Like Yang Eighteen, all the young and strong guys who were selected sent in succession, wearing uniform yellow uniforms, standing silently in the center of the martial arts arena, surrounded by seven or eight black-clothed guards, and two teams of guards slowly staggered in the distance, carrying rifles without squinting, no one seemed to care about their existence.

Yang Eighteen, who was still reminiscing about the pieces of meat just now, smashed it in his mouth, but the corner of his eyes vaguely swept over this martial arts arena, and along the way, he roughly understood that this not small courtyard should be the backyard of the owner of the stone castle; Unlike other people's ignorance, although he was very willing to stay, the surrounding terrain had been secretly remembered by him.

There's a what-if there's nothing wrong with everything.

The sky was already bright, and on a cold autumn morning, in the somewhat damp compound, the slightest mist was mixed with a dull solemnity, which was soon swept away by the scorching sun, and the rest was hot and dull. The longer Yang stood in the crowd, the more he couldn't breathe.

Of course, when he saw the black-clothed men around him, most of the confidence in his heart had already dissipated.

Unexpectedly, these black-clothed men, all of them have hidden momentum, looking at the evil qi on their bodies, it is obvious that they have seen human blood on their hands, and Yang Eighteen, whose eyes are slightly cold, is secretly bitter in his heart, and there are his old mother and sister outside the stone castle.

Looking at the clothes and boots of these big men, the short knives on their bodies, and the strange objects inserted in their waists, they should be hand commanders, thinking about the possibility of escaping, Yang Shiba, who shrank his steps and lowered his head, and the people had already hid in the crowd.

After waiting for about a stick of incense, a few military men came to the back house, surrounded by a big tall man, accompanied by a white-clothed scholar next to him.

Xiao Ye, who was wearing the same black uniform, was defenseless today, and there were two little wolf cubs scurrying back and forth happily under his feet, talking to Wang Ziliang beside him in a low voice, and soon walked in front of these new military households.

His arrival made the new military households, who were already uneasy, close their mouths one by one, and the buzzing and noisy sound suddenly dissipated.

Standing in front of these young and strong people with vegetables on their faces, Xiao Ye looked back and forth with a smile, clenched his fists and arched his hands, "Everyone, I, Ximen Xiao Ye, am the current big leader of the Galen tribe, and I have a letter from the imperial court to investigate and issue a seal,"

With his words, the guard stepped forward, held up the seal letter high, and after letting the big guy see it, he put it in the wooden box. This is a necessary procedure, without this seal, not only these people are panicked, but even those military households and craftsmen in the stone castle will also think that Xiao Ye's name is not right.

However, after reading the sealed letter, everyone subconsciously straightened up their waists, and did not kneel down and kowtow, which made Xiao Ye shake his head very much, no matter how bad the reputation of the Tartar is, no matter how sharp the scimitar is, the Ming people subconsciously disdain it, it is accumulated in the bones, and they can't complain that they don't know the etiquette.

In Xiao Ye's mind, he attaches great importance to etiquette, and there are no rules and no rules, which is a constraint outside of military law.

"You can get here alive, you have already left the side wall, because you are lucky, here, in fact, is the edge of the Tartar grassland," Xiao Ye's faint voice made these young men who had not yet changed their moods, their faces turn white, and their eyes immediately became blank.

"Hmph," Xiao Ye snorted coldly, "The leader of this used to be a hundred households in the Gravel Castle, and now he has been here for almost three years, and he is alive and well, and those military households and craftsmen outside are also alive and well,"

"Here, as long as you are strong enough, you can live,"

The eyes of contempt swept over these people, making most of these young men who were older than him embarrassed on their faces, except for Yang Eighteen, who did not dare to look at Xiao Ye with a dodgy gaze.

The Mongolian Tatars of the steppe are fierce and vicious, and their reputation has long been accumulated as tigers, although they are barbaric and contemptible, but to say that the Ming people who came from the mainland are not afraid, Xiao Ye himself does not believe it.

