The two big dogs are very strong. Mongolian purebred dogs in history are not much worse than Tibetan Mastiffs.
On the grassland, for the sake of safety, riders usually stop far outside the yurt, wait for the owner to come out, and drive the dog away before entering the yard. Otherwise, it is very dangerous.
These dogs are territorial dogs and are very wary of their owners' territory, property, cattle, sheep, and livestock. Any creature that comes close may be attacked by them.
Lu Shouli was very happy and made a temporary wooden frame out of tree branches. He knew how to do simple carpentry skills. Put a lot of luggage on the backs of two big dogs to help him carry so he can carry more stuff.
Mainly the bear floss and salt he processed secretly. Several skins containing water. There were also two wolf skins and a bear skin. When sleeping outdoors at night, you can spread it on the ground to isolate moisture. Even in July and August, it is very cold on the grassland when the sun goes down.
When it rains, the temperature can drop to four or five degrees above zero. It's also very cold at night. The wolfskin can be worn at night all year long.
He also had an iron helmet that he picked up in the wild. It has been secretly hidden. This was the pot he planned to use to cook on the way home.
Bald Ma Chun came over on horseback. Seeing that this bold slave had so many possessions, he was really angry and funny, but he also admired his ability.
They are all so miserable, but there is still a woman and a child. This woman is quite young.
He was obsessed with thinking about whether to touch this little girl at night. As long as he threatens her, he will throw her child to death if she doesn't comply, and he is afraid that she will not serve him obediently.
He was just thinking about something good when suddenly he felt that cold feeling all over his body again.
He turned his head and saw the two vicious dogs, whose heads were as high as a man's chest, looking at him with evil eyes, as if they were considering where to take their bite.
In their eyes, this woman is also their master's property.
These two vicious dogs immediately made him lose all his desires. He didn't want to risk such a thing just for the sake of a girl.
He looked at the slave with low eyebrows and eyes with envy. This bitch has a pretty good life.
Not everyone can have such a good dog on the grassland. The key is that a dog like the Mongolian Ao dog only recognizes the first person it sees when it opens its eyes as its owner.
This is perhaps the only property on the prairie that cannot be seized with power.
The large group of people set off.
Tu Ma Chun's Centurion Corps had 98 soldiers, almost at full strength. 432 slaves were escorted.
They planned to go east first, then turn south, and first go to the Hongjilabu pastureland between Hulun Lake and Bell Lake. Then go south through the territory of Xilingol tribe, cross the Greater Khingan Mountains, and arrive at Chahar tribe.
Jingang White City is located on the upper reaches of the Liao River, which is still a thousand miles away from Lulong County. Maybe there is a chance to escape back.
Lu Shouli's heart was filled with hope again.
Ten days later, their team of men and horses arrived at a savanna, and Bald Ma Chun decided to camp here. It was the hottest time in the grassland, and the men and horses were very tired.
Each of the centurions had three horses and more than a dozen lorries. It was loaded with tents and supplies.
That evening, as soon as the team stopped, the slaves put down their luggage and let the women and children watch. They rushed to the grasslands around them, digging for wild vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms. Gathering cow dung to make a fire.
Lu Shouli settled down Xiaocui and the child, and prepared to go to a nearby hill alone.
When he came, he saw that there were many marmot caves there. This thing is fat and delicious, sizzling with oil when roasted.
Walking is hard work. If you don't eat enough, you will fall on the road sooner or later.
It doesn't take much experience to find marmots. Lu Shouli has already understood through research that he has survived on the grassland by catching marmots to supplement their oil and meat.
Every time he herded sheep, he observed them carefully. On the hillside, wherever marmots come and go, there must be a hole the size of a washbasin. Next to the hole are piles of sand and gravel bags, which are the soil pushed out by the marmots when they dig burrows. The marmots use this as a watchtower.
After many observations, he found that the larger the mud bag, the more marmots there were.
He also dug up an abandoned marmot cave and found that the cave was divided into several levels: a nursery, a storage room, and an observation room.
But there is only one exit.
He remembered the method of trapping small animals in his hometown, and developed a method of trapping marmots.
Lu Shouli first judged whether there were marmots coming in or out based on the footprints at the entrance of the cave, and then placed the cowhide noose he brought with him at the entrance of the cave.
A wooden stake with a rope set at one end is driven deeply into the ground at the entrance of the cave. The other end of the snare is fixed at the entrance of the hole with two wooden sticks. The diameter is slightly one-third smaller than the entrance of the hole. The top is made of grass. Ring camouflage. After repeated experiments, it was found that without camouflage, the marmot would never fall into the trap.
Lu Shouli became more and more proficient at catching marmots. He found that once a marmot was lassoed, its first reaction was to return to the hole and dig up the soil with all four legs. After a while, the hole behind it was blocked.
Get up early the next day to see if any prey has been harvested. You can tell by looking at the entrance of the cave.
Lu Shouli has a principle that a hole is a nest of marmots. He never captures the entire nest, but always releases the young marmots and the pregnant female marmots. Only adult and old marmots are caught.
Because when a marmot is caught, it will hold its head with its front paws and scream in terror, sounding like a child crying, which makes him very unbearable.
