141-150

Chapter 141

The room suddenly fell into silence. No one could accept that someone who had once known each other left in such a way.

Zhong Yan was particularly silent, and he showed a depressed look that he had never had before.

Wang Qin said, "We were lucky. We didn't encounter those violent bandits afterwards, but there was no water or food. We didn't even have the strength to dig tree roots. We could only eat wild grass on the road."

Just when they persisted for another four or five days, they were really desperate and had fallen to the ground waiting to die, and then they saw Lin Xiaoyao, who was only half dead, appeared.

Wang Qin could not forget the appearance of Lin Xiaoyao when he appeared. His eyes were lifeless, his neck and hands were covered in blood, and the shoulder straps of the backpack on his shoulders had been worn into his flesh because of long-term friction.

He didn't seem to see them, but he slipped while walking on the mountain path, fell from halfway up the mountain to the foot of the mountain, and fell into the bushes next to them.

Because of the little water and food in his backpack, the few people were able to generate extra strength and reached the Majin River.

Even without them saying anything, Lin Zhen roughly knew what happened next.

The Majin River was not dry, so they could replenish sufficient water there, and then set out again to return to Anyuan Town.

According to the time calculation, the refugee army had already arrived in the town at that time, and they were safe on the way from the Majin River to Anyuan Town.

Lin Xiaoyao asked him about the detailed topography and the places where the refugee army gathered, and he probably avoided the refugee army. But

because there were not many things that could be carried in the backpack, he must have saved and saved when he went there, so that he had some life-saving food and water left when he found Wang Qin, Zhong Yan and the others. However

, these were just his own guesses. How Lin Xiaoyao got to the place where Wang Qin, Zhong Yan and the others fell, only he knew.

They were all in very poor health, and they felt sleepy again after breakfast.

If Ma Min had not been unconscious last night and could not be moved, Aunt Ma, who wanted to take Ma Min home at that time, stood up and walked to Lin Zhen and said, "Brother Zhen, I will take the mother and daughter home first. When they are better, I will bring them to thank you."

Whether it was Lin Zhen and his men who rescued Ma Min from the bandits on the road, or Lin Xiaoyao who finally found them and gave the couple water and food to support them to the Majin River, it was the Ma family's unrepayable favor.

Aunt Ma and Ma the Carpenter liked the Lin family because of Lin Zhen in the past, and then accepted Lin Zhuzi as an apprentice. Now they are even more friendly and can't wait to go to the temple to light a few longevity lamps for the Lin family.

Lin Zhen looked at the haggard Ma Min and said, "Aunt, take Sister Ma Min back to rest quickly. We have plenty of time to reunite in the future."

"Yes, we have plenty of time, and there is still a long time." Aunt Ma was not dissatisfied. Compared with those poor children, Ma Min and the children had survived a narrow escape, but they still returned to her side.

Aunt Ma turned around and helped Ma Min up, while Carpenter Ma held the child who had just woken up and was looking around with his eyes open, without crying at all.

Ma Min, who was supported by Aunt Ma, suddenly said to Lin Zhen: "Brother Zhen, it's not easy for Xiaoyao to find us."

"..." Lin Zhen looked into Ma Min's eyes and trembled in his heart.

After a while, he nodded: "I know."

Most of Ma Min leaned on Aunt Ma, and the backs of the family of four quickly disappeared in the Lin family's yard.

After Wang Qin finished talking about what happened along the way, he slumped in the chair like Zhong Yan, completely lost his soul, staring at the roof with empty eyes.

No one can empathize with Zhong Yan without seeing the bodies of countless refugees lying on the roadside, and without seeing their own relatives beheaded in front of them.

At this time, any comfort is false. Lin Zhen asked Brother Lin to send Zhong Yan back to the house to lie down for a few days until his body functions recover a little, and then make plans.

Wang Qin was the same. He barely ate something and then leaned back on the chair in a daze. He was also helped back to lie down with Zhong Yan.

The joy of returning home was diluted by the death of the familiar people. Lin Zhen sat on the stool, and the figures of the dead Chen Niangzi, the two brothers and the daughter, as well as Wang Youli and others appeared in his mind.

After a while, Lin Zhen fetched some water and sat by the bed to wipe the sweat off Lin Xiaoyao's face and neck.

Since he woke up and fainted last night, he has not woken up. He frowned tightly in his sleep, and cold sweat came out layer by layer.

Lin Zhen reached out and touched his face, and took the dirty water out. Of course,

this water cannot be thrown away, but all poured into a bucket, boiled and used to wash feet, and water the vegetable seeds that Lin Zhen scattered in the broken pots and buckets.

Seeing that there were not many vegetables left at home and God had not rained for a long time, he could only recycle the waste water. If he could grow some vegetables, it would be an extra harvest.

Looking at the mountains in the distance and the fields nearby.

It has been almost half a year since the drought was discovered, and the Double Ninth Festival will be in half a month.

Although the weather is getting colder with the seasons, it is unknown when it will rain and when everyone's life will return to normal.

Lin Zhen put the basin in the corner and went into the house to discuss with Lin Dasao and Lin Ersao about making dry food for Gu Lin and others.

Because the Lin family asked Lin Xiaoyao to come back in advance to inform them of the possible drought, they stored a lot of food, but it was not a small consumption for so many people to eat every day, so he had to estimate the food.

Hearing his words, Lin Dasao and Lin Ersao said: "We didn't sell the grain we harvested last year. There are a total of 30 shi. We originally wanted to sell half of it for silver and save it. Xiaoyao came back with your words and kept it all."

"Later, I went to the town to buy 8 or 9 shi. Our family has a total of about 40 shi of grain in stock."

Once it is 160 kilograms, 40 shi of grain is more than 6,400 kilograms, not counting the black fungus, dried bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and salted vegetables made at home.

Compost played a major role in harvesting so much food. The original grain yield of more than ten mu of land was less than ten dan, but it has increased several times.

Lin Zhen couldn't help but wonder if other places in Dayu Dynasty used compost and cultivated intensively, would their ability to resist such natural disasters be greatly enhanced.

"How much food is left at home now?"

Sister Lin: "There are still about eighteen or nineteen dan, enough to eat."

Lin Zhen was relieved when he heard this: "So much food is enough to eat for a year and a half."

He said: "Gu Lin and his men will leave at noon, let's make some dry food for them to take with them, just like what my second sister-in-law and I made last time, sorghum buckwheat cakes, simple and easy to make, and can be stored for a long time."

"Okay." Lin Zhen made the decision, and Sister Lin and Sister Lin nodded without hesitation.

Apart from anything else, just say that the group of soldiers led by Gu Lin saved so many people in their Lin family, so this food is not worth mentioning.

Gu Lin and his friends were leaving at noon, and they didn't have much time. Sister Lin dragged out the food while calling, "Chunxiang, Xingxiang, and Zhuzi, come and help pick up the bad sorghum rice."

Sister Lin also called Huaixiang and Lin Shitou.

The children were all grown up and could work quickly. They helped drag the food and pour it into the basin, and then picked up the bad sorghum rice and buckwheat with worm holes and put them into the basin on the side.

These bad ones were disgusting to eat, but they could be kept to feed pigs and chickens in the future.

The Lin family had raised some before, but they had been slaughtered before Lin Zhen and his friends came back. The meat that could be seen occasionally was the smoked bacon at that time.

Suddenly, when Lin Zhen and his group were busy picking up bad sorghum and buckwheat, Gu Lin came over with a small stool, sat next to Lin Zhen, and started picking up the bad sorghum and buckwheat.

He was tall and had long legs, and he sat on the small stool with his long legs bent in grievance, picking up grains one by one with a solemn expression.

Lin Zhen paused and said nothing.

Sister Lin was a little scared of this nephew, thinking that he was hard to get close to and didn't talk much, but since he was right in front of her, she naturally had to greet him, and said in a tense voice: "Shuanzi, you are still injured, go and rest, we can do it here."

"It's okay, stretch your muscles."

"Oh." Sister Lin didn't know how to respond, and kept her head down and did her own thing.

Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou and Gu Lin were quite familiar with each other. The three of them had stayed at the Zhenyouwei Snack Restaurant in the town for almost a year, but Lin Zhuzi was familiar with Gu Lin's cold personality, and he worked silently like Sister Lin.

Lin Shitou used to be a rough-headed person, but after several years of experience, he became very outgoing. He asked Gu Lin: "Cousin Shuanzi, have you encountered many bad guys in the mountains?"

"Some are as few as the ones that appeared in the village that day, thirty to fifty, and some are over a hundred."

"All holding knives?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you afraid, cousin Shuanzi?"

Gu Lin's voice was flat: "If I'm afraid of them, I'll die. If they're afraid of me, they'll die."

Perhaps because he had killed so many people, Gu Lin's aura became colder and more difficult to approach than before. Lin Shitou, who dealt with all kinds of people every day in the shop, was a little overwhelmed.

Lin Chunxiang, Lin Xingxiang, and Lin Huaixiang didn't even come close to them, but quietly looked at this cousin whom they might see once a year.

They all knew that their third uncle was very capable. Everyone in the village praised him. They also knew that their third uncle had opened a shop in the capital city, and every year when he came back, he would bring them beautiful clothes, hairbands, and some novel gadgets.

In the eyes of Lin Huaixiang and the others, Third Uncle is the most handsome guy in the village. Many times they have secretly heard people asking Amo about Third Uncle's marriage, but Amo always blocked them.

Lin Huaixiang and the others hope that they can become a man like Third Uncle in the future, who is both capable and handsome, and is liked by people wherever he goes. With

so many people, several bags of sorghum rice and buckwheat were picked up quickly. They washed them and put them in the pot to boil until the cores can be crushed by fingers, and then put them in the wooden barrel for steaming rice.

The fragrance of grain diffused. Because Gu Lin was still injured, he did not carry the grain to the stove, but sat in front of the fire pit to add firewood.

Sister-in-law Lin, Sister-in-law Lin and a few children went out to wash the remaining grain. Lin Zhen was here stirring the second pot of sorghum rice to prevent it from sticking to the pot.

Chapter 142

The steamed sorghum rice and buckwheat are kneaded into palm-sized cakes. When they are cooled, they become hard and can be stored for a long time.

When Lin Zhen, Sister Lin and Sister Lin finished making all the dry food, it was almost noon. Gu Lin, who had been burning the fire for the whole morning, got up and called Nie Yong, Zhang Tie and others.

They were in much better spirits after recuperating for the past few days. They were wearing new clothes made by Aunt Ma and Sister Lin, and looked refreshed.

Lin Zhen and others handed them the dry food wrapped in the bundles and the leather bags filled with boiled water one by one. Lin Zhen handed the last one to Gu Lin: "Be careful."

Gu Lin took the bundle and carried it horizontally on his back, "Well, I will be back soon this time."

Nie Yong, Zhang Tie and others were very grateful to the Lin family for disturbing them for so many days. After clasping their fists to the Lin family, they went over the back mountain of the Lin family with Gu Lin. The backs of the eighteen people soon disappeared in the bamboo forest.

Lin Zhen looked at the bamboo forest and retracted his gaze: "I'll go wash and dry the wooden barrel. If it's left for too long, the taste inside will turn sour."

Four bags of food were used to make dry food today. After steaming and kneading sorghum rice and buckwheat cakes into cakes, they were enough for more than a dozen people to eat in the mountains for seven or eight days.

And according to what Gu Lin had told him before, it would take seven or eight days to wipe out this group of refugees.

Sister Lin was packing up her things and saw Lin Zhen squatting there washing the wooden barrel with the remaining water from steaming things. She said: "Shuanzi, this child, has not changed."

"Cold, not talkative, but very methodical in doing things."

"It's still the same as before, clinging to you tightly."

Lin Zhen paused, "Does he cling to me tightly?"

The two have lived together for many years and live under the same roof. Lin Zhen really didn't notice any difference.

So when Gu Lin suddenly said..., he really couldn't figure it out and was also shocked.

Sister Lin laughed and said, "Of course he is sticky. Wherever you go, he will definitely go. Whatever you do, he will definitely be by your side, and his eyes will always be on you."

Sister Lin Er, who was working with Sister Lin, suddenly raised her head and said, "Just like the second brother, he can't rest without seeing me."

Lin Zhen: "..." Sister Lin, don't say anything. Sister

Lin laughed and said, "Xiu'er, what you said is wrong. How can you and the second brother be compared with Shuanzi and Zhen Ge'er?"

