Hanhou

The sun rises, dispelling the last ray of darkness.

A cold wind blows from the grassland, whistling and rolling up the broken snow on the ground.The snow particles spread out in mid-air, forming a crystal gauze.The golden eagle flapped its wings and flew out of the barn, hovering in mid-air, making a loud cry.

Zhao Jia pushed open the door, was blown by the cold wind, and sneezed twice in a row.He jumped twice vigorously, rubbed his face, and let out a breath of white air.Behind him, Wei Qing and Ah Zhi had already put on their jackets and were bending over to put on their boots.

Atao fell into a deep sleep, wrapped in animal skins, his whole body was in a ball, and the voices of the children didn't wake him up.

A Gu was the most mischievous, grabbed a leather hat, and scratched his nose with the string hanging under the ear of the hat.Even so, Atao still didn't wake up, just frowned and waved his hands a few times.

Ah Gu was covering his mouth and laughing, when suddenly Ah Mai knocked him on the head.

"A Tao's eldest sister sent a letter, he must not have slept long last night, don't disturb him."

Wei Qing put on his boots, grabbed the fur cap and put it on his head, turned to look at A Gu, and said, "I'll do his work, let him sleep for a while."

"Understood." Ah Gu scratched his head in embarrassment, and whispered, "I'll be with you."

The children got ready and looked at each other to make sure there were no omissions, and then they walked out of the wooden house one after another and saluted Zhao Jia who was standing in front of the house.Then I went to find Mrs. Sun, each ate a bowl of millet porridge and three or four steamed buns, and then went to the warehouse to transport fodder.

Wei Qing and A Gu worked together to lift a rattan basket and were about to load the bean cakes into the car, when they saw Zhao Ponu walking from the direction of the stable while yawning.

Seeing the children in front of the warehouse, Zhao Ponu stretched his waist, rubbed his face vigorously, and finally stopped yawning.

"Ah Bai just gave birth to a foal, prepare more bean cakes for Ah Bai today."

"Pony?"

"Yes." Zhao Puonu nodded, and mentioned the pony that was born recently, and he was completely refreshed, "A Xin and A Ao are still guarding the stables. I will help you feed the sheep and finish the work early. You all go and have a look."

The children nodded vigorously, quickly carried the fodder and bean cakes into the cart, and ran away dragging the rope.The sooner you finish your work, the sooner you can see the pony.

"Ah Bai is strong, so the pony must be strong too!"

While throwing fodder into the wooden fence, the children excitedly discussed with each other how many bean cakes should be prepared for the white horse.

In the sheepfold, more than a dozen gazelles huddled together with the flock, vying for the fodder and bean cakes in the trough.The children did not drive away, but counted head by head.It was confirmed that there were three more heads than before, and they were all fat, grinning in satisfaction.

"Ask me later if you want to hunt one." Ah Zhi stared at the gazelle and said seriously, "I got a small piece last time I ate gazelle. This time I must get half a leg of lamb!"

"Can you finish it?" Ah Mai poured cold water on his companion while adding bean cakes to the trough.

"Finish!" Ah Zhi straightened her body, compared the two of them with her hands, and said proudly, "I am so much taller than you, so I will naturally eat more! Uncle Wei said, you can only grow if you can eat." Strong, grow strong to have great strength, in the future you will be able to draw a strong bow and kill more Xiongnu!"

As soon as these words came out, the children were all aroused to be competitive, even Wei Qing was no exception.

At lunch that day, Mrs. Sun and the women were surprised to find that the appetite of these children soared. Seeing that each of them had a full stomach and still did not intend to stop, they had to snatch the buns and steamed cakes from their hands for fear that they would eat too much. Too much is breaking myself.

Zhao Xin and Gongsun Ao left the stable, and they felt strange seeing this situation.Zhao Puonu sent the trailer into the warehouse, cleaned his hands, drank a bowl of hot soup, and told the two of them the ins and outs, which unsurprisingly elicited a burst of laughter.

