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In the cold winter morning, the sun was cool, and Yang Shiba, who had been out of the drill, took the time to go back to his home, the small courtyard of the military house where his mother and sister lived, a section of the way from the mansion of the big leader, and the small courtyard of the other guards' families. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Pushing open the gate of the fence, there are one-person-high stucco stone walls on both sides, and you can see the situation in the courtyard next door when you stretch out your head, and everyone is the same, so no one is surprised by this kind of low partition wall.

The yard is not big, a piece of hard ground in all directions, about ten steps long and wide, and two Coptis chinensis saplings are planted in the west corner; There is a stove under the window on the left, which is used to burn the kang, and under the wall there is a pile of black coal.

Each family in the stone castle has a monthly supply of charcoal, but the limit of 200 catties per family in January makes each family have to take out a small amount of copper and go to the warehouse to buy more and use it back; All kinds of daily necessities in the stone fort, except for the sergeant's family, who have to pay for it, everyone else has to spend money to buy.

Xiao Ye, who had experienced starvation, inadvertently integrated economic activities into the food, clothing and housing under his command, and also made the concept of income from labor deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The gratuitous supply of pie falling from the sky is to find guilt for yourself.

Like other military courtyards, you have to go to the big stucco toilet outside, and every day a water truck pulls to the door to deliver water, and the water for ten cents is enough for the family to eat, drink and wash; There is a sewer in the yard that is connected to the outside water, so there will be no water accumulation in the yard if it rains.

There is no hall, in a house facing the courtyard gate, the cotton curtain is lifted high, and Yang Shibai can see his mother sitting by the kang stove, washing a large basin of clothes, and the large piece of soap she is holding in her hand is still the subsidy he received not long ago.

On the blazing kang stove, steam from the edge of the lid rises from time to time in the cauldron, and the side of this room is not so cold, but the temperature is still much lower than that of the inside.

"Mother, I'm back," Yang Eighteen carried a cloth bag, walked into the room, put the cloth bag on the thick wooden table, took out a large porcelain bowl from the cupboard against the wall, picked up the thermos and poured a bowl of hot water, squatted next to his mother and drank it in small sips.

The hunting knife hanging on the leather bag, the tip of the scabbard touching the ground, and the box cannon with a leather holster on his side, made him sit uncomfortably on the wooden bench, with his arms on his knees, "On this cold day, don't wash your clothes, wash and boil more hot water,"

"You, you haven't married yet, you don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are," the wrinkled old woman raised her gray hair and looked at her child kindly, "You didn't delay your business when you came back, did you?" ”

"No, the adults are resting at home, and I will go to the study to discuss something with Dr. Liu, and there is Li Shan and they will take care of it," there is a group of capable centurions and chiefs under his hands, and Yang Eighteen is leading the team to conduct exercises or routine sentry duties, and the military affairs are very easy to straighten out, and they learn quite quickly.

With Li Shuo and Xue Zilong leading the team in shifts, Yang Shibai didn't have to worry too much, just arrange for the team to go out to Eagle Claw Fort and Gujiabao to change shifts regularly.

The set of 100 household drill routines that Xiao Ye brought from Shiguantun, as well as the daily patrol sentry, are already a very complete set of military rules for the Ming army, as long as Yang Shibai fits himself into the entire team, basically there will be no mistakes.

The trouble was the guarding of the mills and warehouses, and the military work of clearing out the spies, which he would not tell his mother.

As he spoke, Yang Eighteen took off the box cannon, took out two magazines from the cowhide box on the belt, withdrew the bright bullets, and habitually wiped them carefully with coarse cloth one by one, this is the routine inspection of their guards every day, and they can do it at any time.

"That's good, it's really a virtue on the ancestors, our family listened to the rumors and fled to the border, I didn't expect to really meet such a good leader, you have to work hard," there were some Yang mothers in the kang cabinet, and warned her son in pieces, "People can't forget their roots,"

"Yes, my son knows," Yang Shibai wiped the weapon neatly, put the bowl back in the cupboard with a smile, and opened the cloth bag on the table, "Mother, I got back a little rice, grinded and husked, this is issued by the guards, I heard Wang Gui say that it is the new rice of Jinnan, it is delicious,"

Although the rice is only about ten catties, it is a rare fine grain in Madao Stone Fort, and a transport truck has just been transported from Eagle Claw Fort today.

"Okay," said the old woman, with a slight smile on her face, as she scrubbed her clothes, "let's eat at home in the evening, and my mother will make you and your sister porridge, add some bacon foam, and steamed cakes,"

"The vegetables sold in the shop are still expensive, but we have little land here, and the yard is all plastered, so there is no place to grow vegetables," the old woman suddenly sighed.

