After a long time, he let out an extremely excited and solemn roar: "Ah Hao, I will follow you in the future." I will do whatever you say. ”

Tianhao's smile looked very comfortable: "Then let's build the road first." ”

"Okay, no problem!"

……

Tianfeng has returned from Thunderhorn City.

A sumptuous banquet was practiced, and he took Ali and two hundred guards to Zhangpu Village to take up his post.

The next day, Tianhao arranged all kinds of things, left the rock village with the guards, and headed for Black Corner City.

There has been no news of Elo. According to the understanding of the civilized era, the probability of death of a missing person is very high.

Tianhao never thought of himself as a superman who was brave and invincible, a man who fought a thousand. Finally, the parasitic success is too wasteful, and it is too wasteful to become the target of the opponent's sniper in vain. No matter how meticulous the security work is, it cannot be overdone. Be honest and openly admit that the fear of death is not a sign of cowardice, on the contrary, it is for your own cause and responsible to all those who are related to you.

There were hundreds of guards traveling with them, including fifty of them who had recently been selected as guards.

Broken Tooth is a young man in his twenties. He was tall, more burly than the other Pig people, skilled in the use of various weapons, and was once the best mercenary in the Gu Cottage.

Curved teeth recommend broken teeth to Tianhao. With an absolutely credible referral, Broken Tooth became the captain of the Leader's Pig Guard.

There were five pack horses in the procession, mainly loaded with weapons and food, and all on foot.

On the one hand, there are not enough horses, and on the other hand, Tianhao wants to see how far his physical limit can go. This long journey to Pointe-Noire was a test, and by the way, the endurance of the Ox and Pig warriors was assessed. Panshizhai has plenty of food, they are not short of nutrition, if they meet Tianhao's expectations under the premise of maintaining speed and carrying weight, he feels that even if he can't make gunpowder due to material limitations, he can improve the weapons and equipment of the barbarians in other aspects.

When approaching Red Hoof City, Tianhao ordered to avoid the main road and go directly to Thunderhorn City.

Broken Tooth couldn't understand this, he sped up and ran to Tianhao's side, and asked puzzledly, "Big Boss, why don't you go into the city to rest for one night before leaving?" ”

"There are so many unknowns in that city that you can't be sure of." Tianhao wiped the sweat oozing from his forehead and said calmly: "Niu Tong may be a good person, or he may be a bad person. We are few people, and if we go in and encounter danger, we probably won't be able to get out alive? ”

Shock appeared on the rough and hairy face of Broken Tooth: "The city lord of Red Hoof City...... He...... He's your kind! ”

Looking at this young warrior who was not deeply involved in the world, Tianhao smiled faintly: "That's right, he is indeed my clan, and I didn't say that he is a bad person." But I have to be careful, so if I can avoid trouble, I still try not to provoke it. ”

A few days later, they arrived at Thunder Point City.

Niu Weibang is very trustworthy, he arranged a large number of laborers to build the road, and the progress is very fast, Tianhao saw the engineering team responsible for repairing the road more than three miles outside the city. The weather was warming and the snow was melting, and the ground was not as hard as it was in the depths of winter, and the strong and powerful ox men wielded iron pickaxes to dig through the soil and pad large chunks of hard rock, and everything went according to order and orderly.

Seeing Tianhao arrive, Niu Weibang was very happy. He handed over the affairs of the city to his lieutenant and went to Black Horn City with his personal guards and Tianhao.

In order to take into account the speed, Niu Weibang simply put aside his mount and walked with Tianhao with great interest.

"Actually, even if you don't come this time, I'm going to Black Corner City to meet Your Majesty. This is the rule of our cattle clan, every spring, all the city lords have to meet in Black Horn City to discuss various plans for the year, and make plans by the way. "He's very talkative.

Tianhao was a little surprised: "According to this, Niu Tong is also going to Black Horn City?" ”

Niu Weibang nodded: "He set off last week." Hearing that something was going on in the city of the Red Hoof, he wanted to ask for help from the Great Master. ”

Tianhao thought for a few seconds and asked suspiciously, "What happened to Red Hoof City?" ”

"I asked him the same, but he wouldn't say." Niu Weibang shrugged his shoulders: "Niu Tong is the city lord, as long as the annual share of grain is paid, other matters will be handled by him, and I, the patriarch, don't care." ”

Tianhao was thoughtful and bowed slightly.

