My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 166 Showing Merits
"Brother Zhai, it was my carelessness that led to the death of my own soldiers. I failed to notice that someone was following us."

Zhang Du had just met Zhai Rang and hadn't even spoken a word when he began to apologize.

Zhai Rang had fought against Zhang Du in the past, and at that time Zhang Du's attitude towards him was not very friendly.

Zhai Rang quickly grabbed his hand and shook his head. "Don't say that, my lord. These people are cunning and not ordinary bandits. If they want to do great things, how can they avoid bloodshed? Alas, I underestimated the enemy. I should have shot them directly and prevented them from getting close."

Qu Qiusheng also spoke up, advising, "Mr. Zhang, who would have thought these people would secretly follow us? I've led people on many journeys before, and I've never encountered anything like this before. Don't blame yourself."

Zhai Rang offered a few more words of comfort, and Zhang Du could only put aside his self-blame and begin the handover and get down to business.

They originally brought out six carriages, and along the way they tried to sell some goods. This was also Qu Qiusheng's idea. They couldn't leave with a full load of goods and come back empty-handed. They had to take something back with them.

There are currently four trucks left, fully loaded with goods.

Zhai Rang checked each item one by one, and then the two sides exchanged records.

Zhai Rang was in a great mood. "These are the things that are most lacking in the mountains. We can find other things from the villages at the foot of the mountain, but we really can't get iron and coal."

"This is just a preliminary exploration. In the future, there will be much more to come, not just a few truckloads."

"In addition, the Lord has prepared some craftsmen, who may be sent over later as well."

"What's the situation like in the village?"

Zhang Du and Zhai Rang were sitting together, with Qu Qiusheng and Shan Xiongxin standing beside them.

Zhai Rang spoke of the situation in Qingzao Village, saying, "Recently, many people have come from other counties to seek refuge here. Xingyang is doing alright. The new prefect is a capable man. After he took office, he did many good things and reduced some false household registrations. The locals all thanked him for his kindness, and the countryside is relatively peaceful."

"As for the other counties nearby, such as Dongjun, Yingchuan, and Liang, alas, beasts are in power, and the people are suffering. Many people have brought their families to seek refuge here. Some bandits who were hiding in the mountains have also heard about us and have come to us one after another."

"Oh? There are quite a few more people?"

"Quite a bit."

Zhai Rang said seriously, "Especially with Dongjun as the priority."

"I know several officials in Dongjun. These people are utterly immoral. In their efforts to collect grain after the autumn harvest, they caused a terrible mess in the counties of Dongjun. Every day, people are flocking from Dongjun to join us. Sometimes there are seven or eight, sometimes dozens."

"The Dongjun region has even sent people to pursue them. If I weren't afraid of causing too much of a commotion, I would really like to lead my men to kill these scoundrels."

Zhang Du gently shook his head. "Be patient."

"Did you encounter any trouble on your way here? Are you worried about anything on your way back?"

This meeting between the two sides was merely a reconnaissance mission; not only did Zhang Du's side need to specify the route, but Qingzaozhai's side did as well.

"We didn't encounter any trouble. There weren't many people along the way, and we took many side paths. We only ran into a few thieves, but they didn't dare to mess with us."

The conversation eventually turned to the people they had just killed.

Neither Zhang Du nor Zhai Rang could explain the origins of these people, though their accents sounded somewhat like those of the people from Loufan.

Shan Xiongxin stared intently at Zhang Du. From their conversation, Shan Xiongxin knew that this Zhang Jun was someone from his chieftain's side, and had come from his chieftain's side. Judging from their conversation, his chieftain seemed to be at the border.

The two talked for a long time before getting up.

Zhang Du then looked at Shan Xiongxin. This man was indeed strong and had just been a force to be reckoned with, leaving a deep impression on Zhang Du.

He asked with a smile, "Is this strong man also from the village? I've never seen him before."

Zhai Rang introduced him, "This is a good friend of mine from the past. After I came up the mountain, I asked him to come and serve me. His surname is Shan, his given name is Xiongxin, and he is skilled in the use of the horse spear and has considerable martial arts skills." "Hahaha, he is truly a fierce and valiant general! Just now, watching him charge into battle, he showed the bravery of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei! When we get back, I will definitely recommend him for commendation!"

