The grass is full of eagles, and the beautiful prairie is like a green blanket, stretching into the distance. The breath of autumn is approaching, the sky is greener, the wind is clearer, the horses are galloping, the sound of horse hooves, and every knight's The spirits were lifted.
Strictly speaking, there is one exception. He is dressed in a scribe's robe and has his hair tied in a boy's scarf. He seems to have a handsome face, but he is a bit listless. His body rises and falls loosely with the horse, and the expression on his face is surprising. It seemed like he was about to fall asleep, and he would yawn from time to time.
Li Guangcen looked at it and shook his head secretly. He couldn't help but said: "Hao'er, this time we are going to meet the head of the Dangxiang Seventh Clan to form an alliance. Although you are my adopted son, the Dangxiang Seventh Clan should regard you as their co-leader. But... the men on the grassland respect true heroes and admire their absolute strength. If you look like this, even if they don't say anything on their faces, they will inevitably look down on you in their hearts. With just one title, I'm afraid you can't Restrain those arrogant and rebellious prairie heroes."
"Ah~~~ah~~~heh~~~, yes, adoptive father, I understand, I just won't embarrass myself in front of them." Yang Hao finished yawning and responded with a wry smile. He didn't want to show off. He looked so depressed, but...if anyone else couldn't sleep well for several days in a row, he would probably lose his energy.
In the past few days, he seemed to be entangled by that romantic old ghost. It was difficult for him to publicize this matter publicly among the magistrates and court officials. In private, he had been vague with Fan Laosi, Liu Shixuan and other personal followers. He mentioned it before, but these people heard it inexplicably, because none of them had noticed anything strange. As long as Yang Hao was with others, there would never be any strange phenomena.
Yang Hao was originally the one who didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but for such a weird thing, he couldn't think of any other reasonable explanation except ghosts and gods. He was secretly teased by an old ghost. How could he sleep peacefully? He said he never slept peacefully, but he couldn't sleep peacefully. Otherwise, every time he stayed up until midnight with his eyelids open and fell asleep, he would wake up until dawn. He would often have a strange dream in his dream.
In the dream, he felt as if he was immersed in a hot spring, with warm water flowing around him. It felt very comfortable, but when he woke up, he did not feel the comfort of a spa. On the contrary, his whole body ached. Having such a dream once can be understood as a dream. After several nights of this, he has now begun to believe that he has encountered the legendary "ghost pressure".
I looked back and saw more than a dozen carts and dozens of merchants following behind me. Further back, there was a vast sea of grass with no end in sight. Looking up, I saw the bright sun hanging alone in the sky as clear as water.
Yang Hao thought to himself: "Ghosts don't dare to come out in broad daylight. Now that I have left Luling Prefecture, I should be able to sleep peacefully in the past two days. How can the old ghost follow me out?" Thinking about it, Yang Hao felt a little more at ease.
The cart at the back held some salt, tea, rice noodles, medicines, cloth, and cheap but exquisitely crafted jewelry. Yang Hao had instructed these merchants to buy them back. He intended to promote Luling Prefecture as soon as possible. The previous cooperation with the Dang Xiang Qi family would certainly not miss such a good "investment negotiation meeting". For some things, if you bring these long-sleeved businessmen with you, they will do better than yourself.
Yang Hao thought about it and turned around. Seeing that Li Guangcen had a worried look on his face, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, so he calmed down and started thinking about this alliance meeting. To be honest, he was not worried about this alliance meeting. The reason why the alliance meeting was undecided was because
He brought these merchants here because he knew the current situation of the Dangxiang Qi family and could not refuse his conditions.
His proposal was of great benefit to the Dangxiang Qi clan. If the Dangxiang Qi clan resorted to robbery, the property they would obtain would actually be far less than the income from the normal sale of goods. Moreover, the people in the northwest region all lived together in fortresses, each fortress.
It's just a military fortress, and it feels like everyone is a soldier. At the same time, the soldiers and horses of the Zheyang family are also stationed in scattered places.
At Hechu, the regular army and Minzhuang cooperated tacitly. With the Dangxiang Seventh Clan extremely short of even the most basic combat weapons, it was difficult to take any advantage other than being caught off guard. They had to pay a very heavy price to rob them.
