Unknown Knight

The next day, Aix called Ran Hu, Liu Tang, Zhang Ping and Li Da to the castle for a meeting.

Aix first asked a few people about their food and accommodation, and whether they had any other needs, and then asked them to express their opinions.

Several people were very happy. They did not expect that the treatment in the territory was so good. Not only were they well fed, but the meals also included meat. Even Ran Hu said that the food was not worse than when they were Nakers before. The key was that the accommodation was better. They used to live in a barn, and even Ran Hu and other Nakers lived in old tents. They never thought that one day they would be able to live in a wooden and stone house that was not only clean and hygienic, but also had beds to sleep on.

Seeing that they were so supportive of the current situation, Aix told them some further arrangements, that is, everyone would be divided into two groups, one group would be led by Zhang Ping (this Zhang Ping is Zhang Shun, he was the first tribesman Aix met, he was also eye-catching and had good fighting skills, so Aix gave him the last character of his name, "Ping", as his name), and the second group would be led by Ran Hu. The two groups were mainly responsible for herding the existing livestock in the territory and managing the pastures in the territory area.

In addition, Li Da works in the logistics department, managing the warehouse with Old John, and helps Manide when he needs to deal with the accounts. He can be regarded as the current full-time accountant of the territory. Liu Tang is Aix's personal guard, protecting Aix closely.

In addition, Aix was going to organize a light cavalry team, the backbone of which was formed by Ran Hu's 13 Nakers, and Ran Hu would naturally be the captain. Aix was going to expand the light cavalry team to between 30 and 50, but the horses were limited at present, so it would be composed of 13 Nakers first, and when there were enough horses in the future, Ran Hu would be responsible for slowly selecting them.

The main task of the light cavalry is to patrol and reconnaissance the territory, cooperate with Desevi's hunting team in hunting, and be responsible for path exploration and reconnaissance when traveling for business.

After asking several people and finding out that they had no objection to the work arrangement, they chatted for a while. During the chat, Aix also reminded them to communicate more with local people, learn the local language as soon as possible and other trivial instructions.

As they chatted, Aix discovered that Ran Hu and Zhang Ping seemed to be worried. Seeing them hesitate to speak for several times, as if they had something to say but didn't dare to say it, Aix took the initiative to say to them:

"Even if we are close, I can tell you anything you two have. I will help you with anything I can solve, and we can work together to find a solution for anything I can't solve."

The two looked at each other, then both knelt in front of Aix. Zhang Ping said:

"So that Your Excellency knows that we are not alone in the Kugit Khanate, but have a family with us. There are many people like us in the two groups. We are inferior to others. Now we are here to serve Your Excellency. You can imagine how their future life will be. I hope Your Excellency will have mercy on us.

Moreover, several people have been planning to flee back to the Kugit Khanate these days. If it weren’t for me, Ran Hu, and Liu Tang suppressing them, someone might have made a big mistake! Woo woo…”

As he said this, the burly man actually started to cry.

Ran Hu continued:

"It's not that we don't appreciate your kindness, it's just that it's hard to give up our blood relationship. For example, I have a younger sister, who is only 14 years old. She has been favored by the youngest son of Tuoju City Lord. If it weren't for the fact that Tuoju valued me, I might have been killed by him. If I don't go back, my sister will definitely be killed by him. Please help me, sir!"

After saying this, he lowered his head and shed tears.

Upon hearing this, Aix stood up and said angrily:

"You are my subordinates, like my family. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"The master was ill a few days ago, and they were afraid that he would worry too much and affect his condition, so..."

Li Da added for them.

"Alas, this is my fault. Where are your family members?"

Aix helped the two of them up and took them to the map in the hall and asked.

"We are all slaves of Toju Nayan. This time, Saiga Khan went on the expedition mainly to defend Toju Nayan who was being harassed. So when the enemy was defeated, Saiga Khan ordered Nayan to stay behind to cover the retreat. However, Nayan only led his troops to resist for a while, then took away all the horses and fled, leaving only us slaves to hold back the enemy.

I and a group of Nak'er's relatives mainly live in Drefaerban near the city of Aichemore, Zhang Ping and his people mainly live in the manu of Adakrum, and as for the craftsmen, they live in the city of Aichemore."

Ran Hu continued what Aix said.

Aix thought for a moment and said to the four of them:

"The four of you go to your groups now and ask the members who still have families in Kugit how many people are there in total, and then report to me immediately. Go! Guards, quickly call Fatis, Bandak, Manid, Niza, and James over."

Soon, Fatis and his five companions came over. Aix briefly explained the situation to them and told them that he was going to rescue the tribesmen. However, Fatis and Bandak disagreed on the spot. Aix had no choice but to say to them:

"Don't try to persuade me anymore. This matter concerns the life and death of my people. They have just surrendered to me. If I don't take action, they will not obey anyone else's orders. Don't worry. If there is any life-threatening situation this time, I will save my own life first.

This time I will bring Fatis, Niza, James, Desevi, and 10 mounted soldiers, and 20 people with good riding skills from the tribe. Bandak, you and Manid will lead the caravan members to sell the goods of the territory, from Sagos City to Kulau City and then to the vicinity of Kudan City, and then wait for us near Kudan City.

This trip is quite long, we will set off soon, you'd better set off in the afternoon, don't go through Tiha this time, go directly to Sagos from the territory."

