The military households and artisan households in Shiguantun, seeing that there was sufficient food in the warehouses of the hundred households, and the coal was brought back, everyone's uneasiness in the face of the cold winter gradually dissipated, and the craftsmen under Wang Dali worked harder.

However, Xiao Ye remembered that a batch of cattle and sheep that he had finally come to the grassland were snatched away by the Tartars again, and he also lost several brothers, and his younger brother Zuo Shi almost died.

With few people and few weapons, it is still difficult to protect oneself and deal with it, and the situation is unpredictable in the grassland. Xiao Ye, who was taught by the Tartar himself, every time he thought of his recklessness, there was a layer of cold sweat on his back, and his mind became more and more sober.

Today was a cloudy day, and the cold wind was gusting on the stone mountain, but the five small flags gathered by the whole team on the training ground, the sergeants were all in high spirits and clenched the weapons in their hands.

A new torch was fired, and fifty sergeants, each of whom had one in hand, and the cowhide box around his waist was full of sixty projectiles; Scimitars or waist knives, plus crossbows, are already very armed.

But they are a grade lower than the guards who are on guard on the periphery of the training ground, not only do the guards have the same equipment, but also leather cuirasses, a wide cow belt around the waist, a sheathed military thorn, and two earth-shattering thunderbolts in the skin bag, which makes the sergeants both hot and unconvinced.

Last night, Xiao Ye used four carts of stone coal, took out four Shiguan fire guns from the stone mill, and finally equipped himself with a small armed flag with firearms.

If it weren't for the speed at which four carts of charcoal were added to the stone mill, which took nearly three hours, he would have had the idea of adding charcoal again; However, in order to keep the secret, Xiao Ye walked out of the mill before dawn.

Two carts of 3,000 catties of charcoal are only enough for the stone mill to rotate once, and Xiao Ye is excited and depressed when he thinks about it.

No, today Wang Dali beckoned the carpenter again and began to build the fifth cart for pulling coal, and the planks on all sides of the carriage should be heightened, if it is tossed like Xiao Ye, no matter how much charcoal is pulled, it will not be enough.

"Brothers, this hundred households are true to their word, today's live-fire drill, 100 steps of wooden targets, the best two guns on the target, the top three will be rewarded," what is the specific reward, Zuo Shi has already publicized it, the black cotton silk coat, I didn't see it, the little sister and fiancée of the hundred households have it, and Yang Xiucai doesn't have it.

On the training ground, a row of stucco stones was used as a shooting table, and a hundred paces forward, a personal guard was busy, he and an old carpenter, fiddling with something on the ground.

Shooting targets in 100 steps, although most of the sergeants are not very sure, but some people are eager to try, they are all sergeants who think they have outstanding marksmanship, and they have long been red-eyed about the treatment of the guards, not to mention, the full equipment on the guards, which sergeant is not impressed.

After saying it neatly, Xiao Ye stepped aside, and watched the excitement with Mei'er and Little Sister on the side; On the training ground today, the protagonists are these sergeants, who are just bystanders; Like him, there are a lot of people in the tun who have come to see whose kid has the ability to get the silk coat today.

At the beginning of the exercise, Wang Meng's team was the first to play, and after they finished the exercise, they hurried down the mountain to inspect.

The guard in charge of supervision in front of the shooting table, looked at the target in the distance, and his companion blew a suona, and then said to Wang Meng, who was on the field first, "Wang Xiaoqi, prepare,"

Standing behind the firing table, pulling the bolt with a bang, Wang raised the gun to load, pointed the gun forward, and didn't bother to lie down and aim at all.

But then his eyes widened; The wooden target, a hundred paces away, was pulled by a long rope and slowly moved sideways.

The wooden target for horizontal movement has four small wooden wheels installed on the wooden plank underneath, and the ground is uneven, rolling to the side three times in a shaky manner.

After pulling twenty steps, the old carpenter on the opposite side also began to pull the rope, so that the target moved in reverse; Wang Meng, who had been aiming at him for a while, held his breath and pulled the trigger fiercely.

"Peng," there was a bang, and Wang Meng pulled the trigger again, "Peng,"

The muzzle of the gun was raised high, and the guards next to the shooting table also sounded the suona, "Didi," urging the guards on the opposite side to see the results of the battle; To Wang Meng's frustration, after the guards on the opposite side saw the target, they ran to the side and didn't blow the suona at all.

