Chapter 449: A True Warrior
Gaoque City is decorated with lights and is full of joy today.
The festive red replaced the depressing black and became the main color.
The wedding of a newlywed couple diluted the long-standing tense atmosphere and made this late autumn, which should have been bleak and sad, joyful.
When the news that the man was a battalion commander of the Qin army and the woman was the daughter of a Xiongnu tribal leader spread, the atmosphere of confrontation between the Qin people and the Xiongnu people was greatly eased.
To congratulate the newlyweds, Ying Chengjiao, the leader of the Taotie army who adopted the girl as his sister, bought 15,000 sheep, slaughtered them all, and guaranteed that there would be a sheep for every ten people.
Rabbit Tribe.
The bonfire was lit, the water in the pot was boiling, the mutton was floating up and down, and the aroma was everywhere.
On the grill, the lamb legs and mutton are roasted from red and white to golden brown, the fat falls off with a crackling sound, and the outside is crispy and the inside is tender when you take a bite.
In addition to the main dish of lamb, there were also cheese, kumis, hare, wild vegetables and other foods on the ground.
This scene was even more lively than the big gathering held by the Huns every year in the first month of the lunar year.
The Xiongnu women danced, but their dance was not graceful but powerful. The Xiongnu men held weapons in their hands, and their scimitars and hammers collided and made different sounds, accompanied by the clanging music.
Their dance evolved from fighting and herding movements.
They have no unique musical instruments; weapons are their best instruments.
The harsh and difficult living environment prevented them from developing a civilization as brilliant as that of the Central Plains.
They are barbaric because they want to survive.
They are rude because they want to survive.
This is the culture and customs of the Huns.
Among the Xiongnu, where lives were not guaranteed and living conditions were extremely harsh, the soil for extravagance and debauchery had not yet been created.
The Tuteng tribe is a microcosm of Gaoque City. In the land of Gaoque City, every tribe is as happy as Tuteng.
The leader of the Tuteng tribe looked at his people who were overjoyed with a smile from the bottom of their hearts. He also smiled happily while listening to the words that sounded very vulgar to the people in the Central Plains.
Life in Gaoque City is much better than living in the desert...
"It's a pity that the battalion commander would have entered the yurt of a woman from my Tuteng tribe..."
He muttered to himself with some regret.
The battalion commander of the Taotie Army is in charge of 500 people. He is a big shot.
In addition to the Qin army's main general, deputy general, and five lieutenant generals, the next in line is the battalion commander. The leader of the Tuteng tribe is extremely eager to have a Taotie army battalion commander as a backup.
And, most importantly, the leader of the Taotie Army recognized that woman as his sister, and rose to fame overnight. How could the leader of the Tuteng Tribe not be jealous?
The leader, who had spent some time with Ying Chengjiao, felt that he had missed the opportunity and wanted to slap himself hard in the face. He sighed deeply again and kept muttering to himself.
"What a shame, what a shame..."
He was unwilling to give up, so he looked around and began to look for Yan, who was closest to Ying Chengjiao, but he did not see Yan.
There was no surprise on his face, and he went straight in one direction, as if he knew where Yan was.
"Yan, come and eat the sheep."
The leader opened the yurt built by Ying Chengjiao.
Ever since he told Yan Qiao to leave, Yan always liked to stay in this simple yurt after finishing his work. This was something everyone in the Tuteng tribe knew.
Most people in the Tuteng tribe were reluctant to see Qiao go, and were worried about this warrior. Yan's expression was most obvious.
However, there was no one in the dome.
The leader immediately became alert and hurried to find out where Yan had gone.
Soon, he heard from someone that Yan was taken away by a Qin soldier...
A wedding, to be more precise, should be called a wedding ceremony, which means a ceremony at dusk.
The reason for getting married at dusk is because dusk is when day and night alternate, and it is also the best time to harmonize the yin and yang energies.
Men are yang and women are yin. If a man and a woman get together at this time with the help of the right time and place, they will live happily in the future.
As the sky gradually darkens, the newlyweds enter the door.
Wusu wore a circle headdress with many small bone ornaments hanging on it. Scimitars , cows, sheep and other items were very common in the life of the Xiongnu.
All these ornaments were hanging down and swaying as Wu Su walked, colliding from time to time and making extremely subtle "cracking" sounds.
This is an accessory that Xiongnu women must wear when they get married, and its significance is similar to the red veil worn by brides in the Central Plains.
Wang Erze was wearing a robe mainly white, which had a very obvious Xiongnu style. Anyone could tell at a glance that it was Hu clothing.
Wang Er was actually very dissatisfied with the dress, but there was nothing he could do. The general said that the dress for this wedding should be in accordance with the customs of the Xiongnu people.
