Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 2 Chile Song

In the spring of the sixth year of Guanghe, AD 183, at Shanhekou (now Shaohukou) in Yanjing Mountain.

In February in Yanjing Mountain (now Guancen Mountain), the north wind was howling fiercely, and the mountains and valleys were covered with visible yellow grass and vaguely visible white snow.

When early spring came, in order to regain the weight lost in winter, the sturdy young men led the Han people on horses and led Huang to graze cattle and sheep in the mountains of Yanjing.

Yanjing Mountain is not the Yanshan Mountain in Youzhou, but the one that is connected to the remnant of Yinshan Mountain in the north, Luliang and Yunzhong Mountains in the south, Yanmen County in the west, and Yunzhong County in the east. Therefore, it serves as a barrier to Yanmen and is the only way from Yunzhong to Yanmen.

Because Yanjing Mountain is located at the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain, the climate is relatively warm, and because there are many small streams among the mountains, the water and grass are more fertile, forming a rare mountain pasture.

"wuhu~"

The tall young man Zhang Yu rode his horse and directed his followers to herd the cattle. Hundreds of cattle, sheep and horses were divided into three teams amidst the shouts.

More than 20 horses went first, followed by more than 50 cows, and the two were driven to the fertile pasture. The sheep were deliberately left behind and driven to the inferior pasture.

The reason for this grazing arrangement is not only based on the different speeds and values of the three animals, but also because of their eating habits.

Horses are delicate and picky eaters, and they will not eat all grass. Horses also have small stomachs, so they often stop and go and eat small meals frequently. Therefore, horses need to be allowed to eat soft grass.

Although both cattle and sheep are ruminants, cattle do not have upper incisors and often roll up grass to eat without damaging the grass roots. Sheep may seem gentle, but they are ferocious eaters and often dig up the grass roots and eat them together, so there is a saying that "cows eat like water, sheep eat like fire".

"Wang Wang!"

The big yellow dog ran around the sheep, barking at them. The sheep were driven to the hillside pasture to look for food and no longer wandered around.

Soon, the big yellow dog ran in front of its owner Zhang Yu, sticking out its tongue, wagging its tail, and looking well-behaved, as if asking for credit and reward from its owner.

"Good dog!"

Zhang Yu touched the dog's head with his hand, then smiled and took out a piece of cooked meat from the bag on the horse's belly and threw it into the air.

The big yellow dog moved like the wind, leaped high into the air, bit the piece of meat in one mouthful, and landed steadily. After calling out to its owner a few times and seeking his consent, it buried its head and started tearing the piece of meat.

While the big yellow dog was enjoying the meat, Zhang Yu climbed up the hill and looked down at the scenery. He saw the blue sky covering the mountains and fields, and the white snow, winter grass, cattle and sheep dotted the scenery.

"Tengri-yin ayil minaar-ar-i qapa-ba. (①)"

Seeing this, Zhang Yu could not help but recite a line of King Gao's Happy Song in Xianbei language, and then shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Although King Gao was defeated by the jade disc, he at least founded the Northern Qi Dynasty and was a hero of his time. I am just a commoner on the frontier, herding sheep and cattle. Compared with Gao Huan, the gap is huge.

"Liu Hong is in power, in the sixth year of Guanghe?"

Zhang Yu sat on the dry grass, sighed helplessly again, and murmured: "The end of the Han Dynasty is coming, and I am grazing on the frontier. It is really a waste of time."

Zhang Yu was originally a common man in later generations. After graduating from university, he had nowhere to go but to start his own business and engage in Sino-Russian trade.

When Da Mao and Er Mao were fighting, the economy was not good, but his company took off. He thought it would be a short-term takeoff, but it took several years to make a lot of money. At that time, he was making money from Da Mao, but he was worried every day that Xiao Ze would not be able to succeed.

When his career was flourishing, he was too diligent in "learning Russian" the night before, and unfortunately got cramps and drowned during a winter swim the next day. This drowning sent him to the late Han Dynasty, where the conflict between Han and Hu was the most intense.

He had lived in the late Han Dynasty for more than half a year. Influenced by his original habits, it was not difficult for him to integrate into the Han society.

Speaking of his original self, Zhang Yu had to admit that he was outstanding. He grew up in the frontier and benefited from his father's excellent teaching. He was not only skilled in archery and horse riding, but also outstanding in swords and spears. Coupled with his sturdy physique, his martial arts were outstanding among the heroes of the frontier counties.

The original body was not without flaws. He had not experienced much in life since childhood, and was not only a little shy, but also immature. Moreover, due to his limited experience, his vision was also low, and he did not have any great pursuits.

But in Zhang Yu's opinion, these shortcomings of the original body were normal. When he went to college, he had just come from the countryside. He was stupid and didn't understand the dirty tricks of the world, nor did he know the importance of information asymmetry.

As he experienced more things, met many noble people, and was swept up in the tide of the times, he came to understand many things and thus achieved something.

Now that God has given him another chance, how can he waste his time? A real man is born into this world and will encounter wars and chaos. Even if he cannot be an emperor, he must become famous and help the world. Otherwise, he will have lived in vain.

But where are his opportunities?

Zhang Yu touched the big yellow dog's head, feeling a little annoyed. Judging from the current situation, if he wants to achieve something, he still needs to rely on his father Zhang Ji's connections.

My father returned home after being defeated in battle six years ago. Although his thigh was injured and he was no longer as brave as before, he was promoted to Sima of another department because of his contributions in fighting with the Xianbei for many years and defending the hometown.

