As for who the two Khitan women were, since they could not be found out, Zhu Li put them aside.
After dinner, Zhu Li talked to Gao Su about raising wolves again.
Gao Su is different from Guo Qizuo and Guo Chongtao. Although the two gentlemen are extremely talented, they have never been stationed on the grassland. However, Gao Su, a strong and brave general, has been fighting with the Di people on the grassland for many years and is more or less familiar with the habits of the creatures on the grassland.
"General, I have to admit that once wolves are raised on a large scale, they are no longer real wolves." Gao Su said solemnly, "I wonder if you have heard of the term 'Seven Wolves'?"
Zhu Li had of course heard of Septwolves. In later generations, this was a very fashionable clothing brand. Thinking of this, Zhu Li nodded.
Seeing Zhu Li's acquiescence, Gao Su continued, "Since the general has heard of this term, he should know its meaning. The normal number of wolves in a wolf pack is seven. They are usually based on a family. The strongest couple in the family, or the strongest wolf, is the so-called alpha wolf."
"There is intense competition between wolf packs. The smallest wolf pack has three or four members, and the largest has thirty or forty. It is impossible for a wolf pack to cooperate with other wolf packs. As for the story of tens of thousands of ferocious wolves gathering together to attack a target, that is completely false. Only storytellers would say that."
"Without the brutal competition of survival of the fittest, wolves will soon lose their wildness. Without their brutal and bloodthirsty nature, wolves will not pose a threat to herders."
Zhu Li frowned when he heard this and asked in confusion, "You mean, there's no way to keep wolves?"
Gao Su thought carefully for a while after hearing this, and then continued: "Yes, but the people who raise them must let them live in the wild like wolves while training and disciplining them."
"Only in this way can we successfully raise a real wolf pack while ensuring its wildness. In this process, the people who raise the wolves can also help the wolf pack to annex other wolf packs, thereby continuously growing the wolf pack itself. However, it is best that a pack does not exceed forty individuals." Gao Su suggested sincerely.
"If the general wants to have a large wolf pack to harass the Di people on the grassland, he must train special guards. Each guard will be responsible for a wolf pack."
"When attacking, you can choose to attack from different directions. Never try to lead them to attack together. Wolves are ferocious beasts. Not only are there clear hierarchies within the tribe, but they are also very territorial."
"If we force them to gather together, before they can attack their target, they might start fighting each other first." Gao Su said this very seriously, and it was obvious that he was quite familiar with the habits of prairie wolves.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li frowned deeply. If wolves could not be raised on a large scale, it would bring a lot of trouble to his plan. From Gao Su's serious expression, it could be seen that the other party's words were obviously not random, and there must be a basis for them.
"I have heard that during the Han Wu period, there was a Wusun king named Kunmo who grew up drinking wolf milk and was very magical. The Xiongnu at that time thought he was a descendant of a god, probably because of the wolf. I have also heard that the ancestors of the Turks were wolves, and they were the offspring of wolves and humans. The nomadic people worship wolves so much because they are afraid of wolves."
"Wolves are the natural enemies of herdsmen. It would be a shame if we can't make good use of them." Zhu Li sighed and felt very unhappy.
Gao Su saw this expression and was inspired to say, "General, I am not trying to comfort you.
Give up the idea of raising wolves. What I mean is that if you want to raise wolves to drive away the Di people, you must train a special guard, similar to the ghost guard. "
"Every member of this palace guard must be agile and smart, and must be able to adapt to survival in the wild. Every guard has the ability to act as a wolf king. Only in this way can we achieve the effect that the general wants." Gao Su explained patiently.
Zhu Li's expression changed when he heard this, and he immediately asked, "In your opinion, is it possible for us to train such a palace guard?"
"Yes." Gao Su affirmed.
"Well, how do you know?"
Gao Su did not respond immediately after hearing this, but thought for a while before speaking: "General, what do you think of the Ghost Guards?"
When Gao Su mentioned the Ghost Guards, Zhu Li didn't understand what he meant, but he knew that the Ghost Guards were first formed by Gao Su.
After thinking about it seriously, he said solemnly: "Most of the ghost guards are elite soldiers selected from the army. Now that they have practiced the Seven Killing Swords, their individual strength should not be underestimated."
"Haha, that's right, General. We can first select the elite from the Ghost Guards again. Those who can be considered elite among the Ghost Guards have individual abilities. It is definitely not difficult for them to deal with a wolf pack. We just need to cultivate their loyalty and ability to survive in the wild. Then, it will not be difficult to make them become Wolf Guards." Gao Su suggested with a bow, looking very confident.
After all, when it comes to understanding the Ghost Guards, even Guo Qizuo, the leader of the Ghost Guards, may not know as much as Gao Su does.