If he hadn't had fire/guns in his hands and had a trade that could be exchanged for money and food, I am afraid that he would have fled under the suppression of the Tartars, and how could he have the courage to walk out of Shiguantun and set up camp here.

So, although he disdains the fears of these people, he can understand.

"Since you have entered the military household, the military law is strict, since someone told you and others, if anyone dares to try the knife in the hands of this leader, then I can't complain about being a lonely ghost," In the increasingly cold voice, Xiao Ye's white Sensen's teeth flashed in the early morning twilight.

"You went to the room just now, can you eat enough food there?" Softened his tone, Xiao Ye squinted at Yang Shibai in the crowd, this person had an indifferent face, although he was not tall, relatively speaking, he was very eye-catching.

"Yes," someone in the crowd finally spoke, and the others also came to their senses and echoed one after another.

"Hehe, how does it taste?" Xiao Ye grinned with a smile and asked with interest.

"Great, the meat is so stocky, it's too chewy,"

"yes, I don't know how long it's been since I've eaten meat,"

Xiao Ye's questioning made the young people in the crowd quickly excited, looking at Xiao Ye's eyes, there was a hint of hope in fear, everyone wanted to live a good life, but that thing couldn't be dreamed of.

"That's good, that's good," the smile on Xiao Ye's face became even stronger, and the smile made Wang Zi's conscience cold, "Here in this leader, as long as you work hard, don't dare to say anything else, but eating and dressing up is what this leader can promise, and even eating meat every day,"

Eating meat every day? Yang Shibai looked at Xiao Ye in disbelief, and bit his back molars a few times, only then did he realize that he was not dreaming today, and immediately, his heart suddenly beat violently, and his face turned red.

Like him, the other young men were bluffed by Xiao Ye's cold promise, and their eyes widened; They know that in addition to the small amount of meat they have, what benefits can they get from deceiving themselves.

Even if you are deceived into being a slave, as long as you have a meal of meat to eat every month, it is worth it, and now no one cares if this is a border wall or a grassland.

"Under the command of this leader, you can choose to be a sergeant, a craftsman, or even go outside to pick fruits for money and food," Xiao Ye ignored the burning heat in these people's eyes, and still said lightly.

"Sergeants and craftsmen have salaries, and those who are literate will be added to Yicheng," Xiao Ye pointed to Wang Ziliang beside him, "This scholar, but the leader of this book, bought it from the Gansu town government, and he is now getting the salary of a thousand-year-old,"

pointed to the silent Da Liu again, "This guy is even more miserable, he was originally a slave of the Tartars on the grassland, but he was rescued, and he escaped death and became the leader's guard,"

Xiao Ye, whose voice was gradually cold, his face became ruthless, "The sergeants and craftsmen who followed the leader have died more than 300 times so far, some of them died fighting with the Tartars, some were killed by the government, and some died of illness here,"

"Life and death on the grassland are fateful, and you can't complain about others,"

"The leader of this hereditary hundred households, originally just wanted to live a good life, with the food and clothing that the military households had, but some people didn't want me to live to eat a hot meal, and they didn't want the military households and craftsmen here to be fed and clothed,"

"So, you say, what should the leader do, and his head is cut off? Or do you take them with you, and you are well fed and clothed? ”

"You have to be fed and clothed, and fight with them," in the silent crowd, Yang Shibai suddenly shouted loudly, and then, the people who reacted also shouted in a mess.

The days when no one wants to go to the day when they are hungry and hungry and have Venus in their eyes, and they can't wait to chew the grass clean.

"Hehe, as long as you want to be well fed and clothed with your family, that's fine," Xiao Ye nodded slowly, "Here, you can choose to be a sergeant, and one person's salary and bounty are enough to feed the whole family,"

"It's okay to be a craftsman, the risk is not big, but the salary is not high,"

High risk and high return, it is a luxury to get something for nothing, which everyone understands.

A few simple words can make these people find a sense of belonging, Xiao Ye's actions made Wang Ziliang next to him secretly gasp, he didn't understand why this young officer had such an old and spicy method.

