It was 10 February.

The laborers of Xinxiang had already packed their own packages and were waiting on the field as soon as it was dawn.

Inside, Zhao Sanlao was making the final instructions to Deng.

At this time, Deng Dang was dressed in a short beat, and he listened to Zhao Sanlao while stepping on straw sandals:

"I shouldn't let you go this time, you're going to get married to Lu Shibi, what are you doing with this?"

Deng Dang carefully tied the rope on the sackcloth and said with a smile:

"Isn't that reassuring? It's not that Brother Qian and Lao Gao's temper don't know, maybe they will cause some trouble on the road. I'll go, and you can rest assured. ”

Zhao Sanlao sighed, knowing that Deng Dang was thinking about the robes in the township, so he no longer persuaded him.

He asked:

"Why don't you want a big car this time? There are big carts on the road, and you can save some effort on your back. ”

Deng Dang didn't care:

"There is only a big car in the township, and there are many things to do on weekdays. This time, we went out eighty-two people at a time, and the manpower in the township was not enough, so if we took the cart away, what should we do with spring ploughing. ”

Seeing that Zhao Sanlao was about to say, Deng Dang stopped with a smile:

"Third Elder, don't worry. This trip to labor is to go to Pingyu, and at most two months will be back. When the time comes, I want you to marry me." ”

Zhao Sanlao also laughed when he heard this.

The two talked about the arrangements on the road again.

After they set off in a while, they will be able to arrive in Fupi County by about noon, and when the time comes, they will set off after handing over the military rations.

There is no official road directly to Pingyu in the remote area of Fupi, so you must first go west along the Huaishui, pass through the original Lu County and then expire Si County, where there is a water, and then you can reach Pingyu as long as you follow the official road of Pingyu.

It can also be seen from here that the roads of this world are almost always laid out in the direction of the river. The reason for this is the convenience of water on the road.

But since Deng Dang and they are along the Huaishui River and along the Lishui River, why don't they just take a boat? Isn't it more comfortable to take a boat than to walk?

But alas, there were no "rich" ships in Fupi for Deng to use. The ruler paperwork given to them was to let them walk.

Seeing that the sky was about to dawn, Deng Dang didn't say anything more to Zhao Sanlao, so he went out of the hall and prepared to set off with the laborers outside.

At this time, these laborers outside were not dressed the same as Deng Dang.

Most of them were shirtless, with a pair of stilts and several bundles of hemp rope in their hands, as well as some dry food prepared for them at home.

Deng Dang, as their leader, wore a short coat because he had to deal with the officials of the government along the way, otherwise he would always be ridiculed by others.

Then everyone walked towards the county seat in the north under the worried eyes of their families, stepping on the first rays of sunshine.

The eighty-two Ding present were all from the army, and they may have different martial arts, but they all have a pair of iron feet. The weather was also good today, neither hot nor cold, so everyone arrived in Fupi City earlier than expected.

At this time, the south gate of Fupi City had been opened, and a constant stream of merchants was passing through the city and beyond.

Fupi is not a small place, but it is located on the Huaishui, and the goods from the Central Plains to Xuzhou, especially Guangling, must pass through here.

So just looking at the appearance of this loud voice, it is not inferior to other big counties in the county.

Many of the people in the new countryside are entering Fupi City for the first time, and they are a little cautious in their eyes.

And Deng Dang was also worried about some accidents, even if he came early, he still took everyone to the county warehouse in the southeast of the city first.

When I arrived here, there were already a lot of people, and from time to time I could see richly dressed people, but they looked like servants coming and going. They kept instructing people to put bags of rice on the cart outside the warehouse.

Judging by the deep ruts, the cargo on these cars is not light.

Deng Dang also watched curiously as these people were busy, while the others were also squatting on the wall and drinking water.

But the appearance of such a group of people here naturally attracted the attention of the county officials.

On a small tall building, a slave was chatting with a black official, gesturing from time to time to Deng Dang and the others who were waiting below.

The little official nodded, and after sending the slave away, he hurriedly went downstairs and walked in front of Deng Dang.

Seeing that Deng Dang was dressed as a leader, the little official said:

"Are you a member of the service in Xinxiang?"

Deng Dang saw that it was the warehouse official who came, and hurriedly led everyone to get up.

He bent down and nodded to the little official:

"Yes, Chen Shuzuo from the county asked us to come to this warehouse."

The little official didn't say much to Dundown, so he let them come in.

When Deng Dang's leaders came in, they saw that more than 100 meters had fallen into the warehouse, and there were 20 carts parked outside, each of which had a driver.

