After hearing her father introduce the situation outside the border wall bit by bit, Feng Ziying understood deeply that the Feng family's decades in Datong were really not just a boast.
Whether it is the Ordos tribe or the Tumut tribe, as long as they are the leader, they will inevitably have trade exchanges with the mainland. As the chief military officer, he controls the gate and can open wider to which tribe he has good relations with. If you are dissatisfied with that tribe, you can tighten it a little, and then the position of leader of the tribe will not be secure.
The Duan family is also a wealthy family in Datong. Although it is not as noble as the Feng family and has not produced many scholars, the Duan brothers, Feng Ziying's two uncles, each donated a fifth-grade Tongzhi, and they are famous locals. The other is engaged in the business of selling medicinal materials, and the other is engaged in the trading of livestock and skins from Datong to other countries. They both own hundreds of hectares of land, and they are typical land-based tigers.
After the Feng family came to Beijing, the Duan family also had contacts, and his uncle also came to Beijing. However, Feng Ziying's cousins were not very good at studying. Only one of the five cousins passed the scholar examination, and the other four could only follow him. My father is in business.
"Ziying, you have to remember that Tatars like to bully the weak. If you are weak, all negotiations will be over. Only when you are strong enough can you talk about justice and benefit with them." Feng Tang finally concluded, "Bu Whether it's the Stone Rabbit, the Focused Rabbit or the Zai Seng, you have to let them understand that it's not that the court can't defeat Ningxia or that it can't help but ask them for help, but that the court doesn't want to spend too much time to fight, and it doesn't want to spend more. Money, that’s why I choose them..."
Feng Ziying was convinced.
Don't think that the Tatars on the grassland are barbarians. The Han people in the Central Plains are not much smarter than them, especially the chiefs, who are all human spirits. Otherwise, how can they survive in the grassland where the weak and the strong eat the strong?
Maybe they could be deceived for a moment, but as long as they calm down a little bit, they should be able to see the current situation clearly. This is also the confidence that Feng Ziying dares to break into the grassland.
"Dad, when do you think it's more appropriate to leave?" Feng Ziying asked another question.
Feng Tang's face quickly turned ferocious, he clasped his hands together and rubbed them gently: "There's no rush, we have to let the Tatars on the grassland understand who is the real master! I will let He Renlong make a surprise attack. Xining Fort! Within ten days, I will let He Shixian seize the prison camp and block the rebels' southward path! If you don't win two battles, how can you go into the grassland to talk to them, Brother Keng?!"
*******
It was already early March when Feng Ziying and his party left the fortress.
It was still chilly on the grassland in late spring. He was wrapped in a thick Laotan sheepskin jacket, a suede fur hat tilted on his head, and two leather bags hanging sideways from the saddle of an inconspicuous yellow gelding.
Salt and tea bricks are must-have items when leaving the fortress. They can be used as exchange items and are also the best gifts to show goodwill.
The team of more than 20 people seemed to be about the same, but it could be regarded as the most adequate armed force that Feng Tang could prepare for his son.
Most of the twenty people are Ye Bushou and Jianshao who have been hanging out on the grassland for a long time. In terms of proficiency in martial arts, everyone can fight one against three against five. They also understand that the mission of entering the grassland this time is to escort them. The son of Lord Commander-in-Chief is also the personal envoy of the three governors.
One person and two horses, a thick back, a narrow blade and short spurs attached to the body, this is the standard equipment of Ye Bu Sheng.
Feng Ziying also followed suit and brought a narrow-edged knife that he was most proficient in, but it was slightly different from the thick-backed narrow-edged knives used by Ye Bushou. After all, he was not a professional at this skill.
The equipment of the whistlers is slightly different, and they are also narrow-edged knives, but they are lighter and shorter, slightly curved, more like the horse-cutting knives used by horse thieves on the grassland, but shorter.
The lazy sunshine has climbed up to the sky and shone on people, but Feng Ziying still feels cold. Even if the old sheepskin coat is tightly wrapped, the coldness still penetrates into her chest.
The group exited the fort from Yanchang Fort, avoiding the line from Poluo Fort to Yongji Fort, which is the most active part of Suangtaiji.
Seven days ago, the He Renlong Division of the Yulin Army raided Xining Fort overnight, killing more than 700 rebels in one fell swoop, and took advantage of the situation to capture Weizhou Station by the Luopu River. The Ningxia rebels who had established a firm foothold in Qinggang Gorge and Anbian were caught in a turmoil.
Even before He Shixian launched an attack on Anbiansuo and Qinggangxia, the rebels retreated westward in a hurry. He Shixian's troops took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, from Anbiansuo to Pingluo. If it weren't for the rebels at Zhenrongsuo With one force coming for reinforcements, the Japanese Yulin army can capture the Pinglu camp.
While the attention of the rebels who invaded Guyuan Town were focused on the line of Pinglu Station, He Shixian sent a unit to the north suddenly, raided Xiama Pass, and captured Xiama Pass in one fell swoop, making Weizhou Station, Xining Fort, and Xiama Pass connected. A perfect triangle ensured that this key position, which penetrated deeply into the waist of the Ningxia Guard, was in the hands of the Yulin Army.
