This is the real hinterland of the grassland. It is said orally by the grassland people that this is the place where the souls of people after death are taken to heaven. It is the holy land in the hearts of the grassland tribes. Therefore, there are no herdsmen who have settled down and set up tents on this river with rich water and grass.
There is a lake in the River of Rebirth. The shamans of various tribes cook sheep and slaughter cows by this lake every year, sacrifice blood animals to heaven, and pray devoutly that the grasslands will still produce water and grass for cattle and sheep in the coming year.
However, the prayers of the shamans have lost their effectiveness in the past few years. The sky seems to have forgotten that these people still exist on the grassland, throwing drought and death to the grassland year after year. The shamans of the Taiqiang tribe are here.
The last sacrifice offered to heaven on the River of Rebirth was his own life. Since then, no one has offered sacrifices in the River of Rebirth. A sky that is useless to the prairie people is no different from a sheep's hoof that cannot be chewed.
At this time of year, there is not much life in the Goshen River. As the armies of various tribes move south, the herdsmen and slaves of each tribe also migrate. Anyway, most of them have very few cattle and sheep left, and they may not be able to survive on the grassland.
, it is better to go south with the army to seek a chance of survival.
However, there are also wandering herdsmen who have not followed the footsteps of the grassland tribal coalition to go south. These are mostly families or dozens of wandering herdsmen. Even the rogue bandits on the grassland look down upon the meager wealth of these herdsmen. Only small tribes are in dire situations.
They will win over these herdsmen to expand their ranks in order to avoid being annexed by large tribes.
In the eyes of the wandering herdsmen, the Gosei River is an excellent place to spend the winter. Now this holy land has been abandoned by the shamans of the large tribes, and the herdsmen have come to the Gosei River one after another. Chuanzhong Lake is also the only water source within a hundred miles.
Animals often come to drink water, and hunters can often gain a lot by squatting by the lake overnight. This is a rare time for the poor people on the grasslands to open their bellies and eat meat.
The three hunters had been squatting in a leeward hole for most of the night. Seeing that the east was white and they could only catch two hares, the young hunters couldn't help but feel a little uneasy:
"Wait, wait, can the yellow sheep be brought up by yourself?" He murmured softly, "I waited all night and only got two hares. How can I explain to my grandma?"
The two older hunters nearby were much more steady. They would try their bow strings from time to time to prevent them from being frozen and unable to open their bows. "A good hunter will not be discouraged if he cannot wait for prey all night. He will not wait for the yellow sheep to come over," he said.
Do you want to use your two legs to chase me away?"
"Abba and uncle know how to joke. I shot those two rabbits." The young hunter sulked and took out a wormwood arrow from the quiver made of raw yellow sheepskin and placed it in the deer's intestines.
On the string of the made bow, "If we wait until daybreak, we can't wait until we can carry the yellow sheep back."
"Since we can't wait for the yellow sheep today, it means God is saying that now is not a good time for hunting." The two older hunters are the elders of the younger hunters. One of them picked up a hare and yawned before getting up and leaving. "
If you can't wait for the yellow sheep to drink water, why not go back to sleep and eat rabbit meat when you wake up."
The young hunter stubbornly stood guard after taking out the lee vent. The two elders each carried a rabbit and went back to the tent to sleep. It was not easy for the elderly prairie people to squat outside the tent all night in such weather. They all
I was eager to drag my tired body back to the tent to rest.
The young hunter at the leeward side twisted his face to force himself not to fall asleep. He hesitated whether he should go back to the tent with the two elders, but the two hares were not enough for them to hunt for three people.
The joy in mom’s eyes and the rough ones
Hand, he felt that it was not a big deal to wait until dawn.
The young hunter also waited for a long time. Seeing that it was broad daylight, there was still no animal within the range of his bow and arrow.
It seems that grandma will inevitably be disappointed today. The young hunter was about to get up from the leeward with a depressed look on his face. Suddenly he heard something and put his face to the ground. It was the sound of horse hooves!
The young hunter made a conclusion in his mind. The crowds of wild horses on the grassland were coming to the lake to drink water. This was a perfect opportunity. Anyone who could draw a bow could shoot at least one of them, but beware of the leader.
The horse king and his horses rushed over and trampled him, and the inexperienced hunter was easily trampled into a blur of flesh and blood by the horses.
He picked up his bow and nocked an arrow, half-hiding himself in the lee of the wind, so that the horses would not be able to see him until they reached the end of the road. The young hunter, who was quite confident in his archery skills, was already thinking about him rushing back to bring his grandmother.
The joy on their faces when they went back to cut the horse meat.
The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and the sound was so loud that he could hear it clearly without lying down on the ground.
Suddenly, the young hunter realized that such a loud noise could not be made by a herd of wild horses. It was the sound of a large group of cavalry marching!
But didn’t all the tribes with such a large cavalry army on the grassland go south to grab things from the place called Yao? The young hunter thought incomprehensibly, but all this had nothing to do with him. Although he relied on his archery skills to reach large tribes,
It is not difficult to become a warrior under the nobles, but neither riding a horse nor wielding a sword is his strength.
