Seven days later, more than 300 miles northwest of Gansu Town, a team of men and horses drilled out, followed by dozens of men, women, and children, covered in dust, out of the ditch and to the edge of the grassland.

Looking to the north, within five miles, the swamp with large patches of reeds and artemisia grass growing more than one person high, like the grass under his feet, had changed into a large cloud of emerald green spring clothes.

Spring on the grassland comes late, half a month later than in the mainland, but you can already smell the fresh and tender grass smell between your nose; Xiao Ye, who was riding on a war horse, faced the vast grassland, and his mood was improving little by little.

The Aishan Thorn tribe didn't know where it was, and he didn't bother to throw himself into the net, so in the future, he found out about the banner of that tribe, and he could build a new Aishan Thorn tribe by finding a piece of grassland with abundant water and grass.

Hurriedly into the mountains, there was not so much food in the team, but the knives were good hunters, and they didn't need to use firearms, even the crossbow could bring some prey to satisfy hunger, barely enough for everyone to survive until they got out of the mountains.

Fortunately, there is also a water umbrella, otherwise in this mountainous area where there is no water source for hundreds of miles, Xiao Ye and his party who rushed in rashly, just drinking water would become a big trouble.

Even if the horse thieves and Tartars want to walk the mountain road here, they don't have a large number of water bags in reserve, and they don't dare to cross the mountain and ditch easily, otherwise this place would have become a north-south passage long ago.

Rao is like this, Xiao Ye, who has not washed for seven or eight days in a row, the smell on their bodies is only a little lighter than that of a few knives.

With two pairs of binoculars, a few guards of the knife in front of the road, Shang Tie and the sergeant broke off, after dodging a few teams of Tartar rangers, Xiao Ye left Lao Yangkou on the tenth day, and finally rushed back to the vicinity of Eagle Claw Fort.

Xiao Ye's return made the panicked Huang Hanxiang already covered in cold sweat when he received the scout's urgent report, and Qin Shishi, who was anxious and full of bubbles, directly took the night owl flag team and went to greet the hundred households from afar.

At this time, Huang Hanxiang really understood that without Ximen Baihu, the meaning of the existence of Eagle Claw Fort was useless at all, and it was simply a dead place.

Although in the ten days that Xiao Ye was missing, Madao Stone Fort and Eagle Claw Fort were still busy with the drills of the sergeants and the mill where the stones should be collected, but the wordless hesitation between the sergeants was clearly seen by Huang Hanxiang and remembered it in his heart.

With the money and firearms in his hand, as well as the military discipline and discipline that treats the sergeants and flag officers equally, the respect for the deceased, and the mercy for the families of the sergeants, Xiao Ye has become the backbone of everyone.

"Hey, Jiaolong entered the sea, caused by fate, and the idea of punishing the heart should not be there," Huang Hanxiang stood on the platform on the top of the fort, held the female wall and sighed secretly, took out a secret letter from his arms, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it.

The combat power of his sergeants is self-confident that it can be compared to any border flag team, but the annual salary, food and clothing supply of each sergeant is a huge number, not to mention the daily fire/gun live-fire drill, the cost is even more unthinkable, anyone who tries to take over the control of Eagle Claw Fort will be frightened to retreat by the rapid consumption of silver money.

Can a sergeant who has developed a habit of generous provision go back to the old days when he could take care of himself and not receive food, he himself is unwilling.

Not to mention the Madao Stone Castle, the loyalty of the Wang brothers to Ximen Xiao Ye, Huang Hanxiang did not dare to tempt, and there was also Qin Shi's night owl flag team by his side, which was also eyeing him.

Therefore, as early as five days ago, he received a secret letter from the prison guard Zhang Zhong, but he hesitated again and again, and never dared to show the slightest abnormality in the fort.

On the grassland to the west, there is also the Galen tribe, a team of 100 people in the tribe who have been assembled for many days, under the leadership of Yu Shan and Du Ding, is ready, just waiting for the exact news of the hundred households.

