Chapter 3: The Wilderness (6b)

In the second half of the banquet, the relationship between the guests and the host suddenly became very close. Several elders who were over half a hundred years old actually poured wine on each other while climbing the relationship between relatives. The tribes were not far apart, and they all belonged to the descendants of the white swans, and they have been intermarrying with each other for hundreds of years. The blood relationship between the elders is naturally involved!

After a while, the uncle hugged his nephew, and after a while, the uncle saw his nephew, and the more he drank the relationship, he said that he was warm. It was not until the second half of the night that the VIPs had their full enjoyment. What surprised Li Xu was that after drinking so much wine, they actually remembered to arrange for hunting together after the snow fell. And they promised that all the ministries would send the youngest and most skilled bows and arrows to come to the Susi Department to listen to the unified dispatch of Xi'er.

"Do you need so many people to hunt in the winter?" After listening to Tao Kuo's translation, Li Xu asked with some puzzlement. When he was in the Central Plains, he also followed the adults up the mountain several times, and each time he dispatched seven or eight people, it was already considered a rejuvenation. Compared to the number of people promised by the tribes just now, it was like a child's mud bowl, and it couldn't be put on the table at all.

"Hunting is not simply shooting. In winter, the yellow sheep runs slowly, and it can be surrounded by all sides, and it can be connected to the end of the nest. At most once, our tribe once fought more than 2,000 of them. Aslan's wife was the son he gave birth to that year! "Tao Kuo's yawning posture also looks beautiful. Why so many people hunt together, she actually doesn't understand. But in front of Li Xu, the girl always wants to be smart and wise, so as not to look down on this Central Plains man.

"Hmm!" Li Xu responded confusedly. What is the inevitable connection between Ah Silan's wife giving birth to a son and beating a few more yellow sheep, he really can't understand. But since Tao Kuo explained so, he had no choice but to listen to it.

"Hunting, are you going?" Tao Kuo saw that there was no longer any topic worth translating before the banquet, so he asked boringly.

"I, I want to go, but I'm afraid everyone won't want to take me!" Li Xu's face began to turn red again, and he said curtly.

"The legs are on your own, and you won't follow yourself. Besides, you don't know how to ride a horse or shoot an arrow! Tao Kuo frowned slightly, his eyes widened in criticism.

"I, I can't shoot! Usually, I usually read, and rarely shoot arrows on horseback! Li Xu was stunned by the girl's glare, and muttered an explanation.

"Teach you Aslan, he's the best archer in our tribe! I once shot down a low-flying geese! Seeing Li Xu's blushing face, the girl hurriedly smiled and comforted.

She was kind-hearted, but it aroused the arrogance in Li Xu's heart. An inexplicable anger suddenly surged into his heart, burning Li Xu as if he wanted to fight with someone. With a snort in his nose, he sneered: "What's so great about shooting geese, it's just familiar." I haven't practiced arrows, so I can't shoot accurately. If you practice every day, you might even shoot down the eagle owl! ”

"Is that just you?" The girl's eyes widened and she asked with a smile in her eyes. The eagle owl is the king of the sky, and although its wings are seven feet wide, when it flies in the air, it looks the size of a wine bowl from the ground. At such a height, not only could the bow and arrow not reach, but even the strong crossbow in the tribe to defend against the enemy's attack would fall off by itself halfway through.

Where did Li Xu know the legendary Condor Hero, in fact, it was just an exaggeration. Unless the eagle happened to swoop down and attack its prey, with the speed and altitude of its flight, even if the ancient adoptive uncle was reborn, he would only sigh at the air. Seeing that the girl's face was full of disbelief, she swore in a low voice: "You wait, one day I will shoot a carving with my own hands and give it to you!" ”

"Why did you give it to me?" The girl's cheeks suddenly dizzled, and she no longer laughed at Li Xu's bragging, but cared about the fact that it was impossible to get a gift.

yes, why? Li Xu also wondered why he thought of giving people gifts for no reason. Effort frowned, and finally came up with an answer. "This, I'll give it to you, anyway, that thing may not be delicious, and it can't be brought back to the Central Plains!"

