The Khitan nobleman captured by Wu Laoliu was imprisoned and starved for five days.
During this period, there was no abnormality around Pingjiang County, and no one was sent to investigate because of the disappearance of the Khitan nobles.
What Zhou Yi didn't know was that the Khitans were a horse race. They would usually go out to herd and catch wild horses. It was normal for them to go there for more than ten or twenty days, not to mention the Tuobal Lieben whom Zhou Yi and the others captured. He was a run-down nobleman, and he had been missing for several days without anyone noticing.
During these five days, Zhou Yi did not send anyone to give Tuo Balie any food, but only arranged for someone to give him some water to ensure that he would not die.
People are like iron, and food is like steel. If you don't eat a meal, you will be hungry, not to mention a strong man like Tuo Ba Lie. After five days of starvation, Tuo Ba Lie was brought to Zhou Yi. Even his walking steps were frivolous.
Tuo Ba Lie was brought into a room. At this moment, there was a table in the middle of the main room. On the table was a large bowl of rice porridge and a small plate of mustard.
After a while, Zhou Yi brought a thin young man into the house.
This young man is called Zhang Huogen. Zhou Yi asked Wu Laoliu to find someone who could speak Khitan in the county specifically in order to translate the conversation between the two.
Tuo Ba Lie knew that the young man who had just walked in was the leader of them all, so he babbled in weak words as soon as Zhou Yi came in.
"Huogen, what did this kid say?" Zhou Yi asked.
The honest man Zhang Huogen answered truthfully: "He told you, sir, if you want to kill the pretty boy, just kill him for me!"
Zhou Yi was speechless and secretly sighed that this Zhang Huogen was too honest. He translated all the words he scolded the leader for being a pretty boy. He was really not smart.
"Just ask him if he hasn't been hungry enough for the past five days!"
As soon as Zhang Huogen finished translating in Khitan, a gurgling sound came from Daba Lie's stomach. Everyone in the audience heard the sound clearly, and everyone in the hall suddenly burst into laughter.
Originally, Tuo Ba Lie wanted to hold on, but after being hungry for so many days, when he smelled the aroma of rice porridge, he couldn't help but give in.
Zhou Yi also smiled and said: "A tough man can't stand the torture of hunger! Someone come and loosen his bonds and let him eat well!"
At this time, Wang Ting said worriedly: "Sir, this is not appropriate. What if he gets angry and hurts you?"
"He is unarmed, and there are more than 20 people inside and outside the hall. I don't believe that there are more than 20 of you and you can't take him down."
At Zhou Yi's insistence, Wang Ting carefully untied the rope from Tuo Balie's body.
Unfettered, Tuo Balie did not act violently and hurt others as Wang Ting imagined. Instead, he moved his body and asked Zhou Yi next to him.
Zhang Huogen immediately helped Zhou Yi translate and said, "He asked your Excellency, what do you want to do?"
Zhou Yi smiled and said to Tuo Ba Lie: "Don't worry, you will understand what I want to do later. Let him eat first!"
Under Zhang Huogen's translation, Tuo Ba Lie knew that Zhou Yi had asked him to eat first, and he was even more confused about this.
Although he really wanted to know what kind of medicine was sold in Zhouyi Gourd, Tuo Ba Lie's stomach growled again.
If a person dies and a bird looks up to the sky, if he doesn't die for tens of millions of years, the worst he can do is to die, but he still has to be a dead ghost.
With this idea in mind, Tuobalie sat upright in front of the case with a golden sword and started to pick at the bowl of white porridge.
Like the people in Pingliang County before, Tuo Ba Lie was burned by the scalding white porridge at the first bite. Out of cherishment of the food, Tuo Ba Lie only carefully spit the food in his mouth back into the bowl.
"Don't be in a hurry, eat slowly. If it's not enough, there will be more!" Zhou Yi reminded kindly.
This time Tuo Ba Lie learned the lesson and blew the porridge on the surface to cool down before eating.
The sweetness of the white porridge made him feel like he had eaten Xuanmai chewing gum and couldn't stop at all.
Tuo Ba Lie saw a pile of red mustard vegetables next to him, and without thinking, he grabbed a few with his hands and stuffed them into his mouth.
As soon as this pickled mustard enters your mouth, a salty aroma ripples from the tip of your tongue.
The crunchy taste made Tuo Balie fall in love with this feeling.
Tuo Ba Lie thought to himself: "It would be great if I could take this thing back and give it to my sister to try!"
Although Tuo Ba Lie thought so in his heart, he couldn't stop moving his hands at all. He took a mouthful of porridge and a mouthful of pickled mustard, and soon he finished everything on the table.
After finishing this big bowl of porridge and a plate of pickled mustard, Tuo Balie still felt like he still had something to say.
Seeing this, Zhou Yi asked someone to bring him a piece of white porridge and pickled mustard. Tuo Ba Lie did not refuse and ate it happily again.
After drinking five large bowls of white porridge and eating five plates of pickled mustard, Tuo Ba Lie lay down on the ground, stroking his round belly and asked, "Now you can tell me what you want to do!"
At this moment, Tuo Ba Lie felt that even if he was killed by Zhou Yi now, he would still be a happy dead ghost.
Zhou Yi did not directly state his purpose, but asked: "Are the white porridge and mustard tuber delicious just now?"
Tuo Ba Lie is also a straight person and said without hesitation: "It's very delicious, especially the pickled mustard. It's one of the most delicious things he has ever eaten in his life."
Zhou Yi clapped his hands when he saw that Tuo Balie had such a high opinion of mustard. Not long after, someone took out a small bag of rice and several packs of mustard from behind and handed them to Tuo Balie.
Zhou Yi said straight to the point: "I want to do a business with you. I want to exchange this rice and mustard for your cattle, sheep and horses!"
Tuo Ba Lie had heard before that Chen Guo would treat prisoners on death row to a very sumptuous meal as their last meal. Originally Tuo Ba Lie thought this was his last meal, but he didn't expect Zhou Yi to go to such great lengths just to do business with him.
Tuo Ba Lie hesitated for a moment and asked, "Officials of Chen State, won't you kill me?"
Zhou Yi was not polite to him and said directly: "Then it depends on whether you know what is good or not. If you don't agree to exchange cattle, sheep and horses with me, then I'm sorry you will have to die here!"
They are the Khitan and Xiongnu tribes, and there are not much else but herds of cattle, sheep and horses. Winter is coming soon, and many cattle and sheep are short of forage and may not survive this winter and will freeze to death.
Rather than suffer such losses, it would be better to sell those thin cattle, sheep and horses to Zhou Yi, in exchange for the food they lack, and the salty mustard.
In addition, Tuo Balie also wanted his sister to eat the delicious pickled mustard, so he agreed without thinking.
Tabalie's sister is not his biological sister, but his love sister.
For the sake of love, Tuo Ba Lie was willing to risk collaborating with the enemy and treason to do this business with Zhou Yi.
