Although it has just entered September, the Xia Kingdom, located in the northwest, is already chilly and desolate, giving people the feeling of entering winter. Especially when a gust of hunting autumn wind blows fiercely from the northwest, it makes the world suddenly cold and the grass and trees droop, just like the emperor descending and all the people kneeling down to worship.
And this gust of cold wind brought not only bone-chilling coldness, but also the neighing and shouting of countless beasts, making the originally peaceful wilderness suddenly appear extremely chaotic. After a while, a team of many large and small beasts appeared on the north and south sides at the same time, running away. Among them were timid beasts such as rabbits and deer, but also ferocious beasts such as wild wolves and wild boars that lived on hunting. But at this moment, they no longer care whether the people walking around them are prey or enemies. They just rush forward quickly, thinking only of escaping from this dangerous area.
The reason why many wild beasts can flee in such a hurry is because behind them there is a fierce cavalry team chasing them. When they are close, they are stabbing with swords and spears, and when they are farther away, they are shooting with bows and crossbows. Many wild beasts that should be fattening up for autumn and waiting to survive the cold winter can only abandon their homes and run desperately towards the left west.
After chasing like this for a while, just when the beasts were exhausted and panting, and even the best running deer began to slow down, another cavalry team suddenly rushed out of the thorn. With a shout, arrows flew towards the herd of beasts like raindrops. For a moment, they hissed miserably, and many beasts fell into a pool of blood. They were then grabbed by the cavalry who caught up with them and cheered again and again.
Sun Tu, who was in the middle of the team, this time truly experienced the style of large-scale man-horse hunting in this era. More than a thousand cavalry were divided into three groups, outflanking and driving them on both sides, and then the elite in the middle had enough energy to suddenly attack. They hunted and captured prey that was originally extremely difficult to hunt. In just half a day, they almost caught all the beasts of all sizes within a radius of dozens of miles.
However, Sun Tu was not too interested in this kind of bullying of beasts. Apart from firing two arrows at the beginning and hitting two wild beasts that were escaping in a hurry, he never took action again. However, Xi Fengchang, who was not far away, was particularly energetic at this time. He shot three or four arrows in the blink of an eye, knocking the hares and deer in front of him to the ground. At the same time, he kept shouting joyfully with murderous intent.
It wasn't until the sun was setting and the sky was getting dark that everyone finally let go of the other beasts who were already exhausted and just tried their best to escape forward in order to save their lives. Then tents were set up in the somewhat desolate wilderness, and piles of bonfires were lit at the same time, and the newly acquired prey was already roasted on the fire. More than a thousand people who had been running around all day could finally rest here for a good night.
This cavalry team coming out of Shunjun City was certainly not here for hunting. In fact, they were more than two hundred miles away from the city and were going to Xingqing Mansion, the capital of Xia. Because in less than two months it will be the birthday of the current emperor of Xixia, Li Qianshun. As an important minister in the court and a long-term guard on the eastern border, Xifeng Yechang, the head of the Xifeng clan, naturally wanted to express his wishes, so he sent the present minister. Xi Feng, the only son who remained in Shunjun City and could walk freely, went to celebrate his birthday on his behalf.
The current Emperor of the Xia Kingdom, Li Qianshun, can be said to be a rare British leader among the Dangxiang clan, and even more so in the West.
Xia Zhongxing Mingjun. As early as when he ascended the throne at a young age, Xixia was plagued by internal and external troubles. The dictatorship of his mother party, the Liang family, was causing trouble. Corruption was common in the court, and the various clans in the party were even more alienated. Coupled with the threat from the Song Dynasty, At any time, the Xixia regime, which had only been founded for a few decades, could embark on the path of disintegration and destruction.
Fortunately, the Liao Kingdom helped suppress the Song people at that time, which allowed Xixia to survive. When Li Qianshun grew up, he finally eliminated all these internal worries with his skill and courage far beyond his peers. The Liang family, including his mother, were suppressed and killed, and then suppressed the country with an iron fist, making all the tribes in the country submit to the imperial court. They showed weakness and made good friends, so that the Song Dynasty temporarily stopped raising troops, so it gave Xixia a chance to recuperate. , so that the national strength can be rejuvenated and the crisis can be restored.
It was also under these circumstances that the old tribes of the eight original Dangxiang clans who originally controlled a considerable portion of the military were exterminated one by one by the court through various means. Now, only the always loyal and reliable Helian tribe and those who stayed away from the disputes were left in the court. The Xifeng clan still retained their own soldiers and horses, and even the Weiming tribe, which had made great military exploits for the rise of the Xia Kingdom, now had only a handful of people serving as officials in the court.
Precisely because Li Qianshun was one of the rare Ming emperors of the Xia Kingdom to revitalize the country, and he still held absolute imperial power and suppressed the entire country, so even though decades have passed since the bloody events, it can still be Xifeng Yechang was still very respectful to the emperor. Not only did he send his two sons to Xingqing Mansion as hostages early to show his loyalty, but this time he also sent Xifeng Chang to celebrate his birthday.