"You!" The shyness on the girl's face instantly turned into annoyance, and while people were not paying attention, she stretched out her hand and pinched Li Xu fiercely. Then she turned around and refused to speak to him again.

Li Xu was pinched and grinned, but he didn't dare to scream. I had to blush, drink over and over again, and scolded in my stomach: "The uneducated Hu man has such strength in his hands, hey-hiss! ”

This time it was Xu Dayan who pinched him, and Li Xu was pinched to turn his mind, only to find that the banquet was nearing the end, and the elders who had finished their relatives were thanking the host.

Raising the wine bowl in a daze, drinking the last bowl of wine of the night with Su Sisier in a daze, and listening to the many words of praise with gratitude from the tribal elder Eto, Li Xu dragged his tired body out of the big tent. By the moonlight, he saw that Uncle Jiu's face was gloomy, and he wanted to explain to the other party why he had to stay on the grassland, but the opportunity was snatched away by Uncle Zhang. After Zhang Laosan, who had never been virtuous in drinking, got on the horse, he immediately lay on the saddle and was unconscious. In a panic, Li Xu had to jump off his mount, took the reins of Uncle Zhang's horse with one hand, and pulled his own livestock with the other, and slowly advanced towards the camp of the traders.

"Alas!" Sun Jiu saw that the young man was still as enthusiastic and kind as before, and he couldn't say anything when he was full of complaints. sighed, patted Li Xu on the shoulder and said, "I originally promised your father to take you to the grassland to avoid military service, alas, some things may be fate, and you can't hide from it!" You don't want to eat the military rations of the Great Sui Dynasty, but the mutton of the Su Si Department is not all given away in vain! ”

"What's going on? Ninth Uncle, is it rare for Su Si to fight? Li Xu slowed down and asked blankly.

The night wind on the grassland was very strong, blowing the clouds in the air quickly. Under the cloudy and uncertain moonlight, Uncle Jiu's face also fluctuated like clouds in the sky. After a long while, the old man's face gradually became clearer, he sighed, and asked faintly: "Xuzi, didn't you hear them open and close their mouths and never leave the Xi clan!" ”

"I only understood a few words. Xi people, Suotou water, ducks or something, it seems that they didn't drink very pleasantly at first, but then they climbed up relatives again! Li Xu admitted with some embarrassment. His Turkic language was not too bad, but the Turkic spoken by Minister Xi had a strong native accent, which made him really unable to understand it.

"No wonder, you're still young after all, and you don't know the routines at the banquet!" Sun Jiu shook his head and said. "You actually did Su Si Si Si a big favor tonight, if you didn't agree to stay at that time, I'm afraid the ministers and elders wouldn't suddenly be so enthusiastic about Su Si Clan! Hey, maybe it's all fate, it's a predestined thing, and people can't change it if they want to! ”

Li Xu was even more confused when he heard it, and deduced from Uncle Jiu's words that the reason why the Good Heart Xia Clan was facing the war had a great connection with him. At the banquet, he hardly said a word to the other people of the Xia tribe, except for the request to the Patriarch of Si'er to stay in the Susi Department for a period of time, as he had discussed with Uncle Nine in advance. Could it be that he is really burdened with some kind of fate, and a casual request can break the equilibrium on the grassland?

"The silver wolf is a sacred object recognized by many tribes, and these elders can give Su Si a lot of face, and Ganluo has a lot to do with it!" I couldn't bear to see my companion thinking too hard, so Xu Dayan explained to Li Xu in a low voice. "The Xi people, who lived on the banks of the Suotou River, were threatened by the Turks and had to migrate to the vicinity. And their arrival threatens the safety of the tribes of the Mist tribe. Su Sixir wanted to take the opportunity of this gathering to reach an agreement with several tribes and join forces to expel the Suotou Xi tribe. But his prestige is not enough, and the ministers and elders are not willing to take risks with him! ”

