knife

Chapter 60 Gathering
Tu Jiaojiao leaned against the door frame, watching her husband Ding Ergou chopping firewood in the yard, sweating profusely. Her one-year-old son, oblivious to the cold, played carefree on the snow, unaware of the sorrow in his mother's heart.

Ding Ergou had just turned eighteen, while Tu Jiaojiao was a year younger than him.

But the couple already has a son who is almost two years old.

Both of them went to Helan Plain three years ago.

When the Northern Yuan invaded, they swept across the border with impunity. The Tu and Ding families were destroyed in the disaster. The two survivors became prisoners of the Northern Yuan and were later taken to Helan Plain by Xia Zhi.

Ten days after Uehara, two people who were originally strangers were forcibly brought together.

The reason was simply that the two of them drew the same number in a lottery.

Two naive teenagers thus formed a family.

Fifteen-year-old Ding Ergou and fourteen-year-old Tu Jiaojiao began their life on the plain.

"Can we not go?" After a long while, Tu Jiaojiao finally spoke.

The tragedy three years ago left a deep shadow on him, and the battle in which they were finally rescued still makes her tremble with fear whenever she thinks about it.

Warhorses roared in, and gleaming blades and sharp arrows tore apart the bodies of the Northern Yuan people before them, blood splattering and staining her dress red.

That was her most direct understanding of war.

Life is as insignificant as grass.

Some refugees became victims in the conflict between the two sides, but she was one of the lucky ones.

Being able to live to be in Shangyuan, to form a family with Ding Ergou, an honest and kind man who loves women, and now having a son, Tu Jiaojiao is truly content.

She didn't want her husband to go through what happened three years ago.

Ding Ergou cleaved a piece of firewood, as thick as a thigh, in two with a single axe stroke, the cut extremely clean. Hearing his wife's words, he turned around, planted the axe on the ground, and laughed, "This is a military order, how can I not go?"

“This time it was clearly a voluntary application process, and then selection was made from the applicants. If you hadn’t applied, of course you wouldn’t have been chosen!” Tu Jiaojiao said, “Don’t lie to me. You know I can read a few words. There are official notices posted at the entrance of the village.”

Ding Ergou chuckled: "Jiaojiao, I let it go before when you wouldn't let me go, but this time, you have to listen to me. Look at Huang Dafu and his wife at the east end of the village. They used to live a life far worse than us, but after just one trip down the mountain, they came back wearing new clothes and gold jewelry."

"It's okay to be poor, our family isn't starving!" Tu Jiaojiao said firmly, "As long as our family is together, I'm very happy."

Ding Ergou shook his head: "Jiaojiao, although you didn't tell me, I know that before you went to Shangyuan, your family must have been very well-off. You must have been a young lady from a wealthy family. Your skin is so fair, your hands are so soft, you don't even have calluses, and you can even read. You must not have come from a poor family like ours. You came with me because you had no other choice! No matter what, I have to make sure you live a good life and not have to work in the fields with me!"

Tu Jiaojiao's tears fell instantly as she stared blankly at Ding Ergou.

"Don't be afraid, the instructor teaches us martial arts! Many people can't master it, but I'm different. I'm already a martial artist! The instructor told me I've reached the rank of a rank, joined the army, and can be a squad leader, leading five men!" Ding Ergou grinned, stretching out his bare arm, his bulging, muscular body particularly eye-catching. "The instructor also said that the technique we practice is suitable for the battlefield and can withstand combat, so the training will be exceptionally fast. The instructor also said that at my age, there's unlimited potential. Maybe I can climb a few more ranks. As long as I can cultivate to the Qi Control level, our family in the plains will be rich, at least we can become the village chief."

Tu Jiaojiao looked at the determined Ding Ergou, wiped her eyes and went inside. After a while, she took out a few strings of coins from the house and said, "Since you're going, go to the workshop in town and buy all the tools mentioned in the notice. If you don't have enough money, buy them on credit first, and I'll pay you back slowly!"

Putting down his axe, Ding Ergou's face lit up with a joyful smile: "Don't worry, I'll definitely bring back lots and lots of money. The instructor said that all the spoils from this trip down the mountain will be ours, and if we win the battle, there will be many rewards!"

Ten people form a group, a hundred people form a team, three hundred people form a regiment, and one thousand two hundred people form a prefecture.

According to Helan, a team was equivalent to a village. When organizing the teams, they tried to group people from the same village or those who knew each other together, so that they could maximize their combat effectiveness during battle.

The saying "brothers fight together, fathers and sons go to war together" still holds great truth.

Because of their highly skilled and thorough training, military mobilization on the Helan Plain was extremely rapid.

On the third day after Li Dachui returned to the plain, the first batch of 1,200 people had assembled and left Helan Plain under the leadership of their commander.