This also indicates that his two projectiles missed the target.

The sudden target of the activity, not only Wang Meng was defeated, but also the other small flags and sergeants also had black faces, and it seemed that the silk cotton coats of the hundred households were really not so easy to take.

Of Wang Meng's sergeants, only one wisely gave up shooting, and the other sergeants who refused to admit defeat stepped forward one by one and raised their guns, and retreated with red faces.

These sergeants, most of whom were teenagers, had been so embarrassed and embarrassed in front of their families for the first time.

The smoke quickly dissipated, and the unharmed target, the first small flag that went away in embarrassment, made the remaining sergeants, as well as the young and old who watched the excitement, fall silent one by one; It turns out that the meaning of Baihu is to let everyone see each other's level, not to be a good person to send things.

Wang Hu's second small banner consciously gave up the opportunity to perform, not to receive a reward, but to be slapped in the face and laughed; The other three small flags, with five or six sergeants scattered around, stepped forward and used their marksmanship to humiliate themselves twice, and then retreated with their faces covered.

The personal guard team appeared, Xiao Liuzi took five sergeants and walked to the shooting table, he was sure of his subordinates, only these five people, and the others were still a little worse.

"Peng, Peng," a series of guns sounded, without the slightest stagnation, Xiao Liuzi finished the target first, and walked down by himself; In the distance, the sharp suona sound, "Didi" two crisp sounds, announced the marksmanship of the captain of the guard, two bullets.

The constant sound of fire and intermittent suona made other small flags on the sidelines see part of the strength of the pro-guards; Of the six pro-guard shooters, three of them all hit the bull's-eye, two hit the side target, and one hit the target and one ran the target.

Xiao Ye did not break his promise, and announced on the spot that the cotton silk coats of the three guards would be distributed in the Xia Yuan Festival six days later, and the others would wait for the drill once every ten years and hit the target.

The 15th day of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the "Water Official Emperor" Yu, on this day people will prepare incense and candle offerings to worship the Water Official Emperor, in order to seek peace, so it is also called "Disaster Day", "Xia Yuan Water Official Festival", according to legend, Yu will go down to the mortal world to relieve the people's misfortune on this day.

On this day, the land temple in Shiguan Tunli, the incense is more vigorous, and the incense and candles in the Huang family's shop have already been sold out, although Huang Deshan still has a smile on his face, but he can't hide a faint worry; When he visited Xiao Baihu a few days ago, he proposed to sell cotton silk coats on his behalf, but Baihu unceremoniously refused on the spot, telling him that this was a source of goods prepared for the Tian family, so that the shopkeeper couldn't even sleep well.

Even if he is a businessman, he can see from Sergeant Shiguantun that the spiritual qi is different from that in other hundred households, not to mention the Persian fire guns that appear in large quantities, which is already the confidence of Xiao Baihu.

has already passed the book twice, and what he is waiting for is a firm word, but now Huang Deshan thinks that he has become one with these military households, and he was unwilling to think about it before.

"Hey, good my Young Master Huang, why don't you come yet, if you don't come, the Tian family will ride on my head," The gloomy weather, like Huang Deshan's mood, couldn't make him really happy during the next Yuan Festival.

In the afternoon, from the continuous sound of suona at night under the mountain, the news of the arrival of a guest was received by the sergeant guarding the dark fort, and he quickly reported it to the personal guards of the hundred households.

Xiao Ye was sitting in the room, listening to Yang Tianshou explain "The Art of War" to him

"It is important to train soldiers, have good weapons, give orders to declare them, and reward and punish them." Yang Tianshou shook his head and indulged in it, "The sergeant's continuous training, excellent weapons, coupled with strict military orders, can make a strong army successful,"

His words, although Xiao Ye nodded again and again, he didn't dare to agree with them all, he hadn't experienced a sergeant who had never experienced a battle, he hadn't seen a sergeant of a large-scale Tartar horse team, he didn't dare to lead the team into battle at all, and he had learned a lesson before.