Xu Dayan didn't understand a word of Turkic dialect, but after analyzing the causes and consequences, Uncle Jiu, an old Jianghu who was more proficient in Turkic language, nodded frequently. Looking at Li Xu, who was thoughtful, he continued: "Although the various tribes of the Xia tribe are attached to the Turks, they have their own khans. Without the Khan's consent, the ministries followed Susir and sent troops, which meant openly challenging the Khan's authority. Even if you win a battle, you will be rebuked! ”

"But in the end, they all agreed to send troops, so they sent the young and strong people of the clan to Su Si to practice tactics in the name of hunting!" Li Xu finally understood a little, combined with the little news he heard from Tao Kuo's mouth, and concluded.

"The method of hunting is originally a secret combination of cavalry cooperation." Uncle Nine followed up and continued to shake his head, as if he was dizzy after drinking too much. "They didn't want to agree, so Elder Miye took your words and asked you when you would return to the Central Plains. By implying that Ganro does not belong to the Susibu and will not bring them good luck forever. And you child, alas! Not only did he say that he would stay here for the winter, but he also promised that in the future, if Ganluo was willing, he would give it to Su Sibu forever! The Hu people believe that these strange powers are chaotic, and with the protection of the silver wolf, their courage grows....."

So that's the case, Li Xu whipped himself fiercely with the reins of the horse. He finally understood what was going on, and his vague words actually made a Mabu Alliance. What is infuriating is that from Susisir to Namiye, everyone thinks of themselves as fools. And he was so stupid that he didn't hesitate to make a wedding dress for someone.

"You don't have to worry, we originally planned to stay here, and we didn't fall for others!" Xu Da saw Li Xu's face full of anger, and persuaded in a low voice.

"You kid is bad, watching Xuzi fall for someone else's job, and deliberately not reminding him!" Uncle Nine raised his hand and knocked a chisel on Xu Dayan's head, and scolded angrily. "Isn't this wishful thinking, the people are fighting, you just came up with an idea behind your back, and practiced the art of war you learned with their lives. If Xuzi has three long and two short, ....."

"Ninth Uncle, Ninth Uncle!" Xu Da saw that Sun Jiu pointed the finger at him, and he was so frightened that he made a few gestures, and explained with a smile: "How can there be risks? I can guarantee that even if their elder is killed, the people will not dare to let Brother Zhongjian be touched by a cold hair. You always think about it, without Zhong Jian, who will take care of Ganluo for them! ”

"That's just as well!" Sun Jiu thought about it, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided. If the war between the tribes does not threaten Li Xu's safety, he doesn't have to be so anxious, anyway, the conflicts on the grassland continue every year, and when they stop next year, he will take Xuzi away.

Thinking of this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief and whispered: "Mao Gong, you are older than Xuzi and have more knowledge, remember to take care of him more." After all, you are all from the Central Plains, and you came together to Saiwai! ”

Suddenly, listening to the old man call his own words, Xu Dayan was extremely uncomfortable. Looking up at Sun Jiu's face full of concern, he said movingly: "Uncle Jiu, Zhong Jian has a life-saving grace for me, although Xu doesn't mention it, he is not ungrateful!" You can rest assured, our two brothers will be waiting for you next time you come to sell goods. Besides, in this battle, the alliance will undoubtedly win! ”

"You're smart!" Sun Jiu scolded with a low laugh, turned around, and began to tell Li Xu to take care of each other with Xu Dayan, brothers of the same heart, and don't let Saiwai Hu'er see the jokes of the Central Plains. There are all kinds of dutiful, more dutiful than a father.

On the way here, the vendors were all cold-hearted, and only Sun Jiu always protected the two teenagers as his own children. Although the young man didn't say any kind words, his gratitude to Sun Jiu was engraved in his heart. The parting is imminent, and there is a bit of reluctance in the hearts of both the old and the old. told each other about the precautions for the future, and it was not until they entered the camp that they reluctantly went to rest separately.

