Chapter 5: Deer Hunting (No. 9)

The boy told his men to be merciful to their enemies, and advised them to put down their swords and arrows and be friends with their enemies. Such a coward, why do you want the warriors of my tribe to ......" In the empty tent, Su Si's voice lingered back and forth.

The ministers and elders were silent, and everyone knew in their hearts that Su Si's words may not be true. No matter where that Han kid came from, what he has done in the Su Si Department in the past six months has nothing to do with the word "cowardice". But for the sake of an alien boy to offend the younger brother of the Sil patriarch, there is really no need for this head. Moreover, apart from sacrificing that Han family boy, the Zhufei Alliance Army has no second way to choose at the moment.

The benefits of marriage were obvious, and with the Turks as their great backers, the Syr patriarch could rightfully take over the crown left by his ancestors from the hands of the stubborn Da Ejin and reunite all the descendants of the white swans into one team. Countless small tribes around will surrender one by one to the hooves of the horses. In the eastern part of the desert, no one will dare to compete for the glory of the Xi clan for thousands of miles between the weak Luoshui and the Limoshui (Songhua River), and the time to recreate the glory of the ancestors is just around the corner.

More obvious than the benefits of marriage is the terrible outcome of rejecting the kindness of the Ashina family. A tribe with a population of millions and 200,000 wolf riders is no match for the Coalition of Horsemen with only a few thousand men. No matter how strong the power of the holy wolf is, no matter how deep the wisdom of the sage Xu is, when the wolf rider arrives, it will be the day when the grassland is stained red with blood. Even if the Turks did not send troops to conscript because of the refusal of the Susi tribe to marry, as long as the Ashina family clearly expressed their support for the Zhishi Bada Ejin, those small tribes who were in a wait-and-see state would definitely immediately join the Zhizhi Pull. What was left for Su Si was still a catastrophe.

Take 10,000 steps back to think about it, even if the Ashina family is so generous that they laugh at the humiliation of refusing to marry, there is a marriage contract between the Asilan family and the Qiyu family, and on the grassland where the strong are respected, where will the position of the Sil patriarch be placed?

Everyone didn't need to choose at all, and when the Turkic envoy proposed that the nephew of Qimin Khan, Ashina Gutuolu, marry Susibu, the outcome had already been written. There is a country behind the Ashina family, and the attached lord has nothing but himself.

"That Han boy tried to teach the wolf to eat grass, and his apparent kindness and hypocrisy have confused many herdsmen......" Su Si attached to the detachment and loudly counted Li Xu's "crimes", looking for a reason for the tribe's final decision. Judging by the elders' expressions, he knew he had won. The White Swan Crown belongs to the Su Si Ministry, and any outsider who threatens him must be completely eradicated before the signs are revealed.

Suddenly, Su's words were plugged into his throat. He saw two guards standing in the doorway knocked to the ground. Then, he saw an angry leopard slowly approaching him.

"Lord Su Si is attached to it, if you want to befriend the Ashina family, please don't insult me, and don't insult yourself!" Li Xu pressed the handle of the knife and walked to the center of the big tent step by step. Several tribal warriors in charge of the security of the big tent tried to rush over to stop them, but they were forced by his gaze and stopped with some shame.

"Attached, what are you going to do?" The elders of the Su Si Department shouted. In his current status, he has the absolute right to participate in the decisions of the clan. However, the Holy Wolf Guard was lazy by nature and rarely came to the central tent, so the elders were accustomed to not ignoring his presence when discussing matters.

Today, no one invited, but he came out of nowhere. As soon as he entered, his body was full of murderous aura, as if everyone present was his enemy, as if he was ready to draw a knife and wash the big tent in blood.

Li Xu sneered, his angry gaze swept over the elders' faces one by one. Before entering the big tent, his heart was still full of words of inferiority and self-pity, and at this moment, all inferiority and self-pity have long been replaced by rebelliousness. He saw clearly the hypocrisy behind the hidden kindness, and saw clearly the tribe that needed him to fight for a "coward". Everyone who met his gaze involuntarily tilted their heads away. It was the descendants of the White Swan who had failed their friends, and no matter how good the reason for betrayal, everyone could not face the eyes of the Holy Wolf guards with confidence.

"According to the rules of the grassland, if a person is insulted, he can use the blood of the rumor-monger to shame himself. Su Si attached to the adult, after a pillar of incense, I will teach you archery skills in the open space outside the tent! Li Xu retracted his gaze and said steadily standing in the center of the big tent.

His voice was not high, but his words were clear. After learning Turkic for nearly a year, he was able to use every word appropriately. There are not so many laws among the wolves, and all disputes between each other can be resolved with teeth. If Su Si does not accept his challenge today, he will never be able to gain a foothold in the tribe from now on.