Just when Deng Dang was puzzled, the little official said:

"It's also your luck, this time it happens that there are nobles in the county who have cars to go to the county, and you can transport a little more at that time."

Deng Dang was overjoyed, and he was very busy.

But when the little officer had said this, he turned and walked away.

At this time, a well-dressed slave came over, who was the one who had just been talking to the barnkeeper upstairs.

He walked over and clenched his fist at Deng Dang:

"In the next week, I will be the captain of the team this time, and we will help each other along the way."

Deng Dang was flattered when he heard this, and he didn't dare to say anything.

But don't look at Deng Dang's expression, but in fact, he is already muttering in his heart:

"Which noble family will be kind enough to help us bring the goods? There's really an empty car, why don't you bring something with you? When the time comes, when you sell it in the county, isn't it money? ”

But in fact, Deng Dang suspected that he was wrong.

In fact, these 20 carts are from the county at all. This Fupi County Order is also sympathetic to the people's feelings, knowing that spring ploughing is about to recruit people to serve, it is already embarrassing, not to mention that they have to walk to the county.

This county commander once traveled to Hanoi when he was young, and he saw with his own eyes how the Hanoi conscripts worked hard to transfer military funds to Taiyuan.

Therefore, this Fupi County Order specially dispatched a batch of large vehicles for this recruitment. Originally, there were 50 carts, each of which could carry 12 stones, and that one trip could transfer 600 stones. In addition, the levymen themselves carried almost 100 stones, and that time could be transferred to 700 stones.

But unfortunately, when this batch of big cars really arrived below, there were only twenty cars left, and the rest were taken away by the county's heroes for other purposes.

It's just that in the end, I didn't dare to eat too ugly, so I kept the twenty cars and bargained.

Deng Dang didn't know about these, but this didn't prevent him from being vigilant in his heart.

He felt that this trip to labor was not easy.

Soon, the villagers left all the rice in the warehouse on the cart. This rice tatsuri weighed three stones, and a total of eighty bags of rice tata fell on the cart.

Then the villagers, each of whom carried a stone, tied it firmly on their backs with hemp rope and carried it for transportation. One stone of brown rice weighs sixty pounds.

This weight weighed down the waist of these new villagers.

Poor, these people don't have to carry their own carry.

Deng Dang had already taken off his short clothes and carried a stone. This stone of rice fell on Deng Dang's back, as if it had no weight, and he didn't bend his waist.

He walked to Zhou Zhi on the side of the cart and said respectfully:

"We're all ready, I don't know when Brother Zhou will be able to leave."

This Zhou Zhi is also a ranger-like character, and he is also a little famous among Jianghuai. When he saw Deng Dang carrying a stone of rice on his back, his face was not red and he was not panting, and he couldn't help but admire:

"He's a good man, I don't know what to call it."

Deng Dang was ashamed and said:

"Countrymen, too, have a lot of strength. My name is Deng Dang, if Brother Zhou doesn't dislike it, just call me Adam. ”

Zhou Zhiben didn't care much about this, but now that he saw that Deng Dang was martial arts, he had the idea of making friends.

He said heartily:

"Okay, now that you're ready, let's go."

So, in the sparkling wheels, Deng Dang and the others passed through the west gate of Fupi and went south along a dirt road, preparing to go to the Huaishui Road in the south.

At this time, Deng Dang did not know what was waiting for them.

……

February 12th.

Deng Dang and his entourage, and twenty carts walked on the official road on the north bank of Huaishui.

Since leaving Fupi County, Deng Dang and others have been doing it all the way. When you are tired, you grit your teeth, and when you are thirsty, you drink a sip of bamboo tube water hanging around your neck.

The Xinxiang people were like a group of ants, carrying military rations, sweating and raining.

But fortunately, they walked to the official road on the north bank of Huaishui.

Compared to the dirt road I walked before, the road is really much easier to walk now. Coupled with the river breeze blowing on the Huai River at this time, it is refreshing and refreshing, which makes people feel a lot more happy.

At this time, Zhou Zhi sat in front of the car, looking at the boats and boats on the Huaishui River that sailed south, and was stunned.

Next to the car, Deng Dang was still carrying Mi Yu on his back, and he saw Zhou Zhi in a daze, so he asked:

"Brother Zhou, what are you thinking?"

In the past two days, the relationship between Deng Dang and Zhou Zhi has improved a lot. He also learned from Zhou Zhi that there were originally fifty carts.

Deng Dang did not complain about this, because this was the case in the army.

He's used to it.

It's just that Deng Dang has a good impression of Zhou Zhi, who told him the inside story.

