Iron Powder and Spellcaster

[Qingqiu]

It's all over.

Antlered deer, antelope, bison, gray wolf... countless prey carcasses were taken to the mountainside of Qingqiu and inspected by special personnel.

Once properly inspected, the catch is skinned, deboned, distributed, and pickled on the spot.

The blood of the sacrifices gurgled along the terrain and gathered all the way, turning the wasteland at the foot of the mountain into a blood swamp.

No one can get around that blood swamp, and those who want to go to Qingqiu can only continue stepping on the dirty blood and mud.

Finally, countless dark red hoofprints and footprints were left on the hillside.

Although this scene was just counting the hunting results of the Akagawa tribe, the actual process was no different from cleaning the battlefield.

As for the harvest of another hunt - complete or incomplete human remains, they have long been collected.

The Hede tribes usually do not need to be buried, but there are no ferocious beasts or birds of prey around Qingqiu that can digest such a large amount of flesh and blood. Therefore, all the unclaimed bodies were thrown into the fire pit and buried hastily.

…

To the surprise of many people, the first thing White Lion did when he returned to Qingqiu was not to suppress the rebellion, but to dispatch his troops and encircle them on all sides.

The [Naiman] of the Chihe tribe divided themselves into more than a hundred [Tulu] like mercury pouring down the ground. They pulled up a huge net that did not leak out, and drove most of the prey and tribes that had escaped from Qingqiu back to the hunting grounds.

The white lion's attitude is unmistakable - no matter what happens, the hunt will continue.

At the same time, what was also conveyed to the leaders of the tribes was the great victory that the Chihe Tribe had just achieved - the White Lion set up an ambush at the mouth of the Hantuo River, defeated the Suzi Tribe and the Haidong Allied Forces who had been attacking for hundreds of miles, killed twelve Qingling Feathers, and captured sixty banners. Fourth, there is no point in killing the enemy.

…

So the felt walls were repaired, the bodies were removed, the escaped beasts were captured, and the escaped hunters returned.

The stage was set again, but this time no one dared to whisper as the white lion galloped.

Everything was carried out according to the old etiquette: the white lion shot the first arrow, followed by the green feathers of the Red River tribe and the tribes [Nayan], and the red feathers of the Red River tribe and the tribes [Kota].

When the noble warriors got tired of hunting and went to Qingqiu to rest and feast, it was the white hunter's turn to enter.

In the air filled with uneasiness, expectation and the smell of blood, the hunt moved toward the end without any excitement.

Because everyone is waiting for the next ceremony that may determine the fate of the tribes:

"Divide the meat."

…

[Qingqiu mountainside, survey site]

A stag with huge antlers was lifted onto the chopping board.

This beautiful big animal was hit by two arrows, one in its hind legs and one in its ribs. It has passed away.

"[Hede language] Twelve branches." The old man from the Chihe tribe in charge of the inspection muttered a few words, put the last bunch of hay between the teeth of the dead animal, and then started to check the two arrow wounds:

If the arrow in the ribs had penetrated deeper, it would have penetrated the lungs of the prey, but unfortunately the arrow got stuck between the ribs and was nothing more than a flesh wound;

The fur under the arrow wound on the prey's right hind leg was stained with dried blood.

Pulling out the arrow, the old man nodded imperceptibly. It was indeed a crescent arrow.

When I checked the wound again, I couldn't feel any major blood vessels. It must have been severed by the crescent arrow. Same goes for tendons.

The old man from the Chihe tribe briefly explained a few words, then picked up the crescent arrow and made a ruling: "[Hede language] This arrow is the first shot."

Of the two hunters who came to inspect the deer carcass, the middle-aged one looked happy. Although the other younger man couldn't hide his disappointment, he didn't argue. He took the arrow and left.

The old man then checked the marks on other arrow clusters in the middle-aged hunter's quiver - they were consistent with the marks on the crescent arrow.

Thus, the ownership of the prey was determined.

The Bucks were quickly dismantled:

Antlers, fur, and tendons were given to the middle-aged hunter as a "reward for the first shot";

Venison is smoked, marinated and waiting to be divided evenly;

The bones belong to the public and are used to boil glue.

