However, it was said that one of the prisoners was named Yu Wenchu, who committed the crime of killing an official. Chong Xiang said to the hammer: "This Yuwen Chu is strong in martial arts, chivalrous and righteous, but unfortunately he was angry for a while, and he was upset for his friends, and he beat the county order to death by mistake, and was sentenced to death. ”

Iron Hammer said: "Since I am a good man, I would like to see it." "He took the hammer to death row. I saw that Yu Wenchu was eight feet tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a full beard, like a black needle, thorned down the roots. Yu Wenchu was pacing in the prison, and when he saw Chong Xiang and a white-faced scholar with a height of seven feet and five inches coming to see him, he rolled his eyes and remained silent.

The hammer arched his hand and said, "The strong man is invited?" Yuwen Chu arched his hand: "Sir, please?" So Iron Hammer reported his name, and told him about recruiting volunteers to go to the Western Regions to support Ban Chao, and asked Yu Wenchu's opinion. Yuwen Chu was very admired when he saw that the famous iron hammer was opposite, and he heard that he was going to the Western Regions to support Ban Chao, and he had been fond of Ban Chao for a long time, and expressed his willingness to go. I thought I was on death row, and I didn't know if I could go. said: "I am a death row prisoner, I wonder if the adults dare to let me go?" ”

Iron hammer and kind of Xiang see Yuwen Chu is bold, and he is really a good man. Iron Hammer knew that leading an expedition to the Western Regions would be difficult step by step, and he would very much need strong and brave men to charge into battle. As soon as I saw Yu Wenchu today, I felt like a hero, and after listening to Yu Wenchu's question, I blurted out: "What a strong man, what a hero!" He turned his face to Chongxiang and said: "This expedition to the Western Regions is indispensable for bloody battles and evil battles, and the iron strong man is the one who can be used, and I also ask my lord to give him special permission to get out of the cage and make contributions to the country." ”

Xiang Su knew that Yu Wenchu was a good man, and when he heard the words of the two of them, he tightened his eyebrows, and a variety of thoughts flashed. According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, death row prisoners were not allowed to join the army, and if he was released, once known to the imperial court, he might be reprimanded and even dismissed. If you don't take the opportunity to let him join the army, it will be a pity for a good man. Seeing that Chongxiang's face changed for a while, Iron Hammer knew that he was worried, so he arched his hand and said: "Master Chong, I will go to the Western Regions to die for a lifetime, and hand over the iron strong man to me, one can serve the country, and the other is to see his luck." If there is an accident, I will guarantee the head of the item! ”

Seeing this, Chong Xiang sighed and said: "Mr. Xu is not going to have a good life, but he will go to the border of the Western Regions to serve the country, and in order to help you succeed, I will also take some risks!" He said loudly to Yuwen Chu: "Those who serve in the army do not participate in the table according to the law. Mr. Xu vouched for his life, and I also vouched for my official position, letting you out, knowing that you are a loyal and righteous person, and he will be able to serve the country one day. Don't let me down! Yuwen Chu saw the hammer and was not afraid of risks, believed in himself, and was very moved, and after joining the army, he made great contributions in the Western Regions.

Taiwei Deng Biao saw that the Iron Hammer people had been recruited, and talked to Iron Hammer several times, feeling that Iron Hammer was heroic and profound. is indeed a talent, so he played Emperor Mingzhang. Emperor Zhang immediately ordered the hammer to be the great Sima, and Gong was the vice, and led a thousand strong men to the west to support Ban Chao.

Iron Hammer and He Gong led a thousand strong men to quickly leave Beijing in accordance with the order, and marched more than 100 miles every day before stopping to rest. Although these thousand men were young and powerful, they were not disciplined and not good at marching. After three days, the legs of the straight walk were crooked, but the hammer took the lead and gave up his mount to the wounded. Although everyone suffered, seeing that Iron Hammer and Gong were the same as everyone, they had to grit their teeth and persevere. A few days later, Hammer led his troops to Tianshui. This Tianshui is the famous county of Ganlong, the climate is pleasant, the products are abundant, and the locals say: "Gold Zhangye, silver is mighty, gold and silver are not exchanged for Tianshui." "The mountains here are not high and verdant, the water is not deep and clear, Tianshui County is surrounded by mountains, and there is a withered flow. Withering is crystal clear. Seeing that this place was more than a thousand miles away from Luoyang, and that there was an air force battalion left behind during the clamor of the local area, he ordered to stop and rest.

