Hanhou

In the night wind, the faint green light flickers on and off, constantly gathering from a distance, like a lingering ghost.

The team leader and guards held torches to illuminate the surroundings of the cart. After a rough estimate, they all showed serious expressions.Even the Wuhuan businessman's face turned pale, and he couldn't believe it: "Why are there so many wolves?"

There were more than fifty wild wolves surrounding the convoy. Even in the depths of the grassland, it was rare to encounter such a large pack of wolves.What's more, the caravan had just left the frontier not long ago and hadn't traveled too far north. It was really strange to encounter a pack of wolves of this size.

"Are there any nomadic tribes around here?" Thinking of some possibility, Zhao Jia turned his head and asked the Wuhuan businessman with a serious face.

"Tribe?" After being reminded by Zhao Jia, Wuhuan merchants suddenly realized, and immediately said, "There is a Gaoche tribe to the west, and two Qiang tribes to the north."

"What does Lang Jun mean, there may be tribal conflicts nearby?" Hu Bo said.

"Not sure yet." Zhao Jiapan said in a deep voice while on the cart, "It's really strange that there are so many wolves."

No matter whether Zhao Jia's conjecture is true or not, he needs to find Hu Bu to verify it.The most important thing at present is to drive away the wolves and ensure that wild wolves do not invade the camp.

The leader asked the guards to hold up the torches and shake them around the cart to form a protective net.The wolves were afraid of the fire and did not dare to approach easily, but they did not retreat for a long time. Instead, they howled and walked around the cart, looking for a gap, and waiting for an opportunity.

"This group of beasts are cunning." The leader snorted, handed the torch to the guards, opened his strong bow, and three arrows flew out one after another, piercing the eye sockets of the three wild wolves.

The smell of blood drifted away, and there was a commotion among the wolves.

The wolf carcasses were dragged away and quickly torn apart for food.

"Take turns lighting torches and shooting arrows. If these animals refuse to leave, they will all be killed!"

With the cart as a barrier, the guards can open their bows calmly without worrying about being attacked by wild wolves from behind.

The only obstacle is the weather.

After all, the range that torches can illuminate is limited, and people's night vision is not strong, and some guards are also night blind. Without light, they can't accurately hit the target at all.However, as long as the wild wolf dared to step into the range of the fire, none of them could escape.

More than a dozen wild wolves fell to the ground one after another, and finally the pack of wolves grew fearful. Led by the leader wolf, they retreated and hid in the darkness, not daring to approach easily.

After the wolves retreated, the team leader ordered to stop shooting and let everyone take turns to watch and rest.

"Keep the bonfire and guard the surroundings strictly. If there are animals that dare to approach, shoot arrows. You don't need to kill them, just drive them away."

The guards took orders and were divided into three shifts for rotation.

Zhao Jia wanted to watch the night together, but was stopped by the team leader.

"The first thing I'm waiting to go north with me is to protect my lord. With me waiting, your lord can feel at ease. The grassland is cool at night, and you have to go on the road tomorrow. Your lord should rest early and put on an extra leather jacket."

Speaking of this, Zhao Jia couldn't hold on.Thinking of the skin bag that Huber was carrying, he turned around and walked to the old servant, and gave some instructions in a low voice.Hu Bo promised, handed over the leather bag to the team leader, and relayed Zhao Jia's intention.

"Everyone warm up."

"Thank you, sir!" The team leader laughed and clasped his fists in Zhao Jia's direction. Then he took off the stopper of the leather pouch, took a sip himself, and handed it to the night guards, passing it on one by one.

Seeing the appearance of the guards drinking, Zhao Jia couldn't help but wonder whether what they tasted and what he tasted when he was young is the same thing.Or is there a difference in taste?

After thinking about it for a long time, I couldn't figure it out. It can only be attributed to the fact that the wine in the Western Han Dynasty is like this. Everyone is used to it, and they won't turn blue when they drink it like themselves.

Seeing everyone passing the skin, the Wuhuan businessman licked his lips with envy.

When all the guards had finished drinking, there was still some wine left.The leader walked over, snatched the leather bag from the guard who wanted to drink more, and handed it to the Wuhuan merchant.

"Me?" The Wuhuan merchant was very surprised.

The leader of the team was a scout and had a certain understanding of the barbarians, so without saying much, he directly stuffed the skin bag to the other party and motioned him to drink.

