Setting off from Beidi County at the end of March, four months had passed before he knew it. On the paper Chen Ping carried with him, a big circle had been drawn:
It’s more than 400 miles from Xiaoguan to Huamachi; it’s more than 300 miles from Huamachi to Helan Grassland; it’s more than 400 miles from Helan to Aiyang; it’s more than 400 miles from Aries to “Kujiesha” where Loufanbu is located.
…
Along the way, Chen Ping also suffered a lot. He was exposed to the wind and the sun, and his pretty face almost turned into a black face, just a little bit worse than that of a black man. This was nothing. The most uneasy feeling for him was when he entered Kujie Sand.
People in the Central Plains are very dissatisfied with unfamiliar deserts. Chu people imagined the scene of the desert in "The Soul Conjuring": "The harm to the West is the quicksand thousands of miles away!"
Chu people believe that under the quicksand is a terrifying thunder abyss. Once caught, human bones will rot and disintegrate. In the desert, grains cannot grow well, and only clumps of thatch can be used as food. The sand and soil can roast people.
I want to drink water but there is none. The red ants are as big as giant elephants, the black bees are as big as gourds, and there is an empty and dead realm everywhere...
Chen Ping was also afraid that he would not be able to get out if he went in, so he felt a little resistant. However, after actually entering the desert, Chen Ping realized that it was not that exaggerated at all.
As long as they walked next to the river, they would not lose their way and there would be enough fresh water to quench their thirst. The local guide also proudly told them that even in the deepest part of the desert, he had many ways to get through seemingly dry places.
Find water.
The roots of plants, the stomachs of desert foxes, and even the humps of camels all store water. This barren desert is dotted with tens of thousands of Loufan farmers and herdsmen who fled here after being defeated by Master Zhao, like stars.
Like scattered stars in the sky, they are spread all over the sea of sand.
Like Aries, they surrendered to the Xiongnu Chanyu. Because Loufan was good at shooting and could make strong bows from local poplar trees, they were called "Angqinfu" by the Huns, which means bow slaves and hunting slaves. Every year the Xiongnu
The Chanyu would take away a large number of wooden bows and livestock from here, so Loufan in Henan was always in poverty.
The main goods that the residents here can provide are tuo camels. U Thiyan bought several tuo camels for Chen Ping to ride on, as if they were walking on flat ground on the sand where horses can easily sink...
Chen Ping secretly remembered: "This tunnel is full of deep sand, making it difficult for light vehicles to travel. If a large army goes deep and carries the valley to this point, it will be stranded. It is better to switch to camels."
Camels seem to move slowly, but in the desert, they are faster and more stable than carriages and horses, and can carry a lot of heavy objects.
After walking for several days and crossing the river, they finally left the desert. A plain with intertwined water networks suddenly appeared in front of them, full of greenery and forests. Chen Ping could not imagine that this was actually Saibei?
This is the most fertile and wealthy grassland of the Xiongnu: the Hetao, where there are white felt tents and sheep everywhere. If Heifu were here, I would probably have to chant again: "The sky is vast and the fields are vast, and the grass is blown by the wind and the cattle and sheep are low."
The river slowed down here, leaving behind a large amount of yellow-brown silt. Chen Ping also worked as a farmer with his brother at home, and he knew a little about distinguishing soil. He twisted it and tried it, and felt that it was the best for farming.
Field land.
Wu Shiyan said to Chen Ping: "It is said that decades ago, a Zhao king from the east sent troops here and built a fortress called Gaoque Fortress on the Yin Mountain in the north."
"It must be King Wuling of Zhao." Chen Ping understood. However, this place was too far away from Zhao's homeland. In addition, the Sand Dune Palace Incident occurred. Zhao's small stronghold in Hetao was quickly abandoned and returned to Yunzhongyan.
Door line.
The Xiongnu tribes were most concentrated in the Hetao. The Wuzhi caravan carried out business in various tribes in a leisurely manner. It took more than a month to get out of the Hetao. They passed by the ruins of Jiuyuan City, which was destroyed by the Xiongnu. Chen Ping sighed again.
"The once majestic city is now so dilapidated. It is a pity and a pity. The land of Beijia is more fertile than the land of Henan. It has thousands of miles of fertile fields, rich water and grass, and the soil is suitable for livestock production, and it is suitable to build cities and cultivate villages. This is the preparation
The foundation of the border!"
However, Chen Ping also knew that he was working for Beidi County Lieutenant Heifu. Next year's target would still be Helan and Henan. As for Beijia, that was Yunzhong County Mengtian's strategy target...
But it is not a bad thing to have a comprehensive understanding of the Xiongnu. Anyone who does not plan for the overall situation is not enough to plan for a region!
With this in mind, Chen Ping continued eastward, and by late July, they arrived at Touman City, the court of the Shan Yu.
…
The Huns didn't know how to pound earth and burn tiles. The bricks and tiles in Touman City were transported from Zhao Jiuyuan City. The scale was also very small. In Chen Ping's view, it was only equivalent to a small village in the Central Plains. How could it be worthy of "a single city"?
