Chapter 1108 What is there to gain on the grassland ?

Gu Ji and Tian Hong were both shocked when they heard what Ye An said.

The herdsmen who rely on livestock for food, clothing, shelter and transportation are so poor that they can't even afford meat and can only rely on milk to survive every day?

Is this the life of a human being? !

"So they usually drink milk and eat cheese every day? Won't they starve to death? If they only eat those old livestock, they can only eat meat a few times a year!" Tian Hong complained in shock.

"Yes, that's right, but it's not as exaggerated as you said. In fact, herdsmen still have other meat to eat, such as old livestock that need to be eliminated, such as too many males among the young livestock that can't produce milk, they will only keep a few, and kill the rest. They can keep the same grass and raise a female to produce more milk." Ye An explained again.

Gu Ji and Tian Hong were speechless after listening.

Is it okay to kill the newly born male?

Can males and females still be equal?

When will our male animals stand up? !

I was so angry!

"But it seems that there is still not much meat to eat. They only eat the small ones and the old ones. How many meals can they eat in a year?" Tian Hong said with emotion.

"Yes, they can't eat many meals, so they also hunt.

"It's not so easy to graze on the grassland. Not only do they have to compete with other herdsmen for pastures, but they also have to worry about carnivores attacking their livestock, such as foxes, jackals, wolves, grassland tigers and other beasts. If they are not careful, they may suffer losses.

“Losing livestock is a small matter; losing one’s life is more tragic. However, if one is a good herder, he or she can hunt some carnivores. First, it can increase food, and second, it can reduce some threats to livestock, so that they can graze with peace of mind.

” But even so, they are still very poor. They have no savings and live from day to day. Once they encounter a natural disaster, they don’t even have the ability to resist. For example, if there is a grassland fire, if the grass on the grassland is burned, their livestock will starve to death. Or if there is a drought or snowstorm, the livestock will die in large numbers, and those herders who rely on livestock for their livelihood will certainly not be much better off! "

Listening to Ye An's introduction, it is estimated that He Tianhong's interest in the grassland suddenly decreased. What on earth was so attractive about such a broken place that they even built three cities here?

However, when they arrived in Binhai County, the things that Ye An had told them before immediately changed their eyes.

Yes, what Ye An said before about how miserable the grassland people were, was about the herdsmen who lived a nomadic life.

The Han tribe was not a herdsman. Even if the Han tribe was grazing, they had cities and houses, and grazed at fixed places. Moreover, the Han tribe could grow their own grass. The lifestyle was completely different from that of the nomadic herdsmen.

The terrain here in Binhai County was very well chosen. It is adjacent to the mountains by the sea in the south, Honghu Lake in the east, and endless grasslands in the west. In the north, there is also Zhangwu County guarding the flank.

There are forests, trees, shrubs, wild fruits, grasslands, herds of livestock, rivers, and farmlands and orchards reclaimed by the Han tribe here.

Especially the orchards in Binhai County, more It is a major feature of the Han tribe, because Binhai County is the only county in the Han tribe that grows fruits in large quantities and on a large scale.

The most produced here is a citrus fruit called lime, which is actually more like a lemon, but it is green.

This thing is not for eating, but for the lime juice inside, which can be used as natural citric acid, which can be used to make cheese. The herdsmen on the grassland need it.

The role of lemon juice in making cheese is probably similar to the relationship between brine and tofu. If citric acid is not added to fresh milk, the fresh milk will not coagulate into cheese.

In addition, the Han tribe will build a soda factory in the future to produce soda in large quantities. When citric acid cannot be produced artificially, these limes become an indispensable raw material for soda.

In addition, there are grapes, green apples, blueberries and other fruits. A huge orchard is built here.

In addition, a lot of vegetables and grains are planted in the fields here, but the most planted are wheat and corn, because these things do not require as much water as rice.

