From a distance, he saw a group of Ming army cavalry galloping towards them. Yang Shibin's face gradually showed joy. He shouted loudly and led more than ten cavalrymen to meet them.
Chen Zhong rode his horse next to Zhang Cheng and said loudly in the biting cold wind: "Handsome Master, Mr. Yang must be here to greet us!"
The two sides gradually approached, and when they were only ten steps apart, Yang Shibin dismounted, walked close to Zhang Cheng's horse, cupped his fists and saluted, "Yang Shibin pays homage to Zhang Shuai!"
"Mr. Yang, please get up quickly."
Zhang Cheng then turned over and dismounted. He walked up a few steps, took Yang Shibin's hand, and said: "I came to disturb Mr. Yang today. My army will rely on Mr. Yang's help in future wars in Henan Province." .”
"Zhang Shuai's words really offended Yang."
Yang Shibin continued politely: "Zhang Shuai is well-known for his power, and the army in Xuanzhen is even more powerful. When he arrived in Yu Province, he conquered Dengfeng. Li Ji met tens of thousands of thieves. It is really admirable. Yang Jialou is willing to serve Zhang Shuai. Yang Shibin I am willing to be encouraged by Zhang Shuai!"
Zhang Cheng turned to look at Chen Zhong and said with a smile: "Xianggong Yang is really well-informed. I think Chen Zhong must be a quick talker."
Chen Zhong's face turned red when he said this, and he said sarcastically: "The handsome man's reputation has spread throughout Henan Province, so why should I talk too much?"
Yang Shibin also said hurriedly: "Shuai Zhang, General Chen, let's go to the stronghold first. Yang will prepare some drinks to warm up the soldiers."
Zhang Cheng was no longer polite and rushed to the Yangjialou first. Yang Shibin and Chen Zhong accompanied him, and the rest of the knights and the young men of the Yangjialou followed behind.
Zhang Cheng observed the topography of Yangjialou while walking. Yangjialou was built on the mountain, with rock walls on its north and east sides. A stream about three feet wide flows down from the mountain to the west, outside the village wall on the west side of Yangjialou. The trench is only about twenty steps away.
A trench two feet wide and one foot deep was also dug two feet outside the south wall of Yangjialou, which was connected to the trench on the west side. Water from the stream was poured into the ditch to fill it. It is now frozen.
Opposite the village gate there is a large wooden suspension bridge, which has now been lowered. Zhang Cheng and others walked across the suspension bridge and took a closer look at the Yang family building. The walls of the village are all made of large stones, nearly two feet high. , and with the combination of trenches, it is indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack.
"Ms. Yang, this Yang family building is built on the mountain. If you deepen the ditch and strengthen the wall, it will really be difficult to capture."
"Zhang Shuai is overly praised. Among the villages in Xiong'er and Funiu Mountains, none of them have deep ditches and high walls, but none of them can really stop the bandit army. Although my Yangjia Tower is slightly stronger than other nearby villages, , but it can’t resist the big army, it can only stop the little thieves.”
"The bandit army attacked the city and destroyed the stronghold, mostly seducing the hungry people to respond internally. Many strong fortresses were breached from within. Can the people living in the Yang family building be mixed with outsiders?"
"Replying to Zhang Shuai's words, most of the people in the Yang family building are from this sect, and there are other residents of several surnames, all of whom are old local households. Recently, some people have come to visit relatives, and they are all old households who have provided guarantees. Enter the village to live. The remaining uninsured foreigners have been placed in two other nearby villages and have not dared to enter the Yangjia Lou Village."
"Well, that's the best. If thieves encounter a strong stronghold, they may not really risk their lives to attack the hungry people without internal response."
While they were talking, everyone had entered the Yangjialou Village through the village gate. Zhang Cheng also discovered that the Yangjialou Village Wall was indeed strong, more than ten feet thick, and it also had a two-story village gate.
Yang Shibin showed Zhang Cheng the path, and they walked north along the road paved with rocks. Yang Shibin introduced the situation of Yangjialou as they walked.
The Yang family building was originally the ancestral home of his Yang family. Later, as the business grew bigger and bigger, most of the clan members moved to the surrounding counties to take care of the business and purchase properties everywhere. , convenient for nearby management and operation.
