Chapter 2: Sharpening the Edge (Part 2)

The autumn wind in the Western Regions blew the four fields golden.

The sky is higher and the clouds are lighter. The grass that was once waist-deep was blown down by the wind, and there was no strength to stand up again. Expose the flat and empty ground nearby.

This is where men are born to sing and indulge in horses. It's refreshing every time I see it. Especially when you sit on the carved saddle of a sweaty BMW and are surrounded by thousands of brothers, you can't help but be arrogant.

Arslan, the big boss of Bantianyun, is such a happy person. Sitting on the back of the horse and looking around, there were more than 1,500 brothers in the vicinity, all of them with cowhide hard armor and all the same color of Dawan good horses, all of whom were full of red light. This is all his Arslan's men, and he crisscrosses the river. If the trade on the Silk Road continues to flourish as it has been recently, Arslan believes that a large city nearby will change its owner.

It's no wonder that he is so arrogant, in the past half a month, this horse thief nicknamed Bantianyun has indeed made a lot of money. The southern route of the ancient silk road was artificially destroyed by the Great Eater Army, and the traders had to detour to the northern route. And Bantianyun's sphere of influence just covers the dozens of miles of oasis at the turn of Yaochashui, where the traders can't get around it anyway.

As the saying goes, if you don't open for three years, you will eat for three years when you open for three years. For more than ten days in a row, Arslan and his brothers attacked day by day, and returned with a full load every day. The huge difference in the prices of silk, tea, and jewelry between the East and the West caused the traders to stuff their camels' backs to the brim. And in Arslan's hands, these merchants are tantamount to fat sheep sent to the door one by one, and if they don't rob them, they are simply sorry for themselves.

When the goods fell into Arslan's hands, they were soon sold to nearby lords, lords, and governors at extremely low prices through a convenient channel. Get him back a lot of gold and food! Money and food meant that more brothers could be recruited. Having more brothers means being able to swallow bigger fat sheep. The more fat sheep you swallow, the louder Bantianyun's fame will become. The more famous it is, the more it can be eaten in the Hedong area. Not only would the destitute herdsmen come to join the city, but even the lords, city lords, and governors, who were tasked with maintaining local tranquility, would quietly extend a hand of friendship. Horse thieves were allowed to set up dens in his city, sell stolen goods, inquire about information, buy iron tools, grain, and war horses, and in any case, as long as they did not openly use knives in the city, they could turn a blind eye to anything else.

Of course, this friendship did not come without any price. In the time of need of the "friends", the horse thieves had to stick a knife in both sides. For example, when it is inconvenient for a "friend" to come forward, he will kill a certain person or a certain family for him. Or when a friend clashes with another faction, suddenly appear as a mercenary in the rear of the hostile faction. Occasionally, the horse thieves would have to do their job, going to a friend's designated location to cause a few sensational bloodsheds, and then when the friend led the army, they left a few corpses and were quickly "routed!" ”。 In this way, the "friends" will be appreciated by their higher-level masters for their ability to do things, and the horse thieves will also be compensated for their tacit cooperation.

Today, the business that Arslan is going to do is, to a certain extent, it can be said that it is entrusted by a "friend". There was a huge caravan about to pass through the big bend in Yaosha Water, and he had received the news a few days ago. Subsequently, several horse thieves took the initiative to warn, announcing that this Datang caravan was a hard nut to crack. Several peers were sent to step on the eyeliner of the plate one after another, but they were all shot to death by the swordsmen protecting the caravan! For so many days, not even the specific size of the caravan and the main goods transported, not a single team of horse thieves could find out clearly!

Originally, after Arslan heard the warning, he didn't plan to do anything. lest you lose too many brothers, and the gains outweigh the losses. After all, the green forest road speaks purely by strength, and if you bite your front teeth, you will soon be replaced by others. However, his old friend Juche Nose Shi Khan took the initiative to send someone to the door and invited him to come out at the price of Wu Bai's special big food scimitar in the army. He couldn't help but not reconsider his decision.

Good blacksmiths are hard to find in the Hedong area, and blacksmiths who are willing to beg for a living among horse thieves are even rarer. Most of the time, horse thieves had to buy weapons from the city at a high price. The quality of the weapons that are allowed to be bought and sold in the market is certainly much worse than that used by the army. So for Ban Tianyun, who is preparing to expand his strength in a big way, this batch of scimitars is simply a send-off.

With the instinct he had cultivated over the years of rolling on the tip of a knife, Arslan didn't believe that King Dawan would be so kind. However, Wu Bai's temptation of the scimitar made him really unable to refuse. After thinking about it, he decided to accept the suggestion of his military advisor, a bull-nosed Taoist priest from the Central Plains, accept the gift of Kuche Nose Shi, and then contact a few nearby families to "slaughter fat sheep" together! In this way, after killing all the guards of the caravan, the "mutton" distributed to each of the dreadlocks will inevitably become thinner, but at the same time, the risk of losing the front teeth of the prey will be minimized!

