Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 72 The Discovery of Canglang Gorge
The damaged carriage has been repaired.

Among the various signs of fighting in the valley, those that were too characteristic of the Feng'anzhuang tribe were also cleaned up.

Yang Can did not require them to carry out a thorough cleanup, because it was unnecessary.

They've already arrived here, but if they're concealing the matter of the armor, since it only involves a dozen or so people, perhaps that's still possible.

However, it was absolutely impossible to conceal the fact that they had been to Canglang Gorge.

Yang Can simply instructed everyone to clean up and erase the traces of Feng'an Village's involvement in the ambush.

Once everything was settled, Yang Can told them to wait outside the mountain pass.

Yang Can, along with the few martial arts instructors left for him by Leopard Head, remained where he was.

After quite some time, the rest of the pedestrians caught up.

By this time, the situation in Canglang Gorge had already settled, so Yang Can did not let them enter the valley and had them wait outside as before.

After a long while, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from afar in the canyon.

Yang Can immediately led the group of guards to hide behind a series of large trees.

Upon seeing a group of people galloping out of the canyon, led by Leopard Head, they emerged from behind the trees.

"Master Yang, Da Kuan has lived up to expectations."

Leopard Head excitedly spoke to Yang Can, patting the buttocks of a person perched on his saddle.

The man lay limply on the horse's back; judging from his clothing, he was probably a herdsman of the Xianbei ethnic group.

Leopard Head also led a horse, with a person riding on its back.

These people were tied to the horses with lassos or belts so that they would not fall off due to the bumpy ride.

But Leopard Head raised his hand and pushed the corpse off the horse before dismounting.

Kang Zhengyang and others arrived shortly afterward, each leading an extra horse, with a corpse on its back.

Yang Can asked Leopard Head with concern, "Da Kuan, did they manage to escape alive?"

Kang Zhengyang quickly replied, "Master, no one escaped. We brought back all the shepherds we found."

Leopard Head continued, "There are no herdsmen camping here because we're near a mountain pass, but their camp shouldn't be far away."

Kang Zhengyang kicked the corpse beside him and said, "This man was herding sheep with his two sons. When he saw that there were only two of us, my nephew and I, he tried to kill us and steal our horses."

His nephew excitedly chimed in, "We searched separately, me and my uncle together. My uncle made one move, and none of the three of them escaped, hahaha."

The people of the Balimo tribe do not usually live together in groups.

Because they need to graze their livestock, and a certain area of ​​grassland can only support a limited number of cattle and sheep.

Therefore, the herders of the Balimo tribe usually go to different places to graze their livestock in units of "tents".

In areas with particularly abundant water and grass, two or three tents, or even three or four tents, may graze together.

However, they are all related by blood, which helps to reduce conflicts.

"Well done!"

Yang Can was overjoyed and said, "Immediately spread them out around, right next to the corpses of those who ran the mountain goods, and put a few of them wrestling together, quick!"

At Yang Can's command, Kang Zhengyang, Leopard Head, and the others immediately got to work.

This was not difficult at all, and they completed the deployment in no time.

Yang Can checked and saw that there were no flaws left, so he said to Kang Zhengyang, "Kang Quzhang, take the people outside back to the manor first."

As Yang Can spoke, he pointed to a piece of battle skirt and a shawl that had been specially left for Kang Zhengyang on the ground.

That was part of a suit of armor.

"Take these two things back with you as well."

After returning to the village, you should take them to Phoenix Manor immediately.

As for the specifics, you should already know, right?

"understand!"

This was a strategy they had discussed beforehand, and Kang Zhengyang naturally knew what to say to the clan leader.

He agreed and led several of Cheng family soldiers out of the valley.

Their four truckloads of agricultural products were left unattended; these items could not be taken back, otherwise it would create a loophole.

As Kang Zhengyang walked, he pondered, "The manor lord calls Leopard Head 'Da Kuan,' but I'm called Kang Qu Chang. It's clear there's a difference in how close we are."

He didn't find anything wrong with this form of address; in fact, he felt it suited his identity perfectly.

But now that there's a secret that requires them to share the burden of execution, he doesn't feel comfortable listening to it anymore.

Master Zhuang, actually... even if you just call me "Little Kang," it would be appropriate.

However, he wouldn't say such things to Yang Can right now.

He didn't want to say it in front of Cheng Dakuan, that that bastard had never gotten along with him since childhood, and that he would definitely laugh at him if he saw him.

After Kang Zhengyang and his men left, Yang Can's expression turned serious. He said to Leopard Head, "Now it's just you, me, and a few of your relatives left here. We need to get rid of these armors."

Leopard Head said, "Master Yang, there are only two options for dealing with these armors: hide them or destroy them. What do you think we should do?"

Yang Can pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, it would be best to destroy it..."

Leopard Head was very reluctant to hear this; how could a martial artist not love armor?

Leopard Head cupped his hands and said, "Master Yang, I think we should hide this batch of armor."

"Oh?"