Zhao Xiu scratched his head, and a confused expression of "Am I wrong?" appeared on his heroic face full of hormones.

Lin Zhen planned to resolutely not discuss Gu Shuanzi and him in front of Sister Lin Er in the future. This damn intuition simply scared him.

After a busy morning, the Lin family had a casual meal at noon. In the evening, Wang Qin, Zhong Yan, Wang Youcai, and Lin Xiaoyao, who had slept for a whole day and didn't get up for lunch, got up one after another.

Lin Zhen was keenly aware that Wang Qin and Wang Youcai's eyes wandered between Lin Xiaoyao and Zhong Yan several times.

It seemed that the few people had found the source of Lin Xiaoyao's going to look for them alone. Lin Xiaoyao liked Zhong Yan so much that she could carry a backpack to look for him at this time.

Lin Zhen looked at him silently without saying anything.

Lin Xiaoyao took his toothbrush as before, dipped it in the little bit of tooth powder left to brush his teeth, then rolled up his sleeves and walked to Lin Zhen: "Third brother, are you going to make fried cakes?"

"Well, my mouth is tasteless after eating sorghum rice and buckwheat rice every day, so I'll make some buckwheat cakes to eat."

Lin Xiaoyao looked at it and said, "I haven't made any stuffing yet."

"Not yet, I just soaked the mushrooms and black fungus."

"Then I'll go cut it. There's still the salt and sugar water you fed me last night in my stomach. If I can't get up, I'll get up early to find something to eat." Lin Xiaoyao said as he walked to the other side of the table. Although his movements were slow, he neatly squeezed out the moisture from the mushrooms and black fungus soaked in warm water.

Then he put them on the chopping board, cut the mushrooms into dices, and cut the wood ear into shreds.

He learned his craft from Lin Zhen. When he was in the capital city, he also helped to do the work when the people he hired were too busy. He could do everything, including shopping and accounting.

Lin Zhen leaned over to take a look and said, "You haven't lost your skills after so many years back."

"It won't be lost," Lin Xiaoyao looked at him, "I have a good sir like you. This is what I will eat in the future." "

Then you fry the stuffing. My buckwheat noodles will be almost ready after it's cooked."

"Okay."

The two brothers cooperated well. Sister-in-law Lin and Sister-in-law Lin still did a rough job after so many years, so they didn't come forward to help. They watched Lin Xiaoyao fry the stuffing and put it next to Lin Zhen's hands. The two grabbed the buckwheat dough, wrapped the stuffing in it, and then quickly made two thin palm-sized pancakes with a few strokes, and put them in a pan with a little oil to fry.

The salty and fragrant taste is completely different from sorghum rice, and it is so fragrant that it makes people dizzy.

After a large stack of pancakes were baked, Lin Zhen cooked a pot of buckwheat noodle dumpling soup: "It's time to eat."

The whole family immediately pulled stools and moved tables, and took bowls and chopsticks. It was very lively.

Lin Xiaoyao sat next to Lin Zhen, picked up a buckwheat pancake and stuffed it into his mouth. He was really hungry. He didn't dare to eat on the way there. He was so hungry that he ate a few bites of sorghum cakes. Water was just to moisten his lips. His thirst for food reached its peak.

Seeing that he finished a pancake in two or three bites, Lin Zhen quickly scooped him a bowl of dumpling soup: "Slow down, you haven't eaten freely for so long, don't eat too much."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiaoyao choked. He quickly hit his chest a few times and held the bowl to drink some dumpling soup. He looked at Lin Zhen and said: "I didn't choke originally, but I couldn't do it after you said that."

The Lin family knew that Lin Xiaoyao ran out to find Zhong Yan. Seeing him like this, they were slightly relieved. It was good that the child returned safely and that he could figure it out.

Grandma Zhong didn't know. She saw that Lin Xiaoyao was very energetic and thought that everyone in the Lin family was very nice.

Wang Qin and Wang Youcai understood that Lin Xiaoyao had already let go of the matter of looking for Zhong Yan. The two had no intersection in the past and would never have any intersection in the future.

Even if there was an intersection, it was only the intersection between the Lin family and the Zhong family.

Everyone in the room, whether they knew or not, ate quietly. After eating, they cleaned up the dishes. Those who wanted to sleep slept, and those who wanted to sit for a while took a chair and sat in the yard to get some fresh air.

Lin Xiaoyao had eaten a little too much just now and felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach. He put on a coat outside and wanted to find Lin Zhen to help him with his stomach. As soon as he left the room, he bumped into Zhong Yan who was about to come in.

Gu Lin, Nie Yong and others who originally lived in the two rooms left. Zhong Yan and Wang Qin slept in the outer room, and Lin Xiaoyao and Lin Zhen slept in the inner room. This was the room of Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou. The two rooms were next to each other and could be seen when you went out.

Zhong Yan bowed to Lin Xiaoyao, who nodded and walked past him.

"Uncle Xiaoyao." Zhong Yan's voice sounded behind him.

Lin Xiaoyao stopped and said without turning his head: "Go and have a rest. I hope you will be successful in the future."

Everyone has their own path. Some people can get together, some people get together and then separate, and some people have different starting points and different destinations from the beginning.

Zhong Yan bowed to Lin Xiaoyao's back again. This time, it was for Lin Xiaoyao's life-saving grace.

Lin Xiaoyao didn't see it, but even if he saw it, it didn't matter. He stepped out of the room where he lived and went outside the yard to find Lin Zhen.

When he came in just now, he heard Lin Zhen say that he was going to fill the old bucket with soil, sprinkle some radish seeds in it, and then sprinkle some cabbage seeds.

Hearing the footsteps disappearing behind him and the sound of the door closing, Lin Xiaoyao raised his head, let the things in his eyes flow back, and raised the corners of his mouth in self-mockery.

So be it.

This is the best.

When he leaves the Lin family and returns to his own home, the two will never see each other again in this life, not even once.

The person you love can't stand seeing each other again, you will have delusions, you will try your best to stay by his side, you will go crazy again, and be foolish again.

He wants to live his life well.

When Lin Xiaoyao found Lin Zhen, he was filling the bucket with soil. After so many months of drought, there was no moisture in the soil, and it was all dust.

Hearing that Lin Xiaoyao came to him to pinch his stomach, he compacted the soil in the bucket a little and said, "My hands are dirty, wait for me to wipe my hands."

In the past, he washed his hands, but now it is a luxury to wipe his hands with a wet towel.

Lin Zhen wiped his hands clean, sat on a small stool, asked Lin Xiaoyao to squat in front of him, then crossed his arms on his stomach, and pinched him hard from behind twice.

Lin Zhen didn't know what the principle was. In the past, when he felt uncomfortable in his stomach, the old man at home would also pinch him like this, and he would feel better after pinching. It worked wonders.

"How is it, does it still hurt?"

Lin Xiaoyao took a breath: "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Just now, he suddenly felt pain and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. Now it's just a little bit of dull pain, and it's gradually easing.

After pinching his stomach, Lin Zhen continued his planting business. He sprinkled some radish seeds in the bucket filled with soil, then covered it with a layer of soil, and then poured it with water that had been used to wash hands and feet, or left over from washing things, and covered the bucket with a layer of hay.

Lin Zhen has already filled several such buckets, all of which are radishes and cabbages. If everything goes well, these seeds will germinate in half a month.

Lin Xiaoyao looked at this row of wooden barrels and said, "I think the river water in our village can barely maintain it, and other places in Anyuan Town should be similar. I just don't know how it is in places farther away."

"Don't think about the city of Fu to Yongzhou. The refugee army started to appear there. The situation is the most serious. It's better to go over from here." Lin Zhen put the wooden barrel in a shady place.

He asked Lin Xiaoyao, "By the way, you said before that you wanted to go out and try your luck after the drought is over. Do you have a plan?"

"Yes," Lin Xiaoyao said, "Do you remember the group of merchants who came to the capital before?"

"Yes."

"I have been following you for so many years, and I have saved some money. I want to take some small goods and follow the caravan for a few years. When I am familiar with the road, I will lead a caravan of my own and go to various places."

He started talking about a few years. Obviously, he had no plans to start a family at present, or in the next few years.

And it was somewhat similar to his original idea. He wanted to set up a chamber of commerce that specializes in finding trade routes for others and earn the profits in the middle. In other words, the two brothers should make money from each other in the future.

Chapter 143

"It's OK to have a plan," Lin Zhen said, "When you feel better, write me a detailed copy of the route you plan to take and the goods you plan to bring."

"Okay." In fact, even if he didn't say it, Lin Xiaoyao also wanted him to see it. With him watching, Lin Xiaoyao would feel much more at ease.

After Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen woke up, they didn't ask about the town. Lin Zhen was a little curious at first, but after thinking about it, he understood.

The two saw so many lives and deaths on the road. After returning, they saw that the town was empty and there was no one. I'm afraid they all thought that something had happened to the Wang family and the Huang family, and they didn't dare to touch this sad thing.

Lin Zhen asked Gu Lin two days ago, and Gu Lin said that all the people in the town had retreated to the deep mountains behind Anyuan Town. With them holding them back, there was enough time to escape from the range that the refugee army could catch up.

As long as there were no accidents with the Wang family and the Huang family, it would not be a problem to return to Anyuan Town safely after Gu Lin and the others dealt with the refugee army.

The two children were good friends of Gu Lin. They had gone through so many hardships to come back here. Lin Zhen took the opportunity to tell them about this during dinner: "The soldiers in the three stations where Gu Lin was located blocked the refugee army several times before it attacked Anyuan Town, leaving enough time for the people in the town to retreat. The Wang family and the Huang family have a good relationship, and it is likely that they will retreat together. Now we just have to wait for Gu Lin and his men to get rid of the refugee army, and those who hear the news will gradually return to the town."

They were all native Anyuan Town people. If there was no other way, who would be willing to leave their hometown and go to a place that they didn't know whether it was good or bad.

Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen, who were eating and resting for two days and finally felt a little better, looked at Lin Zhen closely, their voices dry and trembling: "Uncle Lin is telling the truth, my parents are fine!" Huang Yuwen, who

originally had a round face, was so thin that his chin was pointed, and his eyes looked bigger, was so anxious that he couldn't even speak clearly, and said something similar to Wang Qin.

No one knows how desperate Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen were when they returned to Anyuan Town after going through so much hardship, only to find that there were destroyed traps on the road leading to the town, and the town was dilapidated and no one was there.

But they didn't even have the strength to speak.

Lin Zhen gave them a positive answer: "So you must get well as soon as possible and pay attention to the news in the town."

"Thank you, Uncle Lin." After receiving the good news from their families, Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen's mental outlook suddenly changed, like the dying wild grass on the mountain outside, suddenly soaked by a heavy rain, and the whole body was full of fresh breath.

Time passed day by day, and Liyu Village was never discovered by the refugee army again, and the tunnel that saved the villagers of Liyu Village once was idle.

In the forest behind Anyuan Town, Gu Lin wiped the blood splashed on his face with the back of his hand. He walked to the burly figure in front of him with a huge broadsword: "Patrol Inspector."

Patrol Inspector Lu, who was untidy and had many wounds on his body, did not expect to meet Gu Lin in this place. He was saved by him once and sat down on the stone next to him: "Thanks to you this time, otherwise..."

Patrol Inspector Lu was also born into a military family. He was destined to be a soldier since birth. When his father packed up his bags and went home at the age of age, he took over this mantle and served in the military camp.

At that time, he was not in Anyuan Town, but in a small town further south. He moved here with the relocation of the station.

It took him more than 30 years to go from a small soldier to a ninth-rank patrol inspector. The twists and turns and hardships in it are not worth telling outsiders. Today, he and the remaining eleven people under his command ran into a group of more than 40 refugee soldiers who were dispersed. They had not eaten a grain of rice for two days and had not had a drop of water. They were exhausted and were beaten as soon as they met.

Just when Lu Xunjian thought he was going to die here, Gu Lin came with his men, and the two sides wiped out the refugee army.

Gu Lin did not respond, but took the lead in taking out some of the dry food made by the Lin family from his bag and handed it to Lu Xunjian.

Nie Yong and others also distributed some dry food to the other small flags under Lu Xunjian.

