Due to the limitations of the times, Liu Tang and other ordinary generals could not see the importance of military dogs and carrier pigeons, or despised this thing, but Chao Gai had to develop these, and the future career development will be great, and the transmission of information in various places will not be able to rely on horses alone, and information is an important link that should not be underestimated.

Chao Gai asked the guys from the firm to lead the way and go to Li Kui's hometown.

A small village in the mountains, sparse and sparse fence bamboo, narrow and narrow sunny houses. Although Li Kui's hometown is not a big village, it is quiet, and there are trees on the slopes below.

A group of five people rode into the village and immediately attracted the attention of the villagers. An old man asked, "Who are you looking for?" ”

Chao Gai said: "We are here to find Li Kui's brother, Li Da." ”

Li Da's house is just behind Li Kui's house, a small five-room tile house, neatly built with blue bricks and black tiles, which is a relatively good house in the village.

"Li Da, someone is looking for you." The old man called Li Da out of the house.

Li Da is in his thirties, has a small beard, is of medium height, and has a purple face. is completely different from Li Kui, who is five big and three thick, Li Da is a little restrained when he sees the living, and he clenches his fists and says: "Where are you from, what are you looking for me?" Could it be that my brother is in trouble again? ”

Chao Gai smiled: "Your brother and your wife are very good with me, and I don't dare to cause trouble when I look at him." This time I came here at the behest of your wife, and she was worried that your life would be tight, so she brought back 20 yuan. ”

Chao Gai said and gave Li Da's money to Li Kui's mother, Li Da was a little at a loss, twenty yuan was at least a year's income for him.

"Don't worry, this is your brother Li Kui's bonus. Your brother has recently decided to marry and will get married in a while, and your mother hopes that you can come over and have a look. Chao Gai said.

Li Dadao: "My younger brother ran away after the fight because he liked to fight and make trouble, and I paid him a lot of silver every year, I didn't talk about him less, he may hate me more." ”

Chao Gai smiled: "Where are there so many calculations between brothers, breaking bones and connecting tendons." Now he has learned well and has become the head of Yuncheng. ”

"What, my reckless brother is the head?" Li Da was overjoyed.

Li Kui was in charge of fifty infantrymen, and the military salary was several times higher than that of the regular capital.

Li Da's daughter-in-law Zhang Luo killed the chicken, leaving Chao Gai and others to eat, Chao Gai was not polite, everyone stayed to eat. It turned out that Li Da was a craftsman, belonging to the profession of a senior mason, and generally large families asked him to be a foreman in the construction of houses.

Chao Gai proposed: "I have a lot of houses to build there every year, why don't you be a foreman in the past, and you will definitely earn more money than you do in Yishui, not to mention that you can serve the old lady in the morning and evening, isn't it beautiful?" ”

Li Da discussed it with his daughter-in-law, and naturally agreed.

Li Kui didn't know about Li Da, and he didn't have a good relationship with his brother. Chao Gai was asked by Li Kuiniang to come and have a look, but he didn't expect Li Da's mason level to be very good, so Chao Gai immediately sent an invitation and asked him to go over to be responsible for building the house.

The group left Li Da's family and went to Dengzhou, but the road was not fast, as long as it was a slightly larger town store, there were homeless beggars. Chao Gai asked Jiao Ting Bian Xiang to buy hundreds of baked cakes along the road, and when he met beggars, he gave them some, telling them that there were people in Yuncheng who gave porridge and could go there to beg for a living.

Pang Wanchun couldn't help shaking his head and sighed: "The situation in Shandong is better, and Jiangnan is even more powerful. My brother couldn't save a few people by giving alms like this. ”

Chao Gai said: "If you can eat a full meal, it is considered a meal, there have never been any immortals, we always have to rely on ourselves, we are just doing our best." ”

In fact, in this area of Shandong, except for the Yellow River flood, when it was serious, other disasters such as drought and locust plague are small-scale disasters, as long as the local government timely relief and reduction of taxes and fees can completely allow the victims to survive the disaster year safely, the problem lies in the local officials not only inaction, but also take advantage of the disaster year to intensify the money, such as the Yuan County Order, a small Qipin County Order will make more than 100,000 yuan in three or five years.

In this way, it took seven or eight days to arrive at Dengzhou, which is a state capital close to the sea, and there are several high mountains in the territory, and the ancient wood wolf forest on the mountain is luxuriant, and there are many tigers and wolves. With so many wild animals providing hunters with the opportunity to hunt, the government will also assign hunters to kill some wolves and insects every year, so as not to go out of the mountains to harm the people.

There is such a big mountain thirty miles south of Dengzhou City, which is dozens of miles longitudinal and horizontal. There is a village at the foot of the mountain called Jiejia Village, there are only about 30 families in the village are hunters, men hunting, women weaving cloth to collect wild fruits, although the life is primitive but also happy.

Xie Zhen and Xie Bao are the two hunters in this village, and the elder brother Xie Zhen is twenty-three years old, one year older than his younger brother Xie Bao. The ancestral hunting skills have been more than ten years since he went into the mountains to hunt at the age of five or six. In the long hunting career, the two have practiced an amazing skill, each with a five-strand fork and a bow and arrow, in the jungle, from pheasants and hares, to wild boars, wolves, and insects, all of which are the prey of these two, and the leopards that ordinary people dare not fight can also hunt a few every year.