"This armor is made of both iron plates and leather, so it's not easy to burn it, and once it leaves a mark, it's even harder to clean it up."

Yang Can nodded; this was indeed a problem.

Leopard Head said, "Why don't we hide it? It might be useful in the future..." As he spoke, Leopard Head's eyes lit up.

One hundred suits of armor represent one hundred armored cavalrymen, equivalent to a heavy main battle tank group in this era.

One hundred armored cavalrymen—what a terrifying and destructive force that was.

One hundred armored cavalrymen could deal with three to five times the number of unarmored cavalrymen.

This was not only because the horses and riders of the unclothed cavalry were no match for the lances and sabers of the armored cavalry.

It is also due to its overwhelming defensive capabilities, powerful psychological deterrence, and absolute advantage in impact.

Of course, light cavalry were not entirely useless.

If terrain and tactics can be cleverly utilized, even infantry have ways to counter cavalry, let alone light cavalry.
However, this also shows the great value of these one hundred sets of armor.

While a "sharp blade" is indispensable, a "heavy hammer" is equally important.

At least in crucial moments of head-on confrontation, armored cavalry are uniquely useful.

"Um……"

Yang Can was greatly tempted, and he was also reluctant to destroy these armors.

Historical records specifically mention that Nurhaci started his rebellion with thirteen suits of armor.

If armor weren't so crucial, historical records wouldn't need to specifically emphasize the quantity of armor he possessed when he raised his army.

He now possesses ninety-nine complete sets of armor and one set that is missing only two pieces.

Hand it in?
That's impossible.

destroyed?

Who would be willing to do that?

"Very good, let's find a place to hide the armor first."

The group unloaded the horses from the farm carts and then drove four horse-drawn carriages loaded with armor out of the valley.

By this time, Kang Zhengyang had already taken the people outside away.

Yang Can and his group left Canglang Gorge and walked more than ten miles along the foot of the mountain before entering a small mountain pass.

Fearing that rainwater seepage would damage the armor, they chose a slope and began digging.

They first dug a large enough cave to store the armor, then laid lacquered cloth underneath and stacked the armor pieces one by one.

Then cover it with a tarpaulin, and then cover it with soil, pressing it down tightly so that it is completely airtight.

Because of the favorable terrain, the soil layer was thick enough to prevent rainwater from seeping in.

With the added protection of the lacquered cloth, these armors could be hidden here for a long time.

Once all this is done, smooth the surface of the soil with tree branches, and there shouldn't be any major problems.

Once the sun shines and the soil dries, it will no longer be noticeable.

Ten days or half a month later, the weeds will grow back, and by then, no one but them will be able to find this place again.

After the armor was buried, Yang Can, Leopard Head, and their group left.

When they reached a raging river, they dismantled and smashed the four trucks, throwing all the broken parts into the river.

Even the saddle and bridle were dismantled and smashed, thrown into the rolling river.

Leopard Head carefully examined the horses he brought back: "Master Yang, these horses don't have any special branding marks."

Yang Can shook his head and said, "No, we shouldn't do that. We can't let a small thing ruin the big picture. Untie the reins and let the horse go."

Even without any markings, it's inevitable that someone close to its owner will recognize it; at least the old horse knows its owner.

It's better to be safe than sorry; he can't leave anything with major flaws.

Let's just untie the reins and let it become a wild horse, wandering around.

Left with no other choice, Leopard Head had to unsaddle the horses pulling the cart and release them back into the wild.

……

At this moment, Ba Limo was drinking with an unexpected distinguished guest.

Even the unruly Balimo had to be extremely respectful and all smiles in front of this distinguished guest.

Because this guest's name was Tuoba Junxie, and he was Tuoba Wuyan's younger brother.

The Tufa tribe is one of the four most powerful tribes of the Xianbei people today, with more than two thousand archers.

The tribe of Balimo is only a quarter the size of the others, so how could we not treat them as honored guests?

However, the two tribes do not usually have any contact.

Now that Tuoba Junxie has suddenly brought more than thirty people to his tribe, Balimo feels quite uneasy.

After several rounds of drinks, seeing that the bald-headed falcon was in high spirits, he pulled up his sleeve and asked with a smile:

"Lord Falcon Demon, you have traveled a great distance to visit my tribe. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Haha, Lord Balim, don't worry."

The bald-headed Falcon Demon was in his early thirties, and although not tall, he was extremely robust.

He didn't use a knife; he just grabbed a large piece of mutton with the bone in his hands, sprinkled some fine salt on it, and buried half his face in the meat, eating until his cheeks were greasy.

Upon hearing Balimo's words, he put down the mutton, grabbed a bowl of mare's milk wine, took a big gulp, and laughed, "Lord Balimo, I bought some silk and porcelain from the east."

He grabbed a few more pieces of milk curd and popped them into his mouth, mumbling, "These are all birthday gifts for my older brother, so I had to come and receive them in person."

Upon hearing this, Ba Limo felt relieved.

So that's how it is. I thought something terrible was about to happen. Thank goodness! Thank goodness!

(End of this chapter)