When the intensive drumbeats sounded, the quiet barracks instantly became excited.

Soldiers rushed out of the warm rooms one by one and lined up in the snow up to their ankles and wrists.

And at the front, a tall figure had already stabbed there steadily, his falcon-like eyes scanning the soldiers under his command.

Before the three-way drums were beaten, eight hundred-man phalanxes were already neatly arranged in front of him.

There are two other centurions, one is a cavalry team, responsible for patrolling the perimeter, and one is an infantry team, today they are responsible for guarding the camp.

Zhang Ren nodded with satisfaction. Compared with half a month ago, the breathing time was increased by ten.

After waving his hand, he didn't say a word, but the team started running along the fence outside the barracks in a familiar way. The one running at the head was Zhang Ren.

Morning classes every day, rain or shine, are always there.

It will only be canceled during combat.

The veterans have become accustomed to it, but the newly joined soldiers are complaining endlessly. They originally thought that the life in the new barracks was already a hell mode, but they did not expect that after entering the military camp, they realized that the new barracks was completely a play house for children.

Home.

In the recruit camp, everyone is pretty good anyway.

But after joining the army, a group of rookies encounter a group of tigers and wolves, and life will be miserable.

Veterans can accomplish tasks with ease, but recruits find it difficult.

For the veterans, the indicators in the new military camp are just a passing line, not a final line.

Especially Zhang Ren's camp.

There are one thousand soldiers, 800 of whom are veterans of the White Feather Army, all around thirty years old, and only 200 are new recruits.

Zhou Quan commanded a group of 5,000 people. Apart from Zhou Quan's own old camp, the most powerful one was Zhang Ren's camp.

After Zhang Ren came back from visiting his relatives, it was such a force that was handed over to him.

None of the tough old soldiers showed up in front of Zhang Ren.

The reason is very simple. Zhang Ren is a big guy and has hard fists. You will definitely not be able to beat him.

The key is that if you commit the crime in his hands, he will first beat you up and then try to reason with you.

As a scholar, Zhang Ren always talks about things in the same way, which makes people's scalp numb.

Most of the old soldiers were illiterate, so they had an extra level of respect for the camp generals who were scholars.

Of course, it was not without its thorns, but in the process of being beaten, being reasoned with, being beaten again, and being reasoned with again, everyone was convinced.

This is true for veterans, let alone recruits.

Especially when the battalion general was dripping with sweat, took off his shirt, and stood in front of them shirtless, no one had the courage to resist him.

The scars on his body are unforgettable and frightening.

How can one not be convinced by a leader who is capable of speaking and fighting?

For the veterans, such a person is still their son-in-law from Guangxi, so they need to give him a little more face.

It has been a full month since Zhang Ren and his men stationed in Qixian County.

He is fifty miles to the left of Zhouquan Camp.

Zhou Quan, the newly appointed ruler, is very bold.

He put himself at the forefront and faced his opponent directly.

In his words, I am at the forefront. If I encounter any danger, everyone on the left and right wings must rush to my aid. Otherwise, I will chop off your head when you turn around, and you won't be able to deal with it.

Even Wei Wu couldn't do anything about this kind of bastard logic.

Stationing in Qixian is a comprehensive task. Naturally, he has the final say on how to arrange the troops.

Of course, this kind of control also convinced the entire army of five thousand people.

Now the White Feather Army has expanded to a full 20,000 people.

The army led by Zhou Quan was second only to Wei Wu's main force. It had the fewest recruits, accounting for only 20%. The rest were veterans of many battles.

Like another commander, Zhang Jie, although he had 5,000 men under his command, he basically didn't have much experience in the White Feather Army. They were either demoted soldiers and trained, or they were new troops who had just entered the army. Their combat effectiveness and comprehensive troops were completely different.

It's just that Zhang Jie is also a legend. He is one of those lucky generals who are born with a halo. Sometimes, the credit goes to him.

Based on this alone, Wei Wu never underestimated him.

Luck is also an indispensable part of generals.

You can't explain this thing clearly, but it really does exist.

After defeating Lu Ben'an in the battle of Suixian County, the Song Dynasty army immediately advanced forward. It was not until they occupied Qixian County that they stopped advancing.

As for Qixian County, it is only a hundred miles away from Tokyo, so it can be said to be very close.

Although the newly built barracks are earthen thatched houses, they have fire pits inside. The soldiers are equipped with brand-new winter clothes from head coverings to shoes and socks that were issued before winter, and there are two sets.

