After the military discussion, unconsciously the moon has risen in the sky, the grassland at night is exceptionally quiet, in the distance, the faint clouds are like light smoke enveloping the full moon, the moonlight is like a waterfall flying down, the whistling wind from time to time comes bursts of insects singing, the whole grassland seems peaceful and peaceful. But it was this grassland, every inch of the land was soaked in blood and tears. One violent nation after another has grown up here, and the chaotic iron hoof storm has set off from here.

After inspecting the sentry and returning to the tent, Zhao Xingde took a deep breath of the cold air of the night, leaned on the pillow with a horizontal knife and closed his eyes in contemplation. Since leading his army on the march, he has rarely had a time to sit and think quietly. "It is impossible for the sergeants to go out alone to find a woman, but to let others see that something is wrong." Zhao Xingde smiled bitterly, if he wanted to go, he would probably have to line up the whole battalion to go, which was in line with Xia Jun's habits. There is no room for everyone to do their own thing in the barracks, even if Wang Tongdeng, as a centurion, can't help but eat meat all day long, if he is allowed to act alone without a military order, he will have to beat the drum in his heart. The belonging and dependence of the Xia soldiers on the battalion was not something that the Liao and Song people could imagine.

In the tent of the Xuande Army's envoys, Liu Qutong had the same calm face as during the day. "Those ringing horses don't do anything out of the ordinary, do they?" He stared at the few officers in the tent who had been sent to the test.

Wu Yirou stood at the bottom and said respectfully: "Nothing, the second master of Jin also revealed to the last general that they want to recruit An." He paused, suppressed his strange mood, and groaned in his heart, "I don't know if it's true or not?" He felt slightly gloomy, and the Jiedu envoy wanted to tie up the Xuande army together, and he would die together. The surname Zhao is extraordinary, but he has been duplicitously haha, refusing to say a word of understanding, probably because he also saw this verse. "What are they going to Yangcheng for, is Xia Guoan's Northern Military Division going south?" Wu Yirou secretly calculated in her heart, but the expression on her face became more and more respectful, Liu Qutong's temper was definitely not good.

"Zhao'an?" Liu Qutong didn't feel funny, and said secretly: "I still want to be from the dragon." But can you keep this Xuande army and place for me? "The matter of bringing this team of Xia people who don't know the details to Yangcheng, Liu Qutong was also forced to take it down. The Khitans are so unrighteous, and the Southern Dynasty is cowardly, so there must be a way back over there. Liu Qutong is like a rich man guarding a money cabinet to watch his own power, for him, temporarily succumbing to the Xuande army in the Xia people is like a thorn, he is always worried that the Xia people are treacherous, saying that his subordinates will betray, and he is worried that the Khitans will get the conclusive evidence of their secret connection with the Xia State, once such a sign appears, they will have to cut the chaos with a quick knife.

The butter candle was burning, illuminating Liu Qutong's face uncertainly. His thoughts were a little trance-like, decades ago in the Hanchang Rebellion, he could have attacked Beijing from the north and south, but most of the Han generals in Nanjing Province were on the side of the Liao court. "When the Han family was here, the Han generals could be on an equal footing with the Khitans, and even overwhelmed, and now they have fallen into such a field, alas!" Liu Qutong shook his head, when did he become so full of complaints.

The Xuande Army and the Chengying Battalion each had their own intentions, and the army went smoothly together. Zhao Xingde couldn't help but secretly appreciate the cover of the Xuande Army, otherwise, it would have taken a lot of effort just to avoid the investigation of the tribe and the Liao State. Although the grasslands in the north of Xijing Road are vast and sparsely populated, after all, they are under the restraint of the Liao imperial court, and many of the tribes here are driven from the northwest by the Anbei Military Division, and many people are hostile to the Xia State. The Chengying battalion, a group of 700 people with more than 2,000 horses, could not have marched along the main road all the time. Now, under the guise of the Xuande Army, they can buy grain and grass supplies from the places they pass by, and even replenish some pack horses.

After more than ten days of overnight stay, the terrain along the way is gradually towering, the mountains are steep, the mountain road is long and narrow, the grass is high and the forest is dense, and the road is difficult. People who asked Xuandejun often told them about sinister place names such as Wolf's Nest Ditch, Yehuling, and Heifengkou.

"Damn, what a bird place, it's really a poor mountain and bad water!" Wang Tongdeng muttered, for the cavalry, this kind of terrain is the most disgusting. The officers of the Chengying Battalion all secretly tightened their guard. Zhao Xingde secretly watched the sky in the camp every day, and found that the Xuande army was marching towards Swallow City, which was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and was one of the six towns. The swallow city controls the passage of the Mobei grassland into and out of Youyan, which is the most important, and it is also the place where the Liao people are heavily defended, and it is also the palace of the Liao emperor who hunts swans in spring.

Sure enough, through the valley, the water and grass gradually flourished, there were many birds and animals, and from time to time in the wilderness passed by large herds of cattle and sheep, and the population gradually flourished, and even farmers cultivated the fields, and the gentle slopes were distributed with dense fruit trees. Most of these fields and orchards belonged to the nobles or monasteries of the Liao State, and only a few were official fields, and those who cultivated the fields were slaves without exception. Soon, the famous Swallow City appeared on the horizon, but the Xuande army went straight around the city, and traveled for half a day, coming to a piece of water in the north of Swallow City.

Compared to the bustling city of Swallows, everything here is simple and brutal, except for the fence and tabernacle, and an apparently new altar is the only building here. More than 3,000 horsemen rushed out of the camp, and the cavalry on the horses were armed with bows, arrows, spears and other blades, and they were on guard against the approaching Xuande army. After announcing his identity, it was not long before he came out with his generals.

