The northern foothills of Helan Mountain, Wuhu Mountain, and Zhenyuan Pass.

After the Yellow River flows through this place, it shrinks from the wide Ningxia Plain into a small opening of more than ten miles.

The Ming Dynasty set up Zhenyuan Pass here to control the inside and outside of the mouth, first to guard against Oara, and later to guard against Tatars, but now it is somewhat abandoned.

When Quitu Khan, Lin Dan Khan, and Gushi Khan passed through the western foothills of Helan Mountain and headed south to the Qinghai-Tibet area, they took away almost all the herders near Helan Mountain. In addition, the two Tumuts that were originally powerful in the Hetao area have declined, and Hedong

The Ordos tribe was also dying, and the border defenses in Ningxia Town of the Ming Dynasty, which had been under great pressure, were gradually relaxed.

Furthermore, after the rise of the Daxia Empire in the north, a large number of farmers and herdsmen from Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu moved north to avoid natural and man-made disasters. Of course, the huge Ningxia Plain still maintained its irrigation system due to the ready-made channels for thousands of years.

The harvest is good, but not near Zhenyuan Pass.

Since it is an important border area, the vicinity of Zhenyuan Pass has always been a battlefield. The border passes near Helan Mountain are naturally mainly used for raising horses. Over time, the land near the pass has become extremely barren and is gradually becoming desertified.

In Ningxia Town, one of the Nine Borders, soldiers are still better than ordinary military households. Like other places in the Ming Dynasty, most of the fertile land in Ningxia Town has been occupied by local hereditary officers and "scholarly families". Ordinary people or

If you only have a few acres of thin farmland or work for a wealthy family, going to the border to serve as a soldier is still a good choice.

But now there have been changes. The Great Xia Empire north of Zhenyuan Pass is now peaceful and peaceful. Although the emperor was born as a barbarian, he was still a Han, which attracted many military households and farmers from Ningxia Town to seek refuge.

It's March, and the climate in Ningxia is still cold. Coupled with the wind and sand blowing from the north from time to time, the wind and sand are blown into the clothes, which is very biting.

On Helan Mountain on the west side of Zhenyuan Pass, a young man was standing in a hidden place on the mountain looking down.

From here, the Yellow River in the distance is clearly visible. On the south side, the dilapidated, khaki-colored city wall of Zhenyuan Pass stretches all the way to the edge of the Yellow River. It looks even more dilapidated under the sunlight, seeming to declare the power of this great empire.

destiny.

To the north, this was the reason why the boy climbed up to take a look regardless of the risk of being discovered by the soldiers at Zhenyuan Pass at the foot of the mountain.

In the past few months, Wuhu Mountain in the north has suddenly become lively.

A large number of people have been busy there since the beginning of the year, and many people even entered Helan Mountain. When pieces of wood were cut down and dragged to the vicinity of Wuhu Mountain, the entire Ningxia town was alarmed.

At this time, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town, Zuo Guangxian, who had fought with Li Zicheng in Sichuan before, had no intention of sending troops to "strike grass valleys and capture a few heads" - the local government of Fengzhou in the northern Daxia Empire had come to inform him.

They want to build a large fort on the former Mongolian Uda pasture.

In the past, in places like Ningxia Town and Yansui Town, it was not uncommon to see each other clearing grass and valleys. The Mongolians outside the border wall naturally came to clear grass and valleys for plunder and robbery, while the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers inside the border wall came mainly for "meritorious achievements."

.

But the Great Xia Empire was different. They had a thousand fine cavalry in Fengzhou, as well as herdsmen who could be mobilized at any time. They could make up any three thousand cavalry.

And the total number of guards in the huge Ningxia town, border gates, and guards was only 3,000 horses.

What's more, in Uda, in addition to the busy crowd, there is also a huge cavalry.

Yang Tingdong’s newly formed Fengzhou Brigade.

Based on the five thousand cavalry that Sun Chuanyu had when he was in Jiuyuan, two thousand cavalry were transferred from them, plus one thousand Han students from Fengzhou Wuyuan Cavalry School, and a complete cavalry brigade was formed.

Of course, the remaining three thousand riders, plus the students who graduated from Jiuyuan County and Qingcheng County in recent years, and the young herdsmen and farmers absorbed, have already formed a team of three thousand people in Jiuyuan County and Qingcheng County respectively.

Cavalry Brigade.

Coupled with an infantry team of 3,000 people, mainly composed of children from farmers in Shannan counties, a Hetao regiment is about to emerge.

However, His Majesty Emperor Nikan and the Privy Council do not seem to have any intention of formally forming these armies into legions, and they are currently under the jurisdiction of senior officials of Shannan Province.

On Wuhu Mountain, Yang Tingdong also looked to the south with his telescope, and soon he spotted the young man on the other side of the mountain.

Well, a typical image of a northwest man,

His complexion is slightly dark, his face is angular, he has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he is tall. When he stands, he looks like Lian Jiazi. There is also a blue sheep, a specialty of Helan Mountain, lying next to him. Next to the blue sheep, there is a bright light.

The Yan Ling Dao commonly seen in the army and a large black bow look like they must be at least as strong as a stone.

The distance between the two parties is actually not far, but Yang Tingdong has a telescope, but the person opposite has naked eyes. Yang Tingdong can clearly see the person opposite, but the person cannot see him.

Yang Tingdong knew this person.

