The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

This person obviously thinks more clearly.

The weapon in his hand is also the best among this group of people. In addition to the long sword, he also has a long whip rolled with iron wire on his waist, which is a special weapon.

Zou Ping was not paying attention and was whipped on the back. He immediately covered his chest and vomited blood.

"Sir!" The nearby soldiers called out hurriedly when they saw him.

After receiving clear instructions, these people stopped fighting and ran towards the city while fighting.

Even though Zouping was injured, he still insisted on leading his men to resist, fighting and retreating.

Retreat from the second floor of the tower to the city gate.

Liu Sanlang saw Zou Ping holding his chest and covered in blood, obviously suffering from internal injuries, but he still insisted on fighting with several leaders of the chaotic army, and was obviously no match for them.

I couldn't help feeling anxious.

Without thinking, he took the bow and arrow from his back and shot three arrows in succession.

It just passed through the leader's neck.

After a moment, the man reacted, staring at Yaoyao's bleeding throat with wide eyes in disbelief, and then fell to the ground.

His eyes were full of resentment!

When the others saw this, they looked at Liu Sanlang with great taboo, and did not bother to argue with him, let alone care about the leader who fell to the ground.

Just try your best to go towards the county government office.

Their primary goal was food.

Of course, it would be best if we could recapture and take over the county town!

With Liu Sanlang's help, Zouping was able to catch his breath.

After Liu Sanlang shot a few arrows in succession, it seemed as if his Ren and Du meridians were opened.

Arrows whizzed out, specifically targeting the group of people leading the group. As the military book said, to catch a thief, you must first catch the leader!

Twenty arrows were shot, and every one of them hit its target.

The expressions of the soldiers guarding the city changed when they saw this!

The rebel army was filled with hatred, because Liu Sanlang was a complete killer on the battlefield, and the kind that they couldn't get around even if they wanted to.

Since there is no way around it, I have no choice but to go up.

In an instant, many people rushed towards Liu Sanlang with knives in hand.

Liu Sanlang didn't have time to pay attention to what others were thinking. He only knew that as long as the person in front of him was an enemy, he would just pick up his knife and chop him.

Kill one with one knife, much easier than killing pigs.

The big knife was about to leave an afterimage.

Others at the city gate also took the opportunity to cooperate.

The situation on the battlefield changed in an instant, and Liu Sanlang's side clearly had the upper hand.

Zou Ping felt relieved after seeing this. He made arrangements in one breath, "Jia Hu, Geng Zhi, you two take your men to the county government office and chase after those who have escaped. Quick!"

"Yes, sir!" Jia Hu and Geng Zhi took the order and quickly led their men away.

……

The battle lasted until dawn. Seeing that they could not gain any advantage, the rebel army could only retreat unwillingly. Saving their lives was the most important thing!

There were dead bodies scattered around the city gate, and many wounded soldiers were lying on the ground groaning.

Zouping had already fainted due to excessive blood loss and was now being carried to the military doctor's office.

Liu Sanlang was covered in blood. He sat exhaustedly against the city wall, leaning on his long sword, breathing heavily with a blank look in his eyes.

Today was the day he killed the most people in his life. He didn't feel it when he was killing people, but now he feels the numbness in his hands.

"Sir Liu, you are so amazing, a sharpshooter, and a role model for us!" a soldier said excitedly with admiration in his eyes.

"That's right, that's right, his archery skills are even better than Lord You's," the others nodded in agreement.

The military camp is a place where strength speaks louder than words. As long as you have real ability, you can convince others.

Liu Sanlang came to his senses, shook his head and said nothing. After resting for a while, he stood up, leaning on his sword. After stumbling a few steps, he said hoarsely, "How's the county government doing?"

A soldier replied with a smile, "The county government office is safe. Lord Zhang is guarding it, and not a single grain of food has been lost. Thanks to Lord Zhang's wisdom, he sent troops to guard the ancestral hall and the well in advance. There were actually quite a few spies among these people who were planning to set fire and cause trouble for us. They were caught and executed on the spot. It was a relief!"

"It's such a waste of the rice porridge we fed them a few days ago. It's better to feed them to dogs than to feed them," a soldier muttered angrily.

The relief food is taken from their rations. How can this not make people angry?

"I'll go and take a look," Liu Sanlang nodded to indicate that he heard it.

After taking just a few steps, I felt dizzy, which was a sign of general exhaustion.

Ruan San rushed over from a short distance away, grabbed Liu Sanlang and said anxiously, "My brother, you should take a good rest first. I will clean up the battlefield. You played a big role in this enemy attack!"

