Tongde Prefecture is the last border town in Dakang on the west side, and it has also been extended to the plateau.

Together with the nearby cities such as Guinan, Guide, Zeku, Tongren, etc., it firmly controlled the road to central Gansu.

Although this is a plateau and the terrain is relatively steep, there is no terrain to guard here except the city, so these adjacent cities are very strongly built and support each other.

If you fight one by one, it will be very difficult and labor-intensive.

Therefore, during the invasion last year, the Uighurs did not consume their troops or time here at all, but instead rushed directly into Gansu's abdomen from the sea east to the north.

Although there were also attacks around Tongde Mansion, it was mostly restrained.

In the subsequent battle, several cities such as Tongde Prefecture also sent tens of thousands of troops to support the battle, but the Uighurs and Western Qiang were dominant in the overall situation, and such an army of about 50,000 was defeated.

So now, Huang Feiyang led 30,000 elite troops to Tongde City, ready to pick up Liu Mingqi and the others at any time.

There are eight tribes in the small tribe alliance. These small tribes are fusion tribes, including Uighurs, Zhaoxin, Western Qiang, Tubo, etc.

Therefore, their beliefs are also diverse, and in general, they still believe in the immortal heaven on the grassland.

In fact, a hundred years ago, they were not such a complex ethnic group.

Originally, they lived around Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake, which were almost a thousand miles away from Tongde Mansion. Unfortunately, for nearly a hundred years, the Uighurs have occupied that piece of water and grassland. They were forced to move eastward and lived in hills and mountains and forests two hundred miles away from Tongde Mansion.

During the migration process, they absorbed a lot of people from all ethnic groups, thus forming such a complex situation.

Because of the war last year, many small tribes collapsed and went everywhere to seek stronger tribes, so their population changed from 120,000 to 170,000 last year.

It is precisely because of so many people that the small tribal alliance has become even short of food and is almost unable to survive.

As soon as he heard that any transactions had been banned this year, the Small Tribe Alliance immediately decided to just join Dakang.

In this way, at least you can get more guarantees and have enough food, and you won’t starve to death in winter.

After saying this, Huo Quba said with great gratitude: "Fortunately, our transaction ended last spring. Otherwise, in the winter of the previous few months, we would probably have starved to death by 30,000 to 50,000 people and a large number of livestock were killed or injured!"

The business of the Yiwang Mansion and the Small Tribe Alliance is usually settled in September of the first year, and then before the ice is frozen, each will be delivered, and then all the delivery will be completed around February of the following year.

This benefit is that in early spring, the grassland has not recovered yet, so the transaction will be more confidential, thereby reducing the risk of leakage.

This was naturally the case last year.

Liu Mingqi was curious when she heard this, “Is the winter blizzard so serious?”

"It's even more serious than you think." Huo Qu said with a bitter face: "At least I have never seen such a severe blizzard in the past twenty years. It's overwhelming and endless! We've all calculated that other tribes, such as a Zhaniu tribe, have more than 7,000 people in total. After a blizzard, they all died completely... They were only discovered in January this year, which was so miserable!"

Liu Mingjing smiled, "Where are the Uighur tribe headquarters and the Western Qiang? How are their casualties and injuries?"

"I don't know this. It will take until April and May that the caravans will start trading everywhere before the news can come." Huo Quba said: "It's better for them to have cities, they can hide in the city to resist the wind and rain. But those without cities should not be much better than ours, right? On the grassland, poor families still occupy the majority, and the nobles are the minority!"

Liu Mingjing originally wanted to say that the more these people die, the better, but when he heard this, he felt that it was too cruel to say so, so he smiled embarrassedly and didn't say anything more.

Liu Mingqi said, "So, if you stay on the grassland, will there be more small tribes coming to surrender?"

"In theory, this is the case. After all, we have been doing well over the years." Huo Quba said: "Except for the 50,000 people we took in, dozens of tribes have come to inquire, and they all have this meaning!

But firstly, we really don’t have that much resources and food, and secondly, if we collect too much, we will inevitably be suspicious of the Uighurs headquarters, so that we can come directly to eliminate us, plunder women, children, and leave.

So we can't do this, and we need to beware of the Uighurs at all times, for fear that they will know that our little life is good, so we will burn, kill and loot regardless of the scattered... This is also the reason why we want to surrender to Dakang."

After a pause, he said, "We have heard from merchants from all over the country, "Your Majesty, you have found a divine object called 'sweet potato', which can ensure that everyone is not hungry!"

This is why the small tribe alliance really wants to join Dakang.

Before Liu Mingqi could speak, Liu Mingjing over there said, "You are very brave. There are only 120,000 people in total, but they dare to take in 50,000 people?"

"Of course it was not gathered together." Huo Quba said: "We broke up all the dozen tribes according to the population of each tribe, so that the harm can be avoided. Prince, you don't know that this kind of thing actually goes on the grassland. After every major disaster, such things happen. Uighurs and Western Qiang started with this.

