Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

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After hearing Ximen Qing's words, Wanyan Moulianghu had no choice but to give up.Since Ximen Qing could not be allowed to relocate the book printing workshop to the Kingdom of Jin, it was not impossible to cooperate with the Song people.

After discussing with Wanyan Gushen, Wanyan Moulianghu told Ximen Qing that the two of them were creating the Jurchen script and they were about to complete it.If the creation of the characters is completed, I hope Ximen Qing can help them print some books in Jurchen characters, so that they can be used to educate the Jurchens in the Kingdom of Jin.

Ximen Qing immediately stated that for the sake of friendship with the two, he would go all out to assist the two to complete this great cause.

After Wanyan Moulianghu heard this, he was very satisfied with Ximen Qing. He suddenly took Ximen Qing's hand, led him out of the wooden house, and came to the gate of the village. Qing said: "It is not indecent to come here! Brother Ximen Qing, you have given me such precious Chinese classics, and I will give you a gift in return! These cattle, sheep, horses, and these slaves are all my property. You choose!"

4Chapter 16 Mongol Slaves

When Wanyan Moulianghu told Ximen Qing that he could choose at will, including these slave shepherds who were working, Ximen Qing realized that although the Jurchens had established a nation, they had not yet completely got rid of the tribal slave system, and the Jurchens beside him were also a slave master.

Just now, when Ximen Qing and Wanyan Gushen went up to visit Wanyan Moulianghu, they didn't pay attention to the shepherds scattered on the hillside. At this time, they followed Wanyanmou Lianghu's point of view, and Ximenqing observed carefully that those shepherds The clothing of the Jurchens is somewhat different from that of the Jurchens.Ximen Qing felt that the shepherds were wearing the Mongolian costumes they had seen in previous lives.

Are these people Khitan or Mongolian tribesmen?Maybe it was captured by the Jurchens during the war?Ximen Qing was not sure, so he curiously asked Wanyan Moulianghu for confirmation.

Wanyan Moulianghu told Ximenqing that these herdsmen and slaves were from the Qiyan tribe of the Mongolian tribe.The Mongolian tribe is still a subordinate of the Khitan people in the Liao State, and the leader of the Qiyan tribe, Tun Bi Nai, also holds a stable position in the Liao State.Last year, Tunbi Nai, the leader of the Qiyan tribe, responded carefully to the call of the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom and sent troops to help the Liao army, but was defeated by the Jin army.The Jin army chased after the victory and wiped out the Mongolian Qiyan tribe. Their leader Tun Bi Nai escaped by chance, but some of his tribe were captured by the Jin army.

Because Wanyan Moulianghu participated in that battle, he also captured some shepherds from the Mongolian Qiyan tribe and brought them back to Ningcheng as slaves for his horses and sheep.

Wanyan Moulianghu said to Ximenqing: "Brother Ximenqing, you came to our Dajin Kingdom to do business this time, and you exchanged a lot of horses with fine wine and books, right? These horses need to be taken care of. These Mongolian slaves in my tribe , they all grew up on the grassland since they were young, and they are the best at herding sheep and horses. Why don't you choose a few to take care of the horses you have collected for you, Brother Ximenqing?"

Wanyan Moulianghu's suggestion is indeed good. Although Ximenqing came from Yanggu County with a horse ranch, the number of experienced horsemen is limited after all, and some people who take care of the horses need to be added.Furthermore, Wanyan Moulianghu said just now that these shepherds were the herdsmen of the Qiyan tribe in Mongolia, which made Ximenqing feel moved and wanted to take in these shepherds.

If I remember correctly, isn’t the Mongolian Qiyan tribe the tribe where Genghis Khan Temujin was born?In this way, the escaped leader Tun Bi Nai Xiangwen may be the ancestor of Temujin.These Mongols will be the enemies of the Jurchens in the future!If these people from the Begging Yan tribe are taken in, maybe they can get in touch with the Mongolian Begging Yan tribe in the future, and use them to help him contain the army of the Jurchens of the Kingdom of Jin?

Ximen Qing made up his mind to ask Wanyan Moulianghu for these Mongolian shepherds, rescue them, and use them for himself in the future.Therefore, he told Wanyan Moulianghu that he wanted to take a look at these slaves first.

"Qi Ashi, call all the slaves here, I want to give them to Brother Ximen Qing. Tell them to line up quickly and wait for the selection of Brother Ximen Qing!" Wanyan Moulianghu begged to the Jurchen warrior standing beside him Pay the road.

After the Jurchen warrior Qi Ashi got the order, he immediately scattered and ran downhill with several warriors in front of the gate of the village, and summoned the shepherds and slaves to kneel in a row in front of the gate of the village.

What Wanyan Moulianghu said was also heard by the shepherd who was milking the horses near the gate of the village.He trembled all over, and after taking a sneak peek at Ximen Qing, he walked towards Ximen Qing with his head lowered.

Driven by the Jurchen warriors, the shepherds herding horses and sheep stopped their work and surrounded the gate of the village from all directions.

