February 19th.
It has been a month since I entered the Nanman territory.
Tan Bin and "Lao Wu" separated from "Lao Si" thirty miles away from Wuhu, and then relied on the old mouse's guidance to wander around Wuhu for a few days to make sure that the barbarians were not catching up. Maybe then we can start again and continue exploring to the southeast.
It wasn't until they crossed the Baektu Gorge that Tan Bin realized what a wise decision it was for the superiors to send them to investigate the barbarians.
People who have never been to this area would never imagine that the dilapidated and barbaric southern barren land would be like this. To say it is surprising, it is better to say that the facts have subverted their inherent perceptions.
Can you imagine that the vibrant and prosperous scene of new seedlings growing in the fields will appear in the bitter land of the Southern Barbarians?
Can you imagine that the peaceful scene of vast villages and the smoke from cooking stoves would appear in the bitter land of Nanman?
There’s even a market! Even if the currency is just a simple stone-engraved coin, goods are already circulating in a small area! This means that the barbarians here have basically said goodbye to famine and have begun to pursue higher-level material needs.
This is not a good thing for the Jingjiu Dynasty.
I didn't dare to rush during the day, so I could only explore carefully through the woods late at night.
Whenever you encounter a village, use a scout ball to observe it from a distance. At least until now, Tan Bin and "Lao Wu" agreed that the information they had received from the three red-eyed wolf cavalry was actually very inaccurate. In particular, "gathering a crowd of more than 500,000 people" is seriously inconsistent. These days, Tan Bin and the others have definitely seen more than just these barbarians.
Because more than sixty miles after crossing the Baitou Gorge, Tan Bin and the others discovered a military village, which stretched for more than fifteen miles and was surrounded by more than ten villages scattered in an orderly manner. There were probably no less than 100,000 people in that military stronghold alone.
It has already changed so much just after passing Baekdu Gorge, so what will it be like when we get closer to Sambichu?
With urgency, Tan Bin and the other two quickened their pace.
But thankfully, Qianliyin in his arms responded. It was a situation notice, saying that the higher-ups had sent people to lurk near Xiaochuan, in order to close the distance and directly contact their group that was deep into the barbarian land, so that Tan Bin could report any progress directly. At the same time, pay attention to safety and do not do anything. Evacuate immediately, don't rush in.
After re-establishing contact, Tan Bin became more courageous. They are not afraid of death, but they are afraid that they will not be able to pass the information back if they get it. Now that their worries have been resolved, they decided to try to see if they could get close to Sambichu.
"Two gentlemen, I'm calling you uncle! Don't go any further, okay? It's too dangerous! If we go any further we will all die!" The old mouse was going crazy. He used to make a living by hunting barbarians. Looking at the barbarians was like looking at money, and he would laugh from ear to ear. In his eyes, the barbarians were not even worthy of being called "people", but he called them "sheep".
But what about now? There are barbarians all around! There is also such a big military stronghold, with swords, guns, shields and halberds lined up inside. The murderous look can be felt from a long distance away. Don't be afraid that it is all fake. If it fell into the hands of these barbarians... the end would be absolutely tragic, and life would be worse than death.
The old rat was horrified to find that Tan Bin and the two were actually going deeper, and even said they were going to Sangbichu, which was nearly a thousand miles deep!
Isn't this courting death?
"Two choices, either you come with us, or we kill you now to prevent you from falling into the hands of the barbarians and being tortured. It's also considered acquaintance and I give you a ride. How about it?" Tan Bin didn't even raise his eyebrows. replied the old mouse. He smoothly took a new bottle of water from "Lao Wu" and put it into the storage bag. They found a drinkable mountain spring for the first time in two days and prepared to pack more.
"We really can't go any further. You should have seen the situation on the barbarian side by now, right? They have cultivated themselves, and they are completely different from the "Land of Misery" spread in the country. You should be able to deal with it, right? ?”
By now, the old rat was sure that the two people in front of him were definitely from the official background of the Jingjiu Dynasty, but he was not sure which yamen they belonged to.
Tan Bin didn't explain. He didn't allow the old rat to yell anymore? He just pulled out the short knife.
"No! I won't say it anymore! Why don't you stop saying it? Oh..." The old mouse felt tired.
As night falls, Tan Bin rides in front, with "Lao Wu" behind. The old mouse has no ropes to tie him up now. There is even a horse to ride on, but he wants to run but has no chance. Lao Wu's hands are behind him. He was always holding a short crossbow and staring at his vest. He would be absolutely heartbroken if he dared to do anything random.
But maybe God saw that the old rat was pitiful? They didn't run far that night before they were forced to stop and find a place to hide nearby.
On one of the posts? The horses were tied and muzzled in the distance behind. Tan Bin, "Lao Wu" and the old rat were crawling on the ground. About three miles away in the distance was a "long dragon" with a torch, coming from very far away. Winding here and there? Look at its extending direction to the northwest.
"What are they doing?"
The old mouse didn't have a probing ball to use? He could only look into the distance with empty eyes, but Sanli was too far away, and it was late at night. He could only guess that there were many people moving in the distance, but the specific situation was not clear.
Tan Bin and "Lao Wu" had solemn expressions and remained silent for a long time.
After a long while, Tan Bin said: "It seems that things have changed again."
"Hmm! Look at the flag, this is a mixed army? There are at least 50,000 people, and they are marching in a long column? But there is not much baggage behind them. It seems that if they are not going to fight somewhere, they are going to station somewhere. "
This is the territory of the Southern Barbarians? Except for a small number of slave caravans, there is no place where such a large army is used. Therefore, "challenge" can be eliminated. Then the only option is to go and station somewhere.
"They are heading north. Could it be the military camp we passed before?"
Tan Bin shook his head and said: "It's impossible. The military stronghold was obviously built as a fortification? Is the wall on all sides strong and thick? There should be full of people stationed inside. Moreover, the surrounding villages have obviously been properly arranged for a long time, so it is impossible to rashly build another stronghold. It's unreasonable to add such a large army.
They should be heading elsewhere. "
Large-scale military mobilization is not something that can be encountered at any time. Moreover, even Tan Bin realized that something was "wrong" with the barbarians after entering Baitou Gorge, and he made a quick decision.
"Let's not go to Sambichu now. Follow this army and see where they are going."
Tan Bin made a decision, and "Lao Wu" followed it unconditionally. But it made the old mouse look depressed and didn't know what to do. Instead of going to Sambichu, you can follow a large army... This seems to be a way to die!
That night, Tan Bin used Qianli Note to send a copy of the latest operation progress back to Xiaochuan for relay, and then forwarded it to Fengri City.