It is precisely because they started this way that they are always wary of others being the same as them. It’s okay for us to have a loose alliance of more than 100,000 people. Those slightly larger tribes may be framed by them anytime and anywhere, and then directly destroyed them to enrich their population and supplies.”

"The survival of the jungle on the grassland is really not a bit of benevolence, righteousness and morality." Liu Mingqi shook her head and said, "But don't worry, leader of Huo Quba, you can definitely get ten times more guarantee than on the grassland, at least at least. We will not let you starve to death in disasters and freeze to death!"

"Thank you, Prince!"

Huo Quba laughed so hard that he couldn't stop, "Everyone is waiting for the prince to solve the problem! This time I'm asking you, Prince, but don't blame us, the rough people in the mountains. It's really hard to get away from our hometown. Everyone feels very uncomfortable and a little panic!"

"It's understandable." Liu Mingqi said indifferently.

"If everything goes well, how many days can you get a village to start moving?" Liu Mingjing asked afterwards.

"We all have some preparations. At the earliest, we should be able to gather all of them in half a month, and then go to Tongde Mansion." Huo Quba said in a deep thought: "The journey here is not very long. It can be reached in about ten days, and at the latest it will be in mid-April."

"Um……"

Liu Mingjing nodded slightly.

This is a reasonable time.

Several ethnic groups want to completely give up everything around them for migration, which is undoubtedly a huge project, and cannot be careless or hasty.

If they say they can get rid of people today, that would be unreliable.

Liu Mingqi asked: "Have you ever thought about it? If the Uighurs find out about the news that we came here and their army suddenly arrived, what should you do?"

"There is no possibility now." Huo Quba smiled, "Look at the road under your feet, it's a bit hard now! This is the situation after the snow melts! The Uighur headquarters is still a thousand miles northwest here. At Zaling Lake and Eling Lake, their situation is even worse. If you want to sort out your own mess, it will probably take April and May. By that time, we have already left."

In the harsh natural environment, these grassland tribes have very weak resistance, much weaker than Dakang.

So the consideration of Huo Quba is also very reliable.

Liu Mingqi and Liu Mingjing didn't care much.

Because according to Liu Mingqi's plan, once they arrive at the small tribe alliance, the hot air balloons must float in the sky dozens of miles away every day, and be careful whether there are any enemy attacks at any time.

The dangers on the grassland are even more fierce than those in the Northeast and must be careless.

However, they did not tell Huo Quba about this. It would be better to have some things that they own secrets, but others know too much, but it would be bad.

Liu Mingjing then asked, "You should not only have the population, how many horses have stored?"

"I knew you would ask these questions by your prince." Huo Quba laughed and said, "Horse horses are the foundation of our survival, how can we not want them? In fact, we have a very important condition for gathering this group of people, that is, they have enough good horses... They brought a total of 120,000 horses in 50,000 people. Although they are still very thin now, as long as they are well conditioned, they will definitely be first-class war horses, no worse than the elites of the Uighurs and the Western Qiang!"

"Very good!"

Liu Mingjing clapped his hands: "I need to have a good test. Lao Huo, don't lie to me, otherwise I will definitely send your Zhaling tribe to a remote countryside."

No wonder Liu Mingjing is happy.

What Dakang lacks the most now is elite war horses. If there are such a group of horses that can be put into battle immediately after a little adjustment, it will be very good to supplement the Dakang army.

To be honest, Dakang is now not worthy of the two horses of the Imperial Guards.

Huo Quba quickly promised: "No, no!"

Liu Mingqi also laughed, and then asked inadvertently: "By the way, Huo Quba Clan leader, our Dakang has a vast territory. Have you ever considered where to live?"

Huo Quba said without hesitation: "If possible, we want to stay away from war and release horses and sheep in the Guyuan area of ​​Gansu. The Hetao Plain is our favorite place to yearn for!"

"You really know how to choose places."

The boy burst into laughter.

Dakang actually occupied Ningxia in later generations, but did not have a separate province, but was under the jurisdiction of Gansu, and thus Gansu became the largest province in Dakang. Although the largest generally represents the poorest.

The Hetao Plain is around Huo Quba, but the Hetao Plain in this era is far from comparable to the Qin and Han dynasties in another era. It is just a pretty good grassland in the fortress.

On weekdays, there are actually seven horse farms in Dakang’s Ma Zheng, which is the most important horse farming area in Dakang.

When the Western Qiang and Uighurs came in, they rushed here as soon as possible. Fortunately, Dakang's early warning measures were done well and the horses were transferred as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

It is not surprising that the small tribe alliance has also taken a fancy to this place.

When Liu Mingqi heard their long-standing plans, she felt a little relieved.

Have a plan and know where you should go in the future.
Chapter completed!