The three Longying people also introduced themselves in their own way. (Baidu Search Literature Museum)
After announcing each other's names, the atmosphere improved greatly.
Bada said: "Can you use heaven as proof that you are not lying?"
Long Ying looked up at a white cloud floating in the sky and pointed to the sky: "I, Long Ying, are not only Hengkong Muye's friend, but also his brother. If I lie, God will punish me."
The five people were moved at the same time.
Bada called out, and the five men rode down the river and waded in. The three stepped back to make room for them to land.
As they crossed the river, they looked at Xueer and others and whispered to each other.
Bada landed first, jumped off his horse quickly and walked towards Longying.
When Long Ying didn't know what he wanted to do, he had already hugged Long Ying and said, "A friend of Hengkong Muye is also a friend of our Hulun tribe." Then he hugged Wan Renyu and Feng Guoting. The other four people I also came to give them a hug. It was not just a false story, but full of enthusiasm, and the atmosphere became more harmonious.
Everyone sat around the riverbank, and when Wan Renyu brought one of the pieces of silk to them, as Wan Renyu expected, Bada and others showed joy, passed the silk around, and couldn't bear to let it go.
Wan Renyu took the opportunity to ask in Tubo: "Just now we said we came from the Tang Dynasty, why are you laughing?"
The sun has sunk below the horizon, but is still shining fan-like colors in the west, and the prairie is in another charming state.
Bada said bluntly without any hesitation: "Now that is a place governed by women. How can men be governed by women?"
The three of them had nothing to say.
Long Ying said indifferently: "Why do you believe me so easily when I say I am a friend of Hengkong Makino?"
The other four people outside Bada should understand Tubo, but they just didn't dare to speak out loud and showed attention.
Bada said: "Because we know that Prince Makino has indeed become friends with the Han people. As for who told us, I can't tell you for the time being. What's more important is that my friend you just made an oath to heaven. Your expression was sincere and frank, and your eyes did not move. "
The three of them, Long Ying, exchanged glances, feeling that there was something in Bada's words and that there was something else going on. Of course, they didn't dare to ask.
Feng Guoting said: "We want to go to Tubo, Bada, do you know how to get there?"
Bada said: "I can't tell you now. Let's rest in our tent tonight. Tomorrow morning we will ride on horseback for a day to visit a man who owns eight tents. His tent is next to the Divine Sea. We We respectfully call him 'Antian', which means a person of great wisdom, and everything is decided by Antian."
Feng Guoting asked with great interest: "What does the number of the tent represent?"
Bada smiled and said: "Eight tents means eight wives. I also have three tents." He lowered his voice and said: "Rodging in three tents in turn will reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble. Ha!"
Everyone laughed with him, and of course they understood what he meant.
The young man named Dandak smiled the most ambiguously. He must have not married yet, so he felt envious when he heard it.
At this time, the sky was getting dark, and everyone set off to Bada's camp. The silk given to them was put on the lap of Bada with great care, and went to the starry sky. After walking west for half an hour, they arrived at a vertical and horizontal The small lake, which is more than ten feet long, covers hundreds of camps and is scattered sparsely beside the small lake.
Hundreds of men and women from the whole clan, including the elderly and the young, came to see them, showing their hospitality and enthusiasm.
That night, Bada held a wildfire party to entertain them, inviting them to taste lamb legs and drink goat milk tea. Under the deep and charming starry sky, except for the occasional sound of sheep bleating in the distance, there was only the sound of the bonfire burning.
The goat milk tea containers were passed around the fire among the people, spending time leisurely. Although the three of them were not used to their rhythm, they followed the local customs and gradually adapted to and enjoyed their way of life.
Longying couldn't help but ask Bada: "Don't you like Turks?"
Bada said: "Turks are not decent people."
Wan Renyu asked: "Have they ever invaded you?"
Bada shrugged and said, "I don't know. It's just that it's always been like this. Everyone knows that Turks are not decent people."
Feng Guoting said: "Do you know the situation of our friends the Tubo people?"
Bada shook his head and said: "Then it depends on whether An Tian is willing to tell you. I can't tell you without his permission. An Tian is our clan leader."
Long Ying said: "Have you ever been to the great desert in the west?"
Bada said proudly: "How can a man who has never set foot in the Divine Desert be called a man? The western part of our grassland penetrates into the Divine Desert like a spear, going straight for more than three hundred miles, and ends with the Qiemo River.
, is a good place for hunting. If you go west along the river and then turn south, you can reach Nuoqiang and Qiemo, which is the fastest way to get there."
Wan Renyu said: "There is a natural hunting ground in Taklimakan?"
Bada said: "Before the Qiemo River reaches our prairie, it first flows into Taitma Lake. The lake is covered with trees and inhabited by various animals and birds. If you have time, I can take you hunting."
The three of them were amazed, thinking that there were so many good places in the vast desert. Earth can conquer water, but obviously water can also conquer earth.
The conversation ended, and the three of them were greeted to an empty tent and spent the first night after arriving in the Grand Oasis.
