Zhang Han nodded gently... People in the Han area could not imagine the situation in winter in the grasslands.

The boundless grassland has become a large area of ​​dead snowy fields. There are no animals, no birds, no grass and water. There are only hills and hills made of snow, and sparse trees. It is really hard to find even a leaf. Such a vast uninhabited area may make people unable to see humans and beasts for more than ten days, nor can they see a family. It is normal for there to be no shepherd within a few hundred miles. When heavy snow over people's knees, the distance that can be walked in a day is at most twenty miles, and at most three days, people will lose all their energy in the severe cold and snow piles, and eventually die of cold and hunger.

Even the strong transportation and transportation capacity of Hutchison's soldiers cannot be used on the grasslands under heavy snow weather. In the usual winter, the convoy would move forward without snow or shallow snow. If the previous supply station notifies the snow too deep, it would have to wait or find a place to pass by. When approaching the peak of the cold winter, the convoy would generally have to be suspended. The brigade would be stopped for at least two to three months, and only a few convoys would continue to transport the task if the weather permits.

In the hinterland of the grassland controlled by Heyusheng, this situation has been greatly alleviated.

Roads have been built before the forts and military and Taiwan, and there are also paths that pass between the farms and trunks.

These roads seem to be a not-so-intensive network, but they barely connect all the places together.

Several main roads are like thick blood vessels. In any case, the military command will keep the roads open. In winter, at least people will guard the roads every day. On heavy snow, the snow will stop and start cleaning. They have paid a lot of manpower and material resources. Later, they controlled several salt mines that were nearing the Hetao area and began to use a lot of salt to melt the snow. The effect is good and saved a lot of manpower. As for the loss of coarse salt, the military commander's upper level does not care at all...

"The roads will be more and more." Zhang Han also took the opportunity to slap his gloves, and his hands were already frozen. He said to Yinding: "In the future, the pastoral area will be divided into directions and A, B, C and D, and roads will be built first in major areas. The military department's finances have been a little nervous in the past two years, but these things will be done sooner or later."

Yinding said: "Wenlan, what you are doing is actually a great cause of conquering Mongolia. I am a Mongolian, but I am willing to follow you because I feel your character and the benefits of following you. If more shepherds can return to their hearts like me, in the words of the Han people, it will be a success for the Han and Tang Dynasties. Whether it is Emperor Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Tang of Han, they are far from being comparable to you."

"Yinding, you have read too many books in the past few years." Zhang Han smiled and said, "You are so good at flattery."

"We are friends." Yinding said seriously: "What I am saying is the heart, not flattery."

"Yes." Zhang Han nodded and said, "I still have the same attitude as before. Those who offend me will have to pay the price. Even if it is killing, those who follow me will be the same as those who are inside Hutchison, even for myself... In this way, we can have a long-term peace and stability."

...

The piers in front of them all raised their flags and fired their cannons again. This time it was obviously a salute. The pier and the military platform were full of soldiers, and they cheered. Zhang Han waved to these soldiers as he rode his horse by, and the cheers on the pier became even louder.

After crossing the Duntaibao Post District, there is a more desolate feeling in front of me, a feeling of wildness and coldness hits me, and the Mongols such as Yinding are beginning to focus on the road... Although there are no decent roads like Han people in the pastoral areas, because there are often shepherds riding horses, the movements during the transition of the pastoral areas are not small, and they follow a certain road. Over time, of course there will be traces left. Pastoral areas are generally divided into multiple permanent resident points such as summer and winter, and there are also some temporary grazing points. If people from the headquarters are not coming, you should pay attention to these subtle traces and you can find the right path in this wilderness where you cannot see anyone within a dozen miles.

With the dull sound of horse hooves, the weather gradually became darker, and Jiang Yi and others were a little anxious. Today was a temporary home, and they didn't prepare much in advance. They must have spent the night in the pastoral area tonight. If they can't find the pastoral area before dark, it means that the team has to spend the long and cold night in the wilderness. This challenge is very difficult for the soldiers who have been trained, and it is even more difficult for Zhang Han's identity. If this happens, Jiang Yi will be prepared to be recorded as a misfortune during the assessment at the end of this year.

"Arrival, there are still three or four miles ahead."

Everyone found no signs. However, after Yinding and others looked over and over again, they were quite sure that there was a considerable ranch ahead.

"This is Ayushi Taiji's pasture." He went forward a little further and introduced: "There is the pasture of Hanggaotaiji, Gulugetaiji and others, and a little further away is the pasture of Toboke Taiji."

These names are quite familiar. Toboke opposes Acheng's independence early. Later, Omubuhong succeeded to the throne of King Shunyi, so he led his troops back, but he did not live in Qingcheng, so he led his troops to live on his own ranch. It was obvious that he was the idea of ​​retaining his strength to support King Shunyi outside.

