Three Kingdoms

The first year of Taixing, autumn.

On this day, Jia Xu, who went around to survey the situation, got off his horse in disgrace, sat on the ground and grinned, tapping his legs so that the blood in his legs could recover as quickly as possible.

Jia Xu's embarrassment caused the Han soldiers in the Western Regions to laugh. However, the laughter of these Han soldiers was kind. Some people loudly told Jia Xu not to stand, he needed to move to recover quickly.

Jia Xu arched her hands in the direction of the point, then crossed her legs and walked up and down. Not to mention, after enduring the soreness and numbness for a few steps, her wooden legs gradually began to fade. I started to recover a little, and finally it felt like my own leg, instead of like someone had replaced it with two pieces of wood halfway.

Lu Bu and Li Ru's troops were stationed in what was once a pasture of a Hu tribe.

Maybe whoever stays for a long time will feel that this territory belongs to someone else. This wave of barbarians have been here for about fifteen or six years, so they think it should be theirs. When Lu Bu came, this group of barbarians whined in pain. They were talking, cursing, resisting, and fleeing, completely forgetting how they drove away and killed the Han people when they came here...

Lu Bu executed the original leader of the Hu people, and then directly rewarded the captured Hu people's property and some people to the Han soldiers who followed Lu Bu in the expedition and some vassal Qiang troops.

These Qiang people who came from Longyou were already used to this dividend-sharing model, and they didn't even think that the people Lu Bu defeated were other Hu people who were not much different from them. They happily thanked Lu Bu and Li Ru and flattered them one after another. It shows loyalty and looks forward to the next more generous dividend.

"How is the terrain survey going?" In the tent, Li Ru was writing something. When he saw Jia Xu coming back, he raised his head slightly and asked directly without stopping his writing.

Jia Xu pulled up a bench, sat down, shook his legs, hammered again, and said: "Although this place has good water and grass, there is no danger to defend. It is a place of contention and is not suitable for holding on. I heard that the city of Da Yuezhi to the west is pretty good... but the distance in the middle..."

Li Ru was not in very good health, but as a military strategist he had to check the surrounding terrain, so he had always insisted on going. Now that Jia Xu is here, he naturally lets Jia Xu go in his place, so it's easier to do so. Li Ru took a short rest to adjust.

However, the Western Region is very desolate, and surveying the terrain naturally requires long periods of horseback riding. This is naturally not something Jia Xu is used to, who has been pampered in Sanfu for quite some time.

Li Ru nodded and said: "This is also something I have considered... The Western Region is like a long snake that cannot move. If it is broken at one place, it will be broken everywhere, so it can be attacked but difficult to defend for a long time... After thinking about it, it turns out that I found that what the Hussars General said back then was right...the battle in the Western Regions is more important than soldiers, but also more important than business..."

Jia Xu rubbed her recovering legs and nodded silently.

What the Cavalry General pointed out was a brand new idea and a brand new path. In the past, when the Han Dynasty dealt with border issues, some people felt that the gains outweighed the losses and it was better not to have them. The other people thought that this was the dignity of a great country and had to be avoided. Both sides had certain reasons, which led to the national policy of the court. If the situation is unstable, the Western Region will never be peaceful for a long time. Now the hussar general proposed a new solution, which is to use military force to show power and business to consolidate territory.

Naturally, Xuanwei’s target needs to be chosen carefully...

"Where is Marquis Wen?" When Jia Xu came back, he didn't see Lu Bu and asked.

"He couldn't stay still, so he took some soldiers out for a walk..." Li Ru put down his pen and gently blew on the ink that had not dried yet, and said, "Remember to bring this Shandong policy with you when the time comes. go back……"

"Oh..." Jia Xu responded subconsciously, and then realized, "Senior brother, you..."

"Ahem..." Li Ru coughed a few times and wrapped his fur again, "Don't look at me like that, I'm not going to die now... Don't worry..."

Seeing the sad look on Jia Xu's face, Li Ru laughed instead: "It's a blessing to be able to live for so many more days. It's a blessing to be confiscated... but I can't see Piao in person." What the rider said about A'er Cup Mountain... It's a pity... By the way, ahem, Marquis Wen... Marquis Wen has some talent in leading cavalry in battles, he must put it to good use... By the way, you Have you seen the Danger Beard Man?"

"Who?" Jia Xu's train of thought was interrupted by Li Ru, "Are you talking about the sexy man who came here a few days ago?"

