The rebel army's foremost master craftsman forged a million iron pylons!

"Go to sleep, everyone!"

Li Tian called out, and the two women and the other five men all went back to the house to sleep.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Only Zhao Hu was holding a steel knife, desperately filling the pit with dirt.

By the time the bodies were buried, it was already past midnight. Li Tian handed Zhao Hu a wine flask.

Zhao Hu hesitated and didn't dare to accept the offer.

"Drink up, drink up, so you can keep watch. You keep watch tonight, and we'll take turns for the next few days!"

This clearly showed that they considered Zhao Hu one of their own, so Zhao Hu took the wine flask and desperately gulped down a mouthful.

After finishing his drinks, Li Tian chatted with Zhao Hu.

"Where are you from?" Li Tian asked.

"A man from Zhao Prefecture, whose family suffered a famine, fled to Nan Prefecture, where he happened to encounter a righteous army attacking Nan Prefecture, so he simply joined the righteous army!"

"Where is the corporal from?"

"I'm from Shitou Village near Nankaicheng. I was originally a blacksmith. When the rebel army recruited soldiers, I joined them. I'm a new recruit this year."

Over time, Li Tian and Zhao Hu's relationship has become much closer.

They chatted until late into the night. Li Tiancai yawned, went into the dilapidated temple, and slept on the floor.

On the second day,

When Li Tian woke up, everyone already had their own things to do.

Zhao Erbao and Wu Tian climbed onto the roof to repair it, saying there was a big hole in the roof that let in drafts at night, making it too cold to sleep.

While Wu Laoliu was feeding the horses, Li Tian noticed that there was a small stable in this small sentry post, and there were two old and thin horses in the stable.

Chen Jing and Sun Sanqiang were cleaning the beacon tower, where they could light smoke signals in case the imperial cavalry launched a large-scale attack.

The beacon tower was lit here to notify the troops in the rear to make preparations in advance.

The westernmost place is the kitchen, and smoke is already rising from it, so Chuncanniang and Qiao Sanniang must be cooking.

Li Tian circled the camp. Behind the camp were vast stretches of barren mountains, suitable for hunting.

There is a secret passage on the south side of the camp that leads to a mountain village not far ahead.

There was also a small storage room in the camp. Li Tian ran over and took a look. The rice jar was almost empty, and a few pieces of cured meat were hanging on the roof beam.

It seems that life isn't easy for the soldiers on this side.

Li Tian wasn't idle either. He slung his broadsword over his shoulder, took his bow and crossbow, and went for a stroll in the mountains.

I was lucky; I caught two rabbits and a roe deer.

"Where did Corporal Li go?"

When Li Tian rushed back, Wu Laoliu and the others were already sitting around the table eating.

"Where did the sergeant go?" Zhao Erbao asked with a smile.

"Let's go hunting in the mountains and have a treat for the brothers!" Li Tian waved the prey in his hand.

Wu Tian's eyes lit up. "That's great! We'll have meat to eat tonight!"

Li Tian smiled but didn't say anything. He placed the prey in a shady spot and then sat down at the table to eat with everyone.

Where is Zhao Hu?

Li Tian looked around but couldn't find Zhao Hu, so he smiled and asked.

"He's keeping watch over there!"

Wu Tian gestured with his lip towards the suspension bridge.

Li Tian looked up and saw a lonely figure leaning against the earthen wall, gazing into the distance.

"Sigh~"

Li Tian sighed deeply, knowing that Zhao Hu was still brooding over what happened last night and had not yet fully integrated into the group.

However, Li Tian was not in a hurry.

Give Zhao Hu some time, and he will fully integrate into this place.

After finishing his meal, Li Tian approached Zhao Hu and said, "Zhao Hu, it's your turn to eat."

When Zhao Hu returned to the dining table, he found a bowl of untouched dishes and a bowl of white rice. His eyes welled up with tears.

Li Tianze and Wu Laoliu arrived at the suspension bridge and began to stand guard.

Around noon, a handcart creaked and groaned as it pulled up under the suspension bridge.

The person pushing the cart was a young man, followed by an elderly man and another young man.

"Sir, please lower the drawbridge. We are from Yu Family Village, here to deliver grain to you."

As the car approached the suspension bridge, the old man stepped forward and shouted towards the bridge with his toothless mouth.

Li Tian looked down and saw that they were just a few ordinary people who were not carrying any weapons, so he told Wu Laoliu to lower the drawbridge.

The two walked down together.

"Sir, which village are you from?"

As Li Tian asked the questions, he looked at the car, which contained several bags of grain and several bundles of cured meat.

"We're from Yu Family Village. The soldiers here told us to send some grain over every month, and they'll buy it with silver!"

The old man pointed behind him. Li Tian looked up and saw the outline of a village in the distance, which must have been several miles away.

"Old man, let me help you!"

Li Tian smiled and, together with Wu Laoliu, carried the grain toward the camp.

"Quickly, push the car in, the soldiers will give us a reward later."

The old man guarding the cart shouted immediately.

"Old Master Yu, you've come to deliver the grain in person today."

As soon as the group entered the camp, they saw Zhao Hu walking out. Zhao Hu smiled and casually hoisted a bag of grain onto his shoulder.

Food was scarce to begin with, but six strong men in the camp carried it all away in no time.

"Old man, sit down and have a cup of cold tea."

Li Tian pointed to the table next to him, and after the old man sat down, he personally poured him a cup of cool tea.

They chatted while figuring out their surroundings.

"Old man, how many villages and hamlets are there around here?"

"Three villages and one hamlet."

"Shanghe Village, Xiahe Village, Yujia Village, Zhoujiazhuang."

"Sir, you have no idea how hard we've been. Every year, the imperial army comes to collect grain."

"They conscript men six times a year; if they can't provide enough food, they forcibly conscript men."

"Our lives only improved after the rebel army came and set up a military fort here."

"Since the rebel army arrived, the imperial army has rarely come."

Li Tian asked again.

"How many official roads and secret routes are there here? Which route did the imperial troops take to get here?"

The reason Li Tian asked this question was because he knew that the "Sanshui Military Prefecture" was at least eighty miles away, and the imperial court would not send a large army to come here.

The only ones who could come were scouts, ranging from five or six to more than a dozen. Since Li Tian and his group were newcomers, they naturally needed to figure out the patterns of these scouts.

Li Tian had only asked casually, but the old man answered fluently.

"They usually come from the main road, and there are two small paths that can go around to the west side of Wolf Head Fortress. Usually, there are six of them, they rob our village and then leave."

"Sometimes they'll come to Wolf's Head Fortress to try and seize this supply depot, so the soldiers must be careful!"

"The heads of rebels can fetch a hefty reward!"

Li Tian nodded slightly after listening; it was pretty much what he had expected.

Wolf Head Fortress is an isolated outpost. To get reinforcements, they would have to go to Nankai City, which is at least fifty miles away. Facing the imperial cavalry, these infantrymen would definitely not be able to get there in time.

Therefore, they built tunnels so that when the imperial cavalry arrived, they could hide underground.

Wait until the patrolmen leave before coming out.

As for protecting the villagers of Yujia Village, Li Tian believes that it is just the villagers' excuse.