Mount and Blade Central Asia

After a while, Huluchirjia and another man came over with a man with a bite wound on his thigh on a stretcher. Both of them had a look of empathy on their faces.

"Shaman Rufeng, his egg was bitten by a snake." Hulucierjia's voice became three times weaker, and his voice was so soft that Li Rufeng needed to get close to hear it clearly. The man who carried the stretcher with him was not in a much better condition, and fear was written all over his body.

As for the victim lying on the stretcher, the phrase "crying out in agony" might not be enough to describe his pain and inner sorrow. Just looking at his weak and mournful cries, you can tell that he must be in excruciating pain.

"What happened? How did you get bitten by a snake? Where is the snake? Is it poisonous?" Li Rufeng rarely dealt with this kind of injury. Although there were snakes on the grassland, they rarely came near the tribal camp where there were many horses. Therefore, no one had ever reported anyone being bitten by a snake all year round, especially in this location.

"It's a grass snake, not venomous, but it has two heads. I hit them both." Hulucierjia continued in a low voice, "I cut the snake in two and put it in a jar. Didn't you say that such things should not be seen by others..."

It took Li Rufeng a while to understand what Hulucierjia meant by "all hit". He couldn't help but gasp. He glanced at the man on the stretcher who was still groaning, and was immediately filled with awe. He didn't faint at all. He had a will of steel. Why don't you just call him Stalin from now on?

"Forget it, follow me into the tent." Li Rufeng called out to Bater, who immediately led Beren and Orus to prepare liquor and surgical instruments.

Bater is now a leader, and Beren and Orus listen to him. Bater plans to let them get used to Li Rufeng's living habits as soon as possible, and then free himself from daily chores so that he can learn more knowledge from Shaman Rufeng.

After entering the tent, Li Rufeng disinfected as usual, and then used a sharp dagger to cut open the other person's clothes and pants. Although such a leather robe is a valuable item for ordinary herdsmen, the wounded man obviously didn't care now. His mind was probably full of the scene of the chicken and the egg being broken.

hiss!

The sound of Hulucierjia taking a deep breath sounded behind Li Rufeng, like pulling a bellows.

"What are you still doing here? Get out!" Li Rufeng really didn't like having unsterilized people watching him while he was performing surgery. His already low survival rate from the surgery would drop further.

Hulucierjia laughed awkwardly, shrank his neck, and disappeared outside the tent with the man carrying the stretcher with him, leaving Sanxiao blinking behind, as if he didn't know whether he should stay or not.

"Orus, get out too! It's not time for you to see this kind of scene yet." Li Rufeng glanced at Orus, who was only nine years old but almost as tall as Beren. "Wait outside and watch the door. Don't let anyone in."

Li Rufeng continued to dismantle the clothes, and soon the wounded man's injuries were exposed. It was really... all of them were hit.

"Come in! Let me see the snake's corpse!" Li Rufeng knew without even thinking that the nosy Huluchirjia had not gone far, and was probably eavesdropping outside the tent.

"Here it comes!" As expected, Huluchirjia answered almost immediately, then held up an earthen jar and poured out the snake corpse inside.

The common grass-green snake is as long as an arm and is considered a rare large snake in this species. What is unusual is that it actually has two heads, which are split in a Y shape. It looks very natural, without any ugliness caused by birth defects, as if it was born that way.

Having seen a lot of weird things recently, Li Rufeng didn't even think that this thing was a bad sign. He just poked the snake's head with a dagger to make sure it was not pretending to be dead, and then opened the snake's mouth to check if there was any venom gland.

The good news is that it is still a grass snake and is not poisonous. The bad news is that the teeth of this thing are larger than those of ordinary grass snakes and can penetrate deep into the flesh. Moreover, as a carnivorous animal, the wounds caused by their bites are much more likely to become inflamed than wounds caused by swords and knives.

Maybe it would be safer to cut it off... But Li Rufeng really couldn't bring himself to do it. He had never performed such an operation. However, he heard that there were many experts in castration in the Delhi Sultanate in the southeast... But the patient might not agree. He was staring at Li Rufeng nervously, obviously afraid that he would sentence him to a life without balls.