The big tent was in chaos, and no one expected that the plain and honest and somewhat pedantic detachment would use such an extreme way to settle the dispute. Some people were surprised, some people scolded, and some people secretly shook their heads in their hearts for Li Xu's reckless behavior. Su Si Fuli is a well-known warrior in the tribe, whether it is hunting or fighting between the two armies, he has never encountered an opponent.

Everyone was in a panic, and Li Xu's unusually calm voice sounded in their ears again: "Attach to the status of the adult, don't find someone else to accept the challenge of a Han boy for yourself!" ”

The four words of the Han family boy, Li Xu bit very hard, and deliberately brought the contemptuous tone of Su Si when he spoke.

"You" Su Sili was forced to panic by the murderous aura on Li Xu's body, and originally wanted to agree to the challenge without hesitation, but somehow, the words suddenly turned into another kind of rhetoric: "You are a junior in the clan, and you can't challenge the elders according to the rules!" ”

"Have you, everyone, ever considered me your own today?" Li Xu heard his voice echoing in the tent, and in an instant, he felt that his mind was extremely clear.

The fierce gaze swept over each elder's face again, and still no one dared to look up at him. I'm a Han kid, and they don't treat me as their own family at all. A few sneers slowly appeared on Li Xu's face, and with a smile, he said to everyone: "I am not a warrior of the Su Si Tribe, and challenging the patriarch's brother is not disrespectful to the elders. After that, I won't be staying here either, and tomorrow morning, I'll leave after sunrise! ”

"What about the Holy Wolf?"

"How do you arrange the holy wolf?" blurted out a chaotic question. After asking, the person who spoke suddenly realized that he had asked stupidly, and his mouth was like an egg stuck, open and closed.

"Patriarch Syr, will you allow me to leave with Ganro?" Li Xu didn't answer everyone's words, and turned his gaze to Su Sixier, who was sitting on the iron chair and hadn't spoken. The clear gaze was as cold as electricity, representing the authority of the patriarch, and the once unattainable iron chair instantly shortened in his eyes.

For more than half a year, as long as he was in the tribal camp, Ganluo was inseparable from Tao Kuo. And when Tao Kuo ran out of the tent, Gan Luo was nowhere to be seen.

Su Sibu had already prepared for the worst, and Li Xu knew that no matter what he did today, Ganluo would not be able to follow him. There is only one Holy Wolf, but the Holy Wolf Guards can be changed frequently.

Wolves love their own population, but they are never stingy to show their teeth to creatures outside their group.

The development of the situation was completely out of Sir's control, and this was by no means the outcome he hoped to see. He also has one of his youngest daughters, named Aaron, who only needs to wait another three years before he can choose someone else's tent. Like all the young maidens in the tribe, Aaron was full of adoration when he spoke of the Holy Wolf Guard.

It only takes three years, and the attachment is only fifteen years old this year. What a perfect arrangement, I didn't expect to suddenly get stuck in the middle of the road. Under Li Xu's knife-like gaze, the Patriarch of Xi'er slowly stood up, his face like a thief had been grabbed by someone's wrist, and he was so red that he was almost dripping blood. Opening his mouth, he heard a voice that didn't look like himself explaining, "I, I'm also a last resort." Aaron, Aaron was only ten years old. Eru, Eru is no longer a perfect treasure jade. The Ashina family has intermarried with the Central Plains for generations, and the customs are the same as those of the Han people, in case they are angered, the tribe, the tribe ......! ”

"Patriarch Syll, did you think of this reason yourself?" Li Xu felt like he had crawled out of the crescent moon lake just now, and the blood in his whole body had already coagulated. The cold autumn wind blew in through the window, blowing away all the fog in front of him.

This is not a method that Sil himself came up with, and there is no concept of 'the body of the wall' in the minds of the people and the Turkic vocabulary. The phrase 'Ashina family has intermarried with the Central Plains for generations, and the customs are the same as those of the Han people', should not come from the mouth of the Sil patriarch. In the entire Su Si Department, if there is another person other than Xu Dayan who is so clear about the history and habits of the Ashina family, there is no need to guess the identity of this person.

Only she needed the power of the Turks so urgently. More than twenty years have passed, and in her heart, her hatred for Da Sui has not diminished at all.

"I, of course I. I am the head of a clan, and I can't gamble with the safety of my people! Sucsir shouted loudly, lest anyone would not hear his answer. He felt his anger, but the anger in front of his clear gaze collapsed as quickly as if he had encountered a snowy mountain.

It was Su Si who was sorry for the detachment, and the elder Sha Ge of the Sheding Department shook his head slightly. However, he was not going to stand up and say a word of justice. Patriarch Sil's answer made sense, and everyone couldn't gamble with the safety of their people. There are limits to fairness. After this matter has passed, the ministries are willing to give the most beautiful maiden to the attachment as compensation. But now, Tao Kotosi must fulfill the responsibilities of the patriarch's daughter. This responsibility is innate to her and cannot be escaped.

Su Sifu felt the embarrassment in his brother's heart, straightened his body, and blocked the middle between Li Xu and Patriarch Xi'er. Although he was still guilty in his heart, and despite the great pressure he still felt in the face of the detached gaze, he showed his courage without hesitation.