In the name of "Yu Wangting"?
Wu Shiyan laughed loudly when he heard this: "This small town is just a place where the Huns store bows, arrows and grain. Travelers are not allowed to enter. The real Chan Yuting is not inside the city, but outside the city, in the Dài Forest.
On the edge!”
After he explained, Chen Ping realized that the Xiongnu did not calculate the seasons according to fixed time, but regarded the grass as dry and prosperous as one year, and the females were used to conceive, give birth to foals, wean and grow, and let the foals return to the herd as spring, summer, autumn and winter.
node.
According to these four times, the Huns held two major court meetings. The first time was in the summer after the mare gave birth to a foal. They held a meeting in Longcheng, the ancestral land. The chiefs led by the Chanyu offered sacrifices to their ancestors, heaven and earth, ghosts and gods. This was the Huns' meeting.
The most important and solemn sacrificial activity.
In late July and early August when the foals are weaned and grown, the General Assembly will be held in the cocoon forest outside the city of Manchester. This time it is an administrative meeting. The main purpose is to calculate the number of people and livestock and collect tribute.
Chen Ping understood: "It's similar to the plan in the Central Plains, but it's quite novel."
It was autumn, and it happened to be the annual "Copycat Forest Conference" held by the Huns, so Wu Shiyan took Chen Ping to see the excitement.
"Touman Chanyu calls himself the Eagle of the Grassland and likes to wear a golden eagle crown."
On the way, Wu Shiyan also told Chen Ping the story of Touman Shanyu.
"It is said that Touman Shanyu's father once led more than 100,000 Xiongnu into Zhao, but was defeated by a Zhao general. The Xiongnu declined for a time and fell into pieces. But Touman Shanyu gathered the tribe again, and it took thirty years for the Xiongnu to
The strength has been restored to its original state."
This "restoration as before" is not a lie. Chen Ping saw thousands of Huns riding in the Helan Grassland at the wedding of Prince Moton. He thought that was enough, but now he found that it was really small and dwarfed.
On the grasslands in all directions, there were Huns galloping on horseback. Strong men leaped forward on light cavalry, while women, old and young, drove cattle, sheep and horses. Awed by Touman's power, tribes from far and near came to the scene, gathering hundreds of thousands of people, and brought offerings to Dan.
Yu's livestock is no less than this number.
The attire of Chen Ping and his group quickly attracted the attention of the Huns. Ten patrolling riders galloped closer and asked everyone about their purpose. After learning that it was the Wushi caravan, they whispered and escorted them to the head.
Man Chan is at home.
In the center of the sea of withered grass, there was a large circle of felt tents with a radius of more than ten miles. The Huns who came to participate in the conference were stationed according to their directions. And beyond the felt tents, Chen Ping saw a lonely forest standing on the grassland.
It's "Cocoon Forest".
The rumble came, not from the thunder in the sky, but from the vibrations caused by countless horse hooves trampling on the ground.
A ceremony was being held in the Pagoda Forest, and Chen Ping was surprised to see thousands...no, probably tens of thousands of riders riding their horses, running clockwise around the Pagoda Forest, and roaring.
The Huns were not a disorderly carnival, but joined in one after another according to the color of the horses they were riding. The white horse started to circle first, and then thousands of riders rode green partridge horses to join, followed by black horses, gelding horses, and so on.
They were gathered together and ran around the forest three times before stopping.
As the horseshoes formed and dust flew, Chen Ping's expression trembled slightly. Not to mention the number of these riders, which was already several times that of Qinbei County. It can be said that the Xiongnu riders looked chaotic, but in fact they were orderly. This terrifying degree of organization
, I thought it was only found in the Central Plains, but I never thought that the Huns could do the same. Was it trained by them during hunting and plundering?
Before he had time to think, Wu Shiyan had already patted him and said that Touman Chanyu had summoned him and that Chen Ping could act as his deputy and join the Chanyu's tent together.
Touman Chanyu's large tent is extremely huge, and the top is decorated with various colorful decorations. Entering the tent, there are Hun nobles on the left and right, and the Chanyu is sitting in the center.
After Chen Ping entered, he took a peek and saw a golden-crested eagle crown on his head. His braid with a bell was grey, which looked shiny thanks to animal fat. His eyes were slender and his skin was as dark as polished copper. He was sitting there.
On a tiger skin, he is holding a horn cup and drinking kumiss.
Chen Ping also noticed that in the lower position of the Chanyu, in addition to the Xiongnu nobles, there was also a middle-aged man dressed as a Xia man with a high crown and a high degree of diplomacy. He stared at Wu Shiyan and his party with unclear meaning.
He suddenly had a bad feeling...
Wu Shiyan smiled and was about to go up to meet Touman, who had frequent trade relations with Wu Shi in the past ten years, and offer him a gift.
Unexpectedly, before he could speak, the tall and elegant Central Plains man suddenly stood up and said in skilled Hun dialect:
"Chanyu, I have long said that these Qin merchants are all craftsmen. It is false to enter the Xiongnu trade, and it is true to spy on the false and the true. Please kill them, Shanyu!"