Hanhou

The sound of the drum sounded, and the unarmored knight jumped over the fence with his legs clamping the horse's belly, controlling the rein with one hand, and grasping the wooden pole with the other hand. Under the leadership of the team, he formed two sharp arrows towards The opponent rushed over.

The sound of the drums came and went, and the sound of wooden poles breaking was clearly audible as the war horses staggered.

A knight was weak and was overturned and dismounted by his opponent. He immediately protected his vitals and skillfully rolled on the ground to dodge the chaotic horseshoes.

When the drumbeat stopped, less than half of the knights on horseback remained.

The knights on the ground were all covered in bruises, struggling to stand up, rubbing their arms and legs while moving their joints and wrists, hissing coldly from time to time.Sweeping his gaze over the fellow robes around him, they were all thankful that this was a martial arts show, and everyone would try their best to control their horses.If they were on the battlefield, they would not have been injured by falling off their horses, but would have been trampled to death.

Wei Yue stood on the martial arts stage, holding the hilt of the sword with one hand, her eyes were sharp, her face was expressionless, and she looked like a different person in peacetime.

The drum sounded again, and the knights quickly picked up the wooden poles that could still be used, gritted their teeth, mounted their horses again, and launched another charge under the leadership of the team leader.

Once, twice, three times... until the sun goes west, no knight can sit safely on the horse.Including the team leader, all the cavalry participating in the martial arts performance were all lying on their backs on the ground, panting heavily.

The war horse stomped its front hooves, lowered its head and nuzzled the bruised knight, and was patted by the latter before shaking his neck and snorting.

After about a stick of incense, the chaotic martial arts arena became orderly.The knights on the ground stood up one after another and lined up again.Broken wooden poles were left underfoot, and some were broken into several pieces, which could be used as firewood when sent to the stove.

"Order the cook to slaughter one cow and ten sheep as rewards to the camp."

After Wei Yue's order was conveyed, the knights instantly forgot the pain on their bodies, patted the scabbard vigorously, and cheered.When Wei Yue turned and left, they looked at each other, and found that regardless of the team rate or the small soldiers, they all looked like they had bruised noses and swollen faces, and they laughed out loud on the spot.

The medical craftsman came with the medicine box on his back, and without caring about the surrounding environment, he rolled up his sleeves, pulled a knight past him, and started checking.After confirming the injury, the medicine should be applied, the bandage should be bandaged, and the fracture should be clamped with wooden boards, and they are still alive and kicking.

There was a knight with one arm hanging in front of his chest, and was punched on the shoulder by his fellow robe. While baring his teeth in pain, he did not forget to kick back hard.

"Wait for a certain family! After you can move your arm, you must be beaten until you can't even ride a horse!"

After the doctor left, the fence around the martial arts arena was removed, and the horses were led into the stables in batches.Several servants brought a vat of cooked bean dregs and poured them into the trough together.Make sure that each trough is half full before picking up the barrel and sending it back to the stove.

Since Wei Yue took over the military training, the food of the army has been upgraded several levels, and the feed of the war horses has also begun to change.In the past, forage was mixed with bean forage, but now forage is still the same, and bean curd is first made from bean, and the remaining bean dregs are cooked and fed to horses.

When tofu was first made, most soldiers didn't know what it was.After eating a few times, it is almost inseparable from every meal.They are also bean, and this way of eating is far more delicious than steaming.

Under the stove, the cooks were busy killing cattle and sheep.

Large pieces of beef were placed on the fire, and the chopped lamb bones and ribs were thrown into clay pots. The hot water boiled several times, and the aroma of the meat began to permeate.

The cook filled a wooden barrel half a person's height with millet and rice from the steamer.The mutton soup in the clay pot is also poured into the barrel, and it is arranged in a horizontal row with the wooden barrel containing corn and rice.

With the sound of the gong, a long line was formed in front of the wooden barrels containing millet and rice.The soldiers couldn't resist the smell of meat for a long time, they held wooden bowls in their hands and kept sucking their noses.

The cook waved a wooden long-handled spoon, and first scooped out a spoon full of corn and rice, and then added a spoonful of mutton soup with oily flakes.All the cavalry participating in the martial arts performance will each get a piece of mutton or beef.