"Hey, your father starved to death on the road, otherwise our family would have been able to live a good life," Speaking of this, the old woman with red eyes lowered her head and choked, "Then won't the government give us some porridge on credit, just let your father eat tree bark and die,"

"In Gansu Town, your sister was almost sold, how could you have thought that she could still read and write in the school now, and it was still the kindness of the big leader of Ximen,"

Yang Shiba's face changed slightly when he heard this, and he looked at the charcoal fire in the kang stove without saying a word, not knowing what he was thinking in his heart. Half of the eldest son eats Lao Tzu to death, not to mention that he has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and his appetite has always been very large, if it weren't for his father's death that made him deeply stimulated, and he used means on the way to beg, I'm afraid that the three of them would not be able to stand Shiguantun at all.

"Go, go and put incense on your father, and tell him that our mother is living well," wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, the old woman urged softly, Yang Shibai didn't say that he was going to eat at home, that is, he was going to be on duty, and the amount of food in the room was not unpalatable, so she was still relieved.

Now Yang Eighteen's amount of food, the old woman has a headache when she thinks about it, what should she do if she gets married; Fortunately, the guards are full of three meals, otherwise no matter how much food the son takes, the appetite is also a bottomless pit, which girl is willing to follow him, a big-bellied man.

With such an edible stomach, in addition to having a better face, I don't see more flesh in my body, and I don't know where the food has gone.

These ten catties of rice are estimated to be barely enough for Yang Shibai to eat two full meals.

Thinking about the female herald she met in the Shi family's shop, the old woman hesitated in her mouth, but still didn't say it, her own son knew that he could only read and write in two lines, and the girl was a good child who could pick up a pen and write, and she spoke softly and did housework neatly, and her body couldn't be seen for a while.

The uniforms issued to the sergeants in the warehouse of the chief chieftain were the same as those of men and women, which made the woman mutter.

"Oh," replied sullenly, Yang Eighteen got up and went to the back room, where there was a hollow-shaped fire kang, the kang by the window was slept by his mother and sister, and two thick quilts were neatly stacked on the side of the long kang cabinet, and the kang was covered with thick cushions and half-new gray sheets; The three-foot-wide aisle in the middle, on the kang in his right hand is his futon, which is very neatly paved.

On the opposite side of the aisle, on the fire dragon facing him, there was a small wooden table, on which was placed his father's spiritual seat, and in the crude incense burner, there were three sticks of sandalwood and green smoke.

"Smack," the lighter lit three incense sticks, Yang Shibai held it in his hand, kowtowed to his father and inserted it into the incense burner, "Father, my son will take care of my mother and sister, and I will burn some money for you when Qingming,"

"The big boss of Simon has helped our family have a place to eat and live, and my son will do his best to assist so that our family can live a good life in peace and stability,"

After incense, looking sideways at the oil lamp on the kang platform, and the yellow straw paper pasted on the window edge, Yang Eighteen pursed his lips and went out; The old lady didn't want to spend more money, and he couldn't help it.

After talking to the old lady, Yang Shibai walked out of his small courtyard, stood at the door and watched the people coming and going, turned his head and strode towards the big leader's house, and the military boots under his feet became more and more calm.

Yang 18 left, and a figure turned around on the corner of the street not far away, dressed in an earthy yellow uniform, with soft-soled low-waisted boots, and a pair of big eyes on his pretty face, looking straight at the back of the guard commander, and it took a long time to come back to his senses.

Holding a small bag of rice, the herald female soldier Wang Lan pushed open the door of the Yang family's courtyard, "Auntie, I'm here,"

The two Zhai family spies who were released by Wang Ziliang from Madao Stone Fort soon returned to the West Fort of Eagle Claw Fort, and they were under the surveillance of Liu Shuihe's scouts along the way, and they were quite smooth.

In the communication team of Madao Shibao, Wang Ziliang got Liu Shuihe's letter post, and couldn't help but sneer secretly, "The spies sent by the Zhai family will teach the Zhai family a profound lesson,"

Although these two spies swore allegiance to Xiao Ye, Wang Ziliang, the captive servants in the family, was not optimistic about how loyal they were.

Eagle Claw Fort West Fort, in the backyard of the Zhai family's shop, in the secret room, Zhai Qibao saw two secret agents, two men and women kneeling in front of the deacon, crying about what happened to them, and the tragic death of their companions, which made the two strong-minded spies simply frightened.

"Say, have you seen Simon Xiao Ye? Why didn't you get a chance? How is the defense in the stone fort of Madao? Can you draw a pattern? Zhai Qibao, who couldn't wait, lost that cautious humility, but asked viciously, not caring about what happened to the two spies and what the injuries were.

