Early in the morning, the tranquil Sahara Desert welcomes a group of strange guests.

Three Humvees galloped across the vast sandy sea, raising three straight trails of dust.

"How much longer. Jiang Chen, who was sitting in the back row, crossed his arms and said boredly.

Aisha, who was sitting next to him, was still expressionless, but from the deep bags under her eyes, it was obvious that she was a little sleep-deprived.

"Just ahead! But before we can do that, we'll have to visit the chiefs of the nearby tribes. Roberts yelled excitedly as he drove the car.

"How do I feel, you get excited as soon as you get to the desert. Jiang Chen glanced at him and said.

"This feeling of freedom, you won't understand!"

This guy is crazy.

Jiang Chen complained in his heart, and then looked out the window.

The other two Humvees sat the ten veterans who had been hired as instructors, and it was much quieter than the commotion here.

Soon, the car drove up a small sand dune with hard soil.

As if suddenly enlightened, Jiang Chen saw the low little earthen houses.

Primitive, obscurantist, poor.

These three words were probably Jiang Chen's first feelings.

The yellow-gray huts and courtyards made of sand, with wooden fences made of dead branches as the gates of the courtyard walls, and the windows are supported by dyed cloth with branches, reminiscent of a 12th-century Arab town. Every family has a camel. It is said that here, a person's social status is measured according to how many camels he has.

"I'm a little confused, maybe you can explain to me, what's the point of us coming here?" Jiang Chen said helplessly.

"Absolutely. Ahem, from the perspective of those of us who are moderns, it may be a little difficult to understand. After all, we paid the money, bought the land from the Nigerien government, and also took out part of the money as compensation for occupying their pastures. Judging from the content of the contract, the 20 hectares of land not far from here already belong to us, but according to the customs of the locals, we are still 'guests'. According to their traditions. We have 'made our home' here, and we must be recognized by them. Roberts explained.

"Is there such a troublesome statement?" the corners of Jiang Chen's mouth twitched.

"It's just a formality, they've been more or less secular lately," Roberts shrugged. Slowing down, "It's still good to respect the traditions of the locals, at least to be able to get along with them without worrying about them coming in trouble." They will even be on our side when necessary. ”

"You say that. I don't understand who is the master of this land. Niger Tuareg tribe?" Jiang Chen said with a smile.

"Well, you can understand that Niger was the king of the Middle Ages, and this Tuareg tribe was the lord of the place. Roberts rolled his eyes and gave an inapt analogy.

"If there is a conflict with them, which side will the government of Niger be on?" After hearing Roberts's explanation, Jiang Chen asked a very dangerous question.

I don't know when his perspective on the problem became extreme.

After hearing Jiang Chen's question, Roberts had a wry smile on his face.

"The government of Niger would be glad that we exterminated them, but that was not possible. The footprints of the Tuareg people are all over the desert. And it is rumored that their relationship with extremist forces such as al-Qaeda is somewhat unusual. During the riots in Mali, Tuareg guerrillas fought alongside al-Qaeda. ”

After a pause, he saw that Jiang Chen did not speak. Roberts was really afraid that he would do something dangerous, so he added.

"Well, I recommend that we better not get into conflict with them. The people here are fierce, although the poor have nothing to say, but every family basically lies down and puts AK. ”

"Don't be nervous, I'll just ask. Jiang Chen smiled and said.

The cars drove into the tribe, and the natives cast curious glances at the vehicles. For road reasons. Roberts rolled down the window and gestured to the two cars behind him, signaling them to wait outside the tribe.

Originally, it wasn't a big deal, so I went through the motions with the local customs or something. It won't take long to finish.

"There's a food market over there, but I don't recommend you try the stuff there. ”

"Coincidentally, I'm not that interested either. Jiang Chen looked out the window, a child on a camel was looking at him curiously, his father was veiled, leading the camel away from the tribe.

Aisha glanced out the window with a subtle look. He muttered "heresy", and then stopped talking.

Stopping the car, led by a black-faced woman, Jiang Chen and Roberts walked towards the building in the center of the tribe

The Tuaregs are a nomadic people, mainly found around the Sahara Desert in Africa, and are an offshoot of the Berber tribes scattered over a vast area of northern Africa. It is famous for its writing, language and unique nomadic life that is very different from the surrounding peoples. A nation in a matriarchal society, not a matriarchal society. Although they believe in Islam, there is no tradition that women need to be masked. Conversely, in Tuarek society, only men over the age of 25 are required to wear the veil.

