"Xiaoer, where are you from in Henan?"
Zhao Ming casually interrupted Monkey's bragging and turned to look at Wang Er.
Wang Er, who had just been working with Ah Fu to suppress the tribes who did not want to migrate again, was a little tired now, but he cheered up when he heard Zhao Ming's question.
"Back to Mr. Zhao, I'm from Xuchang, Henan. You should know Xuchang, right? Cao Cao started his career there."
"Haha, of course I know, there are so many famous people here!"
Zhao Ming smiled and nodded. Some people may not be familiar with Xuchang now, but in ancient times it was also called Yingchuan County, which included Xuchang.
The Warring States Period was full of celebrities, such as Lu Buwei, Han Feizi, Zhang Liang, and even more celebrities during the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were also celebrities such as Wu Daozi.
It is no exaggeration to say that this place was the cultural center of early China. Even if the economic and cultural center later moved south, it still has a place here.
"How many people are in the family?" Zhao Ming continued to ask.
He really didn't know much about Wang Er's family background.
"Master Zhao... I was still young when I went out to hang out, and I was the only child in the family."
Speaking of this, Wang Er's face clearly showed a bit of nostalgia, "I used to hang out with a few local gangsters in my hometown. Later, my parents found me a job as a herdsman for wealthy families.
Alas, it’s my fault for not living up to expectations, thinking of poking bird’s nests and tying cows to trees with my brothers. When I returned, the cow was taken away by someone.
My parents asked me to take my things and go out to hide for a while.
As a result, after hiding, I never went back.
Later, I heard that the wealthy family had applied for official service, so I couldn't even go back. Fortunately, not long after I left, I made a name for myself in the Da Sword Club, and I sent some money back home every month to my fellow villagers.
I heard that my parents in my hometown have given birth to two younger brothers and a younger sister. I guess there is no need for me to go back.
And I don’t have the nerve to go back. "
Having said this, Wang Er chuckled and scratched his head, as if he didn't care about it anymore.
However, Zhao Ming saw that this boy was hiding something.
In fact, it was not difficult to guess what Wang Er was thinking. Zhao Ming didn't say much and just patted Wang Er on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, you will definitely be able to go back in the future, not secretly but openly!"
Wang Er trembled when he heard this and glanced at Zhao Ming silently. He didn't say anything more, but his hands in his sleeves tightened.
The reason why Wang Er joined the army and followed Marshal Liu all the way to the north and south, gritting his teeth and holding on even if the war became more and more cruel each time, was just to fight for a breath.
Similar situations are not uncommon within the Zhensong Army.
This is normal. If someone lives a decent life in his hometown, who would want to go out and make a living?
Although the Zhensong Army is a bunch of gangsters, poor people, and mud, in fact, the more people like this, the more they feel depressed.
They just don't have much culture and vision, and they can't find the direction of how to achieve their goals in many things. This leads to many gangsters in the world who can't make a name for themselves all their lives.
In the end, just like Xiangzi, after experiencing severe beatings from society again and again, his gritted teeth and strong backbone could no longer withstand the pressure and collapsed, and even gave up on himself.
Now Zhao Ming gave them a clear direction.
"Haha, little second son, I didn't expect that your father and mother are still here!"
The monkey spoke like a fool, speaking without restraint.
Of course, this is why he is so careless about his brothers.
"I am miserable. I have lived most of my life without knowing who my parents were. I have been hanging out in the market since I was a child, and later I became a swordsman with my elder brother.
As a result, after the swordsman died, I became the eldest brother of a small place, and then I started hanging out with Brother Chang.
But you have a home and can’t go back, and I’m homeless. How about we complement each other? "
"How can we complement each other?" Wang Er was a little confused. Could it be that Brother Monkey wanted to recognize his father and mother as his adoptive father and mother?
As a result, the monkey's next sentence made Wang Er punch him in anger.
"In this way, I reluctantly allow you to call me daddy, and I will adopt you as my adopted son. In this way, you will be with my old father every day, and you will be at home everywhere."
As soon as Monkey's nasty words came out, the two of them immediately got into a fight.
Looking at this scene, Zhao Ming couldn't stop laughing. Monkey's ability to be mean-mouthed is really not simple. He can always make Wang Er, an honest kid, very angry.
"Master Zhao, please take a step to speak!"
At this moment, Zhang He waved to Zhao Ming with a bowl in hand. Seeing this, Zhao Ming didn't think much, got up and followed Zhang He to a relatively secluded place.
"What's the matter?"
"Master Zhao, you should know something about food, right? What do you think?" Zhang He said directly.
"Um."
Zhao Ming nodded. It was understandable that Zhang He was worried. Eating was the top priority.
"I plan to collect all food and ration it uniformly starting tomorrow, and starting tomorrow, everyone except combatants will eat half the food!"
"Is this... wouldn't this be bad? I heard from Manager Fu and Lao Sun that this food and grass can only last for two months at most?" Zhang He frowned.
"Well, it can last for two months, but we can't calculate everyone as an average."
Zhao Ming shook his head, "For the war preparers, I need to not only satisfy them with normal food and drink, but also feed them well and have meat in every meal!
This is non-negotiable, and starting from tomorrow, I plan to transfer some people from each department to form a team of 1,000 people for training.
These people will be fed, and their horses will be fed by me!
Based on this calculation, not to mention two months, one month is too much. "
"Is this really necessary? We in Huozhongtun have a unique geographical location. As long as we are more cautious, it will be difficult for them to attack us.
In fact, Mr. Zhao, we don’t need to fight with them.
Their loss of several thousand people is nothing, but if these thousands of us go in, we will be lambs to be slaughtered, this...
And as long as we hold the river, if they find that they can't attack by force, they will probably ignore us and go directly south...
so...."
Zhang He frowned. His meaning was obvious, that is, he did not want to continue to conflict with Outer Mongolia.
It is better to survive with only the remaining food than to knock an egg against a rock.
Zhao Ming had already expected this idea, and he was even sure that except for the old army of Zhensong Army, there were probably many others who had similar thoughts to Zhang He.
The power of the Outer Mongols has long left a profound impression on the people on this grassland, not just in a short period of time but as a memory of fear that spans decades.
"Isn't this your idea alone? Does Lao Sun think the same way?" Zhao Ming narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile.
"Well...."
Zhang He touched his chin and smiled bitterly, "Not only Lao Sun and I, but also the shepherds of other tribes think so. I am a messenger. If you have other ideas, just follow your advice."
