Tuoba Yan sent people here to invite Yang Hao to the banquet. The location was in the middle of the camps of both sides, which could alleviate Yang Hao's doubts. The two teams, who were far away from their own tribes and did not know each other's roots, wanted to get acquainted as friends.
This would be more thoughtful.
Bai Ling's tribe attended the Yeli Clan Conference, obviously because they were afraid that the other tribes would benefit and they would be left out. Now that they met Yang Hao on the road, there was no reason not to seize the opportunity to make contact first. They invited them, and they were supposed to be there.
Yang Hao expected it, it would be a bit strange if they didn't come.
Yang Hao thought for a while and agreed to the other party's invitation. When the messenger returned to report the message, he said to Mu En: "Take twenty guards and follow me to the banquet." Mu En responded and turned around to leave, but Yang Hao called to stop him again.
He thought for a moment and said, "Also, please invite Miss Tang, and I will take her to the banquet with me." Mu En looked at him strangely and left.
The Bailing tribe makes a living by selling private salt to the Song Dynasty and Khitan. Yang Hao does not want to be associated with this kind of business. Among the tribes in the northwest, he is the weakest, but he dares to be so arrogant because he has obtained
With the secret support of the Yang family, he was ostensibly a member of the imperial court. Among the various forces, except for the Xiazhou Li family, no one stood on his opposite side, so he was able to get along like a fish in water.
Although the profits of selling salt are huge, once he gets involved in this business, he will inevitably compete with the Zheyang family for profit, and will also cause trouble for the court. Once he fails, he will become the bird in the fable that controls the birds and beasts.
The bat brother is no longer a human being. But now that he can win more support, it will be more strength. He doesn't want to lose the Bai Ling clan, a large tribe.
Li Yuchang was a salt seller. He brought his niece Tang Yanyan with him. Once Tuobayan mentioned the cooperation with Luling Prefecture in selling salt, he could use Li Yuchang to prevaricate him and let him know that he already had a salt seller.
This is more appropriate than refusing directly. At the same time, the Tang family's business is large and complex, so Tang Yanyan can discuss it with him. If there can be some cooperation in other areas, he will not leave empty-handed.
Return.
Looking from a distance, in the middle area between the two sides, the young master of the Bai Ling tribe has arrived with people. There are only more than ten people. They first lit a few bonfires nearby, and then spread felt blankets and small tables on the ground.
Yang Hao's side... Yang Hao is still waiting for Tang Yanyan.
Yang Hao didn't come either left or right, and was about to turn into a watch stone next to the river. It wasn't until Yang Hao was about to look away that Miss Tang suddenly appeared.
Miss Tang walked very easily and naturally, as if nothing had happened. But anyone with long eyes could tell that this little beauty attached great importance to attending the banquet tonight. She had dressed up carefully, starting with black hair.
From the way her hair is swaying to the pattern she chooses to embroider on her boots, everything has obviously been carefully selected.
"You are so beautiful in the dark, who can show it!" Yang Hao snorted disapprovingly in his heart, but looked up and down with his eyes: "Not to mention, this little girl is very eye-catching without dressing up. After tidying up, it looks like
It's really...well...very delicious.
Along the way, she had been dressed in semi-Hufu. Such clothes are easy to travel long distances. But tonight, she wore an authentic Hanfu, a white skirt, with the hem dyed goose yellow and decorated with a
The small pearls that overwhelmed the wind sparkled under the light of the torch, making her look like a fairy descending from the sky.
The upper body is wearing a light green back, and the waist is tied with a thin lotus root-colored belt and an albizia belt. Although the clothes are simple, they make her plain mouth and waist look very graceful and charming. Going to a banquet in a place like this
, if you really dress up in a luxurious way, it will become a joke. Such a simple, elegant and solemn dress makes you look more noble and graceful.
The best thing is that she also wears a snow-white cloak. In a place where there are beards and wild geese, a woman wearing a cloak is full of charm. Just the pair of small jade hands holding the cloak make people charming.
