Top-notch Little Horseman

Upon hearing this, Liang Biao and the others' eyes widened suddenly, their expressions a mixture of excitement and disbelief.

Their expressions were incredibly complex, but they all nodded emphatically in the end.

Liang Biao clenched his fist and said, "Brother Ye, let's do it!"

Ye Chen nodded and said, "Alright! Now that everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, let's get to work!"

"I hope everyone can establish our Desolate Pass as soon as possible!"

Zhu Zi raised his large hoe, grinned, and said, "Alright, let's get started, sir. Shall we begin now?"

"Okay, let's get started now!" Ye Chen nodded.

The courtyard suddenly became lively!

Liang Biao and his men were all from the border army, and they were indeed experts at building walls and repairing damaged sections of the desolate pass.

Stone climbed up the gap in the courtyard wall, squatted down, looked around, and then called out, "Lord Lin, the foundation here has collapsed; we need to fill it with stones first!"

Everyone sprang into action, exploring the desolate pass and offering their opinions.

"The wall isn't high enough; we need to raise it by two feet!"

"The main gate here is damaged and needs repair and reinforcement!"

"We can add a lookout point here to monitor the situation for miles around."

"I see wolves around here; we can set some traps over there."

……

Many of these were improvement suggestions put forward by Liang Biao and his team, and naturally, they copied a lot of the military fortress defense system of Zhenbeibao.

Ye Chen was delighted to hear this; he hadn't expected to stumble upon these professionals by accident.

"Although Huangchen Pass has been breached, it is a strategic location. If we want to defend it, we need a strong defense system," Liang Biao said to Ye Chen.

"In these chaotic times, what if we encounter someone with ill intentions..."

He paused for a moment as he spoke, realizing he had just barged in and felt incredibly awkward.

"We've become friends through this fight! Let's not talk about it anymore! Let's do it your way and get to work!" Ye Chen understood what he meant, smiled lightly, and waved his hand.

Then, he glanced around and shouted, "Everyone listen up! Whatever you do next, follow Brother Liang's instructions!"

"Understood, sir!" the crowd responded loudly.

Without further ado, Liang Biao started shouting orders like a foreman.

Five villagers were responsible for moving stones, the horse herders were responsible for dismantling the collapsed wall, and the border troops were responsible for rebuilding it.

The men sprang into action, beginning to rebuild the desolate wasteland, while Qin Mengyao busied herself at the stove, preparing dinner for everyone.

"Sister-in-law, I hunted two pheasants. We'll roast them later and add some vegetables for everyone. Let's eat together!" Monkey called out to Qin Mengyao.

"Okay. I'll take care of it." Qin Mengyao nodded happily. This home is so warm and cozy.

As the sun sets, a beautiful sunset glow adorns the horizon.

The breach in the courtyard wall of Huangchen Pass has been repaired, and the wall around the main gate has been raised by one foot.

The neatly arranged stones are stacked together like a jigsaw puzzle, with the gaps filled with yellow mud mixed with withered grass, making them look particularly sturdy and impossible to move even with force.

Although the main gate has not been repaired yet, a bolt and a doorpost have been installed.

To get in from the outside, you'd have to break the entire door down.

Ye Chen was very satisfied with their workmanship. Judging from the current progress, it seemed that they could complete the outer perimeter of the Desolate Dust Pass in just one more day.

The porridge will cook very quickly.

Qin Mengyao ladled out bowls of porridge one by one, arranging more than twenty coarse porcelain bowls in a row on the stove.

The roast chicken was ready, and she cut the chicken pieces into smaller pieces so that everyone could taste the aroma of the meat.

"Everyone has worked hard. Come on, let's have a good meal tonight!"

More than twenty people sat around the stove, holding bowls of porridge. Although it looked crowded, they were all very happy.

Dusk crept in from all directions, and the firelight from the stove cast everyone's shadows on the courtyard wall.

The flames, some long and some short, swayed slightly as they flickered.

Ayu finished the porridge in his bowl, patted his stomach, and looked at Ye Chen.

"We're full. Sir, it's getting dark, so we'll head back now. We'll come back tomorrow to finish the rest of the work!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, brothers! Be careful on the road!"

"It's no trouble at all!" Ah Yu grinned and said, "Sir, you saved our sheep, what's a little wall we built for you!"

The five villagers shouldered their tools and took their leave; their figures quickly disappeared into the darkness.

After eating and drinking her fill, Qin Mengyao cleared away the dishes and went to the spring to wash them.

Ye Chen added a few more pieces of firewood to the stove, and the firelight immediately became brighter.

Twenty people sat around the stove, their shadows cast on the newly repaired courtyard wall.

These twenty people formed a considerable force in the Desolate Dust Pass.

There's no need to worry about ordinary refugee attacks, but against the Northern Barbarian cavalry, they might not be able to withstand them.

"Brother Liang," Ye Chen asked Liang Biao, "how long have you been staying at Zhenbeibao?"

"We've been here for five or six years now, and Gangzi has probably been the longest, almost seven years."

Liang Biao raised his eyes and looked at Ye Chen.

As he spoke, he picked up a wooden stick about 20 centimeters long, broke it in two, and threw it into the fire.

"That year there was a severe drought, the fields yielded no harvest, and we had nothing to eat at home. In order to survive, we all joined the army."

"Serving in the army is dangerous, but at least you get to eat and won't starve to death."

The Qin Empire used a conscription system to supplement its army with soldiers from other places, and many people who could not survive had no choice but to join the army.

Liang Biao sighed as he spoke, his face full of bitterness.

"But who knew... even after joining the army, we still couldn't get enough to eat..."

Gangzi, standing to the side, sniffed and said, "To put it bluntly, this country is terminally ill; there's no hope in any of the paths we take."

"The Qin Dynasty is utterly rotten now!"

"We're fighting on the front lines, but we can't even get enough to eat. How are we supposed to hold off the Northern Barbarians...?"

"Sigh." A border soldier named Ah Jun, who looked like a scholar, sighed.

"The Great Qin has been suffering from severe drought for years, it's truly bizarre. Although the imperial court says it will provide disaster relief, the grain has been allocated layer upon layer, and by the time it reaches us, we can't even get a bowl of porridge..."

"I can't survive at home, I can't survive in the army, and I still can't survive..."

Liang Biao picked up a tree branch and scratched the ground twice.

"We have a thousand border soldiers in Zhenbeibao, but today we haven't even received half a grain of autumn grain. The brothers are only eating one meal a day, and it's all thin porridge."

"The higher-ups said that the grain supply should be prioritized for Liaodong, so we can only be patient for now."

"But damn it, if there's war in Liaodong, does that mean we won't have war in the north?"

"According to our current intelligence, the number of cavalrymen from Northern Mang is more than double that of previous years."

"Their grass has all dried up, and their cattle and sheep have nothing to eat, so they have no choice but to turn to the Qin Dynasty."

As Liang Biao spoke, he picked up another tree branch, broke it in half, and continued, "Last month, the border troops of Zhenbeibao fought a battle with more than a dozen Northern Barbarian cavalrymen outside."

"Although we won, our men were so weak from lack of food that they lost their strength and dozens of our brothers died."

"What a humiliating defeat!"

Gangzi let out a cold snort and said, "Hmph! So what if we win? So many brothers died, and their families won't even get any compensation. They'll die with their eyes open in disgrace!"