Chapter 412: Barbarian Horses Follow, Out of the Dai Forest

Setting out from Beidi Commandery at the end of the third month, four months had slipped by before he knew it. On the paper Chen Ping carried with him, he had already drawn a great circle:

Xiao Pass to Huamachi, over 400 li; Huamachi to the Helan Grasslands, over 300 li; Helan to White Sheep, over 400 li; White Sheep to the "Kujie Sands" where the Loufan tribe dwelt, over 400 li...

Along the way, Chen Ping had endured considerable hardship, wind and sun. His fair face had nearly turned dark, only slightly less so than Heifu's. That was nothing; what weighed most heavily on his mind was entering the Kujie Sands.

People of the Central Plains are terrified of unfamiliar deserts. The Chu people, in "Summons of the Soul," imagined the desert's sights: "The perils of the west: leagues of shifting sands!"

The Chu people believed that beneath the shifting sands lay the dreadful Thunder Abyss; once swept in, a man's bones would rot and scatter. In the desert, the five grains cannot grow properly; only clumps of thatch grass serve as food. The sandy soil can roast a man alive, yet not a drop of water is to be found. Red ants as huge as elephants, black wasps as large as gourds — all around is an empty, deathly silent realm...

Chen Ping had also feared he would enter and never come out; his heart was somewhat resistant. But after truly entering the desert, Chen Ping discovered it was not nearly so exaggerated.

As long as they kept close to the great river, they would not lose their way, and had enough fresh water to quench their thirst. Their local Loufan guide also proudly told them that even in the deepest parts of the desert, he had many methods to find water in places that seemed utterly dry.

Plant roots and stems, the desert fox's stomach sac, even the camel's hump — all store water. Across this barren desert were scattered tens of thousands of Loufan farmers and herders, who had fled here after being defeated by the Zhao ruler. Like stars sprinkled across the night sky, they were spread throughout the sea of sand.

Like the White Sheep, they submitted to the Xiongnu Chanyu. Because the Loufan were skilled archers and could make strong bows from the local desert poplar, the Xiongnu called them "Angqinfu" — meaning bow slaves, hunting slaves. Every year, the Xiongnu Chanyu would take vast numbers of wooden bows and livestock from here, which was why the Loufan of the Henan lands remained destitute.

The main goods the local inhabitants could offer were camels. Wushi Yan bought several camels for Chen Ping to ride; on sand where horses easily sank, they moved as if on solid ground...

Chen Ping silently noted: "This region has much deep sand. Light carts coming and going still find it difficult. If a great army penetrates deep, transporting grain here will surely lead to bogging down. Switching to camels would be advisable."

Camels seem to walk slowly, yet in the desert, they are faster and steadier than carts and horses, and can carry considerable heavy loads.

After traveling for several days and crossing the great river, they finally left the desert. Before their eyes suddenly appeared a plain crisscrossed with waterways. The overwhelming green and forests made it hard for Chen Ping to imagine — this was actually north of the frontier?

This was the Xiongnu's richest, most fertile grassland: the Ordos Loop. Everywhere were white felt tents and flocks of sheep. Had Heifu been here, he probably would have recited another line: "Vast skies, boundless wilds; wind blows grass low, revealing cattle and sheep."

The great river slowed its pace here, leaving behind vast amounts of yellowish-brown silt. Chen Ping, who had farmed with his elder brother at home and knew a bit about judging soil, picked some up and tested it, finding it to be excellent land for tilling.

Wushi Yan said to Chen Ping: "It is said that decades ago, a Zhao king from the east once led troops here and even built a fortress on the Yin Mountains to the north, called Gaique Fortress."

"It must have been King Wuling of Zhao," Chen Ping understood. But this place was simply too far from Zhao's home territory. Moreover, with the Shaqiu Palace coup, Zhao's small outpost in the Ordos Loop was soon abandoned, and they retreated to the line of Yunzhong and Yanmen.

The Xiongnu tribes were most concentrated in the Ordos Loop. The Wushi caravan unhurriedly traded among the various tribes, spending over a month before leaving the Loop. Passing the ruins of Jiuyuan City, destroyed by the Xiongnu, Chen Ping sighed again with deep emotion.

"A once-mighty city, now ruined to this extent — lamentable, deplorable. The Beijia lands are even richer than the Henan lands: a thousand li of fertile wilderness, lush water and grass, soil suited to farming and herding. It would be right to rebuild the city and establish farming garrisons. This is the foundation of frontier defense!"

Yet Chen Ping also knew clearly that he was working for Heifu, Commandant of Beidi. Next year's objective still focused on Helan and the Henan lands. As for Beijia, that was Meng Tian of Yunzhong Commandery's target for conquest...

But gaining a comprehensive understanding of the Xiongnu was no bad thing. One who does not plan for the whole cannot plan well for a single part!

With this mindset, Chen Ping continued eastward. By late in the seventh month, they arrived at the Chanyu's royal court: Touman City.

The Xiongnu did not know how to ram earth or fire tiles. Touman City's bricks and tiles had been transported from Zhao's Jiuyuan City, and its scale was cramped. In Chen Ping's eyes, it was only equivalent to a small village town in the Central Plains. How could it live up to the name "Chanyu's Royal Court"?