After saying this, regardless of Liu Sanlang's objection, he directly pulled a soldier and ordered him to take the man back to the county government office to sleep, and he must personally watch Liu Sanlang lie down on the bed.

The enemy lost more than 800 people in this attack. Some of them were injured and did not escape, and some were not killed on the spot. Ruan San led his men to kill them one by one.

On the military camp side, more than 100 people were killed and more than 300 were injured.

Several military doctors were busy running around.

Zhang Ping'an stayed at the county government office all night. Although he was not injured, his eyes were swollen and painful.

After eating, he brought a hot towel over and said, "Sir, please put some on your eyes. It will make you feel better!"

"You should go down and have a rest too. You've been with me all night," Zhang Ping'an said in a hoarse voice, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

"Then I'll leave," Chibao replied softly, bowed and then tiptoed out.

Zhang Ping'an lay on the chair, his temples throbbing with pain, and everything in front of him seemed to be a passing scene.

This is just the first time. I will have to live like this in the future and I have to get used to it!

After forcing himself to sleep for two hours, Zhang Ping'an summoned Ruan San to check the post-war losses.

Ruan San was a little worried: "Everything else is fine, but Lord Zou is not in good condition. The military doctor said that he has serious internal injuries and I'm afraid he won't make it!"

"Let the military doctor use the best medicine and do his utmost to treat him. Zouping was a promising man and he was still young. It would be a pity if he died like this," Zhang Pingan said in a deep voice.

"I have some century-old ginseng slices, musk, and Qilin powder in my carry-on luggage. They are all good medicines for treating internal injuries. I'll ask Chibao to send some to the military doctor later."

"I understand. I'll go to the military doctor later and tell him," Ruan San nodded.

He sighed again: "It is a blessing for Mr. Zou to be able to work with you. Since you care so much about him, he will be fine!"

Lord Zou is fortunate to have these precious medicines available on the battlefield!

After the war, the atmosphere in the county town was more solemn than before, and there was no laughter or joy to be heard.

The people huddled together like quails, not daring to breathe.

Afraid of being recognized as a traitor!

They haven't forgotten the few people who were killed yesterday. Who knows who among them are the rebels who sneaked in!

Zhang Ping'an stood with his hands behind his back, watching all this. All his efforts over the past few days were in vain, and he was back to the way he was before.

But it doesn’t matter, he has patience and time!

Looking at it from another perspective, I'm afraid these people will be very honest in the short term, which will make it easier to govern them.

It's not entirely without benefit.

……

By the evening, good news finally came back: Lao Tu had returned safely with the food and supplies.

When Zhang Ping'an went over to see the man, he discovered that the old bald man was also covered in wounds, his armor was chopped to pieces, and his shoulder was wrapped in gauze and still bleeding.

"Is someone going to rob the food?"

"It's all because of those sons of bitches. They're like blue-headed flies, they just sniffed the air," the old baldy cursed, but his tone was still relaxed. "But at least the food and fodder weren't a problem, otherwise we'd be finished. Luckily I went over to help!"

"Thank you for your hard work! The county town was also attacked, but fortunately the food was not stolen. The situation is not too bad and the rebel army was driven away. However, we also suffered a lot of casualties," Zhang Pingan frowned.

“I know. I heard Ruan San say it when we entered the city. Honestly, the casualty ratio is one to seven, which is pretty good.

"Though their weapons and equipment are ordinary, each of them is battle-hardened and fearless, making them extremely difficult to deal with. In the past, our casualties have always been higher than theirs. This time, we were fortunate to have discovered their sneak attack in advance and had the advantage of defending the city. You also commanded them properly, otherwise who knows what the outcome would have been," said the old bald man, waving his hand.

This result was much better than he expected.

Especially Zhang Ping'an, who made him look at him with new eyes. Although he was a civil servant before, he was able to command in an orderly manner and remained calm in times of crisis.

Catching the traitor and guarding the well is a good move!

And the timing of spreading caltrops at the entrance to the county government yard was really perfect.

For someone who used to be a civil servant, this is a pretty good command!

"You also said that this time we just had the advantage of defending the city, and the people on duty discovered it in time, so we didn't succeed in the sneak attack. If the sneak attack was successful and the two sides fought head-on, the result would be uncertain," Zhang Pingan did not dare to take credit for it.

Ning Mei continued, "These people's fighting ability is truly astonishing. It's best to outsmart them in future battles!"

"Do you think I don't want to? It's difficult!" The bald old man rolled his eyes and shook his head with a wry smile. "You'll know when you face them a few more times. They're very difficult to deal with!"

Then he remembered something: "Oh, the buckwheat seeds have been delivered this time. We should hurry up and plant the buckwheat in the next two days!"

