Chastity Layman 2

Chapter 343
Cheng Chu couldn't sit still.

The snow scene in Dongshoujiang City is beautiful, and the cattle and sheep in the stockade are also delicious, but he is afraid that if he continues like this, he will be useless. He is here to make meritorious deeds and seek a title from thousands of miles away, not to cook hot pot and sleep on warm kang.

In winter, the Yellow River freezes, and there is knee-deep snow everywhere. The Dongshoucheng Walled City, which leans against Shengzhou City on the south bank, is actually relatively safe.

But Cheng Chumo couldn't sit still.

Open the warm curtain, leave the warm room, take off your clothes, jump into the snow, grab a big ball of snow and wipe it on your naked body.

The cold wind was biting, and the snow rubbed on the body was even more icy cold.

Cheng Chumo was like going crazy, howling there while continuing to wipe himself with snow.

The body soon turned red like a boiled shrimp, but Cheng Chumo felt that he was no longer drowsy and finally refreshed.

His whole body was emitting white gas and his body was flushed red, but Cheng Chumo felt extremely happy.

After fetching a towel to wipe off the water, Cheng Chumo yelled, "Get my armor and prepare the horse!"

The soldiers of the Zhenwu Army had come to watch for a long time, and they were a little stunned when they heard what Old Cheng said.

"What the hell are you so dazed about? You really think you're here to enjoy the blessings? Get the hell out of here, put on your armor and mount your horse!"

After selecting 500 people, Cheng Chumo and his party left the simple Dongshoujiang stockade and headed towards the vast snow field.

where to go?
Of course it is impossible to visit Jieli's Khan Court.

After leaving the warm camp and trekking in the cold wind for twenty miles, Cheng Chumo felt that the dryness that made him finally subside.

"Military envoy, where are we going?"

There was a vast expanse of whiteness on all sides.

"Go and visit the tribes near here!"

In fact, in the Hetao area, there are not only Han people and Turkic people. In addition to Han and Turkic people, there are actually many Hu people here.

The name of the Hu people used to refer specifically to the Xiongnu at the earliest time, and later it generally refers to the alien races in the north.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Huns, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang entered the Central Plains. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Rouran people in the north controlled the grasslands. Later, the Turkic people replaced the Rouran people.

Rouran people were originally a branch of Donghu, and many Hu people outside Xianbei and Donghu were collectively called Zahu.

Fenhu, Qihu, Shanhu, etc. belong to Miscellaneous Hu, living in Hetao, Hedong and other areas. Fenhu lived in the boundary of Fenzhou in Hedong. Shanhu, also known as Jihu, originated from the Southern Huns who belonged to them in the Han Dynasty .

Originally, the Hetao area belongs to the border area, and there are constant turmoil and wars, so there are many kinds of Hu people here, and the Han and Han people live together, and the forces are complicated.

There are Jihu, Fenhu, Qihu and other miscellaneous Hu, as well as Xianbei and Turkic people, Qiang and Di people, and even the Sogdian Hu from the Western Regions.

Most of these Hu people are now subject to the Turks, and they all obey the orders of Jieli Khan, but they usually live together separately.

Turkic people usually graze or go hunting in family units, and then use multiple families to form a small tribe of about 60 to [-] people. Once the population exceeds this number, they often divide out to form new tribes.

More than 100 people are the basic size of the tribe. If the population exceeds this size, it will have a great impact on the traditional way of life. The main reason is that this number is a scale that can maintain contact without overcrowding the space. The barbarians in the grasslands are still relatively backward, and the nomadic way of life requires them to occupy a large pasture.

This is not like the farming civilization of the Central Plains, where people are concentrated.

A small tribe of more than [-] people is divided into several families, often blood-related brothers and nephews, living scattered and not far apart, able to take care of each other without affecting their respective cattle and sheep grazing.

On the small tribes, there are big tribes, and on the big tribes there are alliances.

In fact, the organizations of these Hu people are still connected by blood ties, and the big and small sects continue to spread out and separate.

With 500 troops, visiting any small tribe would pose a great threat.

Fortunately, since moving here, it is in the name of the border market, so since the mutual market, the relationship is not too tense.

in the afternoon.

Several tents appeared in the distance. It was a herdsman family, including a few slaves, and more than a hundred livestock, spending the winter in a slightly leeward place.

The sudden appearance of this group of people on the snow line made the herdsmen very panicked.

The strong parents hurriedly put on their leather armor, carried their bows and knives, and saddled their horses.

The shepherd asked the young son to ride on the horse and report to the nearby brothers.

Cheng Chumo led his men and horses, spread out their wings like wild geese, and surrounded them.

Soon the herdsmen's house was surrounded.

Cheng Chumo jumped off the horse.

The herdsman held a straight knife and looked terrified.

"Are you Turkic or not?"

"We are Gaoche people!"

Cheng Chumo nodded, "Can I go to your tent to warm up the fire and have a cup of hot tea?"

The herdsmen were uneasy, "Who are you?"

"I am the envoy of the Zhenwu Army in the east of the Dudu's Mansion in Fengzhou, the Tang Dynasty, and Cheng Chumo, Zuo Qianniuwei and Qianniu Bei."

Listening to this long list of titles, the herdsmen were even more in awe.

"I don't know what the honorable General Tang is doing here?"

"Pass the border!"

There are two large carts parked in front of the herdsman's tent, with extremely high wheels, which is the symbolic feature of the tall chariot people.

Cheng Chumo knew about these Gaoche people. They were also called Chile, Tiele, or Dingling people. They were a branch of the Tiele people. They had a long history. It is Dingling, and the Xianbei people call it Chile, because they use carts with tall wheels, also known as high carts.