"Rinse first." Li Rufeng gave a simple medical order, but he was unwilling to do it himself. He turned his head to look at Bater and Beren.

Bater then looked at Beren, who subconsciously looked to the other side and found that the younger Oulus had been called out, so he had to start doing the dirty work himself...

At this moment, screams began to ring out outside, so much so that even the wounded on the boat looked out of the tent with expectant eyes, as if they wanted to find someone to share their sorrow.

The author says:

Author's words: I have only just logged into the author's backend... I have been seeing page errors before and have been contacting the administrator. It's a bit frustrating.

Chapter 67: Snake Plague?

"Someone has found more snakes, there are snakes everywhere!" One of Li Rufeng's personal soldiers looked embarrassed. It was obvious that the warriors on the grassland were also helpless in the face of this situation.

Li Rufeng walked towards the place where the screams were the loudest and soon met

The crowd was slowly retreating, with men and women protecting their children and moving backwards. When they saw Li Rufeng, they subconsciously made way for him, allowing him to appear in the front smoothly.

What appeared before him was a sea of ​​snakes. Countless snakes almost covered the grassland. In the light of the fire and the moon, when these cold-blooded animals squirmed their bodies forward, it looked as if the grassland itself was moving.

Perhaps because of the climate, or perhaps because of their fear of human groups, the snakes did not advance very quickly, so these herdsmen were able to retreat in an orderly manner and did not directly blow up the camp. However, the snakes were obviously becoming increasingly aggressive and were expanding their distribution area.

"Are they all grass snakes?" Li Rufeng took a quick look at the types of snakes in the group and found that they were almost all non-venomous grass snakes. The threat was not actually that big. What was really frightening was the implication of the appearance of the snake group.

In the minds of most civilized groups, the rejection of cold-blooded animals comes from instinct, and snakes are the best among them.

It may be the only apodemus that humans can often see in daily life, which is large enough to threaten their own safety, and its famous snake venom has been passed down with human civilization.

Li Rufeng inexplicably recalled the voice of the person who occupied Wu Sali's body and harassed him. Today's scene was probably created by the other party specifically to annoy him.

Could a sizable snake swarm cause any substantial damage to these fierce Mongols? Of course not, but this incident could indeed shake Li Rufeng's ruling position, almost a kind of reverse auspicious existence.

It might be a bit too discriminatory to call it a bad omen, but there seems to be no other explanation for such a large group of snakes, unless... there is a knowledgeable scammer who can turn bad things into good things.

Li Rufeng, on the other hand, happened to be from the magical East, a country with the deepest knowledge of the value of snakes. Not only were they well versed in using snakes for medicinal purposes, stewing them in soup, and extracting their meat, but they also strictly required their chefs to ensure the freshness of the snake meat...

"Ahem!" Li Rufeng was stunned for only a few seconds before he found the feeling. He bravely approached the snake group. Relying on his good basic attributes and agility, he made a lightning-fast move and caught a grass snake that looked not very smart but was very strong from the front of the snake group.

"Look! Changshengtian sees that you have worked hard to migrate the tribe, so he bestows blessings on you!" Li Rufeng lifted the stupid snake high up and took a few steps back away from the snake group.

As soon as Bater heard Li Rufeng's tone, he understood Li Rufeng's purpose and quickly moved a wooden box from the cart next to him so that Shaman Rufeng could give full play to his firepower.

There were constant whispers in the crowd. Mirzan and Guder were among them, waiting for Li Rufeng's follow-up. First, it was the invisible archer, then the black sheep cavalry, and then the sudden appearance of the snake group. Although these two nobles from large tribes were knowledgeable, they had never dealt with such things. At this time, Li Rufeng's calm performance made them all more honest.

