Chapter 144: Operation Two [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"Is the Northern Desert... really that bad???"

Chu Yao's words truly shocked Shen Tang.

As is well known, both the Northern Desert and the Ten Crows are nomadic ethnic groups. The difference between the two is that the Ten Crows have a higher and flatter terrain, are cold and arid, and receive little rain throughout the year; while the Northern Desert has an altitude similar to other places, with mostly deserts and Gobi, and abundant grasslands.

Due to natural factors, the people living on these two lands have adapted to the unfavorable climate by moving from one pasture to another, grazing their livestock wherever there is water. In spring, they would stay on one pasture, and once they had eaten their fill, they would move on to the next. They rarely had a fixed place to live throughout the year.

Even so, the pressure of life is still immense.

When the population of the entire ethnic group is small, this way of life is still manageable. However, once the population slowly grows to a certain critical point, the pressure to survive will suddenly increase, leading to greater environmental damage, scarcity of resources, food shortages, and a vicious cycle.

Until simply herding and hunting could no longer sustain them.

Raiding areas richer in resources became one way to alleviate this conflict. Both the Northern Desert and the Ten Crows had excellent conditions for raising warhorses, their people were skilled in archery and horsemanship, and their cavalry were highly mobile, often plundering a group and then escaping in a flash.

The unlucky thief who was robbed could only watch helplessly as the dust and smoke were raised, his anger seething but he was powerless to do anything about it.

At least that's how Shen Tang perceived it.

She had previously seen a set of data in Qi Shan's notes: the Northern Desert and the Ten Crows were not small in size, and should theoretically be a threat.

But judging from Chu Yao's words—

Are the people of the northern desert still fierce nomads?

It has completely become a tool for gaining experience and reputation.

Chu Yao didn't quite understand: "What do you mean by 'miserable', young master?"

Shen Tang asked in confusion, "Aren't there quite a few horse farms in the Northern Desert?"

Chu Yao understood, and he explained with a smile, "There are quite a few horse farms in the Northern Desert, but that's not much of an advantage."

Shen Tang's lips twitched slightly.

this……

Not really an advantage?

Chu Yao said, "Before the 'thief star' descended from the sky, the countries on the continent had few cavalry, mainly because of the lack of warhorses and grasslands. The alien tribes such as the Ten Crows and the Northern Desert used this to exchange for large amounts of silver. In addition, through trade and the exchange of benefits, they had become a force to be reckoned with over time. To guard against them, a large number of troops had to be stationed at various border locations... Even so, there was rarely a time of peace."

However, all of this changed after the thief star appeared in the sky.

Shen Tang asked curiously, "It's reversed? Does this mean that Wenxin and Wudan are so intelligent that they can not only distinguish between men and women, but also between their own race and other races? What about mixed-race individuals???"

Should they take their father's or mother's example?

Should we follow our own ethnic group or a different ethnic group?

Or is it a battle of genes between the parents, and whoever wins gets the child?

Shen Tang's mind wandered for a moment, her thoughts drifting far away.

Chu Yao said, "How is that possible? These alien people from the Ten Crows of the Northern Desert can also gather both literary and martial spirit, just like us. There are two reasons why the arrival of the 'thief star' can reverse the situation. First, the location where the 'thief star' landed."

Shen Tang: "..."

She was speechless for a moment.

Chu Yao didn't need to say anything; she already knew what was going on.

The meteorite fell in the center of the continent, and the fragments were naturally divided among the various vassal states in the center, and made into all sorts of national seals.

Those feudal lords were eager to monopolize the spoils; they didn't even have enough for themselves, so why would they want to involve the foreign tribes? As a result, those foreign tribes located on the edges of the continent were the ones who suffered.

Shen Tang clicked his tongue and sighed, "That's really bad luck. They can't even get their 'shit' to be hot. And what's the other reason?"

Chu Yao paused for a moment, then reminded him, "Fifth Brother?"

Shen Tang: "Hmm?"

Chu Yao said, "Civilization."

According to his own Fifth Prince's words, the Northern Desert Ten Crows and other alien races were like those who couldn't even catch the hot shit, so what about the feudal lords who obtained the meteorite fragments? Were they lucky enough to eat hot shit?

Shen Tang: "Cough cough cough... That's not important, it's not important!"