There was an amazing feeling. The cloak fluttered by the wind was draped on her shoulders. Although it was not wings, it made people feel as if they were flying.
But looking at Yang Hao's expressionless face, Tang Yanyan couldn't help but collapse...
"The river next to us originates from Shangjun, flows eastward into the fortress, and flows eastward out of the fortress. It passes through the fortress liang and reaches the Sancha River. Then it joins the other rivers and flows from Yulin to Hengshan to the south, passing through Yinzhou.
, Shangjun reaches Qingjian, then turns eastward and then flows into the Yellow River. Because the water is turbulent, the rocks are laden with sand, and the river body moves east and west with no direction, so it got a name - called Wuding River."
Tuoba Yan introduced Yang Hao in a joking manner. Although he was a businessman, he did not change his rough style. In fact, although he was a businessman from ancient times, he often had to fight with others because he sold private salt.
, so most of them are quite heroic. He has not lived among Han people for a long time, and he also has some literary talent in speaking. He has obviously read a lot of poems and books.
"Haha, the Wuding River has been a natural battlefield since the Qin and Han Dynasties. The plain sand on both sides of the river has become a natural battlefield. When Qin Shihuang sent General Meng Tian to lead an army of 300,000 troops to resist the Xiongnu in the north, the above county was regarded as a key town. Of course.
After that, Han and Hu fought at war, killing people like hemp, and piled up corpses on both sides of the river. Now listening to the sound of the waves, I still have an endless chill, hehe, come, come, my lord, I invite you to drink, and use the wine to drive away the pain on your body.
chill."
"Oh? This river is Wuding River?" Yang Hao was greatly surprised. He really didn't know the name of this river.
"I vowed to wipe out the Xiongnu without caring about my body, and five thousand mink brocades were lost to Hu Chen. The poor bones by the Wuding River are like people in a spring boudoir's dream." This Tang poem that the river passes through has been known to future generations for a long time, but he did not expect it.
The famous Wuding River is the roaring river beside me. Listening to the sound of the waves now, it seems to have a bit of a whimpering flavor.
"The tribes of the Dongyang clan have always been arrogant and arrogant. Even our tribes in Hengshan are often harassed by them, not to mention our Bailing tribe. Every time we transport salt through their territory, we have to suffer exploitation. When your Excellency comes,
He led the heavenly troops to sweep away the bandits and restore peace to the local area. Our various tribes in Hengshan also benefited from it. It is really very satisfying, hehehe..."
While Tuoba Yan was complimenting, he looked at the big men sitting at the bottom of the table. The dozens of personal guards that Yang Hao brought with him were all outstanding warriors selected from the Li Guangcen tribe's tent. They came to protect Li Guangcen.
Those big men are currently serving as commanders in the regiment training and cannot be brought out, but these people are all selected from other tribesmen. Each of them is in his early twenties, has a big body, a round waist, a burly figure, and is very good at riding and shooting.
Yes, you can fight with bare hands and block ten. Tuoba Yan is well-informed and you can tell by looking at their spirit and demeanor, so there is a lot of awe in his eyes.
Yang Hao smiled and said: "Yes, it is not easy to gain a foothold in Luling, a land of barren mountains and rivers. The officials care about the people and specially allocate thousands of elite soldiers from the Forbidden Army and the Border Army to my disposal. They are all brave warriors who dare to fight. Several places
A bandit village is just a bunch of chickens and dogs. In a battle, they will plow the courtyard and sweep holes, and they will be invincible."
Tuo Bayan said "Ah" and said in surprise: "So they are elites selected from the Forbidden Army and the Border Army? No wonder... they are so amazing."
There was a young man on the side who curled his lips after hearing Yang Hao's words, but no one paid attention to the young man's expression.
"Dad, the lamb is roasted." It seemed that he didn't want to listen to Yang Hao's bragging. When he saw someone bringing the roasted lamb over, he excitedly slapped the table and said, showing a slanderous look.