After all, on the grassland Water is a very precious resource. Here

, they also saw a large number of livestock, and the number of cattle, horses and sheep was beyond their imagination. The herds of cattle and horses were more than the war horses seen in the Cavalry Guard. The white sheep were almost connected in one piece. At a glance, you could see several large groups of hundreds of sheep.

The population in Binhai City was even more endless.

As the Han tribe took root in the grassland, more and more weak nomadic tribes chose to join them. There were also countless small tribes that took the initiative to join the Han tribe.

The Han tribe accepted everyone and accepted as many as they could.

However, since they chose to join the Han tribe, they had to abide by the rules of the Han tribe.

So these herdsmen also changed into Han people's clothes, untied their braids, tied their hair and wore crowns like the Han tribe, began to learn Chinese, and became more and more Chinese.

After several years of development, some of the herdsmen who joined the Han tribe early now find it difficult to distinguish them from the Han tribe in terms of their clothing, appearance, and living habits. The difference between people.

Gu Ji and Tian Hong rested here for a day, and also saw some special life on the grassland and those nomadic herdsmen.

At this time, they suddenly realized why the Han tribe must take this place so seriously.

Because this place not only has a large number of livestock resources, but also the Han tribe can sell goods here to make a lot of money.

The grassland herdsmen need salt and other various living supplies, and the Han tribe happens to have everything. They only need to use livestock, even wool, to exchange for anything they want.

After the Han tribe took root in the grassland, it can not only absorb the resources here, but also sell its goods from here. No matter how you calculate it, it is very cost-effective.

Gu Ji and Tian Hong stayed in Binhai County for two days. In addition to feeling that there are more livestock here than in other places in the Han tribe, and it is still a free-range grazing breeding method, and the business activities with herdsmen are more active, there is no difference between the other counties and counties in other places in the Han tribe.

This is because the terrain in Binhai County is more complex, with rivers, forests, mountains, lakes and grasslands. There is a lot of land that can be reclaimed, so there are many farming people living here. Even some herdsmen who originally only knew how to graze began to learn to farm after joining Binhai County.

So this is a county where farming and fixed-point grazing coexist.

Going further north, when you reach Zhangwu County, the situation is completely different.

There are almost no forests in Zhangwu County, all grasslands, no rivers, and only Honghu Lake on the back. With such terrain, it is very difficult to farm, so the main focus here is fixed-point grazing.

However, the environment here is very suitable for the reproduction and growth of horses. It has now become the largest military horse breeding base of the Han tribe, providing the Han tribe with most of the various horses.

Not only military horses, but also various draft horses for pulling carts and horses for doing farm work.

Zhangwu County, as the name suggests, was originally the base camp of Maodun. After being occupied by the Han tribe, it has been heavily guarded. The army here is the strongest in the entire grassland. It was once as famous as the Hu Ben Guard, the Qianniu Guard.

Even the prefect of Zhangwu County has always been concurrently served by Chai Duoduo, the commander of the Qianniu Guard.

The people's livelihood in Zhangwu County is not very good, and Chai Duoduo is not good at it, but the Qianniu Guards under his command have always been strong in combat, and there are many horses here, some of which are military horses for him to use for training. When the horses are no longer good and can no longer meet the level of military horses, they will be sent to other counties to be used as draft horses for pulling carts.

Gu Ji and Tian Hong also started to learn horse riding here.

Chai Duoduo specially arranged a cavalryman to explain the essentials of horsemanship to them.

"My two guests, riding a horse is actually very simple. Our Han tribe is the most advanced in the world in terms of horse equipment, with all kinds of functions. Even if you have never ridden a horse, as long as you are brave enough, you can learn it quickly.

"Look at this rein. You usually hold this rein when you lead the horse. When you ride a horse, you also use this rein to control the horse. Let me teach you.

"First, grab the reins with your left hand, grab the saddle with both hands, and step your left foot in the stirrup. Then pull with your hands and push with your feet. You will sit up. Then put both feet in the stirrups, sit well, and hold the reins with both hands."