Li Ru nodded, "They call themselves Wei Xu..."

"What a strange name..." Jia Xu shook his head and said, "But I guess they also think that the names of us Han people are strange... What's wrong with these, um, Wei-bearded people?"

"It is said that these guys had a fight with Yanqi before..." Li Ru said slowly, "and then lost..."

Jia Xu sneered: "So now you think we can help them?"

"Why don't you help?" Li Ru chuckled twice.

Jia Xu came to his senses and said: "...This is true...you can give it a try..."

Li Ru nodded and said: "It's very difficult to talk to Chief Wei Xu, but I guessed what he meant... When these guys heard that we had returned to the Western Region, they brought up some old things from the past to build friendship... But It's just right, so just ask him to go directly to Marquis Wen... The thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, haha, Ban Mengjian is probably just pointing out falsely, not just thirty-six, I'm afraid there are more than seventy-two! It's such a mess! This dangerous person may be a breakthrough..."

At this time, the Wei Xu people also found Wen Hou Lu Bu.

No need to give special instructions, even though Lu Bu looked like an ordinary soldier, holding a bowl of coarse food and sitting and eating with ordinary soldiers, his sturdy aura still exuded a dangerous aura, just like the one on the prairie. Like the fierce tigers and mountain lions, although they are lying lazily, it does not mean that they can be ignored.

The soldiers who came with Wei Xu and his party whispered a few words in Lu Bu's ear and explained what Li Ru meant. Lu Bu nodded slightly, then looked at Wei Xu and raised his eyebrows. He did not stand up and remained seated. He just said hello: "Can you understand Chinese? Have you eaten? Do you want to eat some together?"

The leader of the Weisu clan nodded quickly, bowing his head to show that he understood Chinese, and thanked Lu Bu for the food. He was not dissatisfied with Lu Bu's arrogance. On the contrary, in the eyes of the Weisu people, or many barbarians, arrogance It is the natural power of the superior. Corporal Li Xian's behavior will only make the Hu people whisper in their hearts, fearing that this Han man is not sick...

In the social concept of the Hu people who have just escaped from the slavery system, or are still in the semi-slavery system, the hierarchical system of superiority and inferiority is very strong, just like Asan in later generations, there are clouds and mud between different levels. The difference is that Lu Bu's behavior may be arrogant in the eyes of Han people, but it is natural in the eyes of Hu people.

"You don't even have any eyesight! Why are you still sitting there!" Lu Bu kicked Wei Xu to one side and said, "Give your seat to the guest!"

"Ah..." Wei Xu didn't dare to bar his teeth at Lu Bu, and muttered dissatisfiedly to the dangerous man, "A bunch of red necks..."

The Wei Xu people probably have some Altai ancestry, and their skin color is relatively white, so when exposed to the wind and sun, they are not as bronzed as Lu Bu Wei Xu, but rather as red as cooked shrimps.

But in terms of physique, he can be considered tall and strong. He wears a beard that covers his mouth. When eating, you need to wipe the beard on both sides. After snoring, the official meeting with Lu Bu begins. .

Both sides introduced their subordinates respectively. Lu Bu noticed that the two subordinates brought by Dao Weixu were quite strong, tall and thin, with long arms and legs. They had sharp eyes and looked like a good shooter, while the taller one was slightly taller. The other one, who is short and strong, has thick finger joints and should be a strong melee type.

Wei Xuren asked his subordinates to deliver a bulging cowhide bag, and said to Lu Bu with a smile in a dry and unstandardized Chinese: "Some, um, less things... The general is in pain..."

"Ah? Oh..." Lu Bul was stunned for a moment, and then he understood what the dangerous man was talking about. He waved his hand and asked the soldiers to bring up the cowhide bag. He held it heavily, and when he opened it, he saw that it actually contained some gold nuggets!

Although nugget gold is not pure gold, and its purity is actually not very good, it is heavy and yellow and very dazzling.

Lu Bu laughed, then threw the cowhide bag to his men and asked them to put it away. He nodded and said, "I'm determined..."

Chief Wei Xu smiled and said with twinkling eyes: "As long as the general is happy... I had more the year before last... and now it's been taken away by the Yanqi people..."

"You mean you think I'm greedy for money, so you provoked me to rob Yanqi people?" Lu Bu asked with a half-smile.

