Just when Xiao Ye thought that he could get a good time to get his breath by letting Baodes befriend all the forces in Gansu Town, and that he was meticulously implementing the military orders of the Thousand Households of the Gravel Fort, he could get time to take a breath.

The water umbrella owned in Shiguantun is in the list of Baodes transactions, although it has a name, but Xiao Ye does not have it in his hand, how can he take it out to exchange for money, plus Shiguantun can still maintain it until now, which shows that the benefits of the escort are not small; As a result, his position of 100 households was targeted by people with a heart.

If nothing else, in Shiguantun, although the risk is greater, it can escort goods to the Persians, and the benefits can be seen by the eyes; Thousands of taels of silver and a water umbrella, there are more than 20 in 100 households, these are all money.

Even if it is a gift of friendship from the Persians, why should they give you a military household, eat meat and drink soup, it depends on your identity. Therefore, it is imperative to replace the 100 households in Shiguantun.

If you encounter a Tartar invasion, it's a big deal to retreat to the gravel fort, and wait for the Tartars to retreat and come back, and it is inevitable that some military households will be killed or injured, which is also fate.

Coupled with the kernels purchased by the hundred households, there must be a cat in them, if there is no benefit, how can he Ximen Xiao Ye spend a lot of money to buy; The merchants who did not understand the reason for this, and their dissatisfaction with Xiao Ye also contributed to the high efficiency of this transfer.

On the first day of October, the men from the Tian family's shop went to the Baihu Office, and the next day, a messenger from the Gravel Fort went up the stone mountain with the official letter.

The sergeants who had just been dispatched to transfer the bones of the sergeants buried in the Gobi Desert and the bones of the sergeants who died in the battle of Bailonghu back to Xiao Ye in Shishan, holding the official document in his hand, his teeth were squeaked, and the green tendons were jumping on his forehead.

In the courtyard of the hundred households, Wang Dali, Wang Ziliang, and Yang Tianshou, who easily did not show up, sat around Xiao Ye, looking at the messenger in front of him with a heavy face.

"Ximen Baihu, Lord Wang Qianhu military order, give you three days to pack up, three days later, Hu Baihu will come to take over here, Baihu you are not allowed to follow except for relatives and guards," The messenger standing in front of Xiao Ye was Wang Chongli's cronies, so naturally he would not kneel and speak like other sergeants.

"Got it, go back and tell Lord Qianhu that the next official will go to the old sheep's mouth fire pier in three days and take over the fire pier guard," Xiao Ye, who was pale, squinted his eyes and looked carefully at this sergeant with a big shoulder and a round waist, and said in a deep voice for a long time.

Lao Yangkou, Guoziwa, Yonghetun, Jiaokou, Xiqu, the five fire piers under the jurisdiction of thousands of households, built along the east-west mountains and ravines, to the north of the terrain is dangerous, to the south is a hill, the hundred households are stationed in Yonghetun, built in a mountain pass, it is Luo Yufei last year that was cleaned by the Tartars of the tunzi.

Fortunately, there are still large thin tracts of land around it that can grow food, but it is much stronger than here in Shiguantun.

These fire piers guard the stone pass in the west, see the Qingfeng Valley in the east, and pass the mountains and ravines more than 30 miles wide in the north, which is a large area of Gobi wasteland, giving birth to a dangerous place.

If the Tartars attacked, whether it was west or east, there were even mountain trails that were feasible, Xiao Ye had no place to run, so he could only hold on, or be ordered to retreat to the gravel fort, but presumably Wang Chongli would not have issued such a stupid military order. Stationed in the fire pier, the only mission is to warn, and then it is the abandoned chess piece, life and death depend on luck, everyone knows it in their hearts.

Therefore, the flag team in the fire pier is the fastest dead in the border army, and it is also the most fully replenished.

Xiao Ye took over the jurisdiction of Luo Yufei's hundred households, and Hu Shibiao went to Shiguantun, so Luo Yufei could return to the gravel fort; Probably, Luo Yufei, who was frequently swept by the Tartars twice, took the opportunity to get rid of the hot potato this time, and wanted to go back to Qianhu to serve Wang Qianhu.

For Hu Shibiao, Xiao Ye remembers very well that this seemingly honest and loyal Baihu is two rounds older than himself, and it seems that he finally took refuge in the Wang family.

Xiao Ye's unceremonious tone made the messenger quite dissatisfied, and he bowed back angrily, scolding incessantly in his heart; Aren't you able to fight, this time let you take care of those fire piers, once the Tartars come, you won't be able to eat and walk around, hum.