With a little material to keep the tribe going in the harsh winter, how could they refuse this extremely tempting offer?
As for conquering the seven Dangxiang clans and using them for his own use, Yang Hao had no such intention at all. According to his analysis, Li Guangcen left Xiazhou when he was a child. Although Li Guangcen is the legal heir of the Tuoba family, even now he is in Dangxiang.
The prestige among the Seven Clan is also very limited. If the Dangxiang Seven Clan does not desperately need a co-leader who can win the hearts of the people and lead the seven tribes to compete with Xiazhou, they may not be willing to go to Tufan to invite him back.
Not to mention a cheap young master like himself, who has no meritorious service and lacks prestige, and does not have a powerful clan to overwhelm the clans. How can he order the clans? Furthermore, what should he command the clans to do? He controls so many soldiers.
The horses had to be taken care of to feed them and clothe them, but they were of no use. Once Zhao Guan's family found out about it, it might lead to death, so he would not do such a stupid thing.
In Yang Hao's opinion, he just wanted to solve the crisis for the people of Luling Prefecture and arrange a way out for Li Guangcen's people. He used his special status to use common interests to win over the two families of Zhe Yang and Dangxiang Qi who were hostile to Luling Prefecture.
With everyone becoming friends and protectors of Luling Prefecture, he can feel comfortable as a parent and an official. This is his biggest purpose.
With this in mind, he didn't care whether the Dangxiang Qi clan respected him or whether he could establish absolute prestige among the Dangxiang Qi clan. Therefore, even if he slept well and ate well these days, he still couldn't muster up the energy to do this.
The Second Alliance took it too seriously.
Li Guangcen didn't think so. He knew that he didn't have much time left, so he originally only wanted to find a way out for his clansmen. It was a wish that he had fulfilled, and he had lived up to the clansmen who had followed them without regrets for decades. But he thought
After marrying Yang Hao as his adopted son, he really felt a fatherly feeling, and always wanted to make his adopted son's power stronger. This was the reason why Yang Hao had to work so hard for him.
A river appeared in front, meandering like a jade belt. The riverside was full of colorful flowers. In the distance was a majestic mountain. On the grassland slowly descending from the mountain, there were groups of cattle and sheep, like yellow flowers.
Clouds, white clouds, fluttering gently on the green grass.
The people in charge of the alert have already discovered their team. Some people galloped towards the white mushroom-like tents in the distance. The people who stayed behind to support them raised their horns, and the desolate "Woo-Woo" sound was heard in the empty space.
There was a low sound on the grassland.
"Hao'er, the Xifeng clan is ahead of us."
When he first saw the camp of the Dangxiang clan, Li Guangcen couldn't help but feel excited. He slowed down and said to Yang Hao: "Xifeng clan is now the largest tribe among the seven clans, and also the richest. The clan leader Wu Liaoshu has fifteen thousand clan members.
There should be 70,000 to 80,000 people in the tent. He himself will lead one section, and each of his two sons will lead one section. Although the Yeli clan is the most adept at fighting among the seven clans, at present, the Xifeng clan is the strongest."
"Well, I understand, kid." Although Yang Hao didn't want to rule the Seventh Clan, at this point, he couldn't help but cheer up and straighten his waist.
"Boom!" The sheep that were walking leisurely like white clouds in front suddenly ran away left and right as if frightened, opening up a green road, and more than two thousand knights rushed down from the camp group that went straight up the mountain, like a torrent.
Li Guangcen reined in his horse and sat upright, squinting his eyes slightly and staring at the group of knights galloping towards him.
"Woo~~~Woo~~~~Woo~~~~"
Dozens of horns sounded at the same time. The knights ran in front of their horses and suddenly reined their horses to the left and right. The more than two thousand knights were like a well-trained guard of honor. In a short time, they were separated to the left and right, standing neatly.
At the end of the human wall composed of two thousand prairie riders, dozens more riders came galloping towards them.
Li Guangcen said quietly: "Xi Feng, Fei Ting, Go Li, Qu Chao, Ye Li, Fang Dang, Mi Qin Qi's leader has arrived, Hao'er, dismount and follow me." After saying that, Li Guangcen turned over and dismounted.
