Late Tang

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The strong wind and drizzle beat Li Siyuan's face, he lightly kicked the horse's belly, and crossed the swollen river.Beside him, Li Keyong, the patriarch of the Shatuo tribe, pulled his cloak and cursed the damn weather.His harpy eagle was parked on his shoulder, and the wind ruffled its feathers, making it look as down and out as Li Keyong.

The new wind rises, and the withered grass flies.

He secretly hoped that the lady following behind would be able to hold on, even if the weather was fine, it would not be comfortable to ride outside the Great Wall for a long time.Now, it has been raining for a full ten days, and the vast grassland has already turned into a big swamp, full of mud and rivers. This situation makes people feel like they are in the Jiangnan of Tang Dynasty, where water is everywhere.At this time, Li Sizhao and the others must be sitting by the brazier in the tent, drinking warm kumiss.

Li Siyuan envied them. His own soaked robe was so thick that it stuck to his body, making him uncomfortable, his neck and shoulders hurt from the weight of the armor, and what was even more uncomfortable was that he had had enough of dried salted fish and fishy smell. The taste of mutton jerky.

Ahead, a stretch of tents appeared in the wind and rain, and the flags were fluttering, which seemed a little hazy through the intertwined slanting wind and drizzle.

"The Tartar camp has arrived!" Li Ke saw the tent ahead with his single eye, and shouted loudly, "God bless them, at least they didn't move."

Li Siyuan heard from the Shatuo Black Crow Army brothers how Li Ke, the flying tiger, used to frighten the Tatar warriors by killing two birds with one stone, and how the Tatars obeyed their orders when the Shatuo tribe was in Daibei. Now, finally He personally came to the camp of the Tatars.

Along the way, many Tatar herdsmen have already turned to pastures and headed further south for the winter.Many people are worried that the Tatar chiefs have also gone south, but luckily they haven't left yet.Maybe, they can borrow more food this time, at least, they can escape the heavy rain here.

Li Siyuan came to the Tatar camp for the first time, but it was not the first time for Li Keyong.After they crossed the Yin Mountain, Li Keyong finally gathered thousands of Shatuo people, and then gathered a lot more.During this period of time, many small Uighur tribes were recruited.The Shatuo tribe has resumed the scale of more than [-] people, but so many people are extremely short of food and grass.They fled from Daibei to Yinshan and lost all their belongings.The newly recruited small Uighur tribes were actually mostly old and weak after being defeated and plundered by other tribes. They also had no food to rely on the Shatuo tribe who had been quite prestigious in the Yinshan area for many years.

During this period of time, Li Ke borrowed food from the Tatars several times, but each time he did not borrow much.Although it’s only August, the weather is gloomy. Experienced old people say that this year’s snow may fall earlier this year, and maybe the first snow will come after this rain.In any case, when it snows, life will be more difficult.Li Keyong wanted to take advantage of the first snow and borrow enough grain and grass from the Tatars for the winter.

Li Keyong once told Li Siyuan and other subordinates that although the Tatars did not have a good reputation, they had always been friends of the Shatuo people.Now that the Shatuo people are killed, they will help us.As long as some cattle and sheep survive this winter, it is enough.

Before setting off, Li Sizhao had told Li Siyuan the identities of these Tatars.In fact, the Tatars, like the Shatuo people, were subordinate tribes of the Turkic people hundreds of years ago.During the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty, the Tatars were also called Shiwei, and even Mobei, in the northeast of Tiele, Khitan, and in the northwest of Mohe and Goguryeo.

Shiwei originated from Donghu and is similar to Khitan; it is Khitan in the south and Shiwei in the north.The residence is on both sides of the middle and upper reaches of Heilongjiang and the Nenjiang River Basin.Taking hunting as a business, they catch more minks, raise cattle and horses, eat meat and hide their skins, and also grow wheat, millet, and □; they live in the city in summer, and chase aquatic plants in winter.The heads of the various ministries are named "Mohedu" and do not belong to each other.From time to time, envoys were sent to the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty to pay tribute.Later, it was divided into five tribes: Nanshiwei, Beishiwei, Boshiwei, Shenmo Tanshiwei, and Dashiwei.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the grassland was turbulent, and Shiwei was also involved in the grassland war.With the decline of the Turks and the rise of Tiele, many tribes in Shiwei began to move westward.Then the Uyghur Khanate rose, and Shiwei became a Uyghur affiliate and went further south.Decades ago, after the Uyghur Khanate destroyed the country and the Uyghur Khanate was destroyed by Kagasi, he returned to the west of the Tianshan Mountains shortly after.At this time, the Khitan took advantage of the weakening of the Tang Dynasty and repeatedly attacked Shiwei in the north. As a result, the tribes of Shiwei either moved westward to the south, or were conquered by the Khitan, and regrouped.

