Chapter 106: Golden Autumn Of September, The Season Of Slaughter
September.
The Northern Frontier Grassland was no longer a piece of verdant green, but was dyed in shades of gold, as if plated with a layer of gold by the sunlight.
The green of the Grassland was fading, with yellow creeping up quietly from the roots.
And for the Han People of the Northern Frontier, the most important moment of the year had finally arrived.
Harvest!
Outside Hexi Fort, besides the endless Grassland of yellow and green, there were also vast expanses of Farmland.
It was like a yellow Gem that the Han People had personally adorned onto this Land of the Northern Frontier.
In the golden autumn season, it rendered a thick layer of golden yellow onto this Land.
The wind swept in from the depths of the Grassland, causing waves in the Wheat, with heavy ears of Wheat hanging low.
Sunlight sprinkled on the Wheat fields, giving off a golden glow.
These days, the Old Master had been living in the Tent beside the Farmland, watching these Wheat turn yellow bit by bit with his own eyes.
And the smile on the Old Master’s face had also gradually increased.
“Roar roar roar~”
Accompanied by a roar, the Old Master rode his horse quickly along the field ridges, constantly throwing Stones from his hand, startling flocks of Sparrows.
Wheat in the Central Plains is planted in September and harvested in April or May of the following year.
But in the Northern Frontier, the timing was completely reversed.
Planted in April, harvested in September, then left fallow for more than half a year until planting again in April of the next year.
Grain planted only once a year.
Because the weather in the Northern Frontier was too cold, with insufficient Accumulated Temperature and Heavy Snow covering for too long, Wheat could not safely overwinter.
Moreover, much of the Land had only recently been reclaimed and was not fertile, as it had previously been barren mountainous areas.
Therefore, to allow the land to recover during fallow periods, and due to the climate, the Han People of the Northern Frontier could only plant Spring Wheat once a year.
At other times, they focused their energy on Livestock such as Cattle and Sheep.
Now that September had arrived, the Wheat in the Northern Frontier was about to be harvested.
But there weren’t enough hands.
The Army led by Li Xiao had remained at Wuya Village and had not returned, leaving fewer than two hundred Male Laborers in Hexi Fort, with the rest being the elderly, weak, women, and children.
This situation worried the Old Master greatly.
“San Bao, go to Wuya Village and ask when your Elder Brother can return?” After driving away a flock of Sparrows, the Old Master shouted loudly to San Bao in the distance.
They still needed Li Xiao and his men to return quickly, otherwise these elderly, weak, women, and children in Hexi Fort simply couldn’t manage.
Because the current Hexi Fort not only had the Grain Fields right in front of them, but also the Grain Fields of Sanhe Fort and Hou Village needed people sent from Hexi Fort to harvest.
“Oh, I got it, Grandpa.” San Bao responded loudly, looking very happy.
Li Erjiang, Er Hu, and Chen Erqiang had already gone to Wuya Village earlier, so now the only Children the Old Master could direct were San Bao and a few others.
Soon, San Bao rode back home, prepared to pack the things needed for the road, then head to Wuya Village to see Li Xiao.
This kid looked extremely excited.
He could finally go to the Camp, and though this time it was just to take a look, next time it would be his turn, Li Sanbao, to show his skills.
Seeing this, the Old Master just shook his head slightly and continued riding through the fields to drive away the birds.
Soon, a fast horse came galloping quickly from the direction of Hexi Fort.
The Old Master narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up.
“Elder Brother, Elder Brother.” The arrival was the Old Master’s fourth brother, also Li Dashan’s father.
He rode swiftly toward the Old Master and said loudly: “Old Turtle just came back with news that a large group of men and horses has appeared outside Sanhe Fort.”
“They look like they’re preparing to harvest the Grain from Sanhe Fort.”
Hearing this, the Old Master’s brows furrowed instantly, the muscles on his scar-crossed face twitching slightly.
He said coldly: “Do we know who they are?”
“Old Turtle said they’re definitely not Han People, but couldn’t tell which Tribe they are from,” Fourth Grandfather said.
The Old Master nodded slightly, instructing Grandmother in the distance to watch over the Grain Fields, and to return to the Village immediately if danger arose.
Then he headed back to the Village together with Fourth Grandfather.
He was going to rally the men and prepare for battle.
Golden autumn September was the season of harvest, but also the season of killing.
Because after September came winter.
The weather in the Northern Frontier was exceptionally cold; the Grain harvested by the Han People could help them get through the winter, but the Nomadic People did not have this condition.
Once the wind and snow grew too heavy, their Cattle and Sheep and War Horses might freeze to death.
Winter was the most grueling season for them, a true gate of hell.
Therefore, to safely get through the winter, some Nomadic Tribes would come to rob the Han People’s Grain.
This was also the period of the year when small-scale Battles and conflicts were most frequent in Jin Prefecture.
Although no one had come to cause trouble at Hexi Fort this year, Sanhe Fort had become a fat piece of meat in the eyes of those Nomadic Tribes.
Because Sanhe Fort was gone.
