The red light of the setting sun illuminates the sky in orange and red. Stripes of crimson glow, shining through the thick clouds and mist, fell on the wilderness after autumn. The river workers, who had worked hard all day, walked on the official road into the city with empty carts in high spirits. Xu couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart, and bursts of laughter and laughter came from time to time in the ranks, bringing infinite fun to the boring march.

"Second uncle, let's go back! This comes and goes, dozens of miles! It's late, and I'm not at ease when I walk at night! Xiao Si kept persuading the second uncle beside him.

Today is the second day of their more than 30,000 river workers to distribute grain to the county, and it is also the last day. When the formation was formed yesterday, in order to take care of the river workers, Liangshan organized them into ten teams according to their origins, and they traveled back and forth between the ten suburban counties. And on the last trip of the day, he gave the river workers two stones of grain and ten stones of new grain.

"Silly boy, don't worry about it! I don't know when we can see each other when you go! You are alone outside, and there is no one to take care of you, where can your father and mother rest assured? I'm an uncle, so I should give you a ride! The second uncle shook his head and said.

"If you're worried, come up the mountain with me! The knight brothers over there have all said that they also have families in the cottage, and they are not having a good time! Xiao Si has already made the decision to go up the mountain, and at this time, the title of the cottage kings has also become "brothers", and the sense of awe in his heart naturally and slowly turns into a sense of intimacy.

"We are no better than other families, five or sixty people with three relatives and four dependents, either all of them go up the mountain, or none of them can move, otherwise the government will investigate them in the future. Tell your relatives to eat and hang! It's okay for you to go alone, just say...... Dead outside...... Alas, Xiaosi, don't think your uncle doesn't listen to him......" The second uncle sighed, a little helpless.

Xiao Si didn't care, shook his head and said: "If you tell me to stay, it's really better to live than to die!" Second uncle, since there is such a place where we can live a human life, why should we stay at home and suffer? Dare to be reluctant to give up the more than 70 stone grain? ”

"You haven't even gone up the mountain, and your breath is not small! You don't know that it's the kings who have taken care of us who have done their best. To us and our relatives. Are they all new food? Even if you take it out and sell it, you can sell it for two dollars and a stone! The second uncle was unfair, sighed, and suddenly said, "If I am ten years younger." Encounter this kind of thing. Definitely not even want to. Straight up the hill to ......"

I saw that after he finished speaking, he looked back with a sigh and saw that the team was full of young faces. People of his age can't see much, and he can't help but sigh: "It's good to be young!" ”

"That's it, you are all waiting at home, and in the future, when I can get out of the way, I will take you out of the city to enjoy happiness!" Xiao Si said with confidence.

"Si'er, do you really regret going this time?" The second uncle looked at his nephew with some complexity.

"What do you regret? Do you regret that I have not suffered enough in my life? Continue to stay at home and live this hungry day? Second uncle, don't ask me! When I go, it's my ability to mix it up, and it's my fate to not mix it up! ”

At this time, Xiao Si's slightly childish face showed a trace of sincerity and perseverance that did not match his age, in fact, there was another sentence in his heart that he couldn't help but say: Even if you die outside, it is better than suffering at home! At that time, the pension of one hundred taels of silver will be enough for his relatives to live the rest of their lives.

The second uncle obviously also knew his unfinished words, and he had mixed feelings in his heart, and he couldn't speak for a long time. Xiao Si sighed and persuaded him: "At home, I cut people with a blunt knife, and I torture this life all the time." It's better to go outside, no matter what, Liangshanbo gave me a chance to change my life, and I don't want to live like I used to be! ”

The second uncle saw that his nephew's heart was like a stone, and the words came to his mouth, but he couldn't say anything. Xiao Si squeezed out a smile and said, "Uncle, go back!" You keep looking at me like this, and I don't feel bad! ”

The second uncle looked at his nephew, couldn't help but wet his eyes with tears, and suddenly shouted loudly: "I don't want this old face anymore!" This shout seemed to vomit out the guilt of the nephew in his heart, and the movement was really not small, so that the jubilant descendants around him couldn't help but look over, and the little four saw that the roots of his ears were red, and he hurriedly said: "Uncle, what's wrong with you?" ”

"You don't care!" The second uncle pushed away Xiao Si, and when he saw the knight next to him coming to investigate, the second uncle wiped his face and begged with a smile: "King Zhou, ask you about something, where are King Chen Da and King Suo Chao in our cottage at this time, I have drunk with them, and I want to say goodbye to them this time!" ”

Immediately, the knight was stunned when he heard this, and said, "Are you looking for General Suo?" He comes and goes in the city, and there really isn't a fixed place! In this way, he is my master, if you have anything important to find him, tell me, and I will convey it to you! ”

The second uncle was stunned, he didn't want this King Zhou in front of him to be Suo Chao's apprentice, he hesitated in his heart, and finally held back his words, after all, people are in human affection, and the effect will be much worse after a while, which is related to the future of his nephew, and he didn't dare to be sloppy in the slightest, so he just looked at Zhou Jin and smiled: "I can't go to Liangshan this time, I just want to go into the city to say goodbye to him!" After speaking, he said cautiously: "King Chen Da is not easy to find?" ”

"Leader Chen is easy to find! He is at the south gate, and when you get to the place, you can find him by asking a brother in the cottage! Zhou Jin replied.

"Thank you so much, I wish the kings a good tomorrow and a safe life!" The second uncle hurriedly thanked him.