Not only is nothing wasted from the beginning to the end of the hunt, but even the recovered arrow clusters must be returned to their original owners. Once they are found hiding, they will face severe penalties.

For the Hed people, the distribution of spoils is a top priority, even more important than looting and hunting itself.

Distributing spoils means power, and how much spoils you can get shows your status.

In accordance with the traditions of all tribes - heavy rewards for the first shot, and equal sharing of flesh and blood, the White Lion fairly distributed the harvest of the hunt, without favoring the members of the Chihe tribe, nor discriminating against hunters from other tribes.

No matter what the leaders of the tribes thought, the white-bodied Hurd Hunter was convinced.

The headmen may not care about the meager harvest, because they already have groups of slaves, cattle and sheep.

But ordinary hunters are extremely concerned about how much meat they can get, because that is the reward for their hard work.

…

The hunting lasted for a whole day and a half. While the hunters were chasing wild animals in the paddock, the leaders of the tribes gathered on Qingqiu to watch the ceremony, feast and rest.

Until there were not many living prey left in the hunting ground, Taya, the leader of the Badlands Tribe and the grandfather of Koshhaqi, left his seat and walked solemnly towards the golden tent.

The dancing slave girl quietly left, the wrestling performer turned around and left the stage, and the horsetail harp and tambourine stopped ringing. Qingqiu, which was originally bustling with activity, fell silent in an instant.

The expressions of Chihe Nayan and the leaders of the tribes who were still drinking and laughing a moment ago became serious and dignified unknowingly.

Everyone vaguely felt that a major moment was coming.

Old [Taya] led eight old men with gray hair and gray beards into the golden tent in the most humble and humble manner.

It is difficult to live to old age in the wilderness, and nine is the "big number" for the Hurd people.

The nine Hart old men first prayed for the white lion and then toasted to the white lion.

The white lion took the golden cup and drank the milk wine: "[Hidden] Say it, old man, you can ask for anything. No matter what you ask for, I will grant it."

"[Hidden language] The wise white lion, the benevolent white lion, the powerful white lion." Ta Ya bowed deeply: "[Hidden language] Please forgive the living animals in the paddock and let them live. Go and multiply where there is water and grass, so that the next big hunt can still harvest mountains and valleys full of wild beasts, and let your voice of wisdom and kindness spread throughout the grassland."

The white lion nodded in agreement.

The dull sound of the horn resounded through the hunting grounds, which was a call for forgiveness and a signal to end the killing.

The hunters who were still chasing their prey reined in their horses upon hearing the sound, and did not dare to pull the bowstring even before they were fully satisfied. There was a big gap in the felt wall, and the lucky prey was able to escape and return to the embrace of the wilderness.

It is a tradition of the Hed people to release the last prey in the enclosure, and no one is surprised.

What really made the leaders of the tribes sweat sweat was what the old [Taya] said next: "[Hidden language] White lions of wisdom, white lions of kindness, white lions of strength. Forgive the animals, and the animals can multiply. Indulge. Wildfire, wildfire will only spread. Those tribesmen who disobey you, please destroy them like ashes, and let every pasture and every river know your power!"

Without the need for a signal from the white lion, the palace guards of the Red River Department had already escorted a group of tied prisoners to the golden tent.

Among the prisoners were noble warriors from the Haidong and Suzi tribes, as well as leaders of the vassal tribes of the Chihe tribe who had been instigated to rebel.

Some prisoners were struggling desperately with eyes blazing with anger; some prisoners were weak in the knees, nodding and bending in begging; and some prisoners were like walking zombies, already suffering from mental breakdown.

While the hunters of the various tribes were busy hunting, the Chihe tribe's men and horses were also chasing the fleeing enemies across the mountains and plains.

This time, the white lion did not directly agree to Lao Taya. He took the silver pot and poured half a glass of wine with his own hands.

Captain Su understood, held the horn cup in both hands, and walked slowly to the prisoner on the far left.

"[Herd] Are you willing to drink this wine?!" Chief Su shouted loudly.

The palace guard removed the stick from the prisoner's mouth.