"I accept your challenge, after a pillar of incense, let the immortal heaven witness your bravery!" Su Sifu replied coldly, and after speaking, he turned around and walked out of the tent.

"Disturb the patriarch and the elders!" Li Xu hugged his fists in front of him, bowed down and bowed to the four sides for a Han salute. "Please remember that you have the blood of a white swan in your veins, not a crow that picks up bones after the wolves!"

With that, he turned and walked out of the tent. How the elders decide, he could not interfere. But no matter what the outcome of the final decision is, he will do one thing he wants to do. Li Xu suddenly remembered the coppersmith master, who had kept a promise for more than 20 years, did he really have no regrets? The people he is waiting for are really worth what he has to pay for?

Pulling the two horses three hundred paces apart, Elder Eto shook the whip in his hand with all his might. This solution is not bad, if the Han family kid loses, Su Sibu will no longer have to carry anything. A fifteen-year-old newborn calf challenges an adult male wolf, and there is little suspense about the outcome of the victory.

Su Sili grabbed the horse's belly and rushed towards the wild boy who insulted him not far away. In the entire tribe, except for Aslan, no one could defeat the curved bow in his hand. He adjusted the speed of the horse, trying to coordinate his body with the undulating rhythm of the war horse, two hundred and fifty steps, two hundred steps, one hundred and fifty steps, Su Si attached to take the bow, set up the arrow, and saw the victory smiling at himself.

The warm feeling from the horn bow made Li Xu's heart empty, the anger after being deceived and fooled, and the despair after being betrayed, all melted away by the silence of that moment. He didn't instigate his horse, and shooting at a gallop was not his forte. He needs to wait quietly for his opportunity to come to the door.

"That Han kid didn't move!" Su Si was stunned for a moment, and then a burst of relief swelled in his heart. Shooting at a static target at about a hundred paces, he has not missed his head since he was seventeen years old. "It's your own death!" Su Sili gritted his teeth and pulled the bowstring to the rhythm of the horse's hooves.

"Whoosh!" A flash of lightning choked everyone's breath.

One hundred and thirty paces away, Su Si's detached war horse jumped high, neighed sadly, and threw his master out. "Whoosh!" The feathered arrow that had lost its target head came out of the bowstring attached by Su Si and soared straight into the sky.

Li Xu collected his bow, rode his horse, drew his knife, and rolled away like a whirlwind towards Su Sifu, who fell into the dust. The biggest advantage of the Central Plains Horn Bow is its strength, when he shot the scout leader, Xu Dayan once pointed out his hand. In order to ensure the accuracy, today he chose the neck of the opponent's war horse. "Shoot the man before the horse!" In the song recipe taught by Uncle Jiu, it is clearly written that countless Central Plains soldiers have exchanged their lives for experience

Elder Eto closed his eyes tightly, Su Si was finished, and he had no chance to escape his opponent's scimitar after being thrown into a daze. Unless someone rushed forward desperately to stop Li Xu's war horse, but the person who broke the rules of the grassland would then be tied to the back of the horse and dragged to death.

The expected smell of blood and screams did not come, but was replaced by a chaotic noise. Elder Eto opened his eyes with difficulty and saw Li Xu standing on the ground, his scimitar pressing Su Si's neck. Capture but not kill, this is an even greater insult to the loser of the duel. From then on, Su Si's status as a slave to the victor was that of the steppe, and according to the rules of the steppe, he would never be able to get rid of his slavery unless his master allowed his family to redeem it with property.

"I'm not a coward! You are! Li Xu put the scimitar on Su Si's neck and said quietly. Su Si's eyes were closed, and the whole person was tortured to blood red by humiliation, but he couldn't muster up the courage to hit the blade of the scimitar with his neck.

"Elder Eto, can I exchange my slave for someone from your ministry?" Li Xu put away the scimitar and shouted at the old forehead. This is the rule of the grassland, and he knows that Elder Eto can't refuse.

"Tao Kotosi is the daughter of the patriarch, not a slave." The old fox Eto replied to the question.

"What's the matter with Tao Kuo's silk?" Some of the shepherds, who did not understand the reason for the incident, whispered. Duel with Su Si as Li Xu, which is obviously a violation of the rules of the clan. But why didn't Elder Eto stop him? Why did the patriarch of Sil hide in the big tent and refuse to come out? What about the samurai who were responsible for maintaining order in the tribe, why did they look at Li Xu with sympathy?

"It's the Ashina family who proposes marriage to the Sil patriarch's family!" A man who knew something about the details replied in a low voice. Today's matter may not end well, the patriarch's younger brother has suffered humiliation, if the other party is not the holy wolf guard, it is estimated that half of the clan's warriors have come forward to defend the dignity of the patriarch's family at this time.

The evening breeze is cool, blowing through the cold sweat behind people's backs.