"Oh, brother Ma, what are you doing, what are you talking about."
The headmaster said quickly,
"We were all bandits in Qingshui County. We were all dissatisfied with the cruelty of the imperial court, so we came out to do justice for heaven. If we don't help each other, but instead argue and blame each other and attack each other, then we will be the same as those rats in Black Wind Ridge. What's the difference?"
The old man, Ma Niu, burst into tears, clasped his hands and said,
"Brother Weng... you are so benevolent and righteous. I admire you so much! I admire you so much! Brother Weng has a broad mind that I will never be able to match in my life.
The younger brother has decided that as long as Brother Weng doesn't dislike it, the younger brother is willing to be a pawn in Qingfeng Village, holding horses and stools for Brother Weng and Brother Wu, working as an ox and a horse! "
"Don't say that. Brother Ma is also a big boss in Niu Kui Mountain. How can I let you be a pawn?"
The boss said in a dilemma,
"Brother Ma wants to be the head of the family, but I have said it in front of all the brothers. Apart from the second master, there will be no other masters in Qingfeng Village. If I change my order overnight, won't I lose my prestige?
Brother Ma still found another way out, returned to Niubaishan, and continued to be the boss. We are still good brothers. "
After saying this, the headmaster looked at Nie Chen. Nie Chen understood and started to sing red face.
"The boss, Brother Ma, is also sincere and chivalrous. He is willing to join us and contribute to our Qingfeng Village. Is there any reason to turn him away?
If it doesn't work out, I'll give up my position as second in charge to Brother Ma! "
"It's absolutely impossible!"
Ma Niubi said immediately,
"Brother Wu is the person I admire the most. Without you, I, Ma Niubai, would have starved to death in the wilderness. How could I dare to take the position of second master!
I said, I just need to be a pawn. If the boss feels bad about it, give me a position as a minor leader, and I can make money to repay the thousand taels of silver. "
"That's not necessary. We didn't even remember the previous money."
The boss said in a dilemma,
"Brother Ma can stay if he wants, but as you have seen, Qingfeng Village does not support idlers. Everyone is either a worker and has to work, or a soldier and has to practice. Even the second master, wasn't he practicing just now? .
Brother Ma, you have never experienced this kind of hardship when you were the head of the family before. I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it. "
"I can! I definitely can! Just watch, Mr. Ma. As long as I dare to relax even a little bit, you can whip me with a whip. I won't complain at all!"
The breasts of the horse and cow are beating loudly.
The boss and Nie Chen looked at each other and smiled. They had actually discussed it secretly last night and thought they could recruit horses and cattle.
Because the business of Qingfeng Village is getting bigger and bigger now, it will soon attract the attention of the county government. The Liu family will also know that they will attack Qingfeng Village when the time comes, and there will be no need for horses and cattle to resist the firepower.
If you keep him in the village, you can train him as a general.
It's just a matter of beating and beating to cure the bandit spirit in him.
At present, none of the senior officials in Qingfeng Village are from professional bandit backgrounds. The atmosphere in Qingfeng Village is also very good, but we can't let this guy ruin it.
Ma Niubai stayed in Qingfeng Village like this, and fought with Lin Guang several times during this period. Both sides had their own victories, which made Lin Guang very happy.
Three more days passed, and finally, Zhang Taonian led seven or eight cottages and more than a thousand people to Heifeng Ridge.
The day before the battle, Zhang Taonian wrote a letter of war to Qingfeng Village, agreeing that the two sides would fight at Haowangpo, ten miles south of Qingfeng Village.
After receiving the letter of challenge, the chief thought for a long time and then asked,
"What did Zhang Taonian think? How could he be so stupid?"
After thinking for a while, Nie Chen said,
"Maybe Zhang Taonian knew that our Qingfeng Village wall was strong and there were military crossbows on the wall. Coupled with the advantage of the geographical location, he was worried that he would make the same mistake again, so he made an appointment with us to go to a gentle slope without trees. Let’s have a decisive battle so that their advantages can be maximized.”
"But he told us the location of the decisive battle in advance, isn't he afraid that we will ambush him in advance?"
"Then does he have a better way? That is to come and attack our copycat. Doesn't that mean he still tells us the location of the decisive battle?
Since a decisive battle is inevitable, why not choose a place that is beneficial to them?
Look at the harsh words in his letter. He was just worried that we wouldn't go, so he deliberately angered us. "
The leader asked,
"What do you think?"
Nie Chen said,
"I think we should go and defeat the enemy with dignity in a large open space, show off our force and break the enemy's fighting spirit. This can lay a good foundation for recruiting troops later.
Our family easily defeated seven or eight of their families, which was enough to scare away the bandit villages that did not participate. "
Lin Guang stood up and said,
"I agree with the Second Master's view. If you want to fight, let's beat him upright and beat him to pieces. Let everyone know how powerful we are. We can no longer hide our strength. There are many people in the village, and many people are confused. They will all speak out.
Simply rely on force to subdue others. "
Ma Niubi: "Me too!"
The headmaster nodded and said,
"Okay, then listen to Nie Chen. First send scouts to Haowangpo to inquire about the enemy's situation and see if there is any ambush. We will set out early tomorrow morning to set up defenses."
Ma Niubi raised his hand and asked,
"Master, who is Nie Chen?"
Everyone:...
Nie Chen coughed dryly and said,
"I am Nie Chen."
"Isn't your name Wu Yanzu?"
"Um...my surname is Nie Mingchen, and my nickname is Yanzu. For some special reasons, I changed my surname. Brother Ma, don't mind."
"How do I remember that the dandy brother of the Nie family in the county was named Nie Chen?"
"Uh...that's me."
"Why did you come to the village?"
Ma Niubi asked curiously.
"We'll talk about this later when we have time. Let's talk about the battle plan first."
Nie Chen looked at the headmaster.
"The battle plan is like this. The few of us will all go out, and Qiu Chan will stay and guard the house.
There are one hundred crossbowmen and thirty heavy crossbowmen left in the stronghold. With the help of the stronghold wall, it is enough to prevent the enemy from stealing the house. Twenty more broken military crossbows are carried over, and the cavalry is also brought over. "
“When we find the place, we can then arrange it according to the terrain.”
"Do you have any comments?"
The headmaster looked at everyone.
Nie Chen: "I have no objection."
Lin Guang: "It should be so. Let's talk about it when we get there."
Da Zhuang: "Okay, I'll prepare troops and horses right away."
Ma Niu Ai: "Me too."
Everyone got up one after another and asked the soldiers and horses to prepare weapons. They had a good meal in the evening and set off for Haowang Slope tomorrow.
That night, everyone got ready. Weng Qiuchan also came to Nie Chen's room and told him to be careful when fighting.