After laughing, the boy fell silent at the same time.

The children's rivalry was similar to when Ah Man and Afang were still alive.

Sadness flashed through the eyes, and they looked at each other, without making a sound, but they could understand what the other was thinking.Knowing the depth of Zhao Xin and Zhao Ponu's pain, Gongsun Ao stood up and pressed their shoulders hard.

"One day, all the debts that should be paid will be paid!"

Xin Zhao and Zhao Po Nu pressed the back of his hand with their backhands, and nodded together.

After lunch, Zhao Jia called Ji Bao and Ji Xiong, and rode their horses to Yunzhong City.

As soon as he arrived in Dongcheng, he saw a notice posted by the prefect's mansion, which clearly stated that if the patrolling army caught thieves and thieves, all of them would be punished as city guards, and the first culprit would be whipped two hundred times.

"The businessmen from yesterday?"

The three of them were looking at the notice when a group of troops patrolling the city passed by.Zhao Jia recognized the leader of the team, and before he could ask, the other party told him with a smile that the bandits on the notice were the group of businessmen who clashed with Ji Bao yesterday.

"Cao Yu will be interrogated in person. According to the law, he will be classified as a group of robbers. The most minor crime will also be sentenced to Chengdan for five years."

After listening to Shi Chang's words, Zhao Jia was [-]% sure that these businessmen who shouted "Guan Shi" would never leave Yunzhong County again.

"Lang Jun, are you still going to the prefect's mansion?" Ji Bao asked.

"Go." Zhao Jia nodded.

The Xiongnu invaded last year, and the livestock farm suffered a lot of losses. Too many things came together, and the plan to go north was naturally cancelled.After the autumn harvest this year, if there is no accident, he plans to organize another caravan and go deep into the grassland along the previously proven road.

This time, he will focus on recording various water sources.

Historically, at the suggestion of Bank of China, the Xiongnu buried dead cattle and sheep in the upper reaches of the water source, and designed to poison the Han army.Zhao Jia can be one step ahead of the Xiongnu and cause chaos in the grassland.

Record the migration routes and garrison locations of the various ministries, find out the water sources that the tribes pass through, and make targeted arrangements. No matter the herdsmen or cattle and sheep, they will be recruited if they are not prepared.

The Bank of China said he could think of a way, he could think of it, and the Bank of China said he couldn't think of it, he still had a clear memory.

As a last resort, Zhao Jia did not want to adopt such a method.Once the situation is out of control, large tracts of grassland will become dead.

However, the previous battle made him fully understand that the so-called mortal enemies mean that there is no room for relaxation between each other, either you die or I die.For the survival of the people of the Han family, these robbers who wield knives and plunder frequently and regard the border people as livestock slaves must die!

No matter what method is used.

When Zhao Jia came to the prefect's mansion, he happened to meet Wei Yue who had come from the barracks.

Wei Yue was dressed in armor, with a bow and arrow on his horse's back, a long sword on his waist, and two short spears on his back.

Behind him, several knights got off their horses, clutching wet and frozen cloth bags in their hands.Judging by shape and size, it takes almost no thinking to know what's inside.

Thinking of Wei Yue's previous actions to clear the border, Zhao Jia was very surprised, which Hu tribe would dare to approach Yunzhong County at this time.Or, it's not Hu's department, just a few unlucky Hun spies?

"I've seen the third son!" Zhao Jia bowed his hands.

Wei Yue had important business to do, so he didn't exchange greetings with Zhao Jia, just reminded him, Xu Shizhong left for Chang'an today, and a motorcade from Chang'an arrived, Governor Wei may not be free, if you have something to do, you can go see Master Wang.

"The market will open in five days. There will be a caravan from the Da Yue Clan. If Ah Duo wants to market horses, he'd better go there earlier."

"Thank you, San Gongzi!" Zhao Jia cupped his hands again, and Wei Yue walked by his side. There were two clear knife marks on the black armor, obviously not caused by ordinary weapons.

