After spending the night in the guest house of the county prison, early the next morning, Xiang Kang and the children of the Xiang family first received back the weapons temporarily seized by the county officials, and then officially left the county prison and went home.

has become good friends through Xiang Kang and Feng Zhong, of course the children of the Xiang family will not refuse the proposal to go home with Feng Zhong, but Feng Zhong obviously has some concerns, on the way back to Shiling Pavilion together, Feng Zhong except for asking Xiang Kang about yesterday's interrogation, there is basically no words on the road, and his expression is not only a little worried, but even a little sad.

Seeing that Feng Zhong had something in his heart, Xiang Kang, who had a good conscience, took the initiative to ask, "Big brother, what's wrong?" Why is your face so ugly? ”

"Errands are getting harder and harder." Feng Zhong sighed and said: "Yesterday, there was news from the county temple that there was another document from Xianyang, and the second round of military service was going to be levied and sent to the border, and someone in Dongxiang was going to be unlucky, and I was going to offend the villagers again." ”

"Again for conscription?" Xiang Kang was taken aback, and hurriedly asked: "Wu Youxi didn't just take a group of people to Yanmen to serve in the garrison some time ago, how long has it been, why do you want to recruit soldiers to serve on the border?" Spring ploughing is about to begin, take the people away, how can this spring ploughing be done? ”

"That's what I'm worried about, today is already the sixth day of the first month, and there will be ten days before spring ploughing. Feng Zhong sighed and said with a sad face: "It's only been two months before the second round of military service will be levied, at this rate, it is not possible to complete all five rounds of requisition within next year, and even the autumn harvest will become a big problem at that time." ”

"What round do I belong to?" Xiang Kang hurriedly asked.

"In the last round, brother, your household registration is in the right Lu, and it is the last round in order." Feng Zhong's answer made Xiang Kang breathe a sigh of relief, and said, "But brother, half of your cousins are in Zuolu, and they are in the fourth round. ”

After that, Feng Zhong said in a low voice: "Brother Xiang Kang, if the imperial court really levies the fourth round of military service, you have to help me persuade your cousins more at that time, and ask them not to mess around, otherwise I will have to be unlucky." ”

"Brother, you are an acting guerrilla, in charge of anti-theft, why are you unlucky?" Xiang Kang asked suspiciously.

"My household registration is also compiled in Zuolu." Feng Zhong said with a sad face: "If the imperial court really levies the fourth round of military service, and Dongxiang leads the team to serve in the military service at that time, it will be me nine times out of ten, so if your brothers come in chaos at that time, I will also be unlucky." ”

Xiang Kang was silent, but Feng Zhong became more and more sad the more he spoke, and said: "I hope that this conscription and military service will not go wrong, if it is like Peixian, if I can't wait for the fourth round of military service, I will have to be unlucky first." ”

"Pei County?!" Xiang Kang, who was very sensitive to this name, was shocked in his heart, and hurriedly asked, "Big brother, what's wrong with Peixian?" ”

"There is a pavilion chief named Liu Ji in Pei County, who ran away with the prisoners who went to serve in Lishan."

Feng Zhong's words almost made Xiang Kang fall and gnaw on the mud, and also made Xiang Kang, who knew that Liu Bang's original name was Liu Ji, was surprised, "Liu Ji has already run away with the prisoner?" ”

"Yes, I heard that I went to Mangdang Mountain to become a robber." The matter was serious, Feng Zhong didn't find the language problem in Xiang Kang's words, but just said casually: "I heard that he escorted the prisoners to work in Lishan, and a lot of people ran away just after leaving the city, he knew that the crime was inescapable, so he simply let all the prisoners go, and took a dozen prisoners who were willing to go with him to Mangdang Mountain, where he became a robber, and several officials in Pei County were unlucky. ”

"It's coming." Xiang Kang screamed in his heart, "Liu Bang has already run away, and the troubled times are coming." ”

After the horror of hearing that Liu Bang had fled, Xiang Kang quickly calmed down, and quickly calculated his future, but the result was not good, after careful consideration, Xiang Kang found that his preparations for the arrival of troubled times were still far from enough, although the blacksmith shop business he opened in partnership with Feng Zhong was quite good, but the steel output was too small, and the weapons and ironware created should be sold for profit first, making money to purchase raw materials to maintain production, and the weapons that could be hidden privately were pitifully few, and they could not play much role when needed.