I have to say that the Jinyi Guard assigned by Zhang Zhong is quite strong in inquiring about the news, and after the Jinyi Guard entered the Laoyangkou Tun Fort, he investigated and learned within a few days that the Madao Stone Fort carrying the triangular black wolf banner of the Galen tribe was actually under the control of Xiao Ye; Even the Eagle Claw Fort on the edge of the Gobi Desert also found the chief officer Huang Hanxiang.

When Huang Hanxiang and his guards were exploring the terrain around, a few fast horses came from afar, did not approach them, but shot a letter arrow, and ran directly to the south.

Perhaps, Wang Meng of Madao Stone Fort also received a similar solicitation, Huang Hanxiang wrinkled slightly at the corner of his eyes, wondering whether he should be honest about this matter to Baihu.

Wang Ziliang set up the Hai Banner team, he faintly heard some rumors, although he has not seen the shadow of the Hai Banner team, but Miao Biwu's family guards have stopped escorting goods and are stranded in Madao Stone Fort, which has greatly strengthened the guards of the Stone Fort.

As for the most hidden shadow team, except for Xiao Ye and Wang Ziliang, no one else had heard of it at all.

"Perhaps, they are guarding against me, as well as the White Dragon Lake and Galen tribes?" A bright light suddenly flashed in his mind, and Huang Hanxiang, who was sweating all over his face, was restless despite the gusting breeze in his face.

Thinking that Qin Shi used the excuse of modifying the base to move the only heavy machine gun and big killing weapon to Wang Meng, Huang Hanxiang originally felt that something was wrong, but now he suddenly realized that Wang Meng was quite dissatisfied with Wang Meng's wariness of him.

Dissatisfied is dissatisfied, now the sergeants in Eagle Claw Fort, a whole team of 100 people, half of the Han Tartars, he can order to take them away, but can the flag officers and sergeants who have come from the other side still obey their own commands?

There is no large amount of food, no fire/gun projectiles, even if the flag officer obeys him, the sergeants are not satisfied, I am afraid that it will not take a month or two before the team can disperse.

"Gao Ming, Gao Ming's means," Huang Hanxiang, who muttered to himself, thought about it, but decided to completely confess to the hundred households; That Zhang Zhong couldn't win him over, so he made a backhand discordant plan, and he couldn't eat and walk around.

He also knew that the reason why Xiao Ye gave the sergeants too much higher salaries, and he also tried his best to equip fire/guns, sky-shaking thunder, that is, water umbrellas, barracks tents, etc., and he did not hesitate to fight for a foothold on the grassland with the Tartars, but after a long time, the sergeants who were raised with high spirits had combat power, but once they broke away from the team, it was difficult to move an inch.

Eat well and dress warmly, there is silver in your arms, and the firearms in your hands are sharp, in the Ming Dynasty, there is no military household that can enjoy such treatment, and if you want to leave a hundred households, your brain will be broken.

Slapped the female wall, Huang Hanxiang stomped on the platform, gathered fifty sergeants, left half of the people to watch the house, and pulled the war horse out of the dark road, "Go, go to welcome the return of the hundred households,"

"What, Baihu is back, no wonder Qin Qiguan was so happy just now that he couldn't even get on the horse, and he climbed several times before he turned over," the sergeants who exchanged their heads and ears suddenly became frustrated, and the dull atmosphere in the team was swept away.

Floating eyes at the excited sergeant, and then looking at a few guards who were also happy, Huang Hanxiang smiled bitterly in his heart, stepped on the stirrup and got on the horse, "Out,"

After going through some hardships, Xiao Ye looked a lot more mature, and in the face of the tearful Qin Shishi, he just patted the flag officer on the shoulder without saying too much; These loyal sergeants don't need to say much.

Subsequently, Huang Hanxiang took the fire/lancers and met Xiao Ye and his party, so far, Xiao Ye was completely safe and escaped.

Back at Eagle Claw Fort, Xiao Ye didn't even have time to catch his breath, and issued two military orders one after another, asking Wang Hu, who was in Madao Stone Fort, to send capable sergeants to sneak into Laoyangkou Tunbao and Shiguantun to inquire about the whereabouts of his father-in-law, Wang Dali and Tian Xiuxiu.

When Zuo Shi and Wang Ziliang left the two tunbao in a hurry, they didn't warn these three people close to Xiao Ye, although Xiao Ye was annoyed, but the matter had come to this point, it was useless to blame, so they could only make up for it quickly.