"Because of the situation of the mountains and rivers, it is important to talk about the clutch of walking." Using the terrain to cooperate with the infantry cavalry formation was Yang Tian's highly respected tactics, but he didn't see that Shiguantun, a mountain that seemed easy to defend and difficult to attack, was actually a dead place.

When he was wandering around Shiguantun earlier, Xiao Ye could faintly sense that something seemed wrong, but as soon as there were many things, he didn't take it to heart. It was only in the second year that this fatal flaw was discovered.

"Report, Lord Baihu, warn from the bottom of the mountain, there are outsiders coming from the direction of the gravel fort, there is no hostility," a personal guard walked into the small courtyard and shouted at the door.

"Got it," Xiao Ye put down the book in his hand and rubbed the corners of his eyebrows, "Father-in-law, military affairs are here, I have to go down and take a look,"

"Go, today's Xia Yuan Festival, I originally wanted to discuss with you Liu Bowen's soldiers' experience, but now I should also go to the temple to offer incense," he smiled, Yang Tianshou stroked the beard on his chin, and turned around indifferently and went out.

Hanging up the waist knife, Xiao Ye wore a black coat, walked out of the small courtyard quickly, stepped on the war horse, and walked down the mountain with two personal guards.

At the foot of the mountain, Xiao Ye ushered in the first caravan of the Tian family, accompanied by his eldest brother Huang Changzu.

"Oh, my fourth child, I haven't seen you for many days, but I miss my brother to death," Huang Changzu, who jumped out of the carriage and just met, dressed in fur, shook his fan and shouted loudly, for fear that others would not hear; On the window of a carriage with a roof in the caravan, the silk cloth moved slightly, and Xiao Ye didn't see the figure clearly.

"Big brother is hard, please go up the mountain and talk about it again," Xiao Ye smiled, bowed and saluted, wearing a capable battle jacket, and dirty cowhide boots under his feet, the difference between a military man and a wealthy businessman is clear at a glance.

"Oh, by the way, the eldest lady of the Tian family is also here, and she is in the convoy, but she occasionally has typhoid fever and needs to recuperate and rest, you have to entertain her," Huang Changzu's face suddenly turned straight, the paper fan waved, pointed to the carriage, and asked in a low voice.

"I know, the little brother will be careful," Xiao Ye's eyes condensed slightly, and replied indifferently, "Miss Tian is also my guest, and she will entertain her well," Huang Changzu's cold words made Huang Changzu slightly stunned, and then pulled Xiao Ye towards the mountain.

The last time Miss Tian came to Shiguantun, he introduced her, but looking at the appearance of the fourth child, it didn't seem to be friendly, could it be that there was a misunderstanding during the period? Fortunately, if the Tian family can't stand firm in Shiguantun, then the threat to the Huang family will be small.

Accompanied by the eldest brother who was full of interest, Xiao Ye stepped up the mountain road, and the guards on the side led the war horses behind, but chatted with the old Wu of the family guard.

"Fourth, brother, I came this time because of the vanity mirror, as well as the crossbow, and the Persian firecracker, all of which are good things with a price and no market," Huang Changzu pulled Xiao Ye affectionately, "I heard that you have a cotton silk coat again, I don't know if I can see it, brother,"

Facing the eldest brother's eager eyes, Xiao Ye squinted and smiled, "Of course, but Miss Tian sent a letter to ask for it, for this cotton silk coat, every year I have to collect some materials from 100 households, 5,000 catties of sulfur, 5,000 catties of saltpeter, as well as 200 catties of lead and copper each,"

"No wonder, when these two people heard each other's names, their faces were strange, it turned out that the conversation had collapsed," Huang Changzu, who smiled crookedly in his heart, pretended to be displeased and shook his head gently, "Fourth, you are a military man, not a business material, how can you ask for so much deposit at one time?" I see"

"No, it's just to collect some money for selling cotton silk coats first, how dare I ask for more," shaking his head interrupted Brother Huang's gushing remarks, Xiao Ye smiled bitterly, "Big brother, what is the situation in Shiguantun, I think you also know, if you don't want to find a way to get food, the military households will disperse immediately, and I can't help it,"

"It's really a good idea to barter with Persian characters," Huang Changzu smiled and thought secretly; This fourth brother doesn't seem to be so simple.