Ximen Qing looked around, trying to pick a few strong men from among these Mongolian slaves, but he was disappointed in the result.Obviously, the Mongol warriors with combat effectiveness either fled with the leader or were killed by the Jurchen army.Those who stay here are probably tribal people who the Jurchens think is not a threat.

Just when Ximen Qing was slightly disappointed that he couldn't pick up the leak, when the thin shepherd who milked the horse came to Ximen Qing, he suddenly fell and fell on Ximen Qing's lap, his hands hugged tightly in his haste. Ximen Qing's leg.

"Damn it! How dare you, a slave, rush at our honorable guest!" A Jurchen warrior standing beside Wanyan Moulianghu swung his riding whip and whipped the shepherd on the back.

"Stop! Stop! Brother Mou Lianghu, please forgive this little shepherd." Ximen Qing felt a message from the trembling little shepherd for help, and pleaded with Wanyan Moulianghu.

Wanyan Moulianghu waved his hand, and the Jurchen warrior respectfully retreated behind Wanyan Moulianghu.

"Little...little brother, what's your name? Can you understand Jurchen?" Ximen Qing asked the shepherd with his head bowed in Jurchen with a pleasant face.

"The villain's name is Sai Yin's Jin, and he is a horse herdsman from the Mongolian Qiyan tribe." The shepherd replied in a low voice in fluent Jurchen language.Ximenqing felt relieved after hearing this, otherwise, if one spoke Chinese and the other Mongolian, then he would really have no way to communicate with the little shepherd.

"Sai Yin's weight? Brother Mou Lianghu, I want this little shepherd, is it possible?" Ximen Qing turned to Wanyan Mou Lianghu and asked.

Wanyan Moulianghu smiled and said: "Brother Ximenqing, I have already said that you can choose these slaves, cattle, sheep and horses. If you want this little slave, just take it. Whom do you want to take with the remaining slaves? Just open your mouth."

Ximenqing took a look. Near the hillside, there were about 30 to [-] Mongolian slaves gathered in front of the gate of the village.It is estimated that even if he wants them all, the bold Wanyan Moulianghu will give them to him without frowning.However, if I had to leave so many Mongols at one time, I might reveal some intentions and make Wanyan Moulianghu and Wanyan Gushen suspicious afterwards.Therefore, Ximen Qing decided to take away only ten Mongolians this time.

"Sai Yin's Jin, from today onwards, I, Ximen Qing, will be your master. Don't be afraid, stand up and choose nine people who can herd horses for me." Ximen Qing said to the little shepherd under his feet. Pay the road.

The little shepherd Sai Yin's body shook, he got up from the ground, and led Ximen Qing to the fellow Qiyan tribe who were kneeling in a row.He walked in front of Ximen Qing in silence, pointing his finger at a Mongolian shepherd looking at them from time to time.

Every time Sai Yin pointed at a weight, Ximen Qing asked Wanyan Mou Lianghu loudly to kill that person.The Mongolian herdsman who was targeted immediately kowtowed to Ximen Qing and the two respectfully.

It didn't take long, with the help of Sai Yin's Jin, Ximenqing selected nine more shepherds from Wanyan Moulianghu's slaves, among the nine were six men and three women.Including Sai Yin's weight, Ximen Qing took away a total of ten slaves.

Wanyan Moulianghu thought that the slaves selected by Ximen Qing were too few to be worth so many precious books, so he decided to choose ten good horses and gave them to Ximen Qing along with the ten slaves.

Sai Yin's Jin and his nine companions had new masters, so they led the horses and stood with Ximen Qing's guards, anxiously waiting for Ximen Qing to take them to a new world.

4Chapter 17 Prey in Hand

"Brother Ximenqing, I heard that you are a good rider and a brave man. In Weizhou of the Song Dynasty, in order to help Boda and Sandu of the envoys of the Great Jin Kingdom to get back the horse that Wuli did not lose, you went to Weizhou alone. Chasing that horse thief?" Wan Yan Mou Lianghu casually asked Ximen Qing when he hosted a banquet for Ximen Qing.

"I learned martial arts since I was a child, and I also know how to bow and horse. It's just for self-enhancement. How can I compare with the warriors of your country? It's a pity that the horse thief ran too fast, and I couldn't help Boda and the others recover the stolen horse. BMW, I'm really ashamed." Ximen Qing replied to Wanyan Moulianghu.

"Hahaha~ Brother Ximenqing don't need to blame yourself. My cousin's inseparable horse is the famous BMW 'Zhaoyeyu Lion', which can travel thousands of miles a day. If I am a good tiger, I can only look up to the dust. Excitement!" Wan Yan Mou Lianghu said with a smile.

"Brother Ximenqing has such a heart, which is rare. It's a pity that Wulibu is not in the capital now, otherwise he will definitely come to see you, a friend who has never met." Wanyan Gushen also said beside him.

"Small things, nothing to worry about!" Ximen Qing naturally had to be modest.

"Since the Ximen Qing Brothers know how to ride and shoot, how about I go up the mountain to shoot and hunt together tomorrow?" Wanyan Moulianghu asked Ximen Qing.

