Ge Qingshu drew his sword and looked at the black paint-coated blade.
"The Black Tartars are wild and untamable. Although they surrender, they are unwilling to completely lose control of the tribe. They want to bargain with us and even treat us as fools who can be exploited. The marshal has long said that those who cooperate sincerely will be rewarded by high-ranking officials. Presented here; those with malicious intentions may as well kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. As for Lu Wusi, I originally had the intention to promote him..."
Ge Qingshu sheathed his sword: "It depends on him whether he wants to die or live!"
While the soldiers in the camp quietly prepared, Lu Wusi walked out in confusion. He never thought that he would be looked at like this.
After all, Ge Qingshu and others were in the Mongolian camp, and the Mongols were the mortal enemies of Ding Haijun, so the soldiers in the team were all loose on the outside and tight on the inside, and they all slept with one eye open. But Lu Wusi had lived under the eyes of the Mongols for several years. Whether you call him twisted or humble, this was indeed an environment he was familiar with, so he was really asleep and was really woken up by urine.
The moonlight in the sky was bright, and Lu Wusi slowly walked hundreds of yurts under the moonlight, like crouching monsters. The small team of Torochi, or patrol cavalry, passed slowly inside and outside the camp. The horses occasionally whined twice, causing bleating sheep or barking dogs.
The thousand households in Lakshen are not among the ninety-five thousand households when Mongolia was founded, but were newly established one after another later. The people within the tribe include scattered people from the Merqi tribe and a small number of Bai Ta from the Wanggu tribe.
The Merqi Tribe and the Wanggu Tribe are both tribes that have a lot of contact with the Jurchens along the Jiehao. Therefore, the method of setting up camp with thousands of households is different from the pattern of facing the southeast on the plateau, and then densely setting up Toluochi to take turns to guard. It is a bit different. Similar to the habits of the early Jurchens. That is to say, with the main tents of each centurion arranged at random as the center of the circle, the leather ribbons used to restrain the cattle and horses were used to form a large ring. The large rings overlapped each other to form a large camp with alternating density.
In the eyes of outsiders, this kind of camp has no rules and it is easy to get lost at night. But Lu Wusi had long been used to it. He had often traveled to and from the camp late at night for two years, so he was familiar with the regulations of camping and the routes for finding sentinels.
Without even opening his eyes, he made two turns, bypassed the fire bunk and the fence, stood next to a tall patch of grass, and turned on the water.
Just as he was tying his belt and planning to go back to the tent, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
It's the sound of leather boots hitting the ground, it's the Mongols.
Lu Wusi is no longer a slave of the Mongols, but an attaché of a naval officer and a guest invited by Master Qianhu. However, the discipline and punishment of the past few years have penetrated into his bones and made him subconsciously move forward. In a flash, the figure shrank into the darkness.
Several Mongolians walked side by side, holding their swords on their waists.
They were all wearing sheepskin coats, and their bodies smelled strongly of mutton, and their heads were covered with countless pigtails soaked in oil. Lu Wusi was once used to this appearance, but now he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He hid deep in the shadows and held his breath.
A strong Mongolian man said: "Just pack your luggage when you go back. Maybe you have to leave early tomorrow morning."
Another person said: "Every department is preparing."
The person who spoke before said: "Genghis Khan originally slaughtered people everywhere and caused chaos in all the tribes on the east side of the grassland. We had to flee to the south and rely on the power of the Ding Navy to boost our own strength. Now that the Great Khan is obsessed with conquering the west, we are suddenly in trouble. It no longer exists... If I had known this, I shouldn't have rushed south in the first place, which makes me embarrassed now. This nonsense is really regrettable!"
"There is nothing to regret. Although we handed over many slaves when we went south, we also got food and supplies. Where can we not catch slaves on the grassland? If we can return to the north, we can annex a few more small tribes. , we can hold them when we turn around, and I’m sure the navy will want more.”
"So Qianhu said that they must keep it secret and not let the Dinghai navy know the news. If they know that the Great Khan has gone west and there are no strong tribes to suppress them on the grassland, they may have to raise their own troops and go north, which will not benefit us. La!"
A few people walked slowly, talking to each other, and they were just planning. Since the Great Khan was going on an expedition, should we grab some food and weapons from Ding Haijun before leaving; or should we seize the time and go north, occupy a large piece of grassland first, and gather a large group of people. Create a fait accompli. After all, they all felt that it was better to listen to Qianhu's arrangements.
