Of the four royal courts of the grassland, the Tianyuan Department is the northernmost part, the Jurchen Department is in the easternmost part, the Khitan Department is relatively in the middle, and the Dadan Department is in the southwest. The general distribution is like this, the corners and corners of each part are mostly extended, and the canine teeth are staggered.

In short, the Dadan Department is not bordering the Tianyuan Department, and the Khitan Department is very close to Yanmen Pass and Shanhaiguan.

After the Naadam Conference three years ago, Tianyuan Khan actually controlled the Jurchen and Khitan tribes, and in a very obscure way. Because the movement was small and the follow-up disposal was appropriate, Daqi didn't notice it.

It stands to reason that such a big matter should not be able to hide from people at all, even if the Tianyuan Royal Court controls the news for a while, after a long time, when people from various tribes come and go, there will always be flaws.

But Dadan Khan's expression told Zhao Ning that he really didn't know anything about it.

To be able to do this, there is no doubt about the means of Tian Yuan Khan. This is no longer something that can be described by conspiracy and calculation, only four words can judge his talent.

The problem is that at this moment, Dadan Khan is not only unaware of the changes in the grassland, but also thinks that Zhao Ning is alarmist.

The amiable and friendly look on his face was fading, replaced by the majesty of the superior and the disgust of the liar, and his voice gradually became covered with a chill:

"General Zhao, Ben Khan respects Qi and the Yanmen Army, so he also respects you. Although the Dadan Department is not as rich as the Central Plains, and the herdsmen do not have the talent of Qi people, this does not mean that we can be fooled!

"General Zhao vigorously exaggerated the threat of the Tianyuan Royal Court, showing that the Dadan Ministry is already in crisis, in the final analysis, it is not to use the Dadan Ministry as a sword, let us deal with the Tianyuan Royal Court, and watch the fire from the other side?

"If General Zhao still wants to say this, Ben Khan will not accompany him!"

With that, Dadan Khan closed his eyes.

Tough and stubborn.

Short-sighted, self-righteous stupid people are always extra stubborn.

From the standpoint of Dadan Khan, there is nothing wrong with him proceeding from the interests of his own tribe in everything, and it is even more natural to be wary of a powerful state like Daqi.

Dadan Khan had such a performance, and Zhao Ning was not surprised.

But it would be too stupid to not be able to see the current situation in the grassland, not to fully understand the other royal courts and opponents on the grassland, and to be ignorant of the impending crisis.

From the first time he saw the other party, Zhao Ning had no expectations for his wisdom.

A king who is obsessed with wealth and gentleness, has no pursuit at all, and doesn't even care about his own appearance at all, is not worthy of Zhao Ning's expectations.

If it weren't for the unbearable Da Dan Department, which was far from the Tianyuan Royal Court, it would not have been wiped out in a few months in the previous life.

But just now, Zhao Ning must say these words.

Not only because he needs the army of the Dadan Department, but also because he needs to see if there are any people in this king's tent.

If there is, that's great.

Everyone thought that once the Battle of the Grassland broke out, the Great Qi Royal Division would make a large-scale northern expedition and easily destroy the Tianyuan Royal Court. Only Zhao Ning knew that neither of these situations would happen.

He needs the army of the Dadan Division.

But if not, Zhao Ning didn't run this trip in vain.

Since the army of the Dadan Department will most likely be defeated by the army of the Tianyuan Royal Court without full preparation, then Zhao Ning has only one choice.

Go with the flow.

It makes sense to let the army of the Dadan Department be destroyed, and it will be useful to him.

In any case, he had to make sure that the army of the Dadan royal court could become his help. Only after this point was determined could he adjust the strategic and tactical deployment of the Yanmen Army in a targeted manner.

Is there anyone in this king's tent who understands?

"General Zhao, don't be angry, you are new to the Dadan Department, and you may not know some things. ”

Prince Dadan opened his mouth unapologetically at this time, and came up to play a round, "The Dadan Department has a long history, and it has been a big tribe on the grassland for thousands of years.

"And that day, the Yuan Division, in the first hundred years, was just a small tribe that had a hard time surviving, and it has only just risen in the last one or two decades, it's not that we are arrogant, it's that they can't compare with us.

"Even if the Tianyuan Department becomes an ally with the Khitan and Jurchen Tribes, there is no strength to dare to do anything to us, otherwise it will be self-defeating!

"So, please don't worry about General Zhao for the Dadan Department. ”

He said this with confidence.

Zhao Ning understood his attitude.

They don't look down on the Tian Yuan Department at all. Just like a millennium family looks at a rural nouveau riche, there is a sense of superiority from the heart.

As far as Zhao Ning knew, the Dadan tribe was a big tribe hundreds of years ago, and it has always been quite famous in the grassland, but it is not a top existence.

More than 100 years ago, the ancestors of the Zhao family led the army to conquer the grassland and destroyed the Turkic royal court that unified the grassland at that time.

Since the beginning of this dynasty, before the appearance of the Tianyuan Royal Court, the Dadan Department has always been the most powerful existence on the grassland.

Today, there are more than 200,000 people in the Dadan Royal Court, and there are five cultivators in the Wang Ji Realm, and one of them is in the middle of the Wang Ji Realm.

