Qin Official

Setting off from Beidi County at the end of March, four months had passed before he knew it. On the paper Chen Ping carried with him, a big circle had been drawn:

It’s more than 400 miles from Xiaoguan to Huamachi; it’s more than 300 miles from Huamachi to Helan Grassland; it’s more than 400 miles from Helan to Aiyang; it’s more than 400 miles from Aries to “Kujiesha” where Loufanbu is located. …

Along the way, Chen Ping also endured a lot of hardships. He was exposed to wind and sun, and his pretty face almost turned into a black face, only slightly inferior to that of a black man. This was nothing. He felt most uneasy when he entered Kujiesha.

The people of the Central Plains are very dissatisfied with the unfamiliar desert. The people of Chu imagined the scene of the desert in "The Soul Conjuring": "The harm to the West is the quicksand thousands of miles away!"

Chu people believe that beneath the quicksand lies a terrifying thunder abyss. Once caught, human bones will rot and disintegrate. In the desert, grains cannot grow well, and only clumps of thatch can be used as food. The sand and soil can roast a person to death, but even if you want to drink water, you won't get any. The red ants are as big as giant elephants, the black bees are as big as gourds, and there is an empty and dead realm everywhere...

Chen Ping was also afraid that he would not be able to get out if he went in, so he felt a little resistant. However, after actually entering the desert, Chen Ping realized that it was not that exaggerated at all.

As long as they walked next to the river, they would not lose their way and there would be enough fresh water to quench their thirst. The local guide proudly told them that even in the deepest part of the desert, he had many ways to find water in seemingly dry places.

The roots of plants, the stomachs of desert foxes, and even the humps of camels all store water. This barren desert is dotted with tens of thousands of Loufan farmers and herdsmen who fled here after being defeated by Master Zhao, like stars. Like scattered stars in the sky, they are spread all over the sea of ​​sand.

Like Aries, they surrendered to the Xiongnu Chanyu. Because Loufan was good at shooting and could make strong bows from local poplar trees, they were called "Angqinfu" by the Huns, which means bow slaves and hunter slaves. Every year the Xiongnu The Chanyu would take away a large number of wooden bows and livestock from here, so Loufan in Henan was always in poverty.

The main goods that the residents here can provide are tuo camels. U Thiyan bought several tuo camels for Chen Ping to ride on, as if they were walking on flat ground on the sand where horses can easily sink...

Chen Ping secretly remembered: "This tunnel is full of deep sand, making it difficult for light vehicles to travel. If a large army goes deep into the valley and reaches this point, it will be stranded. It is better to switch to camels."

Camels seem to walk slowly, but in the desert, they are faster and more stable than carriages and horses, and can carry a lot of heavy objects.

After walking for several days and crossing the river, they finally left the desert. A plain with intertwined water networks suddenly appeared in front of them, full of greenery and forests. Chen Ping could not imagine that this was actually Saibei?

This is the most fertile and rich grassland of the Xiongnu: Hetao, where there are white felt tents and sheep everywhere. If Heifu were here, I would probably chant again: "The sky is vast and the fields are vast, and the grass is blown by the wind and the cattle and sheep are low."

The river slowed down here, leaving behind a large amount of yellow-brown silt. Chen Ping also worked as a farmer with his brother at home, and he knew a little bit about distinguishing soil. He twisted it and tried it, and felt that it was the best for farming. Field land.

Wu Shiyan said to Chen Ping: "It is said that decades ago, a Zhao king from the east sent troops here and built a fortress called Gaoque Fortress in the Yin Mountain in the north."

"It must be King Wuling of Zhao." Chen Ping understood. However, this place was too far away from the mainland of Zhao State. In addition, the Sand Dune Palace Incident occurred. Zhao State's small stronghold in Hetao was quickly abandoned and returned to Yunzhongyan. Door line.

The Xiongnu tribes were most concentrated in the Hetao. The Wuzhi caravan was doing business in various tribes. It took more than a month to get out of the Hetao. They passed by the ruins of Jiuyuan City that had been destroyed by the Xiongnu. Chen Ping felt sad again.

"The once majestic city is now so dilapidated. It's a pity and a shame. The land of Beijia is more fertile than the land of Henan. It has thousands of miles of fertile fields, rich water and grass, and the soil is suitable for livestock production. It is suitable to build cities and cultivate villages. This is the preparation The foundation of the edge!"

However, Chen Ping also knew that he was working for Heifu, the captain of Beidi County. Next year's goals are still mainly Helan and Henan. As for Beijia, that is Yunzhong County Mengtian's strategy target...

But it is not a bad thing to have a comprehensive understanding of the Huns. Those who do not plan for the overall situation will not be able to plan for one area!

With this in mind, Chen Ping continued eastward. By late July, they arrived at Touman City, the court of Shan Yu.

…

The Huns didn't know how to pound earth and burn tiles. The bricks and tiles in Touman City were transported from Zhao Jiuyuan City. The scale was also very small. In Chen Ping's view, it was only equivalent to a small village in the Central Plains. How could it be worthy of "a single city"? In the name of "Yu Wangting"?