Could it be that fighting with the Tartars on the grassland can grow so fast? Wang Ziliang was very puzzled.

If he knew that Xiao Ye would wake up from a nightmare every few days now, and after more than a year of torture, no matter how simple a person is, his mind can be honed.

It's just that less than half of these young men who are willing to be sergeants have chosen to go to the logistics team, which makes Xiao Ye pity those potions.

"My lord, the little Yang Eighteen greets the adult," the disappointed Xiao Ye was about to leave, Yang Eighteen lined up the crowd, walked out of the crowd and took a few steps forward, knelt on Xiao Ye's knees, and knocked his head three times when he touched it, "Lord Xie saved the villain's old mother and sister,"

His actions attracted more than 20 young people to kneel and kowtow, and everyone realized at this time that this seemingly young leader of the grassland tribe had saved nearly 2,000 lives this time, including his own family members outside.

"Oh, you are Yang Eighteen, you can be the first to wake up this time, it seems that your physical strength is not bad," Xiao Ye paused and looked down at Yang Eighteen, "What kind of skills do you have?" ”

"No, the villain has followed his uncles to fight and fight since he was a child, and the family has a family tradition," Yang Shiba's face was straight, "I beg the adults to let the little one be a sergeant with you,"

In order for his mother and sister to stop being hungry, Yang Shibai was also ruthless, even if he followed this big leader, it was to fight or rob, anyway, he didn't want to go anymore, and if he left, it was estimated that his family would starve to death on the road.

It is surrounded by barren mountains and mountains, there is not a single star of the fields in sight, and it is on the edge of the grassland, not on the serious business road, if Yang Shibai does not guess Xiao Ye in the worst, then where can he think.

In Shiguantun, there was a long convoy of merchants at the foot of the mountain, exchanging supplies with the people here, although he couldn't see the inside story, but he could see the grain pulled here by the car, he could see it clearly, otherwise he would not have taken his family on the car.

It is estimated that other people think the same way, although the displaced people are fleeing in all directions, they are not all simple people.

Xingyi Boxing, Xiao Ye has heard of it, but he doesn't know the Tao in it, and there is suddenly an extra trick in this homeless person, so he wants to try it.

"Okay, you get up," Xiao Ye waved his hand, let Yang Shibai stand up, and casually pointed to the guard beside him, "Come, you have fought with him, if you can make a draw, this leader will be the master, let you also be a guard, and enjoy the food and salary of hundreds of households,"

This sentence is also Xiao Ye's reward for Yang Eighteen, and he is still a little interested in being the first person to wake up from the effects of the medicine.

"Really?" Yang Eighteen, who was surprised, suddenly raised his head and clenched his fists twice, only then did he realize that not only did he unconsciously feel that his strength was actually a lot greater.

Xiao Ye didn't say anything, and with a slight lift of his chin, the guards around him had already raised their feet and walked to the east of the martial arts arena, where there was still a large open space.

Yang Shibai didn't dare to slack off, respectfully bowed his hand to Xiao Yeyi, twisted his body and followed closely.

"Papa, pa," on the martial arts field, there was almost no stagnation, the two had just stood firm, the ordinary-looking short guard, without saying a word, threw his arms like a whip towards Yang Eighteen, and Yang Eighteen, who was caught off guard, couldn't imagine that the other party's speed was so fast that he could barely see clearly, so he could only raise his arms and struggle to support.

There were more than a dozen physical collisions, and each sound had to resist the opponent's fist and arm, Yang Shiba, who was crying bitterly, was nervous, shaking his numb arms, and retreated after looking at the empty gear; But the unforgiving guards pressed closely, and the whirring fist smashed straight into his head.

One dodged and dodged, the other chased closely, and had the strength to smash Yang 18 to death with his fists; Yang Eighteen, who was beaten to the point of anger in his heart, stepped on the Nine Palaces in a row, and rushed forward with shaking his fists.

If he is pressed and beaten like this again, he will be beaten in the martial arts arena.

