plumnovel Chapter 28 General
Chapter 28 General
Let's talk about the younger sister first. Yang Silang had already done everything he could before setting off.
After finalizing the boarding arrangements with Grandma Yao, they also bought a house so that if anything unexpected happened on the battlefield, their younger sister would have her own property in the future.
Speaking of buying a house.
The housekeeper helped inspect the houses. According to Yang Silang's requirements, the surrounding area should be safe, preferably in respectable households, and at least the houses should be made of wood with blue tiles.
Do not use bamboo strips to plaster mud in shantytowns.
Yang Silang calculated his savings. He had received thirty taels of silver from Gao Laodao, and he had earned a total of five taels and five mace of silver for participating in the flag-capturing. He had worked as a regular soldier for two and a half months and as a hard-working soldier for four months, earning more than ten taels of silver in labor wages.
The biggest expenses were food, rent, and debt repayment. Besides high-interest loans, there were also debts to my older sister and fellow villagers.
The expenses for food were also considerable. His younger sister was malnourished, and he himself needed to eat well in order to practice his stance training. During this period, he changed places to buy meat and rice. He didn't dare to say that he ate a lot of meat every meal, but he always made sure to have some meat.
In addition, we were too poor to care about such things in the past. In fact, this dilapidated house was missing too many everyday furniture and utensils. Now that we have the means, we are buying all sorts of things.
After calculating in this way, there are still thirty taels of silver left.
Originally, this amount of money would have been enough to buy the small courtyard he wanted, but unexpectedly, due to the recent unrest in Jiangdong Province, many outsiders have entered Gongzhou Prefecture.
Rent went up, and house prices followed suit, rising more than he expected.
Such a small courtyard house actually costs nearly forty taels of silver.
Yang Silang even considered giving up on buying a detached house, or even just buying a house in a shared courtyard with a few rooms.
Who knew that the broker stammered and said that there was a small courtyard, the right size and good quality, for only twenty taels of silver, half price, but the house was not good, someone had died there, and the death was not good.
The homeowner had no children or relatives, so the property was taken back by the government and put up for sale, but no one had taken it over.
Yang Silang immediately perked up and asked for the reason.
Ya Zi lowered his voice mysteriously and said, "Do you know Bloodhand Butcher? This courtyard belongs to the victim. I heard that Bloodhand Butcher even slept in his bed. The feng shui master said that only someone with a strong destiny can keep this courtyard in check."
Brother, I wonder if your destiny is strong or not?
Yang Silang laughed and said that he was only afraid of being poor, not ghosts.
If Bloodhand Butcher himself bought a house, even if Old Gao Dao had truly become a ghost, he wouldn't dare utter a sound.
So he immediately decided to buy the courtyard and completed the entire transfer and payment process in just a few days, which was also a way out for his older sister and younger sister.
When his older sister and younger sister found out, they complained that he had wasted money buying a haunted house.
But the money had already been spent, and the two had no choice but to go on their way. So the older sister led her younger sister to kowtow to all the gods and Buddhas in the temples of Gongzhou Prefecture, firstly to pray for Yang Silang's well-being, and secondly to ask for protection and exorcism.
I collected a large bag of free incense and candle ash before I dared to tidy up the house during the day. Of course, I would never dare to do it at night.
Regardless, the Yang family finally settled down in Gongzhou Prefecture and had their own courtyard.
Moving and tidying up the house was a busy and exhausting process for the two of them. They were so busy that, before they knew it, even the sadness of parting had been greatly diminished.
Even so, the two of them quickly made foot binding cloths, gloves, and baked flatbreads, packing a whole bundle of food and clothing for Yang Silang.
As for the second thing Yang Silang was thinking about—whether the officers and soldiers could win.
Well, based on his observations at the supply camp, it's somewhat doubtful.
Most of the officers and soldiers appeared to have only average physical strength, comparable to that of civilian laborers who wore armor and carried weapons.
Of course, there were also qualified soldiers among them, who were clearly muscular and had practiced rudimentary martial arts. Their physical condition was not much different from that of the tough soldiers.
As for the elite troops who could wear heavy armor and train every day, exuding a murderous aura, there were some, but not many, only about two hundred.
Overall, it's just so-so, but it's hard to say for sure; the bandits we'll have to deal with might be even weaker.
"Stop, rest, we'll set off in fifteen minutes..."
As Yang Silang was lost in thought, a cavalryman carrying a command flag ran from the front to the rear and relayed military orders.
coax……
A wave of relaxed praise immediately rippled through the group.
Everyone helped each other, set up the wheelbarrows, and someone went to feed the horses and mules.