"Come on, next!"

Holding millet, rice and mutton soup, the soldiers gathered together in twos and threes, no one cared about talking, they were all tearing up the pieces of meat they got.After a few mouthfuls of millet and rice in the bowl, fill it with a full bowl, pair it with mutton soup, and eat it with a mouthful of rice and soup.

With oil and water in their stomachs, everyone has the mood to talk.

A few cavalrymen who had experience in the battlefield and had faced the Huns squatted together, eating rice in their mouths, while wondering if this training method would work.

"Do you think this can be done?" Wu Zhang with a scar on his face said.

"Success and failure have to be practiced!" The strong man with big shoulders and round waist, almost no narrower than the door panel when viewed from behind, drank the mutton soup, smacked his lips, and said, "Think about the last time, if you can hedge against the Huns, you don't have to look at that barbarian army." Ride away!"

Recalling the battle with the other tribes of the Huns before, because the arrows shot into the air, they could only watch the opponent run away, and the soldiers were a little frustrated.

"It's a pity that our riding skills are not as good as the Xiongnu's."

"There's no comparison." A veteran shook his head and said, "These barbarians can walk and ride horses, almost living on horseback. How do we compare?"

"According to me, if you really can't sit still, it's better to tie your legs to the horse's back."

"Don't come up with bad ideas! If you make trouble, you will die..."

When the soldiers were discussing, Wei Yue was sitting in the tent, and the healthy servant sent by Wei Shang was waiting beside him.

Closing the bamboo slips, Wei Yue pondered for a moment, took the wooden tablet, wrote a reply letter, sealed it with clay, handed it to the healthy servant who delivered the letter, and said: "I have understood what Ah Weng means, hand this letter to Ah Weng, Nothing to worry about.”

"promise!"

"Take this letter back too." Wei Yue picked up another wooden tablet.

After receiving Zhao Jia's autographed letter, Wei Yue considered it carefully and thought it was feasible.After some consideration, I personally perfected some details, wrote a plan, and prepared to send it to Wei Shang.

The benefits that Zhao Jia can see, Wei Yue can naturally see, and think more far-reaching.

There is a lot that can be done by organizing the outflow of manpower, not just market goods and intelligence gathering.Wei Yue was very interested in the other tribes of the Xiongnu mentioned by Zhao Jia—especially Ding Ling who dared to plunder the herdsmen in the tribe.

The Xiongnu seems to be powerful, but in fact there are many internal contradictions.

Since the death of Maodun Shanyu, although the old Shang Shanyu and the military minister Shanyu were able to unify the various ministries, they could not do the same as in the Maodun period.Especially the nobles in this department, they often obey Shan Yu's orders.

According to the news sent back from the grassland, the prince of the army minister Shan Yu, the current Zuo Xian Wang Yu Shan is not popular.Youxian King and Zuoguli King Yi Zhixie are far more powerful than him.

King Youxian once led troops into the Han Dynasty, and the beacon fire burned to Ganquan Palace; Yizhixie's strong troops were invincible across the grasslands, and the soldiers were invincible.

In the first month, the heads of various ministries met in the royal court, and the contradictions were already very obvious.Several leaders of the headquarters almost drew their knives on the spot, and the incident spread throughout the grassland.The meeting in Longcheng in May must be another good show.

The military minister Shan Yu is still alive, and he can temporarily subdue the tribes.When he died, Prince Yu Shan might not be able to take over the throne smoothly. The ambitious Zuo Guli King alone was enough for him to drink a pot.

"Ding Ling, Qiang, Di... there should be something to do."

After seeing off the visitors, Wei Yue stood in front of the military tent, looking at the northern grasslands, her eyes were deep and dark.

The health servant hurried back to Yunzhong City and handed Wei Yue's letter to Wei Shang.On that day, the prefect's mansion summoned craftsmen in the city in the name of making farm tools, and selected a few of them to build saddles and stirrups in a separate place in the city.

The flying cavalry from Chang'an didn't stay long, and after conveying the order, they set off with Wei Shang's memorials and turned back.Not long after Feiqi left, the first batch of harnesses were made, and Wei Shang personally sent people to escort them to Yuanyang City where Wei Yue was training soldiers.

