Sweep Yuan

Chapter 78 Survival in Chaotic Times: Love and Profit

Southeast of Qingyang Station, outside Wudu Village.

A carriage was parked quietly by the roadside. The horse, unharnessed by its owner, was leisurely nibbling on a few withered alfalfa leaves on the edge of a field, occasionally snorting.

In the distance, at Hu's Slope Field, nine-year-old Hu Deqing lay on the ground, watching his father in the cellar lay thick paper on top of the grain in the grain jar, and then sprinkle a layer of lime on top.

“Father, the total amount of grain in the several cellars is only sixty shi (a unit of dry measure), why don’t we dig a big cellar?”

Hu Dahai had already put the lid on the last grain jar and climbed out of the cellar.

"If we dig a big cellar, and the thieves or government troops find it, then everything will be gone."

Although Hu Deqing was young, he had been exposed to the world from a young age and knew that the world was in turmoil. When war broke out, both officials and bandits would levy taxes and conscript men. His face immediately became serious.

"Sixty bushels of grain won't last long, so why don't we store more?"

Hu Dahai patted Sanlang on the shoulder and said solemnly:
"With the war just around the corner, hiding dozens of bushels of grain is only for emergencies. If a major war breaks out, the countryside will not be peaceful. The Hu family has more than a hundred members. Once they are involved in the war, hiding more grain will be useless."

It was getting late, so after saying that, Hu Dahai picked up a shovel and started filling the cellar with soil.

Hu Deqing also picked up a hoe and started pushing the soil, but he was still young and not big enough, and the hoe was heavy, so he couldn't push for more than a few times before his face turned red.

"Haha, alright. You take a break, load the baskets onto the cart, harness the horses, and I'll be home as soon as I'm done."

After Hu Dahai finished filling the cellar with soil, he loosened the soil around the cellar and looked at it from different angles to make sure that no one would easily discover anything amiss. Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard a series of rapid hoofbeats coming from the north.

The two cavalrymen, judging from their attire, seemed to be government troops who had passed by two days prior, but neither of them wore helmets or flags, and their movements appeared rather hurried.

Broken troops!

Sanlang was still in the carriage. Hu Dahai was anxious, so he picked up his hoe and ran towards the carriage.

The newcomers were the defeated soldiers from Qingyang Station. One of their horses had an arrow stuck in its rump and was bleeding profusely as it fled. The rider was worried that his horse was too badly injured to go far when he suddenly saw a carriage parked by the roadside and immediately headed straight for it.

Hu Deqing was quick-witted. Hearing the sound of horses' hooves approaching rapidly, he jumped off the carriage and rolled into the ditch beside the road.

Due to the limited view, Hu Dahai did not notice that Sanlang had already hidden himself, and still ran anxiously towards the carriage.

The man was over six feet tall, with a very large frame, and his speed was astonishing.

The fleeing soldiers were initially hesitant, but as they got closer, they saw that the man had a dark face, his coarse clothes were covered in mud, and he was carrying a hoe on his shoulder. It was a waste of his tall stature; he was a simple villager who didn't even know to avoid the chaotic soldiers.

"Your horse?"

"No, no. Sir, it belongs to my master."

Hu Dahai had an honest-looking face, and he bowed and scraped as he spoke, his eyes filled with a mixture of three parts flattery and seven parts fear, which further confirmed the fleeing soldiers' suspicions about his identity.

The injured horseman glanced at the hoe in Hu Dahai's hand, jumped off his horse, and said:
"Hehe, your boss is in luck. I'll trade this fine warhorse for his draft horse."

"Oh, this, how can this be?"

Seeing Hu Dahai's pained expression, the knight cursed:

“Farmers don’t know what’s good and what’s bad! In the old days, even ten draft horses wouldn’t be enough to exchange for this fine steed of ours.”

"Car, car—"

"Hahaha, you blockhead, I'm in a hurry to get going, what do I need your carriage for?"

After the knight finished laughing, he went to untie the harness.

His companion noticed that Hu Dahai's gaze lingered briefly on the basket in the car, and suspecting that there was valuables inside, he immediately raised his gun to pick it out, when suddenly he heard the sound of wind breaking behind him.

bang——

The knight who had just untied the harness watched in disbelief as his companion was knocked unconscious by a hoe. Before he could react, the hoe came hurtling toward his face like a meteor.