Gu Ji and Tian Hong did as they were told. They found that with the help of this set of harnesses, it was not difficult to ride on the horse's back. With the help of this set of harnesses, they had never ridden a horse before. With almost no training, they could ride on the horse's back directly after watching how to operate it once.

At this time, the cavalryman said again.

"You may be a little scared when you ride a horse for the first time, especially when the horse wants to run forward or raises its front hooves. The rider will worry about falling off. Don't worry about this. Just lean forward a little bit, so that you can sit very steadily. Even if the horse raises its front hooves, you can quickly grab the saddle to prevent yourself from falling off."

Gu Ji and Tian Hong did as they were told again, and found that they felt much more at ease.

Then the cavalryman began to teach them how to march.

"There are generally only three directions for riding a horse: turning left or right, and going straight. Horses generally won't go backwards, so if you want to go backwards, just turn around.

"When riding forward, you can loosen the reins a little, don't pull them too tight, and then tap the horse's belly with your feet, and it will move forward."

Gu Ji and Tian Hong hurriedly did as they were told. They held the reins tightly with both hands, squeezed the horse's belly with their feet, and the horse immediately began to move forward. Then they listened to the cavalryman continue.

"At this time, if you want the horse to turn, you can pull the reins on the side of its head. Pull the reins on the side you want it to turn in, but don't pull it hard, as this will make the horse uncomfortable. Pull the reins naturally. As long as it feels that one side is tight, it will naturally turn. Don't pull it hard.

"Horses are very spiritual animals. They can understand human words, so you must treat them like friends. They will feel your kindness. If you are not nice to them, they will naturally not listen to you."

Gu Ji and Tian Hong are both in their twenties, still relatively young. Under the guidance of the cavalry, they quickly mastered the essentials of riding horses and can now trot on horses.

At this time, the cavalry said, "Now you have basically mastered the skills of riding horses. If you want to ride well, you have to practice more in the future. As for some stunt equestrian moves used by cavalry, and some tactical moves on horseback, I will not teach you this."

Gu Ji and Tian Hong hurriedly thanked them, and at the same time they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.

This set of horse equipment from the Han tribe is really good. It can actually allow a person who has never ridden a horse to master the skills of riding a horse so quickly.

They heard that herders don't have such luxurious horse equipment, but herders' riding skills are also very good. That's because the children of herders have grown up riding sheep since childhood. After riding sheep, they start riding horses again. They have already practiced a perfect riding skill.

As long as they are herdsmen, there is no one who can't ride a horse, regardless of whether they are men or women.

And the horses they ride are barebacks, but they don't have as good saddles as the Han tribe.

After spending two days learning to ride a horse in Zhangwu County, the group abandoned the carriage and galloped towards Kaiyuan County on horseback, which also made Gu Ji and Tian Hong completely indulge in the addiction of riding horses.

When they arrived at Kaiyuan County, the scene they saw was different.

Ying Rui was the first person sent by Luo Chong to manage Kaiyuan County, and it was also the first county managed by the Han tribe on the grassland. After so many years of development, the scale here has already expanded several times compared to the original.

There are not only inner cities, but also outer cities. In addition to the outer city, there are also castles outside. A Kaiyuan County extends more than ten miles from the shore, which is enough to show its huge scale.

The population here is also very large. Most of the herdsmen who come to the Han tribe choose to settle in Kaiyuan County, because Kaiyuan County gives them a different feeling. After all, this is the first city built by the Han tribe on the grassland, which leaves a deep impression on people.

In addition, the Han tribe had defeated Maodun's 60,000-strong coalition army here before, which made them feel that Kaiyuan County was very safe. Even 60,000 people could not get close to the edge of the city. What other forces in the world could come to Kaiyuan County to make trouble?

The commercial activities, farming scale, breeding scale, population and city scale here are the largest in the entire grassland.

Looking along the city streets of Kaiyuan County, there is almost no end to the long street, with pedestrians hurried on both sides of the street, and herdsmen coming here to do business everywhere.

What a prosperous grassland scene.

(End of this chapter)