Three Kingdoms

Mobei.

The Northern Territory Protectorate conducts camp.

Zhao Yun didn't know whether the night in Wancheng was dark or not, but he knew that the night in the desert was really dark.

It's very hot during the day, and very dark at night if there's no moon. When it's hot, it's extremely hot, and when it's cold, it's extremely cold. They all go to extremes anyway, so it seems that people in this desert tend to go to extremes.

Zhao Yun stared at Tuyu and remained silent.

Dabi's face showed majesty.

Under the military uniform, he has a strong body, which is undoubtedly full of explosive power. With enough meat, Zhao Yun's physique has reached a higher level than before. If Zhao Yun and Lu Bu compete now, it's hard to say who will lose and who will win. .

Not only Zhao Yun, but also the soldiers of the direct guards of the Northern Territory Protectorate, who have obtained a large amount of meat in recent years and can run around in the desert, are basically all big and round, with strong backs and strong waists.

According to convention, Zhao Yun stayed in Changshan only in winter and spring of the year. In the other summer and autumn, he basically went deep into the desert with his guards. On the one hand, he inspected the place and surveyed the area. On the other hand, it also made Cao Jun basically We don’t know Zhao Yun’s specific location, where he will be stationed, and where he will appear.

Because Zhao Yun discovered very early on that this kind of harsh and extreme weather, as long as the logistics can keep up, is undoubtedly a huge mental training for the soldiers and generals. When facing the power of heaven and earth without fear, If the wilderness is lonely and not chaotic, no matter who is facing a real battle formation, they will naturally be able to exert 100% of their power, even a hundred and two.

Perhaps it is precisely because of Zhao Yun's strategy that in the desert, there is such a sharp force that can come out from anywhere at any time. It is undoubtedly a great threat to Cao Jun, and no one wants to do it. While I was marching, or while I was resting, I was stabbed in the back by such a military horse...

Zhao Yun is looking at the map.

On the map, there are various terrains that have been explored, including water sources, grasslands, deep ditches, dense forests, etc. There are even some detailed data marked, such as how big the lake is, how deep the ditch is, and the size of the woods. How many trees are there and so on? However, in such a map, the data for areas closer to the Central Plains are relatively detailed, while the farther away and further north, the data becomes sparser.

Some places are even blank.

Because the area that scouts can explore is limited by food and water, especially water.

When it snows in winter, there is not much water shortage. However, when traveling in the wild at that time, even if you have skis, blankets, cotton jackets and other equipment, you will still face the test of life and death when the temperature suddenly drops in the middle of the night and early in the morning. Many excellent scouts died in this way. Only after the snow melted and the spring flowers bloomed, a few of them were discovered by those who came after them.

And when they are discovered, there are often only wreckage left, or even no wreckage at all, only weapons and marks left behind, proving that this place was once the last trace of someone...

Therefore, when Zhao Yun got to the back, he didn't let people do risky things.

The Northern Territory was bigger than he thought.

Zhao Yun had imagined that the Northern Desert was very big, but when he started to investigate, he found that it was actually more than ten times bigger than he had imagined.

It is very difficult to figure out such a large area and place it on the map. And it is almost impossible to form a sand table, because the specific distance is not known at all, so it is impossible to form a proportional place. On a concrete sandbox.

The Northern Territory is a land of wind and snow, a desert, deep forests and wild beasts, but it is not a beautiful home.

If it weren't for the shepherds who said that the Northern Territory did have borders, and that his ancestors had gone to the far north and saw the boundless sea and ice sea, Zhao Yun would have almost thought that the Northern Territory was an endless Gobi desert.

Of course, Zhao Yun would not know that at the end of the Han Dynasty, or during the Jin Dynasty, the small glacier climate resurfaced in the Sui and Tang Dynasties after the Five Husties disrupted China. Not only did Chang'an Sanfu once again become a treasure land with abundant rain, but it also The people in the snowy area also benefited from the blessings of the weather, and Tubo was born, and then began the process of falling in love and killing each other with the Tang Dynasty.

Nature's temperature changes measured in hundreds of years are too long for humans.