Shiwei moved southward and westward, among which Usugu and Xishiwei were moved to the vicinity of Zhenwu, the Yang of the Yin Mountain, due to the war, and did not seem to return to their original place after military setbacks. It is Yinshan Shiwei.

The Tang people collectively referred to these Mobei tribes who moved south and west as Thirty-surnamed Tatars, not just Shiwei, and even some other Mobei tribes collectively.

Now what Li Keyong wants to meet is the Wusugu tribe and the Heiche Shiwei who are stationed in the north and south of Zhanshan Mountain. These two Shiwei tribes have now formed an alliance called Yinshan Shiwei, but Tang people used to call it Tartar. dressed leather.

Yinshan Shiwei was attached to the Tang Dynasty, accepted the Tang Dynasty's rewarding official position, and accepted the jurisdiction of Zhenwu Army and Datong Festival.Before that, the Shatuo tribe had always been the boss of Yinshan Shiwei.

"Siyuan." Li Keyong ordered, "You ride to the back and pass down the order to remind the officers to restrain their subordinates. I don't allow anyone to do anything, and I don't allow Tatar women to think about it. Don't run around if you have nothing to do. You are not allowed to do whatever you want." Talk to them."

"Follow your orders, my lord." Li Siyuan rode his horse and turned back to the direction of the rear team, passing through many brothers all the way, everyone was muddy and exhausted.

In the rear, Li Siyuan found Mrs. Liu, she was wearing a fiery red long cloak and a mink hat, and she was sitting listlessly on the saddle.Around her were a hundred female sword guards on horseback led by Jing Niang wearing a silver mask.

"Ma'am, the Tatar camp has arrived." Li Siyuan smiled and said.

Mrs. Liu raised her head, the rain had warmed her black hair, and a few strands of it hung down. "It's finally here, great, I hate this autumn rain."

"It will be good if we get to the camp. The Tartar camp is ahead, and we can drink kumiss tonight in front of a warm fire."

Jing Niang's mask made the same cold voice, "The Tatars are a barbaric tribe. When they get married, after the two families agree, the man steals the woman away, and then sends a cow and horse as a dowry, and the man and woman go back to the woman's home together. , After pregnancy, women follow their husbands to the man's house. When their parents die, they put their bodies on the tree. When these Tatars were in Mobei in the early years, they built houses and lived in trees in summer. , while in other seasons, people live in the burrows on oxcarts covered with Wei Xie. The Tatars in the north go to the mountains to live in earth caves in winter. The Shiwei tribe in the Yinshan Mountains now specializes in robbing other tribes. A woman is a wife. In the past, the Shatuo tribe was strong, so the Tatars naturally respected us, but now we are weak, I am afraid that the Tatars will not be so kind and willing to donate food and grass directly."

"The current Mohe Duhebule of the Yinshan Tatar is a good person. He was sworn brother with your lord in the early years." Liu said with a smile, "The relationship between Shatuo and the Tatar clan has always been harmonious, and nothing will happen."

Li Siyuan nodded, he could see that Liu's smile was not natural when he said that.He kicked his boots and drove his horse forward, "I have to go to the back to send orders, Commander Jing, take care of Madam."

After passing the military order, Li Siyuan walked with the army to the Tatar camp.He had heard that although the Yinshan Tatars were dominated by the Wusugu tribe and the Heichezi tribe, there were actually many small tribes, large and small, including many small tribes of the Uighur Khanate.The entire Yinshan Tatar Alliance has a total of more than 20 accounts, and a population of 10 slaves, which can be described as a huge tribe.Among them, the Wusugu Department and the Heiche Department alone each have more than 3 accounts.

With such a large tribe, Li Siyuan sketched in his mind a picture of a huge civil castle on the grassland.But in fact, when he got closer, he realized that the residence of the Tatar tribe in his mind was actually very bad.

This is not so much a castle as it is a refugee camp.

There are tents everywhere, besides cattle and sheep, there are more pigs, and dirty pigs are wandering everywhere.

There are not many tents, but only a few thousand. In the center of the camp, a dozen or so huge tents are slightly larger than the outside, without any momentum.

Li Keyong brought a thousand riders and was setting up a tent next to the camp.

Li Sien was washing the war horse used by Li Ke, "Your Excellency is in the big tent." He told. "He called you over."

Li Siyuan smiled and said, "This place is actually a Tatar camp? It's like a refugee camp."

