Chapter 149: All Ways Back to Camp

The second to return to Yaogang was Lu Chengxiang, who brought back the caravan. This time, Lu Chengxiang didn't buy horses in Zhangjiakou, but he bought a lot of furs and other goods. Not to mention that the more than 200 steel-reed carriages from Yaogang were full, and hundreds of the more than 1,000 camels and thousands of carriages seized from the Mongols were also brought to Zhangjiakou, and this time they were all fully loaded. This was not enough, Lu Chengxiang hired a lot of other camel teams and carriages to return to Shanxi. Not counting the steel-reed carriages in Yaogang, there were more than 1,000 carriages and more than 1,500 camels for Lu Chengxiang's return trip. There are also hundreds of people in Zhangjiakou who followed back to Shanxi. Because of the constant unsafety on the road, many people have not been home for several years. Just in time for the caravan to leave, these people had long been thinking about leaving with the people of Yaogang. As a result, the more the news spread, the more people knew about it, and those who didn't want to go back were also moved and followed. I also took my horses and camels with a little bit of money and went back with a little cargo by the way. So that the whole caravan will be too long to pull out.

Because the people of the kiln are very well prepared, every time they go to the camp, they kill sheep and cattle. Zhang Zhimu told Lu Chengxiang that it is now icy and snowy, and everyone must eat something high-calorie. Lu Chengxiang didn't know what high-calorie things were, but he knew that what Zhang Zhimu said was to let everyone eat some meat on the road. Meat can withstand cold and hunger.

However, this also poses problems. Shanxi people have always been thrifty, and those who accompanied them, that is, each brought some dry food. When they arrived at the campsite, there were no tents, so they found a sheltered place from the wind, and ate some dry food in the snow.

Lu Chengxiang himself doesn't know why he is so kind now. I used to live like this when I went out to do business, but now I can't bear to see them myself. No way, Lu Chengxiang told everyone to add more water when cooking meat. Let those who come with you also have some hot soup. For those women who followed back, Lu Chengxiang let himself squeeze in, poured out a few tents, and gave them a place to live. Later, when the road was cooked, all the people ate and lived together.

These people who came back from Zhangjiakou are really envious of the people in Yaogang, the owner is so generous, and they give the guys a meal of meat. These kiln people now feel very proud and feel very lucky. So the road is extraordinarily conscientious, many of these drivers are seconded from Li Dong's smelting factory, this time, many people were reluctant at first, but after coming out, they suddenly felt that as a kiln gang man was so honorable, they were very glad that they had the opportunity to be selected, and followed out. Along the way, they also opened their eyes and their minds were baptized. This has had a great impact on their work and life after they go back, they are no longer a coolie who only knows how to work, they also know that the world is very big, and there is a big difference between people. Later, when Zhang Zhimu and the others organized a political party, many people here were the first to join.

On this return trip, these kiln workers also played a great role. So even though the weather was very bad, Lu Chengxiang's team didn't even count those who followed back to Shanxi together, and no one was left behind.

Lu Chengxiang returned to the kiln, and the kiln was lively again. Fortunately, after Yan Boju came back, he built the camel shed. The returning camels can go into sheltered and warm sheds. All the people of the kiln gang who can be dispatched have come to help unload the goods. Now there is no shortage of people in the kiln, everyone knows that these goods are resold, and they will bring back food for everyone, and the unloading people are full of joy one by one, feeling that these things are like their own. Although a lot of people were dispatched to unload these goods, it still took half a day, and Lu Chengxiang brought back a lot of goods.

Yan Boju felt extra close when he saw Lu Chengxiang, and came over and said: "Old Lu has worked hard, I will be relieved when you come back." This time, in front of everyone, Yan Boju didn't call him Lu Xiaojiao.

Lu Chengxiang said: "I want to be lazy when you see me coming back." ”

The beaters laughed, and together they poured Lu Chengxiang and others into the canteen, and the canteen had already set up wine and food waiting for them.