There is also Xin Weilin, that Xiucai can only move in a wheelchair, and he can't run. Other military craftsmen such as Li Xunwu, who were close to him, didn't even have to think about it, they were blocked by others.

If these people were captured by the Jinyi Guard, he would have to send his guards to join Miao Biwu's family guards and take a trip to the Gravel Fort or the town of Gansu.

After freshening up, he slept in the military house with Meier and Lena for a whole day, until the next night, he was dizzy and did not wake up.

The lights in the Eagle Claw Fort were bright, and the two-story military quarters, and even in the storeroom, were sleeping sergeants and family members; In the courtyard in the middle of the fort, seven or eight flag officers sat on a few stone bars, sandwiched in a group of people in khaki clothes, talking in low voices, and from time to time someone laughed.

It's so late, and the messy people are still so big in spirit, which makes Huang Hanxiang, who was waiting outside the hundred military houses, even more uneasy; Especially the knife guarding the door, his eyes were staring, but he didn't look at him, and he had long lost his usual intimacy, which directly made Huang Hanxiang's mood sink to the bottom.

The second-floor military house where Xiao Ye's family temporarily lived was the only house with a room in the stone fort, which Huang Hanxiang specially ordered someone to clean up.

In the courtyard, Yu Shan, Wang Hu, Duan Datou, Qin Shi, Hao Yongliang, as well as Wang Qing, Zhang Anlin and other craftsmen, crowded together, the crowd was chaotic, Wang Ziliang and Zuo Shi were in the ranks, and they didn't know when they would arrive, so they squatted and waited in the courtyard, not feeling embarrassed.

Liu Xiaohou, Shang An, and Shang Tie took three flag teams to guard the various posts of the stone fort, and on the highest platform, Liu Xiaohou led people to personally guard and closely monitor the outside of the fort to ensure that the hundred households could rest peacefully here.

Xiao Ye, who was sleeping in the military dormitory on the second floor, faintly heard the humming sound downstairs, opened his eyes suddenly, and the delicate body squeezed around him on both sides made his tense body gradually relax.

In the dim candlelight, looking at the window lattice covered with yellow dung paper, the misty light, pulled out the arm of his wife and concubine, Xiao Ye got up and dressed, and covered the quilt for the two of them with his backhand; This time, he can put on the earthy yellow field uniform in a bright and bright manner, and he doesn't have to worry about being caught by Shangguan and asking questions.

Put on clean boots and go out, under the bright light of the dead wind lamp, Xiao Cui has already poured water into the copper basin.

Standing in front of the bronze mirror, Xiao Ye washed his face carefully, wiped his teeth with green salt, rinsed his mouth and wiped his face, and then sat on the chair; Xiao Cui, who was holding a horn comb, came up to untie Baihu's bun and combed his long hair lightly.

"Baihu, there are a lot of flag officials below, and someone fell last night, but he didn't go upstairs, just waiting below," Xiao Cui, who was neat and tidy, rested for a night, although his spirit was not very good, but the smile on his face could not be hidden.

Xiaocui is a military family girl personally selected by Mei'er, and she was summoned to Ximen's house with a heavy gift, with a petite body, a slender waist and a crisp voice, but her buttocks are round, and she has a good embryo; Especially after eating for more than two months, her gray face was a little ruddy, her melon seed face showed long eyebrows, and her skin was white, which surprised Xiao Ye.

It's been almost two years, and the three women have served their husbands, and under the continuous watering of the rain and dew, they haven't seen any movement in their stomachs.

In the face of Jinyiwei's pursuit, the copper hairpin Xiao Cui held in his hand, Xiao Ye saw it in his eyes, and pinned it to her bun at the moment, and he couldn't help but feel a different kind of closeness to this maid.

"Well, these soldiers, they know that they are noisy, don't pay attention to them," took the teacup on the table, took a sip of warm tea, and Xiao Ye pondered for a moment, "Xiaocui,"

"What's wrong?" The maid who kept in her hand asked softly.

"After taking care of your parents, I will write you into my Simon family tree," his words made Xiao Cui's hands pause, her bright big eyes were filled with tears, her tender lips were clenched, and she nodded her head.

