Chapter 233: Collecting Hu Feng
Another day, we went to the north of Lishi City, to the old Chanyu royal court.

The weather was clear and sunny, and more than 3,000 Han and Hu cavalry went hunting and returned with great pleasure.

When we returned to Lishi City, the setting sun was nearby. The winter sunset was particularly red.

The Han and Hu knights marched in a group, and Black Bear drove his horse to the side of the hillside and squinted at the sunset.

After a while, Liu Bao managed to control his horse and catch up. Now he felt more and more that the divine horses ridden by Black Bear and Tai Shi Wengong were extraordinary.

He walked on the mountains and rivers as if they were flat ground, and even carried the black bear up the hillside easily.

The mountain wind was howling on the slope, and Liu Bao felt that it was not very safe to ride on the horse, so he jumped off the horse and stood on the south side of the horse, letting the horse block the wind.

Seeing the black bear looking far and near, Liu Bao said, "General Daqu, the Qiang people are very eager today."

"Yeah, it's because they're in a cage."

The black bear looked back at Liu Bao and said, "If someone puts me in a cage, I will say nice things and bow down to them."

"You are joking, Commander Daqu. What I mean is that we should ask for generous rewards from the Qiang people. They will certainly be dissatisfied, but it will also dispel many doubts."

Seeing that Black Bear did not refute, Liu Bao continued, "In this way, we can severely punish the Qiang nobles for the crime of false surrender."

You must have a legitimate reason to fight and not kill people indiscriminately. If you do, it will be very difficult to persuade other tribes to surrender in the future.

"What the Chanyu said makes sense. Tonight, the Chanyu will act as a villain to explain this matter."

After saying this, Black Bear controlled his horse and turned. The horse under him carried him down the slope. The slope was quite steep, so there were more than ten steps of the road that were flat and slid down.

This made Liu Bao's eyes wide open. He thought that Tai Shi Wengong would change the route to go downhill, but he controlled his horse and followed him along the original route.

Tai Shi Wen Gong and his mount were wearing heavy armor and had great inertia, so they slid for more than twenty steps before they finally stopped.

Liu Bao hesitated for a moment, but still led the horse carefully and walked down tentatively.

He held the reins tightly and pulled them for leverage as he slid down... If the horse lost control and slid down, he would give up decisively.

He moved cautiously, but still gritted his teeth and persisted.

When he was about to reach the steep slope, Liu Bao caught a glimpse of a black bear watching him.

The two of them looked at each other in an instant, and Liu Bao panicked and slipped. He subconsciously tightened the reins, and both he and his horse slid down.

Seeing that the horse missed Liu Bao when it slid down, Liu Bao was lucky and was almost crushed by the horse.

Liu Bao stood up and his guards came forward to brush the snow off his body. He saw the black bear looking at him, and suddenly the cold air spread through his feet and spread throughout his body.

After changing to another horse, Liu Bao came near the black bear and smiled woodenly: "I am sorry to have embarrassed you, Commander Daqu."

"I'm just worried about you, I hope you're alright."

Black Bear turned his horse around and said to Liu Bao who was following him: "Drink tea with me tonight."

After saying this, he steed his horse into a gallop, leaving Liu Bao behind with a dazed look on his face.

The follow-up troops that arrived today continued to garrison around Lishi City, using sleds as fortifications, pitching leather tents inside, and driving horses into the city.

There are sheltered stables in the city, as well as a veterinarian.

The cavalry that had been out hunting returned to the city, and the sounds of horses and men neighing were very obvious.

Cai Zhaoji was reading the classics collected by the Xiongnu nobles when she heard her daughter being awakened by the noise.

The wet nurse was holding the baby and trying to comfort him, but the crying continued and was very loud.

Cai Zhaoji had no choice but to put down the books and return to her bedroom to hold the child herself.

Soon the child calmed down, there were no tears on his face, and he was sleeping soundly.

Only after all the soldiers and horses on the street outside the courtyard returned and peace was restored did Cai Zhaoji put the child on the kang.

She felt the temperature of the kang and found it was a little hot, so she moved the child closer to the wall.