Fortunately, they kept their training in mind and did not forget their roots. They persisted in repairing the Yangjia Building over the years, and now they have the shelter they have today.
The village is quite spacious, with more than 400 families living in it, and a population of nearly 3,000, including more than 1,000 young people. Now they are divided into teams of 100 people, and they have all been incorporated into the team of villagers, who practice every day. Incessantly.
It's just that the armor is not uniform, and many young men have to use sticks, shovels, picks, rakes, etc. as weapons, and there are no firecrackers or artillery. What he said to Zhang Cheng is obvious, that is, he hopes to help Yang Jialou Supplement the ordnance, especially muskets and artillery.
The innermost part of the Yang Family Building is a deep courtyard with three entrances. There is also a small martial arts field next to it. Some important warehouses are also here. Because most of the grain is stored in them, there are many large water tanks around these warehouses. , filled with water.
There is a small pond next to the martial arts arena, with some fish in it. Withered lotus leaves are spread on the ice, but the lotus poles are not frozen, which can provide oxygen for the fish in the pond to breathe.
Yang Shibin pointed to the rows of houses not far away and said to Zhang Cheng: "Shuai Zhang, this area is still vacant. Hundreds of people can live in it if you squeeze it in. There is also a large open space over there for the martial arts field, and you can also build a shed. , converted into stables.”
Zhang Cheng nodded and said: "Chen Zhong has only a hundred people who want to stay in your village temporarily. I will not ask him to wait for nothing. This time he leads the army to suppress bandits in Henan Province. Armored ordnance Although I didn't bring much with me.
But there are a lot of artillery, all of which are fine small artillery made by me on the North Road. When my army moves into Meng County, I will send a troop of troops to cross the border from Pingle Town, ten miles southwest of Yangjialou, to give you How about leaving two hundred pairs of armor, five hundred spears, swords, and clubs, one hundred shields, and twenty squatting cannons? "
"Oh, that's great."
Yang Shibin was overjoyed when he heard this. He said happily: "Shuai Zhang, please come into the house and rest quickly. I will arrange for people to prepare wine and food. I can't say anything today. I must get drunk with Zhang Shuai before resting."
"Hahaha……"
Zhang Cheng laughed and walked into the compound. He was about to speak when suddenly, a red-tasseled spear suddenly stabbed his throat. He instinctively twisted his neck to the left, trying to get rid of the spear.
He raised his left hand and pushed it up to the right. At the same time, he turned his right hand from the outside, trying to hold the gun shaft and snatch it away. However, he saw that the spear was about two inches in front of his neck, no longer moving towards him. Stab forward.
"As expected of the little general who killed Yue Tuo in a formation, he really has two moves!"
A crisp female voice came, and Zhang Cheng looked intently, only to see a graceful woman dressed in smart clothes, wearing a red jacket and a bright red cape with white edges, standing two steps in front of her, holding her hands. He was holding up that red-tasseled spear.
Due to the sudden change, Chen Zhong and other soldiers had already drawn their swords in their hands, and Yang Shibin was also greatly shocked. He hurriedly stepped forward and angrily lectured: "Li Mei, Zhang Shuai is here, don't mess around."
As he spoke, he snatched the spear from the hand of the woman in red, turned around and hurriedly explained to Zhang Cheng: "Zhang Shuai, please don't misunderstand me. This is my roommate. She has been loved by her parents since she was a child. She doesn't like female celebrities. It's just like wielding swords and guns. There are many offenses today, so please don't blame Zhang Shuai."
He then said to Chen Zhong and others: "General Chen, please put away your sword. This is all a misunderstanding."
Chen Zhong and other soldiers ignored him. Their swords pointed out on guard, and they gathered around Zhang Cheng to protect him.
Zhang Cheng looked at the woman in front of him, with a pink face and rosy cheeks, and a figure that was far taller than the average woman. Zhang Cheng estimated that the height of this woman was over 1.65 meters, or even close to 1.7 meters.
Although a pair of peerless long legs were in her clothes, they had already aroused Zhang Cheng's reverie, not to mention the pair of legs standing proudly on her chest...