Yang Hao walked forward boldly, and Yang Hao jumped off the horse and followed behind him. However, Mu En and others still stood there, sitting quietly on the horse without moving.
About ten feet away, those people reined in their horses and dismounted. Under the leadership of a burly old man with a round face, a group of neatly dressed chiefs stepped forward to meet them. Both sides
They stopped a few steps away and looked at each other. A smile appeared on the round-faced old man's face, and he ran up with open arms and hugged Li Guangcen.
Yang Hao stood behind Li Guangcen, quietly sizing up the leaders of the Seventh Clan, listening to them chatting with each other in a language he couldn't understand. After Li Guangcen hugged the heads of the Seventh Clan one by one, he held hands with the round-faced old man.
He walked back to Yang Hao and said with a smile on his face: "Wuluoshu, this is my son, Yang Hao, who is now the magistrate of Luling Prefecture and the regiment training envoy of the Song Dynasty."
Yang Hao learned the etiquette of the prairie people, took a step forward with a smile, put one hand on his chest, bowed and saluted: "Yang Hao has met all of you, sir."
Yang Hao has not yet been regarded as the co-head of the seven clans at this time. It stands to reason that he is just the nephew of Li Guangcen, and those leaders do not need to return the favor. However, Yang Hao's other identity is the magistrate of Luling Prefecture. Although these clan leaders are on the grassland
They did their own thing and did not obey the teachings of the king of the Central Plains, but everyone was awarded the title of official in the Central Plains.
Their officials were very mixed, some were granted the title by the Later Jin Dynasty, some were granted the title by the Later Tang Dynasty, some were granted the title by the Later Zhou Dynasty, and some were granted the title by the Song Dynasty and the Northern Han Dynasty. In their eyes, they could not distinguish between these Central Plains dynasties and me.
They only knew that they were officials from the Central Plains, so when they saw Yang Hao saluting, they smiled and stepped forward to salute one after another. Yang Hao was practicing the greeting etiquette he had just learned on the grassland. They
What happened was mostly the salute between colleagues in the Central Plains officialdom. After a chaotic chat, everyone calmed down.
Wu Luoshu laughed and said: "Come on, Master Li, Master Yang, I have prepared fat lambs and mellow wine in my tent. Wu Luoshu and the other leaders have been waiting for you to arrive.
, let’s go, let’s go to the tent and drink some wine and talk in detail.”
Everyone mounted their horses one after another, and someone shouted loudly. The more than two thousand warriors suddenly drew their swords out of their sheaths. There was a "choking" sound, and two thousand scimitars were raised into the air, reflecting the sun's dazzling light.
The leader guarded Li Guangcen, and Yang Hao and his son rode slowly towards the camp on the high slope in the formation of iron cavalry.
The sonorous sound of two thousand scimitars being unsheathed at the same time sent a sense of killing directly into people's hearts. Yang Hao felt a little breathless. Li Guangcen noticed his strangeness, smiled slightly, and whispered quietly when others were not prepared.
Said: "Don't be fooled by their behavior.
The appearance is intimidating. The Xifeng clan is the richest among the seven clans. For a large tribe of 70,000 to 80,000 people, it is estimated that the steel swords only have about 3,000 handles. There is a lack of steel on the grassland, and whether it is the Song Dynasty or Xiazhou, here
All aspects of control are extremely strict.”
Yang Hao seemed to understand after hearing this. He nodded slightly and looked carefully. He found that these two thousand cavalry were indeed the strongest armed force of this tribe. Although many of their saddles were polished, they were actually old. Their scimitars were
The same goes for scabbard swallowers, and occasionally you can see a few knights who don't even have saddles or bridles.
When they arrived at the tent group, they saw many women and children of Dangxiang Qiang. They gathered around and looked at them curiously. They ignored them for a while and moved forward all the way. When they arrived in front of the largest tent, they stopped their horses and laughed and said
: "Here we are, Lord Li Guangcen and Lord Yang Hao, please."
In front of the big tent, there were several large pots on the left and right, cooking something. There was also a sheep on the right side of the sand pit, roasted until it turned golden brown. The fat was dripping into the fire, and the flames were undulating.