Looking at her infant daughter, she couldn't help but think of her sister.

She thought of Hei Zhenbei again. Ever since he arrived in Lishi City the night before, she had been prepared to be summoned and questioned.

Yesterday, I put on my makeup and waited for a whole day, but the other party did not summon me.

She heard that they were going out hunting this morning, so she stopped thinking about it and didn't put on any makeup.

As she was thinking, she saw the maid walking towards her quickly: "Madam, General Hei has returned to the city and sent someone to pick you up."

"I will accept the invitation after I have made up. Go and tell the messenger to wait for a moment."

"Here."

The maid turned and left, and Cai Zhaoji stood up and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although I don't want to meet Black Bear, this matter cannot be delayed any longer and we will have to meet sooner or later.

Soon, she had finished her makeup. Her hair was done yesterday, and now she just put powder on her face and drew two silky eyebrows.

By the time she went out, it was already dark.

After the notification, a guard led Cai Zhaoji into the reception hall.

There were more than ten sheep oil lamps lit on both sides of the hall, making the hall not only bright but also warm.

After taking off his armor, Black Bear sat in the main seat. In front of him was a copper brazier where tea was being boiled.

Liu Bao sat on the left, also in casual clothes. Because he had received Confucian education, he looked like Black Bear's aide when he sat there.

"I pay my respects to General Zhenbei."

Cai Zhaoji entered and bowed. Black Bear looked up and felt that the starch scraped off her face could be used to thicken a pot of food.

He did not think there was anything strange about the woman in front of him, and pointed to the seat to his right: "Don't be so polite, take a seat."

"Thank you, General, for the seat."

Cai Zhaoji bowed again, then walked to sit opposite Liu Bao. At this time, two guards carried a long zither and placed it in front of Cai Zhaoji. Cai Zhaoji looked at Hei Xiong in astonishment, but Hei Xiong asked Liu Bao: "Is the Chanyu good at playing musical instruments?"

"Reporting to General Daqu, the prince likes the Qiang flute the most. The Qiang flute is light and easy to carry, and the second is drums."

"Well, to march and fight, one must not only know astronomy and geography, but also be proficient in music."

As Black Bear spoke, he went to see a few guards on duty, and immediately someone went to the warehouse to find a Qiang flute for Liu Bao.

Seeing this, Liu Bao asked with a smile, "Why did the commander of the Great Canal suddenly ask about music?"

"There is constant fighting in the Central Plains, and only one in ten musicians survive. Even if I want to listen to music, it's hard to get a group of musicians together."

Black Bear went to see Cai Zhaoji and said, "Ms. Cai, could you play a song for us?"

Cai Zhaoji looked embarrassed and said, "General, I have not played the zither for a long time, and I am afraid that you will laugh at me."

"In that case, let's listen to Taishi Wengong's musical performance."

As Black Bear spoke, he turned his head to look at Lu Bu behind him. Lu Bu was sitting cross-legged behind him on his left, with six Han swords across his knees.

At this moment, Lu Bu stood up holding the scabbard and walked to Cai Zhaoji. He knelt up and put the sword aside, then took off a pair of white brocade gloves.

Cai Zhaoji observed that the skin on Lu Bu's hands was delicate and tight, without even a single hair.

What surprised her even more was the heavy armor on the other party, which seemed to be of no hindrance at all.

Then Lu Bu plucked the strings of the zither and began to tune it. When everything was done, he turned around and looked at the black bear.

Black Bear smiled and said, "Tonight is a good night to listen to Ambush from All Sides."

Liu Bao's face changed. According to the plan, the attack was to be launched tomorrow night.

Without waiting for him to calm down, Lu Bu plucked the strings of the zither with rapid movements, and the sounds were as dense as arrows.

Sometimes there was a pause, as if during the interval of troop deployment, and sometimes there was a loud explosion like thunder, as if a glance back revealed an ambush or pursuers.

Lu Bu himself understood music, and now he was just playing the music in Black Bear's memory with the zither.

If he wanted to listen, there would be no problem for Lu Bu to play a Senbonzakura.

Amid the rhythmic and intense sound of the piano, the personal guard returned with a jade flute.

