When the Chijin Mongols were looking at the cavalry of the white-clothed army, the cavalry of the white-clothed army was also looking at these herdsmen. They come from the mainland, but they don't know anything about the west side of Jiayuguan. In their impression, if it is not Han, it is Tatar. If it weren't for the Han people, and if it wasn't the Tartars, they wouldn't know who they were.

The spearhead who walked in front of the team, called Ma Douzi, was a young boy who was only seventeen or eighteen years old. He looked around, at the strange land, at the strange herdsmen, and at the gray sky, and felt that he had no clue at all. Looking at the faces of other people, they were also at a loss. He asked suspiciously, "Brother Liangmian, what kind of place is this?" ”

The eldest brother, nicknamed Liang Mian, is the commander and squadron leader of this white-clothed army. He likes to eat cold noodles the most, and he can eat five large bowls in one go. This ability is unmatched in the entire Lion Cavalry. The nickname of the big stomach king is famous. The last time Xu Xingxia came to inspect the Lion Cavalry, he discovered this skill of his, so he affectionately called him Brother Liangmian.

As a result, Xu Xingxia's opening was terrible, and from then on, the soldiers affectionately called him Brother Liangmian, but even the title of squadron leader was dismissed. Cold noodles are also acceptable. No matter what you say, the four words of Brother Liangmian popped out of Xu Xingxia's mouth. This is also a supreme honor. Others can't help it even if they're red-eyed.

This time, he led the team to drive a long distance from Gulang City to Jiayuguan in one go. The other follow-up units of the Lion Cavalry have not even reached Gaotaisu and other places. When they passed by Suzhou City, they found that Suzhou City was also in chaos, and it was desolate everywhere. There seem to be sporadic military households, but there don't seem to be, and the scene is quite weird.

However, Suzhou City was not under his jurisdiction, so he didn't bother to deal with it. Controlling Jiayuguan is his record. As for Suzhou City, there will naturally be follow-up troops to deal with it. In fact, the white-clothed army had no choice but to control Jiayu Pass, and Suzhou City was very safe. The only threat to Suzhou City is from the west. Blocking Jiayu Pass is equivalent to eliminating the threat from the west. This is also an important reason why the white-clothed army wants to occupy Jiayuguan quickly.

The guy who can eat five bowls of cold noodles is naturally from a poor background. Since joining the army, the biggest skill of cold noodles is tenacity. No matter what kind of unexpected situation he encountered, no matter how dangerous the situation was, no matter how difficult the battle was, he never flinched and always gritted his teeth and persevered to the end. His position as squadron leader was accumulated by virtue of his exploits.

However, in terms of cultural knowledge, cold noodles are also dark-eyed. After all, he is an old man, and he is not as good as those young lads in terms of learning ability and comprehension ability. Until now, he still can't write the word cold noodles. He really didn't know where the outside of Jiayuguan was. He shook his head honestly and said regretfully, "I don't know either." Ma Douzi, I'll find someone to ask when I go back. ”

The young man named Ma Douzi had no choice but to sigh helplessly.

The white-clothed soldiers around him shook their heads regretfully. What even Brother Liangmian didn't know, they didn't know even more. For these low-level military households, they really don't know what is outside Jiayuguan. At their current level, they simply can't know the wider world. They only knew that it would be a long way to come here from Ningxia Town, and even if they rode a horse and traveled all night, it would take them more than half a month.

"Let's go back and ask someone." Brother Liangmian said in a deep voice.

Obviously, it is unrealistic to communicate with those herders without knowing anything. If there is a conflict due to a misunderstanding between the two parties, it is completely unnecessary. They had to go back to Jiayuguan and find someone familiar with the local situation before they could take action against the surname. So, Liang Mian took dozens of lion cavalry brothers, waving the military flag of the white-clothed army, and walked around the outside in a dashing manner, nodded to the Mongolian herdsmen, and after announcing the existence of the white-clothed army, he returned to Jiayuguan.

