After dealing with the affairs of the border households, Shang Chengcheng entered the stockade accompanied by the officers.

In the blink of an eye, this old military village swaying in the wind and snow seems to have changed its appearance. The two soldiers on duty who were still standing at the gate of the village just now had changed into clean old cotton clothes, although the elbows and cuffs were stacked with patches that were easy to wear, and their faces were not ruddy, but they could stand upright with their chests and stomachs folded and crossed their legs and spears, but they were also a little majestic and majestic. Seeing the officers coming, the two sentries stood upright on the ground and raised their arms and chests to salute. Shang Cheng raised his hand and returned the salute. He had noticed that a few soldiers were pouting their butts and wielding shovels and brooms, quickly clearing the piles of garbage by the wall. The stockade was also being cleaned up, and the doors of the barracks were all turned into miasma by the dust and soil rolled out of the house. Dozens of officers and men were carrying bulging sacks in groups of two, and they were trotting back and forth between the storehouse and the school yard. A large group of mules and horses, who had not had time to take them, huddled in a corner of the school yard, stirring restlessly in the drizzle of snow and snow, neighing twice from time to time.

Shang Cheng looked at this busy scene, pursed his lips and smiled, one by one, it looked like a war.

Qian Laosan already had sweat on his forehead, and pointed to the soldiers who were cleaning up for a long time, still not knowing how to explain to Shang Cheng. The other officers couldn't figure out Shang Cheng's temperament, and they didn't dare to speak casually, they all wore a wooden face and accompanied Shang Cheng. When they walked to the command post of the military village, the commander of the village also rushed over.

Shang Cheng showed a satisfied smile on half of his face, and said to the commander of Shangzhai: "You have a good army. ”

The commander of Shangzhai was already so busy that his face was covered with sweat, and there were still a few wisps of thin sweat rising on his head, and he didn't know for a while whether Shang Cheng was praising or talking back, so he blinked his eyes for a moment before he hurriedly said: "My lord praised it falsely." These are the duties of the subordinates. "As he spoke, he waved his hand and asked Shang Cheng to become an advanced command post." Hot water and a change of clothes are already prepared in the back, so please change your clothes and take a bath. ”

Shang Cheng returned the salute to the officer on duty at the door of the command post, and did not hurry into the house, standing under the dripping eaves and said: "Don't be so troublesome, just make a basin of hot water to wash your face; If you have a mouthwash salt, bring some with you. Only then did he notice a row of large water tanks under the eaves. The tanks were filled with rain of varying shades, sparkling and shaved ice, and the raindrops that flowed down from the eaves hit the water with a tinkling sound.

Seeing that Shang Cheng meant to wash his face and hands here, the Shangzhai commander was first stunned and then confused, but he didn't dare to ask, and it was not good to assign someone to do it immediately. Seeing that Qian Laosan nodded vigorously, he immediately asked people to bring hot water and green salt. Qian Laosan added on the side, asking them to send two basins of hot water and two portions of green salt. As soon as he got busy, he forgot to tell the commander that Shang Cheng's personal soldier Bao Kan was also the identity of the captain of Zhengjiu Pin Renyong, and in this small military village, except for Shang Cheng, Bao Kan had the highest rank.

Before Shang Cheng could figure out the use of those water tanks, hot water and green salt were delivered. He rinsed his mouth, washed his face and hands with a white towel that no one had ever used, handed the towel to the border soldier who had been standing beside him, rubbed his cheeks and smiled at the officers around him: "Heyiyi is much more comfortable now." As he spoke, he picked up the wooden basin, looked left and right, walked two steps to the corner of the house, splashed out all the leftover water that was turning over the black foam of the grass residue, turned back and handed it to the border soldier, and said, "You don't know, along the way, I feel like I am wearing a cardboard shell, and I ...... do anything."

He suddenly stopped talking, and frowned at the surprised sideman.

The commander of the village saw him staring at the little soldier thoughtfully, and the little soldier was still in a posture of reaching out to carry the basin, and hurriedly explained: "My lord doesn't know, our village is short of water, the big well has dried up a few years ago, and the small well is also here and there, so the water up and down the whole village depends on receiving some rain and snow......"

The mall had already recognized the border soldier: "Little Fifth Brother? Tian Xiaowu? ”

The little soldier stared at Shang Cheng's face as if he had seen a ghost, as if he wanted to find something on Shang Cheng's face. Hearing Shang Cheng suddenly call out his name, he was so frightened that his lips squirmed for a long time before a sentence came out: "Brother monk? ”

It turned out to be Tian Xiaowu! This unexpected reunion made Shang Cheng very happy and excited. He didn't bother to ask about the experience of this companion who had been separated for more than a year, so he first stretched out his fist and slammed it on Tian Xiaowu's chest, and said in surprise: "Hey! It's really you! ”

Tian Xiaowu was hammered by him and shook his body, took half a step back, rubbed his chest and just laughed.