The strength on paper is indeed not to be underestimated, aside from the hidden strength of the Tianyuan Royal Court, it is indeed the strongest among the major tribes of the grassland.

Three years ago, Tian Yuan Khan held a grand Naadam conference and invited the major royal courts to be guests. The two Khans of the Jurchen and Khitan tribes went.

Only because Dadan Khan looked down on Tianyuan Khan, he didn't take the other party in his eyes at all, and he didn't think that the other party was qualified to be on an equal footing with him, so he didn't bother to go over.

A sense of superiority is a rigid human need. Everyone needs to think that they are great, at least superior in some way. And the most common way to express self-superiority is to belittle and despise others.

As an old "aristocrat" on the grassland, the Dadan Department is particularly obvious at this point.

So a sense of superiority is often associated with arrogance. To a wise onlooker, this is stupidity.

Zhao Ning felt that these people in the Dadan Department were stupid.

But he finally understood the other party a little.

Prince Dadan saw that Zhao Ning's face eased slightly, and his mood immediately relaxed a lot. He didn't want to offend Zhao Ning, the heir to the head of the first family of Great Qi, and the future master of Yanmen Pass.

After all, Dadan Khan is the master of a department, his majesty cannot be violated, he must be tough, he is just a prince, he doesn't have so much authority to take care of, just sing a red face and have a good relationship with Zhao Ning.

"General Zhao, you can come here in person this time, the Dadan Department is full of brilliance, and the royal court is welcome. The banquet has been prepared, and we are waiting to wash the dust for General Zhao, how about we go over and relax for a while?"

The prince smiled kindly and easily.

Although this trip has a lot of purpose, Zhao Ning is not too anxious, seeing that he can't talk to Dadan Khan at the moment, he also took the opportunity of the banquet to see if there are anyone who can use it among the other magnates in the Dadan Ministry.

No matter what you say, the strength of the Dadan Royal Court is not weak, and if you can use it, you still have to strive for it. It was not so cost-effective to exchange their demise for the Yanmen Army's fighter planes to flank the Tianyuan army.

The princess, who had been not interjecting beside her, but her eyes were dripping and turning all the time, saw that Zhao Ning agreed to go to the banquet first, so she happily led the way.

Although Dadan Khan did not entertain Zhao Ning in person, he also eased his expression and wished Zhao Ning a good time.

It was not long before he came out of the king's tent that it was dark, for the food and wine were ready, and the supper was about to begin.

The banquet on the grassland is naturally different from that of the Central Plains, the people here are more unrestrained and wild, and they don't like to be restrained, so the banquet is open-air, and there are many people singing and dancing in front of the huge bonfires.

Although it was the banquet where the royal court entertained Zhao Ning, it was not only the royal court magnates who really participated. Ordinary herdsmen also heard the news and sang and danced together, although they could only carnival in the periphery, but they also sang and danced very happily.

Obviously, for them, such a big event is rare to see, and as soon as it appears, it can be lively for the whole people, because there are no too strict hierarchical rules, and they should not be missed if they encounter it.

In folklore, it is roughly similar to the scene of the Great Qi Shangyuan Festival.

On the wood and stone platform extending in front of the big tent, there are seats for Zhao Ning, Yang Jiani, Zhao Xun and others, and Prince Dadan, Princess Dadan and others. is similar to Daqi's case of one person, with young beauties serving by the side.

Because of the relatively high position, Zhao Ning could see the enthusiastic and energetic herdsmen in front of the piles of bonfires, regardless of men, women and children, enjoying themselves.

Compared with the strict rules and order in the Central Plains, such a scene made Zhao Ning feel two words very clearly: freedom.

It is true that the Hu people are more wild and less civilized, but because of this, they have more freedom.

In Daqi, the long-term unified social structure, the supreme authority of the imperial court and the government, the first thing to pay attention to is the ruling order, bringing all kinds of rules and regulations, and creating a hierarchical world.

After some young men and women boldly invited Zhao Ning to come off the stage and dance with them the kind of kick dance that held each other's arms, had a simple rhythm but was enthusiastic and simple, Zhao Ning, who politely refused this request, was thoughtful.

During the banquet, Prince Dadan and the princess frequently toasted Zhao Ning, and from time to time asked him some elegant things such as Daqi poetry and articles, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Especially the lively and beautiful princess, the problem never stopped, so she almost invited Zhao Ning to her tent and talked with her at night.

But what really caught Zhao Ning's attention was a young man who was less than thirty years old.

When he was drinking with Zhao Ning, he didn't ask about anything elegant, but talked to Zhao Ning about the situation on the grassland, the diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the military and political affairs of Daqi.

This young man named Batu is also the son of Dadan Khan, who is quite popular with Dadan Khan, and is the evil king of Hun and has his own territory and horses.

Zhao Ning found that the relationship between Batu and Prince Dadan did not seem to be very good.

After the banquet was over, it was already after the third watch, Zhao Ning returned to the big tent arranged for him by the royal court and washed up. He didn't go to rest immediately, but held a military book he brought with him and read it.

He's waiting for someone.

This person is very useful for his next actions in the Dadan Royal Court.

One could even say the key.

In less than half an hour, the other party came.

It's an old acquaintance.