Fire, like horse plague, is one of the most frequent disasters on the grassland and one of the most important disasters for herdsmen.
Larger tribes usually have detailed coping strategies.
After confirming with Zhiling again, each elder gave an order, and the messengers immediately mounted their horses and sent messages around the tent.
"A fire broke out in the Qian'an grassland in the west. The line of fire is about thirty miles long and is spreading rapidly. Everyone immediately went to the west of the tribe to put out the fire. No excuses are allowed."
Soon the whole settlement was in an uproar.
Everyone, men, women, old and young, got on their horses and ran westward. When they arrived at the designated location, they chopped down the fireproof tape.
Several elders then rushed to a nearby high point, and all of them looked to the west with gloomy expressions.
Within a matter of seconds, thick black smoke began to rise from the distant horizon.
At first it was just a thin wisp, but within a few breaths it quickly formed a line, and in the blink of an eye it filled the western sky.
The expressions of the soldiers who ordered the order changed greatly, and they ran down quickly.
"Brothers and sisters, please pay attention, we have seen smoke. Come on, everyone. Otherwise, once the fire reaches the front, the tribe behind will be destroyed."
Everyone who heard this tightened their hearts. When they looked up, they were startled, and their hands moved a little faster.
drive.
Several elders galloped westwards on horseback. After seeing clearly the fire in front of them, they couldn't help but look at each other.
They were talking among themselves as they ran back, "This line of fire is too neat. Who did it?"
Initially, they thought it was accidentally set on fire by herding tribesmen. At this time, it was clear that someone had set the fire on a large scale.
west side...
Several elders looked at each other.
To the west of Blood Moon, except for a few small tribes that depend on them, it is almost to Luoxi's territory.
But as everyone knows, Luoxi has long existed in name only.
It can be said that nearly half of the grassland to the east of it has been included in the blood moon's territory, either covertly or covertly.
As for the grassland to the west, it naturally fell into the hands of Angel, another large tribe on the grassland.
Angel?
Several elders silently chanted this name.
The war in the east has been tense in the past few months, and the plan to capture Yunchui has become an elusive dream in the sky. The required troops and money are more like a bottomless pit that will never be filled.
After many defeats, the two major clans, Blood Moon and Angel, could not help but complain about each other. Now the upper-level clans had their own opinions, and the lower-level soldiers also had some frictions from time to time.
The relationship between the two parties was very tense.
"It couldn't be Angel's fault," a young elder couldn't help but say.
The clan leader and young clan leader of Blood Moon are not at home. If Angel really wants to make some small move, they really won't be able to take advantage of it.
"It's possible. The last time the army sent back news that Luoxi's water source was drying up, I wondered if it was Angel's poisonous plan."
Others nodded.
Luoxi is located in the middle of the grassland, and its water source has dried up. The army marching eastward must either bring its own drinking water or borrow water from other tribes.
The journey eastward was too long, and it was impossible for the army to bring its own drinking water.
After passing Luoxi, we reached the Blood Moon area, so the royal court behind ordered the army to make a detour towards the Blood Moon tribe's settlement or water source.
Blood Moon is a large tribe with abundant water resources around the settlement. There are even several rivers flowing southward, which is definitely enough for the army to drink.
There's not much to say in this book.
But water sources are so important.
If the cattle and sheep accompanying other tribes carried rinderpest, sheep plague or even horse plague, these diseases would spread silently through the water in the pastures along the way, and the Blood Moon would definitely be unable to eat and walk around.
Although this situation has not happened yet, things in the world are unpredictable. If you are not afraid of ten thousand, be afraid of the eventuality.
The elders were talking to each other, and the more they talked, the more they felt that the fire in front of them was caused by Angel.
"It must be their fault. Otherwise, why would they be the first to build walls around settlements in such a large grassland?"
"I guess he has a guilty conscience."
"Absolutely, repairing the city wall is just in time to prevent us from killing it and bleeding like a river after learning about the situation!"
…
Just as he was talking, the fire that shot up into the sky was already burning in front of his eyes.
"The order goes down. Everyone is not allowed to retreat or run around. They are all staring at the flames. As long as there is a fire passing through the fire zone, put it out at all costs."
"Yes!" Everyone responded in excitement.
Fortunately, the blood moon came in time and there were enough manpower. I took this opportunity to cut a fire barrier that was more than ten feet wide and more than fifty miles long, and stopped the fire.
Despite this, from time to time there were still flames blowing to the west with the wind, igniting the grass behind the fire zone.
If the people of the Blood Moon Clan had not been quick and quick to save the situation, it would have been another disaster.
After more than an hour, the west side was no longer burning, and the fire gradually stopped.
"The dog-day fire has finally been extinguished."
Phew~
Several elders took a deep breath and wiped their faces with lingering fear.
When I looked down, I saw that my hands were covered in black ash.
Their faces suddenly turned darker than the ashes in their hands.
"Don't be careless. Everyone should go around the fire zone to make sure all the fires have been extinguished."
"yes!"
at this time.
Tap tap tap.
The rapid sound of horse hooves sounded.
Report!
People from the south and north arrived in a hurry on horseback almost at the same time.
thump.
They rolled and fell off their horses, with panic on their faces.
"Several elders, the fire has spread to the pastures in the south and north. The grazing tribesmen are trying their best to save them, but the fire is too strong and cannot be controlled at all. Please ask the tribe to send people to support immediately. Otherwise..."
Otherwise, thousands of cattle and sheep will be killed in the fire just like Qian'an Grassland.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically, and they quickly raised their heads and looked south or north.
However, the black smoke in the sky had not dissipated yet. They looked at it for a long time, but they didn't see anything strange at all.
But the person asking for help will never lie.
For a while, several elders became anxious and quickly dispatched manpower to go to the south or north to put out the fire.
"Everyone obeys my order and goes to the south. Ignore the north."
Everyone who heard this was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to their senses.
There has been a steady stream of troops in the north transporting soldiers and food to the east.
When they discover a fire, they will naturally put it out. Otherwise, if the fire breaks out in front of them, they will not be able to protect themselves.
Not long after, the bustling Blood Moon tribesmen around them were wiped out. Only a few angry Blood Moon elders were left near the fire zone in the west.
Dry.
They cursed fiercely before gradually calming down.
"Angel, these bastards are too insidious. They want to drive us all out of Blood Moon."
Someone shook his head, "The fire in front of me even burned the army's food channel, so it may not be Angel's doing."
"Who else could be there besides them? Once a fire is ignited, no one can control its direction except God. It is normal for the grain road to burn down."
The others nodded thoughtfully.
"Everyone, what should we do now?"
"What else can we do? First, make a tally of the gains and losses. Secondly, send someone as soon as possible to recall the clan leader or the young clan leader to take charge of the overall situation."
Several others nodded in agreement.
"That's the truth. Angel's clan leader An Wenkang brewed it and stayed in the tribe to do things. He always wrote to the royal court saying that our Blood Moon attack was ineffective. I brewed it."
"That's it. Attack? Attacking is nothing! Our hometown is almost gone, so what's the point of attacking? Besides, it's none of our business whether Yunchui can be defeated or not."