Shan Xiongxin was quite excited and quickly bowed to Zhang Jun, saying, "Thank you so much, Mr. Zhang! Thank you!"

Zhang Du sized him up and thought to himself that although this man was braver than Zhai Rang, his character was far inferior to Zhai Rang's. Zhai Rang was magnanimous and benevolent, but this man's ambition was too strong and too obvious. Just now, he clearly had the idea of ​​competing for credit.

However, Zhang Du could understand. These martial artists had endured so much hardship, and all they wanted was to one day make a name for themselves and gain merit through their martial arts skills. Such a character was not surprising.

Zhang Du also introduced Qu Qiusheng to them, but did not mention his background, saying that he was an advisor to the lord.

Zhai Rang and Shan Xiongxin dared not underestimate them and quickly bowed.

After the handover was completed, Zhang Du left two cars behind and handed over the other four cars directly to the other party. Although Zhai Rang wanted to chat with Zhang Du for a while longer and have a meal together, time was of the essence, and they had more things to do next, so they could only say goodbye in a hurry.

Both sides returned along their original routes.

Zhang Du's next step was to place people in various restaurants to improve the route from Loufan to here.

Zhai Rang's task was much simpler: he just needed to escort these things back to the mountain stronghold.

When Shan Xiongxin came out, he still looked disdainful and had many complaints, but on the way back, he was all smiles and was exceptionally proactive.

The mountain road was rugged, making it difficult for the carriage to travel, but Zhai Rang was an experienced man. He had served as an official in the prefecture and was very familiar with escorting people.

He also imitated Zhang Du, disguising himself as a merchant and claiming to be a nobleman from Dongjun. When he encountered difficult roads, he would simply take the official road and swagger forward. The local militia really didn't dare to provoke him.

After walking for a long time, they finally managed to reunite with their family.

They quickly brought all these things to Qingzao Village.

Zhang Sengyuan personally came out to greet them.

The officials in the village were deeply moved by the supplies sent by the lord, even though they were not much. Zhang Sengyuan himself was particularly excited, holding Shan Xiongxin's hand.

"Excellent! If it weren't for Squad Leader Shan accompanying us this time, something terrible would have happened! This merit deserves a reward!"

"I must personally recommend that Squad Leader Shan be commended! With his merits this time, he's more than qualified to be a captain!"

The captains at this time were different from the captains of the past. The organization of the Eagle Banner was divided into four levels: ten people formed a fire chief, fifty people formed a squad leader, one hundred people formed a brigade commander, and two hundred people formed a captain. A typical military prefecture was composed of four captains, while a large military prefecture might have five or six.

Qingzaozhai, on the other hand, used a different organizational system, which was a five-level system: ten men formed a squad leader, fifty men formed a battalion commander, one hundred men formed a military commander, two hundred men formed a captain, and one thousand men formed a lieutenant general.

Shan Xiongxin looked at Zhang Sengyuan again. In the past, he always thought this man was weak and unfit to be a commander. But now, he thought this man was quite brave and had a keen eye for talent. If he wasn't the commander, who was?
Shan Xiongxin quickly bowed in thanks.

The group returned to the village, which had grown larger and larger. People came and went, busy with various activities. They developed the surrounding wasteland, went hunting, and their activities were no longer limited to the mountains and forests. They even began to venture into the countryside at the foot of the mountains, leaving their footprints in several counties.

There are also craftsmen in the village, but not many. The materials have arrived, so they can prepare to start making more tools and weapons. For now, the focus is on tools. Yang Qing has no intention of attacking them again. He is busy with the internal affairs of the prefecture. There should be no need to worry before next year.

At present, Zhang Sengyuan has only one thing to worry about.

Those were the crowds who kept coming to seek refuge.

The number of deceased people coming to seek refuge is increasing day by day, but it takes time to cultivate the land. Although they are constantly stockpiling food, can they feed so many people?

But if we don't accept newcomers, it goes against the original intention of setting up the village. These people have nowhere to go, and winter is coming soon. If we don't help them, they will definitely die outside.

It seems that we can only report to our lord and let him make the decision.

(End of this chapter)