For Taiji like Toboke, there are quite a few people in the military department who want to solve the problem by force as soon as possible. These people are not as reliable as Yinding Taiji, but are equivalent to their own people, nor are they as Baiyin Taiji, and can use them with confidence, and are not as useless as ordinary Taiji who have lost most of their strength. Keeping them with them is likely to cause trouble in the future.

However, Zhang Han has no intention of moving these people for the time being. They are already frightened birds, and they will run away if there is any slightest movement. There are also Ketu Khan, who supports the Red Cult and the Chahar people in Mobei. Tobok and others can run to join Ketu Khan at any time, but Quituk and Tobok and others are bounded by the Weila. Although the Khalkhas in Mobei have always hated each other, if they are beaten up, the possibility of Quituk and Tobok and others being surrendered to the Weila is not completely gone. Now Weilat

People began to look back and forth with the Russians, which was almost the same as the time when the Russians appeared in the northern Mo. At this time, the Weilas, who dominated the western grasslands and Xinjiang, also welcomed the first batch of Russian colonists. Unlike the Mongols in the northern Mo, the Weilas were quite welcome to the Russians. Decades later, they began to challenge the Qing Empire with the support of the Russians, and they fought for a hundred years one after another, and finally ended the hegemony battle with the end of more than 100,000 men from the junta were completely destroyed.

Zhang Han was not in a hurry to move the forces such as Quetuhan that had not yet surrendered. With the opening of the business road, He Yusheng's forces will go further into the north of the Mo, attract a large number of herders to come with commercial means, and use methods to improve their lives to make mergers easier. If Quetuhan is still obsessed with it, the solution will be more appropriate with elite cavalry raids...

"A Yushi Taiji has not many tribes." Yinding introduced: "It seems that there are only two or three hundred people here, with more than one thousand people. There are very few herds left and there are few horses. A Yushi Taiji stayed in Qingcheng and did not live here because the offerings are too simple, and even if the herdsmen are forced to death, they will not be able to return to their previous state."

In the past, the Taiji tribes were of course the most comfortable group of people. They lived in a spacious large yurt that could accommodate banquets of dozens or hundreds of people. They served them every day, and the felt bags were plenty of food and tea, and beautiful maids served them. Under the largest tent, there were tents of herders. The herds were like stars in the sky scattered around the pastures, and like white clouds in the sky, floating on the green grasslands. It was a symbol of wealth and enjoyment. Every day they either drank and feasted or brought herders and hunted dogs to hunt. Playing was the theme of life. They lived more easily than the landlords of the Han people, because their enjoyment was completely based on legal basis. The herdsmen had been completely tamed, and no one dared to resist, and there was even no voice to question.

In the past, when they were most upset, they were experiencing heavy snowfalls. The spring meeting was difficult for the next year. As the master, they had to try to make the shepherds and herds survive, otherwise they would become rootless trees. Under normal circumstances, Ayushi Taiji should be with the herdsmen in such weather anyway, and try to make a transition after spring. Before spring, he would prepare enough food and hay for the herdsmen and herdsmen.

However, now Ayushi Taiji's tribe has lost most of it, so Taiji simply hid in Qingcheng and allowed the shepherds to fend for themselves.

After walking two or three miles forward, small yurts finally appeared in front of me.

These yurts were originally grayish-white. Although the shepherds kept slapping the snow after the snow, a lot of snow remained on the roof of the tent, and they looked like round white snow piles.

If it weren't for the Mongols who knew the way, it would be not easy to find such a small settlement within a radius of dozens of miles. Especially the sky was dark and there was a vast white snowy field on all sides.

There was no whistle sound in the distance, no panic shouts, no shepherds' screams, no horses running, no warnings or bowstrings collapsed, and nothing expected happened.

Always, the alertness of the shepherds gathered is quite high. The more in this weather, the more we should beware of the hungry horse thieves and wolves. The strong shepherds will wait and take turns to guard, and even the cordon should be spread far away... On the grassland, any tribe who is accidentally too careless has long disappeared into the long river of history. What remains are adapted to all the rules of this world, including the natural and human difficulties. After surviving, the wisdom of life is much deeper than the wrinkles on the faces of the old tribe, because the price of not understanding is too heavy, and there is no way to regret it.

Zhang Han's heart slowly sinks... Because he often walks in Mongolian tribes, he knows very well what the situation of each tribe is like. Not only is there no peripheral guards, but there is no defense within the tribe. There is no cattle and sheep chirping, no dogs barking and horse neighing, it looks like a quiet dead place. If it weren't for the large yurt standing, it would almost make people suspect that there is no one living here.

When approaching the periphery, I finally heard some chirpings of animals.
Chapter completed!