Thanks to Caiyun Xianmu for the tip)
"Spread out, spread out. What are you doing here?" An iron field guard holding a firecracker came over.
Han San saw the person coming and said: "It turns out to be Brother Pan Yi. We are talking about the government army's suppression of bandits. Don't you know? The owner behind our iron farm is the head of Hutou Village. I heard that the government will soon send troops to suppress Hutou Village. Headquarters."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who told you that the government is going to deal with Hutou Village? Don't confuse the people with your lies here. All of you should disperse. Go back to your own houses." Pan Yi drove away the miners who had gathered together.
Also coming with Pan Yi were the iron field guards from his team.
Han San did not flinch because of Pan Yi's words, and still said: "Don't believe it, otherwise why didn't we make iron in such a good weather today? Instead, we asked you iron yard guards to strengthen patrols of the iron yard. Didn't you know that the government and the army were going to do it?" Here you go, prepare in advance.”
"Shut up, don't talk nonsense here." Pan Yi scolded, and then said, "If you keep talking nonsense, believe it or not, I will kill you with a gun right now."
As he spoke, he actually raised the fire gun in his hand and pointed the gun at Han San. With his other hand, he took out the fire stick and blew it to light the match rope on the faucet.
Faced with Pan Yi's real move to take action, Han San shrank back and said, "I'm just saying, you don't need to touch me if you don't believe me."
The power of fire blunderbuss is known to all the miners in the iron yard, and some fire blunderbuss are even made in the iron yard.
The craftsman who made the fire gun was a blacksmith in Lingqiu. After making it, many people saw with their own eyes that the iron plate behind their fingertips was penetrated by a gun within twenty steps.
The miners who were originally gathered together saw that Pan Yi was serious about it, and no one wanted to take the risk. If Pan Yi went crazy and fired a firecracker, he would be dead if he was hit at such a close distance. They retreated to their houses in twos and threes. there.
The miners who had just gathered around Han San quickly dispersed, leaving only Han San and a few miners living here.
Pan Yi turned to Huang Huai and said, "Huang Zhanglu, you are also the deputy steward of the iron yard. Just let Han San talk nonsense here. I will report this matter to the captain."
Huang Huai wanted to show more dignity, but when he saw the black hole of the gun, he said nonchalantly: "I didn't pay attention. I will pay attention next time. Captain Pan can go to other places to patrol, but I'm keeping an eye on this place. I won't." What happened before will happen again.”
"I hope Huang Zhanglu can fulfill his responsibilities as deputy steward." Pan Yi put away the fire folder, set up the fire gun again, and left the house with other iron yard guards.
When they walked away, Han San spat at Pan Yi's back and cursed: "You don't want to die well, just wait, wait until the army annihilates Hutou Village, and see if you can still be so arrogant. "
"Okay, shut up!" Huang Huai scolded.
At this time, he was extremely nervous.
Originally he was not sure that the government troops would go out to suppress the bandits. The news he got from the Xu family iron yard only knew that it would be in the past few days. But the changes in the iron yard today made him realize that it was probably today.
Ever since he agreed to the requests of the proprietors of the iron yards in Dongshan, he has been waiting for the army to come to suppress the bandits. Unless the bandits in Hutou Village were wiped out, he would not dare to defect to other iron yards.
As the deputy manager of the iron yard, he knew some secret things about Hutou Village. For example, there was a group of people in Hutou Village who specialized in assassinations, and it was in the hands of these people that Die Six died.
Now that he has mastered the most important coke ironmaking technology in the iron yard, if he defected to other iron yards, he would definitely be assassinated by these people. Therefore, he could only wait until Hutou Village was destroyed before he dared to work in the Xu family iron yard.
He has always had the coke ironmaking technology in his hands. Even if he agreed to cooperate with the Xu family and other ironworks owners, he did not tell them that the coke ironmaking technology was his last resort to save his life. He would not tell them until the last moment. anyone.
Pan Yi, who left the miner's house, met another patrol team, led by the deputy captain who was a Dongshan miner like him.
Both of them were miners from the slum area. They knew each other and were selected as guards of the iron yard together. They became close. The difference was that Pan Yi was the musketeer of the musket team and the other was the spearman of the spear team. hand.
"What happened to the miners? I saw you raising the gun from a distance." When the two patrol teams came together, the deputy captain of the other team asked first.
Pan Yi said: "Han San was spreading rumors over there, saying that the army was going to Hutou Village to suppress bandits. Our iron yard was also the target of the army's suppression of bandits. I couldn't stand it, so I went over to teach him a lesson."
The deputy captain looked around, pulled Pan Yi farther away, and whispered, "Quaima came to the iron yard early this morning. Then the captain informed all the iron yard guards to step up patrols. Those who originally came from Hutou The iron yard guards from the village have regrouped, leaving us, the guards with miner backgrounds, to lead the patrol on our own."
"What's so strange about that? Most of the time, it's us miners who guard and patrol by ourselves." Pan Yi said disapprovingly.
"You are really honest." The deputy corps commander whispered, "I secretly heard the captain and Manager Chen saying that the government will send a large army out of the city today, and they will probably come to our iron yard. Otherwise, why do you think the captain asked us If patrols are strengthened, the miners will no longer be able to work."
Hearing this, Pan Yi frowned and said, "If this is the case, we should be more prepared."
"Are you really stupid or are you pretending to be stupid?" the deputy captain said with a look of hatred on his face, "You really want to accompany these bandits in Hutou Village to die."
"What do you mean?" Pan Yi looked at the other party.
The deputy corps commander said: "When have you ever seen bandits defeat the army? The Hutou Village bandits are in doom this time. We can't die in vain. What I mean is to find a chance for us to escape together."
Pan Yi's face sank and he said: "The iron field treats us well. We are never short of money and food every month. Now when the iron field is in danger, you just run away on your own. You, Zhang Ergou, have a conscience and call the dog." have eaten."
Hearing this, Zhang Ergou looked grim and said: "Pan Yi, I did it for your own good. The government sent out a large army to suppress the bandits. Do you think the bandits in Hutou Village can still survive? Are you willing to accompany them to death?" Maybe they have escaped."
Pan Yihan said in a cold voice: "Zhang Ergou, don't forget, your life and mine were both saved by the captain."
The two men were originally miners from other ironworks, but later they contracted the cold and were thrown out by the ironworks. They lacked medical treatment, medicine and money, so they had no choice but to wait for death. They happened to be met by Jia Liu, who came to recruit miners. A doctor was called in and two people were saved.
After the two men recovered from their illness, Jia Liu recruited the two men as guards at the iron yard.
"Good intentions are regarded as a donkey's liver and lungs." Zhang Ergou cursed in a low voice and led his team of guards in the opposite direction of Pan Yi.
Pan Yi looked worried.
It wasn't like he didn't feel something was wrong with Tiechang. Zhang Ergou's words made him realize that Tiechang would have a hard time getting through the difficulties this time.
Even if the bandits on Hutoushai Mountain could escape, it would be difficult for the people here in Tiechang to escape.
Unlike Hutuzhai Mountain, which is densely forested, Dongshan is full of iron yards and mineral veins. The top of the mountain is bare and there is no place to hide. There is only one road going down the mountain, which blocks the intersection going down the mountain and surrounds the iron yard. No one in the field could escape.