As the Datong soldiers advanced from the south, the Ningxia rebels were forced to shrink back half of the city from the Pinglu and Zhenrong posts along the Qingshui River, which was already close to the Ningxia Zhongwei boundary, and began to deploy defenses on this line.
However, the Yulin Army can only do this one step at present. If it cannot solve the threat of Su Nang Taiji in the north and free up You Shigong's main force, this war will continue to be stalemate indefinitely.
It was only at this time that Feng Tang finally relented and agreed to Feng Ziying and his party going north to the fortress.
After leaving the fortress, the group headed north along the line between Laohua Horse Pond and Guodi Lake, heading straight for the Black Water River, also known as the Dusi Tu River, where the Bu Shi Tu tribe was currently stationed as herders.
Although it is still so cold that one's whole body is stiff, a few hints of green can already be seen faintly in the cracks in the mud on the grassland. Spring is here, and it only needs one or two more rains, and the entire ground will quickly turn into lush vegetation. Shengjing, this is the Loop.
Such a large force would not dare to provoke either ordinary horse bandits or small groups of rogues, as long as it did not encounter most of the elite Tatars.
Looking at the clothes of this group of people, you can tell that most of them are elite border troops from the Han Dynasty in the south. People on the grasslands are not stupid either. They can do any business, but they can't do business at a loss. If you want to eliminate such a group of people, It is impossible to imagine a force without paying hundreds of casualties, not to mention that it is not a large caravan, so it is not worth it.
"Uncle Zuo, how many days will it take to get there?" I've been out for two days, and I'm lucky. I haven't met anyone at all. Occasionally, I've met one or two groups of shepherds, all driving their sheep away from a distance. .
This line should be the area where the forces of Su Nang and Bushi Tu tribes intersect. There are also some small tribes that are attached to Su Nang or have taken refuge in Boshi Tu and graze their cattle on this line.
"It will probably take another three days. Don't dare to go any faster. The horses can't bear it. If there's an emergency, we'll be in trouble." Feng Zuo's face was thin, his brows were like knives, and he had sharp eyes like an eagle. Always moving around inadvertently.
There was nothing he could do. It would be fine if he was alone. Feng Zuo was confident that it would be difficult to find a few people who wanted to kill him on this grassland, but with the young master, it was really hard to say.
The master's explanation is very simple. If the young master can't come back, he won't come back.
It is true that this man is too important to the Feng family, so Feng Zuo did not agree with it from the beginning. But when the matter has reached this point, Feng Zuo has no choice but to agree.
It doesn't matter whether he dies or not, nothing can happen to this young master. Feng You even took the young master to take a risk, but his wife kicked him out to avoid the limelight for a year. If he goes back this time, he will be The wife knows, and I'm afraid even the master will have something to do with it.
However, with twenty knights who stayed at night and sharp whistles accompanying them, Feng Zuo felt much more at ease. The master also spent a lot of money. These are the most elite and brave characters in the Yulin Army, but they met the ordinary Tatars. The cavalry squad is fully capable of dealing with this force.
Three of the cavalry have already been released. This is the rule. They patrol along the northwest, due north and northeast. Once they find any suspicious signs, they must quickly turn back and report.
"Bu Shitu only has five thousand tents here now? Then he is too far behind Su Nang. If he stays here and doesn't leave, Uncle Zuo, what do you think his purpose is?"
Feng Ziying knew that although Feng Zuo was nominally his father's personal attendant, he actually had several identities, including bodyguard, general sentry, and Feng Tang's foreign manager. It could be said that basically all the matters of the Feng family were kept secret. Feng Zuo, and Feng Zuo's two sons have already started a family in Datong Real Estate, and even brought three grandchildren.
"Brother Keng, don't underestimate this fortune-telling rabbit. In the past, my uncle had a good relationship with Chao-tu Taiji. Chao-tu Taiji was quite popular in Tumote. It's a pity that Chao-tu Taiji died early. The fortune-telling rabbit The kinship relationship within the Tumote tribe is still very strong. Several brothers of Zalik support Bu Shitu. Of course, this support may have some conditions. Well, for example, Bu Shitu himself must also have sufficient strength. Now The main force of Bu Shitu is still in the West Sea. He is probably still hesitating now. He is afraid that if he fails after bringing all the troops back from the West Sea, he will have no way out, but he is not willing to withdraw from the fight like this. Duan, nothing better than this."
Feng Zuo's eyes slowly focused, and a horse galloped in front of him, bringing up a cloud of yellow dust. He felt a thump in his heart, fearing that something was wrong.
You can tell from the opponent's gestures that there are not many enemies, but this is often worse, because it means there may be bigger trouble behind.
The more afraid that something will happen, the more trouble will come. This has been an eternal motto. Feng Zuo sighed in his heart, put away some unnecessary emotions, tightened the cowhide cord around his waist, and clamped Ma Wei said, "Brother Keng, be careful, I'm afraid something may happen! Hulik, Sobudo, you two follow the young master! The others spread out, Yan Xing!"
