Chapter 1 The Big Thief (Part Two) The snow cleared, and the wind slowly stopped roaring. The sky and the earth became quiet again, so quiet that one thought the stars had stopped moving. Occasionally, a hare jumped out of the snow pit, and immediately
It caused the war horses to neigh. The hare's legs were thin, and it would get stuck in the snow after just a few steps. But neither the travelers nor the war horses bothered to bully these little things. The world after the snow is too lonely, and some living creatures are needed to embellish the unnecessary places.
In the case of food, no one wants to let blood stain this endless pure white
This lonely road takes a long time. Referring to the memory of last year's trip north with Uncle Jiu, there will be no more people in the thousands of miles of wilderness from Ruoluoshui to Lulongsai. With good luck, Li Xu
He and Xu Dayan may encounter a caravan heading north to seek wealth. If they are unlucky, they can only find supplies after seeing the Great Wall.
After crossing the Tuohechen River, the snow gradually thinned. This seasonal river flowing from south to north has countless ever-changing tributaries. The origin of each tributary can be traced westward to a valley, and which one
The hills and valleys running east-west have become an important obstacle to the warm wind from the north. Every time you climb a hill to the south, the weather becomes warmer. After climbing several valleys in succession, the snow suddenly disappears, and the height is more than half a person.
, dark green autumn grass with a slight yellowish tip appeared again in front of Li Xu and Xu Dayan (Note 1) "In another hundred miles, we can see Suotou Water." Xu Dayan pointed to a building not far away.
The crimson low mountain said that this mountain peak is an important mark on the way north. It is not high, but from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, it has a flame-like color. It is embraced by the surrounding dark green hills and wilderness, like a red lotus floating in the blue waves.
"I don't know what the Turks will do if they occupy that pasture?" Li Xu responded in a low voice. If the Turks hadn't forced the Suotou Xi tribe to move, such a large tribe would not have ended up with the entire tribe wiped out.
"It's just bullying the weak. Only by waving their claws frequently will other tribes realize the existence of the master Turk!" Xu Dayan explained with a smile.
This explanation obviously underestimated the wisdom of the Turks. After walking for more than ten miles, Xu Dayan realized his mistake. Due south, a company camp made of wood lay across the road they must pass.
"What a great camp!" Li Xu and Xu Dayan secretly praised each other and turned to look at each other, seeing an ominous omen in each other's eyes.
The two men turned their horses and were about to take a detour, but their whereabouts had already been discovered by the shepherds around the company camp. Following a string of low-pitched horn sounds, more than a dozen shepherds surrounded them. Those shepherds were very good at riding.
, although it was done hastily, but in the process of galloping, a fan-shaped riding formation was adjusted.
Xu Dayan and Li Xu were shocked. This was no longer something ordinary shepherds could do. Even the young men of the Xi tribe who had been trained by Xu Dayan for half a year could not put up such a neat formation when they suddenly encountered an enemy.
There is only one tribe with such well-trained herdsmen, and that is the Turks, who claim to be direct descendants of Canglang.
"I'm afraid they are a group of debt collectors!" Xu Dayan muttered with a smile, and the horse moved forward, opening his arms at the same time. Li Xu followed behind him, using his body as cover, he gently pressed his hand on the scimitar.
on the handle
"Friends blessed by the eternal god, how is the harvest this autumn? Have the cattle and sheep caught enough autumn fat?" Xu Dayan greeted the herdsmen in proficient Turkic language. This is the most commonly used greeting when shepherds from various tribes meet.
, from the tone of voice and empty hands, one can tell whether he has malicious intentions.
However, the herdsmen did not answer his words. They mobilized their horses to get closer and closer until they surrounded Li Xu and Xu Dayan in a small area. Then they stopped and asked arrogantly: "Who are you?"
,Why are you peeking at our camp furtively?"
"We are shepherds from the Shetu tribe! We are going to the south to sell some tea! We are just passing by here, there is no harm!" Xu Dayan introduced himself in Turkic language. The two of them were wearing leather clothes at this time. At first glance, it was indeed
No different from the shepherds of the Lin tribe
"Herdsman, I think it's more like spies. What goods have you brought? Let us check them first before we tell you!" The leading herdsman said with a sneer. He had no intention of letting Xu go. Li and Li went over to the grassland. All the tribes, big and small, were Turks.
He had never heard of the tribe of Shetuo, but the bulging luggage of Xu and Li aroused great interest in him.
"Yes, let us check first to determine whether you are spies!" Several shepherds holding bows followed and shouted. The two young men of unknown origin in front of them were well-dressed. At first glance, they looked like two fat sheep, especially the one walking behind.
, the horse under its crotch is two feet taller than an ordinary horse, and its body length is also seven feet away. It will definitely be rewarded by the adults (Note 2) "It's so arrogant!" Li Xu and Xu Dayan
Furious, he pressed his hand to the handle of the knife. He was thinking about whether to hurt these rogue shepherds, and rushed over. Suddenly, several horses ran over from a distance, and the warrior on the horse rushed forward while shouting loudly.
"The person opposite is Master Fu Li. My master has been looking forward to you for a long time!"
"How come someone recognizes me?" Li Xu's eyes widened in surprise as he saw several warriors wearing red cloaks rushing forward like a whirlwind, waving their whips and beating the shepherds who blocked the road until they cried for their fathers and mothers.
"You have blinded your dog eyes, and even Lord Fu Li dared to stop you!" The red cloaks waved their whips and cursed angrily at the shepherd leader who was holding a horned bow. He pulled him off his horse and ran around holding his head, but
I still can't figure out what big mistake I made.
"Master Fu Li, don't be as knowledgeable as these fools!" After beating for a while, a warrior with a green head tattooed on his chest dropped his whip and bowed to Li Xu.