Unfortunately, there is no one around Jiayuguan. Originally, the military households stationed in Jiayuguan should have the strength of two thousand households, that is, about two thousand people. Jiayuguan and Suzhou City were originally one, and the two constituted Suzhou Wei. The strength of a guard must be at least more than 5,000 people. However, with the continuous decline of the national strength of the Ming Dynasty, the flight of military households from these frontier guards was very serious. Before Mo Yuegen went south, the military households in Jiayuguan and Suzhou City had almost fled. After Mo Yuegen came, he ran away.

It wasn't until the next day that Ma Douzi and others finally found a blind old man in Qilian Mountain, hundreds of miles away. It is said that he is an old man stationed at Jiayuguan. However, in the last ten years, he has been making wine in Suzhou City. In Suzhou City, there are many wine-making shops, no wonder it was called Jiuquan in later generations. Unfortunately, due to the tight food supply, the output of the breweries in Suzhou City is too small.

Since he couldn't find anyone else, this old man who only knew how to make wine was also invited to teach the white-clothed army to solve his doubts. Brother Liang Noodle also took out a bottle of rice wine as a hospitality. This bottle of rice wine is produced in Ningxia Town. When Brother Liangmian is usually fine, he likes to drink two cups, so he took it with him to Jiayuguan. The wine-making process in Ningxia Town is naturally good. As soon as the blind old man smelled the wine, he knew that it was good wine, and he couldn't help but be moved.

Brother Liangmian said with a smile: "Old man, this bottle of rice wine is all yours, you can talk to us well, and tell us everything you know." ”

With such a good wine to greet, the blind old man was quite satisfied. He took a sip of wine, his wrinkled face was a little more angry, and his brain seemed to be much clearer. He sorted out his thoughts and said slowly: "Out of Jiayuguan, it is someone else's territory. Back then, our ancestors went out from Jiayuguan a few times, but after Zhengde, there was no army out of Jiayuguan, and all the people who came and went were business travelers......"

He said that the Ming Dynasty at that time was nominally under the jurisdiction of Hamiwei, but in fact, the real garrison was in Jiayuguan. Outside Jiayuguan, there were no troops stationed. The ancestors of the old man, I don't know how many generations, are the military households of Suzhou Wei, so they naturally know this best. In their minds, out of Jiayuguan, it is not the land of the Ming Dynasty. It seems that the cavalry of the white-clothed army went out for a stroll like this yesterday, which could easily cause misunderstanding among the Mongols. If there is a conflict between the two sides, it is not good.

Liang Mian said disappreciably: "Conflict is conflict, it's not a big deal." Our white-clad army has never been afraid of conflict. By the way, what's going on out there? Who is the most powerful? How many troops do they have? ”

The old man explained them one by one. After all, he is an old man of dozens of years, and he has eaten more salt than Ma Douzi. The bridge has been walked more than the road that Ma Douzi has walked. He has lived in Suzhou Wei for a long time and has never left, and his ancestors are military households of Suzhou Wei, and most of the information he usually comes into contact with is related to the outside of Jiayuguan. After accumulating over time, he knew very well about the outside of Jiayuguan.

The west of Jiayuguan, the name of the Ming Dynasty, is Hamiwei. However, others themselves are called Chijin or Chahan. Because, the main herdsmen in the local area are all Mongols from the Chijin tribe or the Mongols from the Chahan tribe. To the west of Hamiwei, there were two Mongol tribes, Aduan and Quxian. The area they ruled was called Aduan or Quxian.

Of course, it's okay to call them Tatars. In this ghost land, the distinction between the Tatars and the Mongols is almost non-existent. The Tatars and the Mongols originally had the same bloodline, but it was only later that they continued to merge with others, and the bloodline became impure. Here in Hamiwei, the situation is more complicated. I'm afraid even they don't know who it is. However, it is true that this region is governed by the Tatars.