However, there is no way to survive. You can only try not to do meaningless killings. Let some go so that their descendants will not be cut off.
This place was deserted and the marmots were stupid. Lu Shouli soon caught three fat and big marmots. Carrying it back to the camp.
As soon as he approached the small shack he had built with branches and bear skins, he heard the barking of two fierce dogs. He was surrounded by a dozen slave men, holding various sharpened sticks as spears. Confronted with two big dogs.
They discovered that there was food in Lu Shouli's salute, and also found that Xiao Cui was very tender. They were ready to swarm over, highlight the food, and taste the taste of women at the same time. They have never touched a woman since they were captured.
The Mongols turned a blind eye to these. As long as no lives were lost, they would not interfere. As long as the people were delivered, they could do business.
Lu Shouli understood what was going on instantly. He had experienced this kind of thing a lot.
He hid behind a tree, took out his sling, skillfully put a stone on it, swung it a few times, and the stone flew out accurately, directly hitting the tall man in the lead.
His name is Sanhu, and he often bullies other slaves and harms women because of his tallness among slaves. The slaves hated them with a passion.
boom! A sharp stone hit him on the head.
Sanhu let out a scream, and blood instantly flowed down, blinding his eyes.
boom! boom!
Two more people were beaten to a bloody head.
These people suddenly became commotion.
They didn't see who attacked them.
Seeing the chaos among these people, Bale and Qiao Na immediately rushed out and threw Sanhu down. Bale bit him on the throat.
Sanhu struggled desperately and used the wooden stick in his hand to hit Baler's head. Qiaona bit him on the thigh, causing him to arch up like a prawn in pain. Qiao Na let go of her thighs and bit the back of her neck.
Under the tore of two vicious dogs, Sanhu's throat was torn open, and his trachea was pulled out by Baler. Blood spurted all over the floor.
Xiao Cui covered her eyes in horror.
The others were so frightened that they shouted and dispersed.
Several more rocks flew in, beating the dozen or so fleeing thugs until they cried for their fathers and mothers.
In the blink of an eye, a group of people fled without a trace.
Seeing Lu Shouli walking out of the darkness with a marmot on his back, Xiaocui cried and threw herself into his arms. Howling.
"It's okay. With Bale and Qiao Na here, they won't dare to come again. It's okay." Lu Shouli gently stroked her back to comfort her.
When Bale and Qiao Na saw their master coming back with a marmot on his back, they rushed over excitedly. They didn't even look at the three tigers they killed, and happily circled around their master.
On the grassland, dogs are not domestic animals, but family members.
When the owner catches the prey, the dog also has a share.
They like to eat marmot meat that's been roasted and sprinkled with salt.
The fact that they grew so majestic was inseparable from the fact that Lu Shouli fed them meat.
"Hmph, you are quite a ruthless kid. You killed one of them. How can I handle this?"
When Lu Shouli saw the centurion coming over, he quickly nodded and apologized, saying, "I shot three marmots today. They will be roasted in a while and sent to you, sir."
"Hmph, if I don't do this next time, if I cause trouble again, I'll look after you." After saying that, the centurion turned and walked away.
The strong man is respected on the grassland. He kills those who come to snatch his things and those who come to seduce his women. In the eyes of the Mongolians, this is only natural.
Instead, he gained their respect.
They will only look down on you if you submit.
Lu Shouli had been on the grassland for twenty years, and he was clear of all these mentalities.
Half an hour later, the centurion sat around with several of his cronies. While drinking kumiss, I tore into the roasted marmot and ate it.
"Good craftsmanship. In addition to herding sheep, this boy is also a cook. It's a pity."
"I don't know how to get this spiciness. The spicy flavor of barbecue is so enjoyable."
"It's wild onions and leeks mashed and smeared on. Rubbed with salt and then roasted."
Bald Ma Chun leaned against the big tree, his face illuminated by the fire, sometimes bright and sometimes dark.
He smacked his lips and said, "It's a pity. If I had known that this guy could not only herd sheep, but also be a cook, Taiji and I would have brought him here. Now we can only take advantage of the Chahar people."
In front of Lu Shouli's small shack, there was a simple horse crane propped up with three thick branches. The helmet used as a pot was boiled with marmot oil and mushroom wild vegetable soup.
Xiaocui held a rough black pottery bowl and drank heavily. She hadn't eaten greasy food in a year, and there was salt in the soup.
This black pottery bowl was also made by Lu Shouli himself.
He learned it when he was a boy, and everyone in the village would make it. Although it was crude, it didn't cost any money. Porcelain was so expensive, and farmers could afford it.
These days, Lu Shouli can bring back some food every day, some are mice, some are snakes, some are marmots, and occasionally bird eggs.
With the meat diet, she felt that her milk supply had increased, and she felt relieved. It seemed that her baby would survive.
"Brother Lu, what do you think the Great Khan is going to do by sending us there? Isn't it better to go to Chahar than to fish in the sea?"
"I don't know, but I always feel that this is an opportunity. I want to go back to my hometown, at least it's closer."
When talking about her hometown, Xiaocui is a little confused. Although she is a pure Han Chinese, she was born and raised in Yuyuerhai, so where is her hometown?
Brother Lu said he was going back to Han, but she didn't know everything there and was full of fear.