In addition, Wei Shang had seen Wei Yue's plan to go abroad, and patted his thigh to say "I have a beautiful child".It's a pity that the matter must be kept secret, and Wei Taishou could only suppress the urge to show off to others, and ordered his loyal servants to check the warehouse, pick out two carts of silk cloth, and send them to Zhao's village with his own letter.

When the silk cloth was delivered, Zhao Jiazheng and Xiong Bo went to the field together.

Gongsun Ao and Wei Qing stood by the field, waving long poles tied with cloth strips to disperse the birds that were stealing the grain.

Zhao Xin, Zhao Ponu and the others spread out their nets, looking for the direction in which the birds were flying, and they could catch five or six of them with one net.The neck was twisted off, the feathers were not pulled out, and it was directly wrapped in wet mud and roasted in the fire, and distributed to the three heads, all of whom were covered with ashes.

"Does Uncle Xiong know the ancient city Helao mentioned?" Zhao Jia walked along Tianlong to the ground, put down the bucket, straightened his waist, and shook the water stains on his hands.

"I saw it once in the early years. It's not the city that Mr. Lang said, but only two earthen walls. Probably because of the weather, the stream has dried up, but there are a lot of wild millet."

"How far is it from the border?" Zhao Jia asked.

"If you ride a horse, you can arrive in an hour. If you organize the delivery of goods by hand, it will take at least half a day."

Zhao Jia nodded, this was not much different from what He Lao said.

"If we use a carriage, can the speed be increased?" Zhao Jia drew out his dagger and drew on the ground, "He Lao told me about Hu people's carts. If there are skilled craftsmen, they can imitate this kind of carts, except for transporting goods. , can also be used as a tent.”

"Tent?" Uncle Xiong asked in surprise, "How can a car be used as a tent?"

"Why not? I heard that the big tents of the Xiongnu Shanyu can be transported by vehicles. As long as they find the key to make this kind of tents, they can not only resist the night cold of the grassland, but also serve as a barrier when encountering wolves, shooting them with bows and arrows. "

The Huns lived by water and grass, and Shanyu's big tent also moved with the seasons.

It is reported that the large tent is very luxurious, so naturally it cannot be disassembled and assembled casually, and it is the best choice to transport it with a large cart.

Zhao Jia has never seen the carts of Ding Lingren, but he has enough accumulated knowledge. With reference to the carts of Wuhuan people and Han Chinese caravans, and organizing skilled craftsmen, it should not be difficult to build the Western Han version of the "RV".

The only thing to consider is the weight of the car.After all, the main function of the cart is to transport goods. If its weight exceeds expectations, it will cause a lot of burden on the horses pulling the cart.

When the two were talking, several fast horses galloped from the direction of the livestock farm.

When he was approaching, the woman on the horse grabbed the reins and flew down. Before she could catch her breath, she said to Zhao Jia: "Mr. Lang, Mr. Wei Shijun sent someone to the village. There are letters for Mr. Lang and two carts of silk!"

"Silk?" Zhao Jia turned around in surprise, "Two cars?"

"Yes!"

"Lang Jun, there are servants and elder uncles in the field to take care of him. You should return to the village as soon as possible," Xiong Bo said.

"Alright."

After Zhao Jia explained a few words, he quickly jumped on the bay red horse and galloped towards the village.

Tian Zhong, Qing Zhuang and servants are still working hard.

Since the hailstorm, there hasn't been a single drop of rain for more than half a month. Hundreds of acres of fields have to rely on manpower and animal power to carry water.

Teenagers and children dutifully fend off the birds.Encountering a few cunning wild birds, which he could neither drive away nor catch, Wei Qing immediately put down his long pole, put his fingers to his lips, and whistled like Zhao Jia.

After a few breaths, a loud cry came from the sky.

The bird fluttered its wings and was about to fly, just in time to bump into the golden eagle that was rushing in the air, two of them were scratched, and one died directly in the golden eagle's claws.

"This eagle listens to Ah Qing." Gongsun Ao put his hands on his forehead, looked at the birds of prey passing by in the air, and clicked his tongue.

