Deep in the grasslands in the north of Youzhou, there has been no Han army for a long time.
Even when Tian Yu, who advocated being tough on the Hu people, was still in Youzhou, he often led troops to attack the Hu people, but he never reached the current Tuoba Xianbei territory.
So when Tuoba Chuo saw so many cavalry appearing, his first reaction was not to think that the enemy was coming, but to marvel at who could mobilize so many people and so many horses in this season?
The second reaction is:
Could it be that my grandfather had figured it out, or that he couldn't survive it anymore, so he led all the clan members to surrender before the snow melted?
Don't blame him for being whimsical, because this direction is exactly the direction to the Muluhui Department.
In Tuoba Chuo's knowledge, apart from the Tuoba clan and the Dou clan, he really couldn't think of any other tribe in this area of grassland that could have such a huge momentum.
No!
Even if the head is tied, unless it is absolutely necessary, it is impossible for the tribesmen to abuse the horses in this season.
Yes, it is abuse.
Horses that have just survived one winter are very weak.
If such horsepower is consumed at this time, it will be a great loss to the horse.
It may even lead to the tribe's horses becoming thin, sick, and dying for the entire next year.
Surprised and uncertain, Tuoba Chuo subconsciously asked his subordinates to prepare for emergencies.
Although you have almost unified all the tribes north of Youzhou, the Dingling people and Jiankun people in Mobei have been constantly crossing the desert, trying to enter Monan from Mobei.
There is also Xianbei in the west, which was expelled by the Han army in the early years. Probably because they could not bear the cold in Mobei these years, they wanted to return to Monan in the past two years.
They did not dare to go west because the Han people would capture them and use them as laborers, so they had no choice but to move eastward.
Whether it is the Dingling people and the Jiankun people coming from the north, or the Western Xianbei coming from the west, there is naturally no way to pose a great threat to Tuoba Xianbei.
But these people are like horseflies on the grassland. They are everywhere. If you are not careful, you will be bitten by them and suck blood.
Although it is mostly not fatal, it can be unbearably itchy.
Moreover, these horseflies will not only bite people everywhere and suck blood, but they will also bite and devour each other.
It is precisely because of these horseflies that the vendetta on the grassland has not stopped for a day.
Therefore, when walking on the grassland and encountering an unknown team and before you can't distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, the first thing to do is to be on guard.
Although there were few people on his side, Tuoba Chuo was not panicked.
He believed that after the two parties came into contact, as long as he revealed his identity, no matter who it was, he would give Suo Tou some face.
Tuoba Chuo, who thought there were no omissions in his response, soon discovered that he was wrong.
Because cavalry figures soon appeared on the left and right rears, forming a siege towards their own team.
Seeing this situation, Tuoba Chuo, who was still somewhat calm at first, felt his heart sink slightly.
It was obvious that the other party seemed to have discovered him a long time ago. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to prepare on his left and right wings in advance.
There is only one possibility for such a reaction.
That is, there is an army on the opposite side, and it is an army on the march.
During the march, scouts were sent out in advance to explore.
After discovering his group, he surrounded them as quickly as possible.
After thinking about this, Tuoba Chuo's face became increasingly ugly.
"Third Prince, what should we do?"
Seeing the cavalry getting closer and closer, the people below couldn't hold back anymore and couldn't help but ask.
"Don't panic, don't move around," Tuoba Chuo, who was also unsure of his feelings, ordered calmly, "There may be Wu Luhui on the other side."
Soon, a wave of cavalry was almost swarming in front of them, and Tuoba Chuo could even see the manes of the opponent's horses fluttering in the wind.
Whether it was an illusion or due to nervousness, Tuoba Chuo only felt that the opponent's horse was quite majestic and mighty.
Nothing like horses at this time.
The sound of horse hooves was deafening, and the ground seemed to be shaking.
Tuoba Chuo tightly grasped the reins in his hands and tried his best to stay calm.
Just as he was thinking rapidly about how to deal with the other party, he saw the cavalry outflanking him and suddenly stopped in front.
Then, he drew the crossbow and pointed it towards him from a distance.
Tuoba Chuo could even see the arrows under the sun, reflecting the cold light.
Although the weather was still a bit cold at this time, the other party took out a crossbow and prepared to shoot without saying a word, which made Tuoba Chuo immediately break out in a cold sweat.
"Don't shoot arrows! We are Suo Tou, and we are going to visit the Mo Lu Hui Department!"
Tuoba Chuo, who originally planned to see the situation before talking about it, could no longer care about the reserve of the third prince of the first tribe in the grassland, and shouted quickly.