Who made him unable to control his bird?
The two of them stepped into the large dome that had been built overnight. Sitting at the innermost part of the dome were Wu Su's father and mother.
Both sides were filled with guests.
The Taotie army's deputy general Wang Xi, five lieutenant generals, Dun Ruo, and a group of other veterans whom Wang Er regarded as his nephews.
Ying Chengjiao, who was wearing Hu clothing and looked no different from the people around him, stood next to Wusu's father and mother.
He is the master of ceremonies at this wedding.
"Bow to heaven and earth!"
Wang Er, Wusu, knelt down to worship heaven and earth.
"Bow to your parents!"
Wang Er, Wusu, kneels down and pays homage to his father and mother Wusu.
"Husband and wife bow to each other!"
Wang Er and Wu Su stood opposite each other and bent over together.
Ying Chengjiao looked at the couple standing in front of him with a complicated expression in his eyes.
Although the development of things to this point was not what he had originally expected and was temporarily out of control, the end was finally reached.
only……
"Usu."
He called the woman's name alone.
"General."
Wu Su responded with a little respect.
Ying Chengjiao frowned, then realized that there should be no negative emotions on this happy day. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows, smiling bitterly:
"Why are you calling me so strangely? Don't you recognize me as your brother?"
Wu Su was a little dazed. The scene before him was very different from yesterday.
There were only four people in the Wusu Yurt yesterday.
If Ying Chengjiao didn't recognize her when he went out, there would not be any problem and no one would know.
But Wu Su was already satisfied with this.
This clever daughter of the chief never expected to be able to address Ying Chengjiao as a brother or sister in public because the gap in their status was too big.
Therefore, at this time and place, all the important figures of Gaoque City gathered in the tent and called him general.
Because if I acknowledge her as my sister at this time, it will no longer be a nominal matter.
But now, this general whom she thought was just pretending to be her brother seems to really want to be her brother...
"elder brother?"
Wu Su was afraid that he would misunderstand and bring disaster to the tribe, so he called out carefully and softly, and his eyes were closely watching Ying Chengjiao's application for changes.
Ying Chengjiao kept smiling bitterly.
"So aggrieved? Is it so hard to hear you call me brother?"
Wu Su's eyes suddenly lit up, and he shouted crisply:
"elder brother!"
"Well, that's more like it."
Ying Chengjiao responded, his bitter smile faded away, and he nodded with satisfaction.
In an instant, Wu Su felt the pressure on his body suddenly increase!
Almost all the guests in the venue looked at her, making it difficult for her to breathe.
She glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and saw those big men whose names she couldn't remember, but she knew that each of them could slaughter her tribe.
There are many emotions on his face, envy, doubt, attention...
She, Wu Su, seemed to have truly reached the pinnacle of success overnight.
Chang'an Jun's sister...she is so lucky. This woman has no idea what this means.
Most people think this way.
What does the chief general of the Taotie Army count for?
The Chang'an Jun of the desert is not the same as the Chang'an Jun of Qin.
"Yan, come here."
Yan, who had been standing huddled together and feeling extremely uneasy, heard Ying Chengjiao's call. He lowered his head and ran to Ying Chengjiao, not daring to look up.
She was very self-abased, and even her usual beauty, which she was most confident of, was shattered to nothing.
When she stood next to Wu Su, she looked less pretty than Wu Su.
She has been busy surviving since she was young. No matter how she grows up, as long as she does not break away from the environment, she will never be as beautiful as Wusu, the daughter of the tribal leader.
There are no ugly women among the nobles, but it is hard to find a beautiful woman among the common people.
At this time, Yan had long forgotten the idea of sleeping with Ying Chengjiao, nor did she remember the disbelief she felt when she first heard of Ying Chengjiao's identity. She just wanted to escape.
Ying Chengjiao pulled this self-abased Xiongnu woman over and made her stand side by side with him.
"According to the etiquette of the Central Plains, it is not appropriate to shed blood today, but this is the desert, so I will be a little unrestrained."
Ying Chengjiao said in a loud voice, and with a wave of his hand, someone brought up the three wine bowls that had been prepared.
Ying Chengjiao wiped the tip of his thumb with the Qin sword, and blood dripped into the three wine bowls.
Wu Su's heart moved, and he couldn't hide his excitement on his face.
He took the Qin sword from Ying Chengjiao, cut his finger and let the blood drip into the bowl.
"Yan, it's your turn."
Ying Chengjiao handed the Qin sword to the self-deprecating woman who was at a loss. The woman stood there in a daze, not knowing how to react.
"Have you ever heard of blood oath?"
Yan shook her head blankly. Her world consisted of the blue sky, the desert, the sheep and the sheepdog.
Central Plains is too far away from her.