At this time, after listening to Deng Dang's words, Zhou Zhi woke up from his trance and said with a smile:

"Actually, I didn't think about anything, I just felt a little like a world away. My family is rich, but I am young and poor, and my family can't support me, so I followed my second uncle who was wandering the rivers and seas outside. Then for seven or eight years, he was fighting on this Huaishui. As soon as I saw that fleet, I thought about my past. ”

Deng Dang flattered:

"Brother Zhou was also a hero in the Jianghuai back then."

Zhou Zhi shook his head:

"Back then, it was always mixed, and there was no way out. None of my rangers were over thirty. My second uncle was already the oldest, but he was also hacked to death in Huaishui a few years after I followed him. It's better now, with a house and a wife, and a backer. You see, I'm not going to be thirty this year? Can a ranger have this creation? ”

Deng Dang nodded, knowing that Zhou Zhi was talking Chi Chen.

He knew that Zhou Zhi had made a trilogy for people, and he should be a first-class general. It's just a pity that Zhou Zhi has never said who the master behind him is.

Otherwise, maybe it is an opportunity to shelter the restored households in Xinxiang?

When Deng Dang was pondering, Zhou Zhi next to him also had thoughts.

He glanced back at the new villagers who were carrying military rations and were silent, and sighed in his heart:

"What a good bunch of soldiers."

In the past two days, he also found out the details from these people, and knew that this was a group of veterans who had pacified the Yellow Turban Army, and it was said that they were still the soldiers of Wang Assassin Shi back then.

The reason why it is said is because Zhou Zhi doesn't believe it. After all, since the reform of the imperial court, the position of authority of this assassin has become more and more like a state pastor. With such a big man as a backer, will he still be conscripted for hard labor?

However, this did not prevent Zhou Zhi from thinking about these people. These people are all veterans, and as long as they are armed, they are a strong army. Moreover, there are a total of 500 such soldiers in Xinxiang.

This can't help but make Zhou Zhi's eyes greedy.

Because of his noble family, his master often exchanged letters with relatives and friends from all over the world. Zhou Zhi often listened to his master lament that troubled times were coming, and the country was no longer a country.

Zhou Zhi doesn't know why the world is in chaos, isn't this Runan good? Could it be those yellow turban thieves? These people have been exterminated for two years, and it is said that only a small number of them have farmed in Gepi.

But just those people can mess up the world.

However, there must be a reason for his master to say this, and he must not understand it. But Zhou Zhi understands a truth:

"Troubled times are coming, and the knife in this hand is the most important."

Therefore, he wanted to absorb this batch of households for his master, and see if there was a chance to recruit them into the ministry.

Just as Zhou Zhi was about to reveal this meaning, he suddenly saw three single sailboats coming over on the Huai River.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhi's brows furrowed.

……

At this time, on the Huai River, in the middle of the three single sailboats.

More than two dozen evil teenagers were surrounding a British Wuzi wearing leather armor and wearing a red flag, looking at the official road on the shore viciously.

There, a convoy of twenty carts was moving slowly.

One of the evil boys asked Na Ying Wuzi:

"Li Kui, this is what we want to rob?"

Na Ying Wuzi didn't speak, and a person next to him scolded:

"I don't know how to read, didn't you see the flag hanging on the convoy? Also, we're not robbing them this time, we're going to kill them all. Got it? ”

The evil boy who was scolded was a little aggrieved because he really didn't know how to read.

Even if the flag on the team was written "lose", he couldn't tell that it was different from the others.

After the wicked boy was scolded, the atmosphere on the deck was a little low.

One of them wanted to be active, so he started a topic. He asked Yingwuzi:

"Li Kui, you haven't talked to the brothers about it before you went to Kyoto? What about Kyoto? Are women white? ”

At this time, this heroic man began:

"White, not only women are white, men are also white, and they are fragrant."

This sentence made the wicked young men ashamed of themselves, they looked at each other's dark skin, and then warmed the fishy smell on the deck, and they could not imagine what it was like to be white and fragrant.

But Ying Wuzi's following words shattered the illusions of the evil boys about distant Kyoto:

"But I don't want to go to Kyoto again in my life. It doesn't belong to me, only this water is our root. When people are gone, death is not far away. ”

The wicked boys didn't know why their boss said such a thing. In short, since he returned from Kyoto, he has been training the brothers and always saying things they don't understand.

But none of this matters, anyway, Kui is back, and we can be happy in Huaishui again.

So, the three ships quickly docked.

After that, Li Tong jumped off the deck first, and only said one sentence:

"Kill them all."

……

Republic 3, February. The world is in turmoil, Huaibei thieves rise, each leads the strongmen, and plunders a large number of people. For a while, Jianghuai's tribute was blocked. - "The Legend of Runan Heroes"

(End of chapter)