controlled the flow of horses. When the good horses raised by herders grew older, most of them would be marked or "bought" directly, while a small number would be allowed to stay for their own use.
It is said to be a purchase, but in fact the official price is almost the same as a hard grab.
No one wants to do a loss-making business, so when it comes to raising horses in recent years, most herdsmen have shown little interest.
It's just that horses are a good tool for transportation, and herdsmen have to keep some.
The three patriarchs currently have more than 3,000 horses, which may not seem like a lot in terms of numbers, but they are definitely considered a large private household.
Ren Ning and the other three looked at each other and went in to pick the horse.
I said it was a choice, but in fact it was just a few glances.
After all, the good horses had already been picked out by the Xiliang officials. The remaining horses were either too young, too old, or tall among the shortest, and they were all about the same.
Ren Ning quickly picked out a brown horse that was about two years old.
The horse is very energetic, but its physique is not very good. It is almost destined to miss the title of Chollima.
The slaves asked their master for instructions, quickly ran over to drive the horse out, caught it, put the reins on it, and finally led it to Ren Ning.
The horse had not yet been trained and was scratching the soil with its feet. It looked at the two-legged beast in front of it in shock, and was very frightened.
"Mr. Ning, do you want to try riding it first?" The three clan leaders looked at the horse noncommittally.
He pointed to the back of the horse pen, "There is a special horse training ground in the pen. Although there is a lot of mud, the ground below is flat, and it shouldn't be a big problem if you run around for a while."
"Thank you, no need." Ren Ning declined.
He took out some scraps of silver to pay the bill, bought some random food, and filled the ration bag around his waist.
The horse was not a good horse, so it was not too expensive, but the two items together cost him twenty taels of silver.
The price is not low.
In Yunchui Imperial Capital, where prices are relatively high, twenty taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family of five to eat and drink for more than a year.
As the most outstanding scout in the fortress, Ren Ning's army actually only earned one tael of silver a month.
However, all the money he had was stolen from Xiliang soldiers, so he didn't feel bad at all when spending it.
Furthermore, even though they knew that he was from Yunchui or even from Yunchui Army, the three clan leaders did not hesitate to agree to sell him a horse. This kind of kindness alone cannot be exchanged for just twenty taels of silver.
of.
"Youmeng, I wish you good luck. I won't go back with you." Ren Ning tied up the food and grass and waved goodbye to Youmeng brother and sister.
If he were to be recognized by other Xiliang people walking together with a Yunchui person like him, it would only be a disaster for the Youmeng and Lanmang tribes.
Youmeng knew this, so he did not stay.
He came over and punched Ren Ning with mixed emotions, "Brother, take care of yourself all the way. Your great kindness, Lan Mang and You Meng, will be engraved in their hearts."
After saying that, he sighed, "I wonder if we can meet again in the future?"
Ren Ning laughed and said, "It's best not to see you."
He is a soldier, and appearing in neighboring countries basically means war and death. Lanmang is just a small tribe that is not even cannon fodder, so it is best not to encounter him.
After saying that, he pulled up his horse and prepared to go east. Just as he was about to lift his feet, he turned back to look at the three chiefs of the Kailun clan.
"Chief of the three clans, Yun Chui often said that there will be a major epidemic after a major disaster. The grassland has not seen floods for a long time." He looked at the thick mud around the horse pen and various livestock that were drowned by the flood. "These are best dealt with.
Down."
After saying that, he took the horse, waved his hand, and left without looking back.
The home of the three chiefs is to the east of the Kailun settlement. His livestock pen is also built in the east. Ren Ning walks east without having to pass through the settlement again, let alone encountering Xiliang who is visiting the Kailun tribe.
soldier.
After walking for about an hour, the sound of horse hooves pounding through the mud could be heard from behind.
Ren Ning turned around suddenly and soon became surprised.
"Brother Ning, wait a minute." A cute figure riding a little red horse stumbled after him.
But she is the youngest daughter of the three patriarchs of Kailun.
Ren Ning thought about it and thought it was Yingpan Kailun.
"Miss Kailun, are you looking for me?" Ren Ning put away the dagger and glanced sideways at the red horse, "Your horse's left foot is injured."
ah?
Yingpan was startled, quickly got off her horse, and checked her horse distressedly.
Sure enough, there was a deep gash on the red horse's left hind leg, and it was bleeding profusely.
"It's terrible." She asked the horse worriedly, "There's so much blood, does it hurt?"
咴咴咴.
The red horse nudged its owner and stared anxiously at the sharp weapon in Ren Ning's hand, instinctively sensing the dangerous aura on it.
Hiss.
Yingpan didn't notice anything wrong. She tore off a piece of cloth from her skirt and bandaged her horse skillfully.
After finishing all this, she touched the horse's body comfortingly and signaled the horse to relax, then turned to look at Ren Ning, who had a confused look on his face.
"What's the matter?" Ren Ning looked at the direction she was chasing, "Why did you run out alone? Where is your maid?"
Yingpan glanced at him narrowly, "I didn't tell her. Don't worry, I'm sure no one will follow."
"That's good." Ren Ning nodded.
He is not afraid of trouble, but it would be best if there was no trouble.
"Brother Ning," Yingpan hesitated for a while. She looked at Ren Ning's face with the same skin color as hers, feeling a little nervous and a little expectant. "Where are you from Yunchui?"
Ren Ning was stunned and his eyes fell on the baggage on the back of the red horse.
Suddenly an idea flashed in his mind and he said with a smile: "What a coincidence, my hometown is in the Imperial Capital Star City. Do you want to know the news about your brother?"
"Great." Yingpan's eyes shone, "Brother Ning, have you met my eldest brother? His name is Tiele, which means stone. He goes to school in the Imperial College in Xingji City."
Ren Ning laughed and said concisely: "Girl, Xingji City is the imperial capital of Yunchui, with a population of more than 1.5 million."
"One and a half million people?"
Yingpan hesitated and blinked her beautiful big eyes. Soon she realized what she was doing, and her eyes suddenly became clear.
“Is there any other city in the world with this many people?”
You know, the entire Xiliang Prairie has a population of just over 3.5 million.
"Yeah." Ren Ning nodded, "It's a huge city. So I haven't met your brother, so I can't help you."
Yingpan was greatly disappointed, asked Ren Ning a few more questions, and finally led his horse westward home in despair.