I traveled through time, starting with two acres of land and a dog

"They don't look like regular troops, they look more like killers or bandits, and they all have guns on their waists," said Peng Huiyu.

"Keep a low profile and don't cause trouble," said Du Chenyu.

Their team of dozens of people was divided into three teams, including men and women, as well as team members dressed up as old men and women. They moved forward slowly and were not so conspicuous.

In the evening, we arrived at this canyon city at the junction of Daba Mountain and Qinling Mountain. It is the first city at the source of Han River. Li Bai has a poem saying: "Qin opened the Shu Road and set up Jinniu, and the Han River originally connected the stars and flowed through the Han River. The emperor and his entourage left the holy road, and Jincheng has long been the emperor's state." Zhao Yun, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms, once stationed troops at Yangping Pass and Longshan. The ancient dangerous roads into Sichuan, such as "Jinniu Gorge, Wuding Pass, and the First Pass of Western Qin", still exist. Since Ningqiang's terrain belongs to the canyon river, there are many blue-tiled wooden houses on both sides of the Yudai River, and there are also many thatched houses on the periphery. The deeper you go into the town, the more blue-brick buildings of wealthy families are gradually increasing, and the streets are also paved with bluestone. There are people coming and going in various business and travel inns. Their base is on the side of Chengnan Avenue, with two wooden warehouses and a vacant land behind them to build several thatched houses. They decided to live in the small store outside for 10 people, and the others rested in the base.

Since the shopkeeper here was sent by Huang Kunyang, Peng Huiyu also knew him. During the handover, Du Chenyu did not show up and did not introduce his identity. He just rested in a clean thatched hut. Due to limited rooms, he, Sister Xiaowan, and several sisters shared a room. Dinner was cooked at the base. Du Chenyu did not go out at night, but others could go out for a walk in batches.

After dinner, Du Chenyu walked around the door. Looking at the gradually deserted streets, he felt a little uneasy. Du Chenyu shook his head, thinking that he was becoming more and more timid.

"Brother Peng, are you familiar with the owner of this base?" Du Chenyu returned to the room and asked Peng Huiyu.

"This shopkeeper is also a young man named Wang. I selected him from my team. He was injured in one arm in the last battle, so I sent him here to learn how to run a warehouse," said Peng Huiyu.

"It seems that he knows me too. Please ask him to come in so I can understand the situation. He had some myocardial damage at that time, so it is better to be careful," said Du Chenyu.

"I'm sure everyone in our squadron has seen you, Master Chenyu. We all respect you very much. They must be very happy to hear that you are here to see us," said Peng Huiyu.

"Report, Wang Caihua meets Mr. Chenyu." A young man in his twenties at the door saluted with his left hand, while his right hand dragged a little stiffly. He was wearing a sheepskin coat from northern Shaanxi and a turban on his head. At first glance, he looked like a man from northern Shaanxi.

"Brother Wang, come in and sit down," Du Chenyu waved.

"Master Chenyu is giving me a lecture, so I'd better stand and answer," Wang Caihua said a little awkwardly.

"Caihua, please sit down. Master Chenyu is not going to eat anyone, so just sit down when I tell you to," Peng Huiyu said, pushing him.

"Brother Wang, how long have you been here? You didn't go home for the New Year. You must be missing home," Du Chenyu asked casually as he sat awkwardly on a wooden bench.

"Reporting to Master Chenyu, I came here on the ninth day of September last year and started running a warehouse. The mountain was closed due to heavy snow in the winter, so I didn't go back. Since the beginning of spring, business has been good and I have no time to go back," he said while sitting upright.

"Has Ningqiang always been a place of business travelers?" Du Chenyu asked.

"The snow on the mountain has only been melting for about 20 days this year, and the roads have only been open for nearly 10 days. Therefore, all major businesses need to replenish goods and customer flow has increased. After this month, things will return to normal," Huang said.

"What about the public security?" Du Chenyu asked.

