Early summer is the season when vegetation is most luxuriant, and the same is true for the northwestern border. The winding cavalry group on the north bank of the Yellow River is moving slowly.
Feng Jiye's face was tanned and dark, his beard was unkempt, and he was wearing a brand new armor and cloak that looked like a new coat on a beggar. He was talking nonstop with the military supervisors and civil officials.
Herding sheep is a slow process, taking almost a year for them to grow up, and they may also get sick and lose all their money. It is better to farm, planting grains and beans on a piece of land, and you can harvest two or three crops a year.
The civil servant laughed and said: General Feng has returned to his hometown and has gained a lot of experience in herding sheep and farming.
Feng Jiye nodded and said: But farming and herding sheep are not the fastest ways to harvest.
The civil servant asked with interest: What is the fastest way
Feng Jiye said seriously: If you go to someone else's sheepfold to steal sheep, of course you have to carry a knife or a gun.
The civil servant's face froze, and after a moment he followed Feng Jiye's topic, and said helplessly: But the person whose sheep was led away must be very unhappy, and that will be a big trouble.
Feng Jiye clapped his hands and said: You are right, but this method is too easy. Everyone wants to do it anyway. The official was very unhappy when someone took away his war horse. Otherwise, why did we come here
As they were talking, a group of people rode their horses up a hill. Everyone pulled the reins involuntarily and looked at the scene in front of them with wide eyes. Everyone was shocked by the beautiful scenery.
Gentle slopes, open views; dry weather makes the sky clear and clean. A shallow river divides the land into two completely different sides. The north is light yellow sand, without a single color from afar; dark green trees grow on the river bank; the south bank is a patch of grass, slightly lighter in color than the woods.
Such distinct layers of colors can only be appreciated here.
Some sheep were moving slowly on the grass and grazing. There was a tent next to the woods, surrounded by a wooden fence. The few horsemen in the flock seemed to have noticed the horses appearing on the hillside, and they were looking over here.
The civil servant said: The tribes in the south of Lingzhou have always been in harmony with the border towns, and it is definitely not them who looted the war horses.
Feng Jiye shook his head and said: You don't understand. After they robbed it, they thought horse meat was not tasty, so they traded it with others for sheep. Now let's move the sheep back.
Feng Jiye drew his saber from his back, turned around and waved, and more cavalry rushed up the hill. The people on the grassland below spurred their horses and galloped towards the camp.
Kill all those with two legs and take away those with four legs, Feng Jiye shouted.
The troops shouted excitedly, and in the noise, the sound of horses' hooves roared, and a group of light cavalry wearing plate armor rushed down the hillside, with red and blue flags separated on both sides, and the horses rushed down in two streams, like a torrent of mountain torrents. The beautiful scenery of Jingning was immediately filled with noise.
A group of Tanguts wearing round hats rode out of the camp, waving their hands and shouting something. One of them tied a white turban to a branch and waved it frantically.
Suddenly, there was a snap of the bowstring, and the man waving the turban screamed and fell off his horse. Then there was the crackling of the bowstring, and arrows rained down. Several Tanguts seemed to be suddenly covered with reeds, and their horses knelt and neighed.
Soon, clanging sounds were heard around the fence. Xu Jun's cavalry easily knocked over the railings, and the soldiers rushed in, causing chaos inside.
Feng Jiye rushed to the tents, yelling, and saw two or three people running out of the tents. He rode his horse forward and chopped them down from above. Screams and blood splashed everywhere. Soon, smoke and flames rose not far away, and there were crazy shouts all around.
A cavalryman drew his bow and arrow on his horse, his back straight and his movements very skillful. In the blink of an eye, someone fell to the ground in response.
Not far away, a little girl with pigtails stood there, looking up and crying, with several corpses lying beside her. The cavalry passed by her one after another, but no one paid any attention to the little girl.
Suddenly, two people covered in flames ran out of the smoking tent next to them, shouting in fear and rolling on the ground, grabbing at the burning fur with their hands. The smell of burning things spread, and their screams were very tragic.
The camp was soon penetrated by the cavalry, and there were flashes of fire and smoke everywhere. The vanguard had already rushed into the woods, chasing the fleeing people. Some cavalry had dismounted and were searching the corpses for valuables. There was chaos all around.
A group of Xu Jun cavalry drove over a dozen people, but Feng Jiye was furious and shouted: "Why do you care about those people? Go catch sheep!"
Everyone then picked up their weapons and slashed at the captives. The captives, who had come to their senses, ran away. One of them staggered and fell to the ground. He turned around hurriedly and saw a soldier of Xu army holding a bow against his forehead. With a bang of the string, the iron arrow was against his forehead and pierced into it. The man's pupils immediately dilated.
Feng Jiye turned to his personal soldiers and said: Tell them to stop burning, we can stay here. Catch the Tanguts from their tents and kill them.