Zhao Jia was quite surprised, just as he was about to speak, Wei Yue pressed his shoulder.

"A Duomo needs to ask more questions." Wei Yue pointed her fingers vigorously and shook her head at Zhao Jia.

Knowing that the other party didn't want to talk about it, it would be useless to ask him any more, so Zhao Jia could only watch Wei Yue leave, and went to see Master Wang with his heart in mind, and stated his plan to go out of the fortress.

"If you leave after the autumn harvest, you should plan it carefully." Master Wang put down his pen and took a sip of hot soup. Probably because he has been busy with business recently and has not had a good rest, his eyes are slightly black and blue. In Taiping, several caravans going north have disappeared, and the scouts they sent failed to bring back any news. Mr. Zhao Lang wants to leave, it is best to bring more guards, just like last time, don't go too deep."

Zhao Jia nodded in agreement.

There are still a few months until the autumn harvest, and no one can say for sure what will happen during this period.If you want to complete the plan, it is imperative to go out of the fortress. If you encounter a situation, just play by ear.

"Is there something embarrassing for Mr. Zhao Lang?" Seeing Zhao Jia's hesitation, Master Wang asked.

"I just saw the third son in front of the mansion." Zhao Jia paused, and tried to ask, "Did the Xiongnu harass the county recently?"

"Indeed." Master Wang did not hide anything, nodded and said, "They are all spies, Mr. Zhao Lang needn't worry too much."

Although he still had doubts in his heart, Zhao Jia didn't want to say anything when he saw Master Wang, so he couldn't ask any more questions, so he could only leave.

When leaving the prefect's mansion, Zhao Jia didn't meet Wei Yue again, but was bitten by the sleeve by the black horse in front of the stake where the horse was tied.Obviously, even though time has passed, this one still hasn't forgotten the situation when Zhao Jia tied it with a rope.

Tried to pull the sleeves, but found that they couldn't be pulled open, Zhao Jia shook his head helplessly, and pulled off the cloth bag containing caramel with one hand, before he could untie the rope that tied the bag, the bay red horse suddenly came over, opened his mouth wide Bu Dai bit it.

The black horse snorted, Zhao Jia took the opportunity to tear off his sleeves, pulled the cloth bag from the bay red horse's mouth, ignored the torn gap, poured out a few pieces of caramel, threw it to the riding boy who was trying to appease the black horse, and dragged the bay red horse away quickly .

"Zaohong, why do you always mess with it?" Zhao Jia was riding on the horse, very puzzled.

The bay red horse shook its neck, stomped its front hooves twice, and snorted loudly along the way.

Zhao Jia was speechless for a moment.

Based on his understanding of the Claret Horse, this is obviously not convinced, and sooner or later there will be another fight.But the problem is, as far as the strength of both sides is concerned, it is impossible for Zaohong to win the last round, not to mention a fantasy, and the possibility is less than [-]%.

"Zaohong, let's discuss it. It's okay to be competitive. If you are looking for an opponent, you should also find an equal. Let's practice our hands first, and then we will challenge after we have developed our skills..." Zhao Jia followed the mane that covered the horse's neck, regardless of what the opponent listened to. Whether you understand or don't understand, you are talking all the way.

Ji Bao and Ji Xiong followed Zhao Jia and witnessed a person and a horse interacting with each other. Although they didn't understand Zhao Jia's unfamiliar words from time to time, they could guess that they were close to each other.

Looking at each other, both of them wanted to laugh but couldn't laugh, holding back all the way, it was very hard.

In the next two days, the weather in Yunzhong County changed from sunny to heavy snowfall.

Wind and snow blocked the road, and it was difficult for even the most elite knights to travel in such weather.Yunmei didn't send any more letters, and Atao's parents also put off their plan to go to Yanmen County.

Atao was left in the livestock farm by Zhao Jia, and together with Wei Qing and the others, he practiced calligraphy, reading and archery.