At noon on this day, Xie Zhen and Xie Bao brothers returned from the mountain, today's harvest is still there, the elder brother hit two hares, the younger brother shot four colorful pheasants, the prey hung on the hunting fork and happily went home, just arrived at the entrance of the village and someone said: "Why did your two brothers come back, your family is a guest." ”

"What, a guest is coming?"

The two of them hurried to the house, only to see four horses tied under the big tree at the door, and four Chinese characters resting beside them.

Xie Zhen and Xie Bao took two steps, put the prey at the door and hugged his fists and said, "Everyone, but I am looking for my two brothers?" ”

Chao Gai said: "The two of you are solving treasures? ”

"It's us, who are you?" Xie Zhen asked.

Chao Gai said: "In Chao Gai in Xiayun City, this is Jiao Ting, this is Bian Xiang, and this is Pang Wanchun, all of whom are my good brothers. ”

Xie Zhen and Jie Bao still have two visions, one of these four is more majestic and taller than the other, and at first glance he is not an ordinary person, especially Chao Gai is very famous in the rivers and lakes.

Xie Zhen and Xie Bao immediately said: "It turns out that the famous brother Chao Gai has arrived, please come inside." ”

The two enthusiastically invited Chao Gai and others into the house, both of them were unmarried, and their parents died early, the house was also deserted, and there were few stools, so everyone had to stand and talk.

Bian Xiang said: "My brother Chao Gai, thanks to the prefect Xu Xiang's public relations, appointed a Yuncheng regimental training position, so that a team can be trained to protect the territory and the people." Now the team has a scale of seven or eight hundred people, and my brother wants to form a team to fight in the mountains and forests. ”

Xie Zhen and Xie Bao were a little excited, and people came from hundreds of miles to invite, this face is not small. It's just that I don't understand the situation, so it's not good to agree rashly.

Xie Bao asked: "What position can we give when we go?" ”

"Don't be rude, how can you ask that." Xie Zhen said.

Chao Gai said: "It's okay, the other brother is straightforward." To tell you the truth, at present, I already have more than a dozen officers there, and the two of them can only be given the position of deputy head for the time being, and under the help of this Bian Xiang and Bian Dutou, each person will be given 50 yuan for settling in, and the military salary plus bonus will be a few hundred yuan a year, and it is not impossible to make a great contribution to the wife and son. ”。

Xie Zhen Xie Bao looked at Bian Xiang carefully, and saw that this man was more than 20 centimeters taller than the two brothers, with a big waist and a round body, and a big axe of dozens of catties, he looked like a fierce man.

Xie Zhen said: "Can you let the two of us go out and discuss." ”

Chao Gai said: "Please take care of yourself." ”

Xie Zhen Xie Bao went out to discuss, Xie Zhen said: "You and I have no skills, it is impossible to hunt some wild animals all day long to live, after all, we have to go out to have a career to be worthy of the dead father." ”

Xie Bao said: "I think so too, it's just that the stakes are high, how about we have to discuss it with my sister?" After all, my sister treats me very well. ”

The two returned to the house and said to Chao Gai: "My brother came from thousands of miles to invite, and my two brothers were very moved, so they were naturally willing to follow my brother." It's just that my parents died early and I have no one to rely on. There is only one sister who treats me very well here, and we want to ask her what she means first. ”

Chao Gai said: "It should be so. ”

Xie Zhen and Xie Bao brothers immediately cooked pheasants and hares to entertain everyone, and the six of them went straight to Gu's sister-in-law's hotel after dinner.

Gu's sister-in-law's hotel is outside the east gate of Dengzhou, by the sea. Sister-in-law Gu and her husband Sun Xin have a group of villagers, operating hotels, butcher shops, gambling houses and other businesses, but Sister-in-law Gu only wants to make money in business, unlike the black-hearted Sun Erniang and his wife.

When everyone arrived, it was already past lunch at Sister-in-law Gu's hotel, and before dinner, the store was deserted.

Sister-in-law Gu is practicing knives in the back, two double knives flying up and down, brushing, brushing, very powerful, scared of those guys Zhuang Ke one by one hiding far away, for fear that this tigress will be powerful and beat people again.

"Sister, we're coming to see you." Xie Zhen shouted from afar.

Sister-in-law Gu stopped the knife, and was very happy to see that it was Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, and said, "Two little ones who have no conscience, they haven't come to see me for a long time." ”

Xie Bao ran over, gave Sister-in-law Gu a thump on the back, and said: "Recently, the summer has been hot, and the wild meat on the mountain has been hidden to escape the heat. ”

"Begging for a beating." Sister-in-law Gu pretended to fight Xie Bao, and the two sisters and brothers made a mess.

Xie Zhen said: "I came here today and brought a few guests. ”

Sister-in-law Gu saw that it was not, and there were four men, so she immediately stopped laughing, came over and said rudely: "Let a few people laugh, my two younger brothers are living treasures." ”

Chao Gai said: "In Chao Gai, Xia Yun City, I came to visit Sister-in-law Gu. ”