"I say, these aren't ordinary snakes. They're gifts from Tengri. They're treasures your deceased relatives and friends begged for you on the Tengri grasslands!" Li Rufeng reached out, pulled a dagger from his waist, and cut off the snake's head with one stroke, letting the blood flow down his arm. "Snake blood nourishes the body, making you stronger and less prone to illness. It's even more flavorful when mixed with wine! Bring it to me, and for every five kilograms (Note 1), I'll exchange it for a bag of salt or other valuables of equal value!"

"Snake meat!" Li Rufeng whipped the snake's still-reactive body straight as if whipping it. "This is boneless fish meat! It can be used to make soup! Every five kilograms, exchange it for a bag of salt, or other valuables of equal value!"

"Snake skin! It's a precious medicinal material. Peel it off completely, dry it, and bring it to me. Every ten pieces can be exchanged for a bag of salt or other property of equal value!" Li Rufeng certainly didn't have such a complicated skill as skinning. He just announced his demand for these raw materials.

"And the snake gallbladders! Bring them to me intact. They're our gift to Tengri!" Li Rufeng finally remembered there was such a good thing as snake gallbladders, but he really didn't know which part of the snake's body the gallbladder belonged to, nor did he know what it looked like. He decided to let his subordinates worry about it themselves. At least they should use their brains to show their piety...

"Also, before dawn, Tengri will take back his gifts. You must hurry. He doesn't want others to know that he favors one tribe over another. That would cause jealousy, and jealousy is humanity's original sin. We should stay away from it as much as possible." Li Rufeng tossed the snake corpse to Bater, then gracefully jumped off the box. He clapped his hands and said to the crowd, "Let's get started! You can get your gifts now. Quantities are limited, so first come, first served."

Perhaps throughout the history of the Mughals, except for Ali Sultan (Note 2) who was deceived into promoting the Islamic faith, they had never experienced such a baptism. For a while, there were crowds of people, like old ladies receiving free eggs, and almost swept Rufeng Shaman into the snake group.

"Do you think he is talking nonsense, or is this true?" Old man Guder, with a goatee, looked at the group of snakes trapped in the crowd and seemed somewhat helpless. There was obvious confusion in his eyes, and he turned to Milzan, who was a little smarter, for help.

"If I knew, you would have to call me Shaman from now on." Mirzan looked at the enthusiastic crowd around him and was convinced. "No matter whether he is real or fake, Gudie

Father, please ask your sons to help us catch a few snakes. What if it is real? This is a gift from Tengri, and I also want to taste the taste of snake meat.

"I have to let them catch more, otherwise it will be embarrassing when I go to Shaman Rufeng to exchange salt tomorrow. Just watch, this matter is not that simple." Gu Dier accidentally pulled out a few hairs and frowned in pain.

Mirzan glanced at Guder with some surprise, and cursed him in his heart as an old fox.

The charming Lady Medinatah sent her maid to inquire about the situation, but she didn't show up. She had already jumped out of this circle of power, so it was not worth it.

Only Huluchirjia, who had been working hard to catch more than fifty snakes in one night, waited outside Li Rufeng's tent all night, just wanting to have a taste of the shaman's private meal.

The author says:

Author's Note: Note 1 - I have not yet found any accurate information on the unit of weight used in this area during this time period. The only documented unit is the dirham, a unit of weight used in coinage. 1 dirham is approximately equal to 3.072 grams, and the dirham unit varies depending on the country of use. The "dirham" was a currency used by the Mongols of the Ilkhanate. Its full name is the Tabrik dirham, which is also the source of this conversion data. It is 4% lighter than the classical Islamic dirham and was used by the Ottoman Empire until the end of the 17th century.

Note 2 - "Sultan" means "Sultan". Early translations were different, but some names, such as Ali Sultan, were not fully Islamic in culture due to the particularity of their time. Therefore, later books did not use the name "Ali Sultan". This name is still used to distinguish it from the many other Ali Sultans...

There is no more after 12 o'clock. I will write it during the day tomorrow. I feel a little sleepy.

Chapter 68: New Territory, New Rules

The journey was not smooth, but it finally came to an end on the fifth day. From here, we entered the area directly controlled by Li Rufeng's troops.

