Just as Liu Hong and the court officials were celebrating Lü Bu's wedding, a hundred-man troop left Tongliao military town and headed west.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Tuolü, at the front of the group, patted his mount and took a deep breath of the unique fresh air of the grassland.

For Tuolü, who was used to the warm climate of Luoyang, the familiar atmosphere on the grassland made him feel comfortable, but it still made him feel a little uncomfortable.

This discomfort is not physical, but psychological.

This is his hometown, but this hometown is full of crisis.

The azure sky was cloudless, and the sunlight was dazzling. Looking out from horseback, the endless grasslands stretched to the horizon, their verdant green shimmering in the sunlight.

Behind Tuolü were a hundred cavalrymen dressed in Xianbei attire.

These cavalrymen were unorganized; they formed scattered groups of five or ten men and marched across the grasslands.

The soldiers remained silent, their focus more on the road beneath their feet than on the momentary sentimentality of Tuoli.

Although these soldiers were dressed in Xianbei clothing, their true identities were all soldiers of the Han Dynasty.

They were all handpicked by Huangfu Song from the Liaozhou camp and sent to Liang Tuolü's command to assist him in starting an uprising on the grasslands. Each of them had received long-term training and was very proficient in the Xianbei language and customs.

At the head of the column, riding alongside Tuolü, was his deputy, Chen Qing, who was originally a political instructor under the Military and Political Department of the Liaozhou camp.

After Huangfu Song introduced Tuolü's identity and mission to the generals, Chen Qing was the first to respond and joined the team without hesitation.

He noticed that Tuolü looked somewhat uneasy and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Tuolü, are you worried about this operation?"

"There are some. It's not that I'm afraid of anything else, but I'm a little worried that our fellow people won't understand us!"

Thinking of the herders who had become accustomed to being oppressed, Tuolu couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Brother Tuolü's concerns are not without merit. However, although our mission is to lead the herdsmen in resisting the rule of those nobles, we cannot rely solely on fighting and killing. What we need is the hearts and minds of the people."

They don't understand, so we'll teach them slowly! The herders have just been oppressed for too long, but they're not stupid; they know what kind of life is good for them.

"Brother Chen sees things very clearly; how come I didn't think of these things?!"

After Chen Qing explained it to him, Tuo Lu suddenly understood and a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

In terms of climate alone, the grasslands at this time of year are quite suitable for marching, with both the amount of sunshine and the temperature making it very comfortable.

Because the team was small, the supplies they carried were mostly salt and dried meat.

Each soldier carried fifty catties of dried meat. One catty of dried meat boiled into broth could satisfy a soldier's food needs for three days.

Therefore, Tuolü and his men were freed from the burden of baggage, and their marching speed was also very fast.

By sunset, Tuolü and his group had penetrated more than 400 li into the grassland.

Since Murong Tu's last major defeat, the strength of the Eastern Xianbei has been greatly reduced. All the tribes within a 500-mile radius north of Chengde and east of Liaozhou have chosen to migrate westward and gathered in the area of ​​present-day Xilinhot and Erlinhot.

At night, Tuolü and his men, who had stopped marching, felt quite at ease and started a campfire with the soldiers to cook meat soup.

After drinking a bowl of meat soup, Tuolü lay on the grass, looking at the starry sky, and couldn't help but miss his wife and children who were far away in Luoyang.

Thinking of the wealth he had left behind before his departure, enough to ensure that the mother and child would have no worries about food and clothing, Tuolü buried this longing deep in his heart.

Nothing was said that night.

The next morning, Tuolü and his group continued their journey. After traveling for most of the day, they finally came across a Xianbei tribe.

From a distance, the tribe does not appear to be very large, with only about six or seven hundred people.

Chen Qing looked at Tuo Lu beside him and said with a smile, "Brother Tuo Lu, let's start our journey here!"

"good!!"

Tuolü nodded, and then led his cavalry towards the tribe.

On the outskirts of the tribe, several young men herding horses also noticed the approaching Tuolü and his group, and immediately sounded the horns at their waists in a panic.

Before long, more than fifty young men carrying bows and arrows and scimitars emerged from the tribe, led by a burly man.

Seeing this, Tuolü remained calm and continued to lead the team closer at a leisurely pace.

Seeing that Tuolü and the others did not launch an attack, and noticing their clothing, the able-bodied men in the tribe breathed a sigh of relief.

"stop!!"

When they were fifty paces away from the enemy, Tuolü immediately halted his troops, then stepped forward and shouted loudly in pure Xianbei language:

"I am Tuo Lu. Who is the leader of this group? Could you please come forward and speak to me?"

The burly man who was leading the group also stepped out and asked, "We are from Tali. Which tribe are you from?"

Tuollu shouted, "I was originally from the tribe led by Chief Tuoqing. We were just passing through and wanted to rest for a while!"

"Leader Tuoqing?"

Upon hearing the name Tullu mentioned, Tari pondered for a moment, only to find it quite unfamiliar.

However, judging from the other person's clothing and speech, Tari found nothing amiss.

"It must be a small tribe!"

With this thought in mind, Tari felt relieved and then stepped aside to let them pass.

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