The Wuhuan merchant took the skin bag, smelled the aroma of the wine, lifted it up and drank a big gulp, wiped the corner of his mouth, and laughed loudly, "Don't worry, as long as I'm alive, I'll keep you safe!"

Witnessing this scene, Zhao Jia raised his eyebrows, subconsciously took out the sheepskin, but didn't know how to write.In the end, I can only say a few words: Hu people like wine, if you want to make friends, you can give them as gifts.

"Your Majesty rest at ease, servant and Ji Bao take turns guarding." Huber dug out a few animal skins from the cart, spread two on the floor of the cart, and handed the other to Zhao Jia, signaling him to wrap it around his body.

The doors and windows can be closed, and the cold wind will still blow in through the gaps.Stacking the silk in the car can be used to block the wind.

Zhao Jia wrapped himself in animal skins and lay down in the carriage, thinking that he would not be able to fall asleep.Unexpectedly, when he closed his eyes, he woke up until dawn, and the howling of wolves failed to wake him up.

When Hu Bo opened the car door and woke up Zhao Jia, the sky was already bright.

Everyone in the caravan has already got up, and most of them have eaten their meals.In addition to scones, several pieces of wolf meat were roasted on the unburned bonfire. Several guards cut open with daggers and dipped in salt to eat.

The cart was pushed away, and seeing the blood left on the grass, Zhao Jia realized that there were wolves approaching the caravan after he fell asleep, and the wolf meat in the guard's mouth was probably one of them.

"Your Majesty, use some." Huber brought scones and pickled vegetables, and there was no meat in the cakes.

Zhao Jia first rinsed his mouth with water, and skipped the process of washing his face. After eating steamed cakes and pickled vegetables in two or three bites, his drowsiness dissipated, he jumped on his horse and set off with everyone.

"Let's go!" The team leader raised his whip, and the carts lined up in a long line, with the wheels crushing the tall grass dancing in the wind.

The wind in the morning was still a bit cool, Zhao Jia wrapped his leather jacket tightly, and looked back at the camp last night, the green smoke had been torn away by the wind, and the embers of the campfire flew around, swirled, fell into the grass, and soon disappeared .

The sun is getting higher and higher, and the temperature is also rising.

Zhao Jia wiped his neck with his backhand, it was a little wet, he was worried about catching a cold, so he didn't dare to remove the fur jacket immediately, but just opened the front of the jacket to let himself get used to it a little bit.After the sweat dissipated, he took off the leather jacket and tied it to the horse's back.

After walking for about an hour, a guard issued an alarm.

The team leader raised his right arm, and the messenger guard rode past the cart, and the team stopped quickly.

"Who? Come out!" The guard opened his strong bow, and the sharp arrows were aimed at a tall grass not far away.Judging from the figure, the one hiding there is definitely not a rabbit.

There was no response for a long time, the guard was impatient, the arrow was about to fly out, and the rustling sound suddenly came to the ear, and then two women wrapped in sheepskin stood up from behind the grass, covered with His face was dirty and gray, his hair was disheveled, and he couldn't see his face at all.

"Prairie savages?" The guards never let go of their bows and arrows.

There are dangers lurking everywhere on the grassland, and the most harmless appearance may hide murderous intentions.The guard was from the military, so naturally he wouldn't relax his vigilance just because the other party was a woman.

The Wuhuan merchant stepped forward immediately, and advised the leader not to delay, but to kill the two savages and move on.

"Savages can't survive alone, there must be some around here. If they are targeted, they will be more troublesome than wild wolves." The Wuhuan merchant said, "In the early years, there were caravans and they suffered a lot. The goods were robbed and people died. Quite a few."

Before the team leader could make a decision, one of the women suddenly said, "Yes, but, son of the Han family?"

The woman's voice was hoarse, and she spoke intermittently.

The guard frowned slightly, seeing the leader nodding, slightly lowered his bow and arrow, and asked, "Who are you?"

"I, I am... a Han Chinese!" The woman's voice was hoarse. Realizing that her face was covered with dirt, she immediately grabbed a handful of grass, kneaded it into a ball, and rubbed it vigorously on her face.

After a few strokes, most of the soil was gone, revealing a face that could be called delicate.

"Han people?"