The porters and laborers scattered to the roadside; those who were better off ate the cold, dry rations they had brought with them, while those who were worse off couldn't bear to eat and swallowed hard to regain their strength.
After a short rest, another order was given, and the large group set off again.
Night fell, after a day's trek.
The view ahead of the column suddenly opened up, revealing a haphazardly arranged circular camp with rows of tents inside.
A shallow trench was dug around the perimeter, but it was too hard to dig in winter, so it was just for show. Some logs and deer antlers were placed on both sides of the gate, and some carts that had been carrying tents were now unloaded and used as barricades.
The camp was mostly chaotic and noisy.
However, in an open space in front of the camp, there was a somber atmosphere, which contrasted sharply with the chaotic military camp.
A dozen or so people, shirtless and bare-armed, formed a circle, brandishing their swords and shields, advancing and retreating in an orderly fashion, combining offense and defense, solemnly practicing a sword and shield technique to attack one person.
The man being attacked was also shirtless, wearing official boots; he was a military officer.
He had a tiger tattooed on his body, and was holding a bald-headed gun, ready to fight ten men single-handedly. His exposed skin was like dark bronze, as if plated with a layer of cold metallic sheen.
None of the swordsmen held back; each slash brought down a sharp, piercing sound, demonstrating that they were using their full strength.
But the military officer was not afraid. Holding his spear, he unleashed countless spear flowers to meet the attack. He wielded the spear with unpredictable skill, as nimble as a snake, blocking most of the attacks. Occasionally, a knife would slash through and strike him, leaving only a white mark with a hissing sound.
This military officer fought against many opponents and still did not lose ground.
His spear, in particular, made a buzzing and vibrating sound as it cut through the air. With a single thrust, it would either strike the incoming blade or the shield.
If it's the former, the attacking swordsmen and shieldmen trembled, and the weaker ones were immediately knocked away from their waists; if it hits the leather shields, some people would even fall half a zhang away in a sorry state, shield and all.
Fortunately, these swordsmen and shieldmen were clearly elite soldiers who were good at teamwork.
If a colleague falls and creates an opening, someone immediately rushes up from behind to fill the gap, always maintaining a siege circle, taking turns to put pressure on the military officer in the middle.
Outside them stood dozens of lazy soldiers, leaning on their guns and carrying their knives, looking relaxed and chatting as they watched the spectacle. The atmosphere was casual, and some were even betting on how long these swordsmen and shieldmen could hold out.
"Commander Tie is training his men again."
"I bet they won't last even an incense stick's time this time!"
"To be able to withstand an Iron-Bone Martial Master for so long is really impressive, isn't it? If it were us, we probably wouldn't have lasted even a few breaths."
The supply battalion escorted the wagons into the camp, passing by on the side.
The porters stared wide-eyed, and Yang Silang also stared greedily—although it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, he was always amazed.
Whether someone is a good marksman or a skilled swordsman or shieldman is hard to discern since most people haven't practiced martial arts.
All that was known was their imposing presence. Just by listening to the sound, everyone could tell that the swordsmen and shieldmen were using all their strength when they swung their swords down, without holding back at all.
Yang Silang estimated that these sword and shield soldiers were all much stronger than the tough-footed soldiers in terms of sheer strength.
As for the Iron General who was surrounded, he was even stronger.
Yang Silang witnessed a swordsman and shieldman slashing down at a tricky angle, which he blocked with his arm, producing a metallic clanging sound.
His skin was truly like copper with white marks, and his bones were as hard as refined iron; he was not human.
If such a monster were to don several layers of iron armor and go to the battlefield, it's unimaginable how the enemy would cope.
"Hurry up, hurry up..." A centurion with a protruding belly, wearing armor and a round face, led several riders to arrive. Seeing that everyone was moving slowly, he hurriedly urged the supply battalion to hurry up and enter the camp. "Stop looking, stop looking..."
"Blocking the main road will delay the army's movement. If the general blames you, how many of you will have enough heads to chop off?"
This centurion's belly was so big and fat that it made the big horse under him look like a skinny dog, which was quite comical. It was a wonder how the horse could hold on without falling over. He was none other than the battalion commander of the supply battalion, Centurion Ruan, who was in charge of escorting the grain.
This Commander Ruan is quite a character. To sum it up in one sentence: a newly appointed official, with a big belly and good fortune, always smiling and without much authority.
The porters quickly lowered their heads, some pushing carts, others leading mules, and the long procession began to move into the camp.
Xiao Jiling turned his head and saw that Ruan Qianzong couldn't see them, so he muttered a curse under his breath.
"You're both captains, but Captain Tie is a tough piece of iron, while you, Captain Ruan, are just a piece of soft tofu!"
All they do is nag and urge you, like they're trying to kill you!