Beihu is a nomadic people, in addition to being good at grazing, there is nothing else, plus the north is cold and frozen, and it is not suitable for the growth of crops, it can be said that in the territory of Beihu, grain, cloth, tea, iron pots, and various daily necessities are heavily dependent on imports. This is also an important bargaining chip in the Central Plains to restrain Beihu, and of course it is also the main reason for Beihu to start a war.

During the period of peace between the Central Plains and Beihu, trading places would be set up in the border cities, and the daily necessities in the Central Plains would be exchanged for cattle and horses and other livestock in Beihu, as well as fur products, which was commonly known as tea and horse trading. However, due to the unstable relationship, the tea and horse trade also opened and closed from time to time, which deepened the contradiction between the two sides.

In the past two years, the contradictions between the various tribes in Beihu have intensified, and Dahua has taken the opportunity to divide and win over, promising to open tea and horse trade to friendly tribes, and the tribes have reached friendly agreements with Dahua, and the border areas have been peaceful.

At the end of last year, Emperor Taishang died, and during the national funeral, the last batch of tea and horse trading was suspended, and the tribes of Beihu knew the reason for the suspension, although they complained, but they did not overreact, after all, they still expect to reopen the tea and horse trade this year.

Han Fei suggested that under the pretext of compensating the tribes of Beihu, let Jinyi Mansion pretend to be ordinary soldiers and escort materials into Beihu for tea and horse trading, which not only maintained the image of the Dahua Imperial Court to abide by Xinnuo, but also skillfully sent Jinyi Wei into the hinterland of Beihu, after all, so many materials entered the country, and it was natural for the imperial court to send a certain number of troops to protect it, and it would not arouse Beihu's suspicion.

The strategy can be called a brilliant plan, but Han Fei asked for the order to personally lead the team to Beihu, and the emperor hesitated. Han Fei is the emperor's most valued courtier, and he is to be prepared as the prince's auxiliary minister, and it is dangerous to go deep into the enemy territory, and if something happens, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Han Aiqing is loyal and courageous, but this matter is ......"

"Your Majesty!" Han Fei hurriedly said: "This strategy is offered by Weichen, Weichen has no reason to stay out of the matter, besides, the blood soul stone is obtained by the emperor, and Weichen is the son-in-law of the emperor, in public and private, it is the responsibility of Weichen to recover the blood soul stone!" ”

When it came to the Emperor Taishang, the emperor also sighed secretly, and said: "The Blood Soul Stone is lost, I am ashamed of the Emperor, Han Aiqing is the son-in-law of the Emperor, my sister-in-law, on behalf of me and his party, I am very pleased, this is dangerous to go to Beihu, Han Aiqing needs to be more careful!" ”

"Thank you Your Majesty for your concern! Weichen must live up to His Majesty's expectations and recover the Blood Soul Stone! ”

led the team into the territory of Beihu to trade tea and horses, it was Han Fei who asked for his life, Du Yun could see that he was resolute, so he did not stop him, but he was still a little worried about his trip, and after he got off duty, he called him into the mansion and asked: "Shouzheng, why do you want to go to Beihu?" The Hu people are capricious, what if they attack you? ”

Although Du Yun is his mentor and father-in-law, the relationship is extraordinary, but his relationship with the White Lotus Sect and the formation of a secret organization in private, Han Fei still can't say. Both the White Lotus Sect and the Purple Mansion have already sent a large number of people to Beihu, and with the protection of the Jinyi Mansion, his trip can be said to be dangerous.

Han Fei couldn't explain the private deployment, so he sighed for a moment and said: "Father-in-law, don't worry, this trip seems to be dangerous, as long as it is operated properly, there is not much risk in fact." The son-in-law asked the imperial court to issue documents to the tribes of Beihu first, which was to deploy for this purpose. ”

"Oh? Keep upright, you talk about it! ”

"Father-in-law, in the past two years, the northern land has suffered a serious locust plague, the grassland has suffered serious losses, and the tribes have fought for the grassland, and there have been irreconcilable contradictions, so it can be said that the tribes dare not offend Dahua. Moreover, they are in urgent need of all kinds of materials and are very dependent on the Dahua tea and horse trade. Under such circumstances, the imperial court announced the news of the inbound tea and horse trade to the public, and the tribes had to ask for Dahua, and under the mutual checks and balances, they did not dare to make a rash move against the Dahua envoys. ”

Han Fei paused for a while, and then said: "It's spring now, the weather is warming, it's the season for livestock breeding, the herdsmen don't have the will to start a large-scale war with Dahua, even if a few powerful people have bad intentions, it is difficult to get the support of the majority of lords, and at the same time, there is the protection of the accompanying Jinyi Mansion, and the son-in-law's trip can be said to be very safe." ”

Du Yun thought for a while and said: "The analysis of Shouzheng makes sense, the tribes of Beihu really don't dare to act rashly against the Dahua envoys, but the territory of Beihu is vast and sparsely populated, and there are often horse thieves haunting, so you still have to be more careful!" ”

"Father-in-law, don't worry, the son-in-law will understand, the son-in-law will strengthen ties with the tribes when he enters the Northland, and the tribes will not want the Dahua envoys to have an accident in their own territory, and they will also provide protection to the son-in-law and his party!"

"That's good!" Du Yun pondered for a moment, and then said: "Shouzheng, you asked for your order to go to Beihu, probably not just to recover the Blood Soul Stone, right?" ”

"Father-in-law Mingjian, the son-in-law does have some other ideas! Beihu has a vast territory and strong folk customs, and has been the main foreign enemy of my Central Plains since ancient times. ”

"It's not easy, is it? The nomads in the north have always had the ambition to go south, and unless they are conquered and sinicized, it will be difficult to eliminate their ambition to covet the Han land! ”

"Otherwise, father-in-law, the war is all together, and Beihu also suffered heavy losses, why do they still raise troops to invade the territory, it is nothing more than to survive! The bitter cold of the north is not suitable for growing other crops, and there is a shortage of living materials, if they encounter a wind and snow disaster, and the animal husbandry is hit again, it will be a problem for them to survive, and there is no other way to think about it except to plunder. As long as their basic life problems are solved, their psychology of risk-taking and plundering will naturally weaken, for example, wild boars are ferocious because they want to find food, and once they are kept in captivity, wild boars do not have to worry about food, and they will no longer have wildness. ”

"So how do we solve their basic life problems?"

"The basic problems of life are directly manifested in food, clothing, housing and transportation, and the main way is the smooth trade routes, for example, the north is rich in fur resources, and Dahua develops a fur processing industry, openly buys the furs of the north, and sells them grain at the same time, then the two places form a close interdependent relationship, and the possibility of war is greatly reduced."

"The strategy is good, I'm afraid it will be difficult to last long, Dahua can't sell so many fur products, and the food is already insufficient, how can there be so much food to provide Beihu?"

"Father-in-law, this is not a problem, Dahua craftsmen are highly skilled and can process fine leather products that are sold overseas, as for food...... There are three reasons for the shortage of grain in Dahua: The water conservancy facilities are not perfect, the varieties of cultivation are not abundant, and the idle land has not been developed, all of which can be solved gradually, and at the same time, grain can be purchased from overseas, for example, in Champa and other countries, rice crops three times a year, and grain is more and cheaper. ”

"There is indeed a lot of grain in Nanyang and other places, but grain is a strategic material after all, so I'm afraid they won't sell it to us!"

"Only with strength can you have the right to speak!"

Han Fei smiled faintly and said, "If you don't, then fight until they are willing!" ”

(End of chapter)