In the past, when Yang Tingdong was grazing cattle in Jingluwei (Jingyuan County), he was very courageous. He often crossed the border wall alone to hunt near Helan Mountain. Of course, hunting was just an excuse to steal salt from the Jilantai Salt Pond to the west of Helan Mountain.

That's the right thing to do.

He met the young man between Helan Mountain and Jilantai. After the exchange, he realized that both parties used the same excuse and did the same thing.

Zhao Liangdong is the name of the young man. He is two years younger than Yang Tingdong and is a son of a military family near Zhenyuan Pass.

The reason why Yang Tingdong and Zhao Liangdong are familiar with each other is naturally because both parties have inherited martial arts skills and can also ride and shoot.

Not long after, Zhao Liangdong picked up the blue sheep, which weighed at least more than a hundred kilograms, and headed down the mountain without looking back. Zhao Liangdong carried the weight of more than a hundred kilograms without any effort at all.

Seeing Zhao Liangdong walking away, Yang Tingdong was also a little less interested. He patted the dust on his body, clapped his hands again, and went back.

Wuhu Mountain is the northern section of Helan Mountain. Compared with Helan Mountain, which is often two to three thousand meters high, Wuhu Mountain is not only smaller, but also much shorter. In addition, there is a large amount of pasture nearby. Therefore, once the nomadic people set their sights on it in history,

If you go to the fertile Ningxia Plain, you will probably set up a base here, leave your accompanying cattle and sheep here, and then ride your horse across the Zhenyuan Pass.

Of course, on the north-south Helan Mountains, there are many east-west mountain passes and canyons that can be passed through. However, in those places, the mountains are higher and the terrain is steeper. Most of the Shandong government will also set up pass defenses. Relatively speaking,

, breaking in from near Zhenyuan Pass is a better choice.

Besides, once winter comes, the area around Zhenyuan Pass is even more flat and can be crossed everywhere.

This is what is called "breaking through the gap in Helan Mountain".

In fact, when Yang Tingdong clapped his hands just now, Zhao Liangdong, who was going down the mountain and was wary by nature, also heard it. However, he did not turn around, but was thinking, "Their big noise is probably coming towards Ningxia Town. In this way

If so, Mr. Qian of Zhenyuan Pass wants me to work as his servant, so I have to think carefully about it."

Then he thought, "I heard that Yang Tingdong, the salt thief from the Jinglu Guards, is now a big shot in the opposite country. He is only two years older than me, but now..., Mr. Qian's servants are also very impressive. Every month

Not to mention five taels of silver, a full set of robes, and a pretty good meal. In the eyes of the locals, this is an extraordinary existence. How should I decide?"

Over there, in the future, Zhao Liangdong, one of the Four Han generals in Hexi of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, is still hesitating about whether to be the servant of General Qian of the Border Pass. Oh, it is no longer possible for him to become a "four Han generals in Hexi". Over here, he is born in Muhu

Yang Tingdong clapped his hands and strode down the mountain without looking back.

In his mind, people like Zhao Liangdong are naturally talents, but now everything in the Daxia Empire has regulations and laws. Take the Wuyuan Cavalry School in Fengzhou (Bayannur) as an example. Most of them are Han herdsmen.

The younger generation has practiced horseback shooting. After entering the school, in addition to reading and literacy, he also learned to use muskets and systematically learned cavalry tactics. Nearly a thousand people graduate every year. Among these thousand people, even if there are only one or two like Zhao Liangdong

That's a big deal.

At the foot of the mountain, officials from the Ministry of Industry and Li Kaifu, a senior official in Shannan Province and the governor of Fengzhou, were directing the construction of the construction site. After the completion of the site, it was temporarily placed under Fengzhou management.

According to the plans of the Privy Council and the Government Administration Council, this place will be both a base for advancement and an important town controlling the northern foothills of Helan Mountain. The surrounding pastures, including the place across the river that later became Wuhai City, will be placed under the jurisdiction of this place. Although the land is barren and barren, it is still exposed.

The shrubs and weeds on the ground can still support hundreds of herders.

What's more, coal and iron are abundant here. According to Nikan, the empire's "genius" and "all-knowing" shameful traveler, "this place is extremely rich in anthracite and can be used as a good coal base."

, Therefore, people from the Ministry of Industry planned this place according to an industrial zone.

In addition to coal and iron resources, this place also has a large amount of high-quality clay. Coupled with the limestone that is already abundant in Helan Mountain, it is simply a God-given industrial base.

Therefore, since Yang Tingdong's cavalry brigade was formed in January, under his escort, about a thousand officials and craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry, Shannan Province, and Fengzhou came here.

In addition, in addition to coal and iron, the environment here is very similar to the Mediterranean. It is also good to grow cotton and grapes. No, officials from the Farmland and Water Conservancy Department under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development are bringing several Bukhara crops brought from southern Siberia.

Farmers are searching around the Yellow River, planning to find a place where they can grow cotton and grapes at the same time.

The town of Ustai was later located, with black smoke billowing in the sky, and more than a dozen brick and tile factories and cement workshops lined up in a row.

On the ground, the foundation of a city with a radius of about six miles is being worked on.

On Wuhu Mountain is a huge military camp.

In a few days, the Yellow River will thaw. Yang Tingdong left 500 horses here and took the remaining 2,500 horses across the frozen Yellow River ice to the east bank.

After arriving at the east bank, follow the gap at the southern end of the east bank of Helan Mountain and go straight east to the vast Ulan Buh Desert. After crossing this death zone, you can reach the core area of ​​the Ordos tribe - the Ulamulun River Basin
Chapter completed!