The spring rain in Wuhuan Mountain came later than in Guanzhong. Due to its proximity to Yanbei, the Wuhuan people were able to obtain all kinds of agricultural tools from the Han people in the Central Plains from time to time, and gradually engaged in agriculture.

Compared with the Han people, who have developed farming technology, the agriculture of the Wuhuan people is still relatively extensive. They can only divide the year into four solar terms according to the season when birds and beasts are pregnant and breastfeeding. Whenever the cuckoo chirps, farming begins.

Zhang Qian, as the deputy envoy of the Han court to Wuhuan this time, deliberately probed along the way, and then learned a little more about the Wuhuan people. He maliciously wondered more than once, if all the cuckoos around Wuhuan Mountain were poisoned, would the Wuhuan people miss the spring ploughing.

In fact, the climate of Wuhuan Mountain is dry and cold, and there are not many agricultural materials that can really be planted, only Qinglu and the east wall. The east wall looks like fluffy grass, but it actually belongs to a crop such as sunflower seeds, which ripens in October.

The agricultural products grown by the Wuhuan people themselves are not used as staple food, but as liquor. Of course, Wuhuan liquor is not the same as the liquor of later generations, but is similar to liquor, with a very low alcohol content. The main reason is that the brewing process of the Wuhuan people is extremely rough, and the Han people often ridicule the Wuhuan people for "knowing koji tillers", which means that they can't even ferment the lees.

The reason why it is called liquor is compared to the low-alcohol original liquor - rice wine, which is made from glutinous rice and millet rice and other grains as raw materials, through cooking, saccharification and fermentation, and pressing. In the early Han Dynasty, the alcohol content of Central Plains rice wine was generally between 12 and 18 percent, and most varieties were yellow or yellow-medium reddish, hence the name rice wine.

Compared with Wuhuan liquor, rice wine can be called a "spirit" and is very sought after by Wuhuan nobles. It's a pity that since the Han Dynasty opened the border ban, the Wuhuan nobles can only drink the same light liquor as ordinary people, which makes the nobles who are addicted to alcohol feel that the cold season is more and more difficult.

In order to do what he liked, Han Ting's envoy to Wuhuan this time pulled more than 100 carts of rice wine alone. The Wuhuan envoy, who led the Han mission, looked at the mighty convoy behind him and sighed slightly in his heart.

He waited in Yunzhong City for more than half a month, and was only then told by Yunzhong Taishouzhi that the delegation sent by the Han Emperor had arrived in Yunzhong, and he could follow him to Wuhuan Mountain to negotiate the annexation matters. The Wuhuan envoy was somewhat unhappy in his heart, and felt that he had been despised by him. He thought that he could at least go to Chang'an City to meet the emperor of the Han State, and he could ask for more benefits for the Wuhuan nobles, and he would be able to make friends after he returned.

Fortunately, the emperor of the Han Kingdom rewarded more than 100 carts of rice wine, as well as a lot of exquisite ceramic utensils and sugar products, which are some highly sought after good things in Wuhuan. The Wuhuan envoy could only silently pray that the adults in the clan would be happy and forget to investigate him for failing to complete his mission.

Song Yuan, the Han envoy who presided over the festival, was originally a Zhililang under the Daxing Order, and was proficient in a variety of northern nomadic languages, but he was never allowed to reuse them. It's just because he has a lot of criticism of what Dou Jun did and disdains to be in the same stream. This time, the emperor secretly summoned him to the palace, gave him a good time, and ordered him to send an envoy to Wuhuan, and finally got the opportunity to display his talents, which really made him excited.

He was extremely satisfied with the accompanying deputy envoy Zhang Qian. This young man's ambitious prince's henchman has no domineering, let alone domineering and domineering, but often deliberately gets close to him and asks for some Wuhuan language and customs.

After half a month's trek, the Han court mission finally came to the settlement of the Wuhuan tribes. It was late spring, and the pastures on the savannah were already thriving, and as far as the eye could see, the vast green fields and the clear blue sky were connected at the end, and the Wuhuan Mountains were like dark blades, cutting off the Guilari River, which was trying to stretch to the horizon.

In front of the valley in the distance, the lords and little marshals of the Wuhuan tribe who had already been summoned all led the crowd to greet them.

Looking at the crowd, Han envoy Song Yuan was secretly happy in his heart, but his face was silent. He held high the talisman representing the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty and led the delegation slowly forward.

