Chapter 45

"Newly cut wood is too heavy! Why not use these that have already dried out?" Li You was not the kind of person to repay grievances with virtue. Since these Qiang people had attacked him first, this was the punishment they deserved! It was already good that he didn't kill them all! However, now that he had killed all the sheep in their tribe, he would also take some of their horses! By tearing down their tents, he imagined they would have a hard winter ahead!

The Han people had been away from the Hexi Corridor for too long! So long that even a tribe with only a hundred able-bodied men dared to attack him. This time, it would be a lesson for them! He would leave the elderly, the sick, and the weak, so they could tell the nearby tribes about the bravery and combat skills of the Han people! Let them know the terror of the Han people!

Chen Qingzhi, who had been fighting on enemy territory for a long time, was not a rigid person. Pan Feng, who was accustomed to killing, would not oppose it either! Tang Yifu knew that the Xiongnu people were even more cruel when dealing with their enemies, and the young ruffians from Chang'an who followed Li You had not learned the meaning of mercy! Naturally, no one came to dissuade them, and thus the fate of these Qiang people was decided!

No one stood up to oppose, not even the Qiang people dared to complain. In their minds, the strong ruling the weak was natural! If the Han people defeated them but did not kill them and even gave them various benefits, they would either think the Han people were crazy or weak and easy to bully! Li You not slaughtering their entire tribe already made them feel fortunate! How could they dare to complain about the loss of these sheep and tents?

After slaughtering three sheep in a row, the old Qiang man, without time to feel sad, began to work on the fourth sheep! After experimenting with the first three, he had mastered the technique of skinning!

He carefully inserted his hand into the sheep's neck, slowly pulling out the bones, meat, and organs from the chest cavity! In the end, a complete sheepskin was removed.

"Sir, is this acceptable?" He knelt on the ground, holding the sheepskin with both hands, crawling to Li You and raising it high, asking with great trepidation. This small sheepskin would decide the life and death of him and his family!

"Get some ropes and leather straps! Tie the limbs and neck tightly, leaving an opening to blow air into it! If this sheepskin can inflate, you and your family will be spared!" Li You waved his hand and said.

Immediately, someone brought ropes and leather straps, tying the limbs and neck of the sheepskin. The old Qiang man, without regard for the blood, began to blow into the opening, his face turning red in no time! Despite this, he did not dare to stop, desperately blowing air into it, fearing that if he did not do it well, Li You would cut off his head.

"It's inflated!" Pan Feng, standing nearby, opened his mouth wide, watching the sheepskin inflate, completely puzzled about what his lord was doing.

"Sir, look!" The sheepskin was inflated, and the old Qiang man, without resting, tightened the opening and presented the skin to Li You.

I wonder if the newly skinned sheepskin can be used directly or if it needs to be dried and processed? Li You was not sure about the specific details of making a sheepskin raft! However, he only planned to use these as disposable items, throwing them away after crossing the Yellow River! For now, he couldn't afford to be picky! "Yes, pick out your family! Their lives are spared!"

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" The old Qiang man repeatedly bowed, picking out his family from the group of captives.

"Teach the others your skinning method, and once they learn, you and your family will be rewarded with wine and meat!" One person was not enough, so Li You continued to command.

With the help of the old Qiang man, the other Qiang people and the young ruffians from Chang'an who had been butchers soon learned the technique of skinning sheep completely. The number of sheep in the pen decreased, and the pile of sheepskins grew higher and higher!

Li You divided the people into two groups, one to rest and the other to supervise the Qiang people in slaughtering and skinning sheep! They would switch every four hours! By the next morning, all the sheep in this small tribe had been slaughtered! The mounds of mutton and sheepskins were piled high.

"Women and children go to make ropes, men go to dismantle the tents and gather the wooden poles!" After resting for a night, these tents were no longer useful! It was time to start making the sheepskin rafts!

The Qiang people did not dare to oppose, and under the threat of weapons, they began to dismantle the tents they had lived in for years! Straight, dry wooden poles were taken out one by one.

The skilled Han people in the delegation were gathered by Li You, and according to his orders, they tied the wooden poles together with ropes to form rafts, then bound the sheepskin bags underneath! Sixty sheepskin bags made one raft! By noon, after eating fresh roasted mutton, the first raft was finally completed!

"Lord, I will take a few good swimmers to test it first!" Chen Qingzhi volunteered. During the campaign against Erzhu Rong, he had encountered a flash flood, and the army crossing the river was swallowed by the flood, but he managed to escape. His swimming skills were evident.

Therefore, Li You felt more confident about him, selecting five or six good swimmers, and throwing a large pile of ropes onto the sheepskin raft. He tied one end of the rope to a large stone by the river and watched them carefully navigate the first sheepskin raft in Chinese history across the Yellow River.

"Lord! It can hold up!" When they reached the middle of the river, Chen Qingzhi shouted loudly. At this point, the sheepskin raft showed no signs of problems. With three or five more rafts, they could transport all the soldiers and supplies across the river.

"Good!" Li You clapped his hands in approval and immediately ordered the Qiang people and soldiers to speed up the production of new sheepskin rafts! He planned to cross the river today! The sooner they crossed, the sooner they could escape Zhong Xing's pursuit.

Chen Qingzhi led six soldiers to the other side, took the rope from the sheepskin raft, and tied it to another large stone on the opposite bank. Now, when they returned, they could use the rope to drive the raft, which was much faster and more convenient than using a long pole! Using a pole was a skill, and it was not easy to find a few people in the delegation who knew how to do it.

Chen Qingzhi and the soldiers continuously crossed the Yellow River, transporting ropes and supplies to the other side, while the rest busily dismantled tents, made ropes, and produced new sheepskin rafts!

By sunset, the other five sheepskin rafts were completed, and more than ten long ropes were added to the Yellow River! All preparations were complete, and now they could start crossing the river!

However, before crossing the river, there was one more issue to resolve: what to do with these over a hundred Qiang people! Li You did not want them to attack the people left behind while they were crossing the river!