"Welcome to my most distinguished guest, Envoy Liu Jiedu." Bo Shenghuo's figure became fatter and fatter, he said with a smile on his face, opened his arms to Liu Qutong, and hugged him tightly, Liu Qutong also changed his plain dead face, and smiled as if he had seen a long-lost brother. The two of them held hands and walked into the big tent, and the officers under their cronies followed behind them, while Zhao Xingde and the others waited outside with other Xuande sergeants.

This scene just now fell into the eyes of the officers of the Chengying Battalion, and Wang Tongdeng spat on the ground and scolded: "It's really fucking disgusting." Soon after, I saw the secretary Wu Yirou galloping out of the Hu people's tent and shouting to several officers of the Xuande Army, and soon those carts full of iron tools and cloth were driven into the camp of the other party, and behind the carts, there were more than 3,000 unkempt and ragged female slaves and craftsmen.

Along the way, these people have been treated like livestock, and I wonder if reaching this destination will be a relief for them, or the beginning of a new kind of suffering. Several Hu people stood at the door of the camp, pinching and patting like animals, and opened their mouths to check their teeth. A group of herdsmen in the camp opposite waved their sleeve poles to drive their horses and slowly came out towards the Xuande army. The officers of the Xuande Army laughed in a low voice and scolded the Hu man for wearing broken shoes, which they did not understand, and the faces of the buyers and sellers were filled with satisfied smiles.

Zhao Xingde usually stays in the army, and has never seen these Han people who have been trafficked, they are already like walking corpses, even if they are only a little angry, they are full of fear. Unable to do anything for these miserable people, at this moment, Zhao Xingde only felt ashamed, as if his heart was suddenly thrown into bitter salt water.

He turned to look at the sergeants of the Chengying Army around him, including Wang Tongdeng, who was usually joking, and everyone looked at this scene with complicated expressions. "Remember this scene," Zhao Xingde said in a low voice, "The weak have no hope of saving themselves, and they have no chance of saving others." Kim Chang-tae looked at him in surprise and nodded thoughtfully. The sun was approaching dusk, and the bright sunlight with a colorful halo seemed to inlay a layer of gold for the general's gray daku.

In addition to the war horses, the Murbo people also paid a lot of gold and jewels to compensate for the lack of value, so that Liu Qutong was very satisfied, and he also specially introduced to Bosheng Huo Khan Fan Mancang, Wang Peiyu, Jin Yulan, Wang Tangfa and others, the big merchants from Hedong, these merchants originally smuggled weapons and grain from Hedong to Liu Qutong, it was these people who smelled the business opportunity, took the initiative to pay a lot of money, and facilitated the transaction between Liu Qutong and the Murbo people.

The steppe tribes have always been short of materials, and attach great importance to merchants, and Bo Shenghuo admires the culture of the Central Plains, so he treats these merchants with great courtesy, and promises that as long as he recruits envoys in the northwest, these caravans can walk through Mobei unimpeded, and ask these merchants to traffic more iron tools and craftsmen to Mobei.

"Do you see my warriors?" Bo Shenghuo happily toasted to the merchants.

"The warriors of the Great Khan can be described as strong and strong, better than the soldiers and horses of the Central Plains!" Fan Mancang praised without a word, this barbarian on the grassland is bold by nature and generous, which is the best.

"As long as my warriors have enough armor and weapons," Bo Sheng stroked his beard and patted the table, "No matter how much gold and jewelry you have, I will give it to you here!" He stood up and said loudly, "Come, I'll show you a place!" With that, he strode out of the tent.

The merchants looked at each other, and the Hu people invited each other, so they had to follow behind the Great Khan, and went straight to the bottom of the earthen altar more than two zhang high. With a smug look on his face, Bo Sheng pointed at Fan Mancang with his finger, and said in a deep voice: "You, go up with me and have a look." ”

Fan Mancang didn't dare to shirk it, and hurriedly said: "The villain obeys orders." He bowed his head and followed behind him, and went up the stairs of the earthen ramparts, and came to the top of the altar, and saw a spacious house, in which it was pitch black and nothing could be seen. Fan Mancang was puzzled and a little scared, but he didn't dare to show it at all, but he heard Bo Shenghuo shouting: "Bring the torch!" ”

The lighted torch was handed over, Bo Shenghuo took it, and unceremoniously stretched out into the room, suddenly, Fan Mancang only felt that his eyes were bright, the golden light was dazzling, he still didn't believe it, rubbed his eyes, looked at it again, and almost screamed in shock, the gold, silver and jewelry were piled up all over the room, shining in the light of the torches, which was mouth-watering.

Bo Shenghuo paid attention to Fan Mancang's expression, secretly calculated, and said in a deep voice: "Go in and have a look?" ”

"Yes, yes," Fan Mancang nodded and said, he actually forgot to push, and stepped into the house full of gold and silver bricks in one step, Bo Shenghuo smiled slightly, and followed in, deliberately shining a torch on all four walls, except for the place where the two of them stood, there were treasures on all sides, golden Buddhas, gold nuggets, and silver cups were piled together in a disorderly manner, and a large string of eastern pearls leaked out of the cracks in the gold and silver cabinets, and agate and gems were almost scattered all over the ground.

Fan Mancang's mind was almost filled with the wealth of the enemy country in front of him, and his brain could hardly think, if someone asked him at this time if he would like to die here, he would answer without hesitation: "Yes!" At this moment, the seductive voice of the Great Khan of Murb sounded in his ears again.

"I have horses, wool and mink, and innumerable gold and silver and jewelry, and I have iron, cloth, and grain, and all kinds of craftsmen. Immortal Heaven is above, and the goods are trafficked to me, and these can be taken as long as they are already! ”