The second is the problem of manpower, if it really reaches the point where it is necessary to raise troops, it is possible that more than a dozen children of the Xiang family will follow him, but this person will also not play a big role. And although Feng Zhong has some pavilion guards and diners available, Feng Zhong and himself are only friends and business partners, and it is certain whether they will go with him when the time comes. At the same time, his age and prestige are obviously not enough, and it is still one thing to let the children of the Xiang family willingly serve him as his lord when the time comes, let alone let Feng Zhong and others be loyal to him.

"Do you really have to wait until Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu lead the army to fight the prime minister?" Xiang Kang even wanted to give up for a while, but he didn't want to sit and wait like this, and said in his heart: "But isn't this too passive?" Besides, I'm sure I've changed some history, will it cause some butterfly effect, and what dangers will it bring me in advance? ”

After returning to the Shiling Pavilion with a heavy heart, Feng Zhong invited the children of the Xiang family to his house as guests, and the children of the Xiang family, who were accustomed to eating and drinking, also dragged Xiang Kang to accept Feng Zhong's invitation, and because he earned some Qin Banliang by partnering with Xiang Kang in the blacksmith shop, the quality of the old Feng family's meals has obviously increased a lot, not only fresh meat and fresh fish and shellfish common in the Huai River Basin, but even a large piece of sick and dead beef bought from the market, and at the same time, Feng Zhong asked his diners to bring more rice wine than usual, and greeted him boldly: " Brother Xiang, ladies and gentlemen, let go of the belly to eat, let go of the belly to drink, if it is not enough, I will ask someone to buy it immediately! ”

The brothers of the Xiang family applauded, and while thanking Feng Zhong, they shook off their cheeks and ate and drank, and Xiang Guan, who was sitting next to Xiang Kang, also poked Xiang Kang with his elbow and said: "Brother, you have to hurry up with the little sister of the Yu family, his family is so rich, and the marriage must be indispensable, and then we will be able to eat such good wine and good food every day." ”

The speaker is unintentional, the listener is intentional, Xiang Kang, who is worried about the future, heard Xiang Guan's words, his eyes couldn't help but light up, and he said secretly: "Yes, how did I forget the old Yu family?" His family is so rich, if he can use it to fund me, many things will be much easier! ”

Thinking of this, and thinking of what he had calculated in front of Zhou County's order yesterday, a vicious but absolutely well-intentioned thought couldn't help but come to Xiang Kang's mind - can you think of any way to borrow the hand of that Shan Right Lieutenant to force the Yu family to have no way out, so he can only obediently marry his daughter to himself, get on his own chariot, and take out his family's money for himself to raise troops?

"If you can think of a way to let the Yu family move to Shiling Pavilion, things will be much easier." Xiang Kang even calculated the steps of the plan, and said secretly: "The Yu family is not familiar with the place of life in Shiling Pavilion, and everything has to rely on our Xiang family, and Feng Zhong, who wears a pair of pants with me, to help, when the time comes, it will definitely be much easier for them to contribute money and effort than now...... ”

I have an idea and a plan in my heart, but how to make the Yu family willingly move to Shiling Pavilion to let themselves be slaughtered, Xiang Kang can't think of any good way for a while, but fortunately, Xiang Kang still has some time, and at the same time, Xiang Kang also believes that the single right lieutenant in Ling County will definitely not stop here, and he may get his strong help at any time, so Xiang Kang is not in a hurry, and he is happy to disperse with Feng Zhong, who has become more and more affectionate, and the next day he returns to the blacksmith shop that he and Feng Zhong jointly opened to preside over steelmaking and management.