Iron Hammer summoned He Gong, Murong Hao, Ding Jiaju and Yu Wenchu to come to the meeting. Murong Hao sat down and said, "Master Sima, you led us to drive thousands of miles, and I was tired to death." Iron Hammer said: "Our new strong men are not trained, and they are close to home, and if we delay, something will definitely happen." So we travel 100 miles a day, and now we are thousands of miles away from Beijing, and you can't have two hearts. I see that this place is rich, and if I want to rest for a few days, I will train the formation of strong men under my leadership, and when I go out of Hexi, I may encounter the enemy at any time, so I must be prepared here. Brother Hegong, you have trained soldiers with Ban Chao in Shanshan and Khotan, and you are responsible for the training of soldiers. Murong Hao, you go to the counties and markets to purchase horses, the Western Desert, the cavalry is mobile, and the combat effectiveness is strong, and by the way, you can purchase a few camels in order to carry heavy grain, grass and water. Ding Jiaju, Yu Wenchu, we practice with the soldiers. "When everyone saw that the hammer used people to obtain the law, they were all willing to do it.

The next day, in the training ground in the battalion, Iron Hammer summoned everyone to train, strictly enforced military discipline, and He Gong presided over the training. He Gong divided the three into a group, set up a team leader, eleven people divided into a class, the class set up a squad leader, ten classes were divided into a team, the team set up a deputy captain, in addition to the gang service personnel, and Gong divided everyone into eight teams, and divided the four teams into a large team, so that Ding Jiaju and Yu Wenchu were respectively captains, and another 50 people were selected as the battalion guards led by He Gong. The team is formed and the basic knife skills, marksmanship and shield skills are practiced. After five to six hours of practice a day, the troops were deeply tired, but they were very strict in enforcing the law, and each squad drew a non-commissioned officer to take turns to serve as a law enforcement officer, holding a horsewhip in his hand. Seeing that everyone was tired and complaining, He Gong summoned all the soldiers and said: "We will sacrifice our lives for the country, and we will soon reach the front line. General Ban Chao's soldiers have always been as quiet as a virgin, moving like a rabbit, attacking the enemy army once galloped more than 300 miles a day, so they were able to take one as ten, invincible. Therefore, you must practice hard in order to be able to make great achievements in the Western Regions. The army listened to the reason, and the hammer took the lead in chanting, practicing their skills hard! Kill the enemy and serve the country! The roar of the armies shook the sky.

Murong Hao also purchased more than 800 war horses one after another, and the horses he brought with him were enough for one person to ride. War drums and flags were purchased one after another, and everyone bought a new set of clothes. Seeing this, Ding Jiaju smiled and said to Murong Hao: "The big shopkeeper has equipped us with a new equipment, and the silver we brought is almost gone, right?" Murong Hao said with a smile: "Don't worry, out of Hexi, the Han coins are useless, I don't spend the coins, it's too late to throw them out of Hexi, I buy all the surplus money to buy silk, this thing is light and easy to bring, barter in the Western Regions, I have him, keep it and make a lot of money, so that you don't have to worry about military supplies." After hearing this, Iron Hammer said: "Brother and you really have you, I see that you will leave a few more people here to set up a military station, and transport the silk and porcelain of the Central Plains here, so that they can be transferred out, and make profits to supplement military supplies back and forth. He Gong said: "This plan is wonderful! General Ban Chao is in the Western Regions to reclaim the border, and Xu Sima is doing business to meet military needs, which is really absolute in the world. Iron Hammer said: "The military accounts must be clear, except for the military station, no one else is allowed to do business, and those who violate the order will be beheaded." "Everyone knows that all the armies will follow the old path of Chen Mu when doing business, so they obey the order in unison. Iron Hammer has been training soldiers in Tianshui for more than a month. Seeing that the soldiers were well-trained and the army was in order, he summoned all the generals and said: "After a month of hard training, we have completed the transformation from a civilian to a soldier. Tomorrow, the troops will go straight to the Western Regions, and please lead the way in front of the army with the general. "And respectfully obey the order.