The messenger who came out of the courtyard was stopped by the clever little sixth, and stuffed a silver piece or two in his hand, so that he could persuade him to go to the room for dinner, where there was still a little ale to relieve his fatigue.

The messenger left, and the small courtyard suddenly fell silent, and everyone was looking at Xiao Ye, waiting for his decision.

However, Baihu, who was sitting on the stone bench, did not make a sound, just fiddling with the lid of the teacup over and over again, clicking, as if he couldn't make up his mind.

"Lord Baihu, there are no outsiders here, it is better to look at the job," Wang Ziliang was dressed in a green robe, the paper fan swayed, and the hula was closed, slowly under his throat, and the killing intent in his eyes flowed faintly. "Kill the messenger first, then set up an ambush along the way, send that Hu Baihu back to his hometown, don't come here to make money,"

His actions not only startled Wang Dali, but even Yang Tianshou glared at the scholar dissatisfiedly, snorted lowly, and ignored it. This scholar is really dizzy.

Wang Ziliang's words, Xiao Ye didn't think about it, but with these brothers under his command, what is the use of killing Hu Shibiao, Qianhu will also send Xu Hai and Luo Yufei, do you want to kill them all one by one?

That's no different from rebellion, once the incident happens, not only will you have to bear a bad name, but even if the people below follow you, the Ming army is not vegetarian, and tens of thousands of people are in a hurry, Huzun ran away, and hundreds of birds and three-eyed fire guns swarmed up, and it was useless to hide in Bailong Lake by yourself.

When the quantity reaches a certain limit, the quality will not be superior, with the understanding of fire/guns, Xiao Ye does not dare to lightly say that he can defeat the Tartars, let alone the Ming army. He doesn't even have a single artillery gun now, so how dare he be proud of his troops.

Xiao Ye didn't think about buying artillery, but the thousand households didn't care at all, and the merchants didn't dare to accept it, and even the bed crossbow guarding the city didn't want to touch it, let alone the artillery, which made him quite disappointed.

For reputation, the people of the Ming Dynasty took it very seriously, and no one wanted to be infamous as a traitor and leave a stink in the history books, Xiao Ye did not dare to tarnish the reputation of the Ximen family no matter what.

Now that the public / document has arrived, it is a foregone conclusion to leave Shiguantun. went to the pole to give gifts and go to the door, Xiao Ye didn't want to whisper, and even more fell into the handle, not to mention, can the peeping person let him go.

But the most troublesome thing now is the A-shaped stone mill, which is huge and can't be moved at all, as if it grows on the ground, Xiao Ye has no way at all; Stone grinding is his biggest foundation, and he can't lose any of them.

Several people discussed for a morning, and finally Wang Ziliang wrote down the deeds one by one, and stamped them with the seals of the hundred households of Ximen; While he was still in the tunli, he first had to give them the houses of the military households, and the province was remembered by others.

Of course, this kind of deed with only 100 household seals is unruly in the mainland, and without the official deed, Hu Baihu can completely disown it; However, the military households on the mountain are like this, unless they want to cause public anger, if he Hu Shibiao doesn't want to die on the night road at night, he has to pinch his nose and recognize these deeds.

The houses were assigned to each family, and the military households were asked to draw and press their handprints, and the water umbrellas were also given to the military households, and Xiao Ye did not ask for a penny.

Even in the compound of the hunters in Jiming Village, Xiao Ye also sent someone to send the deed, and the water umbrella was given for nothing; The hunters in Jiming Village have returned to the military households, and now they can't leave if they want to.

After completing these procedures, it was already dinner time, Xiao Ye hurriedly ate two bites of food, and sent someone to recruit Qin Shi and Wang Meng.

"You two small flags, escort the pack team to Madao Stone Fort, and return as soon as the materials are put into storage," Xiao Ye's face couldn't hide the sleepiness, and he said strongly, "The sergeants who stay there and are making up, don't be reluctant if you want to go back to Shiguantun, the rest of the people's salaries are still the same, and the official will send people to pay them every month,"

"My lord, my subordinates should obey the order of a hundred households," the two flag officers knelt on the ground, "As long as the adults can keep their subordinates, the subordinates swear to follow the adults," not only the two of them, but the guards outside the courtyard, under the leadership of Xiao Liuzi and Zuo Shi, hulala knelt on the ground, "The subordinates swore to follow the adults,"

It's no wonder that Xiao Ye has built a flag team one by one, and he has never broken his promise in terms of food, which is more than twice the salary of other hundred households, and he is in charge of food during the sentry period, which is estimated to be the first in Daming.

Coupled with the clothes and leather goods issued from time to time, half of the seizures belonged to the sergeants, although there were casualties among the sergeants from time to time, but everyone was used to it.