Leaving Leijiao City, I walked all the way to the northwest, passing many villages along the way. This is the core territory of the Niu tribe, there are not too many mountains, the terrain tends to be gentle as a whole, there are two wide rivers, abundant water, irrigating the fertile land on both banks.

The sun hangs high in the sky, releasing the heat energy that melts the snow and ice, and the wind speed is slow, and the blowing on the face is very comfortable, unlike the feeling of a needle bayonet in the deep winter season.

Tianhao bent down, grabbed a handful of black soil soaked in melting snow from under his feet, and exclaimed: "The soil here is good, and there will be a good harvest this year." ”

"Maybe!" Niu Weibang is obviously not interested in this.

Tianhao asked strangely, "What's wrong with you?" ”

"It's actually the same whether the harvest is good or not." Niu Weibang wiped his tongue along the upper gum in his mouth, and said self-deprecatingly: "This is the interior of the territory, even if it is a good field, the number is limited." According to the decree issued by the king, with Thunderhorn City as the boundary, all the walled cities to the north are 50% of the grain payment. There is no way, to feed other border cities with low grain production, and to supply food to Suolongguan, you can only get support from these places. ”

Looking at the hills in the distance, Tianhao asked suspiciously, "Why don't you reclaim more wasteland?" I know that the south is the border, but there should be no other tribes in the north of the continent? ”

"The land to the north is not suitable for farming." Niu Weibang explained: "And the situation there is very complicated, the weather is cold, and it is all mountainous, there are no plains. ”

As he spoke, his expression became serious: "There is another reason, the north is the sphere of influence of the mob. ”

"Mob?" Tianhao heard this word for the first time.

"By blood, they are our kindred, but they are terrible, real savages." Niu Weibang said seriously: "Go all the way north, over the highest mountain, where is the world covered in ice and snow. The mob looks like us, they eat everything, and most importantly, ...... It's hard to communicate. ”

"Have you ever seen a mob?" Tianhao asked tentatively.

"Yes." Niu Weibang's expression was solemn and he nodded slowly: "I was nine years old that year, and my father led the guards to deliver food to the mob in the north. I had seen them at that time, and all of them were dressed in animal skins, and their hair was messy and long, probably untrimmed since birth. ”

"Give them food?" Tianhao felt more and more incredible: "Why? ”

"This is a rule handed down from our ancestors, including the Tiger Clan, the Lion Clan, the Eagle Clan, and the Deer Clan...... All tribes were to deliver food to the mob on a regular basis. The grain convoys of the other tribes must pass through our Niu Clan's territory, and they send emissaries to Blackhorn every spring to agree with Your Majesty on the number of people to carry grain that year. The most important thing is that they cannot carry weapons, and after transporting food, they must leave as soon as possible according to the prescribed route. ”

He sighed: "This is a secret between several major tribes, and only those with the status of city lord or above are qualified to know. As for why, you ask...... To be honest, I don't know. ”

"What if...... I mean, what happens if you don't give them food, or if you don't give them enough food? Tianhao felt very curious, these things were beyond his understanding and cognition, and they were simply unheard of.

"That's exactly what you said." Niu Weibang's voice was very low: "At that time, my father was still alive, and I heard that the Eagle Clan's territory was flooded that year, and the grain production was greatly reduced. Although the Eagle King did not reduce the amount of food that had to be given to the mob, the people in charge of transporting it were selfish. He hid some privately, and as a result, the grain was transported through the mountain pass to the north, and after the mob counted it, they found that the quantity was not enough, so they arrested all the eagle people who carried the grain, and killed all but one of them...... Since then, nothing like it has happened. ”

"It's a report, but it's actually a warning."

Tianhao raised his head and subconsciously looked to the north: "Mob...... Mountain pass...... According to this theory, isn't the north the same as the Suolong Pass, a heavily guarded pass? ”

"It's different." Niu Weibang continued to explain: "As far as I know, our Niu clan does not have an army stationed in the northern mountain pass, and only has a guard post. The mob, as terrible as it is, is not our enemy. They're strong, even if they do fight...... To be honest, I guess we are not opponents. ”

Speaking of this, Niu Weibang cleared his throat and grabbed Tianhao's arm hard: "Isn't it a little tempted by what I said, and you want to go over and see what the mob looks like?" ”

Tianhao hesitated for a moment and nodded.