Zhao Puonu tied the net with one hand, turned his head to look at Wei Qing, and said: "Some barbarians know how to tame eagles, and they use them to guide directions and find prey. They will never get lost in the grassland. If this eagle can be tamed , will definitely be of great use in the future.”

"Really?" Wei Qing propped up the wooden pole with both hands, looked at the golden sculpture in the air, thought about it for a while, then shook his head regretfully.

"What?" Zhao Ponu asked strangely.

"Ah Jin only comes when he has something to eat." Wei Qing sighed.

According to Zhao Jia, this guy is a real foodie. If there is no meat delivered to his mouth, don't think about laboring him to flap his wings.

lead the way?

Stop dreaming, wash up and sleep.

"Your Majesty says it's up to you." Zhao Puonu walked up to Wei Qing, his eyes sparkling, "How will you know if you don't try? When Ashin and I were wandering in the grasslands, we only had a wooden stick tied with stones in our hands. Even without a bone knife, I still killed a wild wolf!"

"It's human effort?" Wei Qing whispered.

"It's up to people!"

The child and the teenager looked at each other, and both saw the firmness in each other's eyes.At the same time, he looked at the golden eagle in the air, his four big eyes were full of fire.

To be stared at so enthusiastically by Marquis Changping who crushed the Huns and Marquis Zhuoye who conquered Loulan in the future, this golden eagle can be regarded as the first of its kind, enough to be recorded in the annals of history.

At the end of May, the cavalry selected by Wei Yue were equipped with new harnesses one after another, and they began to get familiar with the new way of fighting.

Zhao Jia was allowed to organize a caravan out of the fortress, and entrusted the fields and livestock farms to Uncle Xiong and Uncle Huber respectively. He devoted himself to communicating with the old people who were familiar with the grassland, and constantly improved the map in his hand.

Zhao Jia already has a case in mind about the personnel going out of the fortress.However, both the leader and the guards need to be appointed by the prefect.

Zhao Jia has no objection to this.

His purpose is to trade cattle and sheep at low prices and collect intelligence by the way.As for who will lead the caravan in the future, Zhao Jia doesn't care.In the final analysis, there are still two words: strength.

To be more straightforward, it is good to enjoy the shade under the big tree.

Without strength, no matter how much profit you can keep.Children hugging gold bricks in downtown, the result is self-evident.

Bianjun was busy with planting and training troops in summer, and the horn of desolation sounded in Longcheng far to the north. The majestic warriors stood in front of Shanyu's tent, led by Zuo Xianwang Yudan, and greeted the leaders of various tribes on behalf of Shanyu.

Every year in May, the wise kings of the left and right, the kings of the left and right Guli, the generals of the left and right, the captains of the left and right, the households of the left and right, the princes of the left and right bones, as well as the ministers, officials and leaders of other tribes will worship their ancestors in Longcheng according to the tradition of the Xiongnu. , heaven and earth, ghosts and gods.

After the sacrifice, there will be a competition among the warriors of various tribes, and the winner will be rewarded by Shan Yu himself.

There are many barbarian faces missing this year, but it is a pity that no one will feel sympathy, even for other tribes who are also barbarians.

It is true that the Xiongnu headquarters did not behave authentically, but it is an indisputable fact that the retreating barbarian cavalry caused disasters to the grassland.After it was reported that the barbarians used women and children as food, the slaughter of King Zuoguli and King Youxian became even more logical.

woo-

The horn sounded again, and a few hundred meters away from Shanyu's big tent, a brigade of cavalry was roaring towards them.

The sound of rumbling horseshoes came from far and near, and a strong smell of blood rushed towards them. Many tribal leaders and warriors subconsciously clenched their knives, bows and arrows, with vigilance in their eyes.

About 300 meters away from the big tent, the cavalry began to slow down.

Only then did everyone see clearly that the leader was none other than Yizhixie, the Zuogu Li King who had just conquered a tribe of barbarians and carried the booty on his horse!

Seeing several tribal leaders facing Yi Zhixie's horse, Yu Shanshou clenched his dagger tightly in one hand, his expression turned gloomy in an instant.