According to Li Rufeng's incomplete observations and statistics, there were at least 6,000 to 8,000 people living in the land ruled by his small tribe of just over 400 people who were not counted as subjects of the Timurid Khanate. Most of them were Arabs, and there were also some Kurds, mixed-race Armenians, and Circassians.

When the old Sultan was still alive, these people were almost free slaves to him and the country he founded. Their only mission was to pay taxes. The local Diwan didn't care whether they lived or died, as long as they didn't get in the way and didn't rebel.

The Tumed Wanhu led by Duosite is used to ensure that the order here is always carried out according to the will of the Sultan. When collecting taxes, they ensure that no one dares to resist paying taxes. When there is any unrest around, they are also the ones who purge the rebels.

Because of the fighting capacity and rapid deployment capability of the Mongols, as well as Dost's deliberate connivance, in the past decade or so, these dirty works were actually mainly done by the Mongols.

Especially in the year when the old Sultan just died, the Mongol cavalry was like a group of hungry wolves, constantly attacking and slaughtering those aborigines who were restless. Even the small tribe where Li Rufeng was located had fifty men temporarily mobilized to kill people outside.

In short, the contradiction between the two sides is profound, their ideologies are opposed, and their interests are in conflict...

Fortunately, the old shaman and Li Rufeng, the two shamans who were in charge of the tribe, were both enlightened. At least in the area directly controlled by Li Rufeng, the relationship between Li Rufeng's tribe and the indigenous people was relatively harmonious.

Most of the indigenous people knew that the Eastern Shaman of Li Rufeng's tribe was a kind and reasonable person who rarely fought against others and was willing to help mediate the relationship between them and other Mongol tribes.

Therefore, when Li Rufeng returned with a large number of Mongols, representatives of the local indigenous people had already been waiting in the distance. They were undoubtedly worried about the increasing number of Mongols in the area, because the nomadic Mongols were what they called Mongolian masters, and a Mongolian master needed the land owned by at least a hundred farming peasants to ensure that his herds had enough space to move around.

The land controlled by Li Rufeng is large enough, and the total population is less than 10,000. Even if the population increases a hundred times, there will not be a phenomenon of sheep eating people. But don’t think that the Mongol herdsmen appear pious and simple in front of him. They are synonymous with wolves to the indigenous people of this land.

Of course, saying this is actually unfair to the Mughals. If we have to say who are the indigenous inhabitants of this land, we may have to trace it back to the Sumerians and Assyrians. Among the ethnic groups living here now, only the Kurds can be considered as such. The others are all latecomers.

But at this stage, the new conqueror is the Timurid Khanate, and the Mughals are the representatives of the Khanate here.

"Rufeng, during the few days you were away, Mengge and his men were plundering money and food in their own territory. This time you brought back so many people from the tribe. These people are uneasy and have to see you to feel at ease." Wuerhun rode his horse to Li Rufeng with two tribal militiamen, and said this directly without avoiding the noble of the Taierba tribe next to him.

Wuerhun didn't learn anything else from the old shaman, but he learned 80% of the skills of judging the situation. He had already learned everything about Li Rufeng's affairs in the Taierba tribe from Habashibuhua, and knew that there would be no resistance from the Taierba tribe this time.

, everyone from top to bottom was convinced.

This time, he took the initiative to send people to find the representatives of the indigenous people. On the one hand, it prevented them from feeling uneasy and causing trouble. On the other hand, it also allowed him to put local affairs openly in front of the nobles of the Taierba tribe, so that they would know the rules of Rufeng Shaman and not bring the "bad habits" they brought from the old tribe to the new tribe.

Over the years, Wuerhun has become accustomed to cooperating with the old shaman, helping him to reject some invitations that are difficult to refuse and warn some dignitaries that are difficult to warn. This time is no exception.

Since the death of the old shaman in the entire tribe, Wuerhun can be said to be the person who knows Li Rufeng best in the world. This shaman from the Ming Dynasty is not a Mongolian at all, so he is not very interested in some of the privileges of the Mongolians.

