Time flies, three years have passed, and it is November of the seventh year of Dali in the Tang Dynasty.
The first light snowfall since the beginning of winter fell in the Hexi Corridor, and the rivers began to freeze. Herdsmen from the cold northern regions began to migrate southward with their flocks.
The shores of Xiutu Lake were also covered with light snow in early winter, the grassland turned white, and a thin layer of ice formed on the lake.
In the early morning, several children came galloping towards the lake on horseback. They were Ying's three children. The eldest was a girl, named Xi, who was thirteen years old. The second and third were twin brothers, one named Pushan and the other
Pu Yan has just turned eleven years old.
"There!" Xi pointed at the big willow tree.
Guo Song's war horses were grazing leisurely under the big willow tree. A huge eagle eagle was hovering on the lake. There were many large and small holes on the ice. The eagle suddenly folded its wings and fell down, passing over the lake.
, its steel-like claws caught a big fish weighing at least three kilograms.
There are bows and swords on the horses, and a priest's robe is placed on the saddle.
"Sister, go call him out!"
"Wait a minute, he will come up."
The three of them waited boredly by the lake for nearly a stick of incense, when they heard a sound of "Wow!", a column of water rushed up, and a very tall young man rushed up from the water with an arrow pot on his back.
, holding a big bow in his hand.
"Brother Guo, don't go down!" Several children shouted quickly.
It was Guo Song who emerged from the water. He had been practicing the last step of riding and shooting since last winter. He practiced archery at the bottom of the lake. This was actually practicing the walking bow. Since the horned bow was afraid of water, he could only use the herdsmen's single bow.
The bow has a killing range of only fifty steps.
The resistance in the water is very large and the water flow is complicated. When he holds his breath, the muscles and blood of the body will change. This is of great benefit to him in mastering various subtle effects. After practicing hard for a whole year, he has been able to swim underwater.
In the darkness, an arrow shot through a swimming fish thirty steps away.
Guo Song wiped the water off his face and said with a smile: "We are going south tomorrow, why don't you go back and pack your things?"
"The chief asked us to come. There are guests looking for you."
Needless to say, it must be Zhao Tengjiao captured by Bai Tingshou who came to find him. His guests were none other than Tang Jun.
Baiting Shouchuo is located fifty miles to the east, south of Baiting Sea. There are usually 500 garrison troops, but in winter they will shrink to 200 men. The reason why Guo Song knew them was actually an accident.
Last spring, more than a dozen Tang soldiers came to the Black Mountain tribe to buy sheep. They accidentally discovered Guo Song who was practicing archery. They saw Guo Song holding a piece of pig iron weighing 30 kilograms in each hand and standing for an hour in a bow-drawing posture.
The statue and its arms are as stable as Mount Tai, motionless.
More than a dozen Tang soldiers ran back to report, but the guard Zhao Tengjiao didn't believe it and came to check it out personally. He also witnessed Guo Song galloping on horseback and shooting the magic arrow that extinguished the incense fire a hundred steps away. He was amazed and persuaded several times.
He rejected Guo Song's offer to join the army, and Zhao Tengjiao finally gave up, but they did become friends from then on.
Guo Song asked several children to go back first. He went ashore, wiped his body with a cloth, and put on his Taoist robe. He is seventeen years old this year. In the past three years, his body has been fully nourished by meat, and his height has grown to 1.85 meters.
Tall and strong, his appearance has not changed much, but the contours of his face are more obvious, his eyes are deeper, and his lion nose is very distinctive.
He planned to practice for a few more months before setting off back to Kongtong Mountain.
Guo Song whistled continuously to the sky, and the sky echoed. Mengzi had lived a very prosperous life in the Hexi Corridor for the past three years. He had the same kind of companions, snowy mountains and grasslands, vast lakes, herdsmen who respected him, and food.
It was enough, which made Guo Song a little worried about whether Mengzi was still willing to go back to Kongtong Mountain with him.
Sometimes Mengzi would leave for a day or two and then come back again, and Guo Song gradually got used to the short separation.
Moreover, one person and one eagle have a tacit understanding. Mengzi can understand the meaning of Guo Song's various whistles, and no longer flies down as soon as he blows the whistle like he did when he was a child.
For example, just now, Guo Song blew two whistles in a row to tell Mengzi that he was going back to the camp.
Guo Song got on his horse and urged the horse to run towards the camp. The iron sword on the saddle was still a thick iron sword made by his master from a blacksmith. Tang Jun did have horizontal swords, but unfortunately they were too light and not suitable for him. It was his master who gave him this one.