Bang!
Hu Dahai instantly dispatched two fleeing soldiers and immediately pounced on the carriage, rummaging through the baskets.

"Saburo!"

"Dad, I'm in the ditch, I'm fine."

...The western suburbs of Hong County.

The staff left behind at Chulan Station, who had endured many hardships, finally arrived, and Shishan personally went out of the city to welcome them.

"Third Brother!"

"Lao Wu!"

Li Wu looked older than his age due to his rough skin and dark complexion, but he was only eighteen years old. He had been under immense pressure these past few days, struggling to maintain the team. He dismounted from his horse a long way away and ran into his third brother's arms, his voice choked with emotion.

“Those damned bastards from Xiao County wanted to kill us all. If it weren’t for Brother Han, I wouldn’t even have seen Third Brother again.”

After Sun Xun met Li Wu, he immediately sent a messenger back to Hong County to report the Lingbi incident to Shi Shan. The messenger then continued to Lingbi to ask Xue Xian for the release of the detained elderly and weak.

Shi Shan patted Li Wu on the back and comforted him:
"If you're alright, then it's all alright! Alright, I'll handle Xue Xian's situation. The cavalry now numbers nearly two hundred men, so you'd better keep a close eye on them!"

"I, I'll listen to Third Brother!"

"it is good!"

Behind Li Wu, Chen Cheng, Han Cheng, and a fat Taoist priest at the front of the group also dismounted and were walking slowly towards them.

Shi Shan stepped forward and firmly grasped Chen Cheng's hand.

"Old Chen, a friend in need is a friend indeed. If you don't let me down, I will never let you down! Enough of this nonsense. The county's administration is complex and you need to get up to speed as soon as possible."

Chen Cheng rebelled under duress and was not well-liked by Shi Shan. He even considered giving up at one point, and when he woke up in the middle of the night, he berated himself for being weak, saying he didn't know how he had managed to persevere.

But now that I've received Shishan's promise, I feel that all my efforts were worthwhile, and I'm so excited that I can hardly express it.

"Qian Hu!"

Shi Shan patted Chen Cheng on the shoulder and nodded heavily before turning around to look at Han Cheng.

"Han Cheng has met with Commander Qianhu!"

Shi Shan pulled Han Cheng, who was about to perform a grand salute, and praised him:

"Brother Han truly trusts people!"

On that day, Han Cheng received his resettlement rations in Lingbi County. He traveled along the way, spreading the word about the benevolence and righteousness of the Red Robe Army, which attracted three people to follow him. More than a dozen others agreed to join the army together when he returned.

When Han Cheng returned to his village to settle his family, he recruited fellow villagers to re-enter Lingbi County, and his companions numbered nearly fifty.

Unlike Chen Cheng, who had already been granted an official position, Han Cheng's deeds of traveling hundreds of miles to recruit people to join the army were the best publicity. When he encountered Li Wu and others in distress along the way, he did not hesitate to ambush the Red Turban Army in Lingbi, which further proved his loyalty.

For both public and private reasons, one cannot help but appreciate the rocky hills.

"The Third Battalion is crippled and in dire need of rebuilding. Brother Han, would you be willing to accept the position of Commander of the Third Battalion?"

"Thank you for your kind words, Commander! From now on, I will be your servant!"

"Hahaha!"

Shi Shan's gaze finally landed on the fat Taoist priest next to Han Cheng.

This man, whose Taoist name was Pu Daoren, was originally the abbot of a temple in the mountains of Chuzhou.

As the world was in turmoil, the incense offerings at the temple gradually dwindled, so Master Pu closed the temple and wandered around. He met Han Cheng and others, and, having developed a fondness for Shi Shan, a hero of the Red Robe Army, asked him to introduce him to someone.

When passing through Lingbi County, Pu Daoren believed that Han Cheng and his group were making too much noise and would be easily harassed by the local militia. He suggested taking a detour. The plan to ambush the pursuing troops in Lingbi was also devised by him.

Shishan only knows this much about Pu Daoren, so it is not appropriate to rashly grant him a real position. However, he came to join him because of his reputation and has made contributions. Li Wu and the other two should all be given positions, so we cannot favor one over the other.

"A great battle is about to begin, and the army is in dire need of strategists. Would you be willing to advise me on military matters?"

Master Pu flicked his whisk and readily replied:

"Then this humble Taoist priest shall accept it without hesitation!"

(End of this chapter)