"You'd better dismiss that thought." Niu Weibang warned again: "They never come into contact with outsiders, and even if they are envoys, they must have documents signed by His Majesty King Niu." It was a very special mark that no one could fake. ”

Along the way, Tianhao was thinking about what Niu Weibang said.

Mobocracy......

This strange world obviously hides too many secrets.

For the first time, he became suspicious of the "old mama".

……

All first-time visitors to Pointe-Noire will be blown away.

Spectacular, grandiose, majestic...... There are so many words to describe the city. It was built between mountains, not on the mountain, but on several separate peaks, which were used as support points to construct towers of astonishing height, making the most of the valley floors between the peaks to build houses for the common people. From a distance, it looks like fish scales stacked on top of each other.

The palace occupies a position in the middle of the mountain. There is a large slope with an inclination of about 30 degrees, up to a thousand steps made of rock, and directly below it is a large square with a capacity of at least 50,000 people.

The city has 400,000 inhabitants. According to Niu Weibang, this is still the number counted four years ago.

The area was heavily defended, with large ballistas mounted on towers and walls, and heavily armed Ox warriors patrolling in formation. Tianhao noticed the armor on their bodies, which reflected a dark blue light in the sunlight, which meant that the armor was made of high-strength alloy and was extremely strong.

Chromium and nickel were essential components of high-strength steels in the age of civilization. Tianhao has seen the clay tablets treasured by the old priest, and he has also seen the process of forging metal with the blacksmith. Neither the ancient records nor the memories preserved in the depths of their minds have left any trace of similar words. But they know what raw materials are available and what practices are used to get the best quality metals.

Entering the capital of the Niu clan, Tianhao began to get busy.

Niu Weibang issued him a new identification document, and his promotion from village leader to city lord was a major event, and he had to be recognized by the royal administration.

The clan mansion seems to cover a large area, but in fact, the office area is not large, at most only two-tenths or three-tenths of the total area. In Tianhao's view, the clan mansion is like the Beijing offices set up in other provinces and cities in the civilized era, many rooms are used to house people stationed in Beijing, or used as guest houses, leaving only one or two offices to decorate.

The tin door was open, and in the center was a huge bull's head, which was artistically exaggerated, split in half from the middle, and its eyes were lowered downward, staring from bottom to top at everyone who passed by.

There was a charcoal fire burning in the hall, and two men in uniforms sat at the table and busied. A burly middle-aged man who was nearly three meters tall sat on a chair, took a cup of hot tea from the guard next to him, and drank it slowly.

Although he didn't know the other party, Tianhao saw that the man was wearing a bearskin robe, and the open neckline revealed white cotton underwear. He strode forward and saluted the middle-aged man with a smile: "Hello." ”

The other sat upright, his back as straight as a flagpole, and he maintained the custom of the barbarians who rarely cut their hair, but he often brushed it, looked clean and meticulous, and tied it tightly at the back of his head with a red and white cotton rope, revealing a broad forehead.

"Hello." He smiled and nodded slightly in return, his deeply sunken eye sockets were inlaid with eagle-like eyes, his sharp gaze looked at Tianhao, and asked tentatively: "Are you the head of a thousand people who has just been promoted?" ”

Because of the overlapping functions, Black Corner City does not have a similar body for the promotion of lower-level officials, and the review process is relatively simplified, especially for promotions such as the head of a hundred people and the head of a thousand people, as long as there are supporting documents issued by the city lord in the jurisdiction, they can be certified in the clan mansion, as well as branding.

As in civilized times, on certain occasions, a person's status can be judged by their clothing. Tianhao carefully observed the etiquette and replied without humility or arrogance: "I am the city lord of Rock City. ”

"City Lord?" The middle-aged man was suddenly moved, he gasped and exclaimed, "How old are you this year?" At such a young age, he is the lord of the city...... Who is your father? ”

Tianhao was about to answer, but the other party raised his hand, slapped his head suddenly, and suddenly realized: "Rock City...... Wait, I remember, you're a subordinate of Niu Weibang of the Thunder Cow Division...... Tianhao ...... Yes, Niu Tianhao, I have seen this name on the notification paperwork. ”