Fortunately, Yang 18 quickly adapted to the opponent's attack, and between the staggered figures, several times it was a borrowed force, his left arm shook and swung away, patting the guard's elbow, and the person had already slid to the opponent's side; As long as he can go around to the back, with his boxing skills that he has been fighting since he was a child, it will be okay to put it in this guy with a lot of strength.

Although the strength of the guards was surprisingly large, the speed of their hands was quite direct, and there was no fancy, which made Yang Eighteen extremely uncomfortable at first. But in Yang Eighteen's opinion, a reckless man with brute strength and no power skills, as long as he dodged his three-plate axe, he would basically not be defeated.

"Smack," Yang Eighteen, who was relieved, although he was physically exhausted, avoided the edge and focused on skill, and after more than thirty moves, he kicked on the numb hole of the guard's thigh, and he turned over and jumped out of the circle.

"Accept," Yang Shibai, who didn't have much self-smugness on his face, was very humble on his lips, but the pride in his eyes made Xiao Ye shake his head slightly; This is just a test of hands and feet, if the guards move the hunting knife in their waists, and fight for their lives, I'm afraid Yang Eighteen can't stand up to a cup of tea.

Fighting and competing, those are two different things.

Of course, Yang Shiba's ability to gain the upper hand, Xiao Ye was still very surprised, you must know that the guards around him, which one of them are ruthless masters who have killed people, and it is more than enough to let them out to be a hundred households with soldiers.

Yang Shiba, whose arms were numb and almost insensitive, only blushed a little at this time, and his panting was quite even, but the guard who got up was already panting like a cow.

"Okay, if you are willing to follow this leader as a soldier, someone will take you to open your mind, there will be more than thirty Tartars escorted over today, as long as you can cut off their heads, it will be my sergeant," Xiao Ye, who was happy, said it, but it was extremely gloomy, and Yang Shibai felt chills when he heard it, and he didn't know if he had taken the right step.

"Yang Eighteen, if you pass the test, follow Da Liu first, start to join the drill tomorrow, and give you a month, if you can't meet the guard assessment, hehe," Xiao Ye grinned and turned to leave; The meaning of the words can be understood without saying Yang Eighteen.

Special cases cannot be an exception, otherwise it will be difficult for the sergeants below to say, and if they want to go through the back door to pull the relationship, it will be death.

In the study, Xiao Ye was silently drinking warm tea, Wang Ziliang frowned and shook the paper fan, and after a long time, he said, "My lord, you have to do this?" ”

"Well, there is Shuangta Lake, we are bound to occupy the minerals, the asking price of the Tartar is getting more and more outrageous, I can't say the next, it's time to grab it," Xiao Ye's eyes flashed a hint of gloom, and he smiled lightly, "With the jackal as a companion, sooner or later we will have to fight for victory,"

This time, the Tartar team that came to the Eagle Claw Fort to trade had a conflict with Liu Shuihe, and a loyal Liu Shuihe could be angry, which can only mean that the Tartars couldn't help it, as long as they caught the excuse, the next attack was just around the corner.

Therefore, the thirty or so Tartars who were detained by Liu Shuihe, Xiao Ye had no intention of staying alive at all, and training the courage of the new sergeants became their only use.

However, that is what he said, but what Xiao Ye thought in his heart was not like this.

At present, the ore obtained from the stone grinding, most of the low iron ore, can no longer support Xiao Ye's team.

The fire/guns that Xiao Ye obtained were really not enough for his subordinate sergeants to consume, not to mention that some of them had to be taken out and sold, which was simply to the point that he couldn't bear it.

After the rear fire/gun shoots 120 rounds of projectiles, after the short fire/gun shoots 100 rounds, the barrel is basically scrapped.

However, with the increase in the number of sergeants in the war barracks, the amount of more than thirty fires/guns per month, Xiao Ye said that there was suffering; Other goods also require a large amount of iron ore, and he can't just come out with a fire/gun, and everyone needs to eat.

Not to mention rifles, box guns, and machine guns, there were no two or three in January, and he looked forward to the stars judging the moon, so he didn't know what year and month he would have to wait.