In accordance with the customs of the grassland, the Wuhuan nobles knelt down on one knee to welcome the arrival of the strong.

The white-haired old man said in stiff Chinese: "The twenty-six departments of the Bo Xi Department of Kudu Dai Wuhuan welcome the envoys of the Han State. ”

Song Yuan was very satisfied with the humble attitude of the Wuhuan nobles, he nodded, grabbed the reins, looked down at the people under the horse, and said loudly: "Since you have the heart to belong to the Han Dynasty, we will also be regarded as ministers of the same hall in the future, and there is no need to be polite." I also ask Lord Kudu to summon all the adults to the big tent, and the Son of Heaven has an edict to be issued! ”

Suddenly, he hurriedly agreed, he turned his head and muttered a few words to the Wuhuan nobles behind him, and then arranged for people to settle the Han delegation, and personally led Song Yuan and the deputy envoy Zhang Qian to his big tent. The rest of the lords followed them and entered the tent.

The Bo Xi tribe is the most powerful tribe in Wuhuan, even if it is not counting slaves, there are seventy or eighty thousand Wuhuan people. For the Wuhuan tribe, with a total population of only more than 500,000, the Bo Xi tribe was really a well-deserved leader, so they did not have the slightest objection to Kudu coming forward to welcome the Han envoys on behalf of the tribes.

Song Yuan also had a good understanding of the affairs within the Wuhuan clan, and only when the Wuhuan tribes knelt down to greet him, he showed the necessary high posture to show the authority of the Han Dynasty. Ever since he dismounted, he had a pleasant conversation with Kudu. When everyone entered the big tent, the two of them already felt a little familiar.

When all the lords of Wuhuan entered the big tent, they suddenly gave a few orders in Wuhuan language, to the effect that everyone knelt on the ground and listened to the Han envoy read out the will of the Han emperor. Song Yuan, who could understand Wuhuan language, smiled slightly, and suddenly he would understand the etiquette of the Han people in advance, and maybe he did have the sincerity to return.

The lords of the Wuhuan tribe knelt on the ground one after another, and a few of them showed unwillingness, but under the vicious gaze of Kudu, they had to do what they said. Zhang Qian, who watched coldly, silently wrote down the faces of these people and listed them as the objects that need to be guarded against in the future.

Suddenly, seeing that everyone was already kneeling, he also turned to face Song Yuan and knelt on the ground. Song Yuan immediately took out the holy decree from his bosom and read it aloud.

Considering the comprehension ability of the Wuhuan nobles and the bold surname, Emperor Jing's will was written very simply and directly.

First of all, all the adults of the Wuhuan department are marquis, and the little marshals are all captains. Of course, they are still called lords and marshals in their own nation, and the titles given by the imperial court are parallel to the original titles. Both the adults and the little marshals are selected by the Wuhuan people, and when they need to be canonized, as long as they send someone to report to the imperial court, they will definitely approve it as soon as possible.

Secondly, the Wuhuan nobles and their families who had been canonized were allowed to join the Han nationality, and those who intended to live in Chang'an were given mansions and fields, as well as a large number of rewards for expenses. The children of the nobility can enter the court to study, be included in the scholar clan, and obtain official status in the future.

Thirdly, Wuhuan was listed as a subject state of the Han Dynasty, and every year it was necessary to send envoys to the court to pay tribute, without the slightest delay. The Han Dynasty had the obligation to shield the Wuhuan from the oppression of foreign races; As subordinates, the Wuhuan departments must not violate the edict of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty in the slightest, and if necessary, they need to send troops to fight with the Han army.

Eventually, the Han Dynasty opened the Great Wall Pass to the Wuhuan tribes at the Great Wall Pass guarded by Shanggu and Youbeiping counties, allowing them to exchange slaves and livestock for large quantities of fine wine, ceramics, sugar products, and even grain, grass, and weapons.

After Song Yuan finished reading out, everyone in the tent was full of surprise except for Kudu and a few people, and the rest of the leaders of the departments did not react. Seeing that Song Yuan's face was a little ugly, Su Du immediately reacted and hurriedly explained: "Don't blame the envoys, they can't understand Chinese......

When Song Yuan heard this, he couldn't help but laugh dumbly. Obviously, except for Hudu, there are probably very few Wuhuan nobles who have learned Chinese. He had the intention to hand over the edict to Kudu to interpret on his behalf, but after thinking about it, according to Kudu's Chinese level, he was probably illiterate. Song Yuan had no choice but to hold the edict and read it out again in Wuhuan language.