Xiao Ye couldn't say words of gratitude, but this maid who could die with his family was more than enough to be his concubine.

Xiao Ye, who was wearing a field uniform and leather boots, walked out of the room after Xiaocui opened the door, and saw Huang Hanxiang with a guilty face, standing at the door with a hunched waist.

Seeing Baihu come out, Huang Hanxiang bent his knees and was about to kneel, but was pulled by Xiao Ye, and shouted in a low voice, "What are you doing, let the sergeant see a joke?" Nonsense,"

"Baihu, the lower official is guilty, that gelding dog Zhang Zhong is loyal to him," Huang Hanxiang was uncomfortably interrupted by Xiao Ye before he could finish speaking.

"Brother Hanxiang, needless to say, I was in danger at that time, and you also wanted to find a way for the sergeant to live, I can't complain about you," Xiao Ye smiled reluctantly, "Fortunately, there is no mistake, think more about things in the future,"

"Hey," Huang Hanxiang nodded in response, Xiao Ye's seemingly generous sentence was strange, he thought he was thinking too much, so he also pressed his worries; However, if Wang Meng and a few of the descendants of the banner officials from the Gravel Fort let the hundred households say something so lightly, I am afraid that their faces will change drastically, and it will be worse than beating them with a few military sticks.

This also indicates that in the future, Huang Hanxiang will be gradually excluded from Xiao Ye's circle, and the hundred-man team in his hand may find an opportunity to disperse and reorganize, or he may be sent to fight the Tartars a few times, and the lost sergeants will not be replaced.

In these years, the officers generally regarded the guards around them as their own henchmen, and gave priority to the supply of food and weapons, so the guards were also willing to give their lives to the officers, and Huang Hanxiang also thought and did so, which is understandable.

Therefore, Huang Hanxiang did not hide too much from his personal guards, but revealed some things about Zhang Zhong's efforts to win him over.

But he underestimated Xiao Ye's nervous uneasiness, Wang Ziliang with the support of a large sum of money, the dark line pulled in by the Hai Banner Team and the Shadow Team, it was immediately a flag officer's salary, plus the bounty according to the severity of the intelligence, the generous treatment, let the Hai Flag Team not to mention, the shadow team hidden in the shadows also quickly and secretly developed a lot of members, and even Eagle Claw Fort had seven or eight hidden stakes; Only Xiao Ye and Wang Ziliang knew this, and even Xin Weilin was kept in the dark.

is so good that he can't die, one of Huang Hanxiang's personal guards, who is a member of Wang Ziliang's shadow team, naturally found the knife secretly on the night when Xiao Ye returned to Eagle Claw Castle and told him about Huang Hanxiang.

With Huang Hanxiang, Xiao Ye went down to the courtyard and greeted these flag officials and craftsman leaders who did not leave him with a smile, especially Wang Ziliang, who was grabbed by Xiao Ye and patted his shoulder several times, but this scholar's face turned red with annoyance.

"Hahahaha, brothers, brothers, my stone path is not dead, this is not coming back," Xiao Ye, who had a tall waist, looked around at these backbones, took out a seal letter from his pocket, pinched it and held it above his head, so that everyone could see it.

"Look, this is the seal letter from Zhang Zhong of the Suzhou Guard Supervision Army to this official, transferred to the official in the Aishan Thorn Tribe, serving in a hundred households," As he spoke, Xiao Ye threw the seal letter to Wang Hu and asked him to take it and pass it on to everyone.

It turns out that this is the case, and the craftsmen who heard that Xiao Ye was dismissed, after seeing the letter with their own eyes, suddenly felt a lot more stable in their hearts, but those military men just played with this copper pimple and opened their eyes, and they didn't care too much at all.

"However, the official of the Aishan Thorn Tribe can't find it, so he can only find another time and send someone to find it," waved his hand to let the guards behind him put away the seal letter, Xiao Ye clenched his fists with both hands, and bowed his hand to everyone, "The official's Aishan Thorn tribe will not be too far away from here in the future, the grassland tribe, move frequently, I'll talk about it later,"

"With everyone here, then do one thing first," Xiao Ye nodded at Yu Shan, "General Flag Yu Shan,"

"Xia Guan is here," Yu Shan walked out of the crowd and knelt on one knee in front of Baihu.