This young man is the son of Tuoba Yan, whose nickname is Shitou. He is only eight years old now, but he has a very strong figure. Judging from his height, he is about ten years old. He is wearing a traditional Qiang robe.
The top of his head was shaved and pigtails were braided. Because he was young, he looked cute, not as vicious and ugly as the Li Jiyun he saw that day.
"Haha, you kid, don't be rude in front of adults." Tuoba Yan patted his head, as if scolding, but with a bit of endearment. He clapped his hands and looked at the man who was dancing around the campfire.
The four girls from Bailing Village then stepped back a few steps, bent down to caress their chests, and retreated.
Tang Yanyan, who was watching their dance in ecstasy, also raised his head and saw a roasted golden lamb being carried up by four big men. The lamb was lying on a wooden frame, with a few coriander sticks in its mouth to act as grass.
From afar, the fragrance overflows, making people salivate.
Tuoba Yan stood up with a smile and took out a small knife from his waist. The small knife was bright and very similar to the two small knives that Xi Zhuer polished back then. However, the handle was not made of boxwood. Yang Hao saw the injury.
Love, his eyes couldn't help but darken.
Tuoba Yan lightly slashed the lamb's back with a knife, then cut off a piece of meat from the lamb's forehead, put it on a plate and presented it to Yang Hao respectfully, and placed a plate of green salt for him, smiling.
: "Sir, please enjoy."
Yang Hao knew that this was a courtesy to the elders or those with respected status, so he smiled slightly without being polite. He picked up the piece of meat, dipped it in the salt and threw it into his mouth. Although the roast at this time
There are no seasonings used when grilling the lamb, only the flavor of salt. However, the lamb has no fishy smell, the meat is fresh and tender, and it almost melts in the mouth. Even if it is dipped in salt, it is also very delicious.
Seeing that Yang Hao had eaten the piece of meat, Tuoba Yan returned to the lamb. A small silver knife flew up and down in his hand, and the meat from the lamb fell piece by piece. The movement was very quick. The meat was divided into a bowl.
The dishes were piled up and delivered to Yang Hao, Tang Yanyan, Mu En and others, and finally it was the turn of several elders of the Tuoba Yan clan and Xiao Shitou.
After thirty years of drinking, when the main dish of roast lamb was served, both parties were already very familiar with each other. Only then did Tuoba Yan skillfully ask about Luling Prefecture’s views on selling green salt. Yang Hao couldn’t help but secretly praise his patience.
.
In fact, if you put yourself outside and think purely from the perspective of ordinary people, if Yang Hao were an ordinary person, he would buy green salt instead of salt. Green salt is of good quality and cheap, so how can you give up high quality and low price?
The reason why the court banned the sale of green salt was to protect the interests of the court. From this point of view, as an official of the court, he could not express sympathy for a private salt dealer, let alone
What's more, this also involves his strategic allies, the Zheyang family.
Yang Hao used the excuse that he didn't know much about the salt selling business, so he pushed the topic to Tang Yanyan. Although Tang Yanyan had never dealt with this aspect, he was not ignorant about it. Yang Hao again induced from the side, prompting
They cooperated in other aspects. Tang Yanyan almost obeyed Yang Hao's words, and the seemingly rough Tuoba Yan was also a very alert person. The topic gradually turned to porcelain, silk, iron pot, and tea.
These materials are also in short supply on the grassland and are very profitable. However, even if the Bai Ling family has abundant capital, they do not have the means to purchase large quantities from the Central Plains. If the Tang family is willing to develop them into an agent on the grassland,
, naturally everyone was happy. So as soon as this topic came up, even though the salt business was not concluded, Tuobayan was not discouraged and started talking to Tang Yanyan about purchasing these supplies.
The two sides were having a lively conversation when suddenly there was a horse neighing in the distance, and then he heard the horse's hooves rushing towards this direction. When Yang Hao heard this, he stood up immediately and stretched out his hand to hold the hilt of his sword. Mu En took a step forward.