It is said that two more sets will be released every year in the future.

One set is made of light down, and the other is made of heavier cotton.

When he was studying in a martial arts school, Zhang Ren visited many workshops for military supplies.

The military uniform workshop is among them.

As far as Zhang Ren knows, the workshops that specialize in making winter clothes are basically the industry of the Xiao family.

Down is a new garment that has just emerged. Upstream is the large-scale poultry breeding and acquisition. Now when walking in the countryside, the most common things you see are chickens, ducks and geese. The best feathers can be used as eagle feathers, and ordinary feathers can be used as feathers. After being crushed and salted, it becomes the filling in winter clothes, and the meat can be made into preserved meat. Even the large amount of feces produced by these things every day is sold to farmers as fertilizer.

In the entire industry chain, tens of thousands of people rely on this to make a living, not counting those people who do scattered farming.

In recent years, cotton has also begun to enter the homes of ordinary people from high-end products.

Jibei cloth, which was first produced in Leizhou, was first planted on a large scale in Guangdong, Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places. Although cotton cloth is still considered a luxury product for ordinary people, it has been supplied on a large scale. Gave it to the army.

The chief minister always puts the army first.

Tall sentry towers stood on both sides of the barracks gate. After ramming the earth, they were covered with green bricks, making them extremely solid. On the top of the sentry tower, the muzzle of a bronze cannon was pointed straight at the front of the barracks. A straight road.

Except for this road, the barracks are surrounded by deep trenches, in which countless sharpened wooden stakes and bamboo guns are inserted.

This is a new gadget, Zhang Ren has only heard of its power.

It is said that in the Battle of Suixian, Commander Gao assembled forty cannons to bombard the Liao army. The sound shook the world, the smoke covered the sky and the sun, and the enemy suffered heavy losses.

Zhang Ren really wants to give it a try.

Of course, I'm just thinking about it.

This thing is so precious!

It is said that it has a long life. A bronze cannon can only fire more than a hundred shots. After it is fired, the thing has to be remade.

After having breakfast, the soldiers began to clean the barracks.

All snow must be swept away, and the housekeeping in the barracks must be neatly organized.

The Infantry Regulations of the Song Dynasty took great pains to clearly arrange the soldiers from head to toe, from inside to outside, from sleeping to eating.

The biggest task of the military judges every day is to find trouble.

Zhang Ren does not need to worry about these things.

Sitting on the top of the sentry tower, he couldn't help but think of his fiancée he brought back from Guangxi.

Although he is a little darker, he still looks very upright.

What's more important is that although he comes from a peasant family, he is very generous. He is not at a loss in front of his mother and speaks and acts in an orderly manner.

This made my mother, who was full of dislikes, finally feel a little bit more comfortable.

After my father wrote back to express his firm support, my mother had no choice but to do anything.

But that girl will definitely not be too comfortable during these three years.

You have to learn to read, you have to learn to be a housekeeper, and you have to learn some music, chess, calligraphy and painting to show off your appearance. Thinking of this, Zhang Ren couldn't help but laugh softly.

Traveling thousands of miles together, that girl gave me a really good impression.

This wife will definitely be good in the future and she should be someone who can be taken out.

"General, what good thing have you thought of?" the soldier on duty next to him asked with a smile.

"I miss my wife!"

Both of them laughed.

Who wouldn't like a general who can teach his soldiers how to read in the silence of the night? He can also explain a series of new policies that the imperial court has just introduced to the soldiers in a simple and profound way. At the same time, he can also make some non-vegetarian jokes with them.

Woolen cloth!

Outside the camp gate, Zhou Hong had a look of surprise on his face when he saw Zhang Ren. Behind Zhou Hong, followed a long line of dozens of people, driving more than a dozen vehicles, including mules towing the trailers.

, there were also donkeys and oxen, and the carts contained the provisions needed by the army.

He did not expect to see Zhang Ren here, nor did he expect that he, who was just a soldier not long ago, could now command a battalion of soldiers.

"Where's the old man?" When he saw Zhang Ren, he subconsciously looked behind Zhang Ren. That familiar figure had taken Zhang Ren and the others to their villages countless times to help them plow the land, dig canals, and harvest.

, building houses, until one day, they suddenly left and never came back.

Seeing a familiar old friend again and hearing the other party's questions, Zhang Ren not only felt a soreness in his nose.

