To the north of Yunzhou, along the main tributaries of the upper reaches of the Sanggan River, such as the Muddy Water (Yuhe) Valley, is an ancient trade route, and there is no problem at all with the passage of carriages and horses. The avenue was trampled and crushed by cars and horses, and it was quite strong and flat, but it was not difficult to walk. Safety first, Li Qi took a thousand cavalry guards out of the house, this road is mighty, where are there horse thieves who dare to approach, even some small nomadic tribes are frightened when they see this momentum.

March was not a good time to march, as the snow had just melted on the steppes, much of the ground was still wet, and horse-drawn carriages were walking on the trade roads outside the jam, sometimes with the need to rebuild the roads.

There was a huge red flag on the head car, the Jin army was still black, and most of the black flags were originally used, but somehow, after Li Qi ascended the throne, he always insisted on using the red flag used by the general rear army, and it was very stubborn.

Li Qi wore a big red cloak with a red horse, and a spear hung on the side of the saddle of the red horse, and slowly set off under the support of the cavalry guards.

It is not comfortable to march on horseback, especially on long marches, and sometimes it is not yet easy to walk. If he wants to establish his prestige in the army, he can't get in a car even if he grits his teeth.

Soon, more than 60 large and small vehicles and 1,000 cavalry escorts dragged out a procession three or four miles long on this ancient tea and horse trade route. The guide coachman at the front flicked his long whip, and the tall four-wheeled carriages unique to the Li family slowly moved forward in front, one after another, followed by two-wheeled carriages of various sizes.

Li Qi's goal this time was not far away, that is, Fengzhen City in the future, and he needed to establish his first commercial base in the Northland Grassland. This distance is more than 120 miles from Yunzhou, and if you run at high speed in later generations, it will be more than half an hour's drive. But now, the caravan of horses and carriages had to travel for nearly two days.

The convoy looked like a long, winding snake as it sailed north along a valley like muddy waters.

The green grass on both sides of the muddy water in spring, and the jungle on both sides of the river valley are like a green streamer, which is in stark contrast to the barren northland mountains without any trees on either side. The convoy walked all day along the trade route, and at dusk it crossed a vast grassland wetland to the foot of a mountain. The mountains are rocky, and the appearance is very much like an eight-sided war hammer.

This mountain is called Baleng Mountain.

Li Qi knew that under this mountain in the later Ming Dynasty, there was a huge and strong border military fortress, known as the Victory Fort, which was one of the nine important towns belonging to the Ming Dynasty.

An old trade route, flanked by endless green on both sides of the valley, stretches along the mountains to the northern heath. There are no trees on the rugged hills of the Northland, but now the slopes are covered with a faint layer of green, and they look full of life. This trade road on the grassland is dusty, and the hoof prints of cattle and horses can be seen everywhere.

Xiongguan Mandao, this word is the most appropriate to describe the victory fort city in the previous life, here at the foot of the Baleng Mountain to the confluence of two rivers, but also to the northern grassland Baishui Luocheng and Jining City pass road. It's a pity that there are still barren mountains and wilderness here, and there are some traces of ruins left by some Han Dynasty forts.

"In a little more than a month, the pastures and woods here will all turn green, and then the mountains will be covered with green colors, which will look magnificent." After arriving on the grassland, An Jinquan was the guide sent by the emperor, Cao, and talked more, and it seemed that he had read some books.

Li Qi waved his hand, and the convoy stopped at the foot of Baling Mountain.

In spring, when the ice and snow have just melted and the river is flooding, the turbid river water passes through the grassland swamps and gathers together, forming streams and pools of water, which merge into the muddy water.

On the flat grassland at the foot of Baleng Mountain, the winding Ganquan River joins the Yinma River here, forming a large green grassland wetland, but now, there is no majestic Guancheng in the Ming Dynasty.

"Draw this place, mark it, and a fort will be built here." Li Qi said to the entourage who were drawing maps. He was not interested in building the Great Wall, but he was full of expectations for the construction of a military city.

A strong military city is the solid cornerstone of the Central Plains people when they march towards the grassland.

In this way, he hopes to achieve his goal of controlling the grassland. As for the final effect...... Who knows! I'll have to try it.

Climbing the Baling Mountain, overlooking both sides, the northern wilderness is becoming more and more barren, and even the green has become very sparse.

On the top of the mountain, there is also an ancient Han Dynasty Fengsui ruins, which have long been dilapidated, leaving only a few ruins more than half a person high, and a bluestone foundation.

Getting the tribal leaders of the steppes accustomed to living in fortified castles, and changing from nomadic to sedentary, is the right way to completely change and control the steppe.

The farming civilization of the Han family is much more advanced than that of the grassland civilization, and it is believed that as long as the exchanges increase, the grassland people will slowly learn the way of life of the Han family.

This place was built during the Han Dynasty, and now only some traces of broken earthen forts remain. Although the Sui and Tang Empires have always been threatened by the northern frontier, perhaps because they still have the barbarian blood of their Xianbei ancestors from the grasslands in their blood, they disdain the construction of the Great Wall, which is a futile passive defense method.

Dealing with unconvinced grassland people, Li Tang's habit is to take the initiative to find the door to fight, rather than waiting for others to arrive at their own door and then passively respond. After arriving in the Middle Tang Dynasty, this method does not seem to have good results. The north of the Tang Dynasty has almost become the world of the grassland people. It's just that although these grassland tribes who have taken refuge in the Tang Dynasty have been self-respecting in their reinforcements, they have always been loyal to the Tang Dynasty court, and have no ambitions, and have saved the Tang Dynasty from the brink of danger several times.

And the Tang court's most direct reward for these generals who were born in the grassland tribe and made great contributions was to give the surname Li. For example, Li Guangbi, who is as famous as Guo Ziyi, was born in Khitan, Li Sheng, who is known as the first general of Zhongxing in the Tang Dynasty, was born in the Tuyuhun tribe of Taozhou, and Li Wei is a Goguryeo. Li Qi's grandfather was a native of Shatuo, the Western Turks, whose real name was Zhu Xie Chixin, and was given the name Li Guochang because of the Pingpang Rebellion. In addition, there is Tuoba Sigong, who was given the surname Li because of the merit of the Huangchao Rebellion, and Li became a big surname among the eight surnames of the Qiang Department of the Party Xiang, and his descendant Li Yuanhao established a Gaobai Daxia State in Hetao.

Li Qi did not understand why the emperors of the Ming Dynasty did not hesitate to build a world-famous border wall along the northern border. With this financial resources, it is better to take the initiative and completely eliminate the disaster on the grassland......

Now, he is preparing to build a Guancheng at the address of the Ming Dynasty's Guancheng, which is just a castle. As for the construction of the Great Wall, first, I don't have the financial resources and I don't have the interest.

His plan was to build three forts along the Rumudshui River this year, both for trading and for garrison reclamation.