"My home, Yanmen County." The more anxious the woman became, the more awkward her words became, and she could only use her hands to make gestures to express herself clearly.

Three years ago, the Xiongnu invaded Yanmen and Daijun in the south.The woman's whole family was killed, and she herself was looted.For the past three years, she has been locked in the sheepfold, and her life is worse than death.She tried to escape, but she was caught back before she could get out of the camp. She was severely whipped and almost died on the spot.

Now, her whole body is covered with old and new welts, some of which have faded and some of which have just scabbed over.

"She was arrested together!" The woman pointed at her companion.The latter opened her mouth, and everyone realized that it wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but that she lost a part of her tongue.

"You escaped?" Zhao Jia approached with his horse, took off the water bag from the horse's back, and handed it to the two women.

The woman did not take the water bag, but continued to grab the grass from the ground and moisten her throat with the grass roots.

"The tribe that plundered us was attacked the day before yesterday, and many barbarians were killed." Speaking of this, the woman's face showed a touch of satisfaction, "We ran around and were not caught."

"Which tribe?" the leader asked.

"The ones who plundered us were the Gaoche people, and the ones who killed them were the Qiang people."

The woman has been in the grassland for three years, and she has been able to recognize many Hu people and understand some Hu language.

Before the Xiongnu tribes met in Longcheng, the woman's tribe also went there.It's just that the strength is too weak, and the leader can only sit with him at the bottom seat. In the later competition, the tribal warriors are all famous losers, and they are laughed at by the Qiang people.

After the meeting, several Gaoche and Qiang tribes clashed on their way back.This high car team was not involved and returned to the familiar pasture safely.Unexpectedly, he was met with black hands not long after he came back.

Everyone was dubious about the woman's narration.The Wuhuan merchant thought that they should be killed regardless of whether they were true or not, but neither the team leader nor Zhao Jia said anything, and it was useless for him to insist.

Zhao Jia looked at the team leader, who was obviously hesitating.

Seemingly understanding what everyone was worried about, the woman said, "We are not savages, everything we said is true!"

While talking, the two women removed the sheepskin from their bodies together, revealing layers upon layers of whip wounds and ugly scars left by the Gaoche people with burning coals.

Seeing these scars, Zhao Jia gasped.

Everyone in the caravan showed anger, and the hand holding the rein was bulging with veins.

"The Gaoche people will brand the captured slave... Dingkou." The Wuhuan merchant changed his words halfway, and said cautiously.

However, confirming the identities of the two is also difficult to handle.

Their trip was to do business with other departments, and to inquire about information on the grassland by the way, so it was obviously inconvenient to take the two of them with them.But if they were left like this, even if they didn't meet barbarians and prairie savages, they couldn't escape the wolves all over the prairie.

"Take us, we are useful! We can lead the way and know what other tribes are nearby. We also know some Gaoche dialect. If we encounter wolves, we can also hold knives!"

Women are no lie.

The reason why they were able to escape in the scuffle was not only because of good timing, but also because of the bone knife they had snatched.Before running out, they teamed up to kill a tall chariot man and grab a horse.It's a pity that the horse was targeted by wolves and had to give up halfway, and the companions who fled together were also separated one after another, and only the two of them were left in the end.

After some consideration, the leader left two women behind.No horses were given to them, and they were allowed to sit in the cart.

Zhao Jia took out two sets of short brown from the car, and motioned for the women to change their sheepskins.In addition, take out the scones from the cloth bag, although it is a little cold, it can still wrap your stomach anyway.

The woman thanked Zhao Jia, put the short brown on her upper body, and then grabbed the scones and began to bite them.

Zhao Jia rode beside him, waiting for the woman to finish eating the scones, and then took out the jerky from her body.But the woman shook her head, drank a few sips of water, and said: "You can't eat it, if you eat it, you won't be able to stop, you will be strangled to death."

Zhao Jia was in a complicated mood, feeling extremely uncomfortable as if there was a stone stuck in his throat.

"Your Majesty doesn't need to be like this, we should laugh if we can live." The woman was no longer frightened, her body gained strength, her voice was still hoarse, but she spoke much more smoothly, "Those who are dead and crazy don't need to suffer any more. Those who are still locked in the sheepfold are struggling, when the Han army can sweep the grassland, they will have a way to survive."