"Old Shichang and the others are all gone!"

Zhou Hong was astonished. The man who spoke with a Guangxi accent and called each other old cousin, like a kind and honest elder brother, was gone?

Zhang Ren invited Zhou Hong to his room.

Unlike the Datong bunk where the soldiers slept, Zhang Ren, as the camp general, had a separate room.

Zhou Hong was also deeply impressed by Zhang Ren, because at that time, he often asked Zhang Ren to help him read the imperial newspaper or Jiangning Monthly. He was called Zhang Xiucai by everyone, and he was also deeply liked by everyone.

Because he can also help everyone write letters, write the Chinese character "福" and even help give names to the dolls that don't have names yet.

The names he chooses are always eye-catching.

Not only does it sound good, but each name is also very particular.

The past always makes people feel sad, but both of them are people who have gone through ups and downs and experienced all the vicissitudes of life. They are used to seeing life and death, so they are no longer obsessed with life and death.

People are always going to die, it's just sooner or later.

From birth, everyone has been running on the road to death.

Lao Shi is longer than them, he just runs a little faster.

One day, he, Zhang Ren, will definitely have to join them.

Until then, we can all have a good time together and have heartfelt conversations.

"You now?" Zhang Ren asked as he poured a cup of tea for Zhou Hong.

"After winter, there was nothing much going on in the fields, so I organized the strong laborers from several villages to work together." Zhou Hong said with a smile: "Thanks to the trust from above, I gave the task of sending supplies to the garrison in various places. If you leave me, won’t you come over now?”

After the imperial court began to collect exemption money, it no longer forced people to perform corvées, but instead hired people to complete these tasks at the expense of the government.

Soon, someone discovered the huge business opportunity.

Some discerning people took the opportunity to organize some teams to contract the government for these businesses in order to make money.

Zhou Hong is one of these people.

But one problem is that he has good eyesight, but his background is not that good. If he had not met the chief assistant once in the refugee camp, the fish sauce at home would have been praised by the chief assistant. I'm afraid it won't be his turn to do even some scattered small projects.

But even so, the several villages under his jurisdiction are obviously much richer than the surrounding villages because he can get some work.

Work such as delivering supplies to the army is something that those who specialize in contract work are unwilling to do.

Because there is not much oil and water, the responsibility is not small.

Moreover, the people in the army have very good tempers, and no one dares to deduct their things now, especially the troops stationed on the front line, and no one dares to do anything with their things.

Therefore, it was Zhou Hong's turn to do this job.

However, Zhou Hong also took this opportunity to send some of the harvests accumulated by the several villages under his command this year to the army as part of the supplies. It was considered a first-come-first-served basis. Not only was the price sold at a good price, but it was also given free of charge. I still have some money when I come here, so I have made a lot of money.

"So, you have been promoted to an official now!" Zhang Ren said with a smile.

"What kind of official is there?" Zhou Hong waved his hands and said: "Nowadays, there are townships in the county and villages in the countryside. Zhou is just a township head now."

"If you go up further, you will have to work in the county. Even if you are from the ninth rank, it is considered to be the first rank!" Zhang Ren was somewhat emotional about Xiao Cheng's policies. This alone has given countless people who are struggling at the bottom The man opened a crack in the door. Although it was still very narrow, typical of thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge, it was still a way out.

Just like the Jinshi examination, why not cross a single-plank bridge?

Just like I have risen all the way up to now, I am not crossing a single-plank bridge!

It's even more dangerous than that!

"To be fair to Zhang Xiucai, I really want to fight for it." Zhou Hong said seriously: "In the spring of next year, I have decided to let the next few villages grow cotton. When it comes to the annual evaluation, we still have to look at actual performance. Growing cotton is now better than growing grain, in terms of income."

The income from growing cotton is naturally higher than that from grain.

"The people below, are you willing?"

"So this year I am taking the young people in the village out to make money, and I plan to distribute next year's food to those who are willing to grow cotton." Zhou Hong said: "But after one year, all the income from cotton planting will go back to the village!

"

"Brilliant!" Zhang Ren admired the guy in front of him who couldn't read a word. His vision and courage are far inferior to those of many people who have read. "But Lao Zhou, you still have to read and read."

, if you want to go further, illiteracy is absolutely impossible.”

"I'm already learning!" Zhou Hong said with a genuine smile.
Chapter completed!