Seeing the food, Lu Xunjian and others' eyes turned green, and they took it and stuffed it into their mouths, not caring that the cold sorghum buckwheat cakes were so hard that they made their teeth ache.

Gu Lin looked at the surrounding mountains and forests and said, "According to the refugee troops we encountered in the past few days, their number is not much, and food and water are also in short supply. We have to worry that they will jump over the wall in desperation and not meet us, but flee to other places and collide with the villages in the mountains."

The hard sorghum buckwheat cake was eaten in a few bites. Inspector Lu didn't even taste anything. He picked up another one, bit a piece and said, "Almost. Since our team entered the mountains and forests, we have killed about 140 to 150 refugee troops. The other teams should also have the same number. As long as they don't flee to places where we can't find them, we can wipe them out in another five or six days." At

this time, Inspector Lu wanted to give a thumbs up to Gu Lin's strategy of dividing and annihilating them. With only more than 400 people from their three stations, they would probably be completely defeated in a few hours if they faced the enemy head-on.

But dividing and annihilating them created an opportunity for them to win with fewer troops. After all, these soldiers had been trained for several years or more than ten years. The refugee troops who gathered together had the word "army" on them, but they were refugees before, and they were not as good as them.

As long as it wasn't such an outrageous number ratio of 400 people against more than 2,000 people, their individual combat effectiveness was higher than that of the other side.

After eating four sorghum and buckwheat cakes in a row, Lu Xunjian's weak calves finally gained new strength. He sat on the stone and looked at Gu Lin, calling him to sit next to him: "How have you been these days? How many refugee soldiers have you encountered?"

He has led troops for many years, and the soldiers under his command have already understood his temper. Nie Yong, who is very talkative, became interested when he heard him ask about this matter, and jumped out: "Inspector, let me tell you, our luck is terrible. The second day after entering the mountain, we encountered a group of 50 refugee soldiers. My goodness, my legs were weak at that time..."

Nie Yong was like an actor on the stage, talking and gesturing, and talked about the groups of refugee soldiers they had encountered these days. Especially when talking about the battle with more than 300 refugee soldiers, his saliva almost splashed on Lu Xunjian's face.

Lu Xunjian and the soldiers under his command looked like they were listening to a foreign book, and they looked like they were talking nonsense. Are you kidding me?

Inspector Lu pushed Nie Yong over, widened his eyes and asked Gu Lin: "I don't believe this flowery boy, Gu Lin, tell me, what he just said is true, did you really encounter 300 refugee soldiers, and wiped them out!?"

300 people, what does that mean? There are more than ten times more people. Not to mention 300 people, even 100 people, Inspector Lu would not have the intention to fight, and he would run if he could.

Gu Lin said without much emotion: "Well, the terrain there is complicated, and they were hit in the face as soon as they appeared. There is no shelter around, and there is no room for retreat."

"..." Inspector Lu didn't know what to say, he still felt like he was listening to an opera.

And when the county magistrate handed Gu Lin to him, he asked Gu Lin how many years he had learned martial arts, and Gu Lin's answer was two years, so in order not to delay things, he threw Gu Lin to the tenth team.

He didn't expect that Gu Lin's claim of having only learned martial arts for two years was actually like this. Listening to what Nie Yong said, he rushed into the 300-man refugee army alone, eliminated most of the archers, and created a way for Nie Yong and his men to retreat. Then he led Nie Yong and his men to retreat and fight, and defeated all 300 refugee soldiers at a very low loss rate of only three people.

He looked at Gu Lin as if he were looking at a rare object, wishing that Gu Lin had three heads and six arms.

After eating the dry food, Lu Xunjian, Gu Lin and Nie Yong discussed together, and finally decided that the two teams would go together and search for the remaining refugee soldiers as soon as possible.

Five days later, three teams were added to the two teams of Lu Xunjian and Gu Lin. They looked at Li Tianwang, who had his head chopped off, but whose clothes were obviously different from those of the other refugee soldiers.

Patrolman Lu cut off Li Tianwang's head, held it up and looked at it: "With this head, we can go back to Anyuan Town." It has

been more than half a month since we entered the mountains. Among the five teams gathered here, except for Gu Lin and the team led by Patrolman Lu, the number of people has remained above ten, and the number of people in the other three teams is only half of the number when they set out.

The group of refugees who protected Li Tianwang today was the information they got from other refugees after being tortured. They followed the trail for two days before catching up.

Once Li Tianwang died, this group of more than 2,000 refugees was completely wiped out.

Patrolman Lu took off Li Tianwang's clothes, wrapped his head with his eyes wide open, and said to Gu Lin and the others: "Let's go back."

"Yes."

It took a day and a half to get from the deep mountains to Anyuan Town. They were so tired that they had no strength left. When Patrolman Lu waved his hand, they immediately came to the requisitioned yard where they lived a few days ago and collapsed on the bed.

Nie Yong and Zhang Tie, two big men, leaned their heads against each other and patted the empty seat next to them: "Captain Gu, we have reserved a seat for you, come quickly."

Gu Lin, who always loves cleanliness, looked at the two soldiers who had not showered or washed their feet since entering the mountain, and sat down on the empty seat.

Nie Yong and Zhang Tie looked at each other, and suddenly reached out to pull Gu Lin to lie on the bed.

"Hahahaha, Captain Gu, don't be as clean as a woman or a man, we are called manly!" Nie Yong pulled Gu Lin's arm and deliberately moved closer to Gu Lin.

Zhang Tie also laughed.

Gu Lin looked at them, clasped his hands in front of his chest, and closed his eyes.

Nie Yong and Zhang Tie could no longer make a fuss, lying like mud, and in the blink of an eye, a deafening snoring sounded.

Gu Lin, who had just closed his eyes, opened his eyes slightly, took the hands of the two men away from his hands, and closed his eyes again.

When Gu Lin and his team came out of the mountain, they met the team under Inspector Wang and Inspector Zuo. There were a total of nine teams in Anyuan Town, and six teams were still in the mountain. They

slept for a long time and woke up sporadically until the next afternoon.

Chapter 144

Gu Lin took down the two big thick legs that were on his legs, stood at the door and looked out, only to see a few red clouds appearing faintly on the horizon. In a little while, most of the sky will be dyed red.

Suddenly, Zhang Tie and Nie Yong, who were lying behind him, woke up and yawned as they came over: "I've been lying down for a whole day, and my bones don't feel like mine anymore. I just dreamed of fighting with the refugee army."

"I thought so. No wonder I dreamed of being kicked by a horse. It turns out that you were practicing boxing and kicking while sleeping." Nie Yong kicked Zhang Tie on the butt.

Zhang Tie covered his butt and approached Gu Lin: "What are you, the leader of the seventh flag, doing here in the place where our tenth flag lives? Go back to your own place."

"I am happy with it. Your leader Gu didn't say anything. If you keep talking nonsense, I will discuss with your leader and punish you..." Nie Yong scratched his head and couldn't think of what to punish him for. It was these days. There was no money or food from the higher-ups, and nothing could be deducted.

Zhang Tie grinned, revealing a row of neat white teeth: "You're right, Captain Gu, this is clearly where our 10th flag lives. With this one more person, our 10th flag is almost out of room."

The two men spoke in a voice like thunder, and even if they spoke softly, it would not have much effect. Others who were sleeping also woke up, grabbing Zhang Tie and Nie Yong, the two culprits who disturbed their sleep, and beat them up.

These soldiers have been together for three or four years at the least, and more than ten years at the most. They have long been old friends and good brothers, and there is no estrangement.

Although Zhang Tie yelled at Nie Yong not to stay here, when he entered the house yesterday, he was still lying down with his arm around Nie Yong's shoulders.

Suddenly, when the people of the 10th flag were in a lively mood, the personal soldiers beside Lu Xunjian stood outside the courtyard gate and said: "Captain Gu, Captain Nie, the inspector asked me to call everyone to the county government office for dinner."

After sleeping for a night and a day, everyone had nothing in their stomachs. When they heard that there was food to eat, their eyes were shining.

But no one ran out first, but looked at Gu Lin.

Gu Lin said to his guards, "We will go there immediately. Please."

"No need to bother, no need to bother," the guards around Lu Xunjian had also heard of Gu Lin's abilities and admired him very much. They smiled and said, "Then Captain Gu and Captain Nie, take the people of the 10th and 7th flags and go there immediately. I will go and notify the other teams."

Nine teams, that is, 18 flags, must be notified one by one.

The guards said a few words to Gu Lin and left.

Gu Lin looked at the people of the tenth flag who were swallowing their saliva and said, "Let's go."

"Wow, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!!!"

"Finally, we have a hot meal. God, I've been eating dry food these days and I'm almost turning into dry food."

"Captain Gu, hurry up, those people are just animals. If you go too late, you won't even get any soup."

"..."

Nie Yong was the leader of the seventh flag. The people of the seventh flag lived next door to Gu Lin and must have known the news. Nie Yong ran out quickly and shouted to the yard next to him, "Run faster, guys, run ahead of the tenth flag, don't leave them anything!"

Hearing this, the people of the tenth flag quickened their pace, and the door of the yard was squeezed and creaked.

The people of their two flags soon met people from other flags on the street. After entering the mountains for so many days, the big guys' beards had sprouted, and they were as long as a thumb. They were all big bearded gentlemen.

Gu Lin, who had shaved off his immature stubble after getting up, was particularly conspicuous in the crowd. From time to time, people in the crowd heard words such as "He is Gu Lin", "He looks young", "Is he really that powerful?"

Soon, a group of people arrived at the county government office.

Before entering, everyone smelled the fragrance of food. Gu Lin, Nie Yong and the leaders of other small flags led people in, only to see several fires on the open space in the yard behind the county government office, and the things in the pots on the fire were boiling.

There was nothing good in it. In the eyes of people who had enough food and drink in normal years, it was probably the same as pig food.

All kinds of miscellaneous dry food were stewed together, sorghum, buckwheat, millet, wheat, it didn't look good, and the fragrance was mixed.

But it was enough to make them drool now.

Inspector Lu, who was sitting in the courtyard, waved to Gu Lin and the other leaders of the small flags: "It's not easy to grab food with you guys down there, come and sit with me."

Gu Lin, Nie Yong and others naturally sat over. Inspector Lu specially placed a few tables here, which were more than enough for the leaders.

Gu Lin and Nie Yong naturally sat at Inspector Lu's table. Inspector Lu personally brought two bowls of mixed grain porridge and placed them next to them: "Try it, it doesn't look good, but it tastes okay."

"Alas, when I was in the mountains, I always thought that I must have a drink after I came out, but our master moved the yamen too clean, let alone wine, not even a wine jar."

Wine is always a precious thing, made of the best wheat or rice, purely for entertainment.

Gu Lin, Nie Yong and the other two leaders who were also under Inspector Lu took the bowl and took a sip.

In an instant, there was all kinds of food in their mouths, and it was mushy, and the taste...

but at least it was warm.

Gu Lin held the bowl and ate mouthful by mouthful. He ate not slowly, but his eating manner was not rude and he looked good. The

more Inspector Lu looked at him, the more he liked him. Seeing that Gu Lin's bowl was almost empty, he stood up, picked up the spoon, and personally served him a spoonful of porridge: "Nothing else, just enough porridge."

"Gu Lin, I heard from adults that you have the title of scholar, so I guess you are good at studying?"

The multi-grain porridge that had just been scooped out was boiling hot. Gu Lin put the bowl on the table: "It's OK."

Inspector Lu knew that he was a good person, and the fact that he could say the word "OK" meant that it was really good.

He couldn't help smacking his lips. How come this boy is so capable? He is good at both martial arts and literature. He clapped his hands and said, "Gu, I won't hide it from you. The youngest girl in my family is seventeen years old this year. If you are interested, I will take you to see her after this matter is settled."

"Puff." Nie Yong, who had the same idea as Lu Xunjian, almost spit out a mouthful of mixed grain porridge. Fortunately, he covered his mouth and held it back.

He knew that Gu Lin liked his stepfather, and that stepfather still looked like that. Lu Xunjian would definitely be rejected.

Gu Lin, who was not the first time he was asked to find a marriage for himself, remained unmoved and said, "Reply to Xunjian, I already have a sweetheart."

But Lu Xunjian was not stupid. He knew that a boy as popular as Gu Lin must have been mentioned to marriage by others. The sweetheart was most likely a word Gu Lin said to evade.