The first thing Lu Chengxiang did was to pick up the spoon, take a sip of fish soup, and then smack his lips and said, "It's still good to have fish soup from our kiln, I've been thinking about this for a long time." Yan Boju said: "This is a fish that broke the ice and fished out of the ice water, and the big guys were happy to receive the letter from you back yesterday." said that as soon as you come back, the first one is to let you drink the fish soup, and the second is..."Before Yan Boju finished speaking, the others said together: "Take a bath!" ”

The big guy laughed again. Taking a bath is definitely a very enjoyable thing now, and since there are too many people now, the bath will also be arranged. Otherwise, those who have nothing to do will soak in the bathhouse every day, and those workers who get off work will not be able to take a bath. This time the caravan came back, and Huang Yukun told everyone that he would wait for the people who came back from the caravan to wash up before going to take a bath today.

The third group to answer to the kiln gang was the team after the robbery of the Qing army. They're a team that has a lot of trouble.

The two people who led the team were also the first batch of people recalled by Chen Yufeng from Lingshui Wharf. One is called Shi Xiu and the other is Zhao Jinli. Judging from the people Chen Yufeng recalled from Lingshui Wharf for the first time, Chen Yufeng is a very discerning person. This time, he recruited a total of eight people, who were later called 'Lingshui Eight Masters', and they all showed their talents and played a great role in the development of Yaogang.

These eight people are Fan Chengkun, Liu Chenghuang, Fan Song, Liu Jun, Lin Feng, Wei Xiang, Shi Xiu, and Zhao Jinli. Since Fan Song had already gone to Nanyang, Liu Jun went on a special mission, and Fan Chengkun was inseparable from Lingshui Wharf, except for these three people who failed to participate in this operation, five of the "Lingshui Eight Heroes" participated in this northward operation, and four of them made their mark in this operation.

Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli, following Zhang Zhimu's arrangement, hurriedly urged the team forward without being too careful about the whole team. These people were also frightened by the Qing army, knowing that the Qing army's killing was like child's play, and they also knew that they would not be able to survive if they were captured by the Qing army this time. So the speed at which they went north was still very fast, so Xiaoxing stayed overnight for two days. They found that there were no pursuers, so they breathed a sigh of relief.

However, without the pressure from behind, the team's affairs will come out. Among the young men who escaped, there were a few locals who began to think about their own affairs when they saw that their lives were not in danger. Some of them muttered to each other, and they didn't want to follow the brigade to the kiln. However, they did not seem to leave empty-handed, because they found that in addition to food, there were also dozens of wooden chests pulled by horse-drawn carts, and they knew that in those boxes, there must have been a lot of gold and silver that the Qing army had stolen all the way. So they started to pay attention to these boxes.

These people felt that there were not many escorts, and if they suddenly attacked, they would grab and run, and it would be difficult for the escorts to send many people to chase them while taking care of the team. These people muttered and colluded with more than 20 people.

They slowly approached the carriages carrying valuables, and suddenly got out of the whip in the driver's hand, and drove the carriage to the fork in the road. The musketeers who were escorting them noticed that it was not good, and immediately lit fire and fired a warning shot.

Shi Xiu, who opened the road in front, and Zhao Jinli, who was behind the palace, immediately brought people over on horseback, and quickly circled these people back. As soon as Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli discussed, they would take this opportunity to form a team, and the two agreed that they must make an example this time.

After they observed, there was a very sheltered place behind the woods nearby, just enough to hide the whole team inside. After settling the team, they gathered their entire staff. During this period of time when Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli followed Zhang Zhimu, like Fan Chengkun and Liu Chenghuang, they both knew the role of ideological work and learned to do ideological work.