The craftsmen and young adults in the livestock farm can't stay idle, and they will find something to do when they are blocked in the house by the wind and snow.Young and strong people gather together to cut wooden arrows and throw spears, and occasionally stop, they will pick up stones to test their strength.There are a few carpenters who work together with the craftsmen to repair farm tools and prepare for spring plowing.

Hu Bo and Xiong Bo used the sledge invented by Zhao Jia to take turns to lead people to patrol the sheep pen and the cattle pen.Zhao Jia followed them by chance, and found that all the yellow sheep outside the farm had entered the sheep pen, and they would not hide from people when they saw them. There was a tendency for wild animals to develop into captive breeding and self-domestication, so he couldn't help but feel novel.

However, the reality quickly broke this "novelty".

When the snow stopped, the gazelles in the pen jumped out of the fence one after another, hiding far away, and at most only children were allowed to approach.

Looking at the group of yellow sheep running and jumping in the snow, full of energy, Zhao Jia breathed out a breath of heat, and suddenly felt that the species of the Western Han Dynasty were so strong that they could not be described by common sense.

After the heavy snow stopped, everyone walked out of the wooden house one after another and started to get busy again.

Taking advantage of the lack of work, the craftsmen made the mortar that Zhao Jia wanted and placed it in front of the wooden house.

With stone mills and rollers, mortars are dispensable.The reason why the craftsmen were asked to make it was because Zhao Jia discovered that there was glutinous rice in the rice from the market, and he was inspired to make rice cakes.

Under current conditions, the easiest way to make rice cakes is to steam glutinous rice and pound it into rice balls.In addition, the rice can also be ground into powder, sifted, added with water and honey to form a dough, wrapped in reed leaves and steamed in a pot.Add some dates to the rice balls for a better taste.

Due to the lack of materials for the latter, Zhao Jia naturally chose a simpler method.

Zhao Jia simply described it, and the craftsmen understood the method.As long as there are skilled craftsmen, it is not difficult to do it.Prepare the materials and finish the work in the same day.

When the pestle is ready, the women clean the vertebral fossa and tread vertebrae, take out the steamed rice, and pour it into the vertebral fossa according to Zhao Jia's instructions.One person is in charge of stepping on the vertebrae, and two people are in charge of kneading the crushed rice balls and turning them over.

When the glutinous rice forms a ball, it is placed on a clean slate, crushed with a wooden stick, and cut into small fists.

Generally speaking, the rice balls are dried, fried or baked, and sprinkled with crushed caramel for a better taste.But Zhao Jia couldn't wait any longer, took advantage of the heat to tear open a ball, ate half of it by himself, and stuffed the other half into Wei Qing's mouth.

Seeing that Wei Qing puffed up his cheeks, chewed it a few times but couldn't bear to swallow it, Zhao Jia smiled and rubbed his head, saying: "It tastes better if you sprinkle it with caramel." Then he waved to the children and teenagers, "Come here, every day Divide into one piece."

There are already records of making rice cakes in the Western Han Dynasty, but rice is abundant in the south, and it is rare in the north. No one in the livestock farm has eaten rice, and it is the first time to see rice cakes.Even if it's just rice without caramel sugar, it's still delicious to everyone.

"It's very good!" Uncle Xiong finished one piece in two bites, and picked up the second one.

Mrs. Sun stopped him on the spot, and no one else was allowed to take it except teenagers and children.

"Lang Junyan still needs to dry, don't eat too much."

When Mrs. Sun spoke, the women carried away the stone slabs on which the rice cakes were spread.

Zhao Jia was holding a piece of rice cake in his hand, thinking of Hushi a few days later, his heart skipped a beat.

Hu people like heavy taste, steamed cakes can be sold at high prices, what price can rice cakes sprinkled with sugar be sold for?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was feasible. After eating the rice cakes in two or three bites, Zhao Jia got up to find Mrs. Sun, planning to take out all the rice in the warehouse and hurry up to make more rice cakes.