"That's good news. We definitely don't have time to take inventory of the battlefield today. Tomorrow I will take people to the fields. By the time the roads are blocked by heavy snow, we can at least store more food," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

"Okay, I'm sleepy too. I'll go take a rest first. Call me if you need anything." The bald old man stood up, stretched, and left.

Buckwheat does not require much land and is easy to cultivate. It can be sown in rows, on the spot or broadcast.

In order to save seeds and plant more land, Zhang Pingan chose the more laborious on-demand method.

After two or three days, all the buckwheat seeds were planted. They had only planted more than 300 acres, and there would not be enough seeds if they planted more.

Zouping's injury has been effectively controlled and he is able to get up slowly.

He suffered internal injuries. Musk and Qilin Powder can open up the orifices, wake up the mind, activate blood circulation and unblock the meridians. They have strong penetrating power and are suitable for treating severe internal injuries, coma, blood stasis and obstruction, and severe pain in the heart and abdomen.

The military doctors were amazed at the effect and thought to themselves: Good medicine must be used.

The thing was precious, so the military doctor didn't dare to keep the remaining musk, and sent someone to return it to Zhang Ping'an.

"There is no point in taking back the things that have been sent out. Keep them for other injured patients in need. No matter how precious they are, human life is more valuable." Zhang Pingan asked someone to send it back.

Because of this incident, Zhang Pingan became very famous and highly regarded in the military camp for a while.

The soldiers under him also began to gradually accept this military officer who was converted from a civilian.

The bald old man didn't say anything, but he secretly praised him in his heart.

A good boss is one who cherishes and treats his soldiers well.

In fact, he hated dealing with those sour and pretentious civil servants the most. He had encountered them many times before, and they looked down on each other.

It’s good now. Otherwise, it must be Mr. Zhou’s good judgment in selecting people! The old bald man thought.

The same goes for Liu Sanlang and Ruan San. With real power in their hands, they are more confident in doing things.

Fight with the soldiers!

Liu Sanlang, in particular, made rapid progress.

Ever since he took the military examination, he has been in the habit of reading military books frequently and has learned a lot of principles. Although he usually gets along well with his soldiers, he is strict but moderate, and combines both firmness and flexibility without losing his leadership dignity.

If he grows up in time, he will definitely be the backbone of the court military generals.

As time passed, Ze County gradually returned to stability. With food and supplies, the soldiers were no longer worried.

Zhang Pingan considered another matter and discussed it with Lao Tu: "Now that the city defenses have been reinforced three times, the city has sufficient troops and food, and everything is gradually getting back on track, the rebel army should not dare to attack again in the short term. Shouldn't we consider the resettlement of the people in the city? Any city needs a population when it is recuperating, and the current two thousand people are really too few!"

"So what do you mean?" The bald old man gestured to continue.

"Haven't you noticed that there aren't even a single child left in the county right now? This won't do. Finding suitable young men and women to marry is a top priority. We have to make a decision.

"What is home? A home is a place with a father, a mother, a wife, and children. Only with family around can one develop feelings for a place, a sense of belonging, and truly settle down," Zhang Pingan explained.

After saying that, he looked at the bald old man with his head down in thought.

Zhang Pingan coughed lightly before continuing, "There's one more thing. I don't know if you've noticed, but many soldiers like to go to the ancestral hall and the school after their shifts. They're all looking for women. The front line is tough and dangerous, and you can't be sure of your life at any moment. There's not even a female mosquito in the barracks.

I understand why they want to pounce on women, but there are no rules without rules. The people are not military prostitutes, and we can't do whatever we want. What we need to do now is rebuild this city, not wantonly waste the people's trust."

"I know about this. I've also told those bastards about it, but as a man, you know, it's no big deal. It's like this everywhere on the front line. Besides, those women are volunteers. They were exchanged for food and drink by the soldiers. To be honest, we already have strict military discipline."

Speaking of this matter, Lao Tu held a different opinion on this point. He was very protective of his son and did not take it seriously.

Zhang Ping'an knew that the old bald man was protecting his people, so he used such tactful words.

Without waiting for Zhang Pingan to say anything else.

The old bald man stroked his chin and continued, "Lord Zhou strictly forbade us from burning, killing, and looting after entering the city. I consider myself to be a good ruler and I usually keep a tight rein on my subordinates. However, the masters are bleeding and fighting on the front line. It would be too inhumane to deprive them of even this little pleasure.

I know you're capable and have your own plans. I'm willing to cooperate fully within my capabilities. So, if you want to marry, I have no objection, but you have to select sixty of them to be camp prostitutes, who can also do some sewing and mending work. The rest are at your disposal, and I can promise you that my men will not harass other civilians again."