The prisoner took a deep breath, widened his eyes and was about to curse. However, he had just made a sharp sound when another palace guard behind him had already cut off his head with a knife.

The head that lost its support fell to the ground, and a clear "rumbling" was heard. The body slowly fell over, and the blood stained the gorgeous embroidered carpet red.

None of the leaders of the tribes under the tent had blood on their hands, but for some reason, everyone felt chills on their necks when they saw the merciless slashing by the Chihe tribe palace guards just now.

Guard Captain Su walked up to the second prisoner. This time, the palace guard who escorted the prisoner was smart and did not remove the wooden stick from the prisoner's mouth. The prisoner could only shake his head and nod in reply.

The second prisoner was a warrior from the Suzi tribe. His eyes were struggling, but he finally slowly shook his head.

The palace guard stabbed the prisoner through the heart from behind, leaving a whole body.

When it was the third prisoner's turn, there was no need to ask. The third prisoner nodded desperately, so hard that one could not help but worry that he would break his neck bone.

Captain Su gave the third prisoner a sip of wine - there were others.

"[Herd] After drinking the wine from the cup, you are my guest." The white lion's voice came out of the golden tent: "[Herd] Your life is my gift; your tent, slaves, and animals Take out all the troops and give them to the dead and injured members of the tribe as your gift."

The white lion was not asking, but directly making a judgment.

The captive who had just recovered his life had no time to rejoice. Hearing that all his property had been taken away, he couldn't help but feel sad. But this guy has a quick mind - if he is killed, his property will not be saved, and his life will be in vain.

The third prisoner threw himself to the ground and praised the white lion's kindness with tears.

Captain Su lowered his eyes slightly, and the palace guards took the third prisoner away.

Most of the leaders of the tribes under the account were overjoyed. Many tribes had suffered losses in the previous turmoil, so it would be best to have some compensation.

Only a few keen chiefs frowned slightly - judging from the way the meat was divided today, even if there was compensation, it probably wouldn't be to the chiefs.

The prisoners were questioned one by one, and it didn't take long for them all to be dealt with. The living and the dead were all taken away, leaving only a few pools of blood on the carpet.

The leader of a small tribe under the tent started, and all the leaders brought wine to praise the white lion's kindness.

Mercy is a relative concept. The reason why the Red River tribe can expand rapidly has a lot to do with the fact that the White Lion rarely uses cruel methods to exclude dissidents.

In the process of the annexation of the Hud tribes, wheel beheading was a very common procedure - all the men taller than the wheel were killed, the children who could not remember anything were adopted, and the women were redistributed as resources. There is no other reason. Only one of the same clan can be trusted, and only one who has been raised since childhood can feel at ease.

Most of the time, the Chihe Tribe will accept adult males from the defeated tribes. The White Lions only defeated the Zhuerqin Tribe last year, and this year the Zhuerqin people have become members of the Chihe Tribe. Even the quiver warriors in the palace tent are full of diligent people.

Because of the White Lion's reputation as "just", the lower-level tribesmen yearned for the Chihe tribe. However, the tribe leaders and nobles were willing to attach themselves to the Chihe tribe because of the White Lion's reputation as "kind".

At this moment, all the leaders of the tribes sitting inside and outside the golden tent of the Chihe tribe have convinced themselves:

"Whatever the White Lion wants, let it be."

"Whether it conforms to the customs, rules or breaks the promise, let it be."

"Serve him as your master. If he wins, he will share the spoils. If he loses, the situation will be restored to its original state."

As for the leader who failed to convince him...it was the one who had just been tied up and taken away.

The leaders of all the tribes were waiting for Lao Taya to say those words, waiting for the white lion to nod, and waiting for the opportunity to loudly agree.

"[Hedian] The greatest and most magnificent white lion!" Lao Taya stood silently for a moment, then fell to his knees and shouted with tears streaming down his face:

"[Hidden language] I would like to make you the khan of all tribes!

You became the King of Khans!

When hunting cunning beasts, I am willing to hunt them for you!

The enemies are ahead, and I am willing to take the lead for you!

Get all the ladies and girls back to you!