This is one of the gifts presented by the Qiang leaders yesterday, a six-hole flute.

Now that the piccolo fell into Liu Bao's hands, he could only adjust his mood and play for the black bear in the best condition.

Amid the ambush from all sides, Liu Bao felt like a bird in a cage, and all his efforts to break out were in vain.

His emotions were aroused and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

Black Bear prepared tea and poured it into bowls for each of them.

After playing the song "Ten Flying Ambush", Black Bear looked at Cai Zhaoji who was holding a tea bowl and said, "I've always heard that you have a photographic memory. How much of the song "Ten Flying Ambush" did you remember?"

"About 70%."

Cai Zhaoji said calmly: "General, there must be a deep meaning behind listening to this song tonight?"

"Yes, the Chanyu and I both know this."

Black Bear blew on the tea, and Lu Bu started to play the piano again, playing some classic songs from movies and TV shows.

They are all classic melodies. Such melodies are a poison to Cai Zhaoji and she will memorize them instinctively.

Naturally, the memory of the previous ambush will be diluted.

He believed that Cai Zhaoji could now play most of the piano, and if she played it seven or eight times repeatedly and constantly tapped the potential of her memory, she might be able to restore it completely and learn it in one go.

But after all this trouble, Cai Zhaoji's momentary memory was washed away, and she had no chance to consolidate it, so she could only remember about 20% to 30%.

It is wishful thinking to want to learn the song of Ten Flying Daggers in one go.

Not only Cai Zhaoji, but even Liu Bao was amazed when listening to these new melodies and tried hard to memorize them.

After drinking the tea, Black Bear coughed twice, interrupting the two people's thoughts, and said: "Music is a language that can communicate with the human soul. I hope to compile a music book that includes the music of the Xiongnu. We cannot be like Confucius, we must be inclusive and learn from each other's strengths."

Then he went to see Cai Zhaoji and said, "Since I conquered the Xiongnu, I have seized many musical instruments, including those of the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, and various Hu in the Western Regions. The various types of Huqin are better in terms of lightness, and the Qiang flute is even more widely circulated."

Cai Zhaoji glanced at the masked Lu Bu with mixed feelings, and said, "General, do you want me to compile and edit the music books?"

"Yes, starting tomorrow, you will be in charge of this matter. I will assign you 300 knights and collect for you people from all over the Qiang tribe who are good at music, as well as musical instruments and the like."

Black Bear looked at Liu Bao again: "It's the same here, Chanyu. The Xiongnu are descendants of the Xia people, so they should also know the importance of classics. When Mr. Cai collected the music scores of the Huns, he could also compile music for the Xiongnu."

He raised his glass and said: "Everyone will die, but music and words are hard to die."

If you do this well, your name will be praised along with the inheritance of musical scores and books.

Liu Bao nodded, understanding Black Bear's intention, and said with emotion: "General Daqu is doing this to preserve the customs of the Qiang people in the north!"

"Yes, it includes the customs of various barbarians, and in the future it will also include customs from outside the region."

Black Bear smiled and looked sideways at Cai Zhaoji: "From tonight on, the northern Hu people will disappear, either merged into the Han or integrated into the Xiongnu. I can't bear to see their music disappear. In the future, when the Chanyu and I destroy a country or a tribe, we will need Mr. Cai to sort out the music scores of their people and compile them into classics."

Cai Zhaoji wanted to decline, but seeing Black Bear's expression, she bowed and said, "As you wish, General."

Black Bear smiled and turned to look at Liu Bao: "Please play a song, Shanyu, and then we will move to the South Gate to watch the battle outside the city tonight."

At this time, Lu Bu also stopped playing, stood up from Cai Zhaoji, and returned to his original position to sit cross-legged.

Liu Bao felt inexplicably sad, but he forced a smile and said, "Yes."

Then he pulled his arms out of his robe, flexed his fingers, coughed twice, picked up the jade flute to test the tone, and asked, "What does Daqu Marshal want to hear?"

"Listen to some pastoral songs, songs about boys and girls riding horses and chasing each other and playing."

(End of this chapter)