The heavy snow on the Mongolian steppes arrived as predicted by Luo Jian and Li Dingguo, and this year's snow was the heaviest in several years, and the snow on the ground was already more than two feet deep.

Once there is such a heavy snow on the grassland, it is usually called the "white plague", Halbara is already very worried, the heavy snow covers all the grassland, and the livestock eat all the hay cut before the snow, but this hay can not last for a few days, once the livestock are starving to death, how will the rest of the days live?

When the Qing Emperor and the Empress Dowager moved to the grassland, they were in a hurry and did not move the Mongols in this area to the depths of the grassland, but later, after Prince Su led a large army, he began to ask the Mongols on the steppe to start moving to the depths of the steppe.

But Halbara felt that he had nothing to fear, he was over fifty years old, and he was afraid that he would have to see the "Immortal Heaven" in a few years, and where he died was not death, and then dragged his two old horses and broken canopies to the depths of the grassland, I was afraid that he would die on the road if he couldn't run anywhere.

There are still many Mongols like Halbara, and the grassland is so big, it is impossible for Prince Su's people to drive all the herdsmen on the grassland into the depths of the grassland, not to mention that there is a large army of the Wehrmacht chasing after him.

Harbara continued to graze his two old horses and a dozen sheep not far from the city of naturalization, if it weren't for the white plague, Harbara felt that he would have no problem surviving this winter, but how could the people on the grassland avoid the white plague that occurred once in two or three years?

Sitting alone in a dilapidated tent, Halbara was already dead, and he had already made a decision. Wait until a dozen of his own sheep and two old horses starved to death. I won't live anymore.

Halbara also had a family of her own. At that time, the two sons were also considered to be the top men in Mongolia, and when Halbara was preparing to ask for a daughter-in-law for his two sons, His Majesty the Emperor's conscription order arrived, and both sons were called to the Qing army.

Soon after, Halbara heard the news that her two sons had died in battle, and the old woman couldn't stand the blow and went crazy, and ran out on a snowy night like this year and froze to death, leaving Halbara to live alone.

It was getting dark, and Halbara sat alone in his tent. There was nothing to keep warm, so he had to wrap a few old sheepskins around his body, and just like that, Halbara was still shivering from the cold.

"Halbara, are you there?" There was a shout from outside the tent.

Halbara knew that it was Chagan calling him, Chagan was only in his thirties this year, and he had been in the army before, but because he was injured in the leg, he could not continue to stay in the army, so he returned home, and Chagan, who returned home, continued his herding career like Halbara. It's just that Chagan still has a family, and his son Narisong is only thirteen years old this year. Thanks to Chagan's help, Harbara has survived until now.

"What do you do? I'm here. Harbara replied weakly.

Chagan limped open the tattered tent and came in, and handed Harbara a leather bag, which he knew was bringing him mare's milk.

"Chagan, don't give me this old man in the future, you have a lot of family, and it's not easy for you." Halbara said gratefully.

"Alas, everyone is having a hard time, if we don't help each other, we Mongolians are about to become extinct." Chagan said with a sigh.

"Today I went out to find a place where I could graze, and I heard a piece of news, and I don't know if it's true or not, you are old and knowledgeable, do you think this is true or false?" Chagan saw that Halbara also bowed his head and sighed, and said to him again.

"What's the news?" Halbara asked.

"They say that the Han people have set up a lot of shops outside the city of Guihua to collect wool, and I have heard that many Mongolians have exchanged wool for grain and firewood from them. What can this wool be used for? Chagan said.

Halbara shook his head and said nothing, he had lived for more than fifty years, and he only knew that wool could be made into a felt on sheepskin to keep warm, and what was the use of wool alone.

Seeing that Halbara did not speak, and knowing that he could not speak clearly, Chagan shook his head and limped out of the broken tent again.

The north wind was still howling outside, and Halbara was frozen and shrunk into a ball, but he was thinking about what Chagan had just said, he was already a lonely old man, and he didn't have a few days to live, and he had to visit him tomorrow, if what Chagan said was true, it would give the herdsmen of the steppe a way to live.

With a full stomach full of thoughts, Halbara slowly fell asleep in the midst of hunger and cold.

Before dawn, Harbara was awakened by the cold, and could no longer sleep, and Harbara came out of the broken tent.

The valley was sheltered from the wind, and there were many tents next to the tents of Halbara, most of whom were herders like Halbara who had not been driven into the depths of the steppe by Prince Su.

Halbara went to the back of the tent where everyone had dumped their garbage, where he remembered everyone throwing away all the useless things, where he had seen a lot of wool.

Peeling away the thick snow, Halbara really turned out a large pile of wool from the mess, these are the sheep that everyone can't kill after the white plague, and the wool that fell is thrown here.

Halbara had been digging for a long time, and at last he had picked up a large pile, wrapped it in a piece of cloth, and tied it up, and brought his two old horses from the tent that had been erected in the distance, and it took him a long time to put the bundle of wool on the horse's back.