The next day, the traders began to systematically exchange their goods for livestock from the Xia. It is rare to make a huge profit, and all the traders try to choose small and tall horses, in order to sell the horses at a good price after returning to the Central Plains. However, Li Xu followed Xu Dayan's advice and chose two horses with strong skeletons but unable to run at speed, and planned to pull leather goods for him and return to his hometown.

The vendors kindly reminded him that it would not be easy for the pony to strike in the future. Xu Dayan smiled and prevaricated on the grounds that the horse could carry more goods. After the news spread that the Han people were really good and did not pick fat and thin, the people believed in the credibility of Xu and Li more, and they were more happy when trading with the two of them. Around the time of Si, Eru and Tao Kuo pulled a bunch of daughters from the elders of various clans to come to cut Shu brocade. So before noon, the goods in the hands of Li Xu and Xu Dayan were sold cleanly.

The two brothers collected the stall and went to Sun Jiu to help, and Tao Kuo took off Si Eru naturally followed him to join in the fun. A few handsome young people look pleasing to the eye, and naturally attract more customers. It didn't take long for Sun Jiu's cargo bag to be emptied. The old man was very happy to clean up the stall, but he refused to leave first, but instead pulled the two teenagers to help Wang Mazi, Du Scar and others.

"They have no conscience, and they help in vain!" Li Xu muttered reluctantly in his heart. Uncle Nine saw through his thoughts, patted him on the shoulder, and pointed in a low voice: "In the next twenty years, I will see that the son will respect the father." If you help them, they will naturally remember your father's favor. You've grown up, and you can't just think about yourself. Who doesn't have a home behind them? ”

"Hmm!" Li Xu gratefully agreed, and slowly walked to Du Scar's stall. The scar on the other party's face still made him uncomfortable, but the sense of responsibility in his heart forced him to smile as much as possible.

The goods brought by Du Scar are both numerous and miscellaneous, so it is the slowest to get rid of. By the time the last of the shepherds who might have bought the goods turned away, the other vendors had already closed their stalls. Although Du Scar's flesh was painful, he had to transfer the goods to Li Xu and Xu Dayan at the price agreed in advance. Afraid that the two teenagers would make it difficult for him, he said all the New Year's greetings at the time of delivery, the left sentence of the Bodhisattva's heart, and the right sentence of the lucky star, coaxed the two teenagers to get goosebumps. It wasn't until Xu Dayan counted out the meat from the money bag on the horse's back that Du Scaryu put away the smiling face that he had been salivating and counted the copper coins seriously.

"Xu Qi, Uncle Scar has a bad temper, but he didn't mean to rush you. What offends on the road....." Du Scarqi collected the copper coins while tentatively expressing his apologies.

"Uncle Scar, you are an elder. If there is anything wrong with the juniors, you should talk about it! Li Xu smiled and put the words of apology back. He suddenly found that he had become sophisticated, and he knew how to deal with people like Du Scar.

When it comes to the experience of interpersonal interactions, Xu Dayan is far more than Li Xu. Especially at the family banquet specially set up by Aunt Qing for the two teenagers, his speech and demeanor became more and more free and natural.

The same smiling face, from Aunt Qing's point of view, is cordial and respectful. In the eyes of the two girls, they are as kind as brothers with expectations. Sitting opposite him, from Susi's eyes, he clearly saw a masculine and wise high-spirited man.

Li Xu's cultivation in this area is too far behind, since he entered the door, Tao Kuodesi's question about Ganluo's life experience has made his head as big as a fight. The girls were finally gagged by the side dishes cooked by Aunt Qing's own hands, and Su Sisil held up the wine lord again, thanking him for his proper handling at the banquet last night and helping the tribe a lot.

"My dad said that someone deliberately embarrassed him last night, thanks to your help!" Tao Kuo didn't know when he forgot the unhappiness of last night, and once again acted as a translator for Li Xu.

"The younger generation originally planned to stay in the tribe for the winter, but at that time, they just told the truth and didn't dare to take credit!" Li Xu held the Qingci Wine Jue with his right hand, covered his right hand with his left hand, and responded with a cup.

