Because he could not bear to part with his beautiful concubine, the emperor did not attend the morning court. Because he could not bear to fight for gold over silver, Ning Que did not eat from then on. What he meant by not eating was that he did not attend banquets, not because he really disliked the Tang Empire and wanted to express his dissatisfaction by not eating anything.
He had experienced the terrible drought and famine when he was a child and was deeply traumatized by it. He insisted that eating was the most important thing in this world, because there were no immortals in the world who could eat wind and drink dew. Even the most powerful Sage of Sword, Liu Bai, would be starving if he did not eat for a few days. Anyone who did not eat would die.
Eating and drinking? In those years when there was no food, even a naked beauty was probably no different from meat in the eyes of many men, not to mention things like roses that represented love.
The Buddhism Sect always liked to preach about pink skulls. Ning Que could not help but secretly guess that those sadhus ate vegetables and tofu gruel every day and had to climb mountains and ridges. They were in a state of half-starvation every day, and that was why they came up with such a correct and idiotic argument. And Yuelun Kingdom was the most prosperous place for Buddhism, so there might be some connection between the two. The people who were so hungry that they did not even have the strength to curse the Heavens might not be interested in doing those things between men and women, so they had to tighten their belts and chant sutras?
Ning Que's ideas were naturally not correct, but at least there was a hidden rule in human history. The most fundamental reason for the wars between tribes and countries was to eat.
To fill their stomachs, the refugees dared to attack states, capture cities and fight with the regular armies of various countries. In order to fill the stomachs of their people and prevent them from risking their lives against them, the various countries did not hesitate to shed all pretenses of cordiality and put down their statuses to forcefully seize more land. Similarly, to fill their stomachs, the tribes of the Wilderness of the North, which had been away from the Central Plains for more than a thousand years, were forced to move south with great difficulty. They took the initiative to attack the fierce barbarian tribes on the grassland, regardless of whether they would alarm the countries in the Central Plains or whether they would bring any future troubles.
Wars were for eating. Of course, in order to win wars, the first thing to do was to ensure that the people in the war had enough to eat. On the slightly cold grassland, the smoke rising from dozens of earthen stoves and the mutton being cooked in dozens of big pots was a guarantee.
Thousands of men dressed in animal skins sat around the earthen stove, silently eating mutton. Whether it was the wrinkled old men or the immature young men, they all had calm and resolute expressions, as if they hadn't just traveled thousands of miles to the south, but had lived here for many years.
They were a part of the army of the Northern Wasteland Tribe. In other words, they were a part of all the men who could fight in the Northern Wasteland Tribe. In this southern expedition, all the men who could fight in the Northern Wasteland Tribe were gathered here. There was no army. Instead, all the men who could fight were gathered on the edge of the grassland that stretched for hundreds of miles.
All the old, weak, women, and children of the tribe were left behind. It would take about a month to reach the edge of the grassland. If the men could not win this war and take over the grassland, then their families in the Wilderness behind them would definitely be swallowed by the darkness, cold, hunger, and the blades of the enemy.
For countless years, the Northern Wasteland Tribe lived in the cold region of the Far North, relying on the Hot Sea to survive. It was impossible for them to sustain too many people. In recent years, as the nights strangely lengthened, the temperature gradually dropped, and their lives became more and more difficult. At the end of winter, the tribal elders finally decided to move the whole tribe south.
If they did not move south, there would be no food. In the south, there were large grasslands, sheep, and food. It was a pity that the God was not generous when he gave the land to the humans. Most of the land already had an owner, including this large piece of fertile grassland. If the people of the Northern Wilderness wanted the grassland and the food for the sheep, the original owner would not be happy.
So, then they would fight.
…
…
After a thousand years, the Desolate Man reappeared in the eyes of the world. This matter should have shocked the world. However, the people who once roared proudly on the grassland and defeated the countries in the Central Plains had left the world for too long. It was so long that many people had forgotten their existence. Moreover, the dangerous natural environment and the torture of time had reduced the tribe's population to the point that people did not feel any threat. Therefore, this matter was temporarily limited to the northern grassland.
The reason for this situation also had a lot to do with the wise decision of the Desolate Man's tribal elders. Before moving south, the Desolate Man had set a firm and clear goal. The grassland that the sword pointed at belonged to the barbarian Left-Tent Khan, and had nothing to do with the countries in the Central Plains, especially the powerful and terrifying empire. Although the Desolate Man soldiers were brave, they had been cautiously suppressing the war in the northern area of the grassland.
It had been nearly a month since the Desolate Man's southern expedition troops arrived at the northern edge of the grassland, and the battle with the barbarian Left-Tent Khan's cavalry had been going on for a month. On this battle line that was deliberately controlled to a length of hundreds of kilometers, the two sides had fought no less than a hundred battles, and most of them ended in the Desolate Man's victory.
The cruelty of war was that even the winner had to pay the price of death. The Desolate Man soldiers were silent and resolute, brave and disciplined, and their individual combat effectiveness was far above that of the grassland barbarians. However, they were too few in number. Although they continuously defeated the tide-like attacks of the Left-Tent Khan's 100,000 cavalry, more and more of their companions died.
An earth stove, an iron pot, fresh water, and mutton. Not far away on the grassland were the corpses of their companions that had congealed in a pool of blood. A Desolate Man sorcerer, whose face was smeared with tree sap, walked calmly among the corpses. From time to time, he squatted down and gently touched the eyebrows of the dead with his fingers. His dry lips moved slightly, making indecipherable syllables.
Not far from the corpses of the soldiers, a Desolate Man boy of about 13 or 14 years old blew the bone flute in his hand. The sound of the flute was mournful, as if it was telling the Desolate Man's pain of wandering and struggling for survival in the past thousand years.