It may even be so long that people feel it doesn't matter. Anyway, as long as my generation won't die of cold, then I will do the things of my generation. As for whether the next generation will die of cold, it's none of my business, but I still have to eat. Those who eat the food of the next generation and the next generation, and what they use must use the things of the next generation and the next generation. As for which generation the people who come after will use it, I can’t control it, and it’s none of my business. After all, one generation People can only do what one generation can do, but the cost of food and drink can be slightly exceeded.

Zhao Yun is not that shameless, and he never thought that his generation would be able to investigate the entire desert. Maybe he had this idea originally, but when he arrived in the Northern Desert, he found that this idea was indeed impossible to complete, but this did not The representative said that Zhao Yun gave up...

"Continue to look for some water sources. Mark the small ones, these will become the stationing points of the barbarians in the desert, and occupy the large water sources..." Zhao Yun patrolled the map, "If we can find a large lake or swampland in the northern desert, , we can build a city there and explore the surrounding area more clearly..."

Xinpi handed over his hand.

"How is Zhang Junyi inspecting the border village?" Didn't it say it would be here today or tomorrow? "Zhao Yun asked again, "Did his men report any movements in Cao's army? 』

"I should be back tomorrow..." Xinpi shook his head and said, "As for Cao Jun, it seems that he has been stationed in the Youbei area of ​​​​Yuyang and has not made any big moves..."

Both men were silent for a while.

The border strongholds are the tentacles of the Northern Territory Protector, and Zhang He travels to and from these military strongholds, which ensures that he can keep an eye on Cao Jun's movements anytime and anywhere. Although Cao Jun has always claimed that he wants to attack Wuhuan, but...

Who believes it?

The Wuhuan people are now huddled in Liaodong, part of them between the white mountains and black waters, and part of them on the Goryeo Peninsula. They are fighting fiercely with Goguryeo, Fuyu, and especially Silla Baekje.

Therefore, the Wuhuan people actually did not dare to covet the big man at all. They were more afraid.

The Hu people have no think tank. The brain of their patriarch is the brain of everyone.

After the Wuhuan people chose to plunge into Liaodong, they gradually became nomads in the mountains and forests instead of the threat of the northern desert.

"Since there is no news yet, let's not worry about it for now," Zhao Yun looked away from Yuyang, "Let's make reserves first... so as not to be in trouble when the fight actually breaks out." What is the amount of food and grass in the army? 』

Xin Pi took out a roll of silk from his sleeve, unfolded it, and densely written ink characters on it, then presented it to Zhao Yun, "Please take a look, Protector." This is a list of the number of granaries stored in various places... We have built a total of 21 granaries in Yinshan, Jiuyuan, and Changshan, storing a total of 3.7 million shi of grain and 180,000 kilograms of pickled bacon..."

It may seem like a lot, but if you consider the current Changshan New City, the surrounding farming people, and the soldiers of Zhao Yun, Ganfeng, and Zhang He, these numbers are actually not that high.

Human appetite is always a bottomless pit.

Zhao Yun read it carefully, then nodded and handed the book and silk to the veteran veteran behind him, "Old rules, you go take some people and check a few granaries." 』

Zhao Yun's confidant, the veteran, took the silk cloth and left without saying a word.

Xin Pi seemed not to have seen Zhao Yun's actions, because this was not the first time he had checked. Basically, whenever Xinpi handed over the warehouse list, Zhao Yun would send someone to check it. It had become a habit, so naturally there was nothing to make a fuss about or to express any unnecessary emotions.

"In addition, there is a lack of fodder in the camp," Xinpi continued. "We can have a small team of soldiers cut some fodder within thirty miles of the surrounding area, which can also save some operating costs." 』

Zhao Yun nodded and said, "Shan, you can arrange this matter." By the way, how is the temperature dropping in the desert? 』

There was no mercury thermometer in the Han Dynasty, but it does not mean that ancient people had no way to measure temperature changes.

In the Qin Dynasty, ice bottles appeared to observe the time it took for the water in the bottle to freeze to determine the temperature. Of course, such measurement is naturally not accurate enough, but for the present, it is enough.

