Xiongnu steppe, Mubei, Longcheng.

Knowing that Shan Yuting had arrived north in Longcheng ahead of schedule, the leaders of the various departments also hurriedly set off from their respective pastures; The leaders of the tribes that were closer to Dragon City had already rushed to Dragon City in order.

But unlike previous years' Dragon City Conference, this year's Shan Yuting was shrouded in an inexplicable depressing atmosphere.

The headquarters of King Zuoxian, who originally concentrated most of his fighters in Hexi and was responsible for the encirclement and suppression of the Yueshi people, was almost all withdrawn!

In addition to the 40,000 horsemen, a total of more than 30,000 people (1) stationed near the left side of Hanwang City, the remaining nearly 100,000 horsemen were scattered on several highlands in the Mubei grassland.

For the Huns, who were familiar with horsemanship and were keen on cavalry combat, the intention to occupy the heights in advance was almost as obvious as the chariots of the Central Plains to occupy the plains—ready to go!

And in the center of the super-large warning ring arranged by King Zuo Xian: Dragon City, it is even more heavily guarded, and in the words of the Han people, it can be described as a heavy garrison.

A radius of 500 steps in the courtyard alone can be called a post with three steps and a post at five steps!

This frightened the leaders of the various departments who had arrived in Dragon City earlier, and they couldn't help but speculate about the internal causes of such a change.

Within a few days, the right big household Xu Buhu each Mu Nan arrived in Longcheng, and after visiting Shan Yu, a rumor came out of the Xu Bu clan: There are Han spies within the Xiongnu!

This made most of the clan leaders settle down and concentrate on preparing for the upcoming Dragon City Conference.

And the small part of the panic is all Mu Nan, especially the small and medium-sized clan leaders whose territory is close to the Han-Hungarian border...

- In Mu Nan, except for the Zhilan tribe that acts as the whip of Shan Yu, not to mention these small and medium-sized tribes, even the headquarters of the Right Xian King is inextricably linked with the Han people!

It's not that the Xiongnu Munan tribes are in cahoots with the Han people; Although the Han people are cunning and difficult, the tea, salt and other things that come out of the Great Wall are extremely scarce materials on the grassland.

Especially salt!

Even in the eyes of the Central Plains, salt is also an indispensable daily commodity? But for the Huns? The meaning of salt is by no means limited to the level of 'necessities of life'.

- Yanba, almost an important guarantee for the Huns to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army!

Guy because of the way the Huns fought? Generally based on the large-scale maneuver of cavalry clusters; And the key to ensuring the strength of the horse? It's about whether you can get enough salt.

So the value of salt in the Xiongnu is closer to a luxury than in the Central Plains - ordinary tribes get salt? Almost all of them will be used as a strategic reserve for battles that may occur at any time; Can you have extra salt to eat? It can be said that they are all top nobles!

Tea is not to mention: even in today's Han Dynasty? Tea soup still belongs to the category of 'semi-health products' or 'decoctions', and this is especially true for the Huns - for the Huns, who have long been suffering from various gastrointestinal diseases due to their long-term meat as their main energy intake, tea is the only panacea that can have obvious effects.

The source of salt for the steppe tribes? Almost all of them come from salt ponds all over the grassland; But for salt, a scarce strategic resource? The competition between the tribes is no less fierce than the competition for pastures.

Tea is even more exaggerated - so far, every piece of tea obtained by the Huns has completely flowed from the Han Dynasty; Except for this stinky and hard enemy in the Great Wall, the Huns have never found any trace of tea anywhere else.

Against this? Shan Yuting also sent intimidation and threatened the Han family to hand over tea seeds and cultivation methods; But the end result? I'm afraid that even Shan Yu, who sent an envoy to Han, already knew it in his heart.

- Just like the Huns would have strictly controlled the flow of horses? Not a single uncastrated stallion is allowed to cross the Great Wall, like the Han Chinese? Nor will it make even a single tea seed? From the Great Wall into the grassland.

Over the past few decades? The Xiongnu's invasion of the Han Dynasty, whether it was a large-scale campaign ordered by Shan Yuting or the plundering of the Munan tribes, salt and tea were the primary 'strategic targets'.

As for others, such as grain, rice, cloth, livestock, copper, gold, and the like, they are only incidental—they are not taken for nothing.

However, at the cost of the lives of the tribal warriors, going to the territory of the Han people in exchange for that pitiful tea, salt, and slaves was not very cost-effective for the Munan tribes - without the warriors who protected the tribe, even if they had more wealth, it was impossible to defend it.

Therefore, unless it is a last resort and the Han family is about to perish, the vast majority of Xiongnu tribes will not make the move of 'robbing the Han family with their own warriors'.

The so-called car to the mountain must have a road, in the Han-Hungarian border for a long time, there are always a few smart people, found a way to exchange for tea, salt and even bronze and other materials without paying the young lives of the tribe.

Among the Han people inside the Great Wall, there were also some people who were brave enough to give out the materials that the Huns wanted in exchange for animal skins, cattle and sheep, and even horses and other 'forbidden circulation' materials.