Brother Liangmian asked, "Before, did Mo Yuegen come here?" ”

The old man thought for a moment and said with certainty: "I've been here!" I clearly remember that the business trips that came and went at that time were blocked in Suzhou City for half a year. They mentioned Mo Yuegen's name almost every day. From that time on, I knew that Mo Yuegen was a very powerful guy. By the way, the Chijin and Chahan tribes are both under the rule of Mo Yuegen. ”

Brother Liangmian asked curiously, "They accept Mo Yuegen's rule?" Are you sure? ”

The old man swore and said, "Of course you can be sure." Almost everyone in Suzhou Wei knows it. In Mo Yuegen's troops, there were many people from the Chijin and Chahan tribes. It seems that Mo Yuegen has a little wife, or the daughter of the chief of the Chijin tribe or something. To the west of Jiayuguan, there are only two tribes, Aduan and Quxian, which are relatively close to the Yarkand Kingdom. Anyway, if you don't believe me, ask someone else again, and the answer will definitely be the same as mine. ”

Brother Liangmian nodded and believed it. He also knew that the territory controlled by the Tatars was very vast, and it was not surprising that these places west of Jiayuguan belonged to Mo Yuegen's rule. But in this way, the white army has a job to do. Since the outside is Mo Yuegen's territory, then you have to make trouble if you say anything. Mo Yuegen, a cheap embryo, came to trouble the Han people all day long. Now, the white-clothed army also has to take the initiative to find him a little trouble.

After thinking about it, Brother Liangmian asked, "Old man, are there Han people outside?" ”

Speaking of this topic, the old man was sad. He wasn't even in the mood to drink. Obviously, Brother Liangmian's words inadvertently touched the most painful place in his heart. After being silent for a while, he said very painfully: "Of course there is, there are quite a few." They were all taken into slavery. My son, daughter-in-law, grandson, granddaughter-in-law, etc., were all taken away by them. I don't know if they're still alive. ”

Liang Mian suddenly became angry, Huo Ran stood up, and said in a cold voice: "Slave? ”

The old man sighed in pain, his face was full of vicissitudes, and he said helplessly: "Yes! Every time the Tatars came to fight the grass valley, there were people from the Chijin and Chahan tribes involved. Each time, the Tatars had to capture a large number of Han Chinese from the Hexi corridor. Most of these Han Chinese were made into slavery. A small number of them are trafficked to far, far away in the West. I once heard a merchant traveler mention that the captured Han Chinese could be sold for a very high price after being sent to a far, far away place. Especially young and beautiful women, many people compete for them. ”

Liang Mian frowned and said, "Do you estimate, how many people have been arrested?" ”

The old man said uncertainly: "I don't know the specifics, there must be more than 100,000 people." I have heard from merchants who come and go that there are 30,000 or 40,000 Han Chinese slaves in Chijin, and they can be seen everywhere on the streets. Farther afield, the number of Han Chinese slaves was even higher, numbering about 50,000. In the Hamiwei station, there were also thirty or forty thousand Han slaves. ”

(Author's note: The location of Chijin is near today's Yumen City.) The location of the Chahan Department is near today's Dunhuang City. The Hami Wei station is today's Hami City. "So many Han Chinese slaves? "The heart of the cold noodles suddenly couldn't hold it back. After a brief moment of anger, he quickly calmed down again. Anger is not good for thinking. The more angry you are, the more you can't find a solution to your problem. Only by calming down can we find a solution to the problem. In Hamiwei, there are still so many Han Chinese, how can this happen? We have to find a way to get them out as soon as possible.

Isn't one of the purposes of the White Army to rescue these suffering brothers? Two of the five squad leaders under his command were slaves who had been captured by the Tatars. If they had heard the news, they would have been bitter about it. Although the current strength of the Lion Cavalry is a bit small, as long as the measures are appropriate, there is still something that can be done.

If these Han slaves can be rescued, they can not only greatly increase the labor force in Gansu Town, but also greatly weaken the fighting ability of the Tatars. Moreover, they are also familiar with the local situation. If they are used as guides, or if they directly join the White Army, then it will be very useful for the White Army to control the Hami region in the future. Liang Mian believes that it is impossible for the footsteps of the white-clothed army to stop at Jiayuguan.

Liang Mian thought about it for a while, and asked the old man to take him down to rest, while he brought all the five squad leaders and told them about the situation outside, especially about the Han slaves.

Sure enough, a slave-born squad leader couldn't bear it at first, jumped up and said, "Brother Liangmian, we can't watch them suffer, we must find a way to rescue those brothers." They will be killed at any time. Even if the Tatars did not kill them, they would have froze to death because of lack of food and clothing. Look at the weather now, how cold it is! A day earlier in their rescue would have saved hundreds of lives. ”

(To be continued)