Soon Ran Hu and the other three came back with a count. There were 56 people with relatives, and the total number of relatives was more than 150. Aix said to Ran Hu:

"Gather your men, Naker, and select those with good riding skills from those with relatives. Gather 20 cavalrymen and we will set out immediately."

"Subordinates take orders!"

Ran Hu bowed and left proudly.

Soon Ran Hu gathered 20 cavalrymen, and Fatis and others also gathered and were ready. Ax mounted his horse and prepared to set off, but was stopped by Old John and Amanti who had rushed over after hearing the news. The two were considered the most senior people in the territory. One stood in front of the horse and the other held the reins, preventing Ax from moving forward.

Aix couldn't get angry, so he could only speak to the two of them in a gentle voice:

"It's all my fault. The relatives of these people may be harmed or even sold into slavery. I have to make this trip."

"Your Excellency, you can't do that. The fate of thousands of people in the territory depends on you. They all hope to live a good life with you! Your trip to the heart of Kugit is dangerous and unpredictable. If something goes wrong, what will you do with these 1000 people?"

Yamanti pulled the reins and spoke earnestly.

"It's not as serious as you say. We will do everything in secret and will never openly clash with the Kugit people. If we encounter danger, I will definitely save my own life first. Don't worry too much."

"My lord, you can't do that. Even if you want to rescue our people, you don't have to go in person. You can send Fatis or Bandak to lead the team. Why do you have to take the risk yourself? What Amanti said is absolutely right. The fate of the entire territory is now tied to you!"

Seeing that Amanti couldn't be persuaded, Old John continued.

It was no wonder that Aix was aware of what they were saying, but ever since he came into this world, he had always felt a deep sense of loneliness. Even after he gained everyone's recognition and respect, and gained trust and love, this inexplicable sense of loneliness still existed.

It was not until that day when he heard Zhang Ping speak the dialect of his hometown that he understood where this loneliness of "no one's hometown accent and longing for home" came from. It was like the longing of a stray goose to return to the flock, like the honey-collecting bee's desire to return to the nest, and it was the unchanging feeling in the heart of every Chinese wanderer.

When he heard that many of his fellow countrymen were suffering from misery, were at risk of losing their lives, were starving and cold, and were being bullied, how could he stay in the territory and wait for news with peace of mind? Was he still himself?

Seeing more and more people rushing over, they gathered behind Old John, and seemed to be surrounding him and not letting him go. Aix had no choice but to get off the horse, and came to Old John, his father-in-law, and patted his shoulders with both hands and said:

"Please trust me!"

Then he pushed through the crowd and went straight to Na Ke'er, who was at the outermost edge of the village. He pulled him off his horse, jumped on top, rode back on, rode out of the gate, and rode away at a speed that left him far behind.

Listening to the whistling wind and smelling the fragrance of spring grass, Aix felt a sense of joy that he had not felt for a long time, a joy of longing for freedom. (Friends who have the conditions must go to the Inner Mongolia prairie in their lifetime to experience this feeling on horseback)

When he thought of the many fellow countrymen in the Khergit Khanate who had lost their freedom and were waiting for him to rescue them, he squeezed his horse's belly and urged it to gallop. After running more than 20 miles in one breath, he stopped for fear of hurting the horse. He dismounted and led it to a meadow to let it eat grass and rest.

About half an hour later, when he got on his horse and prepared to continue on his way, more than 30 riders came rolling in from a distance, led by Fatis, Desevi, Niza, Ran Hu and others.

When everyone got off their horses in front of him, they started to complain. Some said that the adults were too reckless, some said that they didn't bring all the things, some said that they shouldn't do that next time, and so on. It made Aix look like he had made a big mistake, making him laugh and cry, so he had to explain:

"Can't I do this? If I don't do this, I can still save people. I can't leave the village tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Okay, okay, stop complaining. Let's light a fire and prepare something to eat."

Everybody burst into laughter, and the group of people regained harmony. Everyone was happily gesticulating and communicating, as if they were out for a picnic, some were grazing the horses, some were collecting firewood, and some were cooking.

After finishing their meal, they rested for a while and were about to set off on horseback when they suddenly saw another rider coming from a distance. When they got closer, they saw it was the girl from Cress.

Before she even got off the horse, Aix started to curse her:

"You are also a careless person. What are you doing here? Don't you know how dangerous this trip is? Go back!"

"It was Sister Yamila who asked me to come. She asked me to protect you and was afraid that you would get into trouble with other women, so she asked me to watch over you."

The words of the little girl Cress caused everyone to laugh, which made Axe's face tense, but he had to persuade:

"This trip is so dangerous, how can I have the heart to do that? You are a little girl, and I have to send someone to protect you. Go back and tell Yamila that I won't dare to do it again. Okay, just go back obediently!"

Everyone burst into laughter again, but Cress didn't care whether he agreed or not. He dismounted, took out three knives from his waist, and stabbed a small tree 15 meters away with three "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh" knives, hitting the same position on the trunk. Then he raised his head and said proudly:

"Humph, it's still unclear who will protect whom!"

After saying that, he went straight to get some porridge to eat. When everyone got closer, they saw that the three knives had all hit the same place and were halfway into the wood. They all sighed in amazement, and Aix had nothing to say anymore.