He said, "Do you think my daughter is three years older than you?"

"I tell you, a daughter who is three years older than you is a gold brick, which is good."

Gu Lin continued, "My sweetheart is eleven years older than me."

"..." Inspector Lu was speechless.

He looked at Gu Lin, "Are you serious, do you really have a sweetheart who is eleven years older than you?"

"Yes." Gu Lin nodded.

Inspector Lu patted his head and calculated, "You are fourteen years old now, and your sweetheart should be twenty-five years old this year. Good boy, you are reporting three and a half gold bricks."

"Okay, I won't join in the fun." Inspector Lu was also happy to see Gu Lin, but since Gu Lin already had a sweetheart, there was no need to talk about it.

Suddenly, Inspector Lu came up to Gu Lin and whispered mischievously, "Have you married your sweetheart? Have you consummated your marriage?"

He pinched Gu Lin's shoulders and arms while saying, "With your physique, you still have a lot of room to grow. Your sweetheart is so lucky."

Last time when they were blocking the refugee army, Nie Yong had said something similar in the dark, but it was pitch dark at that time and nothing could be seen clearly.

Today, he saw that Gu Lin's ears were actually red, and his handsome face was still cold.

Knowing his and Lin Zhen's identities, Nie Yong understood that there must be nothing between the two of them, and it was probably Gu Lin's unrequited love.

He said faintly, "Our team leader Gu is just looking at the bacon and eating white rice, he can only watch."

Inspector Lu looked at Gu Lin's red ears and laughed, "I have a fire avoidance map, I will give you a few later!"

Gu Lin, who had already finished his second bowl of mixed grain porridge, got up and added a third bowl, and his ears, which were already very red, became even redder.

After filling the stomachs of hundreds of people, they cooked pot after pot of porridge. When everyone finished eating, it was getting dark, so torches were lit everywhere.

Suddenly, just when they finished eating and were about to discuss how to find the county magistrate and the residents of the town, Lu Xunjian sent his personal soldiers to run in: "Inspector, there is a group of troops outside."

"Army!" Everyone in the yard stood up.

The personal soldiers panted and said: "It is the army of the court. They are ordered to hunt down the refugee army in the name of □□. The leader calls himself the commander-in-chief."

The commander-in-chief is a fourth-rank official, much higher than Lu Xunjian's ninth-rank official.

Lu Xunjian immediately straightened his clothes, called the leaders of more than a dozen small flags to go out with him to greet them, and at the same time told others to quickly put away the pots and pans here.

I don't know the temper of this commander-in-chief. If he offends his eyebrows, he will punish them for the crime of lax military discipline in the blink of an eye and make them suffer a lot.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and it was about to be completely dark.

Patrolman Lu, Gu Lin, Nie Yong and the leader of his small flag came out of the county government office and walked to the road in front of the town where the trap was dug. They saw flags flying under torches and soldiers wearing uniform military uniforms, holding long wooden warehouses and swords.

The leader had already dismounted and was squatting in front of the trap they had dug before.

"Your humble servant Lu Da, I pay my respects to the commander." Patrolman Lu knelt on the ground, and Gu Lin and others behind him also knelt down.

The commander-in-chief squatting in front of the trap stood up and patted the dirt on his hands: "Are you one of the inspectors in charge of military affairs in Anyuan Town?" "

Your Excellency, there are three inspectors in Anyuan Town. Inspector Wang and Inspector Zuo have not returned because they went into the mountains to suppress the refugee army a few days ago."

Chapter 145

"Wipe out the refugee army?" The commander-in-chief asked Inspector Lu and Gu Lin to stand up. "The three inspectors in your Anyuan Town have less than 400 people under their command. The number of refugee soldiers who fled from the city is at least 1,700 or 1,800. Are you kidding me, thinking that I am one of those good-for-nothings who only take military pay but don't know how to deploy troops?"

The commander-in-chief's tone suddenly became stern. Inspector Lu hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, I am not kidding you. This is the actual situation."

"More than 20 days ago, the leader of the tenth flag under my command returned to Anyuan Town from the city. On the way, he found a group of refugee soldiers of about 500 people. After he informed the county magistrate of Anyuan Town of this news, the county magistrate quickly summoned the three of us to the county government to discuss how to avoid this disaster."

"Then, I sent the people of the tenth flag to investigate the enemy situation. Unexpectedly, I found that the original group of refugees had joined with another group of refugees, and the number of refugees had reached 2,200-3,000--"

Before Inspector Lu finished speaking, the commander-in-chief said, "You said that the total number of refugees who arrived in Anyuan Town increased by 500, and the total number was 2,200-3,000?"

"Yes." Inspector Lu naturally did not dare to speak nonsense, and what he said was all true.

But the commander-in-chief did not believe it, frowned, and looked at Inspector Lu with some disgust: "The more you talk, the more outrageous it is. Are you going to tell me that with only three or four hundred of you, you killed more than two thousand refugees?"

"..." This is the fact.

Inspector Lu complained in his heart. If he had not participated in it himself, he would have thought that anyone who said this to him was exaggerating.

He had to make it clearer and more understandable: "My Lord, when the leader of the 10th flag rushed back that day and brought back the news, I was ready to advance and retreat with Anyuan Town. However, the leader of the 10th flag was a very thoughtful young man. He proposed the strategy of dividing and annihilating, running away when the enemy was more, and surrounding when the enemy was less. When the people of Anyuan Town evacuated Anyuan Town, they used the terrain to block the refugee army along the way. Finally, they used Anyuan Town as a barrier to consume another wave of refugee army. The soldiers of the three stations were divided into teams of 20 people each, pretending to be defeated and retreating to the mountains and forests far away from the village, and continued to nibble at the refugee army in the mountains and forests."

The commander-in-chief didn't believe that the few people in Anyuan Town could really keep the refugee army. He thought more about the refugee army continuing to flee south after looting Anyuan Town.

However, Lu Xunjian's well-reasoned words surprised him a little. After carefully thinking about the strategy of dividing and annihilating he mentioned, he had the idea that it might be true.

He became more interested in the leader of the tenth flag mentioned by Lu Xunjian: "Call the leader of the tenth flag out, I want to question him personally."

Lu Xunjian complained bitterly. If it weren't for the fact that the commander-in-chief looked like he was going to punish him immediately, he wouldn't have mentioned Gu Lin. Who knows what these superiors would think.

But things have come to this point, so it can only be done this way.

Gu Lin was behind Lu Xunjian, and he and the commander-in-chief heard everything clearly. When Lu Xunjian called his name, he stepped forward and saluted: "Gu Lin, the leader of the tenth flag, I meet you, sir."

The commander-in-chief Song Bing looked at Gu Lin, who was mentioned several times by Lu Xunjian. He saw the young man under the torch wearing a black robe and black pants, thin, with a cold and handsome face.

But he was too young, maybe only fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Are you the leader of the tenth flag who returned to Anyuan Town from the prefectural capital and found a group of more than 500 refugees, and formulated a strategy of dividing and annihilating them?"

"Yes."

"Well, let me ask you..." Song Bing's questions were thrown out one by one, and Gu Lin answered them clearly and concisely. At first, Song Bing's questions were very sharp, but slowly, they turned into a discussion, and finally, they became Gu Lin's explanation of his doubts.

Song Bing looked at the young man in front of him and completely believed what Lu Xunjian had just said.

With only three or four hundred people, more than two thousand refugees were annihilated. It was an excellent example of defeating the enemy with fewer people.

Song Bing's eyes softened, and he pointed to the trap on the ground and asked Gu Lin: "I saw that the bamboo sword and the broken porcelain pieces in this trap seemed to be deliberately stained with something. Is it poison?"

Gu Lin lowered his eyes and was unmoved: "Reporting to the adults, it is feces."

"Feces..." Song Bing is not a soldier of ordinary origin like Lu Xunjian. He is a child of Kyoto. Although his family is a family of military generals, he is well-dressed and well-fed.

Not to mention eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating, even when lying down, there were maids to support their heads. They never thought that they would hear such a filthy thing. They immediately covered their mouths and frowned, saying, "What's the use of doing this?"

Gu Lin said, "There are many tiny worms in the feces that are invisible to our naked eyes. After entering the wound, it will cause the person who was scratched to have a fever and the wound will become necrotic."

Lu Xunjian and Nie Yong and others beside Gu Lin agreed with it. At first, they also thought that this thing was useless, but when they followed the refugee army in the mountains and forests to compete to see who could live longer, they found that the wounds caused by arrows and swords that were stuck with feces were more serious than those of others, and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.

Gu Lin's performance just now made the commander-in-chief somewhat convinced of his words, but the feces still made his throat itchy and he wanted to vomit.

So he changed the subject and said, "I came here to wipe out this group of refugee army. Since the refugee army has been surrounded and suppressed by you, I will rest here for two days and choose another day to return to Beijing." Inspector

Lu immediately said, "Please, sir, the county government office has been cleaned up, it's just right for you to live there."

Song Bing remembered something at this moment and said, "Where is the county magistrate of Anyuan Town? Did he abandon the town and run away?"

The county magistrate was only a seventh-rank official, and the commander-in-chief was a fourth-rank official. Even though military officers were half a head shorter than civil officials, under the absolute rank suppression, Song Bing's words, which were not considered polite, would not dare to say anything even to the county magistrate in front of him.

Inspector Lu thought for a moment and said, "Before the refugee army came, the people in the town had retreated to the back. The county magistrate was going to stay with us, but he retreated with the people under the persuasion of the subordinates."

"The county magistrate is not a martial artist, and it is too dangerous for him to stay here." Inspector Lu was not flattering the county magistrate, but he had experienced too many things and knew that although the county magistrate of Anyuan Town was a little mediocre, he was much better than many other local officials.

At least he did not extort the people's money, at least he listened to advice, at least he had a bit of a heart.

Otherwise, Anyuan Town would have been destroyed this time.

Song Bing said nothing more after hearing this. The drought this time was really serious, especially in Yongzhou, where there was no one left in a hundred miles. The refugee army that was making trouble everywhere was also pulled from Yongzhou.

The emperor was furious and scolded all the court officials. However, the Ministry of Revenue had no money and could not provide food. Disaster relief became a hot potato. From last year to now, several officials have been defeated by this.

The Ministry

of Revenue was in a state of panic, and the Ministry of War was also in dire straits. If for no other reason, the Dayu Dynasty had been peaceful for hundreds of years for the credit of suppressing the refugee army. The emperor did not need them. The Ministry of War was already empty on the surface, and the military pay and military food were delayed again and again. In many places, there was no movement for the military pay and military food from seven or eight years ago.

But what can we do? It is impossible to spend a huge amount of money to support something that is useless. It is not easy to do something now, so we must perform well and let the emperor remember that there is such a Ministry of War.

Song Bing was able to lead the troops out, and I don't know how many hands were behind him.

The county government, which was already very grand to the common people in the town, was extremely shabby in the eyes of Song Bing and others. Inspector Lu led his men to clean up everywhere, and after they had served the people to sleep, he brought his personal soldiers to where Gu Lin and his men lived.

He sighed and called Gu Lin out.

"Sit down, let's talk for a while." Inspector Lu's face was not relaxed. He looked at Gu Lin and said, "This commander-in-chief came at the right time."

There was no water to drink at this moment, let alone tea. The two sat under the tree in the yard of this household, and the stone table was empty.

Inspector Lu continued, "Originally, I thought that when we welcome the county magistrate back, we can write a report on our merits in suppressing the refugee army. Maybe we can get some benefits. Now that the commander-in-chief is here, I'm afraid that it will be ruined."

Gu Lin understood that there have been many cases of stealing merits throughout history. Since this commander-in-chief was ordered to come for the refugee army, he must have some good military merits in his hands.

Inspector Lu also knew it, but how could he feel good about giving away the credit they had earned after so many soldiers died and risked their lives to others.

That is to say, he would not say a word to Gu Lin, and he would not say a word to anyone else.

Inspector Lu waved his hand, "No more, no more. This is not something we can worry about at all."

"Gu kid, what are you going to do in the future? I just casually asked you to come to the tenth small flag. With your ability, it's a pity to be the leader of a small flag in Anyuan Town."

"But it's really difficult to get promoted in the military now. Even if you go to other places, there are not many options."

Inspector Lu really treated him as his own to say this to him.