"Get up, it's all your own brothers, hypocritical," waved his hand unhappily, Xiao Ye scolded with a smile, and the stones in the hearts of the sergeants fell to the ground, not afraid of being scolded by hundreds of households, but afraid of being praised by hundreds of households, and the best fate for those who were praised was to be fined silver.

"Okay, since everyone is not afraid of being dragged down by this official, then this roster will be collected by this official," Xiao Ye took the thin roster into his arms, "Qin Qiguan, Wang Qiguan, "This roster, as well as Mei'er's roster of Bailonghu, is the foundation of his future life, and there is no room for the slightest ambiguity."

"The subordinates are here," Qin Shishi and Wang Meng took a step forward, their eyes burning and arched their hands.

"This official has already explained to Uncle Kun that all the weapons in the arsenal except for the equipment that captured the Tartars were sent to Madao Stone Fort, and the sergeants who stayed there were paid one percent,"

Of course, it is impossible for all five small flags to leave, and he still has to be watched by the mill here.

That night, the long pack team set off, and Xiao Ye's personal guards sent ten personal guards and a few selected sergeants to escort the supplies, and never returned.

But to Xiao Ye's surprise, at dawn, the two flag teams that should have returned to Madao Stone Fort didn't see a shadow, it was the sergeant who was left in Tunli last night, under the leadership of Qin Shi and Wang Meng, who slipped down the mountain late at night, needless to say, they all went to Madao Stone Fort.

Fortunately, the guards in the hundred households are all on the fort wall, otherwise this night will become a big gap, and no one will know if they go up the mountain.

The five small flags all ran away, and in the early morning, Xiao Ye stood at the gate of the fort inexplicably, looking at the craftsmen who went to work in the quarry, and did not see anything strange on their faces, even the old military households walking at the gate of the tun were all leisurely.

"Oh, little Liuzi, they don't seem to be in a hurry, their own boys have all run away," Xiao Ye turned his face to look at the guards, "Do you know that this official is leaving?" ”

"I know," Xiao Liuzi, who followed behind Baihu, carried a tightly wrapped rifle on his back, raised his shoulders and shook the gun belt, with a look of indifference, "It's all a military household of Baihu, and it's just a look like that one,"

Xiao Ye, who was still full of resentment yesterday, heard Xiao Liuzi say this, and suddenly woke up, no wonder, Uncle Wang, they are not in a hurry, it turns out that this is the case.

"Haha, yes, yes, the official is in a good position, or you sergeants can see it," looking up and laughing, Xiao Ye patted Xiao Liuzi on the shoulder, turned around and strode towards the hundred households.

"Immediately ordered Ma Dao Stone Castle, let Heizi and Wang Hu take people back, rest and recuperate, rotate when they should be rotated, don't mess up when Lao Tzu leaves, military discipline is not a joke, don't take it as an example," Throwing this sentence from afar, Xiao Ye's figure had already turned into the small courtyard.

"I know a hundred households," Xiao Liuzi responded with a smile, called a guard, and after a few words, the guard rode down the mountain on a fast horse.

After practicing the family knife technique twice, Xiao Ye, under the service of the two daughters, had breakfast absentmindedly and convened a meeting of the henchmen on the mountain again.

In the hot courtyard, Xiao Ye wrote down his name on the deed of the A-brand stone castle, drew a seal on it, stamped the letter, and handed it to Yang Tianshou in public, "Father-in-law, the stone castle will trouble you to take care of it,"

"Well, I'm not good at my legs and feet now, and I don't want to run far, so I can show you the portal with a handful of old bones, and I can't leave the private school on this mountain,"

As for where Hu Shibiao's hundred households stand, it is not Xiao Ye's business, the deed of the quarry stone fort, but Wang Dali and his five banner officials jointly painted and owned it.

Three days later, Hu Shibiao of 100 households rushed to Shiguantun with 20 guards and two carts of grain; There is no comparison with Xiao Ye's sergeant, Hu Shibiao's personal guards are walking, only Hu Shibiao is riding a thin war horse.

The official business of the two sides was carried out outside the stone fort of No. A, and Yang Tianshou took a group of children and blocked the gate of the fort.

Wang Ziliang took a few heralds and stood on the fortress wall, looking coldly below. Baihu left with his family, and the accounts in Tunli were temporarily managed by him, which made Wang Ziliang quite helpless, and naturally he did not have a good face for Hu Shibiao and his party.

In the open space outside the stone fort, Lei Xiaoqing and Wang Hu led two teams of sergeants, with fire/guns on their shoulders, and their waists stood in two rows, surrounded by chaotic military households, as well as the old and young people of Jiming Village also came to see the excitement.

