The peasant girl who escaped the desert: she cried when she found the cruel prince

Chapter 117 The Prairie Tribe
Under the bright moonlight, Jingli and his party wrapped their horses' hooves in cotton cloth and walked slowly towards the other side of the river from the wasteland south of Laobei Mountain.

This is the closest place to the Liao Kingdom. A hundred miles across the river, it originally belonged to the Dafeng Dynasty, but was encroached and occupied by the Liao people.

The width of the river bed is about 400 meters. If the Liao people came to attack, this would be the first place to cross the river.

The frozen riverbed was covered with layers of snow, making creaking sounds when people walked on it.

The group of people didn't have any torches, so they just led the horses and walked on the river.

At daybreak, Jingli and the others had entered the realm of Kehasuo.

The grassland in winter is covered with snow, and at a glance, there is a vast expanse of white that can't be seen to the edge.

Jing Dafu couldn't help but sigh: "No wonder these Guisuns always go out to rob in winter. Just across the river, these people's lives are really difficult."

Shen Huwei's brother asked: "Can't they open up wasteland and plant something along the river? They just rely on raising livestock. What will they eat in this winter?"

"They are nomadic people and are not good at planting. What's more, the soil near the river is not suitable for planting. A period of high water can submerge the entire farmland. Aren't the pastures to the south of us also used for grazing!" Shen Wewei He sighed and shook the snowflakes on his hat.

Jing Li took a sip of water: "The Liao Kingdom is not always such a grassland. Their Kyoto Imperial City area also has mountains and water, and the water and soil are fertile and suitable for survival."

"It's just that good places are the territory of royal nobles. Small tribes like Khasso can only be expelled to such a bitter and cold place."

The group of people walked until noon the next day when they saw a few felt bags.It looks particularly lonely on the snowy grassland.

An old herdsman who came out of the sheepfold looked at Jingli and his group with some caution on his face.

Liu Kui stepped forward and communicated with him in Khitan dialect: "Old man, we are going to the Kehasuo tribe to do business. Can we get some food at your house?"

Liu Kui taught everyone Khitan dialect for about half a month, and Jing Li could basically understand it, and could even add a sentence or two from time to time.

Shen Huwei learned the Khitan language when he was training with the Blood Wolf Guards before, and he recently strengthened it with Liu Kui. I heard that it is not a problem.

Even Jing Dafu can have some simple conversations, but his accent seems stiff, not as natural as Jing Li and Shen Huowei.

The old man squinted at a few people for a moment, then turned back to the felt bag without saying a word.

After a while, an old woman wearing a sheepskin coat came out and welcomed several people into the felt bag.

The stove inside the felt bag was burning brightly. Jingli shook off the snowflakes on her body and got close to the stove to warm her hands.

The old woman asked enthusiastically: "The guest is going to the tribal market, but what business is there?"

Jing Li replied: "I am going to the market and want to buy some ponies and furs. I wonder if ponies and lambs are cheaper in winter?"

The old woman poured milk tea for several people: "The guests came at the right time. This year's winter is much colder than previous years. This cold winter is unbearable. Many foals can't survive it. If you sell it early, you can get some money." Day, if they all die, there will be nothing."

The old woman's daughter-in-law brought the food up and said, "Why bother buying now? It's freezing. Many people's houses have eaten up all the fodder. They can only sell their livestock for money. The guests who are doing business should know how to buy it." Lambs are not easy to sell in winter.”

Jingli took a sip of the milk tea with a strong smell and said, "Thank you for your concern, eldest sister. It's also good luck. This trip is because there is a landowner in Dafeng country who wants to take advantage of the cheap prices of livestock in winter and buy more to see if he can get a good price in the spring." ." The old woman was a little moved when she heard this: "I wonder how much the customer wants to buy? I have about ten newborn cubs at home. I wonder if I can buy them together?"

Hearing this, Guard Shen smiled and said: "Of course it's possible. It's not far from Dafeng Kingdom. If the master raises many talents, it would save us having to run a long way in the wind and snow."

Anyway, you need to buy cubs in the spring pasture. It is cheaper to buy them in winter. If you are guarding Lao Beishan, there will naturally be no shortage of fodder.

The old woman sighed: "There is not much. The water and grass here are not very good. We, the Hasso people, were despised by the king and were expelled to this land. The God of Immortality has mercy on us. We can already support our family." Very good."

Jingli's heart moved slightly: "Auntie, why don't you sell the extra livestock to the Dafeng people before winter, so that you can use less fodder in winter!"

"The guests are young and don't know that we Liao people have always been at odds with Dafeng. Eighty-nine times out of ten we will be bullied when we go there to do business." The old woman said while giving Jingli and the others food, but the old man was His face was full of vicissitudes of life, and he was silent on the side.

The Jingli people also fell silent. The powerful Liao tribe robbed them wantonly. Ordinary herdsmen like this old man and his family had a difficult life because of various conflicts between the two countries.

This world has always been like this, no matter whether it is strong or weak, it is always the people at the bottom who suffer.

The group of people had dinner at the old man's house, and when they came out again, the snow had stopped.

The wind on the grassland was still howling, and my face hurt from the cut. The thick clouds were dark and there was no trace of sunshine.

The group arrived at the tribal market in Khasso when it was dark.

Called a market, it is just a dozen larger yurts and cattle and sheep pens.

Today is the day to go to the market. At this time, all the crowds have dispersed, leaving behind a mess of cattle, sheep and horse dung on the ground.

Liu Kui explained: "The markets in the grassland are naturally not as lively as those in the Central Plains. All kinds of businesses are mixed together, and they look very messy. When there is a heavy snowfall at night, this area will naturally be covered in dirt."

Seeing this, Jing Li didn't know why, but suddenly something she had heard somewhere came up: "What has fallen? The vast white ground is so clean!"

Hassan smiled and said: "You Han people have always been elegant. Although we Han people know that this heavy snow is a gift from the eternal god, and the water and grass will be more abundant in the coming year, we still can't help but worry about this long winter."

Hassan spoke very well about Central Plains. As an old acquaintance of Liu Kui, he often went to Dafeng for business dealings.

Dinner was arranged by Hassan, and it was naturally much richer than the one at the old man's house at noon.

Several people were sitting around the yurt talking. In the middle were large pieces of beef and mutton, and a pot of mutton soup.

"Brother Hassan's business is doing very well. Why don't you think about getting more things to do business with Dafeng?" Jing Dafu took a sip of kumis and couldn't help but frowned. This is such a shame. The stuff tastes really bad.

Hassan cut the mutton with a knife: "Brother, you must have just started running a business. I don't know that our business will be exploited in all kinds of ways during the Dafeng Dynasty, and there will also be horse bandits and bandits. Let alone make money during this trip. It’s good to save your life!”

Jingli thought thoughtfully: "If the local government taxes are reasonable, can you still do business in peace and protection?"

(End of this chapter)