Gu Lin said, "After this matter is over, I will return to Liyu Village. After the drought is over, I will go to the provincial capital to continue studying and participate in the next provincial examination." This year's provincial examination was not held as scheduled due to the drought. According to the normal process, the next one will be held in three years. Gu Lin plans to return to Huaishan Academy to study.

Inspector Lu then remembered that Gu Lin was a scholar. He patted his head and said, "I was confused and forgot that you are still a scholar. If this road doesn't work, there is another way."

His eyes lit up and said, "Scholars are good. We in Dayu have always valued civil officials over military officials. Military officials are half a head shorter than civil officials of the same rank. With your intelligence and talent, I estimate that it will be no problem for you to become a county magistrate. By then, you will be a seventh-rank official!"

Chapter 146

The seventh-rank county magistrate, the local official, is an official position that many scholars who have studied hard for decades can only dream of. When Inspector Lu opened his mouth and said the county magistrate, he was very sure of Gu Lin's talent.

"Thank you for your good words, Inspector."

Inspector Lu sighed a little annoyed: "I don't know how Inspector Wang and Inspector Zuo are doing. Tomorrow I will report to the commander-in-chief how to find the people in the town and the county magistrate. I don't know what will go wrong."

Gu Lin said: "If this commander-in-chief wants military merit, other places will not be too extreme. The inspector does not have to worry too much."

"Besides, the county magistrate is not from a poor family. Maybe he is an old acquaintance of the commander-in-chief."

"Yes, yes, yes, how could I forget about this!" Inspector Lu slapped the table. They had heard that the county magistrate was a person from Kyoto and had some backers. If the county magistrate knew the commander-in-chief, then maybe they could keep some credit.

At least they can have a name in it, so that they will not contribute, but the superiors will not even see their shadows.

After talking to Gu Lin for a while, Lu Xunjian left, and Gu Lin went back to sleep.

The next day, as the leader of the 10th flag, Gu Lin was naturally not qualified to show up in front of the commander-in-chief, and Nie Yong and Zhang Tie continued to stay in the yard. At

noon, the personal guards around Lu Xunjian came with Lu Xunjian's order, "The county government has no one available, the inspector has ordered the 10th flag, the 7th flag, and the other three flags to go to the surrounding villages to inform the villagers that the refugee army has been wiped out by the court, and they can live their lives as usual." As soon as

the personal guards finished speaking, Zhang Tie, who was upright in character, raised his voice: "What? What? The refugee army was wiped out by the court, so what ghosts did we kill a few days ago!"

Nie Yong and other people from the 10th flag also frowned fiercely, and they were all indignant.

The personal guards were also people who had been through life and death with Lu Xunjian, so how could they not understand Zhang Tie and the others? Even he took a long time to calm down after hearing this order at first.

But he had followed Inspector Lu for so many years, how could he not understand that if there was really no room, Inspector Lu would not have fought for everyone.

When the personal soldiers were called, Inspector Lu's face was red and his neck was thick. If the commander-in-chief had not lived in the county government office, Inspector Lu would have smashed the bench and the table on the spot.

The personal soldiers looked outside and said, "The walls have ears, so everyone should keep their voices down."

"Now the only person who can take charge of things in the town is the inspector. He is of low rank and has no say in front of the commander-in-chief. There is really nothing we can do."

"The inspector said that after the commander-in-chief leaves, he will personally invite everyone to get together and apologize to everyone and the dead brothers."

The angry Zhang Tie had followed Inspector Lu for many years and knew that if there was no other way, Inspector Lu would never do so.

Moreover, the person who was most affected by the loss of military merit was Inspector Lu. If the commander-in-chief had not intervened, he would have no problem moving up a level with this military merit.

Zhang Tie calmed down and panted, "It's so fucking frustrating!"

Gu Lin said beside him, "It's frustrating, but we have to get it done. We'll see when the county magistrate comes back."

Gu Lin didn't believe that the county magistrate would swallow this loss. After all, Anyuan Town was safe and sound, and he, the county magistrate, also contributed.

The county magistrate has been here for more than 20 years, it's impossible for him not to want to move.

Gu Lin clasped his fists to the personal soldiers of Lu Xunjian and said, "Go back and tell the inspector that we will notify the villages immediately, and we will go deeper into the mountains and try to bring back the townspeople who have fled."

"With Captain Gu here, the inspector can't be more relieved." The personal soldiers clasped their fists in return and turned to notify the other flags.

The big guys who were originally happy to have won the refugee army suddenly became depressed.

Gu Lin picked up the bow and arrows and the huge broadsword and put them on his back, saying: "You guys pack up first, Brother Nie, you and I will go find the leaders of other small flags and discuss the route to the village."

Nie Yong was usually very talkative, but in fact he was a very calm person and had quickly calmed down.

He nodded and walked to Gu Lin's side: "The other small flags may make a scene, and we two may have to mediate the fight."

None of these soldiers could read, and they were all people who would rather fight than talk. Only he had a calmer personality, and the others were the same as Zhang Tie.

Gu Lin and Nie Yong, who had been dealing with them for so long and had this plan, left the courtyard. As expected, as soon as they walked to the place where the other teams lived next to them, they heard noisy voices coming from inside.

"I quit. Whoever wants to do this job can do it.

It's boring!" "I feel bad when I think about the fact that so many of our brothers died and we got such a result."

"Yeah, half of our flag's people died."

"..."

Gu Lin and Nie Yong walked in. The personal soldiers who had just been doing well with them looked helpless.

The people of this small flag saw Gu Lin and Nie Yong greeted each other, and told them the order brought by the personal soldiers. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Captain Gu, Captain Nie, what's going on? They just wiped out our merits and said that it was the refugee army that the court wiped out. Why don't they count us as part of the court's army and let us eat the same military rations and military pay as they do?"

"Yeah, why don't they just include us in the court's army!"

"Cowardly, really cowardly!"

"..."

They are not under the command of Inspector Lu, but the soldiers of Inspector Wang. Now that Inspector Wang and Inspector Zuo have not returned, Inspector Lu will make the decision on all matters.

Gu Lin looked at them and said, "When we stopped the refugee army, we didn't think about how to divide the credit. When we met the refugee army in the mountains, we didn't think that these credits would bring us fame and profit."

"If the commander hadn't come, I believe that everyone wouldn't talk about the word credit."

"Everyone here is worthy of their conscience and the identity of Dayu's soldiers. As for other things, just like when we stopped the refugee army, we have a clear conscience." Many things can only be done after the county magistrate, a qualified person, comes back.

These words made the noisy soldiers silent.

Yes, when they first stopped the refugee army, more than 400 people led the refugee army into the mountains. They just wanted to survive, kill this group of refugees, and buy more time for the townspeople who escaped.

To this day, they still remember the dinner they had at the fork in the road that night, the food that the people put in front of their yard, which was squeezed out of their own rations.

Looking at the quiet flag, the personal soldier who delivered the order saluted Gu Lin.

Gu Lin said, "Go and call the people from other small flags. We need to discuss how to plan the route together to avoid doing the same thing over and wasting manpower and resources."

"Yes, Captain Gu."

The people from other small flags were called over soon. Like the previous people, they were furious after hearing the words of the personal soldiers, and then they calmed down because of Gu Lin's words.

In the end, they were all led to notify other villages and go deeper into the mountains. It would be best if they met the people in the town and told them that the refugee army had been completely wiped out and they could return to the town to continue their lives.

By the way, the route was also planned. Under the care of the leaders of other small flags, the tenth small flag led by Gu Lin went east, covering Liyu Village, Datianzi Village, Wayao Village and deeper places.

There was no rush, but the people from the small flags didn't want to see the troops of the commander-in-chief here, so they took their things and left.

This time, Nie Yong's seventh flag was not with Gu Lin's tenth flag. There were nine people in the tenth flag, including him. Originally, except for Wang Jie, the youngest of Gu Lin, and another soldier, they were killed in the mountains.

After leaving the town, Gu Lin thought about the route of several villages and decided to start from Datianzi Village, then pass through Liyu Village, Wayao Village, and finally go to a deeper village.

Datianzi Village is closer to the town and it only takes one hour to get there.

When Gu Lin and his team entered the village, the people of Datianzi Village who were originally digging grass roots on the mountain screamed and scattered: "The bad guys are coming!"

Men, women, old and young holding hoes and sickles fluttered into the village like frightened birds, and several fell down. Aunt Lan, who

was also in the crowd and was once called by Lin Zhen to help cook, and later Lin Zhen bought two sets of children's clothes from her, was also among the people who ran away, but the more she thought about it, the more wrong it was. Why did the leader she saw just now look so much like Gu Da's son Gu Shuanzi?

But she was not too sure. After all, Gu Shuanzi had followed Lin Zhen to the Lin family. He would only come back to visit Gu Da's grave during the Qingming Festival. Fewer and fewer people in the village had seen him.

Aunt Lan looked back and was shocked. Who else could it be but Gu Shuanzi? How did he become a bad guy?

Gu Lin looked at the villagers running away and was unmoved. He led Zhang Tie and the others to the home of the village chief of Datianzi Village. The

village chief's house was originally two houses second only to the blue brick and tile house built by Gu Da. After learning the composting method from the Lin family, it was demolished and rebuilt in a few years. It was also two blue brick and tile houses.

When Gu Lin and the others walked over, there was a five or six-year-old child running around the door. He was wearing a brown robe and his face looked a little thin, but he was in good spirits.

Zhang Tie's child was similar to the child in front of him. He hadn't seen his own child for more than half a month. He couldn't help but make a face at the child and play with the child.

The wife of the village chief, who was mending old clothes in the house, saw her little grandson surrounded by several tall and strong villains . She was so scared that her face turned pale and she screamed: "An An!!!"

The other people in the house were attracted by her scream, and when they saw Gu Lin and others outside, they were also shaking with fear.

Gu Lin patted Zhang Tie and asked him to stop teasing the child. He said to the people in the house: "Village chief, I am Gu Lin. I am here on official business. Please open the door."

"Gu Lin..." After so many years, the village chief has become older, with a white beard.

He squinted at Gu Lin, still trembling with fear.

Gu Lin was stunned and said: "Gu Da's son, Gu Shuanzi, I changed my name a few years ago to Gu Lin."

Chapter 147

The village chief didn't know the name Gu Lin, but as soon as the three words Gu Shuanzi came out, the village chief and his wife knew it. The village chief's wife was shocked: "Gu Shuanzi, is it really the Shuanzi of the Gu family!?"

"Yes." Gu Lin nodded.

The key to the Gu family's house has been with the village chief's wife for many years, in case the old lady Gu and her family occupy the house and make trouble.

The village chief's wife came out, and even if Gu Lin said so, she still didn't believe it. She stood at the door and looked at him carefully for several times before finally confirming it. Although Gu Lin's eyebrows and eyes have grown, some shadows of his childhood can still be seen.

And she remembered that there was a mole at the place where Gu Shuanzi's eye extended, and the boy in front of her also had it.

She picked up her grandson and looked at Gu Lin, who was standing in the front and was obviously the leader of this group of tall guys: "I heard that you took the exam before... what kind of student... how did you become..." She didn't say the word "bad guy", but seeing that Gu Lin was still as calm as before, she couldn't suppress her curiosity.

Gu Lin said, "I was a student in the town, and later went to the provincial capital to study with my uncle Lin."

"Now I'm temporarily serving in the Anyuan Town Guard Station. I came here to tell the village that the refugee army that attacked Anyuan Town has been surrounded and wiped out by the soldiers sent by the court. There's no need to worry."

"The refugee army has been surrounded and wiped out!" The village chief's wife, who had been worried these days, immediately put her hands together and chanted "Amitabha", "This is really great news, the soldiers from the court really came at the right time!"

Zhang Tie and others who followed Gu Lin heard the village chief's wife being so grateful to the soldiers from the court, and they curled their lips in disdain, but this was an order from their superiors, and no matter how uncomfortable they felt, they could not tell the truth.

The village chief also heard the news, and came over and shouted three times: "Gu boy has made a name for himself, he can even work in the town's guard post, and your father can rest in peace."

"I will gather all the people in the village and tell them the good news. Everyone is already having a hard time because of the drought, and with the arrival of the refugee army, I don't know if they can survive."

"By the way," the village chief suddenly said to his wife who was holding his grandson, "Go and get the key to Gu Lin's house. After so many years, it's time to return it to its original owner." "

I asked you to look after it because you were still young and I was afraid that I couldn't control that unreasonable old woman Gu. Now you have your own business, and I don't worry about them causing trouble for you."