There was chaos nearby, and screams could be heard from the woods ahead. Feng Jiye jumped off his horse and saw a wounded man groaning beside him. He walked up and stabbed the man in the neck. The man covered his neck with his hands, opened his mouth and vomited blood, and his legs kept twitching on the ground. Feng Jiye calmly grabbed the man's fur and wiped the blade of his saber.
The civil servant next to him stood there looking at Feng Jiye, stunned.
Feng Jiye put the knife back into the sheath, turned his head and glanced at the military supervisor: Look, we got so many fat sheep in just one day, which is much faster than herding sheep for a month.
Civil servants:
One after another, bloodstained generals came back to report, but Feng Jiye stood in the camp and looked around. After a long time, he said: This place is close to the Yellow River, with oasis and water grass, there must be more than one tribe. The central army is stationed here, and the other tribes have spread out and taken away all the sheep within a radius of dozens of miles.
The general's wise subordinates all clasped their fists and said.
The military supervisor stepped forward and said in a deep voice: General Feng, if you do something like this, you should be careful of being punished later.
Unexpectedly, Feng Jiye sneered: "I have been in the army since I was over ten years old, and I never felt that I was being held accountable because I killed too many people. A few years ago, a group of Dangxiang people wanted the emperor to kill me. If I died, I would just go back to my hometown to herd sheep and cultivate my character for a few years. Hehehe
The general had a well-trained character. The military inspector stared with wide eyes at the various tragic corpses and the groaning and struggling wounded around him.
Not long after, in Lingzhou, the messenger from the Dangxiang Posthouse came to Zhe Dejian and cried. The Xu army cavalry, fully equipped with weapons and armor, rushed into the pasture, slaughtered all the unarmed herdsmen, regardless of gender, age or status, and robbed them of everything. They did not spare even one person. The burned camp was full of charred corpses. The woods were full of hanging corpses, and the places with water and grass were like the underworld.
Zhe Dejian said helplessly: I can't control Feng Jiye's men.
If he really wanted to control Feng Jiye, he could, but now he couldn't admit it and could only talk nonsense. Zhe Dejian had just been appointed and deployed to the west to lead the Pingxia Army. Feng Jiye's cavalry was part of the Pingxia Army.
The messenger said with a sad face: "Zhe Gong must take care of it. That fellow is like a mad dog, plundering and killing innocent people everywhere. There is a culprit for the grievance. The Ye Ci clan plundered the imperial army. Shouldn't the Daxu army hold the Ye Ci clan accountable? What does it have to do with us?"
Zhe Dejian said: Your Excellency can write a memorial and I will send someone to deliver it to Tokyo.
The messenger was surprised and said: What's the use? Feng Jiye was not sent by the emperor.
Zhe Dejian thought carefully and realized that he couldn't put the blame on the emperor. He should bear the consequences of Feng Jiye's actions. He knew this rule. He said kindly: There are many government offices in the Daxu court, and the emperor can't take care of so many things. Feng Jiye got back by finding connections himself.
At this time, the guard reported that Ye Ci's people at Lingzhou Posthouse wanted to see him. Zhe Dejian asked someone to bring him in to talk.
Several Tanguts wearing round hats came in. Ye Ci put his hand on his chest and bowed, saying: The leader of our tribe requests that you suspend the fighting. The leader promises to send the war horses and criminals to Lingzhou and will no longer plunder the trade routes.
Zhe Dejian thought: Li Chuyun's army of tens of thousands is already on the way, how can we just make peace or rob now
He frowned and thought for a while, then pushed the responsibility away and said: "Now the Xu army in Lingzhou is not punishing criminals, but because Feng Jiye is in Lingzhou. As long as Feng Jiye leaves office, everyone can sit down and discuss anything."
A Tangut asked: "Emperor Daxu cannot control Feng Jiye."
Zhe Dejian glared at him and said: The emperor is two thousand miles away, how can he know everything
The people below were talking in Tangut dialect. Zhe Dejian could understand Tangut dialect. He heard some of them say that the emperor of the Central Plains had built palaces covering hundreds of miles and had tens of thousands of wives, concubines and beauties. It was not easy for the ministers to see them.
Zhe Dejian pretended not to hear and after a moment's silence, he said that if the tribes handed over Li Yiyin, there might be a way to resolve the conflict.
The envoys from various tribes in the hall unanimously denied having received Li Yiyin.
After hearing this, Zhe Dejian's face changed and he said unhappily: "Then there is nothing to talk about."
A group of Tanguts looked at each other in bewilderment and had no choice but to bow and leave the hall. They were still discussing, and someone suggested: Princess Yueji is the imperial concubine of Daxu, and it is said that she is very favored by the Emperor of the Central Plains. We can send an envoy to Tokyo to try to meet Princess Yueji and let her persuade the Emperor of the Central Plains.
Many people agreed with this idea, except for the envoys from the looted tribes, who were impatient, thinking that their people would be killed almost all after they went to Tokyo, two thousand miles away.
These envoys just wanted to ease the situation, but the people of the Dangxiang tribe probably did not have this attitude. The leaders of the tribes were probably furious at this time.