Chu Yao skipped this section and immediately stated the second reason, which was related to the combination of literary and martial spirit. Among the military formation incantations, the literary spirit incantation could enhance the military formation and change the military formation, with endless uses and variations. The martial spirit incantation was relatively monotonous, and most of it also served the army. It could transform soldiers, armor, and horses!

In other words—

Chu Yao said with a subtle expression, "We don't need any more horses."

Without the restriction of warhorses, and with their larger numbers, even if their mounted combat skills weren't as formidable as those of nomadic tribes like the Ten Crows of the Northern Desert, the blessing of their literary and martial prowess meant they could ideally achieve a per capita cavalry force. There was a subtle consensus among the various vassal states.

While we fight our own civil war, no foreign powers should interfere.

This led to a tacit ceasefire whenever foreign tribes invaded from all sides. Some states would send troops, others would provide supplies, and those that were too poor to contribute would offer words of support from afar. War could be fought anytime, but foreign tribes must never be allowed to gain an advantage.

There is a very interesting example in history.

Over a hundred years ago, there were two small vassal states in the northwest of the continent, State A and State B. Their strengths were roughly equal, and they fought fiercely until they were practically fighting each other. Just as State B was gaining the upper hand and preparing to concentrate its forces for a decisive attack, several large tribes from the northern desert region united to try and steal State A's homeland and its imperial seal.

Country A and Country B immediately ceased hostilities. Country B dispatched tens of thousands of elite troops to support Country A in reclaiming the territory occupied by the foreign race. The two countries also joined forces to scatter the ashes of tens of thousands of people.

To resolve external troubles, continue the fighting.

Because they had a chance to catch their breath, Country A made a miraculous comeback.

There are many similar examples.

As a result, the foreign tribes were always confined to their own territories and did not pose a significant threat for more than two hundred years. Instead, they became valuable experience points for neighboring states to gain reputation and prestige.

After listening to Chu Yao's story, Shen Tang was about to laugh when she suddenly realized something, and her face silently darkened. She said, "If that's the case... then wouldn't Zheng Qiao's actions be..."

No wonder Qi Bushan despises Zheng Qiao so much—this man, in order to conquer Xin Kingdom, cooperated with Shiwu, allowing Shiwu to secretly send troops to harass the mountain border, further weakening the forces that Xin Kingdom could mobilize, and taking advantage of the situation to conquer Xin Kingdom, which was beset by internal and external troubles and was in turmoil.

Chu Yao naturally knew about this matter as well.

He was in Xiaocheng, but he was not out of touch with the world.

Chu Yao: "He was too clever for his own good. He thought that with the mountain range and border blocking the Ten Crows, they wouldn't pose a threat. He was planning to use them and then turn his back on them, trying to use one wolf to drive away another. But he's not the only clever person in the world, and the Ten Crows aren't stupid either. Besides, Zheng Qiao has lost the hearts and minds of the people, and the border barrier on the other side of the mountain range... who knows how long it can hold off the Ten Crows..."

The usually quiet chubby boy asked, "But teacher, aren't Shiwu and Beimo very weak?"

He was a native of Sibao County, and due to the limited information available in that era, his knowledge of the world was very limited. He only learned about the existence of alien races like the Ten Crows and the Northern Desert from his teacher. In his mind, his teacher was the most powerful.

Chu Yao chuckled and pinched Tu Rong's chubby cheek, saying with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Rong, who told you they were weak? They deserve a beating!"

1. In the previous chapter, some readers said that the word "girlfriend" is also very vulgar.

A urinal is a container for excrement.

I stumbled upon this while researching. It says that initially it was called "Tiger," referring to Li Guang, the Flying General from the idiom "Feng Tang grows old easily, Li Guang is hard to be ennobled" and "The forest is dark, the grass rustles in the wind." He hunted and killed a tiger, casting a bronze statue of it to be used as a chamber pot. Later, to avoid a taboo, it was changed to "Ma Zi" (马子)... the "Ma" in "skinny horse" (瘦马) also means "horse." So, the "chasing horses" that gangsters talk about in the movies... well...

2. In the normal world, nomadic tribes pose many threats, but in this story, based on the basic setting and logic, they are at a disadvantage in terms of innate development, but they have developed for two hundred years and are now actually very strong.

Chu Yao and his team did not have an easy time fighting the Northern Desert.

PS: The first point was found while researching. If there are any disagreements, it's because I have a bad memory and made a mistake. This is for reference only.

(End of this chapter)