"Forget it, forget it, they are just fulfilling their duties!" Li Xu looked at the bruised and bruised herdsmen and said sympathetically
"Thank you, Master Fu Li. You idiots, if you don't know Master Fu Li, why can't you recognize this Pitler?" The leader of the warriors turned around and yelled at the herdsmen.
"Thank you, Lord Fuli!" The unlucky herdsmen saluted Li Xu at the same time. Only then did they realize who they had offended. Teller Piao is a cross between a fine breed from the Western Regions and a Khitan horse. It was successfully cultivated by the Turkic royal court for many years.
In the entire Turkic Khanate, only people from the Ashina family are qualified to ride. The young man named Fuli in front of him is actually riding a horse. The whipping everyone received is indeed not unjust. If it weren't for the military men in time.
After arriving, everyone continued to rush in and snatch the young man's mount, fearing that someone would be dragged to death on the grass tonight (Note 3) "It's okay, it's okay!" Li Xu waved his hands repeatedly for no reason, causing the shepherds to get a beating.
Beating him made him feel very sorry.
"I don't know what kind of wind brought Lord Fu Li to us. My master has been thinking about you since he came back from Su Chuo tribe!" The man in the red cloak with a wolf head tattooed on his chest asked charmingly and greeted his warriors.
Order them to help Lord Fu Li lead the horse and put it into the stirrup
"I'm afraid I miss Heifeng more!" Li Xu secretly complained in his heart. Now, he finally recognized that the red cloak with a wolf head tattooed on the breastplate was one of Ashina Queyu's guards, and his name seemed to be Brown Deer or something.
Now that the guards have appeared outside the company camp, the identity of the company owner has been revealed.
"You guys are holding the master's horse and driving slowly. Bowang, you go report to Master Queyu and say that Master Fuli from the Su Chuan tribe has come to our camp as a guest!" Brown Deer did not ask Li Xu's opinion at all and made his own decision.
ground arrangement road
The red-cloaked warrior named Bowang bowed to accept the order, and galloped away. Following closely, there were low-pitched horn sounds all around him, and they were killing in solemn silence, as if thousands of troops were facing each other in the distance.
Li Xu and Xu Dayan looked at each other again. Knowing that they would not be able to escape today, they had no choice but to ride on horseback and let the warriors pull their mounts towards the camp. The closer they got to the gate of the camp, the more shocked they became with Su Chuobu's relationship.
Compared with the wooden fence camp, this place can be called a huge city. Although the city walls are made of wood, there are arrow stacks, horse faces, and many watchtowers. There are even water-filled trenches and suspension bridges on the trenches.
They are no different from the cities in the Central Plains. The last time the two of them passed by this place with Uncle Jiu, it was still a deserted wilderness (Note 4). Just as they were surprised, the village gate in front opened wide and hundreds of red-cloaked warriors rushed from the suspension bridge.
As soon as the horses' hooves left the edge of the trench, they immediately changed direction, one after another, and formed two neat rows with the village gate as the central axis.
"My master must be very happy when he heard that you are coming. He has already come out to greet you in person!" Brown Deer bowed to Li Xu and guided his eyes to the main entrance of the camp with his fingers.
Several golden-armored warriors hugged a handsome middle-aged general and slowly stepped across the suspension bridge. If it wasn't Ashina Queyu, who was it?
"Brother, you have such a great face!" Xu Dayan was in Li Xu's ear, teasing in a low voice.
Li Xu couldn't express the pain in his heart, so he could only walk towards Ashina with a smile. Just as he took a few steps forward, the people in red cloaks on both sides immediately put their hands on their shoulders, half-knelt on the ground and shouted: "Welcome to you."
grown ups!"
"Welcome Master Fuli!" The golden-armored guards beside Ashina Queyu bent down at the same time.
Li Xu was shocked. He raised his legs to dismount from the horse. Just as he kicked off the stirrups, a red caped warrior had already rushed over and placed his back on the horse's belly.
Ever since he was a child, Li Xu had never seen such a formation. He was sitting on a horse for a while, neither up nor down. He was so embarrassed that sweat was rolling down his face. Ashina Queyu saw him looking embarrassed and waved his hand.
, smiled and said: "You can just jump down, they are all my guards and they always admire you very much!"
Hearing this, Li Xu had no choice but to step on the back of the Turkic warrior. For him, there is no flat ground on the back of a living person. He was swaying, and finally stood firm. Before he could thank the warrior who stepped on his feet,
Then I heard Ashina Queyu ask loudly: "That Xu Xian, who must be famous in Modong, and who cleverly defeated the iron cavalry of the Xi tribe, is so honored that Queyu is able to see two young heroes at the same time today!"
Note 1: Tuohuchen River, also known as Laoha River, has basically stopped flowing.
Note 2: Here, the height from the hoof to the withers of a Han Chi horse is called the body height, and the body length from the chest to the hip is called the body length. The requirement for a war horse is that the shoulder height is greater than the body length. The average Mongolian horse's shoulder height is about 1.3 meters. The height of Sa Luzi in the Tang Dynasty is about
Current 1.70 meters
Note 3: Teller Piao, a well-bred Turkic breed in the Tang Dynasty, is said to be a sweat-blooded horse. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once got one. After fighting for several days, the horse was not tired. After the war horse became one of the six horses of Zhaoling, Li Shimin commented on it: "In response to the policy, it soars into the air."
, inherits the voice of half the Han people; the natural dangers destroy the enemy, take advantage of the danger to help others!"
Note 4: Horse face, a bulge on the city wall in the Tang Dynasty, was used to offset defensive blind spots and form a flanking advantage for the siege.