Wuerhun saw it very clearly. He just happened to be taken in by the old shaman and settled here casually. His ability was proportional to his ambition, and he cherished the chess pieces he could use.

Li Rufeng's tribe and Taierbahe's tribe were both his chess pieces, as were the indigenous tribes living on this land. The only difference was that the Mongols were horses, and those people were just pawns, with the most value.

But there is no reason for one's own horse to step on one's own pawn. It is a bit inappropriate for Li Rufeng to say some things proactively. It would be more appropriate to ask the right person, at the right occasion, and in the right way to bring it up.

For example, right now, Wuerhunla has brought representatives from a nearby indigenous settlement and told all the Mongol nobles that someone is collecting money from their territory, which makes them feel uneasy and they want to seek peace of mind from Shaman Rufeng...

Wuerhun not only expressed the surprise of Li Rufeng's tribe at the looting behavior of Mengge and others, but also said that when such things happened in the past, Rufeng Shaman would personally appease the indigenous people. He also pointed out the relationship between Li Rufeng's tribe and the local indigenous people, as well as their way of doing things.

Li Rufeng can use both attack and defense to criticize Wuerhun, in order to win the trust and support of the people of Taierbahe tribe. Wuerhun will then understand that Shaman Rufeng's focus in the future will be on the Mongols. If he retreats, he can take the opportunity to warn the people of Taierbahe tribe about his own rules, and then discuss new conditions with the representatives of the indigenous people. He can advance and retreat at the same time, which is very comfortable.

In fact, it was true. Li Rufeng had never thought that the nominal chief of his tribe had such vision. He felt relieved. Before, he was still complaining on the road that he had too few talented people under his command. Now it seems that it is not an exaggeration to give Wuerhun the title of Wanhu with his talent.

Good job, be rewarded!

Li Rufeng turned around and said to the nobles of the Taierbahe tribe with a smile on his face, "Since we have met, please come with me to check out the situation. Don't let our Mongolians down."

Mirzan and Guder looked at each other. Apart from the two of them, the rest of the so-called nobles were just heads of large families with dozens more sheep and a few more sons, or they were old soldiers who had fought with the old Sultan and made a fortune from the spoils of war.

Obviously, the people Li Rufeng really invited were the two of them.

The author says:

Author's Note: There will be another chapter soon

Chapter 69: Were you so brave before?

The three representatives of different ethnic groups who came to meet Li Rufeng were the Arab Ibn Khaldun, the Kurdish leader Saladin Muhet, and Piri Reyes, who was elected as the representative of the Armenians, Circassians and Ottomans.

The more interesting thing is that Piri Reyes is an Ottoman and may have been a nobleman in the past. Li Rufeng has met him several times. Although the other party tried to conceal it, his behavior and personal belongings that he inadvertently showed did not seem like something that could be found in a small gathering place.

The old shaman said that Piri Reyes might have been Bayezid's guard. Too ashamed to return to the Ottoman Empire, he stayed here under an assumed name. He had once offered the old shaman a precious ruby ​​in exchange for the Mughals' protection and tolerance.

Piri Reyes was a well-known "lord" in the region. He had six veterans of the same age as him under his command. He was capable of protecting nearby civilians from wild beasts and bandits, and rarely collected protection fees. He was also on good terms with the Mughals, so the converted Armenians, the mixed-race Armenians, the Circassians who didn't know who to mix with, and the Ottomans who returned home after the war all trusted him.

He represents the forces of about thirty small settlements in the surrounding area, with a total number of about two thousand people. He is usually responsible for maintaining public security and resolving minor matters such as settlement disputes. He is also the tax farmer of these settlements.

Piri Reyes is tall, but looks a bit portly due to his age. His beer belly makes his old round armor look overwhelmed. His old horse is also overwhelmed. Even when it is not running, it lowers its head from time to time and lets out a few dissatisfied gasps, obviously expressing its dissatisfaction with its owner's soaring weight.