Each soldier was equipped with a set of leather armor, a broadsword, a crossbow, thirty arrows, a spear, a short shovel, a mess kit, a canteen, and thirty days' worth of rations. In addition, each squad had twenty horses, or donkeys and mules if horses were unavailable, to carry tents and other supplies. All of these had to be provided by the soldiers themselves.

These items were sold in the workshops operated by the official government on Helan Plain. Each workshop was divided into different categories and operated its own stall. All weapons had strict standards and regulations. Soldiers who bought weapons that did not meet the quality requirements could file a complaint. If the complaint was verified, the manager of that workshop would be in serious trouble.

Ding Ergou was among the first batch of soldiers to go down to the plains.

As a martial artist who had just entered the Solidification stage, he became the Fire Chief as he wished, just like Huang Dafu from the same village. However, Huang Dafu was a veteran who had come down the mountain for the second time, while he was still a novice.

A village has ten gangs. Regardless of any past conflicts or disagreements within the village, once they are formed into an army, they must unite as a whole. This was something the regimental commander repeatedly emphasized when he convened the first meeting of these gang leaders after the army was formed.

"Once the army is formed, military law will be enforced." The regimental commander, who was also the village chief of their village, Zhou Wu, warned them with a stern face: "During the march, someone will specifically read out the military law to you. You'd better memorize it one by one, so that when you break the military law and I cut off your heads, you won't feel wronged."

Ding Ergou had always thought that the village chief Zhou Wu was a kind and approachable person, and he was very patient when teaching him martial arts. But now, looking at that murderous face, Ding Ergou felt that he almost didn't recognize him anymore.

On the second day after the assembly, Ding Ergou discovered that military law was not just a bluff, because the Second Regiment really did kill people.

One of the soldiers, for reasons unknown, made a ruckus in the night. His regimental commander dragged him to the flagpole and beheaded him with a single blow.

For the first time, Ding Ergou felt the difference between soldiers and civilians.

This brother probably joined the army with the same dream as me: to get promoted, make money, and live a good life. But before he could do anything, he lost his head.

Li Dachui stood on one side of the gate tower, watching the first batch of troops from Xiayuan walk past him in an endless stream.

He was very satisfied with the morale and spirit of the troops.
This is also what he has been trying to cultivate in these people a desire for war over the years.

The wolf went down to the plains a few days ago, and he will be the one to start this war.

Luring the enemy is not an easy task. If it is not done well, the best consequence is that the enemy will not fall for it, and the worst consequence is that the enemy will swallow the bait whole.

As the third largest power outside the pass, Yan Sheng has also been tempered and tested, so it is not easy to fool him.

The wolf has been preparing for this day for several years.

Every year, they have been going against the Yan family, which has already pushed the Yan family's anger to its limit. This time, the Yan family is facing a critical choice, and the Wild Wolf has come to provoke them again. If the Yan family cannot demonstrate their strength, they will inevitably be looked down upon and lose some bargaining power.

This is also the fundamental reason why Li Dachui is taking action at this critical juncture.

It's really not easy to get this cunning old fox to take the bait.

“Young Master, the fire chief of each squad is at least at the Solidification stage, and the commander of each regiment is at least at the Qi Control stage.” Standing beside Li Dachui, Xia Zhi’s face was full of pride: “After three years of relentless training, this army will definitely not lose to any of the strong armies in the world.”

"We still need to be tempered by war!" Li Dachui said. "The test of blood and fire is the only way to become a strong army. Xiao Changche's three thousand iron cavalry have been through countless battles. Compared with him, we are still far behind!"

“The Earth Battalion is no worse than them!” Xia Zhi said indignantly.

“But now your Earth Battalion only has a hundred men left, and the rest have been scattered among the three thousand troops!” Li Dachui glanced back at the hundred or so men behind him and said, “The true mark of strength is whether you can still command the three hundred men as easily as before.”

"Where the military flag points, victory is assured! Just wait and see, my lord!"

"Good, that's a good start!" Li Dachui looked at Xia Zhi with satisfaction. After that incident, Xia Zhi seemed like a different person, which made him quite happy. When asked how Gu Xiaoman helped Xia Zhi open up, Gu Xiaoman smiled but didn't answer, while Fang Xiaomao changed the subject.

If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. As long as Xia Zhi can focus on her work and stop overthinking, that's fine.

When the second batch of 1,200 people went down to Helan Plain, Li Dachui followed them down and then disappeared without a trace.

Xia Zhi led more than 3,000 people to carefully advance through the vast marshland, slowly approaching their target, while Fang Xiaomao returned to Tai'an City. The 300 Tianzi Camp members were once again assembled and disappeared into the vast snowfield.

(End of this chapter)