"Bear with it for a moment."
Ying Chengjiao had no choice but to do it himself, cutting Yan's finger and dripping blood into three wine bowls.
Then he took the lead in picking up a wine bowl and drinking it all.
Wu Su took the initiative to pick up a wine bowl, his hands trembling slightly, and he couldn't wait to drink the bowl of wine.
Under the guidance of Ying Chengjiao, Yan picked up the last bowl of wine and drank it up in a daze.
When all the guests saw this scene, most of them sighed in their hearts.
Two lucky women...
"I am the eldest brother, Yan is older than Wusu, Yan is the second sister, and Wusu is the youngest sister."
After Ying Chengjiao asked the two girls about their ages, he carefully sorted out their generations.
After finishing the arrangement, he gave Wu Su a complicated look and said loudly:
"The ceremony is over!"
The banquet was set up, but Wang Er, who was getting married, had no smile on his face. When he toasted at each table, he drank the whole bottle, as if he was trying to get himself drunk.
Inside the Wusu yurt, Wusu was the only one staying there, waiting for the return of Wang Er, the guest greeter.
Just when Wu Su was feeling a little bit expectant, a man suddenly came in.
Wu Su looked up, incredulous, and blurted out:
"elder brother?"
Ying Chengjiao hummed.
"After some time, maybe three months, I will ask you to separate from Wang Er. I have wronged you during this period of time, and you have to put on a show with Wang Er in front of others. Don't worry, this guy will never dare to be frivolous with you. If he does anything improper, just come to me and I will castrate him."
After saying this, Ying Chengjiao was about to leave.
The route of integration between the Qin State and the Xiongnu cannot be changed. This is a major event and the general direction, and it will benefit future generations.
But does such a big thing require sacrificing a woman's lifelong happiness? Ying Chengjiao doesn't think so.
Those who achieve great things also pay attention to details.
Ying Chengjiao stepped out of the tent, feeling that the matter had been resolved satisfactorily. He breathed a sigh of relief and felt relieved.
He was about to go on, but he heard a faint cry with his keen hearing, coming from the Wusu Yurt behind him!
He went back in without thinking and saw Wu Su crying loudly with her hand covering her mouth.
"Little sister, why are you crying?"
The word "little sister" made Wu Su pour out all the words he had not dared to say.
She cried and yelled.
"You keep saying you want to be my brother. I thought you were very different from those Qin people. I was wrong! How can wolves in the same pack have different temperaments?"
Ying Chengjiao pried open Wu Su's hand. Although he was confused, he still said seriously:
"Although I am good at talking nonsense, I know that no matter how much I say, I will not be able to win your trust. If you have any grievances, just tell me. I sincerely treat you as my sister and will definitely solve them for you."
Wu Su sobbed continuously.
"Then why do you want me to separate from Wang Erhe? Do you cherish him so much?"
“…”
Ying Chengjiao felt like his brain had crashed, and the first thing that came to his mind was Stockholm.
"…Well, you like him?"
Wu Su sobbed and nodded.
“I like it.”
Ying Chengjiao has a headache. It’s a disease and needs treatment!
"This, this is not true love, you are being bullied by him, you know, you..."
"Brother, I really like him."
The clever Wu Su immediately realized that the problem lay in the difference in perception between her and Ying Chengjiao.
"The desert is different from your Central Plains. You can't use the Central Plains' etiquette and laws to demand me. I really want to marry Wang Er. If you really want to do this for my own good, don't stop me."
Ying Chengjiao was silent for a while.
"Don't worry that if you don't marry Wang Er, I will ignore you. Whether you marry or not, you are my youngest sister, Ying Chengjiao, and no one dares to bully you."
The victim marries the perpetrator. In Ying Chengjiao's impression, only his third brother would do such an abstract thing.
"Brother! That's not true!"
Wu Su was extremely anxious.
"How can I tell you? The Xiongnu and the Qin are really different!
"When a father of our Xiongnu dies, the son who inherits his property must marry all of his wives and concubines. When an elder brother dies, the younger brother must marry all of his elder brother's wives and concubines as his own.
"This is absolutely not allowed in your country, right?
"Wang Er is a true warrior, and I, Wu Su, want to marry a true warrior. You don't need to care whether Wang Er entered my yurt the day before yesterday.
"From the moment I knew he was a true warrior, I wanted to marry him."
“…”
Looking at Wu Su's expectant, anxious and unreasonable gaze, Ying Chengjiao felt that he needed to be alone to calm down.
He always liked to watch fun, but when he heard Wu Su's words, he felt that he couldn't stand watching this fun.
"I see...you're waiting for the wedding night."
"Um."
Wu Su let out a long sigh and nodded heavily in response.
Ying Chengjiao left the tent in silence.