Up the mountain, the Tian family caravan drove to their shop, and the guards and shopkeepers began to unload and carry goods, benches, tables and chairs, and a large number of sundries; Even, Xiao Ye could see that there was a four-edged column shelf bed, and the straight lines of small wood on the fence were assembled with tenons, which was very eye-catching.

"This kind of Huanghuali moon cave bed, the principal cost is a thousand taels of silver, the fourth brother, you are full of blessings," Young Master Huang, who was standing beside Xiao Ye, saw Xiao San's eyes straight, and said with some amusement.

However, he immediately "discovered" that although the geographical location of the Tian family's shop was a little off, the area was much larger, more than half larger than the area of his own shop, and he was immediately unhappy.

"I said the fourth, their Tian family is a foreigner, how big is the place, you won't be deceived, right?" Huang Changzu's words made Xiao Ye a little unhappy, but he didn't care too much.

"The silver of her land is twice as much, I just take some money for labor, and my younger brother is very satisfied,"

While speaking, the carriage parked in the Tian family's shop, the cotton curtain was lifted, and the maid Xiaoju jumped down, glared at Xiao Ye and the two who were watching viciously, and turned around to take Tian Xiuxiu off the carriage.

Tian Xiuxiu, who was wearing a veil, saluted Xiao Ye from afar after getting out of the car, and took Xiaoju into his shop; In the inner room of the shop, the kang has been burning for several days, and it is very dry.

Looking at Tian Xiuxiu's walking stride, Huang Changzu frowned.

Women's foot binding arose in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty, women's foot binding has been more common, the Ming Dynasty, women's foot binding wind into a prosperous period; However, Xiao Ye, a military household from a fort city, did not look at a few women with bound feet, and women from poor families worked housework, and it was difficult to find their in-laws' family with foot binding.

Tian Xiuxiu and Xiaoju also did not bind their feet, which was also one of the troubles she was accused of by the women and children in the family, and Young Master Huang, who was bent on ingesting the Tian family's property, relied on this point, and the positioning was only to put Tian Xiuxiu on the concubine, and she was not qualified to be a partial house.

Coupled with the news circulating in the market, Huang Changzu was very hesitant about his life, whether he was hard-hearted; Otherwise, he would have sent the dowry a long time ago.

No matter how beautiful the beauty is, if you are not blessed to enjoy it, you will still have the heaviest life, and you haven't enjoyed it in the best years.

"It's a pity," with a low sigh in his mouth, Huang Changzu's face then changed, "Fourth, brother, I also have to go to the shop to have a look, how about bringing wine to the banquet in the evening?" ”

"Okay, I'm afraid that the hospitality will not be good," Xiao Ye watched the laughing Brother Huang leave, and after intervening in the salute, he turned around and walked towards the Land Temple, where the little sisters were still playing, and they had important things to do.

In front of the main hall of the Land Temple, Xiao Ye rewarded the three guards with silk cotton coats in front of many military households, this fabric is waterproof and wears a warm short coat, the only drawback is that he is afraid of fire, and the incense head is a small hole.

There is a new side hall next to the main hall, the house is not big, and the entrance door is directly opposite a long locust wood offering table, on which a slip of spiritual seat is placed; The sergeants who died in Shiguantun successively were engraved on the spiritual position of each person, with their names, places of origin, and military positions, and the back was the time, place, and reason for the deaths.

In the incense burner carved in stone in front of the table, Xiao Ye respectfully put three incense sticks on it, although the side hall did not even have a name, but the scimitars, horn bows, and tattered tartar leather armor hanging on the walls on both sides have explained that this is the place of sacrifice for the Ming soldiers.

"Brothers, you will not die in vain, I, Ximen Xiao Ye, swear here, you and other family members Shidao will do your best to provide for you, as long as I am in Shiguan for a day, the Tartars will not cross the Shiguan and rob and kill my Ming people," taking a step back, Xiao Ye knelt on one knee and said solemnly word by word with the knife in his hand.

The soldiers behind him, as well as the three personal guards, also bowed deeply to the soldiers who fell for Shiguantun.

Xiao Ye worships the side hall, the ceremony is extremely simple, but the shock caused in the hearts of the military families cannot be dispersed for a long time.