As Bahrain spoke, Song Liyun's brows twitched slightly on her otherwise expressionless face.
At this moment, she saw another side of the Wuda tribe and realized that Zhao Tingduo, who always appeared so easily in front of her, was actually facing a very dangerous living environment.
There was also the Dongyue tribe, which Song Liyun had never heard of before.
After the Wuda tribe grew stronger and returned to the grasslands, they repelled a provocation from the Dongyue tribe.
That powerful counterattack left Abouli seriously injured.
Following the defeat of the Dongyue tribe during their raids on the Wu Dynasty, they suffered further losses and were further weakened by internal tribal divisions, ultimately losing their status as a royal court.
Chief Abli had no choice but to lead his thousand-plus relatives, who had split off from the Di tribe, back from the Chiyang Grassland where the royal court was located, to the Mida River Valley, where they confronted their nemesis, the Uda tribe.
On one side is a rising star poised for success, and on the other is a notorious, brutal old butcher.
Between the two lies twenty years of massacres and a grudge that caused Abouli's major setback a year ago.
When they met again, neither side underestimated or looked down on the other; every encounter became a battle.
The Mida River Valley was filled with bloodshed and violence.
Two groups of people, with thousands of horses.
Galloping across the land, countless black dots flashed by in an instant; those were the steeds roaring and neighing, like a raging storm, like a raging torrent.
As the horses made contact, the gleaming scimitar flashed, leaving a trail of blood...
Bahrain only knows some simple Wu Dynasty vocabulary, but even those few words of killing carry a strong sense of bloodshed.
Song Liyun's heart was in her throat. She only wanted to know one outcome: how was Zhao Tingduo's safety?
Unfortunately, Bahrain hastily retreated from the Mida Valley as soon as the fighting began, and he did not know the specifics of the situation.
The only certainty is that the two sides are evenly matched, with no clear winner or loser, and the battle is at a stalemate; otherwise, the other tribes wouldn't have needed to run away.
……………………………………
The nearest tribe to Kun is a day's journey away.
This time, Song Liyun was no longer traveling with Song Dekui. In addition to the five people from Wu Dong sent by Commander Xiao, there were also five Di people, including Balin, traveling with her.
Since she was traveling under the name of a caravan, she naturally had to catch up with her own carriage.
On the carriage, besides the cardboard-core house, there were grains, salt, tobacco, and cloth, as well as that old horse.
It was only after hearing Wu Dong's account that Kunbu realized how dangerous it was for her to cross the swamp.
If they were not careful, they would have fallen into those water bubbles that were only covered with a thin layer of ice. It was Old Ma who led them across the solid road.
When Song Dekui learned that the ice he was crushing with every step was actually like death itself lying on his neck, he was so shocked that his hair stood on end. He hugged Old Ma's neck and showered him with praise: "Yijin Yan, from now on I won't call you Yijin Yan. I'll call you Lao Yan, Lao Yan, you are a great hero. From now on, I will take care of all your food and water. I will never treat you unfairly."
Old Ma didn't understand what sentimentality was; he simply raised his thin, bony head and impatiently shrugged off the pendant around his neck.
He took two steps back, tilted his head and peered into the cardboard box at the back of the cart, then picked up a large mouthful of hay from it.
Inside is feed specially prepared for horses, which they can eat at any time.
Song Dekui laughed heartily: "Eat up, eat up! I'll refill your bowl when you're done."
Wu Dong rode over on horseback: "Boss Song, can we set off now? Does Old Salt need to be tied up?"
Song Dekui shook his head: "No need to tie it up anymore, Lao Yan won't run away."
The old horse had no reins and didn't run around; it stayed close to Song Dekui and Song Liyun, never leaving their side.
Animals' needs are simple and straightforward. The old horse's teeth could no longer chew hay, and it had been hungry for a very long time before it was replaced.
Since these two humans could provide it with soft grass and clean water, it naturally wouldn't leave.
Wu Dong and Balin were both puzzled as to why Song Liyun wanted to bring such an old horse that was neither rideable nor fast.
Previously, it was said that an old horse was needed to lead the way, but now that Wu Dong and the others are there, having another horse would be superfluous. After all, a horse is just a horse; it doesn't know where people want to go. It was probably a coincidence that it was able to lead Song Liyun out of the swamp.
Song Liyun didn't offer much explanation. She felt that a beast that couldn't speak was sometimes more reliable than a person, especially on the unfamiliar grasslands.
Besides, raising an extra old horse only consumes more grain, which I can afford.
The winter wind on the grassland is biting cold. Chrysanthemum horses pull the cart, their breath condensing into white mist.
Song Liyun, who was sitting in the carriage, was wrapped up tightly and did not feel the cold.
Because they were traveling in a horse-drawn carriage, the group did not move very fast. It wasn't until it got dark and snow began to fall that they reached their destination, a small flat area at the foot of a gentle slope.
This is the tribe called Xiaocha that Bahrain mentioned, but it is now completely deserted.
The remaining hitching posts, the hay gnawed by cattle and sheep, and the traces of human activity all indicate that this place was once a camp.
Wu Dong and his group split up to search for traces of the tribe, while Balin frowned, looking anxious.
"Miss Song, it seems the Xiaocha tribe has moved away!"
Song Liyun dismounted and examined the piles of black ashes.
There are ten gray clumps here, which should be ten tents.
In the dead of winter, a tribe of a few dozen people set off on a whim?
The people brought by Bahrain quickly surveyed the surrounding area, and the tracks left by hundreds of cattle and sheep indicated that the tribe had headed north.
What would cause a tribe to move its tents in the face of wind and snow?
Moreover, the direction is still reversing. Could it be that the battle in the Mida River Valley has already been decided?
Several people were quite puzzled.
It's already dark, so we can't continue our journey. We'll have to stay at this empty campsite for the time being.
There are no tribes or tents, only camping.
Wu Dong and his men were soldiers who had been patrolling the grasslands for a long time. Although they did not spend every day in the open, they had experience in sleeping in the wild. They immediately began to dig a pit in the ground with their knives.
Laying dry grass in the pit can keep you warm.
The Bahrainers, having grown up on the grasslands, could find a sheltered earthen slope and spend the night wrapped in sheepskin blankets.
All their problems revolved around what to do with Miss Song.
While the ten men were busy preparing for the night, Song Dekui had already called Wu Dong over to help.
"Old Wu, come help build the house!"
Song Dekui stood by the carriage, jumping up and down as he shouted to Wu Dong and the others who were moving soil and stones.
Wu Dong walked over, looked at the planks piled on the carriage, and asked, "What are you building a house for? What are all these things?"
At this moment, Song Dekui had loosened the ropes binding the wooden planks, revealing the "planks" and timber haphazardly piled inside.
Seeing Wu Dong and the others approaching, he handed them a long plank from the car, chuckling, "Don't just stand there, everyone lend a hand!"
When Wu Dong saw a wooden plank, at least three inches thick, being extended in front of him, he instinctively used all his strength to catch it.
I didn't expect it to be so light.
He used too much force, cried out "Ouch!" and fell heavily backward while still holding the cardboard.
The fall was quite solid; a thick piece of cardboard landed on him, and instantly he was completely hidden, not even the hem of his clothes could be seen.
Before Song Dekui, who was laughing so hard he was bent over, could step forward to rescue the person, a steel knife was already slashing at him.
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