The plan was decided. Zhu Li only thought for a moment before making the final decision: "Okay, let's do it."
"You are responsible for this matter. The elite ghost guards we select will be named the wolf guards you just mentioned. I will talk to Mr. Guo about this, and you can just select the people and train them."
"Yes." Gao Su immediately nodded in response. He was very confident in training a group of Wolf Guards. After all, he was the one who created the Ghost Guards.
The temperature difference between day and night on the grassland is very large, especially now that it is just after midwinter and early spring has arrived.
As night fell, almost everyone in the military camp, except for the patrolling guards, went to bed early, otherwise they really could not stand the coldness of the night.
As the chief craftsman, Shen Qinniang was responsible for the research of crossbows and arrows. The subordinates she led were also selected by her personally. They were all dexterous women. Wearing soft armor, they all looked heroic.
The sudden appearance of a group of female soldiers in the military camp could easily cause a commotion, which was a very rare thing in ancient times.
Under the arrangement of Zhu Li and Gao Su, an open space of about 100 acres was cleared out in the huge military camp to accommodate them, and separated far away from other palace guards. A strict order was also issued that any palace guards who approached or came near the female camp would be executed.
Only in this way can Zhu Li feel at ease.
Shen Qinniang was not a high-handed person. She, the little girl Yan'er, and several temporarily recruited subordinates all stayed obediently in their own little piece of land.
In the huge tent, everyone slept on the same bed, but Shen Qinniang did not act alone and live somewhere else.
At night, around 11 p.m., there was a noise outside the big tent.
"Ahem"
A faint coughing sound was heard intermittently in the big tent, waking up the more alert ladies one after another.
At first they thought it was a patrol guard passing by, but after the sound, no one heard footsteps, and the "cough cough" sound continued intermittently.
Came.
This really angered Madam Shen. She didn't expect that she would run into a lustful man the first time she entered the military camp. Since the coughing was not made by the patrolling guards, it must be from a bad guy who was quietly approaching their tent and even lingered there. He was so bold.
At this time, most of the young ladies who were subordinates were awakened.
Inside the dark tent, they adjusted to each other for a while, until they could see each other. Shen Qiniang immediately made a gesture to them, and everyone understood. They fumbled to get dressed and got up, ready to capture this daring "pervert" alive.
After everyone had packed up, they followed the sound of the cough and quietly approached the place where the "pervert" was crouching.
"Ahem"
Just as they approached there, the coughing sound was heard, and the ladies quickly opened the tent and rushed out.
But when they rushed out, everyone couldn't help but shiver. One reason was that the temperature outside was too low, but the more important thing was that outside the big tent, it was empty everywhere, without even a single person in sight.
This discovery made everyone feel cold from head to toe. As soon as they rushed out, they immediately huddled together like frightened rabbits.
Madam Shen was a little bolder. She was an official after all, so how could she lose face? She mustered up her courage and led everyone to search around the tent, but still did not find a single person.
The group of people entered the big tent with pale faces, trembling with fear. But just as they entered the tent, the "cough cough" sound suddenly rang out again, and everyone heard it very clearly. The direction from which the sound came was the place where everyone rushed out for the first time.
The women were terrified, but they still pretended to be strong. When the "cough cough" sound was heard again, they once again found the right direction and rushed out. The situation remained the same. The surroundings were still empty. Not to mention people, there was not even a ghost.
At this moment, a chill ran down everyone's spine. Could it be that this strange experience had happened to them? Could it be that they had encountered a ghost
Fortunately, these ladies had all been trained, and no one made any screams or hysterical exclamations. When they entered the big tent again, they all looked at each other, but they were all shivering like maple leaves in the autumn wind, with their legs trembling and unable to sleep.
The women's camp was quite far away from the tents of other guards. Even if they walked quickly in a straight line, it would take a quarter of an hour to reach them. At night, even if they looked up, they could only see the vague figures of some patrolling guards. Therefore, the movement here did not attract the attention of other guards.
Shen Qiniang comforted everyone and said with a stiff upper lip: "Everyone stay here first. I'll go find someone to take a look and see if it's evil. We'll know the answer soon."
"Yes." All the women were her subordinates, so they would naturally obey her orders.
After thinking about it, she felt uneasy again, and reminded again: "Everyone gather together, don't rush out, before leaving, the general gave us self-defense weapons, equip us with them, in case of crisis, it will be convenient for emergency, understand?"
"Understood." The women responded loudly, their voices louder and they seemed to be braver.
"Cough cough" At this moment, the strange coughing sound rang out again, turning the girls who had been a little courageous just now into shivering little quails again. This helpless and horrifying scene made Xin Qinnan frown, but she decided to find someone to take a look as soon as possible.