An old voice was added to the sound of the flute. It was a highly respected True Master of the Council of Elders. He sang a song that all the Desolate Men could sing. The song was desolate and vigorous, with a shocking unyieldingness in the solemn and stirring atmosphere.
"The sky is cold, the earth is cold, the goshawk does not dare to look at the Northern Wilderness."
"The Hot Sea falls, the Hot Sea rises, the Snow Wolf is hunted by the Hot Sea."
"The Snow Wolf chases, the Snow Wolf dies, holding a knife to look for the deer all day long."
"Where to live, where to die, where to bury the white bones."
"Min Mountain is majestic, Min Mountain is strong, Min Mountain is the true hometown."
"Stepping over the vast snow, stepping over the frost for thousands of miles, looking south all day long."
"Stepping over the vast snow, stepping over the frost for thousands of miles, no longer looking south."
"I go first, and then you come."
"I fight first, and then you come."
"I die first, and then you come."
"The homeward journey is near, the homeward journey is far, the homeward journey is on."
"I have gone, and then you come."
"I have fought, and then you come."
"I have died, and then you come."
"I have died, and then you come."
…
…
"I have died, and then you come." The bleak song kept repeating the last two lines, and several young Desolate Man warriors silently looked over there. As the old man sang softly, a strong but not sad atmosphere arose on the grassland.
Most of the Desolate Man warriors remained silent. They ate the mutton and drank the oily soup that had a strong odor. They seized every moment to replenish their strength in between the battles because no one knew when the next battle would begin.
The ancestors of the Desolate Man were once called natural warriors by the people of the Central Plains. Now they had experienced thousands of years of harsh environment, and the word "fighting" was written in their blood vessels and bones. The death of their companions would not make them feel the slightest bit. Even the song that had been passed down for thousands of years could only trigger the soft echo deep in their hearts, but could not interfere with their preparation for the battle.
At this moment, the bugle of the battle sounded again.
The grassland trembled slightly, and no one knew how many elite cavalries of the Khan of the Left Tent were coming.
The Desolate Man warriors did not panic. They put down the mutton and spoon in their hands, raised their sleeves to wipe their oily faces, and then picked up the heavy and damaged weapons beside them. They slowly walked south, and even did not forget to put out the fire in the earthen stove.
…
…
They walked slowly, then quickly, then trotted, and finally began to sprint.
The way the Desolate Man soldiers entered the battlefield was shockingly similar to the way the grassland cavalries did. The only difference was that they did not ride on horses and only had their own legs. However, what was incredible was that these Desolate Man soldiers, who were wearing leather robes and holding knives and axes, who did not look very tall or strong, could run at such a fast speed and with such a shocking momentum.
With the dense buzzing sound of drums, the grassland cavalries who were good at riding and shooting pulled the bowstrings of their short bows from a long distance away. Countless arrows cut through the sky and hit thousands of Desolate Man warriors like raindrops.
With a puff, a sharp arrow hit a Desolate Man warrior who was running at high speed. After the arrowhead penetrated the leather armor, it seemed to take root in his chest. Blood quickly seeped out and dyed the leather armor red. However, the Desolate Man warrior did not seem to notice it and still rushed towards the black tide-like cavalries with sabers and axes in his hands. Obviously, the arrow was blocked by the Desolate Man's steel-like skin and did not hurt his vital parts.
There were no military orders or flag signals. The Desolate Man's battle relied on their instincts, the tacit understanding and the trust they had in their companions after fighting side by side for more than a thousand years. When they were dozens of steps away from the black tide-like grassland cavalries, as long as they were not shot down by the cavalries' arrows, they pulled out the sharp axes from their waists neatly and threw them out with all their strength!
The sharp axes rotated at high speed and cut through the air on the battlefield. The bright light reflected the sunlight and reflected snow-white shadows on the green grassland. It looked extremely beautiful and terrifying.
With their strong defensive power, the Desolate Man warriors withstood the grassland cavalries' first round of shooting and entered the effective killing range of the flying axes. They ran so fast that the grassland cavalries did not have time to launch the second round of shooting and had to throw the axes in their hands!
The rain of arrows did not hit too many Desolate Man warriors on the grassland, but the rain of thousands of sharp axes directly caused the grassland cavalries to suffer the cruelest blow. The originally heavy axes, coupled with the Desolate Man warriors' throwing strength and rotation, easily cut through the cavalries' light armor. Even the ends of the axes directly broke the grassland cavalries' bones and spurted blood!
…
…
(To say a few very important things: First, after I finished writing last night, I was working on the next chapter's outline. I was deducing and overruling it all the way. I don't know if I was excited by the future plot or depressed by the level of trouble. Anyway, I had insomnia and couldn't fall asleep until noon. So I didn't sleep at all and hoped to adjust my biological clock again. However, I really couldn't stand it in the afternoon. I spent four to five hours writing this chapter. The quality and mood should be fine, but I really don't know the words because my eyes are blurry. I will go to sleep after eating the food my leader brought back. If I wake up tomorrow, I will try to write more. There is another very important thing to report to everyone, which is the annual selection. To be honest, with the help of everyone, I won the Best Author two years ago and the Best Novel last year. I am really grateful and satisfied. I really don't know what to do this year. Anyway, if you want to vote for me for free, I am still deeply grateful. But please don't spend money to vote for me. I really have nothing to ask for. The book review section moderators also have the Best Novel Selection, but I don't know why our moderators are not in the designated range. Scratching my head, they have really worked hard these months. I am very clear about this, so I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to them. Bye, everyone. This paragraph does not count. What I said before is really not polite, I really have nothing to ask for.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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