Lan County, Guandi Ridge.

Zhang Shijing, the eldest son of the Zhang family, rode on a high-headed horse, surrounded by fifty elite families, and walked slowly along the foot of Guandi Ridge towards Lanxian.

After a while, a sentry scout came to meet the fast horse and shouted from afar: "Big boy, there is water in the Xiaoliang River ahead." ”

Zhang Shijing nodded, and urged the horses to sit down: "Go over and let the mounts drink some water, feed some beans, and the big guy also eat some dry food to rest." ”

"Okay."

The group urged their horses forward, and when they bypassed a ravine, they saw that the Xiaoliang River, which originally flowed down from the Guandi Ridge, had now become a stream no more than two feet wide, gurgling into a waterhole at the foot of the mountain.

After years of severe drought, many rivers in this area have long dried up and cut off, and Xiaoliang River is lucky to still have water.

Zhang Shijing and his entourage came back from Jingle County, walked for most of the day, people were sleepy and tired, and there was little water bladder left with them, so they urged the horses to go towards the waterhole.

When I got closer, I saw a group of hungry people in ragged clothes and blue faces sitting or lying on the flat ground next to the waterhole, and among them there was a half-sized man lying motionless on the ground, not knowing whether he was dead or alive, and a little old man was guarding next to him, who was grinning and sighing with a mouthful of big yellow teeth.

Not far away, there were several bodies of hungry people, half-hidden in the grass, and it was not known how they died.

As soon as he saw this group of hungry people, Zhang Shijing frowned in disgust: "Drive them all away, don't drink the water in the pool, be careful of the plague, drink the upstream." ”

"Yes."

A few burly family members drew their knives, stepped forward, and scolded viciously: "Don't you see my eldest son here?" Why don't you get out of here? ”

When the hungry people heard this, they hurriedly got up and ran downstream, and the little yellow-toothed old man also had a bitter face, picked up the half-sized boy on the ground, and followed with a staggering pace.

Probably too hungry to have any strength, the group stopped after running a few dozen steps, and sat on the ground gasping for air.

Several family members still wanted to continue to drive people away, but Zhang Shijing beckoned a little impatiently: "That's it, let them go, just don't let them go upstream to draught." ”

When several family members heard this, they put away their knives and rode back.

Zhang Shijing took out the water bladder and the bag containing the jerky from under the saddle, handed the reins to his men, walked over and sat on the deerskin mat, unscrewed the water bladder and took a sip, tore off a piece of beef jerky and put it in his mouth.

Of his fifty servants, four sat down not far from him, and took water and dry food to eat, while others led their horses to the shallow stream above the waterhole to drink and feed them with beans.

"Eldest prince, do we really want to send four hundred people and horses to join forces with those few to fight Mengjiazhuang?" While eating, a family member who was missing a front tooth suddenly asked.

Zhang Shijing chewed the meat and said vaguely: "Fight, why don't you fight?" ”

"But the one surnamed Qin is just making trouble in Lou Fu Jingyou, far away from our Lan County, there is no threat to our Zhang family, and his little people can't make a few waves, and he is still a court official, we are the people, and it is a big crime to kill the head to attack the court official."

Zhang Shijing glanced at him angrily and shook his head: "It's not unreasonable to say that you are stupid, the surname Qin is indeed an official of the imperial court, and it is true that he is not a threat to our Zhang family, but as long as Lord Guo gives the court an inscription, saying that he is wearing the skin of an official of the court and committing banditry in the township, my second uncle also said that he was a thief in the court, and the second son of Master Jingle Wu also said that he was a thief in the Jin Palace...... Well, he's a thief! ”

"Several of our families have joined forces to eradicate the evil and assist the officers and soldiers to exterminate the bandits, and it is too late for the court to reward us."

"What's more...... Do you know how much grain there is in Mengjiazhuang? ”

The Broken Tooth Ding shook his head: "I don't know if it's a little one, it should also have three or five thousand silver." ”

Zhang Shijing glanced at him with disgust, then looked in the direction of Lou Fu, and said lightly: "After the surnamed Qin successively conquered Huangcong Mountain and Guandi Mountain, there are now at least 10,000 stone grain, more than 15,000 taels of silver, more than 1,000 horses and 1,000 horses, and countless cattle, sheep, and iron tools. ”

"Our Zhang family can get 20% for 400 people, that is, at least 2,000 stone of grain and 3,000 taels of silver, why not do it?"