Fortunately, the large amount of fierce fire oil gave him two kinds of vehicles, and he had to take them out to exchange for food.

Sitting and waiting, Xiao Ye couldn't wait. Seeing that autumn is coming, he is very afraid of the Mongolian Tatars, and the Gansu town that is eyeing him is not good at stubble.

In terms of distance, among the ore veins he knew, in addition to the iron ore in Haixi Village, only the Twin Towers Lake of the Tartars was the most ideal target.

More than 100 miles south of Gansu Town, there is also an iron mine jointly operated by the Huang family and the Tian family, which can't be moved at all, and the government is still watching inside; Once the two merchants blow up the thorns, where will he go to buy grain next?

Haixi Village is an ally, and it is difficult to start, so it is imperative to occupy the area around Shuangtao Lake.

"These new sergeants are transferred to Wang Hu, their families should go with them, whether it is a drill or a confrontation with the Tartars, it is the most ideal place, after a few conflicts, the ones who can survive are the old soldiers,"

"Those two children, arrange to go to Gujiabao, set up a private school there, and let the children read and write first,"

In the Madao Stone Fort, Xiao Ye's words were military orders, and soon, those newly joined sergeants cut more than thirty confused tartars into meat sauce in the wilderness of the valley, and passed Xiao Ye's assessment.

Of course, except for more than 50 people who joined Wang Hu's barracks, all the others were included in the logistics team and drove to Gujiabao; The cowhide tents that lived outside the stone fort were dismantled on the third day, and the displaced people were taken to Gujiabao.

Yang Shibai is so happy these days, he can eat hot broth and thick flatbread every day, and his family who temporarily lives in the military house finally has a place to live.

The courtyard where the guards live is on the south side of the big boss's house, and the military house compound of the personal guard team sandwiched Xiao Ye's yard bag in the middle, and almost everyone in the guards has a family, so there are not many people living in the guard's courtyard.

The military house was one and a half stone houses, with a stove outside, and half of the house inside was occupied by a fire kang, but the windows were framed with glass, but their family was rare.

When Yang Shiba, dressed in khaki clothes, led his mother and sister into the military house, the two women were in a trance, and their haggard faces couldn't hide their exclamation.

On the kang, the pile of bedding, clothes, food, matches, soap, tea, and green salt brought back made the family speechless with excitement.

Especially Yang Shibai took out the silver ticket of ten taels, and when the silver was paid this month, Mu Ne's old mother cried when she touched the silver ticket. Their family has never seen a silver ticket for so many years, but now they have finally seen it, and it is still their own.

In addition to following Da Liu's daily exercises, Yang Shibai was also taken around the castle a few times, and the more he looked at it, the more surprised he became.

The hard, clean stucco floor, the drainage ditches on the roadside, the place where the craftsmen lived, the densely packed rows of houses, and the two-story stone house courtyard in the alley; When I inquired, it was the residence of the commander's family.

What he couldn't stand the most was that he didn't see a well in the stone fort, and after asking Da Liu, Yang Shibai was stunned, there has been no well dug here, where did the water come from, wouldn't it be those umbrellas flowing out.

There is a drainage tank against the wall in the guard's compound, which is filled with water every day, and other places also need a lot of clean water every day, which he can see.

When he walked to the house, he saw clearly, not only beside the three pools, but also in the open space behind the house, and between the fort wall and the fort wall, rows of earthy yellow inverted umbrellas, under which were placed several wooden sinks, and the rushing water continued to gather into the wooden barrels.

"There is a lot of water here in the morning and evening, and the water will be less than half at noon, and the water that we can't use up will be introduced into the pool, and we can go to soak once every three days in summer, and the sergeant on duty can take a bath once a day,"

"This is a heavy water source, you are not allowed to come here at will on weekdays, you can take you to see it, don't come if you have nothing to do in the future,"

Da Liu, who explained to Yang Eighteen, couldn't help but be happy when he saw his eyes staring at the water umbrella, "This is called a water umbrella, which was traded between our big boss and the Persians, and its lifespan is at most two years, and if it cracks, it will be replaced with a new one,"

"Those dismantled old goods, the merchants are robbing their heads," Speaking of this, the pride on Da Liu's face can be seen from afar.