After the reading was completed this time, the entire big tent suddenly became lively, and the Wuhuan leaders all cheered.

Most of the nobles didn't pay much attention to the first two items of the edict. The official positions of the Han Dynasty were not attractive to them. As for moving to Chang'an, there is no interest. The golden nest and the silver nest are not as good as their own kennels, although they often hear people talk about the prosperity of Chang'an, but they still prefer to stay in Wuhuan Mountain, and their homeland is difficult to leave.

What really excites them is the latter two.

Hunting plays an important role in the life of the Wuhuan people. Among the beasts, tigers, leopards, and mink skins were important items for paying contributions to the Xiongnu and trading with Hanguan City. Now it is used to pay tribute to the emperor of the Han State, in exchange for shade, it is really cost-effective. As for sending troops to fight with the Han army, they have no doubt. Anyway, now they are cornered by the Huns, so they naturally want to belong to the Han Dynasty.

In the prairie where the weak eat the strong, it is natural to obey the strong, and in the past, the Huns did not recruit the Wuhuan people to conquer the Quartet for them. To be honest, if it weren't for the Huns being too brutal and harsh, the Wuhuan tribe would not dare to rise up to the idea of rebellion until now.

Since the Xiongnu defeated Donghu, Wuhuan was alone, so the service belonged to the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu levied livestock and leather from Wuhuan every year, and if they did not pay it on time, they confiscated their wives as slaves. For nearly 100 years, the Wuhuan people have endured. But the rabbit will bite when it is urgent, and last winter the Huns wantonly burned, killed and plundered, and countless Wuhuan people starved to death and froze to death. Faced with the prospect of extermination, the Wuhuan people naturally couldn't bear it, and it was inevitable to rise up and fight.

Now as long as the Great Han is willing to send troops to attack the Huns, Wuhuan will definitely respond with the clan, and there is no need for the Han Emperor to force the edict to supervise.

The last item made the Wuhuan nobles happy, not to mention that fine wine and exquisite utensils have always been sought after by them. The main reason is that the Han opened the market, and even promised to exchange it for grain, grass and weapons, which is what they attach the most importance to.

When it comes to archery and horse archery, Wuhuan cavalry does not have to be half a point worse than the Hun iron cavalry. However, the nomads were not good at smelting, and the Huns were able to plunder metals and weapons from the Western Regions or their affiliated tribes, while the Wuhuan people could only occasionally obtain a small amount of metal products from the merchants at a high price. In comparison, the high and low are immediately apparent, which is also the main reason why the Wuhuan tribe has silently endured the brutal rule of the Huns in the past hundred years.

Wuhuan Mountain is close to the Great Wall of Yanbei, from the Great Wall Pass under the jurisdiction of Shanggu and Youbeiping, to the gathering place of Wuhuan tribes, but it is only a few miles away. As long as the Han State was willing to open the market and exchange grain, grass and weapons for slaves and livestock, the Wuhuan troops would be able to organize more than 100,000 elite cavalry in a short time. Even if he couldn't sweep the left part of the Xiongnu, he could fight against the iron cavalry under the command of the Xiongnu Zuoxian King, so that he didn't dare to enter the Wuhuan Mountains for half a step.

Zhang Qian looked at the leaders of the Wuhuan who were flushed with excitement with an expressionless face, and he was joking in his heart. Since the heavy blow to the princes of the Central Plains, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has expanded the scale of new smelting workshops. High-quality coal (coal) from Taiyuan County and Liangguo was continuously transported to Chang'an, and pig iron produced in various parts of the Han Dynasty, especially in Bashu County, was also purchased and recast.

Now the armaments of the Tiger Ben and the middle base elite cavalry have been replaced, and the northern and southern armies guarding Chang'an are about to begin to replace their weapons. A large number of discarded weapons were replaced, except for a few sharp weapons such as crossbows that needed to be destroyed, and most of them would be transported to the border counties to exchange slaves and livestock from slave catchers.

In Zhang Qian's eyes, the Wuhuan Zhubu is the so-called stupidity of His Royal Highness the Prince. It is really interesting to exchange a large number of slaves and livestock for the waste weapons of the Han army, and then fight against the Xiongnu for the Han Dynasty, plunder more slaves and livestock, and exchange for more waste weapons. (To be continued.) )