"I see, I see," knelt on the ground, and the two spies restrained their sad expressions and scrambled to reply, "There are many more defenders in the Madao Stone Fort than there are outside,"

Just when Zhai Qibao was surprised, the faces of the two spies suddenly changed, the skin on their faces, necks and hands was so red that they were hot, their eyes bulged out, and they covered their throats with screams and rolled to the ground.

"This, what are you?" The frightened Zhai Qibao, with his blessed body, quickly jumped open and leaned against the door of the secret room, staring at the two subordinates; After seeing a few clear dark clicks in the bones of these two spies, then, "Peng, Peng,"

Two large bursting blood sacs splattered in all directions, and countless pieces of minced meat and fine bones were mixed with the smelly blood, splattering the small secret room into a slaughterhouse.

Only the hand lamp hanging on the stone wall still emitted a bright pillar of light, refracting the white light above the head, illuminating the entire scarlet secret room.

Zhai Qibao, whose face was covered with blood-paste meat sauce, looked at the wet pile of tattered clothes in front of him sluggishly, and let out a terrible scream for a long time.

Zhai Qibao, who was half frightened, ran out of the secret room in a panic, went to the backyard to change his clothes, and took a hot bath, and then sat in the account room in shock, holding a big teapot and drinking a pot of tea.

It wasn't until the backyard door that the panel of the waterwheel was opened, Zhai Qibao came to his senses and instructed the guy to buy water with copper coins, although the water in the stone castle is not expensive, ten cents can buy a car of more than 300 catties of water, but people are outdated, and if they don't buy it, they can only wait for tomorrow.

In the evening, Zhai Qibao received a notice from the Jin guy that Jin Sanniang was here, and he was in the Jin family's shop, waiting for him to go over to talk about things with Liang Yun, so he whispered to the guy to clean up the secret room, and walked around the backyard for a while, and went in good spirits.

In the West Fort of Madao Stone Fort, the three shops of Jin, Zhai, and Liang are next to each other, not far from the West Fort Gate, but the backyard of the Jin family's shops is much larger, which makes Zhai Qibao and Liang Yun feel furious, but there is no way.

People are more popular than people, and if you think too much, you won't be able to live.

In the backyard of the Jin family's shop, outside the guest room, Zhai Qibao saw three military men dressed in black, with shiny box cannons on their bodies and hunting knives hanging on their belts.

In the guest room, the lights are bright, the light reflected by the glass windows is bright, a long hollow-shaped fire kang is around, Jin Sanniang is sitting at the low table, facing the door, and the maid Xiao Mei is guarding the side to serve tea and pour water; Liang Yun was sitting on the kang in the west, drinking tea with his head bored.

On the fire kang in the east, there were three strangers in brocade robes, talking in a low voice around the low table, Zhai Qibao swept his eyes and recognized one of the people inside, who was Huang Deshan, the shopkeeper of the Huang family firm in Gansu Town.

Huang Deshan showed up, that additionally; The identities of the two, Zhai Qibao doesn't need to guess, he knows that they are from the Wang family and the Tian family, this time everyone finally met together, but there was a good show.

"Oh, Jin Sanniang, I'm late, forgive my sins," with a greeting in his mouth, Zhai Qibao said dutifully, without the tired pretense he had earlier, his actions made Jin Sanniang smile slightly, wave his hand and didn't care.

When Zhai Qibao and Liang Yun sat together, Jin Sanniang saw that this guy didn't mean to greet the Huang family, so he bowed his head and asked Xiaomei to retreat.

"Okay, everyone is ready, then," Xiaomei outside was just halfway through the curtain, "Miss, there are guests outside the shop who want to see you,"

"It's so late, whose guest is it?" Jin Sanniang, whose eyes flickered, asked unhappily, if Xiao Ye came, it would be easy to say, and it would not be as simple as disturbing others when they came.

Xiaomei came in with two famous thorns and a curtain, "Miss, they say it's a merchant in Shanxi, and a merchant in the southeast,"

Her words not only made Jin Sanniang's heart move slightly, but the other five businessmen also changed their faces and pondered silently; This has nothing to do but go to the Three Treasures Palace, and the caravans of the three families should smell fishy.

"Hehe, it's the people of the Wang, Li family and Fan family, okay, just invite them, we still have a hot tea," glanced at Huang Deshan and a few people unkindly, Jin Sanniang said coquettishly.

The words were relaxed, but in Jin Sanniang's heart, there was a wave of uneasiness, the representatives of the nine major merchants gathered together, and her advantages quietly disappeared; Fortunately, she has a little confidence, but she doesn't know how much trouble these three new merchants will bring.

After all, there are so many goods that can be taken out every month, and it is not a good thing to add three merchants who are eyeing each other.

Her eyes made the deacons of the three families of Huang, Tian, and Wang frown disapplauded, although they did not attract people, but there was no need to justify. How can the snake be afraid of the raptors, if you don't look for trouble, it will give you face.