The Wei Xu clan members were keenly aware of the change in Lu Bu's expression, and quickly waved their hands and said, "No, no, General... This is just General's pain... pain..."

"It's hard work! It's hard work!" Lu Bu couldn't help but emphasize.

"Heart?" Chief Weixu stroked his chest, then looked down, "Is it painful here?"

"Oh, forget it..." Lu Bu was not about to correct him, "beating Yanqi is not a big deal...Although gold is good, it cannot be eaten or worn. If there is too much gold, it will be just like that. It is of no use..."

Chief Wei Xu listened hard, and then said: "Okay, um, change, food, clothes..."

"Oh? Do you still understand?" Lu Bu nodded and said, "But who can I replace him with?"

"Looking for... uh..." Chief Wei Xu was about to say something, but he suddenly got stuck because he realized that the Han people were actually the largest exchange merchants. Of course, you can also go west to find Kushan and Anxi, but it's just more inconvenient. "General...what do you want?"

Lu Bu waved his hand and said: "Wrong, it's you...what do you have?" Lu Bu is not stupid, but he is more accustomed to this more direct communication method, and this method is more suitable for barbarians. It is not suitable for those who are used to it in the court.

Obviously, Chief Wei Xu was also very adaptable to this model. He did not feel that Lu Bu's words were offensive or inappropriate. On the contrary, his eyes lit up and his confidence immediately doubled. When he came, he was originally worried that he would be dismissed with just a few words, like he was with Li Ru. Unexpectedly, the Han general was now willing to talk about some deeper topics.

As for the benefits of Lu Bu speaking frankly, the Weixu people felt relieved. If Lu Bu said nothing or asked for nothing, it would make the Weixu people worry about other problems.

"General..." Chief Wei Xu hesitated for a moment, then looked at the fierce appearance of Lu Bu's men around him, and finally seemed to be cruel, and said, "General... gold, I know, there is a place with gold, general Help me, and I will tell the general about this place..." Obviously, Chief Weixu seemed to have thought about this sentence many times, and when he said it, he was clear and clear, which was much better than the previous vagueness.

"Oh?" Lu Bu pointed to the cowhide bag just now and said, "You mean that's where the gold came from?"

"Yes..." Chief Weixu nodded.

Lu Bu let out a haha ​​and laughed a few times. Just when Chief Weixu thought there was hope, he said, "You fought with Yanqi before because of this, right?"

Chief Wei Xu's expression changed, and he hesitated for a while, not knowing how to answer.

"Because it's not in your hands anyway, so tell me now. If I am greedy for gold, I will definitely fight Yanqi, which means I will avenge you, and you have not paid anything..." Lu Bu laughed and said, "You've made a good calculation on this account!"

"We gave him gold..." Chief Weixu said.

"But that place is no longer in your hands, isn't it?" Lu Bu smiled, waved his hand and said, "Let's change to something else... Don't worry, you can think about it..." After a trip to the Han court, , Lu Bu said that now that he is back, it will be too easy to face these barbarians.

Chief Wei Xu exchanged glances with his men, seeming to be discussing something, and finally said: "General... I still have some horses on hand... very, very good horses... If the general is willing to take back the pasture for me, I am willing to give the general... half..."

"A good horse?" Lu Bu suddenly whistled, and then the red rabbit horse in the distance heard the sound and neighed for a long time, as if in response, "Is there a horse like me?"

"This..." The leader of the Weixu tribe naturally knows horses. He stretched his neck and stared at the red rabbit horse, and said with some frustration, "No... not bad or worse... just like my horse... "

"What is more bad?" Lu Bu didn't quite understand, but he turned to look at Chief Weixu's horse and weighed it in his mind, "You mean like your horse?" Chief Weixu's horse was naturally better than that of ordinary soldiers. War horses are much better.

Chief Wei Xu nodded, "Yes! This is our last thing. If we can't, we would rather break it..."

"Hahaha..." Lu Bu didn't pay attention to the vague threats from the Weixu clan leader and said, "How many are there? Do you have five thousand?"

"Five thousand?!" Chief Wei Xu's eyes widened, "That's a good horse! A good horse! Why are there so many?! I only have five... no, three hundred..."

"Okay, then five hundred..." Lu Bu said decisively. After hanging around the hussar general for a while, Lu Bu also learned a few commercial Sanshou moves, "Five hundred! A horse like you! I Just send out troops to find trouble for that Yanqi!"