What is even more jaw-dropping to the outside world is its extravagant marital values, where women can have multiple partners outside of marriage and all their belongings in the event of divorce.

Aside from these bizarre customs, they are all born warriors. There is a well-known local adage - "For the Tuaregs, there are no secrets in the desert". In this desert, they know better than anyone how to fight. In the Malian civil war, Tuareg guerrillas have all but defeated government forces.

It is precisely because of its strong combat effectiveness that many dictators and warlords in the Mediterranean have favored the combat effectiveness of the Alegh people. The most famous of these was Muammar Gaddafi, who was known for recruiting Tuareg mercenaries. After the outbreak of the Libyan civil war, Gaddafi even offered the Tuaregs a tempting payment of $1,000 a day to help him suppress the ** militants.

Of course, no one knows whether the money was cashed out.

To be honest, at the beginning, Roberts suggested that since the site was chosen as a mercenary base in Niger, it might be a good choice to recruit Tuaregs directly. However, after some thought, Jiang Chen still rejected his proposal.

The main reason for this is the decision made out of distrust of their culture and beliefs, and in order to avoid chaos in the future. At least the refugees who fled their homes don't suddenly clamoring to go home. Either way, it is the refugees who have fled their homes that are more reliable.

In this relatively spacious earthen house, Jiang Chen met the legendary chieftain.

"Visitors from afar, may your riches be as endless as the sands of the Sahara. The dark-skinned sheith bowed slightly, and folded her hands.

Perhaps because she often interacts with the French, she speaks French fluently. However, no matter how fluent he was, Jiang Chen, who had only learned English, couldn't understand it, so he simply stood there without saying a word, watching Roberts learn how to do it.

"Thank you for your generosity to the land, may your tribe prosper, and may your camels be in a herd. Roberts replied in standard French. How many Chinese languages does this guy know, Jiang Chen has not figured it out so far.

Hearing this, the slightly older female chief grinned, and the wrinkles were huddled together.

The ensuing ritual was simple, with a man wrapped in a frighteningly thick turban carrying two bowls of camel milk in front of them. According to local custom, the thicker the bandana and veil a man wears around his face, the more respectful he is for his guests.

It is said that in the past, when male guests visited here, they were also required to wear a headscarf, or at least to cover their mouths. However, it now seems that in the process of secularization, they still made some concessions to foreign cultures.

The chiefess did not know whether she was chanting a mantra or a prayer, but she chattered for a long time, and then smiled and made a gesture of invitation to the two of them.

Looking at the bowl of cloudy camel milk in front of him, Jiang Chen couldn't help but wonder if this thing had just been squeezed out. looked at Roberts again, and the corners of the goods' eyebrows twitched.

"Can this thing really be drunk?" Jiang Chen whispered in English.

"Yes, yes, but trust me, you won't want to drink the second time after the first drink. Although his expression was a little bitter, Robci still performed a warrior's feat, holding the bowl of camel milk, and poured it down with his eyes closed.

Well, you can see that he's drinking this thing for the second time.

Jiang Chen looked at it darkly.

Looking at Roberts's appearance, the smile on the female chieftain's face became even brighter. The more bold the guest drinks, the more it reflects the respect that the guest has for the host.

However, when she saw Jiang Chen, her eyes became brighter and brighter.

Roberts' bowl hadn't been put down yet, and Jiang Chen had already put the empty bowl on the table with a smile.

After a few moments, Roberts finally finished his drink and slammed the bowl on the table with a shake. But when he saw Jiang Chen's side, his eyes almost popped out.

Coming out of the chief's house, the two were greeted with a warm farewell.

Back in the car, Roberts snorted and wiped his mouth.

"Hell, I feel like my stomach is oily. Saying that, Roberts glanced at Jiang Chen strangely again, "Speaking of which, you can actually stand that strange smell?"

"Weird? Jiang Chen smiled, and leaned on the backrest with his arms very forced.

Except for the greasy smell on his mouth, he really didn't drink a drop in his stomach, and sent it all to the storage space.

Speaking of which, he is simply becoming more and more proficient in this skill.

After friendly interaction with neighbors, three Humvees hit the road again.

Finally, Jiang Chen saw the "castle" in the desert - the station of the Future People Security Company. (To be continued.) )