"Flag officials Wang Hu, Duan Datou, Qin Shishi, Hao Yongliang," with Xiao Ye's point by point, one by one, the chief flag and flag officials came to the front of the hundred households, knelt down on one knee, and arched their hands, "The lower officials are here,"

"Wait for you for two days, prepare the weapons, assemble their respective sergeants, and the night after tomorrow, the official will go to Shiguantun and Laoyangkou to pick up our people," Xiao Ye smiled and clenched his fists, "I hope there won't be any obstacles that don't have long eyes,"

"My subordinates know," all the officers responded in unison, and when they saw Xiao Ye turn his head to look at Wang Qing, he knew that he couldn't stay any longer, so he got up and walked towards the exit and secret passage; There is no sand in the eyes of the hundred households, and since the military order has been issued, the ink will be whipped.

It's a big night, and I'm going to rush to the night again.

However, I can see that Baihu is full of anger in front of him, the purpose of their coming here has been achieved, and when they go back to tell the others, the rumors will be broken.

"Wang Qing, your escort team has really become a transport team, go back to Madao Stone Fort, you bring as many pack horses as possible, and go with the official the night after tomorrow, Uncle Anlin is old, don't run around in the future,"

Seeing Wang Qing nodded, Xiao Ye stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Anlin, and took out a small bag from his pocket, "Uncle Anlin, you are an old craftsman, it's not very stable here, there are many people in our Madao Stone Fort, and it is bound to expand the Stone Fort, this bit of tobacco leaves, but the good thing they paid for the knife,"

Xiao Ye is still very grateful to these craftsmen who can leave their family business and go to Madao Stone Fort at the first time.

"The Wang priest can't be separated in Shiguantun, you and a few old people, supporting those craftsmen, start to work slowly first, try to double the size of the Madao Stone Fort, and stick to the military house first,"

"Hey, yes, Xie Baihu is still worried about my old bones, Baihu rest assured, my old Zhang has no strength, but his experience is much stronger than Wang Dali, he is a blacksmith, how can he compare with my stonemason," Zhang Anlin, who was white-haired, smiled and held the cloth bag, and his waist was much straighter.

His two children are sergeants, and the whole family lives on the hundred households, if the Ximen hundred households have three long and two short, then it is not to go back to the old days of being full and hungry.

"Then please, explain it, the mill in the castle can't be stopped easily," Zhang Anlin was sent away with a smile, and Xiao Ye waved his hand to let Wang Qing go.

Turning his head, Xiao Ye looked at Huang Hanxiang, "Brother, I'll work hard for you this time, take care of this stone castle for us, there must be no problems,"

"Yes, my subordinates know that they will not let others take advantage of them," Huang Hanxiang hurriedly knelt down and received the military order; He knew that this was the last chance given to him by Baihu, so he naturally had to spare no effort.

"By the way, your hundred-man team, the day after tomorrow, borrow fifty cavalry from this officer, just those Tartars," After speaking, Xiao Ye didn't wait for Huang Hanxiang to react, and walked towards the mill with his hands behind his back.

"Yes," Huang Hanxiang replied loudly, with a smile on his face, maybe it was the group of soldiers just now who made Baihu soft-hearted, but he only reduced half of his own troops, and after that, he had to take the sergeant to garrison the castle in a down-to-earth manner.

Although there can only be fifty sergeants in the future, Huang Hanxiang is indeed content, and he has not been secretly arrested and disposed of by the guards.

Xiao Ye wanted to sell the Eagle Claw Fort to his close flag officer, but no one wanted to ask for the stone fort in this dead place, and as a result, a phosphorite mine was found nearby, and he was reluctant to let go.

The wounded in Eagle Claw Fort need to be treated, but Li Muchen in Lao Yangkou Tunbao was trapped there, plus Xin Weilin was also there, and his father-in-law and Han Juan were also there, so Xiao Ye had to go to stealthily rob people.