"The Tatars are not our Shatuo tribe. They say they are the leaders of the alliance, but in fact they are independent from each tribe. Even the Wusugu tribe and the Heiche tribe are the same, but they are composed of various tribes. Although Le is an alliance Mohedu, there are three deputy Mohefu under him. They are only co-owners, but the affairs of each tribe are handled by themselves, and even Hebule has no right to control them. Here The big camp is actually just the people of the Hebreben tribe, with [-] tents."

"I feel that this trip may not go smoothly." Li Siyuan shook his head, "I'd better go see the Lord."

Push open the large tent door that can't be closed, and bend down to enter the tent.Before him, Li Keyong had brought more than twenty Shatuo officers into the house and sat around the brazier in the tent.Water flowed down the boots, forming small pools.The roomy tent smelled badly of charcoal, feces, and [***] dogs.

Hebuler leaned against the brazier, behind him was a row of Tatar men with long hair, and several Tatar women with curly hair poured wine for everyone.

Mohe Duhebule of the Yinshan Tatar Tribe Alliance is a half-hundred burly man with gray hair and a vicissitudes of life.Although his beard and hair are gray, his complexion is rosy, and he doesn't look old at all.He was wearing a cowhide armor, but his two strong arms were naked, exposing the muscles of his thighs.Behind him sat more than [-] long-haired Tatar nobles, all of whom were the leaders of the Tatar tribe.

As the tribal leader who received the Tang Dynasty's reward, Hebuler has an official position bestowed by the new emperor, and he is the third-rank general of Huaihua.This official position is at the same level as the champion general, but it is a martial rank specially used by the imperial court to reward foreign leaders.The Tatar leaders beside him also served as General Huaihua, General Guide, General Huaihua Zhonglang, and General Guide Zhonglang.

However, compared with the armor and cloaks worn by Li Keyong and other Shatuo generals, the armor on these generals seemed much shabby.

Li Keyong, Hebuler and others toasted each other. When the wine was half drunk, Li Keyong got up and said, "The Mongolian Tatar tribe took us in and allowed our tribe to live here. I am very grateful. It shouldn't be troublesome. However, now that winter is approaching, the family has no food and grass to survive the winter. Tens of thousands of women and children have no food, so they have the audacity to ask Mo Hedu for food, and hope to help each other."

Hebule said with a smile: "My father and I are sworn brothers. We are friends of eight worshippers. Shatuo and I are brothers. Now that Shatuo is in trouble, I should help each other."

As soon as the words fell, Hutu, who is one of the Sanmohefu and the leader of the black car department, smiled indifferently: "Fei Huzi was joking, who doesn't know that the Shatuo tribe is so strong that even the Tang Dynasty If you don’t pay attention to it, how can there be no food? If you say there is no food, but I have heard that the Shatuo tribe has been recruiting troops since they came out of the fortress. Anyone who comes will not be rejected. When you first came, there were no more than a thousand people, but now you have more than ten thousand. Without food, how dare Fei Huzi recruit so much?"

Seeing that Hutu was hostile to Li Ke's words, Hebuler hurriedly said: "Don't ignore it, don't talk nonsense, Feihu and his son are in trouble, we will help each other."

But Hutu was unwilling to let it go, "Mo Hedu is the leader of the alliance, so don't turn your elbows away. Patriarch Li said that he is poor and has no food, but he keeps recruiting soldiers and horses. How can this be really foodless?" What's more, I have borrowed food several times before, but Patriarch Li borrowed it again and again, and after borrowing food, he turned around and went to recruit soldiers and horses, so what is his plan?"

Li Keyong was speechless for a while, and kept recruiting troops after entering Yinshan Mountain, naturally for the purpose of making a comeback and making a comeback.But now, being questioned by Hutu like this, he didn't know how to respond.

"Clan Chief Li has tens of thousands of people, and needs a lot of food, grass and supplies. It may not last long if only our troops provide for him. I heard that the general has high ambitions. Why don't you try to make a big move elsewhere." Hutu said coldly.Seeing that Li Ke didn't answer, he said again: "If patriarch Li really wants to borrow food, he must, but he can't borrow it for nothing. Why don't patriarch Li use armor and weapons as collateral, how about it?"

Li Keyong was silent when he heard this, armor and weapons were the foundation, if the weapons and armor were mortgaged, wouldn't they become fat sheep to be eaten by mermaids?

A banquet broke up unhappy, and each left.

Although Hebuler wanted to help Li Keyong, Hutu's words were not completely unreasonable.Li Keyong kept asking them to borrow food and recruit soldiers and horses, which made Hebuler also a little worried. Now he asked them to take some weapons and armor as collateral, but he refused at all, which made Hebuler feel dissatisfied. (To be continued.)