She jumped in front of him, protected his body, and said calmly: "There is no need to panic, sir. It's just two horses."
"Huh? No!" Mu En's ears twitched and he changed his words: "At least six horses, but not more than ten. Be careful!"
The guards were sitting cross-legged on the carpet, drinking from large bowls and eating meat, looking very leisurely. At this time, they jumped up one after another, like cheetahs, and nimbly flashed in front of Yang Hao and Tang Yanyan.
Ba Yan turned around and saw it, and couldn't help showing admiration.
There are at least forty people on both sides here, and just over a mile on either side is the camp of both sides. Since the other side only has six or seven horses, there is no need to be too panicked. Tuobayan doesn't have a weapon, so he is slow.
He took the first few steps slowly and looked very calm.
Yang Hao didn't know how to listen to the sound of horse hooves. At this time, he heard that there were only a few people. He didn't want his subordinates to show their timidity in front of others, so he waved his hand for them to retreat, walked up and stood side by side with Tuoba Yan. It was the little boy named Shitou.
This guy actually grabbed a bow and set an arrow on it. He acted like a little adult and made people laugh. But Yang Hao knew that the bow in this little guy's hand was definitely not a toy. Although the boy on the grassland was only twelve or thirteen years old,
You can go into battle to kill the enemy, but there are quite a few who can ride a horse and shoot at the age of seven or eight, and even hunt wild wolves. That little bow is really a murderer.
The fast horses galloping in the night were indeed heading towards the place where the bonfire was lit. Seeing the two people in front of them galloping towards them without slowing down, several of Tuoba Yan's tribesmen were already holding their hands.
The steel fork blocks forward.
A knight galloping over on horseback shouted loudly: "Help, help!" Before he could finish his words, an arrow flew from behind. It would have been difficult to hit a human body in the dark, but he had already rushed forward and there was a light of fire.
Against the background, the figure was more obvious in the night. The arrow hit him in the back of the heart. He screamed and fell off the horse. The horse was running so fast that one of his feet was still hanging in the stirrup, being dragged forward by the horse.
Okay, he bumped and bumped all the way, and was kicked by the horse's hooves one after another. By the time the horse in front stopped, the man's head was covered with blood, and even his facial features could not be recognized clearly.
Looking at his miserable appearance, Yang Hao and Tuo Bayan couldn't help but gasped. At this time, another horse also came close. The man on the horse screamed heartbreakingly: "Danmu!" and then rolled away.
After falling off the horse, the tall hat also fell to the side. The person turned out to be a girl. She rushed to the dead body, hugged him and burst into tears.
Yang Hao and Tuoba Yan looked at each other. They didn't expect that they would encounter such a thing while having a banquet by the river at night. The woman was wearing a bright red coat, with large peonies embroidered on the collar and placket, and snow-white embroidery on the collar and cuffs.
The rabbit fur on the ground and the hat that fell to the ground were not the tile-like green cloth handkerchiefs commonly worn by Qiang women, but a three-eared hat over a foot high.
Five more horses were chasing after them. From a distance, they saw more than ten big men holding steel forks standing next to the campfire. The five horses stopped, observing what was going on here, and exchanging words with each other.
Yang Hao glanced at the five figures standing in the darkness, and asked the girl who was holding the body and crying: "Who are you, and why are those people chasing you?"
The girl wiped her tears with her sleeves, raised her face and cried and said something. Look at this girl, she is only thirteen or fourteen years old. She still looks immature when she wears this bright red dress. What she speaks is extremely dialectal.
Heavy, Chinese was mixed with some speeches in local languages. After Yang Hao listened to her words, he was still like a duck listening to thunder, completely confused.
Mu En explained in a low voice: "Sir, this girl said her name is Laba, she is a Qiang villager in Tumao Ridge a hundred miles away, and she married this man named Danmu. It was Danmu who originally married her today.
day. Unexpectedly, when they rushed back to Danmu’s tribe, they were robbed of their bride. Several members of Danmu’s tribe had been killed, and the few people behind them were the ones who robbed her.”
