The whistling sound of the wind outside the felt tent grew louder and louder. Although the felt cover on the window had been fastened by buckles, cold wind was still pouring in from the four corners, and it was constantly being blown up and down, making a rapid snapping sound.
In contrast, there is a warm and cheerful atmosphere in the tent.
The fragrance of the milk tea is getting stronger and stronger, and it is accompanied by the sound of gurgling and boiling. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary Hunnu herdsman family quietly taking shelter from the storm.
Liu Jing hugged Jie and drank milk tea. When he saw Ainen smiling at him, he turned his face and said something to Lao Nie.
Lao Nie, the translator, was really busy. He hurriedly said to Liu Jing,
"Ainen asked you to borrow this joint to see, but he has never seen it.
He asked, why did you ignore so many goods outside the door and just grab this bamboo pole? "
"It's better not to reveal your identity yet. Just say it's my family's ancestral amulet."
Liu Jing handed the document over and whispered to Lao Nie.
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid.
Ordinarily, Ainen and Prince Jizhu should have the same heart as the Dalan family. After all, they are mother and son.
But it’s better to be careful. Before you meet the Dalan family, you are just my wife and nephew who comes to run business. "
Nie San handed the knot to Ainen's hand. Hearing what he mumbled, he hurriedly replied with a smile on his face.
The two of them were talking, and Nie San kept nodding. Sometimes he stretched out his hand to point outside the tent and made gestures, probably to introduce the situation to him.
However, Liu Jing, who had been paying close attention to their expressions, found that after hearing something, Old Nie's face suddenly hardened, and then returned to his normal state of talking and laughing.
In addition to the sound of the wind, there began to be a noise of flying sand and stones outside the tent. Liu Jing listened carefully and heard only waves of fine rustling sounds. It seemed that there were thousands of gravels, which were slapped and beaten on the felt tent by the strong wind.
"Where did this gravel come from? Are the animals okay?" He was a little worried.
Old Nie walked over, opened the window cover a small crack, leaned his head and looked outside for a long time, and said,
“It’s okay, this strong wind is not serious and will pass soon.
The sand and gravel were probably blown from nearby valleys. "
"besides,"
He sat down next to Liu Jing again, filled himself a bowl of milk tea, and then said with a calm expression but speaking quickly,
"There is a new situation, which I just heard about.
Do you know why they suddenly appeared here? "
***
They naturally refer to the Seventh Prince Ainen and his party.
Liu Jing understood that among this group of people, Ainen was probably the only one who knew a few Chinese words. As long as he spoke faster with Lao Nie, he would be safe.
"Didn't you get lost while chasing the wolf and came here to take shelter from the wind?"
"You don't know something. Chasing wolves is a trivial matter. Mao Dun——"
Lao Nie lowered his voice even lower, making it almost inaudible amid the noisy roar of the wind and sand.
"——After Maodun Shanyu came to power, he divided the grassland into three parts and established the left and right departments.
This seventh prince is the Righteous King, and he usually stays in the west.
Ordinarily, he would appear in the court of the Shan Yu only in the fall when the Tailin Conference was held in the year. "
In order to govern an unprecedentedly vast territory, Maodun Shanyu reformed the old system after killing his father and becoming independent.
He acted dictatorially and took charge of all military and political powers. Not only did the previous council of leaders "Great Tupulanti" become in vain, he also divided the country's territory into three in terms of local governance and established the headquarters and the left and right. department.
The headquarters, as the name suggests, is the foundation of the political power and is naturally led by Moton himself.
The nomadic people moved from time to time, and wherever the Shanyu went, the royal court was set up.
Therefore, the scope of activities of the Xiongnu royal court was roughly within the command area of the headquarters, which was the vast grassland directly north of Yunzhong County in the Han Dynasty.
In addition to the main part, there are two parts, left and right.
The Xiongnu favored the left, and the left was the most noble, so Prince Jizhu was the wise king of the left and commanded the left of the Xiongnu.
Compared with the Han Dynasty, its geographical location is the area northeast of Yanmen County and Shanggu County. The easternmost territory goes deep into the Baishan Mountains and Black Waters, and borders the equally ancient ethnic groups such as Huì mò and Sushen.