Li Guangcen jumped off his horse, looked around, stroked his beard and laughed: "Haha, Wu Luoshu, I have long heard that among the seven clans, your tribe is the most powerful and the richest. Now it seems that it is true.
"
After hearing this, Wuluoshu looked like he was in trouble. He hesitated to speak, and laughed twice and said: "Master Guangcen praised me, the people of the Xifeng clan... now... oh, it's hard to explain in words, come on, come on, come in
Account, enter account."
Someone on the side sneered: "What do you have to say? In order to save the clan, you married off your precious daughter Nabuiel to Li Guangrui to raise her. Nabuiel is a pearl on our grassland. Originally...
What she should have promised to my son,
Hey! The result is not the same. The most lush grassland you have was still forced to give up and give it to Li Guangrui's people. If you want to continue to be attached to Xiazhou, then marry your youngest daughter Malina.
In the past, maybe we can get a few more years of peace!"
Wu Laoshu looked embarrassed after hearing this. Yang Hao glanced around and saw that the person speaking had a huge frame, a gray head and a white beard, but no flesh on his cheeks, and thick eyebrows. He vaguely remembered that he had just introduced this person when he was greeted. It seemed that
He is the clan leader of the Goli clan.
When Su Ka, the leader of the Yeli clan, saw the two clan leaders, one was resentful and the other looked embarrassed. He hurriedly tried to smooth things over and said: "Geluluo, don't complain about it. If a woman can really bring peace to the clan, let's forget it."
So what if you give all your daughters to Li Guangrui? Women, what use can they have?
But Li Guangrui really bullied others too much, and his greedy heart will never be satisfied. Now that Mr. Guangcen is in charge of the overall situation, sooner or later we will seek justice from that thief. These unpleasant things, in this world full of hope,
It’s better not to mention it again in the future.”
Ge Luoluo, the leader of the Goli clan, stopped talking angrily, and everyone gathered around Li Guangcen and Yang Hao to enter the tent. Li Guangcen and Wu Liaoshu took the main seats.
What is discussed today is that the Seven Clan Alliance will elect a co-leader to attack Li Guangrui. Of course, through the rumors in Sukha, the clan leaders of each clan already know Yang Hao's general plan, and they tolerate Yang Hao for a while, accumulating strength to wait for the final decision.
They already have some understanding of the attitude of finding the best time to counterattack. Today's alliance meeting is to further confirm these things, not to make an alliance with blood on the spot and immediately send troops to attack Xiazhou, so the atmosphere is quite peaceful.
Li Guangcen still explained that he was old and sick and could not work hard on the horse, and then introduced his adopted son. The clan leaders already knew these things. What they wanted to know was whether the plan mentioned by Yang Hao could be implemented.
, can it really change the difficult situation of the Dangxiang Qi family? At the same time, as the already appointed co-leader, they also want to test and see if Yang Hao is really qualified to be their leader.
After these days of thinking, Yang Hao's ideas became more rigorous and his words became more convincing. He recounted his plan again, and when he heard the clan leaders nodding frequently, his confidence grew, and he said calmly: "
Now, I have sent people to open up trade routes, the merchants have been organized by me, and I have invited the Ye family, the number one car dealer in the northwest, to take charge of transportation matters.
I suggest that the clan leaders start preparations now and negotiate business with the merchants I brought. You also know the current situation in Luling Prefecture, so I suggest that you sell a batch of goods to the merchants on credit first and wait for them to be shipped to the Central Plains.
When you make money, come back and take what belongs to you
Get that share back. Autumn is about to begin, and winter has just entered when your cattle, sheep, and skin shipments arrive in the Central Plains, so they can be sold at a good price. In this way, you can make more money, and make a trustworthy person through this matter.
Friends, business will be better in the future.
As for the merchants, you don’t have to worry. Once someone sells goods on credit, they can register with the government. Our Luling Prefecture government will take care of the relatives of the merchants who go out to sell goods. If there is another incident where someone sweeps away the goods and runs away, Luling Prefecture government will take care of them.
The state government will be responsible for compensation."
These clan leaders manage the livelihood of the clan. They are not only brave warriors, but also wise men of the clan. They are very knowledgeable about management, production and sales. As soon as Yang Hao said it, they had already figured it out clearly and even extended it.