It's a great day for hunting. As far as the eye can see, the scenery within ten miles can be seen at a glance. On the left side of Arslan's main team, there were two disheveled and disorganized teams, each numbering about three hundred. It was Arslan's ally who had come to help him, a handful of sand and snow to beat Wang. On the right, there are two other allies who came to help, Lao Beifeng and Inverted Willow, each of whom is also around three hundred, and the minions are all yellow and thin. Compared with Bantianyun, who is nicknamed a strong soldier, these four allies are simply called Hanako. There is simply no need to continue to exist!

"If I'm done with this deal, I'll ........ them" Suddenly, a grim cold light appeared in Arslan's eyes. The strength of these four peers around is too weak, and if you do business with them, you will definitely suffer. And if they refuse to share the spoils as agreed, the four allies will definitely not give up. The most appropriate way is to let them "integrate" into the clouds for a long time. In this way, you don't have to worry about what you have divided, and you can quickly replenish the losses you suffered in the battle with the caravan.

The idea was so brilliant that Arslan's heart burned when he thought of it. Turning his face, he instructed Ma Liu'er, a close confidant beside him, "You, go and call Lao Mu Tou'er to me, no, please, please ask the military advisor to come over." Say I have something important to discuss with him! ”

"Strategist......" Ma Liu'er hesitated a little, "Didn't you ask Strategist to take someone to inquire about the caravan?" ”

"If you are told to go, you will go, what so much nonsense!" Arslan didn't like to be questioned by his subordinates, so he raised his leather whip and gave Ma Liu'er a hard blow. "Let the military advisor leave the matter to someone else, and come to my side quickly!"

Ma Liu'er couldn't dodge, and a bloody mark immediately appeared on his face. He froze, not daring to wipe his wound, urged his mount and quickly ran away. Looking at this person's obedient back, Arslan suddenly regretted a little in his heart, but the pride of the big boss quickly suppressed the regret, pursed his lips, and scolded in a low voice: "I don't even have a little eyesight, and I dare to talk back to Lao Tzu, damn it!" A caravan, what else is there to explore. A few of you, give Lao Tzu a little bit of spirit, one by one bow your head and droop your head, Lao Tzu doesn't care about your food! ”

The second half of the sentence was addressed to several other pro-soldiers. The guards who were injured because of Ma Liu's beating were startled and immediately straightened up. Arslan finally felt a little more comfortable, glanced at everyone, and said loudly, "Don't embarrass Lao Tzu." Whoever dares to embarrass Lao Tzu, Lao Tzu will want his dog's life! As long as you work hard, sooner or later we will have a city to settle down. When the time comes, Lao Tzu will give each of you a big official to do, and no one will be left behind! ”

"Xie Dashuai!" Knowing that Arslan was painting bread to satisfy his hunger, the guards still thanked him in unison.

Arslan's heart was on fire, and he continued to chatter, "Lao Tzu said that he would definitely do it." Didn't Silanda eat knife rice like Lao Tzu back then? He has now become the lord of the country, and Lao Tzu was just born more than ten years later than him! ”

At this time, not only the guards were encouraged, but the nearby minions were also greatly boosted. They all pulled out their scimitars and slapped their asses, "Arslan Khan!" "Arslan Khan!" "Arslan Khan!"

It's definitely too early to call it Khan. Arslan didn't want to be too ostentatious, and waved his hand, stopping the crowd from cheering. If he could annex a few of his other allies, he would have four thousand soldiers under his command. If we use the proceeds of this year's looting and recruit some herdsmen, we will have no problem raising 5,000 cavalry at the beginning of next spring.

Five thousand light horsemen, if used well, can already subvert a country. Especially at the moment when Datang and Dashi competed, and the heroes in the east of the river were in chaos. Arslan remembered that the military advisor Mu Yangren had once said to himself that the nearby Dawan King Juche Bishi and Bahana King Asilanda were not orthodox Dawan royal bloodlines. The reason why they were able to steal half of the country was entirely because they knew how to seize the opportunity.

And the troops in Asiranda's hands are only about 15,000 when they are fully armed. The strength of the Juche Nose Shi is slightly stronger than that of Asiranda, and he can afford to ride 20,000 steps. But in the upcoming battle for Hexi, they will definitely have to choose either the Tang Dynasty or the Great Food. No matter what one chooses, it is impossible not to lose money in battle. In that case, the power of Bantianyun will be almost equal to these two countries.

If you have a force in your hands that can be equal to the country, who is still a horse thief?!! Arslan clenched his fists and slowly shoved his fingers into his mouth.

After a few hard bites, he was convinced that he wasn't dreaming. God has put the opportunity in front of him, and it depends on whether he can grasp it. Those who sit back and watch the opportunity pass will be abandoned by the sky!