Before reaching Laomiaozhuang, Liu Chengzong saw the herds.
Thirty or forty horses, all with saddles on their backs and weapons on their saddles, and then there were donkeys and mules, twice as many as the horses, were led by the herdsmen to the river to drink water.
Liu Chengzong did not dare to go any further. He led his horse and lay on the hillside, carefully observing these people.
The eleven shepherds were all young men or strong women, wearing dirty winter clothes, cotton-padded jackets or leather jackets.
They had at least one sword and a simple shield. Some carried bows and arrows, and some carried spears.
The shepherds each drove two or three horses, four or five donkeys and mules. After the big animals drank water by the river, they led them for a walk around the ruins of the old temple.
Looks like a sentinel.
Very militaristic.
Li Wanqing ran up the hillside and lay down next to Liu Chengzong, his eyes constantly roaming around the ruins of the old temple and Liu Chengzong.
Looking at the old temple village, his eyes were a little frightened.
Looking at Liu Chengzong, his eyes were full of envy.
If he didn't envy anything else, he would envy Liu Chengzong's red-haired horse.
Hong Qi will lie down. He will be led up the hillside and lie down on his side after listening to the command.
Li Wanqing's horse was stupid and couldn't be led up the hillside. He had to find a tree stump at the bottom of the mountain and tie it up before it could come up.
He whispered: "General Tiger, is this your home? It looks like it has been robbed."
"It's not my house. It was robbed before, so I bought this."
Liu Chengzong said, reaching out and waving his hands around: "The fields you see now are all mine."
"I'm a thief!"
Li Wanqing's eyes widened in disbelief: "You are so rich, why do you do this?"
"None of it is my money. My brother, my eldest brother, and my eldest brother Paoze, who used to be a soldier, lost everything and bought the land in my name."
Liu Chengzong felt useless when he mentioned this place. He waved his hand and said: "Don't mention it. If it weren't for His Highness, King Qin, I don't know how to live my life... It might be the guest's horse."
As they were talking, they saw several people walking out of the ruins of the old temple village.
The three people at the front were Cao Yao, Liu Chengzu and a man he didn't know. They were guarded by four men in armor and swords at the back.
The three people were there pointing at the country. Cao Yao pointed at the land first, and then pointed at Liu Chengzu with a smile.
Liu Chengzu waved his hand and said something to the man, and happened to see Liu Chengzong standing on the hillside.
All three people looked this way.
Liu Chengzong and Li Wanqing led their horses over, and when they were far away, they heard Cao Yao laughing and saying, "Lion, I was just talking about you."
With that said, he stepped forward and pulled Liu Chengzong up and introduced: "Guan Zhang, this is Chengzong, nicknamed Lion; Zhang Wu from Yuhe Fort, nicknamed Zhang Tianlin, passed through Tianxing in Qingjian, and is now leading the team in Yanchuan."
Zhang Tianlin is of medium height, with a three-part beard, a rough and aged face, and a pair of very lively eyes. She cupped her fists and said with a smile: "The good man of Yan'an, the tiger general, is polite."
Liu Chengzong also returned the greeting: "I have seen Captain Zhang. Brother Cao has been wanting to find you for a long time."
After that, he pulled over the timid Li Wanqing and said, "Three brothers, this is Li Wanqing, shouting to shoot down the sky."
Liu Chengzu was not interested in their pleasantries.
He was more concerned about the plain color of his younger brother's official robe, and the collar was covered in mud and blood. He frowned and asked, "Lion, were you injured on the road?"
"It's okay, it's not my blood."
Seeing that he didn't elaborate, Liu Chengzu stopped asking and just said: "The road is not peaceful. I will take a few people with me on the road in the future."
They walked toward the village together. The ruins of the old temple village were rebuilt by Lu Bin and others, and there were several courtyards where people could rest.
The village was full of Zhang Tianlin's people, and in the courtyard there were armored warriors setting up bonfires, drinking wine and eating meat.
Cao Yao told Liu Chengzong that Zhang Tianlin came with thirty-two people this time.
Twenty-two shepherds like those outside the village, and ten such armored ones in the village.
A soldier is accompanied by two companions, riding two or three horses, four or five donkeys and mules, which is considered a group.
There are more than 300 people in the Tianxing headquarters, all looking like this, very formal.
Entering the courtyard, people chatted about what they had experienced after leaving Fish River Fort.
Zhang Tianlin was quite envious of these people and said with a smile: "I am not as comfortable as you. I left early and deserted. I thought the outside was better than the inside of the fort, but in fact it was not as good as the inside.
A bowl of stuffed skin can make people work hard, the people are going crazy with hunger, the soldiers are going crazy with hunger, others are occupying our land, my eldest brother fights with them, and they accuse the officials of being a thief.
The government did not investigate, but simply suppressed the people, letting the government and soldiers chase them and beat them until they could no longer bear it and could not fight back. "
He waved his hand in front of him: "I have at most one or two thousand people under my command. I don't know how many there are. This person will surrender to me today and have a full meal. If he dies and runs away tomorrow, new people will come."
Occupying a mountain stronghold in Qingjian and building earthen forts were useless. They collapsed with a cannon blast and were scattered to pieces after being beaten to death. "
He spread his hands and pointed at his head: "Then I thought about it. We still don't know what the officers and soldiers are like? He has three horses and seven steps, and I have three horses per person. All good ladies ride mules."
He pointed to the soldiers sitting in the yard and said to the four of them: "Stop hiding. If you want to kill me, run with me for three days. If you are a hero who can run three hundred miles, I will fight him."
Zhang Tianlin laughed loudly as she spoke, raised her index finger and waved it in front of her: "So far, I have never met an officer or soldier who can run three hundred miles with me."
Everyone was laughing. Except for Li Wanqing, who had no experience in military affairs, everyone had a bitter taste in their smiles.
Zhang Tianlin's marching speed was not very fast. So many horses, donkeys and mules were able to move at this speed entirely by relying on the soles of their feet.
The regular army of the imperial court was so hungry that they could no longer march compared to the bandits.
Even if they were on the opposite side, several former border soldiers felt uncomfortable.
Liu Chengzong asked: "Guan Zhang, what are your plans for coming to Yan'an this time?"
"I've got my work done. I'll leave tomorrow."
Zhang Tianlin smiled at Liu Chengzu and said: "I came here to inquire about the news about Yan'an Prefecture sending troops. Your brother told me that the prefect has not raised the money and will not be able to send troops for a while.
But I guess this matter is not over yet. From Fugu to Yanchang County, there are more than a dozen named leaders. They are making too much trouble. "
Then he named a lot of names, starting with Wang Jiayin, Wang Zuogao, Wang Monk, and a string of names in succession.
Taken together, there are thirty to forty thousand people, which is a scale that Shaanxi Dusi cannot ignore.
"Sooner or later the imperial court will send out troops. The prefect's yamen won't pay them, and the guards will go to war with us because they are hungry. They will find ways to get food on their own. You'd better be careful."
After Zhang Tianlin said this, everyone's hearts sank.
Liu Chengzu said: "According to what Zhang Guandu said, it will be around the beginning of autumn?"
"Yes, now we can only rely on God. If it rains, the world will be peaceful. Otherwise, tens of thousands of people will cause chaos in Qin."
After saying this, Zhang Tianlin cursed: "Thief, there is no chicken left."
Liu Chengzu was silent about this. What should come will always come, and there is no way to hide.
Cao Yao looked at Liu Chengzong: "Should we also buy some horses?"
Liu Chengzong said: "I want to be with you!"