When Yang Hao heard this, he became furious: "Killing a husband and taking away a wife is a heinous crime. Catch these five criminals."
Tuoba Yan and Mu En both looked at him with strange eyes, and neither of them moved. Yang Hao was stunned and asked curiously: "Mu En, what's wrong with you?"
Mu En looked slightly embarrassed, glanced at Tuoba Yan, and then explained in a low voice: "Sir, is it a sin to snatch a bride on the grassland? Others have no right to interfere. As long as the man who wants to snatch a bride and his friend succeed
After killing this Danmu, the girl will become that man's wife. No matter how much she hates that man now, she will have no choice but to go with that man, be his wife, and bear children for him. Only
Only the relatives and tribesmen of this Danmu have the right to seek revenge on those people. If others interfere, they will be criticized by all the tribes. This is breaking the rules on the grassland."
Yang Hao couldn't help but was stunned after hearing this. The customs on the grassland were really different from those in the Central Plains. If a woman from the Central Plains was killed by her husband, she would probably have a life-and-death relationship with her enemy. But this girl was crying so sadly, which was obviously related to her.
Na Danmu was very happy and loving, but... her husband was killed on the day they got married, so she had to accept her fate and become that enemy's wife. It was really unimaginable.
When Mu En saw that he was silent, he said to the girl who was holding the corpse and crying bitterly: "Miss Laba, the person is dead. Don't be too sad. We helped you bury the body. Just go with those people. Miss Laba,
Raba…”
Only then did Tang Yanyan get out from behind the big men who were protecting her. She only listened to half of the sentence and asked curiously: "What Laba?"
Mu En looked back at her and said, "It's this girl's name, which means chrysanthemum."
At this moment, the five people standing in the distance seemed to have made up their minds. The five people rode their horses and approached slowly. One of them immediately shouted loudly: "I don't know which tribe's brothers are sleeping by the river. I am Yinzhou
Rigude from the Meisi tribe came to snatch her bride with some friends today and killed her husband Danmu. Laba is now my wife. Please hand her over and don't break the rules on the grassland."
As soon as the man said this, he straightened up suddenly and fell off the horse with a "Uh" sound. His four friends who were helping to snatch the bride screamed and immediately turned their horses to retreat hastily. Yang Hao slowly lowered his head and
Seeing that his robe sleeves were stirred by the wind of arrows, they were still swaying. Only two feet away from him, Shitou slowly put down the small bow in his hand and said loudly: "He robbed me, and I also robbed him. This woman, I
Want it!"
Tuoba Yan's face changed drastically, he stamped his feet and said: "Stone, you..."
He was also a person who reacted very quickly. He understood the pros and cons in an instant, and immediately shouted: "Go, kill those four people, and don't let any of them escape!"
Several of his men immediately got on their horses and chased after those people. Those people had fled far away and were standing up to curse and threaten in the name of the Meisi tribe. You must know that the Meisi tribe has thousands of people.
There were not many people who dared to provoke them. It wasn't until they saw someone chasing them on horseback that the four of them realized that they were in a large number of people. They were probably suspected of murder and silence, so the four of them immediately fled on horseback.
However, they had been chasing the couple all the way. When they got here, their power was exhausted. How far could they escape?
When Tuoba Yan turned around again, he regained his appearance as a shrewd businessman with long sleeves and good at dancing. He smiled at Yang Hao and said, "Sir, I invite you to a banquet tonight. I was in a good mood for the wine, but so many people spoiled my mood. It's really bad."
It’s a sin. Sir, let’s continue drinking.”
There was a mutilated dead body lying next to him. How could Yang Hao have such tenacious nerves? He waved his hand and said: "Forget it, I'm too drunk, so I'm leaving. You'd better solve the matter in front of you first."
"Yes, yes," Tuoba Yan said uneasily: "Sir, you must not understand this kind of fighting and killing, but on the grassland... that's how it is. One word can make you a friend, and one word can make you an enemy. That little kid
Beast..."