When he came to the semi-underground mill next to the dark passage, Xiao Ye kindly greeted the craftsmen and sergeants inside, and some guards came up and helped them put bags of phosphostone into the grinding eye.

Although there is not much plaster flowing out of this C-shaped stone mill, it can't stand the continuous flow of mineral materials thrown by the craftsmen, and more than 3,000 catties of plaster have been accumulated in the fort, filling half of the warehouse.

After seeing the situation in the mill, Xiao Ye returned to the second floor and sat outside the military house, when the maid Xiaocui poured hot tea and cleverly withdrew.

"Knives, the official is lacking, there is a waiting outside beforehand," Xiao Ye commanded, and the knife guarding the door nodded and closed the door.

Holding the teacup, Xiao Ye raised his head, and in front of him, a familiar picture quietly appeared, and his gaze swept over the lower right corner, "The central database is randomly repaired by one and a half thousandths, and the machining platform is repaired by five percent,"

I didn't use the stone mill for more than ten days, and sure enough, the degree of repair accelerated, and at this moment, Xiao Ye believed in the information that was gradually becoming clear in his mind.

When I opened the catalog of military products, I didn't see any new firearms appearing, and I couldn't see even the heavy machine gun, which was a big killer, so I had to give up.

However, in the catalogue of civilian products, several new things have been added, if it was put aside, Xiao Ye would probably be so happy that he couldn't close his mouth, but now he is indifferent.

The pointed flat-topped round iron nails of various specifications and lengths finally made Xiao Ye see the money back, and there was no iron in the stone mill, but the appearance of these iron nails could melt and make other iron tools.

"Soap, well, it's for laundry, and it's okay to wash your hands and face. Sun cooker, this thing too? Xiao Ye's eyes widened, and he quickly checked the usefulness of this solar stove in his mind, and after checking it, he couldn't sit still.

The population of Madao Stone Fort and Eagle Claw Fort has increased dramatically, and the grain storage can cope with it for a period of time, and there are a lot of fried noodles and canned meat, so I am not in a hurry, but it is difficult to find firewood for cooking in the room; Madao Stone Fort is better there, Eagle Claw Fort can't be lit with cow dung like a Tartar.

That black fruit core will be used too much in the future, and Xiao Ye will not waste it more.

Maybe it's because of the chaos of the processing center's procedures, and the last thing that was displayed in the civilian catalog, Xiao Ye thought about it carefully after reading it, and opened his mouth wide in surprise.

"Sapper shovel, is it really that easy to use?" For the first time, he was suspicious of the images demonstrated, but his expectations were even stronger.

"No, this time I must go to Shiguantun first, transport the materials out of the secret passage, and I have to get a few umbrellas," rubbing his hands and slowly turning around in the room, Xiao Ye's face was red, and his eyes were shining.

Jinyiwei's raids on Laoyangkou and Shiguantun not only wiped out Xiao Ye's financial materials and huge population losses, but also lost all the weapons such as rear-loading guns/guns and crossbows hidden in the two hundred households, and more than 30 rifles were robbed. /

If it weren't for Xin Weilin's earlier suggestion to let Xiao Ye store most of his firearms in Madao Stone Fort, he wouldn't even have the courage to go to Shiguantun now.

Shiguan Tun Jiazi stone mill is his biggest heart problem now, the huge guy can't move at all, and the underground part is probably even bigger, fortunately, he has built a dark road, and he can only find a way to secretly control Hu Shibiao, and the flag team in Natun must be in his hands.

Especially the basement, with the growth of some of the material platforms under the stone mill, it has to continue to expand, thinking of this, Xiao Ye covered his head and worried.

Xiao Cui, who was standing at the door of the inner room, watched Baihu go around in circles over and over again, snickering and sighing, and closed her mouth in surprise, not daring to make a sound.

"Xiao Cui, come and help me," a lazy voice came from the back room, Lena was woken up by the footsteps of Xiao Ye outside, and Mei'er also opened her eyes.

Mei'er, who was dressed up, saw Lena and Xiaocui lying on the side of the kang, muttering, but she didn't care, Zuo Shi handed over her account books and money tickets yesterday, and checked the materials of Madao Stone Fort and Eagle Claw Fort, which was enough for her to work for a few days.