Moreover, in order to prepare the birthday gift for the emperor, Xifeng Yechang had opened a large market in the jurisdiction a few months ago, allowing the people in the jurisdiction to trade the treasures they owned. It is said that the local market where Sun Tu and the others met Xifengchang in Wulahai City was set up for this purpose. Xifengchang did indeed gain a lot that time. Not only did he buy a rare BMW in the country, but also At least that was what he saw as having gained a talented person like Sun Tu who was both civil and military.
Of course, Xi Feng couldn't just prepare a horse when he went to Xingqing Mansion to celebrate the emperor's birthday. In addition to this main birthday gift, Xi Feng Ye Chang also brought out a lot of gold jewelry, shells, and specialty furs. , are now loaded in the camel team at the rear, but these are just a foil. The real birthday gift is this horse that looks more energetic after being groomed. There is not a variegated white horse in the whole body from beginning to end.
It is naturally a great honor to go to Xingqing Mansion to celebrate his birthday on behalf of the entire Xi Feng clan, but the fundamental reason why Xi Feng Chang seems so excited and even hunts all the way is that his status has been significantly improved now, and at the same time As an opponent, the fine feudalism was completely destroyed, allowing him to take over all powers.
Although in the end, Xi Feng Yechang still did not actually execute his son. Although it was apparently because of the continuous pleading of many officials and tribesmen that he was spared the death penalty of Xi Feng, but the death penalty could not be avoided, and in the end Xi Feng Deprived of all identity, he will be permanently imprisoned in his own residence, and will not even be allowed to leave the door. Moreover, many of his subordinates who were closely related to him were also convicted for this. For example, Xi Fengman, He Sichang, etc. were executed and died on his behalf. In the eyes of Xi Fengchang, today's fine feudal society is no different from the dead. It can even be said that it is alive.
It's better to die. Continuing to live will only increase people's laughter.
As for Xi Fengchang himself, although his father had some fears about the previous things, they are father and son after all, and the Xi Feng clan really needs a talented and courageous young man to give people hope, so in the end Xi Fengchang After all, Feng Yechang gave him a chance to show his talents and ambitions in the broader world of Xingqing Mansion.
As for his views on Sun Tu, it is a bit unclear at the moment. But at least Xi Feng Ye Chang still let him follow Xi Feng Chang instead of choosing to eradicate him, which is enough to see that the other party has his intentions. However, before leaving, Xifeng often had a secret conversation with his father about what they had said one night, but Sun Tu had no idea.
But at least at this time, Xi Fengchang still has great trust and respect for Sun Tu. Even though he now has several more capable people, the one he is closest to is still the one who helped him get to this point. Sun Qianli.
"Qianli, shouldn't you be interested in hunting? I haven't seen you kill a few prey today." Xi Fengchang asked with a smile while raising his glass to signal Sun Tu.
Before Sun Tu could speak, another man with a horse face, Xifeng Brown, followed him: "Don't you rarely hunt in Liao Kingdom, Qianli? This is really rare." There seemed to be something hidden in his words. Deep meaning.
After taking a sip of the sour milk wine, Sun Tuduan said: "I actually like hunting, especially hunting ferocious beasts like tigers and leopards. But driving the beasts to flee like today, and shooting them as if they were searching for things is not the best." I am overjoyed. When a man goes to war, isn’t it to fight against an evenly matched opponent?”
"Well said, I didn't expect you to have such pride, Sun Qianli. I'll give you a toast!" These words immediately resonated with another tall man next to him, who was as tall as an iron tower, and he raised his glass in toast. This person's name is Jieyuzhe. He was originally the captain of the soldiers beside Xi Feng Ye Chang, but this time he was sent to ensure Xi Feng Chang's safety. He is a brave and loyal man.
Xifeng Chang also nodded with deep understanding and said: "What Qianli said does make some sense. It seems that we don't have to hunt with such great fanfare along the way. Presumably, the hunting income in these two days will be enough for us to consume along the way. , even if there is not enough, you can still hunt."
"I don't mean to dissuade you, I just don't like being so extravagant." Sun Tu hurriedly explained, then changed the subject and said: "By the way, I don't know how far away from Xingqing Mansion it is? It seems that the weather is getting colder and colder. I wonder if it will snow suddenly... "
"If we advance at full speed, we can reach Xingqing Mansion in seven or eight days. But we don't have to be so impatient. Three hundred miles further is Dingzhou City. We must first meet the local Yue King in Zhenshou before we go to Xingzhou together. Qing Mansion." Xi Feng said with a smile. When he mentioned the King of Yue, there was still a little joy and yearning in his eyes. This made Sun Tu slightly confused, but he ignored that Xi Fengchang took people to Xingqing Mansion this time. In addition to celebrating his birthday, he actually had another more important task, which was to find courtiers whom the emperor trusted to help lobby him not to easily The attitude was revealed in the dispute between Song and Liao.
And this King of Yue was the reason why Xi Feng often thought he could do this!