He thought that his caution had caused the other party to misunderstand, so he quickly named a confidant:
"Go, go ahead and tell us our identities, and by the way, ask which tribe they are from?"
The confidant responded, gritted his teeth, and headed towards the row of arrow clusters that shone with cold light.
Seeing his henchman on a skinny horse crossing the midline between the two sides, before the other party shot him into a hornet's nest, Tuoba Chuo's knuckles, which were white from exertion, relaxed a little.
It's good if you can communicate, and it's a good thing if you're willing to communicate.
As long as the other party allows you a chance to reveal your identity, no matter who it is, they will look at Suo Tou's face and not embarrass you too much.
After all, no one dares to look down upon Tuoba Xianbei on the grasslands today.
Tuoba Chuo kept comforting himself in his heart.
But he looked around and found that he was completely surrounded by hundreds of people. The self-comfort in his heart could not eliminate his panic.
The other party's silent surrounding gave him great pressure.
Although Tuoba Chuo deliberately did not think too much about it, the sophisticated weapons displayed by the other party reminded Tuoba Chuo all the time that things did not seem to be as simple as he imagined.
What gave Tuoba Chuo some comfort was that when he saw the envoy he had sent, the other party quickly came out with a horse to greet him.
The two sides talked for a while, and the other party quickly turned around and went back, while the envoy sent by Tuoba Chuo also turned around.
Tuoba Chuo saw that his confidant even pinched the horse's belly, causing the skinny horse to start running.
"The third prince," his confidant started shouting excitedly before he even got close, "he is the one who does not have the Luhui tribe, he is the one who does not have the Luhui tribe!"
"Huh?!" Hearing the cry of his confidant, Tuoba Chuo stood up subconsciously, involuntarily gently pinched the horse's belly and went forward, "What did you say?"
The confidant came to Tuoba Chuo. He seemed to be too excited and even stumbled over his words. He waved his hands a few times and said, "It's Mr. Dou Bin! Mr. Dou Bin and his people are preparing to go to our place."
"What!" Tuoba Chuo couldn't help being surprised and happy when he heard this, "Is this true?"
If my grandfather takes so many people to his tribe at this time, what else can happen?
Tuoba Chuo suddenly remembered the merger of the two clans.
"How dare a villain deceive the Third Prince?"
As soon as the confidant finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves was heard from the opposite side.
From the direction of Tuoba Chuo, he could see a group of cavalry running towards him.
"Hahaha! My good grandson, where are you?"
As the cavalry approached, a voice came over.
Tuoba Chuo looked at the leader, finally put down all his worries, stepped out from the crowd, and greeted them:
"Grandpa, I'm here!"
"Hahaha! Good grandson, my good grandson!"
When Dou Bin saw Tuoba Chuo, his eyes lit up. He urged the horse to come to Tuoba Chuo. Without waiting to get off the horse, he reached out across the horse and grabbed Tuoba Chuo's arm:
"I didn't expect to meet you here."
Tuoba Chuo originally wanted to dismount, but his arm was held by Dou Bin, so he could only cater to Dou Bin's movements:
"I didn't expect to meet my grandfather here either."
Glancing at Dou Suhou who was behind Dou Bin, Tuoba Chuo added, "There is also uncle."
What Tuoba Chuo didn't expect was that Dou Suhou actually smiled at him. Although it looked a bit superficial, it was enough to make Tuoba Chuo extremely surprised.
In his impression, his two uncles, over the years, not only showed kindness to his brothers, but also showed no kindness to adults at all.
But Tuoba Chuo soon felt relieved.
After all, if the two are really combined into one, then... haha!
Thinking of this, Tuoba Chuo also showed a bright smile to Dou Suhou and tried his best to express his kindness.
Seeing Tuoba Chuo's appearance, Dou Suhou's face became more and more twitchy, and his smile became even weirder.
Tuoba Chuo didn't think much, but looked at Dou Bin again and asked:
"Grandpa, where are you going?"
As he said that, he turned his head again and looked at the cavalrymen who had not dispersed outside, with surprise in his eyes.
In fact, even the most elite and brave warriors of Tuoba Xianbei are probably not much different from the cavalry in front of them.
The only uncertainty is how many such elites there are in the Molu Hui Department?
Tuoba Chuo looked around for a week, but most of his inquiring eyes were blocked by the surrounding cavalry, and he was unable to see clearly the people of the Wuluhui tribe who were further away.
"Of course I am looking for your lord, where else can I go? But what are you looking for, my good grandson?"