I will bring back all the palace accounts and property to you!

Bring all the foreign women and wealth back to you!

If I disobey your orders, you can separate my wives and concubines, take away my property, and throw my head to the ground!

If you violate your decision, you can kill my children and grandchildren, burn my tent, and abandon me where no grass grows..."

As soon as Lao Taya knelt down, all the Hed people inside and outside the palace tent knelt down.

When Lao Taya swore an oath, the leader, Nayan, Kota, palace guards, and quiver men followed suit.

The sound spread beyond Qingqiu, and all the Hed people, regardless of the Chihe tribe or the tribes nearby, knelt down and bowed their heads facing the golden tent.

In Nuoda's hunting ground, only one person is still sitting - the white lion.

The white lion looked at everyone's bowed heads. At this moment, no one dared to look directly at him.

For many heroes, they reach the peak of their lives at a similar moment, and they will tremble from body to soul, but the white lion does not seem to care.

He listened quietly to Old Ta Ya's oath, and even took a small sip of milk wine to soothe his throat.

"[Herd] I..." White Lion's voice was steady and with a bit of a smile: "[Herd] once swore that I would never sweat in this life, otherwise I would die under a thousand arrows."

Lao Taya's body trembled obviously, and the leaders buried their heads lower, and no one dared to move.

If Brother Rhett is present, he is bound to say something strange; even if the witty Winters, who only learned a bit about Brother Rhett, is present, he will probably make some sharp comments.

"[Herdese] White Lion!" Old Taya spoke again, his voice a bit pleading: "[Herdese] If you don't sweat for the tribes! No one can sweat for the tribes!"

"[Hidden] You have become King Khan!

When hunting cunning beasts, I am willing to hunt them down for you!

…”

Everyone inside and outside the palace tent recited the oath again along with Lao Taya.

"[Hede language] I am not a Jin person." Bai Shi refused again: "Hongyun Khan once swore to all tribes that non-jin people cannot be khan. I am not qualified to be called a khan."

"[Hidden language] O King Khan!" Lao Taya panicked, and his voice was already crying: "[Hidden language] The river will change its course! The stones will be smoothed! The weeds will grow and wither, and wither and grow again! The children of all tribes will be together. The faces change every year! Oaths must be broken one day!"

"[Herd] I am willing to break the vow I made for you!

You became the King of Khans!

When hunting cunning beasts, I am willing to hunt them down for you!

…”

This time, Lao Taya did not have the chance to finish reciting the oath, and the white lion interrupted him with a majestic order.

"[Hud speaking] Shut up!" The white lion smashed the desk and stood up proudly: "[Hud speaking] Raise your head! Look at me!"

No one dared to look up.

"[Hud] All look at me!"

The leaders of the tribes raised their heads slightly, but their chests were still pressed against the ground.

"[Herd language] The rivers will change their course! The stones will be smoothed! The weeds will come back to life! The children of various tribes have changed their faces!" The white lion's voice penetrated the clouds and cracked the rocks and resounded through the Qingqiu: "[Herd language] But Herd A person’s oath is stronger than a mountain! It lasts longer than a river! It’s more precious than gold!”

"[Herd] I have sworn an oath, and I will never break it! My ancestors have sworn an oath, and I will never break it! You should do the same! Anyone who breaks the oath will be punished by both heaven and man! If you break the oath lightly, Died by thousands of horses and thousands of arrows!"

"[Hidden language] But..." Lao Taya kowtowed desperately, with blood streaming down his forehead: "[Herd language] If you don't sweat for the tribes! No one can sweat for the tribes!"

The leaders of the various ministries echoed like echoers and kept kowtowing after Lao Taya.

"[Herd] Shut up!"

The white lion roared, and Qingqiu became silent for a moment.

"[Hede language] I don't want to be the sweat of the tribes! I don't want to be the sweat of the tribes! I don't bother to be the sweat of the tribes!" The white lion vomited his chest, extremely happy.

He glanced under the tent and enjoyed it quietly. At this moment, he truly reached the pinnacle of his life: "[Hidden] Just abide by my laws! Respect my rules! Follow my oath! Then I don't need to do anything for you!"