They were nomadic in the east and south of the Belga River at first, and later expanded to the upper reaches of the Yenisei River, where they lived together with Gujiankun.Later, the Gaoche people migrated south. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Chile people participated in a large number of wars in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and later integrated into the Han nationality like many Xianbei people.

Up to now, the Chile people are also the most widely migrated and divided Hu nationality. They can be found everywhere from Mobei to the Western Regions, from the foot of the Yin Mountains to the Central Plains.

The Chile people have even split into many different new ethnic groups.

For example, the six surnames of Gaoche, Yuanhe, Huihe, and Hegu, etc. In fact, the Chile people, also known as Tiele, are numerous in number and ethnic groups. superior.

In fact, many Chile people in the south of Yinshan Mountain have been relatively Sinicized.

In fact, the area around Qiantao Khanting, where Jieli Khan lives now, was called Chilechuan in the Northern Wei Dynasty because it was the nomadic grassland of the Chile people who went south at that time.

In the tent, the shepherd's wives, concubines and children huddled together in fear.

Cheng Chumo took off his helmet and gloves, and sat by the fire.

He took out his purse and grabbed a handful of money.

"Buy ten sheep from your family and feed them to my brothers."

The Chile herdsman with a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, green eyes and yellow hair looked at the money and hesitated, "Can I get other trades, such as salt and cloth?"

Copper coins are not a popular thing on the grasslands. The herdsmen prefer to barter, because the transaction is inconvenient, and they have to trade again with the money in their hands.

Cheng Chumo untied a salt bag from his body.

It is filled with high-quality fine green salt, and the grains are dry and clear, with a blue color.

The herdsmen's eyes brighten up at once, which is a good thing.

"Change, change!"

After changing the salt, the herders looked at Cheng Chumo's weapons again. These weapons are very sophisticated, such as the horizontal sword and horse lance, the bright armor, and the cloak...
"This can't be changed, it's a military weapon, a sharp weapon of the country, and an artifact of the town."

"I would trade furs, and sheep."

Cheng Chu shook his head silently.

"I still have slaves, and I will trade them for slaves."

"What kind of slaves, what clan, do you have children of the Han family?"

The herdsman hesitated, but finally nodded, "There are two."

Two hungry Han slaves were summoned.

Cheng Chumo asked them a few words and confirmed that they were Han Chinese.

"I can't give you the weapons for fighting, but I can give you the meat-eating knife, and I'll give you an iron pot in exchange for these two!"

The herdsmen happily agreed to the deal.

Iron pot is a good thing, easy to carry and not easy to break, it is much easier to use than clay pot.

A deal is struck and things change hands.

The herdsman immediately asked his wife to use the new pot to boil water and stew meat.

"Military envoy, why are you so polite to this barbarian?"

The herdsman helped slaughter outside the tent, Cheng Chumo bought ten sheep, the shepherd picked out the sheep himself, and said a few words to each sheep.

The shepherd's wife is sorting out the fur of the transaction.

There was a sound of horseshoes in the distance.

Here comes the shepherd's brothers.

Thirty brothers and nephews from the same tribe came galloping.

The herdsmen stepped forward to introduce.

Cheng Chumo brought out tea, wine and sugar, and the herdsman brought another cow out to kill.

The Zhenwu army patrolling the border also set up several large tents.

Dried cow dung ignited a warm fire, and soldiers of the Zhenwu Army set up hanging pots to light the fire and stew meat.

The herdsmen of this small tribe thought that Cheng Chumo was here to make a deal, so they came over happily to negotiate a deal. They were willing to trade their own furs, herbs, livestock, and even slaves for the knives, iron pots, tea, salt, sugar, and wine in Cheng Chumo's hands. wait.

Cheng Chu silently smiled and agreed.

Next is singing and dancing, eating wine and drinking meat.

"Military envoy, why did we drink with them?"

"How about, what do you want, smashing, looting and burning?" Cheng Chumo said with a smile, "We are here to patrol the border, not to rob."

"Can·······"

"Don't worry, turn around, take a look, and chat first."

Drink to the brim.

Cheng Chumo also toasted to the men of this small tribe, that is, the warriors in this tribe.

"In the future, not only the south bank of the river will be under the jurisdiction of our Tang Dynasty, but also the north bank will be the defense area of ​​our Tang Zhenwu Army, and it will be under the jurisdiction of our East Surrendered City. You must respect the will of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If you are loyal, then from now on, everyone will drink and eat meat together, and you will have a share of good things, but if anyone dares to make an enemy of my Tang Dynasty and show his knife to my Zhenwu Army, don't blame me, Cheng Chu, for being silent."

"There is one more thing, please send me a message to the people of other tribes. I, Cheng Chumo, welcome everyone to go to Dongshoujiang City to trade in the mutual market. The price is fair and the goods are of high quality. You are welcome to go. However, if there are children of my Han family at home Slaves, please release them to Dongshoucheng City immediately, and let them go home!"

"Now send people to Dongshoujiang City, and our army envoys will reward you with salt, tea, cloth, etc."

"If you don't let people go, you will bear the consequences!"

"Any barbarians are not allowed to enslave my Tang people!"

The tall chariots in the tent were stunned.

In the previous deal they reached with Cheng Chumo, there was the purchase of Han slaves. Cheng Chumo still offered a very high condition, which was higher than the normal market price.

Unexpectedly, this is not a normal slave trade.

"Come on, keep drinking!" Cheng Chumo raised his glass, and the faces of these tall and bearded men were already a little uncomfortable.

(End of this chapter)