The leader of the Kurds, Saladin Muhet, was a capable man of about thirty years old. Li Rufeng did not have much impression of him because the Kurds living in this area had always been unruly and often clashed with the local Diwan tax officials who collected taxes. Occasionally, people were killed, and Li Rufeng's cavalry had to chop off a few heads.

However, he looked at Li Rufeng with a kind look. After Li Rufeng came to power, the relationship between the two sides was somewhat eased. Li Rufeng treated all the people sent by the Kurds equally.

Among the wounded who came was Saladin Muht's son.

There are four Kurdish tribes in this land, with a total population of between one thousand and three thousand. Because they are also nomadic people and dare not have large-scale conflicts with the Mughal herdsmen, they often roam in several surrounding areas and graze on the "wasteland" that the Mughals look down upon.

This time, Saladin Muhet stood here to negotiate on behalf of the Kurds, and Li Rufeng had no idea how many people were behind the other party.

The last one was the Arab representative Ibn Khaldun, the only representative Li Rufeng had never seen before. Thanks to his faith, the Arabs in this land actually lived quite well and had significant tax exemptions.

But this does not mean that their lives will be easier, because the word "Arab" in this era is not tacitly regarded as a nation as in later generations (although it is not). It is currently used to refer to all ethnic groups that have surrendered and believed in Islam, which the old sultans were too lazy to count, the local diwans could not be distinguished, and the Mughals were too lazy to figure out.

No one knew how many people were behind Ibn Khaldun, and Li Rufeng didn't know why he was elected as a representative. He only knew that Ibn Khaldun did not look like a negotiator.

Because the look in his eyes when he looked at Li Rufeng was full of contempt, it was an undisguised contempt that even a fool like Hulucierjia could see, so he simply drew out his saber, intending to teach this bold madman a lesson on behalf of Shaman Rufeng.

"Timur is dead, and the threat of the Qara Sheep is imminent. How dare you, a bunch of Mongols who worship evil gods, still act so arrogantly in front of me!" Ibn Khaldun rode a white horse, holding a handwritten collection of hadiths in his hand, his eyes full of excitement, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Wuerhun, who was standing next to him, was so frightened that his face turned pale. This guy... this guy was quite normal when he came two days ago. How come... why is he so crazy now?

"Kafir! You are in great trouble! Only the will of Allah... Ugh!" Ibn Khaldun was shot in the abdomen by Li Rufeng and fell off his horse.

Huluchirjia, who had just drawn his saber, took two steps and looked back at Li Rufeng in confusion, not knowing whether he should go or not. After all, he had only intended to teach the rude Arab a lesson.

The other party was dressed like an Islamic clergyman, and might even be a jurisprudential scholar. After all, it is the most mainstream religious belief in this land. If 10,000 people are sampled from a normal distribution, it is estimated that 8,000 of them would be Muslims. Killing the other party like this would be somewhat taboo.

But Li Rufeng didn't care. People called him Kafir, so why should he be polite? This was about to be a civil war. The Mongols had drawn their swords. How could they take them back without shedding blood or wealth? Someone had to pay for the war, right?

"How dare you! Whoever kills me will suffer eternal torment..." Ibn Khaldun was a man of strong faith. He held the manuscript of the Hadith high in his hand, protecting his vitals like a shield, and shouted to the others, "Whoever sees me in danger and does not rescue me will go to Hell after death!"

Li Rufeng sighed. He had originally aimed at the head, but ended up aiming at the stomach. The auxiliary sight provided by the system, due to his low proficiency, was half the size of a person at a distance of less than ten meters. It was purely thanks to the blessing of the Eternal Heaven that he did not miss.

However, this also brought Li Rufeng a system prompt of (archery proficiency +1, 4/25).

Li Rufeng gently urged his warhorse forward and walked in front of Ibn Khaldun. He looked down at him and asked in confusion, "Have you always been so brave?"

"What?" Ibn Khaldun, now remembering what effective communication and peaceful communication meant, shouted weakly, "There must be a misunderstanding between us. Please allow me..."