Drinking like this is far from being as pleasant as sitting in a big bowl in a felt bag, Li Xu only felt awkward, and even the wine in Juezhong changed its taste. According to Tao Kuodesi, the wine was brewed by Aunt Qing with mountain spring water and a wild fruit called sand dates on the grassland, and both materials are not easy to obtain, and only a dozen jars can be obtained every year. If it weren't for the guests, everyone wouldn't have had a chance to drink at all. But the real feeling of this thing to Li Xu is that it is far less than Ma ** Shuangli.

The Sil patriarch, who was supposed to be the most unsuitable for Han Li, drank so much that he seemed to be the complete opposite of the Sil who was fighting with people while drinking in a big bowl last night. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't speak a complete sentence of Chinese, Li Xu would have thought that he had met another Han scholar who had wandered to the grassland.

"Thanks, it should be. Jun Yiyan, Xing my department! Su Sixier tried his best to find a few Central Plains words from the depths of his memory, and raised his lamp to thank Li Xu again. He didn't feel that the side dishes cooked by his wife were too delicate, and a whole plate was not enough for him to grasp with his own hands. On the contrary, I am very proud to have such a beautiful and intelligent wife, which makes me very different from other tribal leaders. This sense of superiority was the starting point of his ambition and the source of his motivation to dare to compete with the current khan for the crown.

"The seniors have won the prize!" Li Xu hurriedly thanked him. In a word, he can't afford this praise.

"That Miye was too cowardly and cunning to fight with me, but she found an excuse to wreak havoc. If it weren't for your promise to stay in our ministry for the winter, and your promise to let Ganluo choose where to live when he grows up, the major matter of the joint expulsion of Suo Touxi by all the tribes would have been worse than his hand. So, I have to honor you! Knowing that his Chinese was not fluent enough, the Sil patriarch no longer had the power to raise his lamp and speak loudly in Turkic dialect.

After listening to Tao Kuo's translation, Li Xu was still about to excuse himself, but he saw Xu Dayan's hand holding the wine gently rising upward. He knew that the other party must have more far-reaching plans in his heart, so he had to take the credit on himself.

In this way, the younger generation is willing to drink with the seniors! I wish the Patriarch of Sil success! ”

Patriarch Xi'er happily drank with Li Xu, and his gaze at the young man became more and more kind. The two teenagers in his eyes were given to Su Sibu by the immortal heaven, and if he had the opportunity, he hoped to keep the two teenagers in the tribe forever. Even if he marries his daughter to them, he is willing to pay two rich dowries. Twenty-one years ago, he kept his wife, and since then the entire tribe has maintained its prosperity for nearly twenty years. Even in the past few years, under the secret guidance of his wife, the number of livestock in the tribe has not decreased significantly.

The tribes of the Han people have lasted for thousands of years, and their survival wisdom is far richer than that of the people on the grassland. If these two teenagers can plan for themselves as well as their wives, will there be no strong wind under the wings of the white swan?

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you. Even if it can't drive away those invading taunts for a while!" The patriarch put down the wine cup and made a solemn promise. Although the Han people are resourceful, their skills in swords and arrows are too far behind those of the prairie men. Therefore, before setting out on the expedition, he would arrange for enough men to stay in the tribe to protect the safety of Li Xu and Xu Dayan.

"In this battle, the Patriarch of Sil will definitely win!" Xu Dayan, who had been smiling and not speaking, suddenly spoke, and his words shocked the four seats.

"Why?" The two young girls, as well as Susisier, asked in different languages. The war to drive out the Xi people is necessary, otherwise everyone's pasture will be gradually eaten away by the other side. However, the Xi tribe that migrated here is said to have a population of more than 10,000 people, and the warriors of the Zhu Xi tribe who can mount horses and bend bows are not enough to gather 3,000 people in one place.

"You men, can you talk less about fighting and killing?" Aunt Qing smiled and shook her head, and the carefully prepared family banquet turned into her husband's hero's banquet, which made her somewhat dissatisfied.