When the woman spoke, the guards who explored the road rode back and reported to the leader that there were crows and vultures gathering in front, which was suspected to be the Gaoche camp that the woman mentioned.

The team leader looked at the Wuhuan businessman, who also had a dignified expression.

This tribe is on the route they have planned. Now that something happens, the nearby tribes will move away one after another, which is quite unfavorable for the next plan.

Zhao Jia obviously understood this too. After finishing talking with the woman, he rode his horse to the leader and discussed whether to continue or change the route midway.

"Let's take a look first," said the team leader.

As a last resort, the route of the caravan had better remain unchanged.If it is changed midway, there will be more unpredictable side issues, which are more likely to cause trouble.

Zhao Jia and the Wuhuan businessman had no objection to the team leader's decision.

The team continued to move forward, and soon, they saw vultures and crows circling in the sky, like a large group of dark clouds, indicating what a tragic scene below.

As the Gaoche people's camp got closer and closer, a few fast horses suddenly rushed out of the slanting stab. Judging by their attire and the weapons in their hands, they should undoubtedly be Qiang people.

"Han people?" The headed strong man wore a bone helmet and held a handful of iron bones rarely seen in the grassland.

The face of the guard who had explored the way before changed suddenly.

When he came earlier, there was no trace of this group of Qiang people nearby!

"I'll come from the south and go to Zhubu to sell goods."

The team leader signaled everyone not to act rashly.If it's just the seven or eight riders in front of you, you can win it with a bow.But the other party appeared in front of him carelessly, obviously leaving behind, the best policy is to act cautiously.

"Who is he?"

"Tuobajie, the leader of the Qiang tribe." The brawny man sized up the convoy without any scruples, his eyes lingering on the cart loaded with silk and salt for a long time, as if he wanted to grab it directly, and he was also scruples about the bows and arrows in the hands of the guards .

The nomadic tribes near the border knew that these businessmen who traveled between the grassland and the Han territory were not easy to mess with.When encountering fierce people, if the robbery fails, they will be killed instead. In the end, they lose their wives and lose their soldiers. The gain outweighs the gain.

Tuoba Jie seemed to be reckless, but in fact he was quite calculating.

He has more than a thousand riders, and his strength is not weak among other tribes.It's a pity that in the previous battle with the Gaoche Department, there were nearly two hundred casualties. If you attack this caravan, you can take it, but the loss will not be small.

That being the case, why take the risk?

He had the camels, cattle and sheep that he had snatched in his hands, and the cattle and sheep were selected to keep the strong ones, and the camels were not good at raising them, so they might as well exchange them with the weak livestock for these Han people.

Tuoba Jie flicked his whip, ordering the accompanying cavalry to put away their weapons.Then he made a nondescript Chinese salute on the horse, and said in fairly fluent Chinese: "These carts are all goods?"

The leader nodded and asked the guards to lower their bows and arrows, but don't let down their guard.

"Do you have copper coins and iron utensils?" Tuobajie held the bones in his big hands, like a black bear on a horse, "I have camels, cattle and sheep, I can exchange them!"

The leader was about to frown, when Zhao Jia stepped forward and whispered to him.

Tuobajie shifted his gaze to Zhao Jia, wondering who the young man in front of him was.

"Leader Tuoba, I don't have iron or copper coins." The team leader said slowly, "But I have salt, which can be exchanged all year round."

"Really?!" Tuoba Jie's eyes lit up.

Copper coins and ironware can improve the fighting power of the tribe, while salt and food can ensure the survival of the tribe.

Hearing from the team leader that there is salt, Tuoba Jie was already moved. Knowing that he could trade it all year round, he put Guduo on the horse's back, rubbed his big hands and said, "My tribe is just a few miles to the north. Let the men go together, camels and cows." Flocks of sheep!"

Speaking of this, Tuobajie pointed to the two women in the motorcade, and said with a smile: "I also have such a slave, if the man likes it, I can give it to you!"

Hearing Tuobajie's words, Zhao Jia only felt anger welling up, and he clenched his fingers tightly to suppress his anger, and did not explode on the spot.

As if not seeing the expressions of the crowd, Tuobajie continued: "Gaoche people, Di people, Dawan people, Huns, I have them all!"

Hearing the mention of the Xiongnu in his words, Zhao Jia and the leader's eyes flickered at the same time.