It turns out that this man is not alone, but has four companions.
Judging from their clothes, they are still merchants from the Ming Dynasty.
The knife he brought was a Mongolian knife.
However, the people in this area are dressed in a disorderly manner. Even if it is really a Ming Dynasty businessman who thinks the Mongolian knife is useful, it is not surprising to wear a Mongolian knife for self-defense.
When Hadir saw the man, he became nervous and suddenly grabbed Zhu Bai's hand with his backhand.
His fingers were cold, but his palms were sweating.
Zhu Bai glanced at Hadir: What is the background of this person that makes Hadir so nervous.
The man didn't seem to notice the swords in Zhang Yu's hands. He calmly walked to the campfire and sat down, looking at the barbecue and rubbing his hands: "Hahaha, I'm really lucky today. I met you guys and shot wild animals."
Hadir also noticed Zhu Bai's inquiring gaze at this moment, and explained: "The rules of the desert are that meeting someone is fate, and water and food must be shared."
Zhang Yu also smiled, sat down and said, "Yes, it's fate. Let's eat together."
Everyone still sat down.
Hadir took Zhu Bai and sat on another bonfire.
Zhu Bai asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"
Hadir smiled and said, "I'm afraid of strangers. Especially at night."
No, he lied. How could someone like him, who hangs out in the inn all day, be afraid of strangers? !
Zhu Bai pursed his lips slightly and stopped asking.
Over there, Zhang Yu and the people who came were already chatting.
The person who came said: "My surname is Qi, and my name is Qi Nuo. I want to go to Hami to buy something."
Zhang Yu: "Oh. That's still a few days away."
Zino asked again: "Where are all of you going?"
Zhang Yu: "I took my little nephew out to see it. I didn't say where I had to go. I felt tired, so I went back."
Zino smiled: "It's so nice. I also want to be able to roam freely among the mountains and rivers one day."
Zhang Yu: "Human beings, everything happens in one thought. Once you let it go, you will be free."
Zino took the wine from his waist, took a sip and handed it to Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu also took a sip, but did not pass it down, but handed it back to him.
The roe deer meat on the fire was almost roasted, and the oil dripped down and splashed sparks in the fire.
The two guards took down the two roe deer and placed them on a makeshift shelf built with branches nearby.
Zeno seemed interested and stared at the guard intently.
The guard pulled out a dagger from his waist and cut the roe deer into large pieces, and the people next to him passed it around.
Qinuo stared at the dagger in the guard's hand, and seemed to suddenly lose interest again. He turned his head and began to concentrate on eating meat and continued talking to Zhang Yu.
Zhu Bai smiled: Not bad, not bad. Before I came out, I asked them to change all the weapons from the standard equipment of the Ming Dynasty's army to those for ordinary civilian use.
Otherwise, the secret will be revealed again.
After eating and drinking, everyone lay down on the floor.
Mao Xiang and Zhang Yu leaned on the stone, one on the left and the other on the right, protecting Zhu Bai in the middle.
Wealth and honor lie at Zhu Bai's feet.
There are also guards on duty in three shifts at night.
Zeno and the others seemed very relieved and didn't leave anyone on guard. They just leaned against the tree and slept with their knives in their arms.
Zhu Bai felt that someone was watching him in the darkness. When he opened his eyes, he met the eyes of that Zino.
Zeno looked at him with interest like a wolf pondering a lamb.
Zhu Bai's heart beat wildly, and he woke up instantly, but pretended to be dazed and looked at Zino.
Zeno closed his eyes again and continued to sleep.
But Zhu Bai couldn't sleep anymore.
He bet a piece of melon that this guy was definitely who he imagined.
In the morning, Zhu Bai was awakened by wealth and opened his eyes to find that the sun had risen.
Everyone has tidied up and is eating naan for breakfast.
Zhu Bai turned around and didn't see Zino or the others.
Fugui said: "They left before the young master woke up. They also said they would see each other again by fate."
Zhu Bai jumped up and grabbed Hadir and asked: "Do you know Zino? Who is he?"
Hadir hesitated and said, "He is Wang Baobao."
Zhang Yu and Mao Xiang took a breath: Damn it, we all walked away from the gate of hell last night without knowing it.
Zhang Yu murmured: "I guessed they might be Mongolian Rangers, but I didn't expect them to be Wang Baobao."
Zhu Bai sighed: "It is indeed him. Doesn't Qino mean wolf in Mongolian?"
Yesterday they were still saying "Wolf is coming", but they met "Wolf" at night.
Hadir: "Let's leave quickly. It's best not to meet them again."
Zhang Yu asked: "Is Wang Baobao still robbing passing merchants?"
Why else would Hadir be so nervous? After all, they are also ordinary businessmen now.
Hadir hesitated and said, "It depends on the situation. If he has no money or food, he will rob Han merchants."
Just like a wolf, it wanders around, harmless to humans and animals when not hungry, and eats whatever it catches when hungry.
Zhu Bai and the others started on their way again.
We stopped at a small oasis to rest. The desert has the most camel thorns and tamarisks, and only the small lakes are covered with green grass.
Not far from this Haizi, there is a tall pile of earth, square and square, which is completely different from other Yadan terrains in the Gobi.
At first glance, it looks like a ruin that was built manually but was abandoned.
Zhu Bai pointed to the pile of soil and asked, "What is that?"
Zhang Yu said: "According to the location, it should be Yumen Pass during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the Western Han Dynasty, Yumen Pass was about 600 miles deeper into the northwest hinterland."
Zhu Bai suddenly realized: By the way, let me tell you, Xiaofangpan City, which was recognized as the Yumenguan site in later generations, should not be here.
An inexplicable sadness surged in his heart, and he murmured: "The spring breeze never reaches Yumen Pass."
From its establishment in the Western Han Dynasty, to the eastward migration in the Sui Dynasty, to the Western Xia's occupation of the entire Hexi Corridor in the early Song Dynasty, generations of people have guarded the Yumen Pass for 1,140 years. Now only a foundation is left, and it is now desolate.
In the future, even this foundation will disappear due to erosion by wind and sand, cover by weeds, and scratching by wild animals.
Hadir said: "If the Song Dynasty had not abandoned the Yumen Pass, it would not have been driven south by the Mongols, and the country would not have been destroyed in the end."
Zhang Yu shook his head: "The Northern Song Dynasty had no cavalry that could fight the Mongols, and the Mongols were not the only enemy in the Northern Song Dynasty at that time. The Jin Dynasty, Xixia, and Liao Kingdom took turns to invade."
Hadir looked at Zhu Bai: "Is it just because of this? To be honest, there are many enemies around Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Bai said: "This is an important reason but not the only reason. Dynasty change is a complex process that takes many years. I think the reasons can be summarized into six points. The first is what my uncle just said. Foreign enemies are strong and numerous, and He is good at riding and shooting. The second is that the feudal bureaucracy is corrupt, the governance is disordered, and power is completely concentrated in the court, especially in the Southern Song Dynasty. Once there is a problem with the court's decision-making, it will cause the country to suffer a devastating blow. The so-called military situation is extremely urgent, so There is a saying that "the general will not accept the emperor's order outside". The soldiers guarding the border must have certain authority to deal with emergencies. When the military report reached the court, the king convened a meeting with ministers to make decisions and then issued an imperial edict. The enemy broke through the defense line. We have reached the hinterland. Not to mention that the enemies of the Song Dynasty are still cavalry who are good at attacking. They can travel hundreds of miles a day and destroy the country in a few days."
