"Look! It's the village leader!"
"The village leader is back!"
"The village leader! The village leader, Mr. Kai, is finally back! I am a stone!"
The originally quiet and orderly team experienced fluctuations. Many commanders and leaders took the lead and ran to Zou Run, eagerly expressing their thoughts and gratitude. This attracted many minions who had recently climbed up the mountain to be curious and gathered around him.
Zou Run didn't know whether to laugh or cry about this. He was happy that the backbone of the team continued to support and respect him, but he was also a little angry that these people forgot the discipline of the team as soon as they saw him, and made a mess of the team that was originally decent. .
But looking at the eager faces, and the curious and fearful unfamiliar faces, Zou Run still swallowed some words in his stomach. He opened his arms, pulling this one, patting that one. , everyone who could be called by their names shouted their names, and those who could not be called by their names also patted their shoulders and touched their heads, getting along with the group of minions very eagerly.
This was an eye-opener for Sun Xin and others who were new to the mountain. Sister-in-law Gu murmured: "I never thought that the village leader would be so popular and the children would support him so much."
Xie Zhen Jie Bao's eyes also burst out with enthusiasm when he saw this scene, while Le He looked at the scene in front of him blankly. He knew that he had made an extremely correct decision.
Yang Lin said with a smile: "Although the leader of the village is young, he acts fairly and justly, is generous with money, considerate of the soldiers, and never lacks daily food. Whenever he goes down to fight in the mountain, everyone will be rewarded. Those who have made meritorious deeds will be promoted to chief leaders, and money and food will be rewarded according to the merits. , for those who became sick and disabled due to the war, the village paid for their treatment, so everyone in the mountain loved him and respected him."
The team was busy for a while, and Zou Run was freed from the crowd. Only then did Yang Lin step forward to straighten the order. He pulled out his riding crop, beat and scolded him, and ordered the minions to seize the time to line up and prepare to set off.
Zou Run looked up and saw that it was getting late. If he delayed any longer, he might have to fight another night battle. The weather in early February is still a bit cold with short days and long nights, and the temperature will drop sharply at night. Although everyone in his group of minions had clothes to wear, Zou Run had just walked around and saw that not everyone had cotton clothes or leather jackets, and many ordinary minions were still wearing paper clothes to keep out the cold.
The so-called cotton clothes are actually made of Gebu or linen fabrics, filled with silk floss, reed wadding or cotton wadding. Of course, the cotton wadding here is not cotton, but the flowers of the kapok tree that has always been planted in China. , its shape is somewhat similar to cotton, and can also be used for warmth or knitting.
Cotton in the true sense began to be slowly planted in China at the end of the Song Dynasty. It was not until Huang Daopo in the Yuan Dynasty learned how to use cotton-making tools and weave cotton that cotton-padded clothes gradually became recognized by modern people. Before that, there was only the word "mian" next to silk, but not the word "cotton" next to wood.
As for paper clothing, it originated from the ancient Northern and Southern Dynasties, and became completely popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is also called "paper fur". It is generally sewn from thicker and stronger mulberry paper. It has a tough texture and is not only durable but can also withstand wind and cold. It has relatively good air permeability and is cheap to make. It is the first choice for poor people to go out.
There are some gangsters in the cottage who are wearing paper clothes and going down the mountain to fight. It can be seen that the financial resources of the cottage are not very sufficient. Zou Run is secretly anxious. Money, money, he must spread his private salt immediately to expand his income. At the same time, he has to If you want to expand other financial resources, you can’t walk on one leg.
Having made up his mind, Zou Run gave the order to assemble the troops and march towards the country manor of Mao Taigong.
Perhaps Yang Lin knew that Zou Run was jealous, so the rest of the march was carried out in accordance with the rules set by Zou Run.
The cavalry went out first, and three teams of scouts were sent out from the front, one team of two, one for every five miles, taking turns. Three teams of scouts were also sent out from behind, but they were just one team for one person.
The infantry was assembled. Since there were only a hundred people, they did not form a complicated formation. They just formed a simple long snake formation. According to the width of the road, they were divided into two people in a row and fifty people in a row.