Shi Xiu stood in front of everyone and said to everyone: "Brothers, we have just escaped from the clutches of the Qing army, but we have not completely got rid of the Qing army. If the Qing army finds out that our course of action will soon catch up, we must unite in order to survive. Only in this way can there be hope of completely escaping from the clutches of the Qing army. But something happened today that none of us wanted to see. There are some black sheep in our team, and they are not helping each other and encouraging each other as we march. Instead, they gathered some people to try to rob us of our things, and did things that were despicable to those who loved us and those who hated us. This has greatly affected our normal progress, and if we do not punish these black sheep, we will punish you brothers and sisters who have helped each other in times of difficulty and encouraged each other to move forward. So today we are going to punish them severely to set an example. ”

When Shi Xiu said this, Zhao Jinli shouted: "Someone!" ”

Then the twenty or so people were pushed up by the five-flowered stick, and when they came to everyone, they were all kicked down, and then they were grabbed by two people and pressed to their knees. Only then did these people realize that the situation was not good, and they all began to shout for mercy, saying that they would never dare again. But it was too late, they had no future, Shi Xiu gave an order, these people were all hacked to death with a knife, and those who didn't die were also made up.

Shi Xiu's hand shocked everyone at once, and some people didn't expect Shi Xiu to really dare to kill them.

Shi Xiu and his team stayed in this place for a day and a half. In the past day and a half, Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli, together with the two hundred infantry, have done a lot of work together, because the officers in these infantry are all veterans trained by Liu Yun according to the officers, and they are all very experienced in following the south and north.

First of all, they killed some cattle and sheep in the camp, so that everyone could eat and drink well. When eating and drinking, the veterans of the kiln gang participated in these people separately, chatted with them, introduced the situation of the kiln gang to them, and listened to this person fascinated by the kiln. While these veterans do work for others, they are also a great improvement themselves. In the past, they didn't think about how good the kiln gang was, but after introducing it to others, looking at their expressions, they knew that they were lucky to come to the kiln gang very early, so they were very proud, and they paid special attention to what they said and did. Along the way, these veterans of the kiln gang were very respected by everyone, and as long as they were resting, they were always surrounded by many people and asked them questions about the kiln. In particular, the women are particularly fond of these veterans of the kiln, and they are willing to find excuses to talk to them if they have nothing to do. It also makes them useful.

When the wine is finished, everyone will be familiar with it. Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli reorganized the original group. When the count was complete, they were taken aback. More than 12,000 young men and more than 5,000 young women escaped with them. They knew that when these people arrived at the kiln, it would bring a lot of pressure to the kiln. But when the goods were counted, they were happy. This time, there were more than 3,000 carriages and more than 1,500 camels. There were more than 1,000 mules and horses without carts, and thousands of cattle and sheep combined.

Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli also knew that if they didn't rely on these people who escaped together, it would be impossible to bring them back to Yaogang by relying on their two hundred people. So they divided the men into twelve battalions, each of which was divided into ten squadrons, and each squadron leader and squadron leader was to be served by an infantryman from the kiln. Each squadron consisted of a hundred people, each squadron had ten squads, and each squad had a squad leader assigned out of ten. These designated squad leaders are generally selected from the captured officers and soldiers.

The women were also divided into five brigades, each with ten squadrons, each with ten squads, and each squad of ten people. The captain and squadron leader of these women were all appointed by Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli. The leader of each squad is chosen by the ten women themselves.

Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli held a meeting with these team leaders, telling them that the rules of the kiln gang are more work and more rewards, and there are different salaries and benefits according to different positions, if you can work with us with one heart and one mind, and bring the team back to the kiln without mistakes, everyone is a hero, we will go back to report to Mr. Zhang of the kiln, and we will definitely reward everyone at that time, and these merits will also have an impact on your status in the kiln in the future. Therefore, I hope that you will cooperate with your squadron leader to bring the personnel well, and if you encounter someone who does not listen to the greeting, you will not be polite during the extraordinary period, and you will be destroyed when you should be destroyed, and do not let a few people affect the overall situation.