Most of the Fort’s people had been killed by the Geluolu People, and the survivors had migrated to Hexi Fort.
Sanhe Fort had no one left, but the previously planted Grain was still there.
It seemed to have become ownerless property.
But in reality, the Old Master had always been concerned about the Grain at Sanhe Fort.
The people of Sanhe Fort had become part of Hexi Fort, so naturally the Grain Fields of Sanhe Fort should belong to Hexi Fort.
Therefore, the Old Master had early on sent people to guard Sanhe Fort.
Preparing to harvest the Grain from Sanhe Fort along with their own when the time came.
Unexpectedly, that pack of wolf cubs ultimately had no intention of letting go of this fat meat at Sanhe Fort.
As the bronze bell in Hexi Fort rang, nearly two hundred Hexi Men gathered.
All mounted on War Horses, holding Spears in hand and Bows and Arrows on their backs.
The Old Master stood at the front of the crowd and said loudly: “Someone has come to rob our Grain.”
“None of you damn well back down; if you’re afraid to die, you’re not men of Hexi Fort.”
“To Sanhe Fort, charge~”
With the Old Master’s loud shout, nearly two hundred Cavalry charged out of Hexi Fort yelling.
Among them, more than half were old men of the Old Master’s age, and the rest were Youths like San Bao.
Standard bearded soldiers and child soldiers.
But the momentum of their charge made one not dare underestimate them.
Wei Xuan and the other Sanhe Fort Youths were also among them.
He wore a tattered Sheepskin Jacket, held a Spear in hand, and his face was already chapped from the cold wind.
But with his blood boiling, he only felt his whole body surging with energy, his Cheeks exceptionally red from excessive excitement.
He turned to his Sister and said loudly: “Stay home and wait for me to return.”
With that, he followed the main force out of Hexi Fort.
Er Ya stood with the other women in the back, silently watching the men depart.
She could only pray in her heart that Wei Xuan would return safely.
“Sigh, this place in Jin Prefecture has been like this for hundreds of years, fighting and killing; when will it ever truly settle down?”
Qin Dani watched the Old Master’s disappearing back and sighed softly.
She turned to Er Ya beside her, touched her head, and said: “For people, whether they live or die, get hurt or not, it’s all fate.”
“Rather than worrying about them all day, it’s better to take good care of yourself and the home.”
“That way the men can fight on the Battlefield without worry.”
After spending this time together, Qin Dani felt that this little girl was clever and sensible, virtuous and capable, quite likable.
The only flaw was her small hips; Qin Dani worried she might have trouble bearing Sons later.
Deep down, she still wanted a Daughter-in-law with big hips.
But from what the Old Master said, he seemed to quite like this little girl.
Qin Dani could only suppress her own little thoughts and take extra care of Er Ya and her Brother’s daily life.
Who knows, she might really become her Daughter-in-law in the future.
“Mm, I understand, Aunt.” Er Ya nodded gently, pursed her lips, and smiled.
But in her heart, she was still Worried about Wei Xuan.
His injuries hadn’t fully healed yet; if they really fought this time, Er Ya feared he would suffer.
“Alright, look at that drooping face of yours; you could hang a kettle on it.”
“Your Brother’s gone and won’t be back in a day or two; come home with Aunt first, so there’s someone to look after you.”
With that, Qin Dani pulled Er Ya toward home.
Er Ya couldn’t refuse and followed awkwardly.
The distance between Sanhe Fort and Hexi Fort was about forty li; on horseback, it took less than an hour to arrive.
The group of Hexi Men arrived grandly outside Sanhe Fort.
They saw large herds of Cattle and Sheep grazing in the distance, and hundreds of Tents erected on the undulating Grassland.
“These people really treat our Sanhe Fort like their own home.”
A Sanhe Fort Youth beside Wei Xuan said angrily.
Wei Xuan, however, had a cold expression, silently observing the numbers of the Nomadic Tribe in the distance.
Clearly, since the other side had already set up Tents outside Sanhe Fort, they planned to stay through the autumn.
Harvest all the Grain here before leaving.
“Go ask them which Tribe they are.”
“This is our Hexi Fort’s territory; tell them to leave immediately,” the Old Master said in a deep voice.
Third Grandfather beside him nodded and immediately stepped forward to shout from afar.
Jin Prefecture had many ethnic groups; besides the Han People and Geluolu People, there were many indigenous Tribes.
Their heritage was ancient, traceable even to the once glorious hegemon of the Western Regions, the Wusun Kingdom.
Though these ‘Wusun’ Tribes had long split apart and could no longer be seen as a single ethnic group, their languages and living habits were still very similar.
So, it was hard to distinguish which Tribe they belonged to just from appearance.
The opposing Tribe had long spotted them and quickly assembled their people, both sides tense and ready for conflict.
Soon, Third Grandfather learned the origin of the opposing Tribe.
“Uliji Tribe?”
Hearing this name, the Old Master’s face grew even colder as he snorted lightly: “So it’s them.”
“Dogs that can’t change their habit of eating shit.”
