As he expected, the two armies finally fought in Daijun. The moment Liu Jing heard the name of Daijun, he predicted that Zang Tu would be defeated:
"In addition to the fierce generals under the emperor's command, there is also a brave general Chen Xi in Daidi. You are more familiar with him than I am. He is a top fighter.
Moreover, since the army on the right dared to take the road from Zhao State, it showed that Zhang Cang had almost grasped the situation in Zhao State.
Zhao's food and grass will be continuously supplied, and even if a protracted war is required, the army will have no worries.
Alas, it's just a pity that Zang Tu just bought a batch of good horses. I wonder how many of them will be left for the court after several bloody battles. "
Lao Nie still remembered that he was half-believing and disapproving of what he heard at that time. He felt that Liu Jing was a bit of a charlatan and he dared to speak so loudly about a war hundreds of miles away.
Later, he guessed the direction of the decisive battle again. From then on, Lao Nie was completely convinced by him, obeyed his words, and no longer tried to argue with him on anything.
After an unknown number of days, Liu Jing watched the undulating low ridges in the distance gradually turn into brown and yellow, and after the first snow fell on the grassland, Liu Jing waited for news from Han Dynasty.
Old Nie's black fur cloak was shining brightly in the morning sun. He was still a few feet away when he excitedly shouted to Liu Jing,
"Victory, victory!
You were right, the Emperor of Han won a great victory and Zang Tu died! "
Liu Jing was stunned for a moment, and the first thought in his mind was——
It seemed that he no longer had to be tied to a horse and dragged to death.
Unexpectedly, this battle against rebellion would go more smoothly than he had expected, and his life and death would actually be decided in one battle.
He slapped the sheep's butt hard and pushed the milked sheep into the pen. Then, like an ordinary herdsman, he rubbed his hands on his clothes and sat cross-legged on the grass, grinning.
Lao Nie stood in front of him panting and said loudly,
"I heard that as soon as Zang Tu and his main army left the country, the prime minister of Yan State turned against him——"
"——Prime Minister, is it Wen scabies?"
"It seems that after calling this name, the Prime Minister captured Handan City easily.
It’s not over yet, guess what?
There was a fire in Zang Tu's backyard. He was thinking of a quick victory and went back to deal with the prime minister, but in the end, another traitor in his own team was betrayed, and his name was the one who fell behind. "
"Zhao She turned around, then I understand. No wonder this battle went so smoothly. Daqing was attacking from both sides."
"That's right!
In the end, Zang Tu was not killed by the army. He was so angry that he fell off his horse and died. "
Liu Jing clicked his tongue. It was God's favor that even the emperor's reputation could be preserved so well. He should be punished by God, but the rebel himself died violently.
"Hurry up and clean up. Now you can finally go and have a good time with the Shanyu."
Lao Nie looked even more excited than him, and he was so happy that he wished he could drag him immediately to meet Maodun Shanyu.
"What's the rush?" Liu Jing said slowly,
"I'm not going, I'm just going to sit here and wait for him to come to me.
Also, do you know how the Huns made covenants? I mean formal covenants between countries.
Is it also necessary to hold a grand ceremony, like the enthronement ceremony in Han Dynasty, and then swear an oath in public?
If not, and they had no written words, what exactly was agreed upon in the oath? Wouldn’t it all be forgotten in two years? "
***
Lao Nie chuckled, looked at Liu Jing's thin arms, and said maliciously,
"Then just wash your arm, wait for it to be cut, and worship God with your blood.
You don’t understand that a formal alliance must be made in blood. You have to go to the shaman to hold a ceremony to worship the sky. At that time, you will kill a yak and swear an oath to the heaven. "
Liu Jing knew that shamans were wizards worshiped by grassland peoples and were symbols of wisdom in their minds.
The grassland people depend on the sky for food and live nomadically. Cattle, sheep, horses and camels grow in the vast nature, and life, old age, illness and death are all affected by the sky.
Therefore, they attach great importance to the communication between man and heaven, and have great reverence and worship for the natural power of heaven.
In their eyes, the shaman carries the sacred responsibility of conveying the will of God and communicating the relationship between heaven and man. He is the core figure in the spiritual world of the Huns, and is also the consecrator and host of all sacrifices, rituals, and prayers.
“Are the Huns’ shamans hereditary?”
"Yes and no." Lao Nie explained,
"It's a girl, not a boy, and you have to go through layers of selection."
"Selection? How to choose? Who can talk to God better?"
Liu Jing said with a bit of teasing.
He is an authentic Confucian scholar who believes in the teaching advocated by the sages that "the child does not talk about strange powers and confuses the gods". He has always listened to the affairs of witches, shamans, nightmares, ghosts and gods, but does not take it seriously.
The so-called "don't ask the common people but the ghosts and gods" approach is not easy for him.
Lao Nie has been walking among the mountains and rivers in the border areas all year round, and has seen the power of wind, sand, and snowstorms, so deep down in his heart, he is in awe of the power of God.
Seeing Liu Jingyu's joking expression, he was worried that he would be punished by heaven, so he hurriedly corrected him,
"Don't talk nonsense. The so-called selection assessment is to see who can invite more gods, and whoever invites gods with greater abilities will be able to become a great shaman.
If you don't take it seriously now, you will pray for God's blessing after you make more trips and experience more deadly winds.
Today's great shaman is an old woman, said to be nearly a hundred years old.
There is no calendar on the prairie, and when the autumn grass turns yellow, another year begins. No one can tell how long she lived. "
Liu Jing saw that Lao Nie was sincerely worried about him, so he stopped joking and thought with emotion. Before setting off, the Han ministers regarded the Xiongnu as wild and untamed barbarians, saying that they valued the young and despised the old and the weak, and had no humanity or ethics. , but during this period he watched sideways and saw that the Huns respected older women no less than the Han people.
After all, if people have faith, they will have awe, whether they believe in shamans, immortality, ethics, gods, arhats, or other unfathomable powers.
The two of them were chatting animatedly when they suddenly saw the youngest Ake beside Modun Chanyu running over in a hurry and said to Liu Jing with a rare touch of his chest,
"Chanyu invites you to go to the king's tent."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jing stood up, turned around and got into the felt tent. His unfamiliar Hun language came from the tent,
"You wait a moment while I change my clothes and pick up my knot.
Lao Nie, you should go with me. In case I still don’t understand something, don’t miss the chance to talk about business. "
***
Liu Jing, who was wearing dark clothes, clutched his knot, and Lao Nie followed Ake Whyshi and walked quickly towards the largest white tent.
He suddenly remembered something and curiously asked Lao Nie,
"If this trip is concluded and the two countries can trade with each other, wouldn't it be difficult for you to do business in the future?"
Lao Nie touched his chin and chuckled,
"You are talking like a scholar again. Even if you turn on the switch, you can't buy and sell everything, right?
Will you sell weapons and food to the Huns without any restrictions? Will the Huns sell you war horses with confidence and boldness?
As long as there is a ban on sales in this world, there will be a way for me to make money.
If you want to buy a lot of horses in the future, you might have to follow my path. "