When the village chief's wife heard the village chief's order, she handed her grandson to her daughter-in-law, found the key to the Gu family's door, and handed it to Gu Lin.

The door key was seven years old and had not been used for many years, so it was rusted.

Gu Lin looked at the key in his hand, and memories of Gu Da came flooding back.

He was Gu Da's most beloved son. When Gu Da was still alive, he liked to take him with him wherever he went. He would carry him high on his shoulders in the village, hold his hand in the town, and buy him all kinds of delicious and fun things.

At that time, he was the little bully of Datianzi Village, with a string of friends following behind him, running from one end of the village to the other with a slingshot and a small wooden sword. There was nothing he dared not to mess with.

Later, Gu Da died overnight, and he no longer had a father. He knelt in front of Gu Da's coffin for more than ten days, until his legs were swollen and blue, and he always cried while looking at Gu Da's coffin when no one was around.

At that time, he felt like the sky had fallen on his head.

In a flash, so many years have passed, he is Gu Shuanzi, and also Gu Lin.

Kicking the keys in his hand, Gu Lin clasped his fists to the village chief and his old wife: "Thank you, Grandpa Village Chief, Grandma Village Chief. I have official business to attend to, so I'll leave first."

The village chief didn't expect him to leave so soon: "You've finally come here, come to my house and sit for a while before leaving. I'll call the villagers right away, and you can tell them about this in person."

"No need," Gu Lin said, "It's the same if you notify them. We still have to visit several other villages."

After he said that, the village chief couldn't keep him, and said, "Since you are busy with official business, I can't keep you, but do you want to go to your father's grave and take a look?"

"In previous years, I would ask my two sons to go and cut some weeds. This year, the drought is severe, and everyone is busy filling their stomachs. They don't have time to go there. The weeds are probably as tall as a human."

When Gu Lin heard that the weeds on Gu Da's grave were as tall as the grave, his shoulders stiffened for a moment, and he said, "Well, that's exactly what I meant, Grandpa Village Chief. We'll leave first."

"Go, go, see your father," the village chief and his wife sighed as they watched Gu Lin lead people to the mountain where Gu Da was buried. "When Gu Da just died, who could have thought that his son would have such great luck, and actually work in the town's guard post and become the leader of several soldiers."

"That's right, at that time, everyone was secretly saying that the boy Gu Da married would run away with the money, and that Gu Shuanzi would become a homeless person. Look, he was really awesome just now." At that time, Mrs. Gu's family was rogue and scoundrel. If Lin Zhen wanted to go back to the Lin family, he had to leave the key of the Gu family's house with her, so that she could suppress Mrs. Gu's family. Now that Gu

Shuanzi has made a difference, Mrs. Gu's family is afraid that they will feel uncomfortable.

After all, Mrs. Gu's family has been living the same way for so many years, always looking at the blue brick and tile house left by Gu Da, wanting to use it to marry her grandson.

The couple chatted for a while, and the village chief asked his two sons to call the people in the village to tell everyone the good news that the refugee army was wiped out by the imperial court.

Gu Lin, who came out of the village chief's house, took Zhang Tie and others to his own blue brick and tile house. The last time he stayed in the house for a day was when he came back to visit Gu Da's grave two years ago. Zhang Tie

and others had been to Lin's house before, and thought that was Gu Lin's home. Today, they learned that this was where Gu Lin really made his fortune, and they couldn't help but be curious.

"Captain Gu, isn't your home in Liyu Village? How come you have a house here?" Zhang Tie is a straightforward person, and he asked whatever he wanted to ask.

Gu Lin said as he walked: "After my father died, Uncle Lin and I moved to Lin's house, and the house here was idle."

Zhang Tie asked again: "Why didn't Mr. Lin live here with you at that time?"

Because he thought he was going to run away with that man with the money of the Gu family, and he went to live with Ma and Zhou Tao.

Lin Zhen naturally would not stay here, and lived in the Gu family's house with peace of mind.

Gu Lin did not look back at Zhang Tie, but just said: "You don't know a lot."

"Hehe." Zhang Tie knew that his leader Gu, who didn't like to talk, didn't want to answer him, so he didn't ask any more questions and just followed him obediently.

Soon, Gu Lin led his men to the front of Gu's house. When Gu Lin and Zhang Tie were about to walk up, they saw a familiar figure lying on the window of the house, reaching his hand inside, as if he was taking something out.

Zhang Tie and his men didn't know who this person was, and whether he was related to Gu Lin, so they didn't say anything, but just looked at Gu Lin.

Gu Lin looked at the familiar figure and said coldly: "He came here uninvited, he is a thief, Zhang Tie, catch this thief."

The old woman who was reaching for something inside was held down by Zhang Tie and was startled: "Gentlemen, this is my own house. I forgot to take the key when I went out. I was just about to take the key on the table. I am not a thief--"

The old woman was caught by Zhang Tie and saw Gu Lin standing in front of everyone. Her body stopped: "You, you are Gu Shuanzi!"

"Hurry up and let this man let me go, I am your grandmother!" The old woman Gu thought that this group of people were the villains who were taken to the militia in the town before, and was startled.

When she found that Gu Shuanzi was actually inside, she was not so panicked.

After all, Gu Shuanzi was her grandson, what was she afraid of.

Gu Lin looked at the extremely arrogant old lady Gu, and felt that she had not improved at all after so many years, and was hopelessly stupid.

He looked at the window with two wooden bars removed, and knew that if he had not come today, old lady Gu might have really sneaked in. Although he and Lin Zhen did not live here, there were no valuables in it, but the furniture that Gu Da had bought was made of good wood and was worth some money.

Old lady Gu must have set her sights on those furniture and wanted to move them back.

Gu Lin stood in front of the window, looked at the hole that old lady Gu had reached into, and said to Zhang Tie: "Send someone to the village chief and say that this person stole my family's property, and report to the town in ten days."

"Yes, leader." Zhang Tie immediately told the person who issued the tenth small flag behind him, and held down old lady Gu's hands tightly, so that she could not break free no matter how she struggled.

Mrs. Gu originally thought that Gu Lin was a bad guy, but seeing Zhang Tie and the others like this, it was clear that they were doing something serious. She blinked her eyes and cried, "Shuanzi, you haven't been back for so many years, and the house has been empty. If I hadn't come to check it out often, the things inside would have been taken away long ago."

"Look at this yard, I swept it clean with a broom. Now that you're back, grandma is relieved."

This was of course a lie. Mrs. Gu couldn't wait any longer. She didn't care whether the key was with the village head's wife or not. She thought about cleaning the place first, and then prying open the lock after a few days and moving in.

The other families didn't dare to say anything.

After all, it was a foregone conclusion that Gu Shuanzi was his grandson. At most, she would cry, make a scene, and then hang herself. If she made a few more scenes, the house would be hers.

Gu Lin blew the dust off his hands and looked at Mrs. Gu coldly: "It's useless for you to tell me these things. Uncle Lin didn't let you enter this house back then, and it's even more impossible now."

"As long as you can bear the beating, you can move in."

Mrs. Gu didn't expect Gu Shuanzi to be so ruthless: "I am your grandmother. If you are so ruthless, how can others see you!"

Gu Lin was unmoved.

Mrs. Gu looked at him angrily: "It's all because of that little whore Lin Zhen. If she hadn't instigated you to go to the Lin family, this house would belong to our Gu family--"

Chapter 148

"Whoosh" A huge broad knife appeared in Gu Lin's hand at some point, only an inch away from Old Lady Gu's neck.

Old Lady Gu's face was tight and she was trembling. She didn't expect Gu Lin to attack her. After all, she was Gu Lin's grandmother.

Just like Gu Da back then, she never thought she did anything wrong. He jumped out of her belly, so even if she killed him, he couldn't complain.

But Gu Da was too cruel. She brought people to look for him several times but didn't get any advantage. Her second son, who was the apple of her eye, had a finger chopped off by Gu Da, so Old Lady Gu didn't dare to look for Gu Da anymore. It wasn't

until Gu Da died that she felt the opportunity had come, and she couldn't wait to bring other people from the Gu family back again.

She thought well. Once Gu Da died, that evil Lin Zhen wouldn't be a problem at all. As long as she could control Gu Shuanzi, no one else would dare to say anything.

Who would have thought that Lin, who seemed unreliable on weekdays, was actually a hidden talent. Not only did she not get any advantage, but she also pulled out the old woman from the village chief's house, so that she could not even enter the door of the Gu family.

Old Mrs. Gu was frightened by the knife in front of her. She said with trembling teeth, "You, what do you care about? I don't know that my grandson is a scholar. If it weren't for the drought this year, he couldn't go to the town to take the exam. He would have been a student and would have become a high-ranking official in the future!"

"If anything happens to me, you will have a hard time in the future!"

Gu Lin said expressionlessly, "I'm waiting."

"Get lost."

The huge broadsword was retracted. The blade that had killed countless people was so sharp that it cut off the hair around Old Mrs. Gu's ears.

Old Mrs. Gu screamed, touched her head that was intact on her neck, and ran away in a hurry.

Gu Lin walked to the window, found the two dismantled wooden strips, and nailed them back together. He looked at the house he had lived in for seven or eight years, and said to Zhang Tie behind him, "Let's go to my father's grave and leave."

Gu Da's grave was indeed very desolate. The weeds were taller than those people, who were taller than most people. Gu Da's tombstone was completely invisible.

Gu Lin used the huge broadsword in his hand to clear the weeds on the tombstone and the grave, and piled them aside. Zhang Tie and the others also cleared the surrounding area. There were

also those thumb-sized saplings that sprang out from the roots of the trees. Although they were small now, they would be as thick as wrists in two years and would be difficult to handle.

Gu Lin stood in front of Gu Da's tombstone, looking at the blurred handwriting on the tombstone after years of wind and rain. There was a line of small characters on it, "son, Gu Shuanzi", and another line, "wife, Lin Zhen".

He knelt on his knees in front of Gu Da's grave and kowtowed three times.

"Let's go." Gu Lin stood up and left Datianzi Village with Zhang Tie and others.

After the village chief who had summoned the villagers of Datianzi Village informed them that the refugee army had been wiped out, Aunt Lan was surprised. "So those people we met at the entrance of the village just now were Gu Shuanzi and his men?"

"Gu Shuanzi? Is he an official?"

"Yes, he led several people and was very powerful."

"Does the old lady Gu and her family dare to attack the house left by Gu Da? I saw her sneaking around Gu Da's house a few days ago." "

Old lady Gu? I just met her on the road. She looked scared out of her wits."

The people of Datianzi Village were very curious about Gu Shuanzi. After all, Gu Shuanzi's situation back then, his father died and he had an unruly stepfather. Everyone who saw him would shake their heads. This child was probably in big trouble and could not support the Gu family.

Who would have thought that seven or eight years later, he would have grown up and become successful.

Even if he was just an insignificant official who managed a few people, he was different from them.

Gu Lin didn't know all this, and even if he knew, he wouldn't take it to heart.

Before dark, he and Zhang Tie and others arrived at Liyu Village. Standing outside the yard, he could see the green furry things in the wooden barrels lined up against the wall, which made him feel particularly comfortable when everything was yellow.

He knocked on the door and soon heard a familiar voice from inside: "I'm here."

"Squeak--" The door opened, and Lin Zhen stood inside, looking up at him slightly, "Gu Lin, have you finished your work?"

Gu Lin said, "I followed the order of the patrol to inform each village that the refugee army had been wiped out by the imperial court. I just came from Datianzi Village."

When he heard him say that the refugee army was wiped out by the imperial court, Lin Zhen frowned, and then looked at the expressions of Zhang Tie and others behind him. There was nothing he didn't understand, someone had come to pick their fruits.

Lin Zhen made way and asked them to come in: "I'm cooking right now. You can rest here tonight and go somewhere else tomorrow."

After that, Lin Zhen shouted to the elder and second sisters-in-law of Lin who were cooking in the house: "Sisters-in-law, eat some more sorghum rice. Gu Lin and his family are here."

The people in the house heard the voice and several people came out, including Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen, Zhong Yan, as well as Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou and other members of the Lin family.