After a period of time, nothing major happened, Shan Youwei did not come to pick bones in the eggs, the Yu family was too peaceful, the children of the Xiang family traveled around as usual, and Xiang Kang was in the leisure time of running a blacksmith shop, under the banner of visiting Feng Zhong to train the pavilions and pawns in Dongxiang, and got acquainted with all the pavilion chiefs of the Ten Pavilions of Dongxiang, although he did not form a confidant and friend like Feng Zhong, but he still established a certain friendship.

At the same time, the fine ironware produced by Shiling Pavilion is also becoming more and more famous, not only the merchants and people in the surrounding Lingxian, Xiapi, Duoxian and other places rushed to Shiling Pavilion to purchase ironware, even Pengcheng, which was once the capital of Chu State, and merchants from Xiao County, Liuxian and other places have also come to purchase iron weapons and agricultural tools produced in Shiling Pavilion to sell them for profit or personal use, and the blacksmith shop jointly opened by Xiang Kang and Feng Zhong has become increasingly popular, so that Xiang Kang has more spare money for his own use and help his family. Feng Zhong also laughed from ear to ear every day, and boasted in front of people all day long, saying that the smartest decision in his life was to turn enemies into friends with Xiang Kang and make friends with siblings.

No, this day, just poured a furnace of molten steel into the mold, and when Xiang Kang, who was tired and sweating profusely, was gulping down water, Feng Zhong came to Xiang Kang with a smile again, and said to Xiang Kang with excitement on his face as soon as he met: "Brother, good news, big deal, Cao Jiaopeng of Pei County sent someone to bring us here, and wanted to buy sixty iron knives for the officials of Pei County, and said that if we can give them a good price, Cao Jiao Peng can help us persuade the governors of Pei County and the wanderers and pavilion chiefs of various townships, Let all of their men buy the weapons of our Shiling Pavilion. ”

"Pei County?" In this era, there was no place name that made Xiang Kang even more vigilant, and asked with some surprise: "Pei County's prison Peng, someone sent someone to walk so far to buy a knife from us?" ”

"Who told your brother, that the iron you smelt is good?" Feng Zhong smiled more and more happily, and said: "Don't worry, I have carefully checked the test, there is no problem, it is true that he was sent by Cao Jiaopeng of Pei County, and the person is outside, so I will call him in?" Let's talk to him in person about the price? ”

Sixty steel knives are indeed a lot of money for Xiang Kang's small blacksmith shop, so Xiang Kang also nodded, and agreed to personally meet the people sent by Cao Jiaopeng of Pei County, and then in a short time, a big man with a thick black beard was led to Xiang Kang and Feng Zhong, Feng Zhong first introduced Xiang Kang's name and identity to the big man, and the seemingly rough big man was also very polite, and immediately said to Xiang Kang: "Pei County jailer Fan Xu, I have met ...... with the order of Cao Prison Peng. ”

"Poof!"

The big man Fan Hao couldn't finish all his words, because he just reported his name, and Xiang Kang, who was drinking water, opened his mouth and sprayed a mouthful of water in front of him, and almost sprayed it directly on the face of the attitude. Then, Xiang Kang pointed at Fan Hao and asked in surprise, "What did you say?" What's your name? ”

"It's under the fire." Fan Hao replied confusedly, and then asked, "What?" Xiang Gongzi, didn't you make it clear just now? ”

Xiang Kang looked at Fan Hao stupidly, and it took a while to come back to his senses, and he quickly asked again: "Peixian Cao Prison Peng?" Fan Zhuangshi, what is the name of your prison in Pei County? ”

"The subordinate is called Cao Shen." Fan Xu continued to answer truthfully, and said, "Cao Shen Cao Prison Peng." ”

Xiang Kang continued to open his mouth and stammer, and only after a while did he murmur in his heart, "A few days ago, I mentioned Liu Ji and Liu Laosan, but I didn't expect it to be Cao Cao, and Cao Ren sent Xiahoudun. ”