"Men don't know how to fight, how can they protect their women!" Su Sisier proudly shook the copper bell on his head and responded with a smile.

Aunt Qing stopped talking, and looked at her husband with tenderness in her eyes. Although the man in front of him is not as elegant as the man in the Central Plains, his shoulders are wide enough and strong enough. Over the years, she has deeply felt the security that comes with those arms. Therefore, she will never regret her choice back then.

"Are we familiar with the climate here? As for the nearby terrain, can Suo Touxi be familiar with you, patriarch? Will a tribe with 10,000 dogs being driven from their homeland by the Turks and not daring to fight back, will such a tribe have the courage to stop your horses? ”

When it came to the troops, Xu Dayan immediately lost his humble gentlemanly attitude, and said unyieldingly.

These words can be understood by the two girls, but the translation is not accurate. After Aunt Qing translated to her husband in person, her eyes that looked at Xu Dayan were not only surprised, but also swelled with some praise.

"This young man is not simple, it's a pity that Su Sibu is too young to keep him." Chen Wanqing, who was used to planning for her husband, thought secretly.

"In that case, when can we fight!" Su Sixier knew that he had really picked the baby, and his eyes lit up with excitement, and the etiquette of the Han family, which had been deliberately maintained, was instantly thrown out of the clouds.

"Patriarch, please ask sir, when will my department be able to fight?" Aunt Qing changed her serious face and respectfully translated her husband's words to Xu Dayan.

"If you haven't read the soldiers of the ministry, don't speak lightly." Xu Dayan, who has always been delicate, didn't notice the etiquette of Aunt Qing for the first time, and replied loudly.

"Sir, is he afraid that the troops of all the departments will be assembled in a hurry and the orders will be difficult to unify? My men have been familiar with horns since childhood, and they have always been ready to go into battle when they are assembled! Aunt Qing relayed Xu Dayan's words to her husband, and then translated her husband's answer to Xu Dayan word for word.

At this time, no one cares about appreciating the delicate side dishes on the table. The celadon wine lord also fell out of favor, standing alone on the small table, untouched for a long time. For the first time, the two girls saw the Central Plains and their father answering each other at such a speed, and they listened attentively driven by curiosity. But Li Xu suddenly remembered the notes he had memorized.

It was a note left by Master Yang when he followed the Yue Gong campaign, which was very cumbersome, and Li Xu had to memorize it purely to please Mr. to accept him as a disciple. There is a battle example in the notes that is very similar to this, at that time, the answer between Yang Su and the strategists of Yue Gong was also very similar to the question and answer between Xu Dayan and Su Sixier in front of him.

"If the generals can use the arms like their hands, the best fighter will be when the winter snow will melt next year!" Xu Dayan inferred confidently. "This winter, if Suo Tou Xi is offended, the patriarch must show weakness first, and if necessary, he should take the initiative to send cattle and sheep to the other party to show that he is not offended. When the soldiers come out, it will be like lightning cracking the sky, once it is activated, it will never be recovered! ”

"The patriarch asks sir, can you let him go without a fight!"

"Fight first, and then treat it with courtesy. After that, if they can disperse their congregations and collect them among the tribes. Killing less and living more people is a great good! Xu Dayan's answer was very much in line with Li Xu's heart.

Although what Sil and his good friend said was killing, they could see their kindness in this sentence, Li Xu thought wishfully. He didn't know that the "less killing" in Xu Dayan's mouth had nothing to do with the "more living people" he understood. The tribes of the Xia tribe are scarce, if they can defeat the Suotouxi tribes that have migrated from afar, they will be scattered and contained in various tribes. From then on, the various tribes of the Xia tribe no longer worried about the retaliation of the other party, and at the same time increased their scale.

As a grabber for pasture, Cir could not allow the Xi tribe who had come from afar to graze horses next to his tribe. But if he "assimilated" these people into servants of his own people, he was willing to accept them with open arms.