Chapter 52 The Final Tail

  The north bank of the Chou River.

  Dozens of Han Chinese refugees saw a large cavalry unit by the river and were shocked and fled downstream.

  Luo Zheng sent someone to shout and soon brought over more than 50 frightened refugees.

  These Chinese people include old men, women and children.

  Generally speaking, all male slaves have their foreheads branded with iron stamps, symbolizing their slave status.

  "Where are you Han people from and when were you captured beyond the border?"

  No one spoke, and everyone was still in a state of terror.

  The Han people who were captured by the Xianbei and taken outside the Great Wall often ended up with a tragic fate.

  Even if they escaped to the Han territory, there was no one who would sympathize with these refugees who had been slaves of the Xianbei people and had tattoos on their foreheads. Therefore, although they already knew that this cavalry was the Iron Cavalry of the Great Han, the refugees were still very frightened.

  After waiting for half a day, an old man finally replied in a trembling voice: "General, I'm from Macheng. Thirty years ago, I was captured by the Xianbei people and taken to Tianma Yuan. They are all with me escaped from Heiying Department."

  "Black Eagle Squad?"

  Lu Zheng furrowed his brow.

  The old man replied: "Hei Ying Department is one of the three major tribes in Tian Ma Yuan, with a population of 2,000."

  Luo Zheng hummed and asked enthusiastically about the situation of the Xianbei people.

  The old man had lived in the north of the desert for thirty years and was extremely familiar with the Xianbei people, answering every question asked.

  Luo Zheng soon had a general understanding of the nearby Xianbei people. Tianma Yuan was only tens of miles away, and it was a grassland with very fertile water grass in the lower reaches of Chou Shui River, where there were more than ten large and small Xianbei tribes.

  Among them, the three largest tribes had a population of over 2,000 each.

  Of course, in the north of the desert, only tribes with a population of over 10,000 can be considered as large tribes.

  A tribe of two thousand people is considered a small tribe in Xianbei.

  Among the dozens of refugees, there was a woman who was still dragging along a five or six year old little girl. Possibly because she often went hungry, the little girl had quickly become thin as a skeleton, with deep eye sockets and eyes that were dull and confused.

  On the vast grasslands, Han people who were taken captive and enslaved often lived worse than cattle.

  It's already a blessing from heaven if the child born can be raised up.

  The vast majority of Han slaves did not have the right to bear children.

  "Little sister, come here."

  Luo Zhengchong beckoned to the little girl with his hand, and the woman's face changed immediately.

  The old man hurried over and whispered a few words in the woman's ear, only then did her expression relax.

  The little girl was a bit silly and when she was pulled by the old man in front of Luo Zheng, she still looked a bit dull.

  Lu Zheng stroked Xiaoyi's dry yellow hair and asked with a smile, "What's your little sister's name?"

  The little girl stared at him blankly and didn't say a word, nor did she know if there was really a problem.

  The old man hastily said: "This child has no name, we all call him Ah Tou."

  "What's your name?"

  Luo Zheng was somewhat surprised and asked: "Why isn't she speaking?"

  The old man hastily said to the little girl, "Girl, quickly speak with this general."

  The little girl's eyes finally had some spirit, biting her finger and saying, "Grandpa Zhang, I'm hungry."

  The old man's face was gloomy, and he let out a deep sigh.

  Luo Zheng smiled and said: "Knowing you're hungry is good, go get a few pieces of dried meat."

  The next sentence, however, was an order to his personal bodyguards nearby.

  The orderly quickly brought over some dried meat, and Xiao immediately lit up with excitement, snatching the dried meat and starting to gnaw on it as if no one was around.

  "Slow down while eating, don't choke!"

  Lu Zheng patted Xiaoyao's head, his expression rarely so gentle.

  In the depths of his eyes, some long-lost things slowly returned to his body.

  "Give them some food."

  Luo Zheng put his hands behind his back and gave another order.

  The soldiers of Xiliang quickly brought a large pile of dried meat for these refugees to eat.

  The refugees saw that the general was very friendly and slowly relaxed their tense nerves.

  The little girl ate too quickly and choked, and immediately a guard next to her handed over a water bottle.

  At this time, Zhao Yun pursued and killed a group of enemy soldiers, then led his 500 cavalrymen back to their own camp, without losing a single horse.

  "My lord, I'm glad I didn't disappoint your orders."

  Zhoa Yun's face was calm, he took big strides forward and bowed his head in respect to Luo Zheng.

  "Good," Luo Zhenlang said loudly, "Zi Long's riding and shooting are unmatched in the world. Today, this general has truly broadened his horizons."

  Zhao Yun's face was expressionless, and he respectfully retreated to one side.

  Lu Zhengdao said: "Is Zilong still worried about the gambling contract in his heart?"

  Zhao Yun cupped his hands and said: "I dare not!"

  Lu Zhen sighed and said, "Although this general is slightly lacking in refinement, it's actually because I love Zi Long's talent and loyalty so much that I had to resort to some tactics. If Zi Long can't let go of his resentment, how can this general be at peace?"

  Zhao Yun was about to speak when he was interrupted by Luo Zhen.

  Lu Zheng said, "Zi Long doesn't need to explain. This general has always regarded the officers under his command as brothers. Even if they were to stab him in the heart, he would not begrudge them. I want to make a deal with Zi Long: if after one year, he still can't let go of his resentment, it means that what I've done is still not enough. At that time, I will no longer force him, and Zi Long can decide for himself whether to stay or leave."

  Zhao Yun's lips moved slightly, but in the end he didn't say anything.

  Luo Zheng picked up the little girl who had finished eating the dried meat and said with a smile: "This child has suffered a lot."