It was already dark, no one had gotten up, it was too cold, and there was no way to graze except for the cold, so everyone simply nested in their tents, and Halbara was busy for a long time, and no one knew.

Shaking his head, Harbara led the two horses and began to walk in the direction of Naturalization City.

The snow was so thick that it was a little difficult for the horse to walk on its own, and Halbara did not ride the horse, but led the horse deep and shallow.

Halbara had been walking for more than two hours, and although the sun had come out, the snow showed no signs of melting. It was still shivering. Halbara found a leeward place. Took out half a piece of hard gluttony and nibbled a few bites, looking at the already small gluttony, Harbara ate a few bites and stopped, this is his ration for the day today, if he eats all in the morning, he will have to starve today.

Halbara took hay from the old horse's back and fed it to the two old horses, and then led them on their way.

As soon as he reached the mouth of a valley, Halbara saw in the distance that there were many flags fluttering in the valley ahead. This made Halbara a little afraid, where there are flags flying, there are generally armies, whether it is the Manchu army or the Mongol army, Halbara is afraid, as for the Wehrmacht Halbara has only heard of it, but has not seen it.

Frightened, Halbara began to want to turn around and find a new way to the city of naturalization, but just as he had turned his two horses around, he heard a Mongolian voice shouting "uncle" behind him, which made him look back and look back.

A young man came running from the valley, still shouting. Listening to the familiar Mongolian language, Halbara did not run anymore. The ground is covered with snow, and I can't run even if I want to.

"Uncle, did you go to Naturalization City to exchange wool? You can change it here. The young man stepped forward and enthusiastically led a horse for Halbara, and said to him.

Halbara did not speak, but silently followed the young man and walked forward mechanically.

There were several big yurts in front, and if it weren't for the rows of Han soldiers standing around the yurts, Halbara would have thought that he had met a Mongolian prince.

"Uncle, it's cold, go in and warm up." The young man smiled and greeted the soldiers standing outside the yurt, led the two horses to the yurt, tied them, and removed the bundle of wool from the horses, and then beckoned Harbara to go into the yurt.

Seeing the luxurious yurt, Halbara was a little hesitant, such a good yurt, even if he had encountered it before, he would never dare to go inside.

"Uncle, let's go." The young man stepped forward and gently pulled Harbara, and Harbara followed the young man into the yurt.

"Uncle, you bake the fire here, warm and warm, I'll help you weigh the wool." The young man led Halbara to the stove, where several Mongols like Halbara were sitting by the stove and roasting the fire.

I don't know what was roasting on the stove, and it was emitting a lovely aroma, and Halbara swallowed hard, feeling even hungrier.

Halbara sat down on a wooden bench, not daring to look at what was baking on the stove, and turned her gaze to the young man who had just brought him in.

The young man took the wool that Halbara had brought and walked towards some of the men with the scales, and soon he finished weighing the wool, and Halbara did not know how much it was.

Despite facing away from the stove, the scent of the yurt wafted over it, and Halbara felt even hungrier and quietly looked back at what was baking on the stove.

At this time, the curtain of the yurt was lifted again, and a very handsome Han man came in, this Han man was really tall, but he was wearing Mongolian clothes, I don't know who it was.

The Han people who came in saw several young Mongolians sitting in front of the stove, and none of them touched the sweet potatoes roasted on the stove, and asked a little strangely: "Rising sun, why don't you invite everyone to eat sweet potatoes?" On such a cold day, it's warmer to eat something. ”

"Uncle, these sweet potatoes are roasted for you, eat them quickly." The Han man who had just come in didn't understand what Halbara was saying, but he picked up the things baked on the stove with a pair of tongs and handed them over, but Halbara understood what he meant, and he was inviting everyone to eat.

Halbara, who was already hungry, looked at the Han man in front of him, and saw that he had a kind smile on his face, and there was no malice at all, so he couldn't help the charming fragrance, and Harbara took the sweet potato handed over by the Han people.

"Eat slowly, don't burn it." The Han man continued to speak, and this time the young man who had just weighed wool came over and translated what the Han man said into Mongolian, and Halbara understood this time.

Halbara didn't care so much anymore, so he stuffed the piping hot sweet potato into his mouth, and although it was so hot that he inhaled the cold air, the sweet taste had already entered Halbara's internal organs.

The Mongolian sitting next to him saw that Halbara had eaten it, and he also had the courage to pick up a sweet potato from the stove and eat it carefully, while the tall Han man looked at it with a smile on his face.

A huge sweet potato was eaten, and Harbara felt warm all over his body, and then he remembered that he had not thanked others for giving him food, and he stood up and was about to kneel down to the Han people in front of him, but was supported by the Han people.

"Uncle, don't be like this, we are all a family, and you won't have to kneel down to people in the future!" The tall man said with a smile, and the young man came over and quickly translated the words into Mongolian. (To be continued.) )