The name of the place does not refer to the source of the water, but to the northern end of the grassland on the dam, surrounded by mountains and rivers on three sides. The snowmelt from the mountains and rivers gathers into mountain springs, streams, and small rivers that travel through the rolling hills, through the dense woodlands, accumulating lakes or swamps of various sizes, and finally flowing eastward into the winding water. The place where the complex water system passes through and nourishes is the source of water.

The source of water is the most important water source of the whole northern Xinjiang grassland, every summer, the river overflows in the field, so that the lakes and marshes in this area stretch into a radius of dozens of miles, aquatic plants and algae will turn the water surface into a large green carpet, thousands of gorgeous birds flock up on the lake surface flying and circling, extremely dazzling. And the nomadic tribes within a radius of hundreds of miles to the left and right will drive their herds here at the right time to enjoy the generous gifts of the heavens.

Over the decades, many Jin people have gradually moved in. Most of them were slaves who had been captured by the Xianbei cavalry over the years, and many of them fled to the grassland on their own initiative to escape the abuse of the officials of the Great Jin Dynasty. These displaced people were regarded as appendages of the Xianbei people, and as the private property of the chiefs and commanders, they undertook some of the labor that was considered lowly within the tribe. Among them, the craftsmen were selected and simply used as slaves for life, toiling to death in extremely harsh conditions. In the eyes of the Xianbei nobles, their status is no higher than that of a sheep or a hunting dog.

The production level of the grasslands in northern Xinjiang is low, and animal husbandry alone is not enough to provide stable output. In recent years, the winter in the grassland has become increasingly cold, and a sudden cold wave or heavy snowfall can often kill hundreds of thousands of sheep and horses. Even the richest tribe could not withstand such a blow. At this time, the Xianbei people always habitually went south to loot, using the material wealth of the Central Plains to make up for the losses. As time went on, some chiefs began to notice that it was a huge waste to use the Jin people they had worked so hard to do livestock that they were not familiar with. "Although there is gain, but its casualties are not enough to make up for it, it is not a long-term plan." In contrast, the food supply produced by farming is not favored by the meat-eating beard, but it is also quite beneficial.

From the later years of Tuobali's reign, the Xianbei nobles began to consciously recruit Jin people and practice small-scale farming in a limited area. In order to better play the role of the Jin people in the territory, Liwei also invited officials to the Great Jin court to manage, and it was at this time that Wei Cao led the children of the clan to the grassland.

Through the efforts of Wei Cao and others, the Jin people gradually gathered in the area of Weiyuan. With a farming level far beyond Hu'er's, they struggled to survive in this wild land thousands of miles away from home, relying on abundant water sources to reclaim wasteland and grow food. Because many of the newly opened fields were so wet, some people even organized their own forces and built rudimentary ditch systems to prevent flooding.

After Liwei's death, Tuoba Xianbei's internal contradictions were fierce and the situation was turbulent. In order to protect themselves, the Jin people gradually built various cities and forts along the wet water to live. After a few years, Wei Cao won the trust of Da Shan Yu Yihui and was able to serve as an auxiliary minister, and the general leader Tuoba Xianbei government affairs, even with his sons and nephews Wei Xiong, Ji Zhan and others also gradually became noble. As a result, the Jin people who gathered in Weiyuan have become a grassland force, and the ordinary Jin people are at least no longer struggling with the death line all day long.

But the Jin people were soon in trouble again. After the death of the Lu official, the eastern tribes who lost control plundered the Jin people in an attempt to expand their power. In more than ten days, the Jin people in various parts of the grassland suffered heavy casualties under the iron hooves, and most of the rest were reduced to slaves and untouchables again. Only some of the displaced people near the Wei clan, under the leadership of the Wei clan, relied on the complex network of rivers and canals to defend and confront the Xianbei Qiluo tribe and the Puliuru tribe who were eyeing each other.

"How much longer can it last?" Wei Xiong patrolled back and forth from the top of a low, five-foot wall of a fort. The Xianbei people's military camp was far away, but he couldn't see the enemy's movements. He just habitually paced back and forth, occasionally sighing heavily.

This is the southeast corner of the source of the water, where the water bends three times in a row and accepts two tributaries. Dense woodland, meadows, and treacherous swamps interweave together, making most of the area impassable. Wei Xiong's camp was guarding the only communication artery, and it was the front line against the Xianbei people.

In order to break through this stronghold and then enter the depths of the source, the Jin and Xianbei people have fought more than ten battles, and Wei Xiong's subordinates still firmly grasp this point. Although the Jin people could not break through the blockade of the Xianbei people, the Xianbei people could not kill them.

Just three days ago, the Puliuru tribe organized a surprise attack. About 200 Xianbei dead soldiers took advantage of the darkness to sneak through the double checkpoints, directly climbed over the wall, and tried to open the camp gate from the inside. Fortunately, Wei Xiong was alert and combative, and after paying a huge price, he finally led his subordinates to drive him back. At the moment, many displaced people are busy repairing several of the walls damaged by the Xianbei people, and many are re-digging horse traps in front of the camp and installing obstacles such as recreated antlers.

From the faces of the displaced people, Wei Xiong could see that this victory gave them hope. But...... This brave general, who had accompanied Tuoba to conquer Mobei and surrendered dozens of countries, sighed again. Wei Xiong is one of the very few Jin generals in the Tuoba Xianbei tribe, and he has a purely Jin army composed of displaced people. It was precisely because of the hard work of this army that so many displaced people were able to retreat to the depths of the source.

But the fighting over the past few days has made Wei Xiong's soldiers less and less combatable. With the strength of the Puliuru Division, it will soon be able to organize a larger-scale attack; After all, the homeless people are only farmers and craftsmen, and it is difficult to compete with the fierce Xianbei people. Wei Xiong repeatedly estimated a variety of offensive and defensive situations, but had to admit with frustration that it was really difficult to resist with the forces at hand.

"How much longer? Could it be that the fruits of my uncle's decades of hard work will disappear, and these flesh and blood compatriots will fall into the hands of the Xianbei people again? Wei Xiong clenched the handle of the knife and gritted his teeth loudly: no matter what, we will not be restrained, if the Xianbei people want to capture this camp, they must take human lives to fill it!

"It's time to eat! It's all open! He looked at the sky and shouted a little irritably: "Only when you are full do you have strength!" ”

At this time, an old soldier came running from the other end of the wall, and as he ran, he shouted: "General! Checkmate! ”

Let's complain about the lack of grain again...... This old pawn was a member of the Wei clan, and Wei Xiong recognized him and could guess what he wanted to say. Although the displaced people of Weiyuan are good at farming, they have very little food in stock. Every year when the grain is harvested, there will always be troops from various Xianbei tribes who come to snatch it and loot the fruits of the hard work of the whole year. The Xianbei people have no concept of collecting taxes, and in their minds, this kind of looting is justified, and there is no reason to justify it. In this way, even the Wei clan itself does not have much savings to use. This time, a large number of displaced people have poured into the source for refuge, and all kinds of grain and materials may run out at any time. Maybe he was in a hurry to eat, which made the old man in charge of the quartermaster nervous again.

Wei Xiong waved his hand inadvertently: "Don't worry about it so much!" You can't go to war hungry......"

"General! It's not about opening meals! It's not a meal! The old pawn rushed straight over, pulling Wei Xiong's armor and shouting, "Look over there! ”

Wei Xiong followed his gesture and looked in the southeast direction, and suddenly his face was full of surprise: "Deyuan Gong!" Deyuan Gong is back! ”

******

It's done! I wanted to save some manuscripts slowly...... Well, a misoperation ruined my efforts!