——In the early spring when the grassland had not been completely unsealed, there were already dozens of teams from the Great Wall to the grassland, selling tea, salt and other items from the territory of the Han people.

As for the small and medium-sized tribes closer to the Han-Hungarian border, they each have their own special channels to obtain the items they want in a straight line.

In this case, Shan Yuting suddenly leaked the news that 'someone inside the Xiongnu colluded with the Han people', which undoubtedly made those Munan tribes who had gradually become strong by relying on the Han-Hun 'trade' suddenly tremble.

And all this was seen by Mao Dun, who was struggling to breathe in the king's tent, and the eldest son beside him, the Xiongnu Zuoxian King: Luán Dī Jī Zhōu.

More than ten days have passed, and the swelling of Mao Dun's abdomen has become more obvious against the background of his gradually emaciated figure; Every morning during the ritual of worshipping the sun, Maudun had to stuff a few pieces of sheepskin into his robe to cover the protruding abdomen.

But the bad complexion could not be concealed completely—now Mao Dun was like an old man tormented by chronic toxins, with deeply sunken eye sockets and slightly purple lips; As long as you stand for a moment, layers of sweat will break out on your forehead.

In order to get rid of this curse that destroys him all the time, Mao Dun has recruited most of the high priests worthy of the name of the Huns to pray for himself to support the plough heaven.

But I don't know if it was the cruelty of the past that angered the plough heaven, no matter how devout Maudun was, no matter how strictly the high priests demanded the sacrificial rituals, the gods did not respond to Maudun's prayers.

By now, Mao Dun had given up struggling - the tea had completely lost its effect, and every time he drank a sip of tea soup, Mao Dun felt the swelling and pain in his stomach more intense.

In desperation, Maudon had no choice but to give up his rebellion against fate and focus on the impending transition of power.

The previous rumors were also the handiwork of Mao Dun - to be precise, Mao Dun followed the advice of King Zuo Xian and deliberately released smoke bombs.

As for the collusion between the Mu Nan tribe and the Han people, Mao Dun knew about it; Even the headquarters of the Right Virtuous King was involved, and it was also within the scope of Mao Dun's cognition.

——The tea leaves that barely alleviated Mao Dun's condition during the past period of time were almost all dedicated to Shan Yuting by Youxian Wang Jin! ②

Most of the materials obtained by the Youxian Wang Department from the Han people actually ended up in the hands of Shan Yuting, that is, Mao Dun.

Strictly speaking, if the tribes of Mu Nan who trade privately with the Han people are all Han spies, then Mao Dun himself is actually also...

Mao Dun was actually not very opposed to the exchange of materials from the Han people for the Central Plains - if there was anything that made Mao Dun unhappy, it was that the Mu Nan tribe did not take out a part of what they got and send it to Shan Yuting like the Youxian Wangbu.

And the reason why Mao Dun wants to release such rumors is self-evident - in order to ensure the smooth replacement of power, Mao Dun must let the headquarters of King Zuo Xian establish a strict guard in Mubei; Regarding the sudden abnormal transfer of Zuo Xianwang's department, Mao Dun needs to give a reasonable explanation.

Only in this way can the Mu Nan clan focus on 'whether he will be singled out for punishment', so that he has no time to delve into Mao Dun's physical condition.

- In any era, the body information of the supreme ruler belongs to the absolute secret of the regime!

Judging from the results, King Zuo Xian's proposal was very wise.

As Mao Dun saw with his own eyes: as soon as the news came out, the various tribes of Mu Nan rushed between the four major clans and even the members of the royal clan, waving the cattle, sheep and horses in their hands, tea, salt, cloth and rice, and longing for the nobles in front of them to intercede in front of Shan Yu.

Mubei's tribe watched all this gloatingly, and from time to time participated in this feast of 'saving the heads of Munan's tribes'.

Even in the headquarters of Shan Yuting, more than half of the people have shifted their attention to fishing for property...

You must know that Mao Dun's physical condition can't be hidden in Shan Yuting!

Even so, the nobles of the headquarters were still deceived by their wealth, which made Mao Dun feel at ease and inexplicably disappointed.

"I heard that King Zuo Xian transferred the 40,000 horsemen outside King Han's ministry to the east of the curtain?"

Mao Dun's abrupt inquiry caused Ji Congee to panic suddenly, and his eyes quickly glanced at Mao Dun, and found that his father's eyes were still far away outside the king's tent, and only then settled down a little.

"The Dragon City Conference is coming, the plough is lonely and sick, and I am worried that the various departments of Munan want to make trouble..."

"The Munan Ministries?"

As he spoke, Mao Dun's tone was already a little cold, and he turned around and stared directly at the middle-aged man beside him: "What King Zuo Xian is afraid of, I'm afraid it's King Youxian, right?" ”

The truth was disclosed by Mao Dun without any scruples, and Ji Congee had to kneel on one knee with a bitter face, and put his right hand on his chest: "Support the plough and atone for your sins..."

