Chapter 26: Western and Eastern barbarians
Li-Ban was glad at least a wool shred. He will be able to complete the task given by his uncle. He og to justify his confidence. If he managed to safely get to his uncle, then he counted on advancement at the imperial court! Glory, money, fame! All young ladies will look at him with ecstatic eyes!
Poor thing, he did not know that he would be an outcast for ten whole years, to serve in the farthest and poorest garrison in the Lob Nor desert, guarding the Silk Road. No lady will look at him. But it will be later ... but for now ... fun and anticipation of a big jackpot.
So it happens in life, after the white stripe is black. These are those who are associated with the elite, who live an ordinary, boring life, they just have a gray bar, in it sometimes a little more white and sometimes a little more gray.
Life is the best teacher. But Li-Ban will understand this only after passing these tests and realizing the futility of fame and pseudo friends.
"Well, let's go, young barbarian," Arash said, making an inviting gesture.
Fortunately, Li-Ban did not understand what was at stake. If he were an English intelligence officer, then he would know the language of the country where he is heading. like etymology, ethnography.
After the fall of the great second empire, many travelers rushed in crowds to Small Ahn, these were Europeans and Asians. These were not ordinary scientists. and the foreign intelligence colonels of their countries. They rode for the remaining secrets of the second empire, for resources, to conclude profitable contracts with their companies for the export of raw materials. Someone succeeded, someone did not. But it will be only in 15 centuries.
And Li-Ban was as simple as Jiang's coin, simple and naive, he did not know the language of the Western barbarians, as well as Arash did not know the language of the Eastern barbarians. But Dara knew the languages of both the Tang empire and the Boss empires and many other kingdoms and empires. Thus, he earned his living by selling important information that he collected in these states.
Li-Ban silently followed the Highlander.
They had to go through the whole valley, it was covered with gardens and kitchen gardens. And on the slopes of the mountains houses of highlanders made up of flat, blue and red stones were cozy. The roof was flat, wooden. houses looked more like small fortresses. After 2 li, they came to a high cliff that partitioned off the valley. On this steep rock was a large fortress. From the loopholes, the tanned faces of the soldiers holding heavy spears looked at him, and some held large bows with arrows. Arash, shouted his code word to him, they dropped the rope ladder.
Rising along it, Li-Ban saw a large area of the fortress, with thick walls 5 meters high, about 20 soldiers stood on the walls. According to Dara, in a moment of danger, when the fortress at the entrance could not contain a large army, all the villagers left for this fortress deep into the mountain gorge, there was the last fortress for the elderly, children and women there trained women were trained to shoot arrows well.
And in this penultimate fortress, almost all the men remained - warriors, highlanders. she could accommodate up to 100 warriors.
Usually no one ever reached the last citadel, since this second fortress could deter from invasion up to 10,000 soldiers and horsemen. A hail of streds, sharp stones, heavy stones and heavy spears quickly sobered up any gangsters or guardians of princes. To die from a stone was considered a humiliating death for a real knight.
Recently, at the time of the highlanders, about 30 years ago, the neighboring steppe people attacked them, there were 3,000 mounted soldiers. Under this fortress 400 soldiers died and about 700 were wounded. The steppe warriors retreated and never again came to the valley.
Then their khan agreed with the princes Small-An and Big-An to obtain food and steel weapons in exchange for guarding part of the route of trade caravans passing along their nomads. The world is still preserved, as it is beneficial to both parties.
Behind the fortress, two gorges were visible, the first rising high in the mountains, somewhere somewhere in the distance there was a citadel.
And the second gorge was almost imperceptible, it was hiding in a cave which was covered by a bush with sharp spikes If you did not know the secret path, then shreds of clothes and meat from the human body would hang on them.
Behind the cave, the entrance to the valley itself opened, it was guarded by ten wars. After passing them, Dara, Li-Ban, and Arash went into the floodplain, where the melting shops and the forge were located, where weapons, swords and armor were made for collecting tribute. And where was the main forge and smelter for creating weapons for the highlanders was known only to the head of the village and of course Dara. Even Arash could only vaguely guess the location. That was the secret.
Although weapons and armor were good, but in comparison with weapons in the Principality of Small-An.
Now Li-Ban could learn the secret of additives and forging of real steel.
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