The Dajin Kingdom was first established, and the Jurchens still had a production mode of half farming and grazing, half fishing and hunting. Hunting still played an important role in the lives of the Jurchens.Among the more distant Jurchen tribes to the east and north, hunting was even the main method of production.

The Jurchens usually hunt all kinds of wild animals in the mountains and forests from March to May in spring and July to October in autumn and make skins.For them, the horse was the main means of transportation and necessary for hunting.In the Jurchen tribe, rich families raise horses in groups of thousands, and ordinary households also have more than ten horses.Therefore, the Jurchens are good at riding and shooting, and love hunting.

Although Jurchen aristocrats like Wanyan Moulianghu no longer need to hunt for food by themselves, they still use hunting as a means of military training and entertainment, and they still invite friends to hunt in the mountains and forests from time to time .

This was an opportunity to make friends with the Jurchen nobles and get to know the children of the Jurchen clan. Of course, Ximen Qing had no reason to refuse. After hearing the words, he immediately agreed.

"Gushen, tomorrow I will go hunting on the mountain, I will invite Wuben to accompany you, you can invite Wuye and Talan to accompany you!" Wanyan Moulianghu said to Wanyan Gushen.

"Okay, I'm going to invite Wuye and Talan. Brother Ximenqing, you can rest well tonight, and tomorrow I will ride a horse and climb mountains and waters!" Wanyan Gushen instructed Ximenqing.

The mountains in eastern Liaodong are quite different from those in Shandong and Hebei, and Wanyan Gushen's kind reminder is not unreasonable.In addition, Ximen Qing still had something on his mind, so after drinking a few more drinks, Ximen Qing got up to bid farewell to Wanyan Moulianghu, left Wanyan Moulianghu's village with his men and the ten Mongolian slaves, and returned to his camp .

Ximenqing's business camp lived next to the camps of Song officials such as Ma Zheng.When Ximen Qing led the team back to the camp, Ma Zheng and his son and Hu Yanqing saw that Ximen Qing was good at dancing with long sleeves, freely dealing with the Jurchen nobles of the Jin Kingdom, and asked the important minister of the Jin Kingdom, Wanyan Moulianghu, to give him many slaves and good horses in return. Secretly stunned, he admired Ximen Qing even more.

Ximenqing went to Ma Zheng's tent, chatted with Ma Zheng, Ma Kuo, and Hu Yanqing for a while, and after exchanging information about the Jurchen clan nobles of Jin Kingdom he had seen, he returned to his camp.

Walking into the tent, Ximen Qing called Jiao Ting to his side, and after whispering a few words to him, he asked him to call the Mongolian slave shepherd Sai Yin Jin outside the tent into the tent, and then took the other nine Mongolian slaves to the camp. Li settled down and asked them to help the ranch's men take care of the collected horses from now on.Ximen Qing specifically said to Jiao Ting that these new slaves were of barbarian background, so guards should be arranged to keep an eye on them to avoid accidents.

Jiao Ting took the order and retreated with the guards. After a while, the Mongolian slave herdsman Sai Yin walked into Ximen Qing's big tent alone anxiously.

"My slave Sai Yin's Jin, come, pour tea for your new master Ximen Qing." Ximen Qing sat by the table, pointed to the teapot and tea bowls on the table, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, and looked at Sai Yin's Jin. Pay the road.

"Yes, the villain will be here soon." Sai Yin trotted up to Ximen Qing, picked up the teapot from the table, and filled a bowl of tea for Ximen Qing.

"Sai Yin's Jin, as my slave, you should answer 'yes, master'. This is the first time today, so I forgive you, remember to respond to the master next time, do you understand?" Ximen Qing finished speaking After that, he drank the tea in the teacup in one gulp, and the smile on the corner of his mouth grew stronger.

"Yes... yes, master..." Sein replied in a low voice while holding the teapot.

Ximen Qing put down the tea bowl, picked up a small bottle from the table, and said to Sai Yin's Jin, "My slave Sai Yin's Jin, today you were whipped by that Jurchen warrior to wipe the dust off your master's boots. Does the wound still hurt? Master here has a bottle of the best golden sore medicine brought by the Song Dynasty, and I give you a reward. You take off your shirt and apply this wound medicine yourself!"

"Ah~ this... lord~ master... I..." Sai Yin's heart became more awkward for a moment, he suddenly reached out a hand to grab the bottle of golden sore medicine, put it in his arms, and then pointed at Ximen Qing knelt down and thanked the master, thanking the master for the medicine! The injury of the villain is nothing to worry about, the master does not need to worry. This~ the tea is a bit cold, the villain is going to warm the tea for the master.

Sai Yin looked like a frightened deer, got up and was about to leave the tent with the copper teapot in his hand.

"Stop! My slave Saiyin, the master didn't let you back down, how dare you leave without authorization? You come over and look me in the eyes, and answer the master's question truthfully." Ximen Qing sat up straight, majestically Said to the little shepherd.