When I went up to the mountain, I didn't see the sergeants who greeted me, not even the soldiers, and after passing the quarry stone fort, the craftsmen who were busy working inside and outside didn't pay attention to Hu Shibiao and them.

Such a move made Hu Baihu, who was full of confidence, suddenly have a bad feeling, and raised his eyes to look at Tunzi, where the black crowd made him mutter.

When Hu Shibiao approached, the people in the outer circle made a move, and Xiao Ye appeared in front of Hu Baihu with his personal guards and two carriages.

At first glance at the formation in front of him, Hu Shibiao and his personal guards secretly gasped, and the two teams of non-moving sergeants. They didn't care, what they cared about was a large group of war horses behind Xiao Ye, counting forty or fifty.

It is said that it is the delivery of official business, in fact, it is just a meeting to say a few words, what official business can be delivered by hundreds of households, if there is grain field real estate here, you have to say it clearly, and now it is convenient.

"Ximen Baihu, congratulations, congratulations you can go to the nearest thousand households, my old / Hu Ke is going to suffer," Hu Shibiao, who played haha, forced the dissatisfaction in his heart, stepped forward and said loudly, "By the order of thousands of households, my old / Hu came to take over the Shiguantun Hundred Households,"

As he spoke, Hu Shibiao took the lacquer seal from the hand of the guard, Xiao Ye wanted to draw a seal on it, and Hu Shibiao also used the seal before he could get the seal from the Qianhu Office for the seal of Yonghetun Baihu.

"Don't dare, kid Ximen Shidao, you can be regarded as seeing the old Baihu," Xiao Ye, who was standing up, arched his hand expressionlessly, "Hu Baihu, let's settle it,"

Compared with a year and a half ago, Xiao Ye has faded from the jerkiness on his body, his expression is calm, and his height has risen a lot, and now he and Hu Shibiao are looking at each other, and the two are almost tall.

"Here, no, it's better to go to the Baihu Office," Hu Baihu said with a smile, and he was about to go to the stone castle; However, Xiao Ye on the opposite side, as well as the sturdy guards, did not move at all with expressionless faces.

"Cough, Xiao boy, why are you, uncle, I have never provoked you," Hu Shibiao, who was quiet, didn't want to turn his face with Xiao Ye, and asked with a dry smile, but his tone was already angry.

The guards beside him also wanted to rush up to surround Xiao Ye, but the sergeants next to him raised their guns in an uproar, and the muzzles of the guns pointed slightly upward, "Click," neatly loaded, and the fire door was loaded with the pull of the bolt, and it was already loaded, faintly surrounding Hu Shibiao and them.

The blatant threat immediately stunned Hu Baihu's personal guards, and the cold eyes of the twenty sergeants on the side indicated that as long as they received an order, they would not hesitate to open fire.

Wow, the people in the outer circle who were watching the excitement dispersed at once, running dozens of steps far away, and some people even ran into the stone castle, but no one paid attention.

"Ximen Xiaoye, what do you want to do?" Hu Shibiao, who was taken aback, hurriedly took two steps back, and shouted inwardly, "This official is a hundred households in Shiguantun appointed by Qianhu, but you want to rebel?" ”

On the fortress wall, Wang Ziliang shook his head sneeringly when he heard this, this stupid hundred households, if the stone road is really reversed, you will be the first to die.

"Hey, Hu Shibiao, you can't talk nonsense," Xiao Ye raised his eyebrows, "From last year to now, the thousand households have only given two months' salary, and now they still owe sixteen months, and there is no money to build the hundred households, where is the public housing of the hundred households?" ”

"The rebel official doesn't dare, but who dares to take my things for nothing?"

Pointing to the stone castle behind him, Xiao Ye raised his head with a smile, and didn't look at this uncle who used to shout often, "The houses on the mountain have their own owners, you better find another place for the hundred households,"

"You, you Brother Xiao, do you still have elders in your eyes, I am a colleague who has been with your father for many years," Hu Shibiao saw this, and shouted loudly, "This stone castle, the official is still settled,"

"Elders? Hu Shibiao, touch your conscience, when there was no food in Shiguantun, you said a word, the Tartars have come to commit several times, have you ever written to inquire, an elder like you, I dare not admit it," Xiao Ye sneered, clasping his hands around his chest.

"This stone castle is built by me, you want to live, you can, take care of your neck at night, don't complain about the next day when your head is gone," Bai Sensen's teeth flashed with a cold cold light, Xiao Ye really couldn't see the cheekiness of stealing sheep.

