If you fall behind and are weak, you will be beaten.
This is a valid statement at any time.
Xu Mu suddenly admired Dou Tong. A prince from a second county trapped in southern Sichuan actually had such foresight.
"Let me ask you, are all barbarians so cruel?"
Recall that when he left Bailu County, Jia Zhou seemed to have said that if something bad happened, he should find a way to borrow barbarian soldiers to drive away wolves and tigers.
"General Xu, not all barbarians are like this. Generally speaking, the most vicious ones are from tribes in the mountains."
"Mountain tribe?"
"Indeed." The Shunan guard who spoke, his face turned hateful, "These barbarian tribes in the mountains seem to be seeking revenge. Once they come down from the mountain, they kill people and set fire to them."
Xu Mu was stunned.
The barbarians of the deep mountain tribe are actually the same as the Beidi dogs, but in terms of strength, they are not even the slightest bit different.
"In the towns in southern Shu, there are still many kinder barbarians coming and going. In the past two or three years, our Lord has opened a mutual market to allow the barbarians to barter."
Mutual market refers to the transactions between the Central Plains and foreigners. Generally speaking, most of them are barter.
It seems that Dou Tong is really trying his best to get military pay.
"General Xu, follow us and continue moving forward."
Xu Mu nodded.
More than a hundred riders mounted their horses again and hurried forward along the winding and rugged forest road.
Along the way, they encountered a group of dozens of wild dogs. After several of them were shot and killed, they were so frightened that they fled into the woods.
More than ten guards from Shunan chased him for half an hour with their swords raised before running back bitterly.
Xu Mu did not blame him. It was impossible to blame these guards, but some of his acquaintances died under the stone hammers of barbaric dogs.
"Let's go."
It was around dusk. After all, the shade of the forest trees could not cover the darkness above our heads, and a mist-shrouded night fell hastily.
"General Xu, we have arrived at Yongnan County."
After running for more than four days, they finally arrived at their destination. But Xu Mu couldn't help but feel a little silent when he raised his head.
Compared with Bailu County, which was once occupied by river bandits, the capital of Shunan in front of it appears more dilapidated. At first glance, it looks like a small town.
The city walls are low and the city gates are rusty. Even the camp flags planted at the top of the city have faded due to wind and rain, and their original color cannot be discerned.
There were only a few pedestrians, and occasionally I saw people returning from burning charcoal, carefully driving their old horses, panting and jogging along.
There were only seven or eight defenders at the city gate, and their robes and armor were divided into four or five different styles.
"Xiang Chen, please follow me into the city."
The dozen or so guards seemed very happy. As soon as they entered the city, they gave the food they had saved to a group of poor children who had been waiting for a long time.
His robe was a little tattered and his face looked yellow from hunger. Even the very nervous Si Hu showed a rare act of generosity and took eight steamed buns out of the bag.
"Lord." Dou Tong led a team of men and horses and greeted him happily.
In fact, as long as Dou Tong was willing, no matter how poor and barren Shunan was, he could still make a fortune. But fortunately, he did not do so.
Instead, they have exhausted all methods to continue the fate of the two counties in southern Sichuan. If placed in the inner city, it would be considered light for such a person to set up a shrine for three generations.
"My lord, you have been working hard all the way, and a banquet has been prepared at the house. Please come with me."
Xu Mu paused, "Dou Tong, how is the matter with the barbarians?"
Dou Tong rushed back a few days ago because there was a barbarian cave master on the southern border of Shu. He gathered two to three thousand barbarian soldiers and wanted to go out and plunder him.
"It's all over. Two to three hundred people died, and these barbaric dogs fled back to the mountains."
Xu Mu was speechless.
"Come, my lord, please."
Even though he was familiar with the call, Xu Mu still felt a little uncomfortable. A dignified prince from Shu called him lord.
Of course, it’s all in this world. Whoever has a bigger fist is the right one.
"My lord, please don't despise this land of mountains and wilderness."
We were seated at the banquet in a somewhat dilapidated wine shop. Three or four children ran over and looked in eagerly.
Dou Tong was frightened for several times, and had no other choice but to tear off a piece of meat and ask the guards to take it outside, and then the children dispersed in a crowd.
"My lord, don't despise this land of mountains and wilderness."
"Don't dare."
After drinking a round of fruit wine, Dou Tong's words slowly opened.
"My lord, do you know why I worship you as my master?"
"Because I won the battle of Fushanshui, and you know that my promise is valid."
"This is one of them. If Chen Changqing wins, of course I will vote for him, but I will not call him my lord."
"Why."
"The second reason is that you are the person chosen by the young Marquis."
There was only one young marquis in the dynasty, neither Chen Changqing nor any of the other Dingbian generals. There was only one, Yuan Tao, who died on the road to save the country in a snowstorm.
"In the fifteenth year of Xingwu, nine barbarian cave masters gathered 40,000 troops to rebel. It was Xiaohou who led 30,000 troops into southern Sichuan and defeated the barbarians who besieged the city. I saw it, but I never dared to say,
The young marquis relied on a pair of fists to forcefully smash the head of the barbarian leader."
"You are the person chosen by the young Marquis, and I am willing to believe you."
Xu Mu felt comfortable in his heart. Along the way, he had reaped many dividends from the young marquis.
"Southern Sichuan is a miserable place. A few years ago, there were foreign envoys sent by the dynasty. Within two months of entering southern Sichuan, they couldn't stand the suffering and ran back to the inner city screaming."
"But my lord, look at these heroes like me." Dou Tong raised his hand and pointed at several Sichuan soldiers standing guard nearby.
"Over the years, I have lived here, been born here, and died here in the end. Even if 30,000 people fled and 10,000 people had to sell horses and burn charcoal to raise military pay, they all stayed."
"In the inner city, people will probably say that the prosperous Changyang is their hometown. But this barren land in Southern Shu is not the home of people like us."
"Lord, dogs don't mind the poor family."
Xu Mu had also heard this sentence before. He raised his head and looked at the slightly drunk Dou Tong in front of him, feeling an inexplicable discomfort in his heart.
The main reason for the difficulties in southern Shu is the oppression and containment of the other two Shu kings.
His entry into southern Shu this time probably proved a lot of things. At least it gave the horse-trading king of southern Shu a hope of fighting his way out of the trapped area.
"I sold horses to Changyang. I wanted to see the young marquis, but I never saw him. Later I heard that the young marquis died beside Qing Jun at the top of the city overlooking the mountains and rivers. I held the secret letter and burst into tears."
"My lord, when will this troubled times end -"
Dou Tong lowered his head and lay down on the old desk.
Xu Mu was a little startled. Counting carefully, there were only four or five glasses of wine.
"For the sake of strict military discipline, my master does not drink alcohol. He must be very happy to see General Xu entering southern Sichuan today." A guard next to him said bitterly.
Xu Mu nodded silently.
Along the way, from a casual bystander to a small tyrant of a separatist power, he has met too many people of all kinds.
Some people are dead, but they are still alive. Some people are not dead yet, but they are lying in coffins like dead dogs.