These working methods were all learned when they followed Zhang Zhimu to the south and north together, and they were used by the two of them today.

After Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli finished reorganizing the team, they both felt very tired, but the joy in their hearts was still indescribable, they didn't expect them to be able to do such a big thing. In fact, this incident has a more far-reaching impact on them, because after this thing is done. The leaders of the kiln gang trusted them, and they had more confidence in themselves. This time it was a metamorphosis of their own, but they didn't know it yet.

When the team set off again, Shi Xiu and Zhao Jinli were even more confident. It is much easier to command the reorganized contingent. Their marching route was to run in the direction of Zhangjiakou, but not to enter Zhangjiakou, and to the north of Zhangjiakou directly to Huai'an, then to Datong, back to Yaogang. This road is far away, but it can avoid the pursuit of the Qing army. Because the Qing army was unwilling to go to the north, which was heavily guarded by the Ming Dynasty, but wanted to go to the rich hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, because there were rich troops and empty.

This time, it was Shi Xiu who led twenty people to open the way, they carried ten muskets, and Zhao Jinli also carried ten muskets after breaking with twenty people. The two hundred infantrymen, in addition to those who were in charge of the ranks, numbered thirty or forty, who were scattered in different positions in the long line to keep in touch with each other.

It seems that God is against them, and not long after the team set off again, they encountered a lot of trouble again. Shi Xiu suddenly found a team of people blocking the road in front of him.

This is a group of bandits, and they also came out of the mountains after knowing that the Qing army was coming. Because they know that when the Qing army comes, the official army will run away. They can take advantage of the light of the Qing army and start looting. At first, there were only a few hundred bandits, but as the refugees continued to join their ranks, their ranks grew. There are now more than a thousand people. This time one of their scouts came back and reported that a large caravan had arrived.

The leader of this group of bandits thought to himself, now that Lao Tzu is strong, no matter how big a caravan is with hundreds of people, it will be heavenly. More than 1,000 of us can still deal with it. So he ordered the procession to swing out on the road and wait for the caravan to arrive.

Shi Xiu understood at a glance that this was a robbery by bandits. Shi Xiu followed the rules and went to the cross-legged road empty-handed. But the other party said that he had never heard of the kiln gang, and he could leave after putting down his things. If you don't let go, move your hand, and don't leave one.

Shi Xiu thought to himself, this guy is a raw rice eater, and he doesn't look at how many people there are in the caravan, and when the more than 10,000 people withdraw, everyone has a sword. These few people wanted to do something to the caravan, but they were blind. Shi Xiu said: "In charge, when I go back, I will tell our shopkeeper that it is important to save my life." Don't be angry, I'll be here soon. ”

Shi Xiu has already seen through it, this is a rabble. He returned to the twenty men he had with him, and said to them, "In a few moments we will rush together, and the leader will be killed, and the musketeers will shoot, and those who have no muskets will take cover with knives and load their bullets." Kill their leader, and the bandits themselves will disperse. ”

All twenty of them agreed. Wait for them to load the bullets and light the arquebus. The twenty men were lined up in two horizontal rows, with the musketeers in the first row. They rode their horses and rushed forward. The bandit leader on the other side was a little impatient and wanted to get angry. only to find that more than 20 people on the other side were running towards him on horseback. This bandit leader is a little confused, there are more than 1,000 people here, and more than 20 people on the other side are attacking and impacting? That's impossible. Before he could figure it out, the twenty men rushed closer. Nearly ten muskets fired at the bandit leader, and the guy was shot several times, almost broken to pieces, and fell off his horse. The second bullet of these musketeers was fired at several people in front of and behind the bandit leader, and these people were also knocked off their horses several times at once. Taking advantage of the confusion among the men, the musketeers quickly loaded the second batch of ammunition, and this time the musketeers began to shoot freely. The rabble, seeing that their leader had been killed, and the musketeers kept pointing their muskets at them, began to flee without their lives. After Zhao Jinli, who was behind, heard the gunshots and rushed over, the bandits were long gone. Those who were not dead were injured, and Shi Xiu kicked them to the side of the road to keep them out of the way. He commanded the team to move on.