After talking for a while, the group of people went around the corner of the fence.
Suddenly someone asked: "What should we do with the envoys who ordered the navy?"
Several people turned their heads at the same time and looked at the big tent where Lu Wusi came from, making Lu Wusi's heart skip a beat.
"Let's talk in two hours. What Qianhu means is that if they recognize him, he will take him with him and use him as a hostage. It won't be too late to release him after we get to Angjiluo."
"What if they don't recognize faces?"
The sturdy Mongolian chuckled and said: "We can't let them get in the way? If it really doesn't work, we can only kill them all. Then we can turn around and say that they are not satisfied with the soil and water of the grassland and die of disease. Send an extra group of slaves as compensation, and politely sell them to Ding Haijun." , that’s it. If that doesn’t work, let’s chop off a few more Mongolian heads to make amends, what else can we do?”
Lu Wusi shuddered violently and felt cold all over.
Lu Wusi didn't quite understand what those Mongolians said about the Great Khan's western expedition. With his knowledge, he couldn't connect the fact that Marshal Guo was in Jinshan City two days ago, and that there were even noble people visiting, with what these Mongolians were talking about.
But one thing he knew very well.
He had only arrived in Jinshan City for a few days, but he had already seen the fearless character of the Ding Navy officers. Every officer and soldier he knew was strong and brave. If others don't talk about it, that Ge Qingshu will never surrender to others, let alone bend the knee to the Mongols.
In other words, if Lakshen Qianhu wants to do something, he will definitely conflict with the messenger, which will lead to death and injury.
Those who are going to be killed are not irrelevant people.
They are the subordinates of Marshal Guo of Dinghai Navy, and they are the ones who distributed food to me in the past two days! He was the one who took me on a hunting trip and gave me two fat chickens! The one who gave me warm clothes! He is the one who promised to allocate fields to all the slaves so that everyone can live a good life again!
Lu Wusi stroked his chest to calm his breathing. A quick thought flashed through his mind: He had to go back and inform Ge Qingshu and the others! They have to be told to leave quickly!
The felt tent where Ge Qingshu and the others lived was located in the southwest corner of the entire camp. If you go south, bypassing two firehouses and a fence, you will reach the stables. As long as the horse is captured, there is at least 40%, no, 30% or 20% certainty that we can escape!
Thinking of this, Lu Wusi rushed out suddenly, crossed the road with a quick stride, and ducked behind the felt tent on the opposite side. Because of the change of angle, he suddenly heard the topics discussed by the Mongolians as they gradually walked away.
"However, there are no Han slaves on hand, and there is no one to do many chores, which is always troublesome."
"There is nothing we can do. The navy wants to establish a foothold behind Monan Mountain. The most important thing is people. If we don't hand over people, there will be no possibility of going south. However, Lakshen Qianhu discussed with me yesterday and returned to the grassland. After that, we need to contact the Tuotuo Lian people in Baishuibo as soon as possible. We will send out capable personnel to go to Fengzhou, Jingzhou, and Dongshengzhou to kill them all, and kidnap all the local Haners to the grassland. How can we make up for it? It’s a loss!”
"Haha, that's it. Qianhu's idea is very wise! I am familiar with the road to the west of Baishuibo. I will take people there when the time comes!"
After hearing these words, Lu Wusi's fingers were trembling, and his eyesight turned black.
He was from Dongsheng Prefecture, a member of the Southwest Recruitment Department of the Kingdom of Jin. Because the Mongolian army has mainly used its troops in the east in recent years, he rarely heard about things in his hometown, but he never expected to hear this time that it was the Mongols who wanted to plunder again.
As a person who fled to the grassland in the last years of Taihe because he could not bear the persecution of the imperial court, he should not have cared about this. He had always believed that life on the grasslands was miserable, but compared to the rule of the Great Jin Kingdom, it was not necessarily any worse.
But just in the past few days, Lu Wusi's thoughts changed a lot.
He began to feel that people do not need to be slaves, people do not need to be forced to leave their homes by swords, and people should not be treated as livestock or other things.
He began to feel that the one who destroyed everything about him and killed his family members was of course the Imperial Court of Jin. Those like Lakshen Qianhu who kidnapped Han children and treated them harshly were also enemies. Now, this Lakshen not only wants to escape from the rule of Ding Haijun, but also continues to rob people, and also treats many people in Dongsheng State as slaves?