Seeing that his son did not have the slightest intention of concealing it, but admitted it calmly, most of the trace of mustard in Mao Dun's heart was also dispersed; Looking at the few strands of silver between his son's hair and beard, he couldn't help but sigh.

This son, who is also the proudest of himself, has spent his forty-third winter under the protection of the plough heaven.

At such an age, not to mention in the grassland with an average age of less than thirty, even in the Central Plains, it can already be regarded as entering old age.

And when he was about to die, the forty-three-year-old son was jealous and guarded against Mao Dun's younger brother, the now fifty-year-old Xiongnu Youxian King.

This made Mao Dun feel a little sad, and he was entangled in it.

Today, Mao Dun, who has been stubborn all his life, finally realizes what a major hidden danger he laid for the Xiongnu by killing his father and seizing the throne.

Just like now, as Shan Yu, he is about to return to the arms of the plough sky, and as the son of King Zuo Xian and the younger brother of King Youxian, he will turn against each other because of this, and he will be reduced to an endless situation for the position of Shan Yu.

Maudon didn't even know what he was supposed to do to avoid cannibalism between the two.

- Even if the younger brother who is the right virtuous king does not covet the position of Shan Yu at all, the son may not be able to rest assured!

In the same way: even if the son does not plan to kill his uncle, who is the king of Youxian, the king of Youxian may not be willing to put his fate in the hands of others.

"Porridge."

With a leisurely summons, the middle-aged man was called to his side, and Mao Dun was supported by the middle-aged man and sat back on the couch in the tent.

He let out a long breath, barely suppressing his distorted expression, and his tone was full of gloom.

"King Han, I've seen it."

"That news was not passed on to the Han people by the King of Han."

Subconsciously raised the bone tea bowl in front of him, and Mao Dun didn't drink it after all.

"The current rumors are not necessarily untrue; Within the Great Xiongnu, there may really be someone who ventilated the Han emperor. ”

"This matter must be investigated!"

"Otherwise, in the future, the Great Huns will suffer from this poisonous snake..."

Panting for an explanation, he lay down on his side and slowly closed his eyes.

"Summoning those 40,000 horsemen back."

"After King Youxian arrived in Dragon City, Don personally told King Youxian."

Looking at his father's bleak face, Ji Congee squatted down on the edge of the couch with sadness, his eyes full of calmness.

"Don't worry, as long as your uncle doesn't mean to cause trouble, Ji Congee won't be able to tolerate your uncle."

Hearing this, Mao Dun struggled to open his heavy eyelids, stared into the depths of Ji Congee's eyes, and finally showed a faint smile.

"Don't believe in the congee."

With that, Maudun closed his eyelids, which had shrugged a little, again.

"Let Su Buhuge tell the envoys in the Great Wall: pretend that Dun is indeed about to die, and no matter what the Han Emperor says, don't react too much."

Ji Congee was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and was surprised for a moment, and a piece of clarity appeared on his face: "Your will." ”

Following the felt curtain that was lifted when the porridge receded, Mao Dun looked at a few wisps of grass outside the tent, and his eyes burst out with infinite sharpness.

"The little emperor of the Han people, can you dare to be sure that Dunguo is really about to die?"

"Hehehehehehehe..."

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PS: 1. 40,000 riders, why more than 30,000 people?

This is because the '10,000 cavalry' of the Xiongnu's military establishment does not mean 10,000 cavalry, but the symbolic meaning of 'large clusters', and '10,000' is just a broad description of 'many'.

Under normal circumstances, the Xiongnu tribe, that is, the tribal army used as a run back after being conquered, was composed of 4,000 people with a full force of 10,000 horsemen; And Aries and Zhelan are highly trusted by Shan Yuting, but in essence, they are not only in the tribal army of the main department, and one thousand horsemen are full of six thousand people.

Only the left and right Xian kings, the left and right Gu Li kings, these four, known as the Xiongnu 'four powers', belong to the single Yuting headquarters, or the Xiongnu headquarters of the ten thousand horses, a ten thousand horses full of eight thousand people.

Even if it is a Shan Yuting army directly under Shan Yu, there will not be 10,000 cavalry with an establishment of '10,000', and the maximum is only 8,000.

As the Xiongnu Zuoxian King in the Maodun period, Ji Congee has the highest standard establishment in the Xiongnu military system: 8,000 people are full of 10,000 cavalry, so that 40,000 cavalry is 32,000 people.

2. Regarding the smuggling trade between the Xiongnu tribes and the Han dynasty, there are basically different degrees of descriptions in all the historical records involving the Western Han Dynasty; And the attitude of the Xiongnu to the court, and even to the Han and Hungarian smuggling trade, there is one thing that can be used as important evidence: the plot of Ma Yi.

In the plot of Ma Yi, Nie Yi, a merchant of the Han Dynasty, as a 'cheap businessman', actually attracted a rash army of 100,000 military ministers who were Xiongnu Shan Yu to Ma Yi, and was even almost surrounded in Wuzhou Senei, which is enough to see from this incident alone that the Xiongnu high-level attaches great importance to the smuggling trade between Han and Hungary.