A thick iron sword weighing more than 20 kilograms can be polished and sharpened by your hands.
Not long after, Guo Song returned to the camp. During this time, the herdsmen were all living together. Everyone was busy packing tents and various belongings. It had already begun to snow, and it would be too late if he didn't leave.
"Guo Song!"
The person calling him was Aunt Ying, the woman Guo Song rescued three years ago. She was pregnant again and was about to give birth to her fourth child.
Guo Song walked forward quickly and said, "Aunt Ying, have you packed your things?"
Aunt Ying's eyes were a little red. She knew that Guo Song was going back to Longyou, and she didn't know if there would be a chance to see her again after this farewell.
"Aunt Ying, you're crying again, didn't I tell you? I will come again, in a year or two. I miss Brother Heiyan's barbecue very much."
Aunt Ying quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes and said with a smile: "I won't cry anymore. Let me tell you, I put two bags of dried meat and milk wine in your big tent. You still have a lot of tea bricks, so I won't give them to you."
Already."
Tea bricks are a big expense for herdsmen. Guo Song can no longer live without drinking strong tea. Last month, Zhao Shouzhuo gave him twenty kilograms, which was enough for him to eat for several months. There is also no shortage of salt. The tribe sends him 20 kilograms of tea every year.
When people go to Qinghai Lake to carry salt on their backs, it is simply a world of salt.
Guo Song said quickly: "I will leave a few kilograms of tea bricks, and Aunt Ying will take them away. Otherwise, it would be a pity to throw them away."
"Okay then! I'll leave five pounds for you, and I'll take the rest."
They are like a family, and they are not so polite.
Guo Song came to the chief's tent, opened the curtain, lowered his head and walked in.
The tent was very warm, filled with a strong smell of milk tea. Tea was being brewed in a tea basket in the middle of the tent, and a Tang Army general was sitting next to Chief Pu Luoshan.
This person is Zhao Tengjiao, Baiting's capture envoy. He is about 27 or 27 years old. He is tall and burly, with a beard on his face and a very forthright personality. He comes from a prominent family in the capital, and his ancestor is Zhao Gui, one of the eight pillars of Guanlong.
The Guanlong aristocracy has gradually declined, but his father Zhao Guanshan performed outstandingly during the Anshi Rebellion, and in addition to his timely support for Li Longji's coup to seize the throne, he was named the General of the Zuojian Gate Guard, and the family seemed to be recovering.
"Brother Zhao, why are you here?"
Guo Song sat cross-legged in front of the fire and saluted the chief with clasped hands.
Zhao Tengjiao smiled and said: "I said you are a fake Taoist priest and you still don't admit it, but you actually salute a monk. Take off your Taoist robe quickly and follow me to the army. I will make you the brigade commander."
The Tang army consisted of ten men per fire, five fires as a team, and two teams as a brigade. The leader was the brigade commander, who was equivalent to a small company commander.
Guo Song curled his lips and said: "I join my palms together because the Black Mountain tribe believes in Buddhism, and it has nothing to do with my identity. Besides, you yourself are about to be transferred back to the capital, so why don't you dig a big hole for me here?"
"Letting you join the army is actually digging a hole for you. I have nothing to say."
Zhao Tengjiao pointed at Guo Song, feeling a little resentful that iron could not become steel. He had such good riding and shooting skills and did not join the army. It was simply a waste of money.
"I'm actually not here to find you. I'm here to remind the chief to be careful when moving pastures. The Shatuo people have been on the move in the past few months, and there are signs of going south. Don't encounter their forward sentry."
Guo Song immediately thought of the horse bandits he encountered three years ago. They were clearly sent out by the Shatuo people. In recent years, the Shatuo outposts had become more and more rampant, often attacking Han and Qiang tribes.
"Brother Zhao, it's winter now. Will the Shatuo people go south in winter?"
"Usually not, but it's hard to say that they will bypass Zhangye City and attack the Tang army's supply line. An incident happened in December last year, and thousands of kilos of food were burned."
"Does the Tang army want to send more troops to Zhangye?"
"It is possible that more troops will be added, but it will not be until next spring at the earliest. It is estimated that in another month, heavy snow will block the roads in the Hexi Corridor. Guo Song, once the roads are blocked by heavy snow, can you still go back to Kongtong Mountain?"
Guo Song smiled and said, "I plan to go back in February next year, when the snow begins to melt."
"Whatever you want! If life is hard, come to Baiting Military City. We have plenty of supplies there."
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