"Report to the Protector," Xinpi replied, "According to the ice bottles in military villages in various places, the desert will freeze earlier than before... If the ice bottles freeze earlier this winter, then It is enough to prove that what the lord said is true, the desert will get colder and colder. 』

Zhao Yun nodded, looking worried.

This is not a good thing.

If it's a battle in battle, Zhao Yun still has some ways to turn danger into safety and turn defeat into victory. However, with this change in weather, Zhao Yun is really powerless and unable to change its direction at all.

The weather is cold, and it continues to get colder. Although it doesn't get much colder every year, but accumulated over the past few years, the difference is huge.

Xinpi continued, "I have asked many Northern Desert herdsmen, especially the elderly. Most of the herdsmen feel that it has become colder and colder over the years... In order to prevent these old people from feeling weak due to lack of Qi and blood. I also asked some prime-age herdsmen about the cold, and they all had similar feelings... Especially the border of the Northern Desert, no one has dared to go there for many years... As the Lord said, the cold comes from the north, which is the only reason... …』

"So, there will be more and more barbarians going south..." Zhao Yun's eyes stayed on the open space to the north of Tuyu, "These barbarians are all hidden threats..."

When encountering a disaster, if it is an orderly country and the government comes to provide disaster relief, it may be possible to survive, but for the nomads, they have only one way left...

Rob.

Steal other people's things to keep yourself and your wife and children alive.

Therefore, behind the backs of several large-scale nomadic movements southward, there were the howling cold winds from the north and endless white and black disasters.

This kind of robbery is not very sustainable at all, so those barbarians who grabbed the supplies will eat and use all the supplies as much as they can in a short period of time, so most of the time it will really happen in winter. Before arriving, they returned to the desert with supplies. As for the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, it was the result of many factors.

Xinpi said in a deep voice, "Duhu, in my opinion, we should send more people now to contact the tribes among the barbarians who are willing to be friendly and let them live in the middle and herd them. Once we get there, we can recruit some people first to weaken them." The combat power can also be used as a barrier. When the time comes, a large number of Mobei Hu people will really go south..."

Zhao Yun nodded and said, "Yes, we should hurry up on the Northern Territory Nomadic Alliance now... If there is another large-scale white disaster and black disaster, it will be chaotic and people will be frightened. It will be difficult to form an alliance again." 』

If you want these barbarians to be willing to turn into human shields, of course, a resounding name is indispensable.

This is the same as the Co-Prosperity Sphere, except that the current alliance must be controlled and led by a big man.

This is also the reason why Zhao Yun came here, because he needed to summon the leaders of the surrounding barbarian tribes to finalize this matter as soon as possible, otherwise when winter comes and white disasters and black disasters come together, the order will completely collapse. In the worst case scenario, there will be no alliance at all.

The basis of the alliance is simple, cattle and sheep.

"According to someone's knowledge, the number of desert herdsmen in this tribe is only three thousand..." Xinpi said slowly, "Cattle and sheep must eat grass. If there are too many cattle and sheep, it will easily destroy the pasture... Just like the Han family's farmland was exhausted and turned from abundant to thin. Therefore, for these barbarian tribes who gathered in one place due to the severe cold in the north, grain and grass could be exchanged for cattle and sheep, and sent directly to the Yinshan Mountains and then to Chang'an. Now everything is ready and can be transferred at any time. 』

During white disasters and black disasters, cattle and sheep will die in large numbers, and these dead cattle and sheep cannot have enough freezers and freezers for refrigeration like in later generations. Sometimes the temperature fluctuates, and the dead cattle and sheep are It is rotten and cannot be eaten.

In response to this, Zhao Yun and Xin Pi formulated the basis for an alliance of exchanging grain and grass for cattle and sheep. Just like the quasi-liquidation of warehouses in the Han Dynasty, these Hu tribes who were willing to be friendly to the Han people could exchange their excess cattle before winter came. The sheep are replaced with grains that are easier to store, and then after surviving the winter, they can buy cattle and sheep from the Han people...