"The eldest prince is wise."

The toothbreaker smirked.

At this time, the little yellow-toothed old man who had just been driven into the distance, holding the motionless half-sized child, walked towards them with difficulty.

The remaining dozen hungry people smelled the smell of meat, and like the walking dead, they looked at the jerky in their hands, and involuntarily walked over under their feet.

"You're tired of being crooked, aren't you?"

The Broken Tooth Family scolded with a sideways face.

The little old man with yellow teeth was about to bend his waist to the ground, and pleaded pitifully: "A few masters, my baby is about to starve to death, poor and poor us, let's enjoy some food." ”

"Phew! All the begging for food came to my eldest son? You don't have long eyes, do you? Why don't you get out of here? ”

The little old man with yellow teeth twisted his old face, as if he was about to cry.

Zhang Shijing stuffed another piece of beef jerky into his mouth, and said with a smile while chewing: "Old man, there are hungry people everywhere these years, there are not many of you who live, and there are not many of you who die. ”

The little old man with yellow teeth lowered his head, as if he had made some major decision, and suddenly took out a piece of jade pendant like mutton fat from his arms, gritted his teeth and said: "Childe, this is the heirloom of my family, it has been passed on to me for a full six hundred years, if Childe can add two catties of dried meat and two taels of silver, I will sell you this jade pendant." ”

"Oh?"

Zhang Shijing suddenly became interested, squinted and stared at the jade pendant for a while, and a sneer suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Bold thief, dare to steal my Zhang family's treasure, come, kill him to my son." ”

"Yes."

The tooth-breaking family and another family member immediately got up, drew their knives, and pressed towards the little old man with yellow teeth with a hideous face.

The little old man's face changed greatly, and he hurriedly threw the half-sized child in his arms on the ground, turned around and ran.

But as soon as he ran a few steps, he stumbled and fell to the ground, and seemed to be lame, and he couldn't get up after struggling for a long time.

The two housekeepers crossed the motionless half-grown boy and approached the little old man with a sly smile.

At this moment, the half-sized man suddenly jumped up, and out of nowhere, he pulled out two short knives, one of which stabbed into the back of the Broken Tooth Family's neck.

The other was taken aback, hurriedly turned around, and raised his knife to slash.

At this moment, the little old man with yellow teeth also jumped up from the ground, and a short blade slipped out of his tattered cuffs, and stabbed it into the back of the family member unhurriedly.

"Enemy attack!"

A family member next to Zhang Shijing reacted very quickly, immediately pulled out a long knife, dragged Zhang Shijing up, and pulled him towards the large army that was feeding the horses not far away.

Almost at the same time, a sharp arrow burst through the air and plunged into his vest, pinning him to the ground.

Not far away, three "corpses" that were still lying in the grass just now, holding bows and arrows, aimed at the last family member next to Zhang Shijing.

The little old man with yellow teeth and half a child, after the two family members, ran towards Zhang Shijing like a leopard, one left and one right.

The dozen or so hungry people behind them also took out weapons one by one from their bodies, their burdens, and the surrounding grass, and killed them like wolves.

A sudden sound of horses' hooves sounded on the Guandi Ridge, and a cavalry of about thirty horsemen roared from top to bottom.

Zhang Shijing was so shocked that he didn't even have time to take the weapon, so he ran towards his men and horses.

But at that moment, three more arrows burst through the air, one passed by his ear, one pierced into the chest of the man beside him, and the other pierced his calf with precision.

Zhang Shijing staggered to the ground, and the little old man with yellow teeth arrived in time and put the short blade on his neck.

The pitiful little old man who used to have a bitter gourd face was now grinning at him with a mouthful of big yellow teeth.

"Zhang Gongzi, let's go with us."

The half-sized man, who was originally dying, was holding two short blades, like a fierce leopard, staring at his forty or so men who were rushing to the rescue.

"Who dares to come over, master, I will kill him with one sword!"