The association is further ahead than Yang Hao. If Yang Hao's plan can be implemented, they will certainly understand the huge benefits it will produce.
"Mr. Yang Hao is so clever and resourceful. Mr. Li Guangcen has such a son, which is a great comfort for the rest of his life, hahaha..."
Wu Shu stroked his beard and laughed, then changed his tone and said: "It's just... we, the Seventh Clan, have always been controlled by Xiazhou. Now that all cattle, sheep, and furs have been handed over to Luling Prefecture for sale, it is difficult to completely hide it from Xiazhou."
At that time, Xiazhou sent troops to attack. Aren’t we going to confront Xiazhou head-on in advance, disrupting Lord Yang Hao’s plan to hold back and accumulate strength before taking action? I wonder what Lord Yang Hao’s plan is for this?”
Yang Hao smiled slightly, knelt down and said: "The imperial court can't do anything about this matter, Zhe Yuxun can't do it, Yang Jixun can't do it, Yang Haochu is the prefect, and his weapons are limited. If he dares to say that he can deal with the most powerful feudal lord in the northwest, I'm afraid you will
Don’t believe it either?
This matter still requires the concerted efforts of all of you. As for Xiazhou, you can make offerings as usual and keep it secret for as long as you can. The rest of the output can be given to me, Luling Prefecture, for sale. Now, at the beginning of Luling Prefecture,
Jian, those merchants who moved from the Northern Han Dynasty also needed to go through the process of opening up trade routes. Before that, even if it was just the cattle and sheep fur produced by your Xifeng clan, they couldn't eat it. The expansion of this business itself also had a process.
Well. When the business grows bigger and bigger, Xiazhou will notice something is wrong. You have accumulated food and soldiers, but your strength is no longer the same as it is now. Xiazhou will also have to weigh it, right?
Secondly, the Dangxiang Qi clan was oppressed by Xiazhou in the past and wanted to resist. If they wanted to resist because they were short of rice and food and had no weapons, they had no choice but to plunder Fuzhou and Linzhou. As a result, they were attacked from both sides, and Li Guangrui of Xiazhou did not send troops yet.
, your warriors were exhausted in the battle with the Zheyang family, resulting in repeated defeats. But you never thought of joining forces with the Zheyang family..."
When Yang Hao said this, Geluoluo, the leader of the Xiangli clan, couldn't help but want to speak. Yang Hao pressed his hand and said with a smile: "Of course, the clan leaders, considering the overall situation, may not have thought about uniting with Zhe Yang to fight against Xia.
It’s just that over the years, you have fought countless battles with the Li family and Zheyang family in Xiazhou. Countless orphans and widows in Fuzhou and Linzhou, their fathers and husbands may have died in your hands. You
Many of our tribesmen also lost their lives at their hands. This hatred also forces you not to go against the love and hatred of many tribesmen and join forces with Zhe Yang, otherwise you will start internal strife before the Xiazhou soldiers arrive."
Geroluo was about to say these words. Seeing that he said it first, he nodded, picked up the bowl of wine, drank it down in one gulp, wiped his mouth and said nothing. Yang Hao looked at this straightforward man with admiration,
He glanced at the leader of the Li family outspokenly and said: "As for the Zheyang vassal, in addition to taking into account the emotions of many generals and people, we also have to worry about the strength of the Li family in Xiazhou. Among the three vassals in the northwest, Xiazhou is the most prosperous.
The Zheyang family each has its own territory, which is under the overlook of Xiazhou. If you rashly form an alliance with you, you must be careful about the head-on conflict with Xiazhou. In Fuzhou alone, there are hundreds of villages, big and small, each
The maximum number of troops stationed at each location was only 3,000, which was unable to cope with the retaliatory attack from Xiazhou.
But this is not the case in Luling Prefecture. These people who moved from the Northern Han Dynasty have no grudges against your clans. Trading with you will be mutually beneficial. Your clansmen and people will only support them and will not oppose them. The clan leaders do not have to worry about the big and small heads of the clan.
People will have different minds.
