Chapter 33: Clearing Bandits (Part 2)

  Standing on the top of Mote Mountain, looking west, the Tokto Grassland is shrouded in a thin mist, like a fairyland. Princess Ulan had left the mountain stronghold early, taking advantage of the weather to contact the scattered Tumet herders, and was using the influence of the Khan's cavalry to link the Tumets into a network.

  Di Zhe looked south again, the Kill Hu Kou was blocked by the mountains, and it was impossible to reach. He knew that in order to become a Fan Yongdou of the Kill Hu Kou, he needed to make more efforts. The Tumet people themselves were struggling to survive, and they could not support him like the Jurchen people supported Fan Yongdou.

  However, compared with Zhangjiakou, the geographical environment of Kill Hawk Port determines that there is more room for development here.

  Xikou and Zhangjiakou are both the largest commercial towns on the northern border of the Ming Dynasty, but they have distinct styles. Zhangjiakou is located outside the Great Wall of Xuanzhen in the Ming Dynasty, with convenient transportation, a large market, and Mongolians coming and going freely, making it their favorite Han settlement.

  Killing Hu Kou is different, this was originally a Han people's defensive pass against the invasion of the grassland people, with steep slopes and mountains standing opposite each other, and the Cang Tou River running through it, making the terrain extremely treacherous. The Mongols entering Killing Hu Kou was as difficult as entering Xuan Zhen Long City Wall. Before the Longqing Peace Talks, Killing Hu Kou was desolate and isolated, with a strong fortress like iron. After the Longqing Peace Talks, Killing Hu Kou became the most convenient pass for the Ming Dynasty to reach the only city of the Mongols on the grasslands, Gui Hua City, and its status was established at once.

  Merchants from Shanxi transported goods from Huikou to Guihua City, exchanging them for furs and livestock on the steppes before returning to the Ming Dynasty. They then headed south into Shanxi and on to the Central Plains, passing through Datong en route to the capital. Without Guihua City, Huikou was like a tree without roots, completely declining. Zhai Zhe's goal was for himself to temporarily replace Guihua City.

  Under the majestic mountain, Ning Sheng was cutting down trees under the supervision of Ma Zei, as long as he had food to eat, he would use all his strength, afraid that if he was lazy, the supervisor would not be happy.

  Che Feng held a whip in his right hand and shouted from afar: "Ning Sheng, where is Ning Sheng?"

  "Hey, over here!" Ning Sheng beckoned with his hand.

  "Follow me!"

  Ning Sheng was unaware of good or bad fortune, his heart uneasy and anxious, as he followed the carriage to a newly built wooden shed outside the gorge.

  The coachman shouted loudly towards the inside: "Master, Ning Sheng has arrived!"

  What a big deal! Ning Sheng wiped his dirty hands on his tattered clothes with force.

  "Come on in!"

  Di Zhe turned his head and saw Ning Sheng's anxiety, smiling and saying: "Don't be afraid!"

  "Ah!" Ning Sheng bowed his head and nodded.

  "I heard you used to be in business, were you a partner at a merchant's firm or did you sell goods on your own?"

  "Some people sell goods on the grassland, I help them sell!"

  Di Zhe nodded and asked: "I want to go to Hu Kou to sell goods, can you sell it?"

  "Really!" Ning Sheng had a feeling of being hit by a pie falling from the sky. He was afraid that Di Zhe wouldn't believe him, so he added: "I'm familiar with all the bosses and clerks who killed Hu Kou, I've been selling goods in Guihua for five or six years already."

  "Alright, I have a batch of pelts here. Go and get Ning Sheng to appraise them." Zhai Zhe called out to the guard at the door, instructing him to bring Ning Sheng to the warehouse. Having Ning Sheng appraise the goods was also a test - among the refugees, there were more than just him who had experience in trade. The furs in the warehouse were collected from the Tumet herders with the help of Princess Wulan. These were obtained by the herders during their winter hunting trips, and normally they would be sent to Huihua City in the spring to exchange for tea, salt, and other goods - but this year there was no hope of that happening. Zhai Zhe had told Wulan that he could help the Tumet people take care of this matter.

  After the New Year's Eve, the weather changed suddenly, and snowflakes like goose feathers floated in the sky, adding a thick layer to the snow that had almost melted in recent days. It has been more than ten days since Xiao Zhiyan left, but there is still no news from him, which makes Di Zhe feel uneasy. With over 400 bandits crossing the southern grasslands of Mobei, it's impossible not to have any risks; if they're unfortunately spotted by the Chahar cavalry, there will be no hope for escape.

