After Wei Heyong arrived at the cottage, Zhang Mengcheng instructed a few things that needed attention, and also told Zhang Zhaoen to drink less alcohol. Early in the morning of the second day, he took a few of his subordinates and rode fast horses to the top of the mugwort.

After several hours of fast horseback, Zhang Mengcheng and his party finally arrived at their destination in the afternoon. There was no daring to offend along the way, but he was stopped when he entered the village. The two sides had a fight, after the lip dictionary (black language) that only friends on the road understand. The other party asked Zhang Mengcheng to wait outside, and they sent someone to report the news.

Cai Xiaozi of Artemisia Peak was awarded a general position after following Shen Yikui to accept the appeasement, and he is currently leading the team to settle in the Jingbian camp.

This general is not Zhang Mengjin's subordinates, those who do not enter the formal establishment of the imperial court, but the real general of the fort, and in some places can also guard a fort.

Coincidentally, the actual shortage of the position of the Jingbian camp was caused by the siege of Jingbian by Shen Yikui's men and horses before. At the beginning, Shen Yikui's troops attacked Jingbian, and the original commander commanded the battle at the head of the city and was wounded in many places. After a few months, he still hung up, so the vacated position was cheaper Cai Shorty.

So at this time, it was not Cai Xiaozi, Zhang Mengcheng's matchmaker and eldest brother, who stayed in the cottage to preside over major affairs, but Cai Xiaozi's younger brothers and uncles.

"There are some tall (horse thieves) outside the stockade, who claim to see the master. Looking at their dress and marching posture, they are more like Leng Zi (officers and soldiers). The curtain (horse) and the mouth (knife) are not found in the ordinary official code (army). (Note 1)

The minion who reported to the village should also be an old bandit, and the black words in his mouth are quite professional. However, he didn't know the person from Jinding Mountain, so eighty percent of them were newly invested in the cottage.

The name of the fourth brother of Artemisia Cai is Cai Zhongguang, because some people have always laughed at his name before, saying that he can only grow vegetables. So he always minded, and after he started to mix on the road, he specially gave himself a majestic nickname, nicknamed the Whirlwind Team.

He did not follow his eldest brother to Jingbian Yingbian, but managed the old nest of Artemisia Peak with several clansmen in the village. At this time, when he heard the report of his subordinates, he had already guessed the identity of the person who came, so he asked his subordinates: "Is the person holding a seven-star flag with a yellow edge and a black background?" ”

After recalling the outfits of outsiders in the village, the minions replied: "There is indeed a black flag with seven stars. ”

"Remember it for me in the future, that is the banner of Jinding Mountain's Zhang Da family. The third brother of Zhang Da's family will still be our aunt in the future. Cai Zhongguang heard that it was indeed a person from Jindingshan, so he mentioned the subordinates who had newly entered the village, and then went to the gate of the village to prepare to take Zhang Mengcheng into the village.

"Xiucai, we haven't seen each other since we separated in Heshui County last time. I heard that you have also been to the top of Artemisia during this time, but I happen to be out on business, and I have never had a chance to get together with you. Now that you are becoming more and more powerful, it seems that Jin Dingshan will add another Zhang Sooying (Zhang Mengguang's nickname) in the future. ”

As soon as they met, Cai Zhongguang showed his enthusiasm to Zhang Mengcheng, this whirlwind team at the top of Artemisia is also an excellent lancer, and he is quite in awe of Zhang Mengguang, the most powerful person in Jinding Mountain, so his flattery to Zhang Mengcheng is to take Zhang Soapying as an example.

"My marksmanship is better than my second brother, Fourth Brother Cai, you praise it too much. After so many years, I have figured it out, I don't expect to be able to rely on my second brother's side in this line gun, this is probably destined in my mother's womb. ”

Although Zhang Mengcheng usually uses sabers and bows and arrows in battle, he is not overwhelmed by his skills. In this troubled world, if you can have one more combat skill, you will have one more hope of surviving to the end, so he has also practiced line guns. It's just that Zhang Mengcheng can also distinguish between priorities and priorities, and he hasn't invested too much in the skills of the lancers, and his attainments in the line gun are still not outstanding.

"Xiucai is humble again, I have seen a lot of marksmanship with the eyes of the Whirlwind team. Your simple and neat tricks are much better than most of the fools in the world. In fact, as long as this skill can kill people, why do you need to be so fancy, and it is not a street show. Xiucai, you just keep practicing hard, I will never be mistaken. ”

Cai Zhongguang continued to encourage Zhang Mengcheng, he really thought that this future uncle of Artemisia had a chance to become an outstanding lancer. This judgment comes from the experience he has gained over a long period of hard work, and the eyesight he has cultivated over the years has not been missed.

"Then I will inherit the auspicious words of Fourth Brother Cai, and I will have the opportunity to ask you more in the future." Although Zhang Mengcheng is very useful, he actually knows his own affairs. He didn't have that much time to delve into and refine his marksmanship, and for the martial arts of the horse, Xiucai thought that the most efficient route was to keep practicing his bow and sword.

"Okay, this time you come to our village, no one will accompany you to practice when the eldest brother is not there. I happened to accompany you through the tricks, and I also taught you a few tricks of mine. Okay, we don't have to say anything here, come with me into the village, second brother, most of them want to have a good chat with you. "I've been pulling marksmanship at the door of the stockade, and it's always a little unusual, so Cai Zhongguang plans to discuss it with Xiucai later.

"I haven't seen Second Brother Cai and them for a while, and that horse is some gifts I brought, let's pull them over together." Finally waited for Cai Zhongguang to bring him into the village, so Zhang Mengcheng pulled out the gifts he brought with him, all of which were some of the recent outputs of Jinding Mountain.

"I heard that the harvest in your village is good, these gifts seem to be true, Xiucai, your farming skills are really good, you can come to our village to give good guidance, hahaha." Cai Zhongguang was not hypocritical, and directly ordered his subordinates to accept it together. The agricultural environment of Jinding Mountain is indeed much better than that of Artemisia Peak, and Artemisia Peak, which has more mountainous areas, is also more envious of the Zhang brothers and his gang.

After being polite with Cai Zhongguang, Zhang Mengcheng was introduced to the cottage. On the way to the cottage guest room, Cai Zhongguang said to Zhang Mengcheng that there were new people joining the cottage "hanging pillar" today. Several of their leaders were attending the incense ceremony, so they would have to wait a while before they could discuss matters with him.

Zhang Mengcheng expressed his understanding and was willing to continue to wait. However, Cai Zhongguang said that Zhang Mengcheng is also his own family, and he can go to the Juyi Hall to watch the ceremony of worshipping incense in their village. Zhang Mengcheng felt that the opportunity was rare, so he accepted the invitation.

Because Cai Xiaozi and his gang are not like Zhang's group of brothers who are halfway monks, and Cai's gang at the top of Artemisia is an old bandit who has been entrenched for several generations. Zhang Mengcheng was a little curious about how the incense worship ceremony of the Cai family was different from that of Jinding Mountain.

After that, Zhang Mengcheng followed Cai Zhongguang to the Juyi Hall, and found that several principals were there, and the ceremony was just about to start. After Zhang Mengcheng said hello to several leaders, he sat quietly on the side to visit.

PS: Note 1: In fact, these are all black dialects in the Central Plains during the Republic of China, and the author was unable to find information on Shaanxi black dialects, so I made do with them.