Wushi Yan laughed heartily upon hearing this: "This little town is merely where the Xiongnu store bows, arrows, and grain; travelers are not permitted inside. The true Chanyu court is not within the city, but outside, beside the Dai Forest!"

After his explanation, Chen Ping finally understood that the Xiongnu did not reckon seasons by fixed times, but saw the greening and withering of grass as a year. They further used mare pregnancy, foaling, weaning and growth, and releasing foals back to the herd as the four seasonal markers of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

According to these four times, the Xiongnu held two major assemblies. The first was in summer, after the mares foaled, when they gathered at the ancestral Dragon City, where the Chanyu led the various chieftains in sacrificing to ancestors, Heaven and Earth, and spirits. This was the Xiongnu's most important and solemn ritual activity.

And in late seventh month, early eighth month, when the foals were weaned and growing, they assembled at the Dai Forest outside Touman City. This was an administrative assembly, its main purpose being to count population and livestock numbers and collect tribute.

Chen Ping understood: "Similar to the Central Plains' annual accounting. This is quite novel."

As it was early autumn, exactly the time for the Xiongnu's annual "Dai Forest Assembly," Wushi Yan took Chen Ping along to see the excitement.

"Touman Chanyu styles himself the Eagle of the Grasslands and likes to wear a golden-crowned eagle cap."

On the way, Wushi Yan also told Chen Ping stories about Touman Chanyu.

"It is said that Touman Chanyu's father once led over a hundred thousand Xiongnu into Zhao but was soundly defeated by a Zhao general. The Xiongnu fell into decline for a time, fracturing apart. But Touman Chanyu reunited the tribes, and in thirty years, the Xiongnu's strength has recovered to its former state."

This "recovered to its former state" was no empty claim. In the Helan Grasslands, at Prince Modu's wedding, Chen Ping had seen several thousand Xiongnu riders and thought that was already a great number. But now he discovered it was truly a case of a small witch meeting a great one.

Across the grasslands in every direction were Xiongnu galloping on horseback. Warriors rode lightly, leaping forward, while the old, young, and women drove cattle, sheep, and horses. In awe of Touman's might, tribes from near and far had all arrived, gathering a host of a hundred thousand. The livestock brought as tribute to the Chanyu was no less than this number.

The appearance of Chen Ping's group quickly drew the Xiongnu's attention. Ten patrolling riders galloped close, asking their purpose. Upon learning it was the Wushi caravan, they murmured among themselves briefly, then escorted them toward Touman Chanyu.

At the center of the withered yellow sea of grass was a great circle of felt tents, spread over a dozen li in circumference. The Xiongnu attending the assembly were encamped according to their positions. And beyond the felt tents, Chen Ping saw a patch of forest standing solitary on the grassland — this was the "Dai Forest."

A rumbling sound came, not distant thunder, but the tremor caused by countless horse hooves pounding the earth.

A ceremony was underway at the Dai Forest. Chen Ping was astonished to see thousands... no, likely over ten thousand riders on their fine horses, circling the Dai Forest clockwise at a gallop, whooping and whistling.

The Xiongnu were not in disorderly revelry but joined in succession according to the color of the horses they rode. The first to begin circling were the white horses. Then several thousand riders on dappled grays joined in. Next came the black horses and the sorrels, gathered together in turn, circling the forest three times before stopping.

As the horse hooves thundered and dust billowed, Chen Ping's expression shifted slightly. Setting aside that the number of these riders was already several times that of Qin's Beidi Commandery, the Xiongnu riders, though seemingly chaotic, were in fact orderly. He had thought such fearsome organization existed only in the Central Plains; he had not expected the Xiongnu could manage it too. Was it trained through their hunting and raiding?

He had no time to ponder. Wushi Yan patted him, saying that Touman Chanyu had summoned them. Chen Ping could act as his deputy and enter the Chanyu's tent together.

Touman Chanyu's great tent was exceptionally huge, its top adorned with various colorful decorations. Entering the tent, Xiongnu nobles lined both sides, and the Chanyu sat in the very center.

After entering, Chen Ping stole a glance. He saw the golden-crowned eagle cap upon the Chanyu's head. His braids, tied with bells, were graying, made glossy only by animal fat. His eyes were long and narrow, his skin as dark as polished bronze. He sat on a tiger skin, holding an ox-horn cup and drinking fermented mare's milk.

Chen Ping also noticed that in the seat of honor below the Chanyu, besides Xiongnu nobles, there also sat a middle-aged man in a high cap and broad sash, dressed in the Xia manner. His gaze was fixed intently on Wushi Yan's group, its meaning unclear.

A faint sense of foreboding stirred within him...

Wushi Yan put on a smile and was about to step forward to pay respects to Touman, with whom the Wushi clan had regularly traded over the past decade, and present his gifts.

But before he could speak, the high-capped, broad-sashed man from the Central Plains suddenly stood up and said in fluent Xiongnu:

"Chanyu, I have long said that these Qin merchants are all spies. Trading in Xiongnu is a pretense; probing our true state is their real aim. I ask the Chanyu to execute them!"

(End of Chapter)