"There are a lot of bandits around here. According to local people, bandits came to the city to rob last spring. Later in April, the court continued to send troops to Sichuan, so this place became a supply station with garrisons guarding it. The public security has been okay this year, but it is said that most of the surrounding forts have been robbed by bandits. There is Wang Qingguo in the south and Ni Jiuhong in the Gannan area, nicknamed the Nine-Headed Chicken, who is extremely brutal," he replied.

"Are there still imperial troops stationed here now?" Du Chenyu asked.

"No, all the garrison troops entered Sichuan last month," he replied.

"How strong are we here?" Du Chenyu asked

"At present, I am secretly training 8 guards. Some of them are helping others with work, and some are secretly opening teahouses. There are also 5 guards in the warehouse with 5 guns. These guards are selected from the fleeing people. During the period when the mountains were closed due to heavy snow, I trained them for two months. Their overall quality is okay," Wang replied.

"Brother Wang, you are doing a great job. Keep it up. There are many bandits around here, and we need you to exert your strength to protect more people. If you have any needs, report directly to Captain Peng and Chief Huangbao," Du Chenyu said encouragingly.

"Yes, Master Chenyu, I promise to complete the task," Wang replied, standing up and saluted.

"You should immediately send a few guards to the city to find out if there is any abnormal situation. Come back and report in half an hour. And Brother Peng, you should gather the team and rest early at night to maintain your strength," Du Chenyu ordered.

An hour later, Huang came to report that there was no abnormality in the city and surrounding areas, and everything was normal. Overall, it seemed that he was overly concerned.

"Bang, bang, woof, woof," first there were sporadic gunshots, followed by the barking of dogs from a distance. Du Chenyu was also awakened by the sudden gunshots.

"Mr. Chenyu, I'm sorry to have woken you up." Sister Xiaowan had already gotten up and lit the lantern, and had returned from observing for a while.

"Sister Xiaowan, what's going on outside? What time is it now?" Du Chenyu asked.

"I don't know yet. I just woke up. It's 3:52 in the morning. I was awakened by two gunshots. I went to the door and saw that the sentry and guards were patrolling normally. The gunshots came from two or three miles to the south. Captain Peng has gone out to check the situation." Sister Xiaowan turned up the light and looked at her pocket watch.

The gunshots were becoming increasingly frequent, but were still far away.

"Report, Master Chenyu, fierce gun battles have broken out on both sides of the river three miles outside the south gate. Several thatched huts have been set on fire. It is very likely that the bandits have come down the mountain. We can also hear the neighing of horses. The details are being investigated," the guard on duty on the roof jumped down from the building and came in from outside to report.

"Don't panic, tell Lei Jianqin to lead everyone to take precautions immediately, occupy the commanding heights, establish a defensive guard belt, gather all personnel, female team members inside, male team members outside, and wait for orders", Du Chenyu thought for a while and began to arrange tasks. They were outside the South Gate, next to the avenue, there were many houses here, and not far away there was a Baohui Match Factory, which was Ningqiang's largest enterprise, and it was said to have been opened the year before last.

Five minutes later, the sound of gunfire was getting closer and clearer. There was a fire in the south and faint cries could be heard. Du Chenyu was already dressed and sat up. "Mr. Chenyu, you should move to the city. There will be a lot of refugees near the city wall. A security team will be set up and the city gate will be opened. You can go in with the guard team. The city will be safer," said Huang, the shopkeeper, after a quick look outside.

"Manager Huang, don't panic. You have also been through gunfire and rain of bullets, and you have also crawled out of a pile of dead bodies. I will not abandon my brothers and escape alone. The situation is unclear now. Distribute the stockpiled guns to the shop assistants and guards. We are now a nation of soldiers," Du Chenyu said affirmatively as he stood up.

"Master Chenyu..., it looks like the battle outside is very fierce. The bandits are rushing towards the South Gate from three directions. The security team will definitely be able to resist them." Shopkeeper Huang said anxiously.