Taking a step forward and snatching the official document, Xiao Ye no longer paid attention to Hu Shibiao, turned his head and shouted, "All small flags, patrol as usual,"

"Yes, Baihu," the two teams of sergeants with guns in their hands, led by the flag officer, left the clearing in neat steps, one team went to the quarry stone fort to take up the sentry, and the other team went down the mountain to guard.

"Father-in-law, the boy will say goodbye," handing over the official / document to the little sixth son, Xiao Ye threw his hand at Yang Tianshou, and seeing that his father-in-law was unhappy, he hurriedly turned around and got on the horse.

The guards moved one after another, one person and two horses stepped on the horse, surrounded by two carriages, and trampled down the mountain.

Xiao Ye left, Wang Dali, as the official of Shiguantun, stepped forward and bowed his hand to Hu Shibiao, who was angry, "Hu Baihu, please go to your home first, and the roster will be delivered immediately,"

Hu Shibiao couldn't accept Xiao Ye's sudden outburst of domineering for a while, and his lips trembled and pointed at Xiao Ye's back, "Look at it, look at it, a hairy boy, when you become a hundred households, you don't know that the sky is high and the earth is thick, and sooner or later you will suffer a big loss,"

The reason why he didn't break out was not because he was afraid of those sergeants, but because Xiao Ye said before leaving, the sixteen months of food and salary owed by thousands of households to Shiguantun would be placed in other hundred households, even if there was some land in his hand and there was something to eat, I was afraid that once something happened, the sergeants would mutiny, not to mention that there was no half of the field here.

"Hehe, young man, be more angry, otherwise you won't even have the strength to fight when you encounter a Tartar on the grassland," Wang Dali smiled cautiously and led Hu Baihu towards his yard.

"Oh, can you really meet a tartar?" Looking at Wang Dali, who was accompanying him, Hu Baihu's face stiffened slightly, and his steps were sluggish for a moment. His question, which was full of suspicion, made the loyal Wang Dali also depressed.

"That is, from last year to now, there are sixty-eight spirit tablets enshrined in the side hall of the Land Temple, and the tomb of the soldier who died in battle is on the mountain bag in the west," Wang Dali said without looking back, "Fortunately, the corpse has been recovered,"

"There are seventeen wounded soldiers, and Simon has mercy on them, and pays them half a salary, so that they can live in the stone fort,"

When he came to Wang Dali's house and had some food, Hu Shibiao pulled the priest and chatted for a while, only then did he know that all the houses and buildings on the mountain were built with Xiao Ye's money, and there was not a penny of thousands of households in them.

At this moment, Hu Shibiao was directly dumbfounded, there was no place for the hundred households, where he lived and where he worked.

Wang Dali was kind, explained Yang Tianshou, and gave up his own house and Yang Tianshou's house together, as Hu Shibiao's hundred households, otherwise he and his guards would have no place to live. Two water umbrellas were also given to Hu Shibiao, so that they could at least have saliva to drink.

As for the food, when the time comes, when it is delivered from its own military house, it will be enough to pay for it; Shiguantun has plenty of food, but it has been more than 20 years since he opened his mouth, and Wang Dali can't make up for it.

According to Xiao Ye's temperament, not to mention the water umbrella, even a clay kang will not be for Hu Shibiao to live.

Yang Tianshou packed his bags and books and moved into Xiao Ye's courtyard, while Wang Dali's family moved to the quarry stone fort, where the military house has always been dissatisfied, and it is not troublesome to surround a small courtyard around a low wall.

After settling down and resting for a day, Hu Shibiao found Wang Dali, the original general flags of the hundred households were Uncle Kun and Yang Tianshou, but now it is obviously not good, and they must be replaced as soon as possible.

After careful questioning, Hu Shibiao learned that there were still three flag team sergeants at the edge of the grassland at the foot of the mountain to guard against a sudden attack by the Tartars, and the other two sergeants on the mountain were changed every ten years, adding up to a total of 55 people.

The sergeant in Madao Stone Fort, Wang Dali thought about it, and still told Hu Shibiao, after all, after being in the tunli for a long time, he couldn't hide any news. This point, before Xiao Ye left, did not explain too much, thinking that it was something to say or not.

Wang Dali's five banner officers, that is, the craftsman team, more than 50 people, are busy every day in the quarry stone fort, plus 60 people in Jiming Village, there are hundreds of people tinkering with yellow plaster in the mill every day, which is purchased by the Huang family.

For Wang Dali's honesty, Hu Shibiao is quite satisfied; But Hu Shibiao, who felt good, suddenly changed his expression after Wang vigorously mentioned the sergeant's salary.