Seeing that it was Gu Lin, Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen were so excited. These days, they had heard from the Lin family that Gu Lin had also recuperated here before, but he left the next day after they came and did not meet them.

Zhong Yan was the same, but he had experienced the death of his mother and was hit too hard. He could not hide the haggardness on his face. He just bowed to Gu Lin from a distance.

"Gu Lin!"

"We finally meet!"

Wang Qin is a little bully in front of outsiders, but he can't be a bully in front of Gu Lin. He put his arm around Gu Lin's shoulders and couldn't help but redden his eyes: "We parted in a hurry that day, and I thought we would never meet again several times."

Huang Yuwen was much gentler, and he still had a smile on his thin face: "You don't know him. These days, besides talking about Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang, he also talked about you. I heard that you led people to kill the refugee army, and I'm eager to

go too." Wang Qin put his arm around Gu Lin's shoulders: "Take me with you this time. You saw me on the road before. I'm not weak in boxing and kicking. I can also swing a sword and kill a few refugee soldiers."

Gu Lin didn't take his hand off even though he was holding his hand. He said lightly: "The refugee army has been wiped out by the court officers and soldiers. We came to the village this time to inform the villages not to worry about the harassment of the refugee army and live as before."

Wang Qin was puzzled: "The refugee army wiped out by the court officers and soldiers?"

"But Uncle Lin said that you..." Wang Qin had studied for so many years, how could he not understand?

He said angrily: "These people are really!"

"Okay, let's talk inside." Lin Zhen closed the courtyard door and let them go in first.

Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou, Lin Xingxiang, Lin Huaixiang and others also greeted Gu Lin. There was no room for a large family in the house, so they took chairs and sat under the eaves in front of the house.

Wang Qin couldn't wait to pat Gu Lin's arm and asked him to speak quickly.

In front of the Lin family and them, Gu Lin didn't say those formal words. He told them everything about how they wiped out the refugee army and returned to the town, but the commander-in-chief had gone.

Finally, he said: "This time, I will lead the people of the tenth flag to come to each village to inform everyone, and secondly, go deep into the mountains to bring back as many original people as possible from the town."

Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen, who hadn't put away their angry expressions on their faces, were excited and flustered when they heard that he was going to the mountains to find the people in the town.

Wang Qin's hands were shaking as he looked at Gu Lin: "Can I go with you? You know, my parents and Yuwen's parents have all retreated to the mountains under your protection. I want to follow you to find them."

Huang Yuwen, who was next to Wang Qin, also looked at Gu Lin and said with a tight throat: "Gu Lin, I want to go with you too."

The two men's bodies had improved a lot after recuperating in the past few days. At least they were not the kind of people who would collapse easily. A teenager of fourteen or fifteen years old, with food and drink, recovered quickly.

Gu Lin looked at them and said, "Okay."

The refugee army in the mountains had been wiped out by them. Even if there were a few remaining, they could handle them. Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen didn't need them to carry or support them, so they were not a burden. Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen

knew Gu Lin's temper. He nodded, and that was fine.

The two hugged Gu Lin's shoulders at once, and were so excited that they didn't even call Gu Lin's name, and called him "Shuanzi" all the time.

Lin Zhen was watching happily from the side and said, "You guys chat, I'll go see how the food is."

He got up and went to the kitchen. Lin Xiaoyao was taking out dried black fungus from his pocket and putting it in a basin, adding water to soak it.

Sister Lin hurriedly washed the sorghum rice because of the sudden arrival of Gu Lin and the others. While the rice in the wooden barrel had not yet produced steam, she added water to the pot on the other stove hole and poured the newly washed sorghum rice into it.

Lin Zhen looked at it and said, "I'll go pick some young Chinese cabbage. The first ones planted can be eaten."

Lin Xiaoyao pressed the black fungus down with chopsticks and raised his head: "It's only as high as a finger. It's a pity to eat it." It's

not easy to see some green now. The vegetables planted in the wooden basins and barrels are very precious. His third brother usually watches them very carefully. He feels sad when one of them wilts. If he waits another half a month, it will be a great vegetable.

Lin Zhen picked up a basin and said, "It's not a pity. After eating, we can sow new seeds. In ten days, we will have more."

"We have been eating dried vegetables for more than half a year. Let's try some fresh ones."

As soon as he said that, Lin Zhen was greedy.

It has been a long time since I last ate fresh vegetables. I didn't eat anything good in the last two months in the capital city. I was lucky not to starve to death on the way back. Although I didn't have to worry about not having enough food after returning, I had to mix dried bamboo shoots, dried fungus, salted and dried vegetables. Sometimes I didn't even have these dried vegetables. I had a bowl of sorghum buckwheat rice and a bowl of light salt water to eat with the salt water.

Lin Xiaoyao, Lin Dasao and Lin Ersao also swallowed their saliva. They looked after the buckets of cabbage and radish seedlings in the yard every day and took great care of them. Not a drop of the used water was wasted. They all watered them. Lin

Zhen found that he was not the only one greedy, so he smiled and took the basin out.

Chapter 149

There were many people sitting under the eaves, and it was almost impossible to squeeze out. Lin Zhen held the basin and made them make way before he could get out smoothly. In the last bit of daylight, he pulled out the tender cabbage seedlings in the wooden barrel.

The cabbage seedlings were only a dozen days old, and they broke with a light pinch of the fingernail. The fresh smell of vegetables emanated from the broken ends.

Since the vegetables he planted in the wooden barrel grew, Aunt Ma and Uncle Ji who came to see them also found a few unused wooden basins and barrels to plant some. Not only did they not have to worry about the waste water, but they could also eat vegetables.

In fact, this is just as simple as tending to flowers and plants, but everyone was anxious to fill their stomachs during the drought, so they didn't expect this.

After pinching the cabbage seedlings from two wooden barrels to fill the basin, Lin Zhen carried the cabbage in and personally cooked a large pot of cabbage and black fungus soup. The emerald green color matched the dark brown black fungus, which made people appetizing. There were

also fried black fungus, fried dried bamboo shoots, and cold salted dried vegetables made by Lin Xiaoyao.

"It's time to eat!" Lin Zhen shouted to the people sitting under the eaves, holding a ceramic bowl with vegetables in it. Everyone started to move their hands, pulling tables and chairs, getting bowls and chopsticks from the cabinet, and then carrying all the steamed rice over.

The Lin family and the people from the 10th Banner, as well as Zhong Yan, Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen, and Grandma Zhong, were already more than 20 people. They couldn't fit at one table, so they split into two tables.

One table for the elderly and one table for the young. Although Lin Zhen was not very old, he was already the elder of many of the children present. He sat at the table of Grandma Zhong, Lin Adie, and Lin's father with Lin Xiaoyao.

The other table was for Gu Lin, Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen, Zhong Yan, and the younger ones in the family, as well as a few soldiers from the 10th Banner.

Lin Zhen first served a bowl of cabbage and black fungus soup to Lin Adie, Lin's father, and Grandma Zhong. "I tasted the saltiness when I was cooking just now, and I almost couldn't help drinking a big bowl. Grandma Zhong, Dad, and Father, you guys can try it."

Apart from anything else, being able to eat fresh cabbage at this time of year was already a rare thing.

Grandma Zhong, Father Lin, and Father Lin took a sip from their bowls, and felt a flavor that was incomparable to dried vegetables filling their lips and tongues. The tender cabbage vines were cooked just right, with a crisp texture, and were particularly sweet and salty when chewed.

There was no need to say anything, just watching the three of them quickly finish a bowl of cabbage and fungus soup to know how delicious it was.

Brother Lin and his friends also scooped a shallow bowl, as if they were eating some delicacies from the mountains and the sea.

The Lin family was bustling and very conspicuous in the quiet village, as if they had returned to the time before the drought. Every household was immersed in the joy of the autumn harvest that should have happened at this time of year, counting how many bags of grain there were at home, how much silver they could exchange for in the town, and how to find a family for their sons, daughters, mothers, and brothers next year...

After dinner, the adults like Lin Zhen did not move, and Gu Lin took a group of fourteen or fifteen-year-old children to collect the bowls and wipe the table.

The weather in late autumn had already turned cold. It was not noticeable when there was sunshine during the day, but it was unbearable at night.

Lin Zhen rubbed his arms, which were covered with goose bumps from the wind, and went back to the house to get a thicker piece of clothing. Suddenly, he saw clothes on the bedside that were not his size. After thinking about it, he went outside to call Gu Lin: "Gu Lin, there are clothes for you, come and get them." Gu

Lin, who was talking to Zhong Yan, Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen, and Zhang Tie, heard his voice and turned his head to look at him. His tall and thin figure stood up and took a few steps in front of him with his long legs.

He was still wearing the black short-sleeved brown suit he wore when he left the Lin family last time. He had not washed it, nor had he changed his clothes. There was a smell.

Lin Zhen had never seen him wear the same clothes for more than a day before. Seeing him standing in front of him with a serious face, he remembered that when he was in the capital city, he would take a shower every morning and evening when he came back, and roll up his sleeves to wash the clothes he had changed.

"After making clothes, there is still some fabric left at home. I gave it to Aunt Ma and Aunt Liu and asked them to make a dress for you, Zhong Yan, Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen. You can take it with you."

Gu Lin's eyes never left him when he spoke. Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the day when he left and he couldn't help but hug him. He just wanted to untie his hairband to think about it, but it made him feel weird.

Gu Lin couldn't help but look at Lin Zhen's face. His face was small, his skin was very white, his eyes were a little round, with childishness, but the corners of his eyes were charming.

His nose was straight and his lips were slightly plump.

His hair was tied high on his head, braided into a bun, tied with a hairband, revealing a slender neck as white as his face.

Gu Lin suddenly felt that the same strange state as that day had appeared again.

He did not forget Lin Zhen's angry expression after he had such a situation that day. He lowered his head and tightly grasped the clothes in his hands. He said with a tight throat: "Okay."

In order to prevent him from doing the same thing as that day, Lin Zhen deliberately did not close the door of the room. Seeing him lowering his head and looking at the clothes in his hands, Lin Zhen thought he wanted to change clothes and said: "You should still live in the two rooms before. If you want to change, change. There is water in the river. You can go and wash the old clothes."

Gu Lin nodded: "Okay."

Lin Zhen turned and went out. Gu Lin took the clothes to the room they lived in before and closed the door.

He took off the black clothes he had worn for many days. The light honey-colored upper body no longer had the cloth wrapped around the wound, revealing the criss-cross wounds that had not yet completely healed. Clear clavicle,

straight shoulders, and a thin layer of evenly distributed muscles on the thin waist and abdomen, extending down to the waistband of the pants.

At this moment, there were obvious signs below the waist and abdomen.

Gu Lin's ears were so red that blood was almost dripping out. After changing his clothes, he sat on the bed for a long time before he came out with the dirty clothes. He said to Lin Zhen in a slightly hoarse voice, "Uncle Lin, I'm going to the river to wash clothes."

Lin Zhen raised his head and hadn't spoken yet, but Gu Lin had already walked away with the clothes.

After a while, Lin's father suddenly said, "Shuanzi didn't even bring soapnut powder when he went to wash clothes. Did he wash them clean?"

"..." He had worn the clothes he was given for many days, and I'm afraid that even the smell on them couldn't be washed off by soaking them in water.

Lin Zhen got up and picked up the soapnut powder in a bamboo tube from the corner, "I'll take it to him."

"Take a lantern."

"No need, the moon is bright today, and you can see the road clearly." He was worried about the refugee army before, but now that the refugee army has been wiped out by Gu Lin and his men, he is not afraid to walk outside.

Lin Zhen held the soapberry powder in one hand and broke off a long hair grass in the other hand to play with. The river that runs through the entire Carp Village is called Xiaoqiao River. Because the Upper Carp Village and the Lower Carp Village are built along the river, every household is not far from the river. It only takes three to five minutes to get there.

Lin Zhen heard the sound of water from afar. He walked a few steps forward and was about to call Gu Lin, but his throat seemed to be strangled and he couldn't say a word.

Under the bright moonlight, a figure stood up from the river.

The cold moonlight fell on the figure, enough for people to see what his naked body looked like.

xxxxx!!!

The grass and soapberry powder in Lin Zhen's hand fell to the ground, and he turned and ran.

Gu Lin, who had deliberately found a place downstream to take a bath, heard the sound and instantly locked onto the figure just more than 20 steps away from him. He immediately recognized who it was and the temperature on his body rose rapidly.