Although the position was not high, the Han court often appointed people from the border areas as officials, and over time, large and small military groups were formed. My father was one of them, and he had many contacts with him.

"Brother!"

Just as Zhang Yu was daydreaming, the big yellow dog suddenly barked excitedly, and a well-built girl with a youthful smile on her face came over.

"Su Yi!"

Zhang Yu came back to his senses and said with a smile: "Aren't you herding cattle? Are you being lazy again?"

Li Suyi pouted and said, "Aji is watching over the cattle, so nothing will happen. It's boring to be there, so why not come and see my brother?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Why don't you read some poems?"

“I can’t understand it!”

Li Suyi blinked her bright eyes and said, "The book left by Mr. Cai is so boring! It's not as interesting as the stories my brother has been telling these days."

The Cai Weng mentioned by the cousin is none other than Cai Yong who was exiled to Shuofang County five years ago. To be precise, he was exiled to Wuyuan County, because Shuofang County only existed in documents, and its city walls had long been abandoned by the Eastern Han Dynasty. When Cai Yong went out of Yanmen Pass and passed through Yunzhong County to Wuyuan County, his father Zhang Ji specially escorted him for a while in order to meet this literary giant from the Central Plains. In order to express his gratitude for the escort, Cai Yong left relevant books to Zhang.

Later, because Wuyuan County was repeatedly attacked by the Hu people, and Cai Yong had connections in the central government, he was pardoned and returned to the Central Plains after only nine months in Wuyuan.

Thinking about the interactions between Cai Yong and Zhang, Zhang Yu for some reason had the image of the young girl Cai Zhaoji, who looked as green as a flower bud, appearing in his mind.

Zhang Yu couldn't help but laugh at his previous life in his heart. When he was eleven or twelve years old, he met girls a few times and was attracted by their elegance. He was really precocious.

"Row!"

Zhang Yu put aside all distractions and told his cousin stories of strange tales from a Chinese studio, teasing her with words from time to time, making her both annoyed and happy.

While they were playing, a fast horse suddenly came galloping and disturbed the flock of sheep foraging on the hillside.

The dark-skinned, short Hu slave jumped off the horse without waiting for the horse to stop. In his anxiety, he spoke a mixture of Chinese and Hu languages and gestured with his hands.

"Ba (master), someone is taling the horse!"

"Dolu!"

Seeing the Hu slaves gesticulating and dancing, Zhang Yu's face darkened slightly, and he asked in Xianbei language: "dolu paran talморь?" (Five people came to steal the herdsmen)

"Uh-huh!"

Hu Nu nodded quickly, pointed to the north, and described the weapons carried by the five men, as well as the tribes they belonged to.

Li Suyi's heroic face was filled with anger, and he said, "It's the Hu people who scolded the cadres again. Last time they stole ten sheep and three cows, and this time they stole six horses!"

"If I don't teach you a lesson, you might think that I, a Han Chinese, am easy to bully."

"Don't worry!"

Zhang Yu stopped his cousin and said, "There are many mountains and fields in the north. We don't know if there are ambushes. We can't chase them easily!"

Li Suyi stamped her feet and said angrily, "When did you become so cowardly, brother?"

After a pause, he continued, "Brother, as the young prince, you are leading the people on this trip to graze. If you lose a horse and cannot get it back, it will not only hurt the Zhang family's reputation, but also encourage the Hu people's habit of stealing."

In border societies, force is often used to gain power. If Zhang Yu saw his horse being stolen, many people would look down on him when he returned. Moreover, the hostile Hu people of Chigan would look down on Zhang and regard him as a soft persimmon.

Zhang Yu's expression was slightly serious, and he said, "Brother, I dare not ignore what Su Yi said."

Then Zhang Yu ordered, "You and Aji take the cattle and sheep back first, and I will follow the horse's hoof tracks."

"Aji and the others are enough. I will go with my brother."

As she said this, Li Suyi was about to mount on the horse.

It's not that Li Suyi was ignorant, but in the border areas where the conflict between Han and Hu was fierce, the people were extremely fierce, and women all wore halberds and wielded spears, and carried bows and arrows. Therefore, the Eastern Han Dynasty established female cavalry as the empress's guard of honor.

Li Suyi's riding and archery skills are considered the best among women, and her archery skills are even better than those of ordinary male riders. If she travels with Zhang Yu, she can help him share some of the pressure. However, how could Zhang Yu allow his sister to risk her life and follow him to track down the Hu people?

Zhang Yu held Li Suyi's arm and said in a slow tone, "We don't know the details of the bandits, so this time we are chasing them, not to kill them or take their horses, but to find out where they are."

Then, Zhang Yu gently tidied up Li Suyi's hair and said, "Go back and tell my uncle to lead his men to chase after them along the marks I left."

Seeing her brother's intimate actions, Li Suyi's wheat-colored face flushed slightly, and she said calmly: "Then be careful, brother, I and my uncle will be here soon."

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu adjusted the quiver and bow on the horse's back, then easily mounted the horse by pulling the saddle.

"Brother, hold on to the quiver!"

Li Suyi threw her quiver to Zhang Yu and said, "Prepare more arrows. If the barbarians find out, you must not fight any more."

"As ordered!"

Zhang Yu took his cousin's quiver embroidered with cloud patterns and laughed loudly, "Su Yi, take Da Huang back!"

"it is good!"

"drive!"

Zhang Yu rode away on his horse, leaving the big yellow dog standing still and barking.

The north wind whistles, the sound of hooves gradually fades...

①: The original Xianbei language means "the sky is like a dome, covering the four fields"

②: In Xianbei language, ba is transliterated as "ba", which means master.