Shang Cheng hugged his shoulders affectionately, gave him a fist again, and then asked, "Didn't you go to Yanzhou to join the guards?" How did you get here to be a border soldier? He immediately realized that this question was inappropriate, Tian Xiaowu must have committed some mistake in the guards, so he was kicked to the side. He immediately changed his tune and said to several officers, "This is my fellow countryman. When we were working together, he was the one who carried the stones, and I was the one who carried the stones. It is a good companion of mine to break a piece of bread in half! ”

Several officers hurriedly smiled and nodded at Tian Xiaowu. They all knew Tian Xiaowu and knew that this was a guard who had only been demoted in the summer, and he and others fought for merit after the war, and were kicked into the border army by mistake. However, none of them knew that this little soldier was an acquaintance with their new boss, and it seemed that their relationship was not shallow......

Tian Xiaowu's eyes widened, looking at the cyan cotton robe on Shang Cheng's body that was so stained by mud that he couldn't see the original color, and only after a while did he swallow his saliva and asked: "Brother monk, you, you ......" The word "you" turned in his mouth, but he couldn't take it anymore. He really couldn't believe that the merchant monk who was with him at the beginning, carrying stones and wooden beams, eating vegetable balls, and sleeping in the open air has now become a great man, and he has commanded such a big officer in the village one by one, and he is respectful in front of him, and he doesn't dare to laugh casually.

Shang Cheng knew what he wanted to ask, so he smiled and said, "In April, I was lucky, and I cut three small ones in one go, so I changed this outfit." ”

He said it lightly, and the surrounding circle of officers gasped in unison. They had long heard Qian Laosan tell the story of the new young boss, what Yi County slaughtered Huquzhou to suppress bandits, what broke the battle alone when fighting Guangping Station, and did not retreat when guarding the Nanguan camp...... But these stories are too bizarre, everyone just listens to the romance and singing books, and now when they hear Shang Cheng tell it himself, they know that the story told by Qian Laosan before is still too rough and simple, and this guy didn't even mention the matter of Tu Sisamu! Now up and down the whole Yan Mountain, who doesn't know that the three gold medals are the most dazzling trophies of the guards in the summer counterattack? The guards can't wait to sing the results of the three big leaders in a battle!

Qian Laosan also stared at Bao Kan with hatred, one by one, the two of us drank so many times together, why did you never mention this matter?

Bao Kan could only grin at Qian Laosan. He can't be blamed for this, it's Qian Laosan who doesn't ask......

Shang Cheng let go of Tian Xiaowu and asked, "Why did you come to the border army?" ”

Tian Xiaowu didn't know what to say. He made a contribution under Duanzhou City in the summer, but the credit was pointed out to others by the sentry chief, and he was angry but found the sentry chief to theorize, and kicked the sentry chief with a bad conscience in the dispute...... As a result, the credit was not fought for, and he was also kicked by the guards for a "poor ordnance maintenance".

Shang Cheng didn't know how to comfort his former companions for a while. He lowered his eyes and sighed, patted Tian Xiaowu on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, work hard in the border army, and you can find a bright future." ”

Tian Xiaowu smiled bitterly. It is too difficult to get out of the border army, not to mention the West Malaysia Straight Border Army, which has not fought for decades; Nowadays, even bandits and horse thieves dare not come to West Malaysia to do trouble, where is there any chance to make meritorious contributions? The only chance is the war between Ming and Tu Yi in the next year, but he is now a border soldier, and he can only be a pawn escorting grain and grass on the battlefield. Unless the monk brother can help......

But Shang Cheng had already held his hand and said, "You are busy first, and when you have time to come back and talk to me." If you have any difficulties and difficulties, you can also tell me about them. ”

Tian Xiaowu smiled, gave a military salute, and retreated with a wooden basin. He and Shang Cheng have worked together, and he knows the monk well, he knows that if he has any personal difficulties, the monk will definitely help without saying a word, but if he wants the monk to show favoritism...... Just listen to Shang Cheng's words, he will not do such a thing.

Before a few officers could turn their minds, Shang Cheng had already pointed to the water tanks and asked, "What are these used for?" ”

The commander of Shangzhai hurriedly said: "It's to catch the rain." We are very short of water here, especially after the beginning of spring every year, it is common for three or five months not to rain, and we can only live on the rain sprinkled by God. Over time, people have developed a habit of always saving up water even when there is no shortage of water......" He smacked his mouth and licked his dry lips and said, "The water that ordinary people wash their faces and hands does not dare to dump, and they have to wash their clothes and feed the livestock......"

Shang Cheng glanced at the leftover water he had just poured on the ground, and asked thoughtfully, "There is no well in the stockade?" ”

"Yes." Shangzhai commander said. He now knew that he hadn't heard what he had said before, so he hurriedly explained again, "There are two wells. They are all fifteen zhang deep wells. The big well has dried up, and the small well has water for half a year and no water for half a year. Even if there is well water, it is not a top matter, and it is all yellow mud soup when it is hit, and the people of the town can't drink it, so they can only take it to drink horses. It's been more than ten or twenty years, and the village has lived on the rain rewarded by God......"

Shang Cheng instigated his lips and looked at the surrounding barracks, then looked at the officers with a worried face, paced back and forth a few steps under the eaves, and stood still and said: "I heard that there is a good master who drills wells in Duanzhou City, and when I go back, I will send someone to pick him up and ask him to dig a few wells for you!" ”