Of course, there are fees for transactions.

At the beginning, some Hu people were reluctant, mainly because they did not trust the Han people. However, after a small amount of experiments, the Jiankun and Rouran people became the first to benefit from this trading model.

The Han people are not at a disadvantage either...

After a pause, Zhao Yun said again: "But be careful that these barbarians deliberately use some sick livestock to replace food and grass." 』This is something that needs to be mentioned almost every year, because it happens every year.

There are always barbarians who want to take advantage.

Xinpi smiled and said, "What the Protector said is true." A certain person has ordered that a special person should read out the rules in the language of Hu and Han at the gate of the market. Those who violate the prohibition, regardless of whether they are Hu or Han, will be punished. 』

Zhao Yun nodded.

Now in the Northern Territory, in addition to the large trade fairs in the Yin Mountains, Zhao Yun has also established large-scale permanent markets in the north of Jiuyuan and Changshan, attracting these nomads to come and exchange items.

For a big man, no amount of cattle or sheep is enough to eat. The Hu people also lacked daily necessities, so trading was an inevitable choice, but it also caused many problems.

Just like what Zhao Yun just said about the barbarians exchanging sick cattle and sheep for food...

Not to mention the zero-yuan ones, they are available there, and the weird thing is that these herdsmen think that as long as they are not caught red-handed, they will be fine, and they can come back and get it a second time after running around for a while!

There are also some tricks, such as clearly agreeing to trade a certain item, but when the transaction is completed, you have to add more, otherwise you will not get the money, and you will be rolling on the floor...

When looking at the pure eyes and honest smiles of these barbarians, people often think that these barbarians will not lie, deceive, or harm others. But in fact, this is wrong. It is not that these barbarians They will deliberately deceive the Han people, but these barbarians think that this is their ability to survive. Just like eagles flying in the sky and wolves running on the ground, they don't need to be taught. Even after the Han people expose their lies, they won't feel it. There is nothing to be embarrassed about and nothing to be ashamed of.

This cannot be attributed to the low morals of the Hu people, because they have not had time to form a moral perspective...

In such a vast desert, it is difficult for the Hu people to form an effective inheritance. Many Hu people are destined to be a cattle herder, a shepherd girl, a warrior, or a childbirth worker. tool.

Hu people often have little inheritance of knowledge, let alone any civilized system.

Because they have never been exposed to knowledge, the little education these barbarians can get often comes from their parents, and their parents' knowledge comes from the "winners", who tell them What, is what.

When an ethnic group is destroyed, the remaining people of this ethnic group will naturally become the slaves of the winner. Therefore, gaps in knowledge will inevitably appear. Over time, in most tribal alliances formed by these barbarian ethnic groups, whether it is In the Northern Region, the Western Region, or among the great rivers of Sichuan and Sichuan, there will be many situations where the moral values ​​of the Hu people are completely opposite to those of the farming people of the Central Plains.

They will warmly and gently invite guests to his home at the first moment, and will take out the best, most useful and most beautiful things at home to share with the guests, but at the next moment they will directly criticize the guest because of a certain action. He turned against him and cut off the guest's head with a knife.

This is normal among the Hu tribe, and the Hu people have never felt anything wrong.

Just like when the Xiongnu left, the Xiongnu language mutated into Xianbei language, and then Xianbei language later evolved into Turkic language. The evolution of this language is consistent, but the writing is gone.

Writing is the root of a nation.

Without this root, one would be like a nomad, wandering around.

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment, "This wind cannot last long." 』

Xinpi cupped his hands and said: "Since the Protector has decided on the policy, I will send someone to inform the clan leader of these things... However, if the clan leader is weak and incompetent, he cannot secure his position..."

Zhao Yun said: "Then let them choose another one." The alliance is good for the Hu people. We are not begging them. If they are not sober enough, we can make them sober up. 』

Xinpi bowed his hands and accepted.

At this time, suddenly there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside the tent, and then someone prostrated in front of him, "Reporting to the Protector, Cao Jun's envoy is approaching Changshan Mountain!" 』