Although the distance they walked was farther than that of Zhang Zhimu, the road conditions were much better than the road they walked, because when Zhang Zhimu and they came to Zhangjiakou from Yaogang, they came all the way to Zhangjiakou. So it's a much easier road. Even so, it took them more than ten days to return to the kiln, but they still arrived a few days earlier than Zhang Zhimu and them.

When Huang Yukun received the news that Shi Xiu and they sent someone back quickly, another team of people was coming, and more than 10,000 people almost fainted. He called Lu Chengxiang, Yan Boju and Li Yunhe, and said angrily: "There are more than 10,000 people who came back this time, I don't care, and I can't take care of it." Let Zhimu come back and take care of it yourself. ”

Yan Boju's small eyes narrowed, and Li Yunhe said, "Thanks to listening to Uncle Yan, I built a few rows of simple houses below, and I can use them now." ”

Lu Chengxiang said: "Don't worry, don't worry, it's not a big problem for us to receive these people now, Tongguan has replied, Xuzhou has bought a lot of vegetables, and when it is transported to Tongguan, we will send someone to pull it back, we don't have to worry." This time there is no shortage of good things. More than 3,000 cars had to pull how much stuff, and more than a thousand camels. I'll unload things into the cave first. It can't be arranged anywhere else. ”

As soon as Lu Chengxiang came back, Yan Boju was idle, and Huang Yukun was not so stressed.

Yan Boju said: "Hurry up and arrange people to do a good job of reception. In addition, two larger canteens had to be rebuilt, so that there would be a place for these people to eat. Now we're all alloting and eating. If you come back, you won't be able to do it without a new canteen. ”

Huang Yukun sighed and said, "I don't know what Zhimu is going to do, how will we arrange such people next year." ”

Yan Boju smiled and said, "Don't worry! Zhimu will arrange it. There may not be enough people then. Hey! I guess I know Chiki. ”

Now there is no shortage of people in the kiln gang, and the reception work does not need to be done by the workers in the factory at all. According to the figures reported by the messengers, more than 17,000 people have been arranged for bunks. This may be the only place in the Ming Dynasty that has the ability to arrange so many people at once. Zhang Zhimu was a little afraid after he came back, even arranging such a population in his previous life was not a simple matter. Of course, the standard of arrangement is also different.

When these people showed their heads on the road from afar, the reception activities of the kiln began nervously. Everyone began to deliver food to the two new restaurants, and of course the first meal must have been porridge. Then it is to arrange a bath, and after taking a bath, a bunk is allocated. In this way, the personnel are settled.

The first people are usually okay now, and they are willing to help host the newcomers. These newcomers didn't expect to be greeted so ceremoniously when they arrived at the kiln, and almost everyone was warmly received, so that these people who had suffered a lot didn't know how to be good, but just carried out mechanically according to the arrangement of the receptionist. The first lesson of these newcomers to the kiln gang was also what they didn't expect, that is, how to go to the toilet. The most anxious thing for them to go to the place is to make it convenient, but when they arrive at the kiln, they are not allowed to be convenient casually, they want to go to the toilet, and the men need to go to the men's toilets, and the women go to the women's side. Those who are illiterate should also remember that it is a man on the left and a woman on the right.

What they didn't expect was that the people in the kiln were very clean, let them take a bath after eating, change their clothes after taking a bath, and then assign bunks to each person. Most of the bunks are new bedding. So many of them woke up from a sleep in a warm room, thinking they were dreaming.

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By the way, I recommend "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty", similar to this article, it is also a "technology flow" through the novel, but it takes place in the Southern Song Dynasty, Yashan, Anti-Yuan, Restoration, and European World Wars.