As the leader of the village, Zou Run was not riding a big horse and swaggering at the front of the team like in the modern TV series. That was what the scouts and the pioneer Yang Lin were supposed to do. He himself honestly led Sun. Xin and other five people rode in the middle of the team.
Generally, there is a special term in the army for the position of the general, which is called "Chinese Army".
Zou Run said nothing along the way, quietly watching Yang Lin do what he was doing. Yang Lin also lived up to his expectations and did everything in an orderly manner, including scouting, marching, and rearing. Zou Run nodded secretly.
The boring march lasted for more than an hour, with a short break in the middle. At the end of the ugly moment, the group finally reached their destination.
Since it was broad daylight, such a large group of people could not hide their whereabouts. Before they even got close to the village, the people working in the fields outside the village and the woodcutters in the mountains discovered this group of strongmen one after another. They all turned around and headed towards the village. Run, shouting as he runs.
"The thief is coming!"
"The strongman is coming down the mountain!"
Zou Run did not order to stop him, because there were too many people working in the fields and mountains at this time, so he could not stop him, so he could only let him go. He was now sitting high on his horse, concentrating on inspecting the battlefield situation.
The first thing that catches the eye is the Mao family manor standing in front of the village, with high walls and closed doors.
Although Mao Taigong was stingy, he attached great importance to his own safety. His manor only had two front and rear doors, and was surrounded by high walls built with bricks and stones. According to the description of Jie Zhen Jie Bao, in addition to the young servant There are servants and ten or twenty bankers who wield swords and guns.
In addition, the village he was in was a big one, with a population of about a thousand people. It was impossible to guarantee that if these people scattered a lot of money, they could mobilize hundreds of young men. Zou Run realized that this battle could only be fought quickly. No delay.
The war was imminent, and the power to command the troops was automatically switched from Yang Lin to Zou Run.
Zou Run summoned two minions with loud voices, and whispered these instructions in their ears. The two minions understood, and then each picked up a dough card, walked out of the formation, and slowly approached the manor in front. Under the cover of the shield, , opened his voice and shouted loudly:
"Listen, people in the village, we are the heroes who came down from Mount Yun, and we are here specifically to avenge the wronged Jie Zhen Jie Bao! We only want to kill the culprit, Taigong Mao, and we will not do anything to you fellow villagers! Please All fellow villagers, please guard yourselves and don’t make mistakes!”
"If there is anyone who acts as an ally and tries to assist Taigong Mao in resisting with weapons, I will kill them when I climb Yunshan Mountain!"
The two shouted loudly several times, and Taigong Mao in the manor was so anxious that he jumped up and down. He had originally planned to call on the villagers to come to his place to help defend him, but after the thief shouted like this, no one would dare to come to help him.
Taigong Mao was still furious at his incompetence, but his son Mao Zhongyi was not as smart beforehand as his father, and was confused afterward. He stood up and ordered:
"Don't listen to the thieves! My Zhuangzi is so solid, how can it be easily broken? I have sent people to the state to deliver a message. I only need to guard for an hour and a half. My brother-in-law will lead troops and horses to come to the rescue. At that time, we will cooperate with the inside and outside. Attacking from both sides, we will definitely defeat the bandit army!"
"All you have to do is go up to the village wall and protect yourself, and I will reward each of you with five guan! Kill one of the gangsters, and you will get a reward of 10 guan! Kill one of the leaders, and you will get a reward of 5 guan! If you can kill the leader of the thieves, you will get a reward of 50 guan!"
Hearing that there would be reinforcements and money to come, the bankers became more motivated. They were the thugs raised by the Mao family by selling private salt and traveling by sea. Many of them had seen blood before. Therefore, the boss promised a reward, and this group of people was not like ordinary people who would get scared when they hear a thief.
The leader of a banker inside raised his long knife and shouted loudly: "Brothers! What are you still doing? The little master said that as long as you dare to work hard, you can make money. Let's go! Follow me up the wall and have a good meeting. What are these thieves who came from Mount Yunshan?"
"Let's go! Listen to Brother Zhu! Go up the wall!"
"Yes! Let's go together, guard the manor, and kill a few thieves in exchange for rewards and wine!"