He glared hatefully at his son who was standing next to the crying girl Laba, who was playing with the little bow nonchalantly, and said bitterly: "That little beast got into trouble. If I don't make a decisive decision and intercept those four people, I'm afraid
It will bring disaster to our clan."
Yang Hao smiled faintly and said: "I don't mind you. I respect the customs and habits on the grassland. You can be gentle, young patriarch."
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Xiao Shitou: "This child is not a thing in the pond. But... who is he? At such a young age, he actually..."
Thinking of his calm expression after killing someone, Yang Hao couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart: "What a monster!"
"I really can't understand the customs on the grassland, and I can't seem to understand the people on the grassland at all. That young man..." Yang Hao shook his head slightly.
At this time, the banquet had ended. When the banquet was over, Tuoba Yan's men came back with the horses and their heads of the four people. As expected, none of the four people could escape. As they were about to enter their camp, Yang Hao
Looking back at Bai Ling's camp, I still felt that everything I experienced tonight was a bit incredible.
Tang Yanyan admired: "That little chrysanthemum is indeed very pretty, but how can a child know what love is? In my opinion, like you, he is also unhappy with that group of people who kill husbands and take away wives, like bandits who cut off roads.
It's normal behavior, and then he kills people. Hey, young hero, he's awesome."
Yang Hao shook his head and said: "I was watching the young man's expression when he drew back his bow. Although this child is much more mature than his peers, he cannot compare to the adults in the city. I always feel that... he kills people. The purpose is not that simple."
"I see that you have been fighting with those old foxes all day long, and the fight has become paranoid." Tang Yanyan snorted: "What purpose can that young man have at such a young age? You look back three times at a time, don't forget Not that little daisy."
Yang Hao glanced at her and smiled maliciously: "Don't say Daisy Daisy, what do you know? Her name is Laba."
Tang Yanyan wrinkled his nose and hummed: "Laba is a little daisy. If you don't forget it, you will set up eight hundred soldiers to rob it tonight. That young man's archery skills are very powerful. Do you have the courage?"
Yang Hao smiled and said: "They also have a lot of manpower. It will take some effort to snatch Miss Laba, but if I snatch Miss Tang from you..."
He knew he had made a mistake and hurriedly stopped. Tang Yanyan blushed. She bit her lip, then raised her chest and said loudly: "Okay, if you have the ability, come and grab it. Do you dare?"
I didn't dare, of course I didn't dare. Yang Hao withered at that time. Tang Yanyan glared at him hatefully and said angrily: "Bear bag!"
A bear bag is a bear bag, Yang Hao didn't even fart, and walked into the camp with his head down. Tang Yanyan didn't get angry when she saw his virtuous attitude. She stamped her feet and followed him resentfully. Behind him, those feet were eager to kick him hard on the butt.
After entering the camp, and just as he was about to walk separately to his own accommodation, Yang Hao suddenly stopped and turned around and said, "By the way, there is something I forgot to say to you."
Tang Yanyan stopped and asked in surprise: "What are you talking about?"
Yang Hao looked her up and down and said with a smile: "You put a lot of thought into your clothes tonight and you look very beautiful."
"snort!"
"The exchange with Tuoba Yan, the young leader of the Bai Ling tribe, was also very appropriate tonight. In fact... you are very talented in business."
"snort!"
"Also, you are...very beautiful and feminine tonight."
Tang Yanyan finally couldn't help but smile, glared at him fiercely, and said coquettishly: "Do you need my help with something again? There's no need to be so flattering. If you have anything to say, please tell me as soon as possible."
"Really not," Yang Hao said with a smile, "It's completely sincere. It's getting late, girl, have a good rest."
Yang Haogong cupped his hands and turned to leave. Looking at his back, the corners of Tang Yanyan's mouth gradually turned up, revealing a sweet smile. Being able to get this compliment from him, tonight's efforts were finally not in vain, but... this Why are you just saying this now? I've let people down all night...