"Borrow auspicious words!" Zhou Jin said goodbye with a smile, and the second uncle sighed lowly: "I can only go to King Chen Da!" ”

"Second uncle, what are you doing here?" Xiao Si was puzzled in his heart.

"Silly boy, it's not like I want to entrust you to someone in person! They are all characters with heads and faces in the cottage, and with their care, you will not have to be more lenient in the future! The second uncle whispered. Although he only had a few drinks and was likely to be disliked, he decided to give it a try for the sake of this nephew.

Zhou Jin hummed a little song and returned to the queue, at this time it was less than ten miles away from the city, and suddenly saw more than a dozen fast horses galloping on the road in front of him. In such a hurry? Originally, Zhou Jin and Yang Zhi were still a little estranged, because of the previous battle against the horse, they were completely convinced by Yang Zhi, and at this time, the honorific title blurted out, but it was not abrupt.

"Our battalion three teams of men and horses go back to two teams, only your team is left, brother, they are counting the number of river workers who cast the mountain, I am idle, I am idle, so I will come out to meet you!" Yang Zhi said with a smile.

Zhou Jin saw that he said, and hurriedly replied: "Except for more than 600 people who stay in the county. More than 2,300 people from my side are willing to go up the mountain with us. What is the situation of those two people in our camp! ”

"It's similar to you. With us the more than 9,000 river workers in the three counties, counting your 2,300 people, the total number is almost 6,000 people who are willing to follow us up the mountain. Ninety percent of them are young people under the age of 25, and they are all strong guys. The body is sturdy and tight. The situation is very good! Yang Zhi replied with a smile.

I saw that there were seventy percent of the river workers who wanted to go to Liangshan. Zhou Jin also felt a little emotion in his heart, but when he remembered that there were two other people, he subconsciously asked, "How is the situation on the side of Zhang Dujian and General Tang?" ”

"Zhang Dujian is in charge of four counties. There are 12,000 river workers under his command, and there are more than 8,000 people who are willing to throw themselves into the mountain, reaching six or seven, although Tang Bin is also 8,000 people, but he is the same as us, only in charge of three counties, and the proportion of people who throw into the mountain is the highest, reaching nine! Yang Zhi shook his head. It seems that he still has the advantage of contacting the river workers in advance, and the mobilization work can be done better.

Zhou Jin saw that he was a little unwilling and said: "Although the number of river workers mobilized by our battalion is the smallest, we have mobilized a lot of people!" In my county alone, more than 1,100 families were willing to go up the mountain on the first day, and this morning, more than 300 families came to vote. ”

"So stop you from the Rock Camp, I'm doing the right thing!" Yang Zhi nodded.

Seeing this, Zhou Jin waved his hand again and again, suddenly thought of something, and asked, "Brother, what do we want so many people to do on the mountain?" This old man, the little one, still expects them to fight? Although he had worked extremely hard to carry out this order of the cottage before, he was puzzled in his heart.

Seeing this, Yang Zhi nodded secretly, and his appreciation for Zhou Jin became stronger. Even if this person doesn't understand the meaning of the task, he still executes it very carefully, and for Yang Zhi, who lacks a right-hand man, such a person is simply rare.

"You will naturally know about this when you go back to the cottage, so don't ask around! Go back and hand over the carts, river workers, and people to the infantry army, and there will be nothing to do with us! By the way, it is the infantry battalion of the nine-patterned dragon Shi Jin that we have handed over, and we will take over the defense of the south gate this time, because their infantry army will return to the mountain early tomorrow morning, and we will rest in the city for one more day! Yang Zhi said.

"Shall we cover for them?" Zhou Jin asked.

Yang Zhi nodded and said, "All the Ma Army, including the Guards Battalion, are with us this time. If there is no change, Xiao Daguan will lead the four battalions of infantry to escort the people and horses, and the reinforcements of the cottage are also on the way, it is estimated that if it is faster, it should be able to meet in Bozhou! ”

Zhou Jin saw that he said, and said to himself: "I'm afraid that the chasing soldiers are all cavalry, why don't we call the queen of the infantry army?" It's just that at this time, I thought of a question, and asked: "Will the infantry and the people marching together affect the speed?" ”

"Isn't there still tens of thousands of horses, and all kinds of livestock carts are also relatively abundant, the old and weak women and children should be able to go to the ground without them, rest assured, they will have a way to step into the army!" Yang Zhi replied.

Zhou Jin nodded, and talked to Yang Zhi along the way. When he was about to arrive at the city gate, Zhou Jin took the initiative to ask Ying to stay here to take over the defense, Yang Zhi readily agreed, and took him up to the city tower and introduced him to Shi Jin and Chen Da, Chen Da heard that he was Suo Chao's apprentice, and said with a smile: "Long admiration, long admiration!" Suo Xianfeng said that you have a good amount of alcohol, and you must be taught another day! ”

Zhou Jin replied with a smile, and at this time, when Chen Da said this, he suddenly remembered something, and said: "You have a drinking friend who said that he can't go to Liangshan this time, so I'm here to say goodbye to you!" ”

Chen Da was stunned for a moment and said, "Which one?" ”

Zhou Jin stood on the city wall and looked down for a while, pointed to a middle-aged man who was talking to the guards, and said to Chen Da: "This is the person!" ”

Chen Da followed his gesture and couldn't help laughing: "It's really a fellow countryman, don't forget to say hello before parting!" ”

I wish you all a happy Dragon Boat Festival! All-you-can-eat zongzi! (To be continued......)