At the same time, the geographical situation of Luling Prefecture is special. If you protect one place, you will protect the whole prefecture, and there is no risk of division of troops. After Xiazhou knew about it, the two vassals of Zheyang could evade and avoid direct conflict with them. And if Li Guangrui Ruo
If they want to launch an attack on Luling Prefecture, the Zheyang and Yang vassals can send troops and generals nearby and directly participate in the war as the Luling Prefecture militia, leaving Li Guangrui dumb and eating yellow lotus, but there is no reason to use force against the two vassals. Furthermore, haha
…”
Yang Hao smiled slyly and said: "If Xiazhou wants to attack Luling Prefecture, it must pass through your master's territory. Even if you are powerless and stand by, Li Guangrui won't be worried, right? He doesn't dare to attack all the elite troops."
I will mobilize my forces and turn my rear base into an empty city. I dare not leave behind my back to defend you all, and concentrate my forces to attack Luling Prefecture. Therefore, our Luling Prefecture is as stable as Mount Tai."
He sat up straight slightly, spread his hands, and said with a smile: "My lords, those who are adjacent to my Luling Prefecture are what will happen to him, Lord Li Guangrui? If he wants to fight, you will surrender. Surrender and surrender, the cattle, sheep and horses will remain the same." It was sent to Luling Prefecture as usual, but he couldn't stand it. Could it be that there would be a big change of defense, and the most lush grassland and Xiazhou City would be handed over to you adults, and he would move in to be my neighbor, Yang Hao? Haha, Even if he is willing, those Tuoba adults who still rely on pastures, cattle and sheep to make a living would not be willing..."
The heads of the clans all laughed knowingly as they imagined Li Guangrui being in a dilemma...
Chen Mo'er listened to the movement in the tent, threw away a handful of weeds in her hand bitterly, and said: "This little pretty face, even with a clever mouth, I don't know what he said in it, so coaxed You adults are so happy."
In a blink of an eye, she saw the fat and tender lamb being gently turned and supported by the shepherd and peasant woman. She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm going to get some laxatives for him to eat, so that he can bring about the birth of one Buddha and the nirvana of two Buddhas!"
"Come back!" Xiaoye Ke'er grabbed her and scolded: "This is Lord Wuluoshu's camp, how are you going to administer the medicine? You can't give it to other adults, and you will inevitably be punished. If you don't do it, you will be punished." The reporter said that it was not a good man to use such methods. Even if he suffered, I would be disgraced."
"Then let's forget it? Speaking of which, he didn't really give us a hard time, but... what ability does he have to make us, the Seventh Clan, regard him as our master? I don't believe it, he is comparable to you." Chen Mo'er said angrily.
Ono Ke'er thought for a while and smiled: "Yes, I will go find some brothers and give her a good treatment during the dance competition tonight, and tell her to go back in disgrace."
In the big tent, Wu Luoshu stood up excitedly, respectfully poured wine for Li Guangcen, and then poured wine for Yang Hao. Then he held a wine pot and poured wine for the heads of each clan one by one. Taking the opportunity of pouring wine, he talked with the clan leaders. The leader kept exchanging glances and whispering a few words from time to time.
Li Guangcen saw it with a mysterious smile on his face. He held his beard in one hand and drank a large bowl of wine happily.
Wuluoshu exchanged opinions with Su Ka, Ge Luoluo and others. After the wine was poured, they all left the table and walked to the middle of the big tent. Holding the bowls in both hands, they stood facing Yang Hao. Yang Hao looked at Li Guangcen, who smiled and He placed his empty bowl on the low table in front of him, then waved his beard at Yang Hao, signaling him to pick up the wine bowl.
Yang Hao picked up the wine in confusion, took two steps forward, held a full glass of wine, knelt down on one knee, and said loudly: "A galloping horse cannot do without eyes that recognize the road. An eagle soars into the sky, leaving behind We can't open strong wings. The wise and wise Master Yang Hao, it was the Great God Baishi who gave you to us. You are our eyes and you are our wings. We are willing to crawl at your feet and regard you as ours. The master of.”
All the leaders knelt down one after another and said in unison: "The vast prairie will always be Master Yang Hao's pasture, and the leader of the Dangxiang Seven Clan will always be the herdsman for you to drive. We are willing to follow the guidance of Lord Baishi and serve you as Xiazhou." The eternal master of the grassland!"