Chu and Han contend for the throne

Chapter 165 Bullying Lin Hu
In the big tent, Xiang Zhuang met the envoy of King Lin Hu.

The Linhu tribe has been nomadic in the Yunzhong area since the Spring and Autumn Period. In the late Warring States period, the Linhu tribe was conquered by Yan, Zhao and Qin successively. Therefore, many people in the tribe have been in contact with the Central Plains. The envoy can speak the Central Plains dialect, so there is no difficulty in communicating with Xiang Zhuang.

The envoy Lin Hu didn't mean to complain, but just made a request, hoping to trade a batch of iron weapons from the Chu army with horses to resist Lou's annoying intrusion.

At that moment, Xiang Zhuang said helplessly: "I'm really sorry, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help you."

When Lin Hu's envoy heard the words, his face turned ashen, and he said sadly: "General, you can't just leave your life alone."

Wei Liao, who was sitting at the bottom of Xiangzhuang, came out and sang blushingly: "General, don't we still have [-] bed crossbows? It's useless to stay in the army anyway, and it would be a burden to take them away. Why don't we just give them to you?" Linhu tribe, right?"

"Bed crossbow?!" The envoy Lin Hu was overjoyed when he heard the words, and said repeatedly, "We want the bed crossbow!"

Of course, the Hu people are not unfamiliar with the bed crossbow. When Meng Tian attacked the Huns in the north and fought against the Huns in the Hetao grassland, he won the thrilling victory with the sharp bed crossbow. Now it has been nearly 20 years since the Hetao war. When people talk about the Central Plains bed crossbow, they will still tremble with fear. This is a real killer.

"Bed crossbow?" Xiang Zhuang continued to sing bad faces, and said coldly, "No, absolutely not!"

Wei Liao gave Envoy Lin Hu a helpless look: I've tried my best, and I'll see you next.

The Linhu envoy said anxiously: "General, our Linhu tribe is willing to trade with you with the best horses!"

"War horses?" Xiang Zhuang shook his head again and again, unmoved at all, "We have less than 2 people, but we already have [-] to [-] war horses. We have no shortage of war horses now."

The Linhu envoy hurriedly said: "The general does not know that the horses you snatched from the Baiyang tribe are all inferior horses, and the horses that the Loufan tribe traded to you are not the best horses, but our Linhu tribe is willing to take out the best horses." As long as the general is willing to trade the bed crossbow to us, the horses will definitely not be a problem."

Wei Liao persuaded without losing the opportunity: "General, King Lin Hu is very sincere."

Xiang Zhuang seemed a little moved, and said: "What grade of war horses can you produce, and how many can you have?"

The Linhu envoy hurriedly said: "The three major tribes in Jiuyuan, not to mention the Baiyang tribe, the Loufan tribe has the largest population, but our Linhu tribe has the most horses. Our Linhu tribe has more than 15 horses. There are [-] steeds with a shoulder height of more than seven feet, and two hundred horses with a shoulder height of more than eight feet!"

After this pause, the envoy Lin Hu said again: "We are willing to take out [-] BMWs and [-] good horses to trade with the general for [-] bed crossbows, how about it?"

Xiang Zhuang said: "Fifty BMWs and two thousand good horses!"

Messenger Lin Hu gritted his teeth and said, "It's also possible!"

"Deal!" Xiang Zhuang slapped his thigh suddenly, and said loudly, "Whenever you deliver the horses, you can take five hundred bed crossbows from this general at any time."

Envoy Lin Hu thought for a while, and then said, "General, do you have any more bed crossbows?"

Xiang Zhuang said: "There are only five hundred bed crossbows, and there are no more, but the general still has fifty catapults in his hands, which can throw a huge stone weighing hundreds of catties hundreds of steps away. It is far more than the bed crossbow, do you want it?"

The envoy Lin Hu originally wanted to test to see if there were any more bed crossbows in the hands of the Central Plains people, but when he heard that the other party had no more bed crossbows, he was overjoyed, and then heard that there were still more bed crossbows. The catapults, which were more lethal, were taken aback immediately. Wouldn't it be bad if these catapults fell into Lou Fan's hands?

Immediately, Lin Hu's envoy asked a little nervously, "What's the price of the catapult?"

Xiang Zhuang thought for a while, and said with some heartache: "If you sell it cheap, let's give it two hundred BMWs."

"This..." Envoy Lin Hu hesitated, "I have to go back and discuss it with the king."

Give another two hundred BMWs, and that would be all the BMWs of the Linhu tribe. He can't decide this matter.

"Then please go back." Xiang Zhuang waved his hand immediately, and said again, "But don't forget to tell your lord, if there is no news after tomorrow, these fifty catapults will be traded to Lou Fan. "

Envoy Lin Hu's expression changed drastically, he immediately got up to bid farewell to Xiang Zhuang and Wei Liao, and left in a hurry.

Watching the figure of Lin Hu envoy go away, Wei Liao couldn't help sighing: "There are so many of these Hu people."

Wei Liao couldn't help feeling that even when the Great Qin Empire was at its strongest, it seemed that there were not so many horses available for recruitment, and good horses that could be used to form cavalry were even rarer.