Before dawn the next day, Bada led the three of them on the road towards the "Shenhai" to visit the leader of the tribe who owned eight tents.
The three of them were really a little confused about this, because after giving gifts and calling them brothers, why didn't they tell them what they wanted to know? It seemed a little inconsistent with the open and enthusiastic style of the nomads.
Along the way, the grassland is endless and the forest is vast. Accounting houses can be seen hidden in the grass waves, and farmland of highland barley, peas, flax, etc. can be seen. It can be seen that in this beautiful land, people live a comfortable life of half farming and half pastoralism. Everywhere they pass
There are many large and small rivers, and one has to wade across the river more than ten times a morning, and two times the river must be swam by horse.
From time to time, I see women wearing brightly colored clothes and colorful headscarves washing their clothes by the river. They raise their heads without shyness and greet them. The young women are strong and graceful, and have a unique appearance of the grassland people.
In the afternoon, they rested next to a small lake and ate the dry food they had brought. Looking towards the lake, they saw flocks of birds flying on and near the lake, thousands of them, full of life, which made them dizzy. What if
If you shoot arrows blindly, maybe a bird will be shot down.
Long Ying said: "Oh my god, there are so many different birds."
Bada was not surprised and said casually: "Every spring and summer, there are always flocks of birds flying from the southwest. There are more migratory birds in Shenhai, and the number of birds only decreases in winter."
."
The three of them calculated the time in their minds. It was winter when they set out from Chang'an. Now spring has passed and summer has just arrived. Before they knew it, they had been on the road for more than four months.
Bada added: "Now is the season of high water flow. A large amount of water pours from the south. This is also the time when our grassland is the most beautiful. In winter, the water flow decreases greatly, and it looks different here."
Feng Guoting asked: "Is the sea water in your Divine Sea salty or sweet?"
Bada said: "It's salty. Except for the inland saltwater lake on the southern plateau, our Divine Sea is the largest saltwater inland sea within a radius of thousands of miles. We also produce salt here, which can be exchanged for many things. I will give it to everyone later. I’ll give you some salt. Salt is a must-have for us when we go to the desert. When the mounts can’t stand the heat, feeding them a few mouthfuls of salt can save their lives.”
Wan Renyu was surprised and asked: "The horse is actually willing to eat salt?"
Bada showed an even more surprised expression than him and said, "Don't you know that horses like salt?"
Feng Guoting said: "Traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books. Today I finally understand the wisdom of these two sentences."
Bada lowered his voice and said: "Antian is the most prestigious person on the grassland. The gifts you give to him must be heavier than the gifts you give to me, otherwise others will gossip about me. Do you understand?"
Wan Renyu smiled wryly and nodded at Long Ying and Feng Guoting. The two immediately understood and had to give all the remaining two pieces of silk to An Tian, whom Bada said. The nomads' frankness and directness made people laugh.
After chatting for a while, the four of them continued the last leg of their journey.
Bada did not exaggerate, until the sun set over the rolling mountains to the west, and the huge and boundless super lake finally appeared in front of it.
Bada said happily: "Can you smell the salty smell of the water?" Then he pointed with his horsewhip at the distant mountains that were blurry under the sun, and said: "Behind the mountains is the respectable sea of sand."
The three of them were inspired by him, thinking about how extreme the contrast between the deserted Taklimakan Desert behind the mountains and the fertile grassland here is as beautiful as a fairyland on earth. The stretching mountains have become the boundary between death and life. .
After having tasted the desert, Dragon Eagle was curious and bold, and did not want to go to the "Sea of Death".
Before the sun sinks into the Western Mountains, we finally arrive at the lake area. The Divine Sea is so big that we can’t even see the other side of it. It has no boundaries and looks more like a sea than a lake. No wonder it’s called Puchang Sea. The lake is crystal clear, with lush water plants and countless swans, wild geese, wild ducks, and fish gulls. Playing in the water and flying, the sunset and the clear blue waves merge into one piece, coupled with the cattle, sheep and horses grazing by the lake, they form a contagious and moving scenery, and the mountains to the west are majestic and majestic.
Bada said excitedly: "We're here!" He spurred on his horse and led the three of them towards a group of tents on the high ground on the lake shore.
Compared to the large number of camps here, Bada's camp is a little different than a big one. But although there are thousands of camps, they are not crowded and are sparsely spaced, dotted with the vast and moist lakeshore area.
More than a dozen young herdsmen who were grazing nearby saw them coming. They rode up and exchanged a few greetings with Bada. Then they joined them and galloped towards the target camp. When they arrived at the largest group of camps, A long line of cavalry has grown behind.
Along the way, women and children kept coming out of nearby camps. The atmosphere was lively, peaceful and peaceful, and everyone had happy faces, as if they were unaware of the dangerous world outside the prairie.
Bada suddenly reined in his horse and whispered: "Quickly dismount, An Tian is here."
Everyone dismounted after him, and a tall old man, surrounded by seven or eight young men, came to greet them from the camp on a small hill.