Wu Shiyan laughed loudly when he heard this: "This small town is just a place where the Huns store bows, arrows and grain. Travelers are not allowed to enter. The real Shan Yuting is not inside the city, but outside the city, in the Dài Forest. On the edge!”

After he explained, Chen Ping realized that the Huns did not calculate the seasons according to fixed time, but regarded the withering and flourishing of grass as one year, and regarded the pregnancy, foaling, weaning and growth of the female as the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. node.

According to these four times, the Huns had two more important court meetings. The first time was in the summer after the mare gave birth to a foal. They held the meeting in Longcheng, the ancestral land. The chiefs were led by the Chanyu to worship their ancestors, heaven and earth, ghosts and gods. This was the Huns' meeting. The most important and solemn sacrificial activity.

In late July and early August when the foals are weaned and grown, the General Assembly will be held in the cocoon forest outside the city of Manchester. This time it is an administrative meeting. The main purpose is to calculate the number of people and livestock and collect tribute.

Chen Ping understood: "It's similar to the plan in the Central Plains, which is quite novel."

It was autumn, and it happened to be the annual "Copycat Forest Conference" held by the Huns, so Wu Shiyan took Chen Ping to see the excitement.

"Touman Chanyu calls himself the Eagle of the Grassland and likes to wear a golden eagle crown."

On the way, Wu Shiyan also told Chen Ping the story of Touman Shanyu.

"It is said that Touman Shanyu's father once led more than 100,000 Xiongnu into Zhao, but was defeated by a Zhao general. The Xiongnu declined for a time and fell into pieces. But Touman Shanyu gathered the tribe again, and it took thirty years for the Xiongnu to conquer. The strength has been restored to its original state.”

This "restoration as before" is not a lie. Chen Ping saw thousands of Huns riding in the Helan Grassland at the wedding of Prince Moton. He thought that was enough, but now he found that it was really small and dwarfed.

On the grasslands in all directions, there are Huns galloping on horseback. Strong men leap forward on light cavalry, while women, old and young, drive cattle, sheep and horses. Frightened by Touman's power, all tribes from far and near came to the scene, gathered a hundred thousand people, and brought no less than this number of livestock to sacrifice to Shanyu.

The attire of Chen Ping and his group quickly attracted the attention of the Huns. Ten patrolling riders galloped closer and asked everyone about their purpose. After learning that it was the Wushi caravan, they whispered and escorted them to the head. Man Shan Yu Chu.

In the center of the sea of ​​withered grass was a large circle of felt tents, with a radius of more than ten miles. The Huns who came to participate in the conference were stationed according to their directions. Beyond the felt tent, Chen Ping saw a lonely forest standing on the grassland. This was the "Cocoon Forest".

The rumble came, not from the thunder in the sky, but from the vibrations caused by countless horse hooves trampling on the ground.

A ceremony was being held in the Pagoda Forest. Chen Ping was surprised to see thousands... no, probably tens of thousands of riders riding their horses around the Pagoda Forest, running clockwise and whistling.

The Huns were not a disorderly carnival, but joined in one after another according to the color of the horses they were riding. The first one to start circling was the white horse, and then thousands of riders rode green partridge horses to join, followed by black horses, gelding horses, and so on. They were gathered together and ran around the forest for three weeks before stopping.

As the horseshoes formed and dust flew, Chen Ping's expression moved slightly. Not to mention the number of these riders was already several times that of Qinbei County. Let’s just say that the Huns’ riders seemed to be disorganized, but in fact they were orderly. This kind of terrifying organization was thought to be unique only to the Central Plains. I never thought that the Huns could be like this too. Was it trained by them during hunting and plundering?

Before he had time to think, Wu Shiyan had already patted him and said that Touman Chanyu had summoned him and that Chen Ping could act as his deputy and join the Chanyu together.

Touman Chanyu's large tent is extremely huge, with various colorful decorations on the top. Entering the tent, there are Hun nobles on the left and right, and the Chanyu is sitting in the center.

After Chen Ping entered, he took a peek and saw a gold-crested eagle crown on his head. His braid with a bell was grey, which looked shiny thanks to animal fat. His eyes were slender and his skin was as dark as polished copper. He was sitting there. On a tiger skin, he is holding a horn cup and drinking kumiss.

Chen Ping also noticed that, in addition to the Xiongnu nobles, sitting below the Chanyu, there was also a middle-aged man dressed in Xia clothes with a high crown, and his eyes were fixed on Wu Shiyan and his party, with unknown meaning.

He suddenly had a bad feeling...

Wu Shiyan smiled and was about to go up to visit Touman, who had frequent trade relations with Wu Shi in the past ten years, to offer him a gift.

Unexpectedly, before he could speak, the tall and elegant Central Plains man suddenly stood up and said in skilled Hun dialect:

"Chanyu, I have long said that these Qin merchants are all craftsmen. They are fake when they enter the Xiongnu trade, and they are genuine when they spy on the truth. Please kill them, Shanyu!"