"[Hede language] Keep my laws! Respect my rules! Take my oath! I will serve all tribes..." The curtain slid down, revealing a gold tablet inscribed with detailed text:

"[Hedish] Legislator!!!"

…

…

"[Hedish] First, the great code of the White Lion of the Lawgiver cannot be questioned;"

"[Hidden] Secondly, the great code of the White Lion of the Lawgiver cannot be changed;"

"[Hidden] Third...

When the palace guards of the Chihe Tribe read the "Code" to the heads of the tribes, Kota, and tribesmen, Winters was not present.

He was lying in a bullock cart, slowly approaching the valley where gold was buried.

One day in the future, Winters may regret that he missed the most exciting part of all the things that happened in Qingqiu - the descendants of all the Hed tribes all over the mountains and plains broke their arrows and swore an oath to follow the golden tablet forever.

While the Hurds were demonstrating how to efficiently destroy arrows, Winters was trying to figure out how to coax Kaman into rubbing his legs, which were so itchy.

He lay upright on the hard car floor. Every inch of skin and muscle in his body was in terrible pain, and he no longer had the strength to hook his little finger.

"...I didn't expect..." Winters sighed intermittently: "...the white lion actually doesn't even use the white lion..."

This sentence seems ambiguous, but in fact the two "white lions" refer to different objects. The former is naturally the one who received worship in Qingqiu.

The latter—the white lion named Little Guy—is currently sleeping soundly in the cart behind Winters. Sitting in the same car with the little guy was Bell and two dogs that looked like wolves.

"Return the white lion? Care about yourself first!" Father Carman sat leaning next to Winters, holding a small silver pot and feeding Winters hot milk, half gloating, half sad and scolding: "I I really don’t understand, how did you end up like this? A normal person would have fainted or lost strength long before he became like you. How on earth did you manage to neither faint nor die? "

Lieutenant Colonel Moritz, who was sitting on the other side of the bullock cart, sipped his wine and said leisurely: "The power of love."

Kaman laughed coldly: "It has indeed entered an area that I don't understand."

"I...want to...you..." Winters squeezed out the words with amazing perseverance: "...die together..."

"Okay." Carman continued to drip milk into the corner of Winters' mouth: "Come on."

Winters' eyes gradually became moist: "That old man... gave me... the wine... there was something wrong with it!"

———————————

"...the Golden Stele Law, the first written law of the Hud culture that we know today, is also the origin of the Hud writing..."

————"History·Seventh Grade (Part 1)" [New Hailan Education Press]

[Highlight moments are often also social death moments]

[There are a lot of things to do today, I wrote part of it at noon, and I have some free time before get off work. Late, sorry]

[About Tayan’s oath to support the White Lion, it was adapted from the oath written by various begging families to support Temujin in “The Secret History of Mongolia”. This should be the earliest written record of the nomadic people’s oath of sweat]

[There is a very interesting detail in the original oath, which is the first sentence, "We make you a sweat." We make you Khan. This sentence shows that the authority of the Khanship actually comes from the collective grant of the nobles. It’s not a gift from heaven, nor is it all inherited or earned with one’s own hands. In the early days of the Mongolian regime, "congresses" were held to change the throne, which indirectly proves this point]

[(The following is the content of the book) In addition, although the White Lion's methods are relatively mild, the background of strife within the Hart society is still extremely bloody and cruel. If you say you want to kill the whole family, then kill the whole family, no mercy]

[It is precisely because of the high degree of internal friction that it is very difficult for the Hurd tribes to expand. The clans are fighting each other so fiercely that the expansion of the clan depends entirely on itself. I don’t know how long it will last.]

[So, it is not the Platoans who kill the most Hittites, but the Hittites]

[Part of the reason why White Lion can become bigger and stronger in one generation is that he rarely "wastes manpower" and rarely kills indiscriminately]

[But having said that, only people other than the Hurd people will call the Hurd people "Hurd people". For people living in the northwest wilderness, people from other tribes are not from the same family as themselves. You kill me, I Killing you is a natural thing, there is no brotherhood at all]