Hui Bao and Su Shen grew up in the deep mountains and old forests of Liaodong, and they are not easy to get along with. Before the Donghu was destroyed, they were separated from the Xiongnu by the Donghu, so they did not disturb each other.
However, since Mao Dun dispersed the Donghu in one fell swoop, the eastern frontier has been directly intertwined with these two brave and warlike ethnic groups.
Prince Ji Zhou led the left side of the Xiongnu, and there were constant conflicts with the Northeastern ethnic groups, and there was no peace for a day.
The young and dashing seventh prince in front of him, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, is King Youxian.
***
The seventh prince, Ainen, was the bravest among the other princes. In addition, he and the prince were born from the same mother. They were both descendants of Shanyu's Luotang family and Dalan's Huyan family. He won the support of the people.
Therefore, Ainen naturally became the Righteous King and ruled the western territory, that is, the grasslands west of the upper counties of Han Dynasty.
This vast grassland is located just north of the Longxi Pastoral Garden that Zhang Liang went to inspect.
If Lu Pheasant wanted to find the Western Region countries such as Dayuan, Wusun, and Yuezhi recorded in the history books, he would also need to pass through the territory of Ainen, the king of Youxian.
"Yes, it's still early for the Julin Conference. Why didn't Ainen stay well in the grassland to the west, but suddenly appeared near the royal court?"
***
After clarifying the relationship between the three Xiongnu tribes, Liu Jing couldn't help but repeat Lao Nie's question.
“I heard from him that this time he is here to give the horse away.
On the orders of Maodun Chanyu, he drove a group of fine war horses from the west, all of which were sold a while ago.
He was too lazy to go back and stayed here, waiting for the opening of the Jade Forest Conference. "
"Sold? To whom?"
There was a buzzing in Liu Jing's ears, and the hairs all over his body suddenly stood up.
"I don't know. He didn't tell me, so I can't ask further."
Lao Nie looked a little gloomy, put down the milk tea bowl, stuffed a piece of goat cheese into his mouth, chewed it, and said,
"You, Mr. Liu, know a lot more about the twists and turns here than I do.
Tell me, who else can I sell it to? "
Yes, who else can I sell it to?
The wind at this time had reached its peak.
The wind didn't seem to be blowing horizontally, but rather from the ceiling. The yurt was shaking constantly, and the thick felt blanket and the ropes were constantly rubbing against each other, making a disturbing sound.
I don't know where it was not tied tightly, but I could hear a large piece of felt being blown up by the wind, and then hitting the roof hard, repeating over and over again, making a continuous sound.
Liu Jing felt that his internal organs were cold, but he was still thinking nervously in his mind:
These horses were definitely not sold to the native Huns. Everyone in the Huns had horses, so even if they were to buy them, there would be no need to go to such trouble.
It couldn't have been bought by border counties. The government and the Xiongnu had not closed the market yet. Even if it was a private purchase, there was no way that the court would not know about such a big thing.
Then only the vassal states are left.
The vassal states close to the Xiongnu were Yan and Zhao.
Zhao's movements, at least when he set out, could not be hidden from Zhang Cang. Moreover, Zhao Wang Zhang Ao was respectful and cautious, and he had just married a princess, so he would not find out so quickly.
"It was bought by King Zang Tu of Yan."
He secretly came to a conclusion. It seemed that Zang Tu couldn't wait any longer and his patience had been exhausted.
Just as he was thinking about it, a gentle Hun language came from the other side. Liu Jing raised his eyes and saw that Ainen was smiling and talking to him.
Lao Nie translated in time,
"When he saw your face changed, he told you not to be afraid. This wind will pass soon."
"yes."
Liu Jing also nodded at him.
After two more incense sticks, a different rustling sound was heard, densely falling on the felt tent above my head.
"Okay, it's raining, and the wind has passed." Old Nie said with a relaxed smile.
"As soon as the rain stops, we will set off immediately. Don't waste a moment. We must see Shanyu as soon as possible."
There was a serious look on Liu Jing's face that Lao Nie had never seen before.
