More than a thousand kilometers away from Xiaobei and the other nine children in the story, tents covered by snow were arranged in various formations, and the frozen cows and sheep were piled up like hills.
The green smoke from the burning cow dung drifted out as the tent flap opened and closed, quickly disappearing into the darkness of the night.
Surrounded by several tents, the sound of music could be heard faintly from the largest and most luxurious tent in the middle.
There was a small opening in the curtain of the tent, but there wasn't the slightest bit of cold inside. More than a dozen women wearing very little clothing were doing their best to sway their waists to the sound of music. A pot filled with milk wine was placed over the fire. The wine inside was bubbling and bubbling non-stop.
The two people sitting close to each other on the wide felt blanket didn't even smile at this time.
Maybe the women didn't dance well, or maybe the bonfire couldn't make people enthusiastic in the cold weather. One of the two waved his hand, "Go down, go down, all of you go down."
The women who were still dancing suddenly stopped and saluted almost at the same time. They turned around and left with the smallest steps, afraid that they would disturb the two people if they were too loud.
"It's cold again." The man who waved his hand waited for all the women in the tent to leave. He stared at the swaying flame of Weiwei and said three words that seemed to have no meaning.
"Many cows, sheep, and horses also froze to death. If the snow continues to fall until tomorrow morning, it is estimated that many people will die. It will be cold when the snow is light, and it will be heavy when the snow is heavy … It will be colder in two days, and it will be hard to walk on the road."
The man next to him seemed to understand the meaning of the previous speaker. His face, which was caressed by the cold wind, showed a deep helplessness.
The man who spoke earlier lowered his head. After a while, the firewood in the bonfire suddenly made a crackling sound. He raised his head again and looked in front of him, which was facing the south. He said, "The north of the Tang Dynasty must have a lot of snow, and the north of Hebei Province and Jili Province may be covered in thick ice."
"So what? The closest place to us was Feng Province. If it had been more than ten years ago, perhaps a snowfall could have killed many people and livestock, and cut off the connection with the outside world. But now, we didn't expect too much trouble to happen to them.
Disaster relief in the Tang Empire had always been carried out by the army first. The army in Feng Province was nominally under the control of the local government, but in reality, it was clear who had the final say. The ability of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family to provide goods, oh, they called it logistics, did not need to be tested.
The year before last, I remember that there was also a heavy snowfall. Almost all of it fell on Feng Zhou. What was the result? After half a month, the supermarkets in Feng Zhou City not only had enough food, but also fresh cucumbers and watermelons.
This is a provocation to Longevity Heaven. Normally, when the road is clear, it would take at least a month for supplies to be delivered, but now that the road is sealed off by snow, it takes at least half a month for the goods to be delivered. In truth, I understand. They are telling us that no matter when, as long as the Great Tang moves against the Turks, they have the ability to deliver supplies with unimaginable speed. Just like the logistics camp in Yingzhou, before the soldiers have even moved, the provisions have already arrived. "
The person who said this was very unwilling to admit the speed of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family's logistics, but he had to admit it. There was admiration in his voice, but more than that, there was helplessness.
The person who spoke first pursed his lips and sighed again. "Yes, the logistics camp in Yingzhou is the first to provide supplies. As long as they are still there, no one dares to take advantage of them and deliver supplies in half a month. Damn it, who would have thought that they used dogs? If dogs can carry goods, they can also carry people. If they find our location now and transport 10,000 soldiers here, with the speed of dogs on the snow, we can't run away even if we want to, and the cavalry can't even lift their hooves."
"Since you know, there is no need to expect any losses in Jili Province. The Zhang Family and the Wang Family have long been used to facing all kinds of difficulties. According to the saying passed down, they are kites that fly in adversity and become stronger when they meet strong opponents. Secret Service Que, if there is no other way, let's go back and apologize. Li Longji won't kill people."
The person called Secret Service Que couldn't help but tremble. He closed his eyes and sighed again. "Ah! Mo Xilian, are you afraid? Go back? Will there be any Turkic people if we go back? It's not like you don't know what that damned child Zhang Xiaobao is planning to do. He'll have Li Longji separate us Turks and place us in the various provinces of the Great Tang. Tubo is already doing that. "
Moji did not answer immediately. He scooped a bowl of wine from the pot, smelled the familiar smell, raised his head and drank it all. He burped and cut a piece of slightly burnt mutton from the rack of another bonfire with a knife. He put it in his mouth and smacked it twice, feeling that it did not taste good. He then said, "You're right.
I'm afraid that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan will be free in the north of Hebei Province and run here with their soldiers. At that time, it won't be a question of whether we go back or not, but how many lives we have to pay to go back. I don't think they will be afraid of seeing blood when they kill people, so they won't do it.