  Zhao Yun looked at Xiao Yatou and then at Luo Zheng, his face subtly changing expression.

  Luo Zheng asked Xiaoyantou again, "What's your surname?"

  The little girl was somewhat intimidated and didn't dare speak.

  An old man beside him said gloomily: "Thanks for asking, General, this child has no father."

  Luo Zheng was shocked, "No father? Then how did she come out?"

  The old man's face was ashen, as if he had an unspoken secret.

  "Sir, Han women who are captured by the Xianbei often end up as female slaves and are given away as gifts. They have to serve many different men. Even if they give birth to children, they don't know who the father is."

  Luo Zheng suddenly realized and felt another wave of sympathy for Xiao Yatou.

  After a moment's thought, he said to the old man: "This general is a great Han cavalry commander. This time, on his way through the Great Desert, he wants to enter Guanzhong from Wuyuan and return to Luoyang in the south. If you temporarily have nowhere to go, follow this general, and when you arrive in Luoyang, you can decide whether to stay or leave."

  Who would have thought that the old man, without hesitation, knelt down and knocked his head on the ground, saying: "Thank you, General. We are all willing to be slaves in your household, as long as we have food to eat. For this life, we will serve under your command and never betray you."

  The dozens of refugees behind also knelt down one by one, overjoyed and tearful.

  Luo Zheng nodded and said, "Get up!"

  The old man hurriedly got up and stood respectfully on one side.

  Luo Zheng returned Xiaoyao to her mother and then asked the old man, "The water is deeper here, do you know where we can cross the river?"

  The old man replied: "Five miles upstream, the river is shallower and war horses can cross."

  Luo Zheng nodded and said: "Alright, order the army to set out immediately, cross the Chou River and advance westward."

  "Roger."

  The troops shouted in unison and accepted the order.

  The young general hesitated for a moment and said: "General, should we conquer that Black Eagle tribe?"

  The rest of the military schools also had a eager-to-try look, and it's been several days since they last killed anyone, these executioners were getting a bit itchy.

  Luo Zheng waved his hand, "Forget it, annihilating the Black Eagle Division will only make the Xianbei people more brutally revengeful. In the end, it's still my Han people who suffer. Let's wait until we have the power to sweep across the northern deserts before taking action against the Xianbei again!"

  "The general is wise and brilliant."

  The troops cheered in unison, convinced and obedient.

  Zhao Yun was also somewhat surprised and saw that Luo Zheng's gaze had reduced his resistance by a few points.

  Being able to have this insight shows that Luo Zheng has a keen eye and is good at considering problems from a macro perspective.

  But being able to think for the Han people shows that Luo Zheng has a kind heart towards the people.

  Zhao Yun rose from humble beginnings and deeply sympathized with the suffering of the common people, which naturally gave rise to resonance.

  Soon, more than 3,000 Western Liang iron cavalry quickly assembled and rushed upstream along the Chou River.

  Dozens of refugees also rode on the extra horses, with the elderly and children following behind. Even Gan Qian, Xun Yu and his wife's young son were all riding horses, following the army, and had not been left in the vegetable garden.

  Before long, the river ahead suddenly opened up.

  Luo Zheng tested the water and found it was shallow enough to wade across, with the deepest part only reaching his knees.

  More than 3,000 Western Liang cavalrymen were divided into three groups, which crossed the Chou River one after another and then marched westward.

  When the sun sets, the army has marched out for a hundred miles, cutting wood and building a camp by a lake, entering the camp to rest.

  By the lake, on a cleared vacant lot.

  The bonfire crackled and spat, Luo Zheng sat on the grass with his legs crossed, his brow furrowed in deep thought, silent.

  Li Meng and Wang Fang sat on both sides, initially feeling relaxed, but after waiting for a long time without seeing the general speak, they became inexplicably anxious one by one, not knowing why the general had summoned them.

  After nearly half an hour, he finally couldn't bear it anymore.

  Wang Fang loudly asked: "I don't know why General Wang summoned me and others, what is the reason? Please tell us."

  Lu Zheng sighed and said: "At the beginning, in Qiao County, this general ambushed and killed Hu Mao and Niu Jin. Although it was a forced move due to circumstances, and there was no other choice but to make this murderous move, killing the commander of the imperial guards without authorization is still a serious offense. This time, when we return to Luoyang, the prime minister will surely punish me!"

  The two of us were at a loss for words, our eyes met and we both didn't know how to start speaking.

  After a while, Wang said with a nonchalant tone: "What's there to be afraid of? Hu Mao and Niu Jin led the brothers to attack each other, it was purely self-inflicted. As long as we don't say anything, how would the Prime Minister know?"

  Li Meng suddenly thought of something and was startled, hurriedly stealing a glance at Luo Zheng.

  Eight thousand Western Liang iron cavalry marched all the way, now, the military school that had experienced Luo Zheng's conquest and Hu Mao and Niu Jin's killing in the past, after being ambushed by Jizhou army in Luan City, only he and Wang Fang were left, with all the others having died in battle.

  If they kill both of them, no one will know the truth anymore.

  As for other soldiers and lower-ranking military officers, they have always believed that Hu Mao and Niu Jin killed each other in a mutual slaughter.

  At that time, as long as there was no evidence, no one could convict Luo Zheng.

  Li Meng couldn't help but worry, after all this matter was not trivial.

  Luo Zheng turned his head and glanced at Li Meng, expressionless, saying: "Li Meng, what are you worried about?"

  Nothing, nothing at all.

  Li Meng's face turned pale, and his heart was even more nervous.

  Wang Fang was somewhat taken aback and said in surprise: "General, you..."

  He immediately reacted, his heart skipped a beat, and his face turned white.