"A bunch of trash, you can't even look down on one person, what use are you!" Arhan scolded loudly.
"Sir, what is it about that kid that makes you so fascinated? He is alone, without food, without shelter. He will die in this forest sooner or later. Even if we don't catch him, we won't let him leave alive, right? ?" Chacai lowered his head, still a little unconvinced.
"Idiot! What do you know! This man's mind can be of great use wherever he is placed!" Arhan pointed at the forest and shouted: "Why don't you find him quickly? Even if he is frozen into ice, I will I want to see his body!"
Cha Gu could only agree. Just as they were about to enter the forest again, Song Che's voice came from the darkness:
"No need to trouble, everything is safe with Mr. Song."
Song Che strode out of the forest, carrying a snow leopard carcass on his shoulders. He threw the snow leopard beside the fire and raised his chin at Chachai: "Do you still remember our bet? Ten slaps."
"You brat!" Chachai was furious. He grabbed Song Che's collar and spat at Xingzi: "I asked you to stand there after hunting the red deer. Why did you run away!"
Song Che said calmly: "I was so excited at the time that I forgot about it. The beast ran too fast. I chased it and lost its way. Unfortunately, I fell into the rift valley. Then I met this snow leopard. That's it." Condition."
"You obviously want to run away-"
"Snapped!"
Song Che slapped Arhan across the face, which was far less than one-tenth of the damage he did to Nangong Yue.
"The remaining nine will be paid back slowly in the future. General Chachai cannot be dishonest."
"You!" Chachai clenched his fist, and before he could hit Song Che, Arhan grabbed his hand and said to Song Che:
"Mr. Song, whether you have any thoughts of escaping or not, I don't want what happened today to happen again. Otherwise, don't blame me for tying you up with a rope."
Song Che shrugged and sat back by the fire, "I have never eaten leopard meat in my life. I heard that eating the courage of an ambitious leopard can increase your courage, but I don't know if that's true."
Then, they peeled off the skin and meat of the snow leopard, found a smooth stone slab, and put it on the fire to barbecue.
Snowflakes are floating in the sky, and the smell of meat is fragrant in the shed. Looking at Cha Chai’s helpless expression, chewing juicy and delicious leopard meat, it is quite satisfying!
…
Three days later.
The team climbed over the Qilian Mountains and entered the Great Plains. The endless paleness made your eyes feel sore just looking at it for a moment.
The thick snow covered the horses' hooves, making every step very difficult.
In this way, after walking in the snowfield for another two days, we finally met the Hu troops who came to greet us in a small town. They brought food and supplies to keep out the cold.
In early November, we will arrive in Dadu.
The snow-covered roads have been cleared, and those who plow the snow are thinly dressed and skinny, and most of them have Liang faces.
They were once soldiers and civilians of Beiliang, and after being captured, they became slaves of the Hu people.
Slaves would freeze to death in this snow every moment. The next February, the snow would melt with the spring breeze and rot into nutrients to nourish the grass.
The slaves looked at Song Che, who was riding on horseback and had the same face as them, with indescribably complicated eyes.
Song Che covered his face out of shame, intolerance, and helplessness.
If Guo Shuyun saw the former people of Beiliang reduced to this place, she would definitely be heartbroken, right?
"Mr. Arhan, even though slaves have no human rights, they must be guaranteed basic food and clothing, right? If you treat the prisoners of war in Daliang like this, Daliang will treat you in the same way next year. When will retribution begin?" Song Che really couldn't bear it. .
Arhan said: "Mr. Song, you can't change the current situation of the slaves with just one word. Not even I or even the Great Khan can do it. In Hu State, these captives are no different from animals. They belong to the slave owners." of;
What's more, our Hu State is not intolerant. When we captured Beiliang, we asked them if they were willing to surrender. They would rather die than obey. Who can blame us? I can only blame you Liang people for being too spineless. ",
Hearing what he said, Song Che stood in awe and dismounted resolutely, intending to go and express condolences to these compatriots who were suffering in a foreign country.
Unexpectedly, Chachai quickly lifted him up and put him back on the horse again, shouting: "You have such a charming face, you won't be able to kill yourself if you go down there!"
Song Che frowned, put aside his guesses, and was about to speak——
"Whoosh!"
A flying arrow passed by him, but it hit a slave sitting and resting by the roadside.
Song Che was shocked. He looked for where the arrow was launched and saw a tall watchtower about thirty feet away. On the top of the tower were three Hu soldiers holding crossbows, always staring at the snow. slaves working there.
"In order to prevent these slaves from escaping and being lazy, there will be guards at regular intervals, so Mr. Song should not run around, lest he be mistaken for a slave and shot with an arrow." Arhan reminded.
Song Che glanced at Liang Ren who was lying in a pool of blood. He was obviously so thin that he was just skin and bones... Seeing this, the other slaves had to pick up the shovel no matter how tired they were and keep plowing the snow.
It's just too much. But so what? These slaves are worse than animals.
"Since these slaves are like cattle and sheep, does it mean that they can be bought and sold with clearly marked prices?" Song Che asked.
Arhan nodded.
"What's the typical price for a slave like them?" Song Che asked again.
"I don't know about this. I am a minister of the Hu State, not a slave owner." Arhan looked sideways at Song Che: "Mr. Song, you don't have any thoughts about these slaves, do you? I advise you to die. With this heart, slave owners can only be barbarians, and they can never be from Liang people, no matter how much money they have."
Song Che didn't speak anymore, but he knew that since he was here, he must do something.
Less than half an hour later, most of the Hu State came into view, and the number of slaves also increased several times. They were like cattle and horses, transporting big stones into the capital one by one, and it seemed that they were widening and thickening the city wall.
Reinforcing city walls and increasing defense must be related to war.
Song Che's guess was indeed correct. The Hu clan will definitely make big moves next year.
"Stand still, hold your head high, and be energetic. Whether I can make a fortune today depends entirely on you!"
Under the city gate, a middle-aged man in his early forties with a greasy build was holding a pointer and ordering a group of slaves to stand in line.
"Tourdan." Arhan called the middle-aged slave owner softly.
When Turdan turned around and saw Arhan, he changed his arrogant attitude when facing the slaves and became humble and humble. He greeted him with a smile, touched his chest and saluted:
"Dear Lord Arhan, the little man Turdan wishes you well. I wish you a long life, good fortune and good health."