Xiang Zhuang nodded and said with emotion: "Hetao is a good place. Such a good piece of land is given to Lou Fanren, Linhu people and Baiyang people. It's really blind."

Speaking of it, Hetao is really a treasured place of geomantic omen.

It is not without reason that Hetao is called the top of the Yangtze River.

If it weren't for the abundance of water and grass in Hetao, how could it support so many cattle, sheep and livestock?
Xiang Zhuang was even a little skeptical, adding up all the cattle, sheep and livestock of the Huns now, probably not as many cattle, sheep and livestock as the Louanren, Linhu people, and Baiyang people?
Historically, the Huns became really strong only after Maodun re-occupied Hetao.

During the siege of Baideng in the early Han Dynasty, the Han Empire was certainly weak to the extreme, but the Xiongnu were actually only seemingly strong, but Maodun, an unborn hero, was very good at psychological warfare. Through the siege of Baideng, he destroyed the Han army in one go. Jiuyuan competed with the Huns for the confidence of Hetao, and since then the Huns have truly occupied the Hetao grassland.

When the old Shang Shanyu succeeded to the throne, the population of the Xiongnu, who had recuperated in Hetao for nearly 50 years, had surged to more than 100 million, and the number of strong men also exceeded 40. With their strong manpower and material resources, the Huns defeated the Yuezhi people in one fell swoop. Shan Yu even cut off the skull of King Yuezhi, inlaid it with gold pieces, and made it into a wine baron.

The military minister Shan Yu succeeded to the throne, and the Xiongnu formed an overwhelming advantage over the Han Empire in the military.

Fortunately, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was born. With his extraordinary courage, he resisted all opinions and went to war with the Huns when their power was at its peak, and finally won the victory and regained the land of Hetao. After leaving the Loop, the population dropped sharply, and since then it has never recovered, and was eventually forced to flee to Europe.

This shows how important the Hetao Grassland is to the northern nomads?

Sometimes Xiang Zhuang even thought, should he set a fire before leaving, and burn all the forests and grasslands in Hetao?
But Xiang Zhuang also thought about it. In this era, whether it is the Central Plains or the desert, the population is not large, the population load is far from saturated, and there is no over-grazing or over-cultivation at all, so even if the Hetao is burned , It will be restored to its original state within ten years, and the Hetao grassland will not be desertified at all.

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Yingzhen wins Wei Yue's favor without any effort.

Speaking of which, Yingzhen and Wei Yue have similar identities and similar experiences. They are both princesses who have lost their country. Wei Yue's trust, after only getting along for less than half a day, the two have almost become good sisters who talk about everything.

"Sister Princess, you can call me Wuyang from now on." Wei Yue took Yingzhen's hand and said affectionately.

"Okay, sister can ask you to call you sister Wuyang." Ying Zhen readily agreed, and said, "But, sister, don't call me sister princess, sister is just like you, a daughter of a subjugated country, so what kind of princess do you call yourself?" ? If my younger sister doesn’t dislike her elder sister, she can call her sister Shiman, Shiman is the word for older sister.”

"Yes." Wei Yue nodded happily, and said affectionately, "Sister Shiman."

"Hey, good sister." Yingzhen responded, and tears suddenly flowed from her beautiful eyes.

"Sister Shiman, why are you crying?" Wei Yue asked with concern while handing over the handkerchief.

"It's nothing, my sister is happy. After so many years, I finally have relatives again." Yingzhen shook her head with a smile, and said, "Sister, you don't know how lonely and bitter my sister is all these years."

"Little sister knows all about it." Wei Yue said softly, "Although my younger sister is young, she has also experienced a lot of things. My sister did not hesitate to commit herself to marrying King Loufan for the sake of the old Qin people in Jiuyuan. My younger sister also listened to sister Yishui. By the way, sister, you are so stupid, how can you agree to marry a barbarian? This is a major event in your life."

Yingzhen sighed, and said sadly: "My good sister, not everyone is as lucky as you."

After this pause, Yingzhen said again: "In order to save the people of Wei, my sister married the general, but in order to save the people of old Qin, my sister had to marry a barbarian. This is fate, this is my sister's life." , the general can save my sister once, but it is impossible to save her a second time, and in the end, my sister may still marry King Loufan."

As she spoke, Ying Zhen felt sad and began to cry again.

Wei Yue gently patted Yingzhen on the shoulder, while persuading softly: "Sister, don't worry, I will tell the general when I turn around, let him send someone to warn King Loufan, and let him never pester my sister again, so , sister, you can rest assured to find a Ruyi Langjun and marry yourself."

Yingzhen said: "Silly sister, the general and the Chu army are always leaving."

Wei Yue is silent, but it is true, the husband and the Chu army will return to Jiangdong after all.

After a long while, Wei Yue said: "Why don't you come with us, sister?"

Yingzhen shook her head, and said in a low voice: "My sister is used to it in Jiuyuan. Moreover, my sister has brought disaster to the old Qin people in Jiuyuan. How can I leave them and escape alone?"

"Then..." Wei Yue couldn't help worrying, "What should I do then?"

Yingzhen smiled sweetly, and turned to persuade Wei Yue: "Sister, don't worry about it. As long as you live happily, my sister will be very happy and satisfied. As for my sister, who is not married? This life will pass soon. of……"

(End of this chapter)