There's no salt in the meat, and we're also out of tea. In a few more days, we'll probably run out of wine and things to burn the fire. Do you dare to plunder like before? They're probably waiting for us. You haven't seen the power of the cannons, but I saw it with my own eyes. After the thunderous boom, the ground was littered with broken limbs.
The people flying in the sky casually threw a torch at the provisions. Should we save them or not? Our generals can't run all over the place and continue to give orders while avoiding aerial attacks, right? "
Mo Xilian had just finished speaking when footsteps came from outside the tent, followed by a report. "Reporting, in the various circles of the headquarters, another 623 sheep have been frozen to death."
"I know," Mo Xilian replied and then turned to Secret Service Que.
Secret Service Que aged a lot in an instant, and turbid tears flowed from the corners of his eyes. He pursed his lips for a while and let out a sobbing sound. He nodded twice and said, "When dawn comes, summon the leaders of the various tribes to discuss the matter of returning. At that time, I'll stay and live in the world of longevity and die in the world of longevity."
"No, if you stay, Li Longji will definitely be angry and think that you're competing with him. At that time, he'll kill the Turks." He hurriedly persuaded. He didn't want to see Secret Service Que die like this.
"Then I'll live a few more days and go see Li Longji and the capital of the Tang Empire. Maybe I'll have a chance to see Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan." Secret Service Que followed Mo Xilian's words and said.
*****
The heavy snow in winter wasn't specially for the Turks and the Tang Empire. Even Xinluo and Nihon felt the cold.
Li Longji didn't know how Nihon lived, but he knew a little about Xinluo.
While soaking in the hot spring and experiencing this comfort, there was no trace of happiness on his face. The letter in his hand was wet, but he still read it over and over again. Then, he said angrily to Gao Lishi, who had just finished lighting the incense.
"How did you teach your son? We prepared a pool for them and wanted them to come and soak in it. But they didn't stay in Jilin Province in the middle of winter and insisted on going to find the Turks. The journey is long and dangerous. If something happens, we … we will only ask you. "
"Yes, yes, this subject knows his mistake. Your Majesty is right. This subject didn't teach them well. This subject will send people to look for them." Gao Lishi nodded repeatedly.
"Send people to look for them? What a joke, it would be strange if we could find them. When they come back, we won't let them off easily. At that time, it'll be useless no matter who comes to plead. We will punish them by not allowing them to leave the capital for a month and have to cook for us every day. Yes, for a month, we will see if they dare to soak in the hot spring every day. "
Li Longji said angrily.
Gao Lishi continued to nod. "Yes, yes, we have to punish them. They won't dare. This subject reckons that they won't dare, especially soaking in the hot spring."
"It's good that they won't dare. We heard that the people of Xinluo are doing well this year. Is there any new news? Tell us. " Li Longji's face was back and he no longer bothered with this question. He believed that the two of them would be able to return safely, so he asked about Xinluo again.
"Yes, this subject will tell Your Majesty that the people of Xinluo are doing well. The price of grain has dropped again and again. Now, one bushel of rice only costs four copper coins, and cloth is less than one copper coin. In addition, the snow is heavy in winter, so the people there use good charcoal for their homes. It's almost free. It's even better than our Great Tang."
Gao Lishi explained the situation to the Emperor with a smile.
A smile also appeared on Li Longji's face. He knew that the reason the grain was cheap was not because the Great Tang had lowered the price. The rice in the Great Tang was still five copper coins per bushel. It was because the local farmers couldn't sell the grain and had no choice but to lower the price. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the money to buy other necessities.
As for the charcoal, it was naturally burned by the trees of Xinluo. The people in charge of this matter used a large number of luxury goods to bribe the local officials of Xinluo, allowing them to cut down trees with all their might. At the same time, they recruited local laborers. A portion of the charcoal was transported back to the Great Tang, and a portion was directly given to the workers in Xinluo as wages. There were many of them, so even if the workers sold them very cheaply, they would still make a lot of money.
If Xinluo didn't stop it, what awaited them was the destruction of the country.
"If it weren't for the people from the Zhang Family and Wang Family telling me, I really wouldn't have known that trees were so important to a country. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have let people work so hard to open up the wasteland. It's actually related to mudslides, floods, and droughts. The source of the Yangtze River and Yellow River, as well as the various tributaries, have to be planted. I wonder what will happen to Xinluo in the end?"
"Your Majesty, this subject reckons that there will be endless disasters. At that time, we can't wait to force them to fight. We need to first get their people to the Great Tang through various excuses. Xiao Bao should have arrangements for this."
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