Dou Bin was old, but at this time his eyesight was extremely sharp. He noticed Tuoba Chuo's abnormality and immediately interrupted the other party's investigation.
"Nothing, I just think, grandpa, it's really surprising that your tribe can still have so many strong war horses at this time."
Dou Bin laughed and said, "My good grandson, why do you envy me? The number of good war horses you ask for on the head will only be more than mine, not less than mine."
Tuoba Chuo shook his head and explained:
"What I mean is that if you knew that grandpa had so many good horses, you might be able to borrow some from grandpa. In this case, we would be more confident going south."
"Going south?" Dou Bin keenly captured the unusual emphasis in this sentence.
"Yes, go south, our allies in the south need our support."
Tuoba Chuo briefly told what happened in Hebei.
This one isn't a secret either.
After all, as soon as the snow melts, news of tens of thousands of people heading south will spread across the grasslands.
And without Lu Huibu, he would even be the first to know the news.
Because his mother is from the Mushikakai tribe.
My two uncles may not like to interact with Suo Tou, but the relationship between my grandfather and the adults is excellent.
"ha……"
Before Dou Bin spoke, Dou Suhou next to him could not help laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Dou Bin turned his head and scolded his son:
"This is not the first time that our Xianbei warriors have defeated the Han army. In addition, with the lord of Hebei, Sima Taifu, as an ally, Tuoba Kehan will definitely be able to defeat the enemy by sending a large army south this time."
Behind Tuoba Chuo's back, Dou Bin said while winking at his son several times:
"Okay, don't spoil the fun here, go to the back and tell our people about the situation, so that they don't worry, everything will go as planned."
Dou Suhou was blinded by the scolding. It was not until he saw Dou Bin's eyes that he came to his senses and quickly bowed his head and Weiwei retreated.
Naturally, Tuoba Chuo did not hear the hidden meaning of Bin's and his son's words, and his thoughts were diverted by Dou Bin:
"Grandpa, you said just now that you were planning to go find the adults, right?"
"That's right." Dou Bin smiled and said to Tuoba Chuo amiably, "Don't you really know that your lord has always wanted to merge our two tribes?"
Hearing Dou Bin's words, Tuoba Chuo could no longer hold back the ecstasy in his heart:
"Grandpa, of course I know about this matter, and I came here this time for this matter, but I didn't expect that you would take the initiative to find the adults."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something again, and looked Dou Bin up and down, "My lord also told me that your health, grandpa, is not very good. He is very worried about you and urges me to leave as soon as possible."
"Oh, by the way, I also brought you a gift from the adults, grandpa."
Tuoba Chuo said and waved to the back.
After receiving Tuoba Chuo's instructions, Tuoba clan's cavalry quickly presented Tuoba Liwei's gift to Dou Bin.
Dou Bin looked at the dozen or so horses carrying woolen brown sugar liquor and a meaningful smile on his face:
"My beloved son-in-law is really thoughtful. When I get there, I will definitely thank him."
"But now, let's go, you have to lead us to find your master as soon as possible."
Dou Bin looked up at the sky, wrapped himself in the thick fur coat again, and sighed:
"I'm old and don't know how long I can live. I want to resolve this matter as soon as possible while I'm alive. Besides, I can't stand such a cold weather."
It was obvious at a glance that the fur clothes came from the Han Dynasty and were extremely expensive. Tuoba Chuo was wise and did not say anything more.
No Luhui's head was closer to Pingcheng than Suo, and I heard that the two uncles often took people there to exchange for supplies.
Thinking again about what his grandfather said just now, Tuoba Chuo had a thought in his mind:
Could it be that his two uncles wanted to join the Han people, so my grandfather was anxious to solve the problem of merging the two races?
I recall that over the years, many tribes on the grasslands could not withstand the temptation of the Han people and took the initiative to go to Pingcheng to seek refuge with the Han people.
The two uncles have been there many times, so it is not impossible for them to have such thoughts...
After all, your Excellency also said that the two uncles "have always been greedy for money and like things from Southern Xia", so it is normal for them to be coaxed and corrupted by the Han people.
Thinking like this, Tuoba Chuo quickly agreed:
"No problem, Grandpa, please come with me and I will lead the way."
The trip went so smoothly, which made Tuoba Chuo quite happy. Without thinking, he turned his horse around and headed back to Tuoba Xianbei's territory.
Tuoba Chuo did not realize that the cavalry that had surrounded them from the beginning never dispersed.
Instead, he quietly protected his group and kept them airtight.