  The heavy snow had stopped for a day, but the sky was still filled with thick clouds, and it looked like it hadn't cleared up yet. In winter, walking on the grassland is most worried about encountering a blizzard, the swirling snowflakes will lose direction, and the thick layer of snow can cut off the road.

  Di Zhe was restless, worried about Xiao Zhiyan's safety. The 500 people from Duo Yan's old camp were his capital to gain the trust of the Tumote people and prepare for a big kill at Hu Kou. If Xiao Zhiyan couldn't bring these people safely to Mo Tian Ridge, not only would they be unable to defeat the other horse bandits, but he was also afraid that he wouldn't be able to take away the goods collected by Princess Wulan.

  It was late at night, and the snow had started falling again. Zhai Zhe was tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep. He got up and stood at the wooden shed door, watching the snowflakes dancing in the air. By his count, Xiao Zhisheng should have arrived by now.

  Suddenly, from outside the canyon on the road, a knight came galloping through the snow.

  "The master of the house, someone has come! Many people!" The knight shouted while running, that was the sentry stationed on the outskirts.

  "Where is it?" Di Zhe couldn't help but take a step forward into the snow.

  "It was right behind me, but I couldn't see clearly in the snowy weather, and it wasn't until a few miles away that I realized."

  "Rise up, everyone!" Di Zhe gave the order to the cavalrymen in the house, then mounted his black horse and galloped towards the direction of the sentry.

  It must be him at this time, but having had the experience of ambushing the peregrine falcon on the Duoyan grassland last time, Di Zhe was still very careful.

  Less than three miles away, snowflakes mixed with a group of black shadows rushing towards him. Di Zhe stopped his horse in the middle of the road, and more than a dozen riders came galloping like a whirlwind.

  At a distance of thirty zhangs away, Di Zhe saw clearly Xiao Zhishen's yellow horse.

  Xiao Zhiyan opened his arms wide on horseback, and Di Zhe rode up to him and they high-fived each other in celebration.

  Snowflakes fluttered in the sky, and at night, they trampled on the grassland. Xiao Zhiyan patted the wine bag on his horse's saddle and laughed loudly, saying: "There's also this, which is not a bad thing in life." He said again: "It's been many years since I've had this feeling! In those days in Zhangjiakou, my body felt like it was about to rot!"

  Di Zhe didn't have Xiao Zhīyán's boldness and said: "This snow is making me very worried!"

  "We brought all the grain from the mountain village, so we're a bit late. If we were two days later, we would have been trapped on the grassland, fortunately, God is very kind to us!" Xiao Zhiyan curled up the corner of his mouth, his temperament has always been like this, never seeing a frowning face.

  The speaker's skillful words had brought fifty cavalrymen to meet them, and upon seeing Xiao Zhiyan, they finally felt at ease. The order was passed down to the horse bandits in the gorge to stand down from their alert state.

  One evening busy arranging new brothers, noisy in the canyon, sleepless all night.

  The heavy snow was still falling, covering up the hoof prints on the road.

  At dawn, the old sky finally felt tired after a night of snowfall, and it cleared up. Di Zhe invited Princess Wulan to come down the mountain to witness his power.

  Princess Wulan wore a red fox fur coat, under the reflection of white snow, her lips were red and her teeth were white, exceptionally beautiful.

  Di Zhe accompanied Princess Wulan to inspect the horses and men brought by Xiao Zhishen. The continuous rush made those people look listless, but Di Zhe couldn't wait any longer, he had to proceed with the next plan as soon as possible.

  "These are all the forces I have thrown into the prairie. With the help of the Tumet people, it's no problem to get rid of the horse thieves in Helin'ge'er."

  "Ah, that makes over six hundred people!" Princess Ulan nodded repeatedly, stretching out her pale fingers to count again, and then remembered something else, saying: "Oh, no, there are two hundred more!"

  "Raising so many people on the grasslands requires food, so I must get rid of Zhong Shanlang and Geng Guang as soon as possible!"

  "What will you do?"

  Di Zhe leaned in close to Princess Wulan's ear and whispered a few words. Wulan lowered her head, thought for a moment, then said: "Alright!"