He returned to the lee of the wind again. In the eyes of the nobles of the big tribes, there was not much difference between these wandering herdsmen and humble slaves. They would kill them casually without any emotion.
The young hunter cautiously poked half of his head out to see the trace of the cavalry. A cavalry of several thousand people was not something that tribe could easily produce on the grassland, let alone how could there still be a cavalry on the grassland when the tribal coalition forces were moving south.
Is there such a cavalry army?
The cavalry did not display any flags, and the men and horses were all dusty, as if they had traveled a long, long way.
The young hunter saw the hard-clad and sharp cavalry, and he had to realize that such armor and weapons were by no means the equipment that any tribe on the grassland could have. The first scout of this thousand-man cavalry team
He had been discovered hiding in the leeward area, and more than ten riders surrounded him, leaving him no chance to escape.
"He is just a hunter from a wandering herdsman on the grassland. This is the River of Life, and the barbarians will not be so extravagant as to waste scouts here." The leader of the cavalry army looked at the young barbarian captured by his men with laughter and tears, "Hurry up and let him go.
people?"
The scouts loosened their grip on his arms, and the young hunter immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately, mumbling words they couldn't understand, as if he was begging for something.
The leading general of the cavalry on horseback picked up his lance and took a few steps forward. He struck the barbarian on the back with the barrel of his gun. The latter let out a strange scream, turned around and ran away lifelessly.
Someone next to him opened his bow and was about to shoot, but he stopped him, "The barbarians are killing our people in Jinzhou. What's the difference between you and them when you kill the barbarian herdsmen?"
"General, if you let this barbarian go back, you will only cause trouble if he comes back."
"Wandering herdsmen who don't even have horses, so what if they want to embarrass this cavalry army? Are the spears, spears, bows and arrows in your hands made of paper?" The general on the horse took a deep breath.
Then he said angrily, "When marching and fighting, there are things you do and things you don't do! If you don't care and let the killings spread, what's the difference between you and animals!"
He has taken over this cavalry army for a long time, and the last thing he wants is for these people to eventually turn into beasts on the battlefield.
"Choose ice to get water! Give the horses water to wash their noses and fill their bellies! We'll be on our way in a moment!"
After giving the order, thousands of cavalrymen dismounted in an orderly manner and dug holes on the lake to collect water.
This is the Gosheng River, the hinterland of the grassland. They did not bury a pot to make rice. A few people boiled a pot of water on the spot, soaked the Guokui pancakes they brought with them until soft and swallowed them whole, and then checked whether the four hooves of the mount were damaged.
, is the saddle and horse's girdle still in good condition, is the knife in the sheath still sharp, and is my bow still able to shoot murderous arrows?
They are the pride of the entire Jinzhou cavalry and even the entire Dayao cavalry. Wherever their horses' hooves go and where their soldiers point, they let the barbarians on the grassland know that Dayao also had such an invincible cavalry!
Su Xiaogong took off his helmet, and the general nearby looked at the silver strands in his black hair with some bitterness.
Once upon a time, when the general came to our cavalry, he looked as handsome as a young man, but now his hair is half gray.
He put down the meal he was carrying next to him and whispered, "General, it's time for breakfast."
The rapid march of four hundred miles a day has no regard for human power. What's more, this march has lasted for two days, and half a hundred horses died of exhaustion every day on the way.
With a unique luxury configuration, there is no guarantee that they will still have enough horses when they want to charge into battle.
Su Xiaogong, who ignored it, remembered the secret conversation he had with Jinzhou general Song Zhiwen before leaving Jinzhou. The latter asked him whether he should stay in Jinzhou to mediate with the barbarians or let him lead his army to leave. Jinzhou would circle around Dayao and the grassland.
When comparing the huge circles, which one is more beneficial to the Jinzhou war situation, he answered calmly:
"With this cavalry staying in Jinzhou, the general can at least guarantee that each of the cavalry can replace at least two barbarian cavalry. However, if the situation of Jinzhou's city defense is like this, and the city north of Yuancheng is fortified and clear, it will fall.
It's only a matter of time, so it's better for General Rong Mo to take these good guys to the north and stab the barbarians in the back."
Su Xiaogong drew an arc on that map that almost spanned most of the map. It was thousands of miles away, too far, too many variables, but if it succeeded...
"The victory or defeat in the Jinzhou War will turn around in just a moment."
This was Su Xiaogong's confidence, and it was also the confidence of that cavalry army.
Song Zhiwen locked himself in the house for three days and nights, and agreed to his proposal after coming out.
Then the cavalry army quietly broke out of camp and headed north via the nearby prefectures and counties, disappearing into the vast grassland, and then traveled thousands of miles until they finally reached the Gossip River.
"How sure are you?"
"Don't worry about defeat before fighting." Su Xiaogong responded to Song Zhiwen's question.