Lu Wusi suddenly thought of many things, including his experience of being chosen by Lakshen because of his handsome features and becoming the so-called Nak'er. I thought of Lakshen Qianhu's greasy and loose skin and smelly mouth, the smell like rotten salted fish, and my own painful moans.
He had become accustomed to many things, no longer cared about them, and was numb. However, after only a few days in Jinshan City, he felt the dignity of being a human being, and suddenly recalled the terrible pain of being inhumane.
Now it seems that things are very simple.
The biggest trouble at hand is Lakshen Senhu himself.
Lakshen must die. As long as he dies, no one in the other Mongolian households can make a decision. And it is impossible for a thousand households without a leader to fight against the Ding navy, let alone retreat to the grassland to carry out a robbery that is hundreds of miles away.
Lu Wusi thought for a long time. As he thought about it, the cowardice in his eyes slowly faded away, replaced by coldness and ferocity.
He looked back at the felt tent where Ge Qingshu and others were, gathered up the short robe Ge Qingshu had given him, and walked in the other direction.
After walking in that direction for a while, it was inevitable to bump into the Mongolian patrol cavalry, but Lu Wusi immediately changed his expression and posture, showing a tame expression on his face. So the Mongolian cavalry rode by, thinking that he was a bool who belonged to a certain nobleman.
The thousand households under Lakshen are much looser than the Mongolian headquarters. The night pass codes between various camps never change, they are just the names of each household. Every time Lu Wusi passed the checkpoint, he directly reported that the password was passed, and no one cared at all.
As we approached the big tent where Qianhu himself lived, several fire stalls illuminated the surrounding area as bright as day, and the grease on the wood was burning, making a crackling sound.
Lu Wusi suddenly dodged and leaned into the specially dug ditch, which was needed for thousands of households to live, and gradually got to the back of the tent. He lay prone in the ditch, motionless. After a while, he peeped at several women coming out with copper basins, and then he slowly lifted up the cowhide on the edge of the big tent and got in between the two supports.
There was no one else waiting in the big tent. In the center of the tent, spices were lit, and a strong aroma spread. Around the tent, quilts and pillows made of silk or soft cloth were piled up.
Lu Wusi's thin body walked through it without making any sound, like a non-existent ghost. He passed by the extinguished fire pit and picked up a short knife. Taking a few steps forward, he smelled the strong stench caused by long-term alcoholism, mixed with the special smell of sweat and sheep mutton.
Lakshen, the leader of the Qianhu tribe, was shirtless and lying on a thick woolen blanket. He was not young, and the skin and flesh on his body had begun to loosen, but his two arms were still full of tendons and very strong. His eyes were half-open, as if he were awake, and he would smack his lips and make loud noises from time to time.
But Lu Wusi knew that Lakshen was already asleep. He drank a lot tonight, and he would not wake up until early tomorrow morning.
Lu Wusi stood in front of Lakshen and took a look, then slowly walked around to the back.
He held the dagger tightly and touched Lakshen's neck. The knife was very sharp, so he didn't use much force. The blade easily cut through the skin, and the yellow fat immediately swelled. Immediately, the lower blood vessels were severed, and blood surged up, staining the fat and skin red.
The blade of the knife was lowered and pulled several times, cutting off the gray-white trachea and red arteries, and blood spurted out like a fountain. Lakshen began to struggle violently. Lu Wusi took a pillow and held down Lakshen's face.
The Mongolian's arms and legs moved, pushing away the bedding and soft pillows, but they failed to disturb the Nak'er people outside the tent. He turned to tear Lu Wusi's arm. Lu Wusi mustered up all his strength and pressed the pillow with his weight. Even if his thick fingers dug into his face and tore out several horrific wounds, he would not give in.
The blood continued to spurt out, finally filling the pillow in Lu Wusi's hand. So much so that when he pressed the pillow, it made a "puff-puff-peep" sound, and blood continued to seep from the edge of the pillow.
After a while, Lakshen stopped moving.
Lu Wusi pressed down calmly for a while, then slowly backed away, lifted up the cowhide at the corner of the tent, and crawled out of the ditch little by little.
It was late at night, and Na Keer, who was on duty outside, kept chatting with each other, and no one could cheer up. A little further away, several powerful families were gathering people in their camp. Occasionally, footsteps or shouts were louder, but they were immediately stopped by the leader.
Lu Wusi climbed to the end of the ditch, sat up straight, and panted violently.