Bypassing the room, Da Liu pointed to the west, "There is a warehouse, outsiders are not allowed to approach at will without permission, otherwise the sergeant can shoot after warning, be careful,"

"It's a mill there, it's guarded by our guards, outsiders are not allowed to approach at will without permission, otherwise the guards can shoot after warning, be careful,"

"It's the big boss's mansion, you've been there, outsiders are not allowed to approach at will without permission, otherwise the sergeant can shoot after warning, be careful,"

Three times in a row, sweat stains appeared in Yang Shiba's palms, in this stone castle that seems to be full of people, I can't think of so many rules, where I can go, where I can't go, but I have to go back and explain to my mother and sister.

"The area where the craftsmen live, they can walk around at will, and there are shops there, but you have to get out of the fort with the permission of the sergeant, and if there are Tartar rangers outside, then no one will be allowed to go out,"

Pointing to a group of passing carriages, Da Liu took the trouble to explain, no need to say it, Yang Shibai looked at the craftsmen who accompanied the carriage, and some of them still had a short fire system in their waists, so he knew that it was not safe outside.

This kind of short fire system that can be launched continuously, Yang Shibai has practiced for two days, although he has not touched it before, but he is quite fast, and he can shoot targets within fifty steps, and there is no need to practice dead targets.

As he was talking, he saw that Da Liu's eyes suddenly straightened, and he looked into the distance with a shiny eye, Yang Shibai hurriedly followed his gaze, and saw the castle gate, and a big earthy yellow guy broke in, looking the same size as a carriage.

Yu Shan and the others came back in a transport car, and the back carriage was full of bags of grain, which were piled up and tied tightly by ropes.

Under the envious gaze of a dozen sergeants, the transport truck swung a beautiful arc and turned to the warehouse without stopping.

"Tut, look, look, look at his Yu Shan proudly, it's really his tail up to the sky, and he won't let him sit down if he wants to," swallowing his saliva, Da Liu pouted disdainfully, "I said eighteen,"

"Hey, Brother Liu, you say, I'll listen," Yang Shiba's neck stretched out, and it wasn't until the transport truck entered the wall of the warehouse that he reluctantly withdrew his gaze.

"Look, it's safe to sit up, how can you ride a horse slowly," Da Liu turned around indignantly, and said as he walked, "Do you say you can read?" If you can't read, then don't look at it, look at it in vain, the Shenche Battalion is a sergeant who wants to be literate, that's just a show of talent,"

In this way, Yang Shiba's throbbing mind just now immediately dissipated, and the words were a headache when he looked at it, thinking that he was not so blessed.

In the evening, Da Liu took Yang 18 to go out on military affairs, and in the communication team to Ziliang, Da Liu got the military order covered with the seal of the leader, and pulled Han Juan with a smiling face, and after hearing the military order, Da Liu walked out of the room.

"Da Liu, you owe me a piece of brocade, and if you save it again, you will have to add interest," Han Juan's voice floated out of the room, which made Da Liu very embarrassed, and ran away with Yang Shiba, who was pulling the pestle outside.

"Hey, if you don't read or write, you will suffer, and when my eldest Liu has a son, if he doesn't go to the private school, Lao Tzu will beat his ass," sighed and took Yang Eighteen to Wang Gui's warehouse compound.

With the military order of the big leader, Da Liu received some equipment according to his handprint, and went out of the stone fort with Yang 18 overnight.

There are too many people who want to join the guards, even the guards are also picked and picked, since Yang Shibai was ordered into the guards by Xiao Ye, he must also have the ability to do it, otherwise the future sergeant Dabi will become empty talk.

If the fist is hard enough, everyone will have nothing to say, this is Yang Shiba's understanding, and it is also Xiao Ye's advice to him.

In a word, if Yang Eighteen hadn't voted for his name, he might have been sent to the war camp soon; And tonight, it's time for him to make a move, and Da Liu is just a witness.