When he thought that what he had just done might be seen by Uncle Lin, he showed an embarrassment that rarely appeared on his face, grabbed his clothes and put them on quickly.

Gu Lin walked to where Uncle Lin had just stood, pursed his lips and picked up the bamboo tube with a lid on the ground. He opened it and saw that the brown soapnut powder inside was in good condition and exuded a light smell.

It turned out that Uncle Lin had just brought him soapnut powder. Gu Lin held the soapnut powder and returned to the place where the villagers washed clothes with two large stone slabs, scooped up water and poured it into the basin.

After rubbing the clothes and pants clean, Gu Lin took the clothes back. There was still a conspicuous red on his face and neck, which was hard not to be noticed.

Lin's father looked at him: "Shuanzi, where are you feeling uncomfortable? Why is your face so red?"

Gu Lin had a serious face and the same expression as before, "No, I walked faster."

"How come you are like your father, and your face and neck are red even though it's only a short distance from our house to the river."

"..." Uncle Lin did the same as him.

Gu Lin's heart was beating fast, and he responded twice by wringing the water from the wet clothes into the basin and hanging them on the pole in the yard.

That night, Gu Lin and Lin Zhen didn't sleep well, especially Lin Zhen. He wanted to beat himself to death for delivering soap bean powder. What was the point of delivering? Why not just let that little bastard wear dirty clothes?

After prying again and again, Lin Zhen could no longer treat Gu Lin as a child, but the scene last night had a huge impact on him. He kicked the quilt a few times in annoyance and shook his head to get rid of the things in his mind.

Having not slept well at night, Lin Zhen got up late the next day. When he got up, he heard Lin's father and others say that Gu Lin had left with the people of the Tenth Small Banner, Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen.

He was stunned for a moment with the toothbrush in his mouth, and continued to brush his teeth.

Zhong Yan came out at some point and supported Grandma Zhong: "Uncle Lin, thank you for your family's care these days. Since the town is fine, grandma and I will go back today."

Lin Zhen quickly brushed his teeth and stood up: "The town is empty now, how will you two, the grandparents and grandchildren, survive?"

He continued: "Well, you carry a bag of food here first. With your talent, there must be a place in the town that can use you. Just return it when you have spare food."

Lin Zhen knew that with Zhong Yan's temper, he would definitely not accept the word "send".

And as he said, with Zhong Yan's status as a juren, it is quite easy to find a job in the county government, and it is only a matter of time to return the food.

If he didn't ask, Zhong Yan, who was also planning to borrow food, bowed to Lin Zhen and said, "Thank you, Uncle Lin, for helping me out of my urgent need."

"Why are you thanking me? It's not the first day we've known each other. Xiao..." Lin Zhen wanted to call you Xiaoyao, but immediately stopped talking and said, "I'll get you a backpack and some food. Just walk slowly on the road. It'll be fine as long as you can get there before dark."

With Zhong Yan's physique, he couldn't compare with the rough guy. He certainly couldn't walk fast with things on his back.

Chapter 150

: A backpack and a bag of food. While Lin Zhen was worried that he couldn't carry it, Zhong Yan held Grandma Zhong with one hand and supported himself with a stick with the other hand to prevent him from falling accidentally.

The eldest and second brothers Lin originally wanted to send them to the town, but Zhong Yan didn't let him. He had already troubled the Lin family a lot, so he did everything he could do.

Lin Zhen watched Zhong Yan and Grandma Zhong disappear on the ridge. When he returned to the house, he saw Lin Xiaoyao using a small broom specially used to sweep the stove to clean the stove, and even cleaned up the spider webs next to the pillar.

From the time Zhong Yan proposed to leave to the time he left, he didn't turn around to look, but just did his own thing.

Lin Zhen naturally didn't mention it either. He and Lin Xiaoyao cleaned up the stove together. He asked Lin Xiaoyao: "Have you made any progress on the business route you mentioned a few days ago and the goods you want to buy?"

"I've written the plan. I'll show it to you, third brother." Lin Xiaoyao put the small broom away and turned to go into the house to get the written plan.

Lin Zhen took it and looked at it carefully.

Gu Lin, who was leading the people of the tenth flag and Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen to other villages to inform them that the refugee army had been wiped out, had already left Wayao Village and went to two more remote villages, and then walked into the mountains.

They crossed mountains and ridges along the way, and there was not an inch of flat road under their feet.

But according to the most remote village before, they had seen people who were not from their village on the way to find firewood. Those people were most likely the people who retreated here from the town.

Gu Lin cut open the vines in front of them with the huge broadsword in his hand and glanced at the sun in the sky: "At noon, rest here for a quarter of an hour and continue to move forward."

The forest was full of dry leaves and grass. Wherever they went, their heads and bodies were covered with leaf fragments, adding a bit of annoying boredom to the heat on their bodies.

Huang Yuwen, who was almost left behind, sat down on the ground, grabbed the water bag on his body, unplugged it, and took a sip of water: "We have walked for half an afternoon and a morning since we came out of that village, but we still haven't seen a single person. I don't know where all the people in the town have gone."

Wang Qin was slightly better than him, but he was also sweating profusely. He fanned himself with his hands and said with a dry mouth: "The road is getting harder and harder to walk on. It doesn't look like anyone has walked on it."

"Gu Lin, those villagers didn't lie to us, did they?"

The weather was hot, the road was hard to walk on, and they didn't bring much dry food and water. If they couldn't find anyone, they would have to go back home in two days at most.

Gu Lin picked up a leaf on the ground: "The villagers didn't lie to us. There are indeed traces of human activities here."

"But it's been quite a while, so it's hard to tell the difference with the naked eye. After resting, we'll go in this direction." Gu Lin pointed to the left front, where there was no road at all, and the woods were slightly sparser than other places.

He gave the order, and no one disobeyed. They took the time to drink water and eat, then rested for a while and hurried in the direction he pointed.

Suddenly, Gu Lin, who was walking in the front, raised his hand and said, "Hide."

The people of the tenth flag immediately found tree trunks or bushes to hide their bodies. Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen were a little flustered, but soon calmed down and hid behind a big rock together.

They didn't know what happened, and they didn't dare to show their heads rashly to expose their positions. They could only look at Gu Lin and see his instructions.

Gu Lin made a gesture that everyone in the tenth flag knew, quietly unloaded the broadsword and bow and arrow, and moved forward alone.

Just now he heard a slight sound of leaves shaking. The sound was different from the sound of wind blowing the leaves, but the sound of branches being driven by the body and bouncing back.

In this forest, he didn't know who was in front, so for safety reasons, Gu Lin went to explore the road ahead first.

The soft soles of cloth shoes stepped on the relatively few leaves to reduce the risk of being discovered. Gu Lin quickly walked forward about 300 meters.

At this moment, he was standing behind a tall tree. In the forest in front of him, a group of people were walking forward. Judging from their attire and the swords in their hands that ordinary people would never hold, they were a group of refugees who had escaped.

There were more than a dozen of them, and they were not in good condition.

Gu Lin had seen the leader before. He was the bandit leader with a pointed face and monkey cheeks, who looked like a rat spirit, in the village behind the Majin River.

Li Tianwang was dead, but he actually escaped.

At this time, the bandit leader who looked like a rat had a violent look in his eyes. He licked his cracked lips viciously and asked the refugee army standing in front of him: "Are you sure there are people ahead?"

"Yes, Third Master, there is a group of people who escaped from nowhere in the valley five or six hundred meters away from us. It seems that they have plenty of food and are dressed luxuriously. There are many women and boys in them."

"Damn it!" Upon hearing that there was a fat sheep ahead, the bandit leader who looked like a rat had a mouthful of saliva fiercely. He never thought that more than 2,000 of them would be forced to this point by the three or four hundred people in Anyuan Town. If he hadn't been keeping an eye on all directions and listening to all directions, he would probably have been beheaded like Li Tianwang.

In order to avoid the search and killing of the soldiers in Anyuan Town, he could only take the dozen people closest to him and run to the remote mountains. He didn't dare to touch those villages along the way for fear of being discovered.

Now he finally didn't have the fear of being beheaded at any time. It was best to have a fat sheep delivered to his door.

"Let's go and catch some fat sheep to feed us. We haven't seen meat for a long time."

"Yes!"

These refugee soldiers had long followed Li Tianwang and his men to do all kinds of evil things, burning, killing, looting, and even became addicted to it. Everyone had a crazy look on their faces.

Gu Lin stood behind the tree and walked back very lightly, quickly reaching the hiding place of the Tenth Small Flag and Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen and others.

"A group of fourteen refugee soldiers, they found the people 800 meters ahead and were heading there. Everyone should follow them as quickly as possible. Remember, you can't alert the enemy before you find the people. After you know the location of the people, kill these fourteen refugee soldiers immediately." The people

of the Tenth Small Flag who stayed here, as well as Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen, didn't expect to encounter the refugee soldiers. Zhang Tie and his men were fine, after all, they had dealt with the refugee soldiers in the mountains and forests.

Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen's impression of the refugee soldiers was still stuck on the fact that they were dispersed by the refugee soldiers and the overwhelming pursuit of refugees fleeing famine.

Gu Lin said: "Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen, you guys walk at the end. Just be able to barely see the route we are on. Your steps are a bit heavy, which may alert the other side. The 10th flag will follow behind me."

"Let's go."

He walked in front, Zhang Tie and the other people of the 10th flag followed behind him, and Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen were at the end.

Zhang Tie and his team also saw the 14 refugee soldiers in front of them a moment later, not one more and not one less. Some of this group of refugee soldiers had explored the road and were very familiar with the road conditions ahead, with a clear goal.

The distance of five or six hundred meters was very close, especially these refugee soldiers were eager to swallow up the people here, almost flying, and they arrived at the top of the valley in the blink of an eye. Standing at their position, they could clearly see the people gathered in the valley.

There were quite a few people, about 200 people, and the people inside were indeed dressed very neatly and luxuriously as the refugee soldiers who explored the road said. There were also several beautiful women and young men in the crowd.

The man who looked like a rat spirit's eyes lingered on the girl and the boy. He raised the knife in his hand: "Hahahahaha, I didn't expect there was such a good place. I'm going to kill twenty or thirty of them!"

The sound suddenly rang out in the empty mountain, reaching the ears of the people who had already fled here in panic. When they saw the refugee army coming out from the mountain ridge, their faces turned pale. The crowd that barely maintained peace suddenly exploded, and men, women, old and young ran everywhere.

Gu Lin, who was following behind this group of refugees, quickly took off the bow and arrow on his back. With a "swoosh", the arrow with white tail feathers pierced the throat of the man who looked like a rat spirit, and he died.

Zhang Tie and his men rushed over immediately.

This group of refugees thought they had escaped far enough and could do whatever they wanted, but they didn't expect that there would be people here to deal with them. When the bandit leader died, he didn't react a little. When he heard the dense footsteps behind him, he immediately ran away.

But the people of the tenth flag who had been training for many years were better than them, and the number of people on both sides was about the same. As soon as they met, they were all chopped to the ground by the people of the tenth flag.

The fleeing people also saw what happened here. Seeing the refugee army appear and be killed, some of them who reacted quickly came to their senses: "Then, could it be the soldiers in the town?"

"Of course, if it weren't the soldiers, how could they have solved the refugee army so easily!"

The people who were running around stopped in doubt. Suddenly, a middle-aged man saw Gu Lin, who was in the lead, and waved his hand high: "Gu Lin, Gu Lin, the county magistrate is here, the magistrate wants you to come over!"

Who else could it be if it wasn't the old housekeeper of the county government?

Gu Lin didn't expect that they were so lucky to meet the county magistrate. He wiped the blood off the knife, put the knife back on his back, walked down to the valley, and came to the old housekeeper.

When the old housekeeper saw him, it was like seeing a savior. The wrinkles on his face were all smiling: "I thought I was dazzled just now, but I didn't expect it was really Gu Xiucai. What's the situation outside? Do we need to continue going into the mountains?"

The old housekeeper walked Gu Lin to the middle of the crowd while talking, and came to the county magistrate.

It was only half a month ago, and he was still a little plump. The county magistrate's face was sallow, and the skin on his face was a little droopy. He looked more than seven or eight years older.

Gu Lin bowed to the county magistrate and said, "Gu Lin greets you, sir."

He had the title of a scholar, so it was obvious that officials did not kneel.