There was another sensation in Shibali Fort. The young men who had not returned home for two nights actually brought such a large amount of wealth, a total of 85 horses, 23 mules, and 17 camels. So many animals were almost as big as a small one.
The small Shibali Fort was packed to the rafters, the adults were grinning from ear to ear, the children were sitting on the wall watching the fun, and even the dogs were running around excitedly, barking twice from time to time.
Yuan Feng and a few people alone cannot raise such large animals. Not to mention the livestock shed, the biggest problem is the daily horse feed. Most of the horses snatched from Huangcaopu are war horses and must be maintained with concentrated feed.
They can't stay in the cold or hot, and they can't do as much work as mules, so the placement of these animals has become an urgent and big problem.
Yuan Feng had already thought about this problem. He first selected the twenty best horses and distributed the rest to the people in the fort for free. The families of the brothers who participated in this operation would naturally take care of them and give them an extra animal.
Also give me twenty taels of silver.
In the past, parents would give their children New Year's money, stuffing a few coins under their pillows on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and letting the children buy some snacks and firecrackers. But this year's first day of the Lunar New Year is very different. The children can finally make money.
You are a filial piety to your elders, but you are still so generous with your first move, a full twenty taels of silver. A family may not be able to earn this amount even if they work for a year. The parents of the thirteen brothers are very happy, and the father can still hold on.
, the mother couldn't help but began to wipe away her tears, muttering in a low voice: "The child has grown up and is sensible."
As for these animals and where the money came from, no one asked. Even without asking, everyone knew that they were robbed. It is good luck to avoid being robbed these days. If you can rob others, that is something to be proud of.
Yuan Feng handed over his share of money to Hu Laizi. He seemed so happy that he didn't know what to say. He rubbed his hands together for a long time and said, "Baby, uncle, let me have a drink with you."
As she said this, she was about to get the jug, but she was snatched away by the mute aunt. She glared at her father fiercely. Hu Laizi sneered and said, "You guys sit down for a while." Then he held the two horses given to him and smiled.
went in.
"Well, this...this is for you." Yuan Feng took out a silver hairpin from his arms and handed it to the mute aunt.
The mute aunt was stunned, took the silver hairpin and ran away, leaving Yuan Feng at a loss. He stood there stupidly, touching the back of his head, but he didn't see that there was another Sai Hu looking at her eagerly, hoping to belong to him.
that gift.
New problems soon came. Shibalibao was too poor. Many families took horses home, but found that they could not feed them at all. The stables were okay, and they could just bring them into the house, but it was difficult to feed the horses.
, feeding horses cannot be mixed with hay. It must be mixed with sufficient amounts of oats, beans, alfalfa and other concentrates. However, the land near Shibalibao is barren and produces some sorghum, millet, barley, black beans and so on.
Yes, there is barely enough food for people to eat, and there is no surplus food to feed the horses.
A living person will not suffocate to death. If there is no horse feed, we will buy it. If you have money, are you afraid that you will not be able to buy food? Taking advantage of the opportunity to visit relatives during the New Year, the people of Shibalibao went out to buy food everywhere.
In just a few days, news spread that there were hundreds of large animals in Shibali Fort. At the same time, another piece of news was also spread in the four towns and eight counties, that is, the beast that had been entrenched in Huangcaopu for ten years
The One-Sword Gang was completely destroyed, all the leaders were killed, the thieves dispersed, and all their money, property and livestock were wiped out.
One town suddenly had more than a hundred large animals, and another town suddenly lost the same number of large animals. When these two pieces of information are put together, it becomes very clear. The case in Huangcaopu is clearly that of Shibalibao.
The boys did it, the Thirteen Taibao, to do justice for heaven. Aren't those boys just thirteen people? This thing didn't get away!
In fact, the young people said whatever they wanted at home. These animals and money were stolen from horse thieves, and there was nothing to hide. In the first few days, the family was very nervous and did not dare to publicize it. Later, it became public.
When friends and relatives from all over the countryside and eight counties mentioned this, they all picked on Brother Thumb, saying that the Thirteen Taibao were awesome and awesome. He was a great hero who upheld justice for God. If any family gave birth to such a son, he was really a cultivator in his previous life.
After hearing such praise, the mother-in-law was so happy that she died, and immediately said coyly: "Actually...well, that unsatisfactory loser in our family is the eighth of the Thirteen Taibao."
." Then he left in the envious eyes of everyone, walking with a little airiness.
After several visits to relatives, horse materials were raised, and the reputation of Shibalibao spread. In this era of poor communication, word of mouth is the fastest way to spread. Thirteen Taibao of Shibalibao made a surprise attack on Huang at night.
The story of killing the leader of the horse thieves in Caopu and doing harm to the people spread throughout the 500-mile radius. Of course, the whole process has been exaggerated and interpreted countless times, and it has basically become a legendary story.
Starting from the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, people gradually came to visit. At first, young children from several nearby villages came to apprentice under the guidance of their grandparents. The year was chaotic, and it was always good to let the children learn some tricks. They could be with the Thirteen Taibao
It will be better if you build a relationship.
They were all from the village, and there were people who acted as guarantees and introductions. It would not be appropriate not to accept them, so Yuan Feng asked Zhao Ding'an to come forward to accept these young people. However, when they saw that it was a boy from the old Zhao family who came forward, they were not happy.
Yuan Feng was asked by name to become his disciple, Brother Feng of Hu Laizi's family. Yuan Feng had no choice but to come forward to accept him in person. When he saw Yuan Feng, who was thin and dark, these bad boys who had been sneaking around in the village and doing all kinds of evil did not dare to speak out.
With his head lowered and his hands bowed in reverence, it is no wonder that the story of father and son, who wielded only one sword, attacked Huangcaopu at night and beheaded countless people has been spread. In the eyes of everyone, Yuan Feng is not only a great hero who eliminates harm for the people, but also a murderer without batting an eyelid.
Little devil, who dares to be disrespectful in front of him?
Yuan Feng took these young people in and placed them in Widow Wang's house according to the old rules, letting the older Zhao Ding'an and Zhang Tietou control them. Their parents did not have to pay for the daily food expenses, Yuan Feng was responsible for them.
Finally, someone took care of the bad boy in the family, and there was no need to pay for food. Naturally, these mothers and fathers were grateful and went away happily. After they left, a new group of people came to the door again.
The villagers who sent their children to be apprentices met five men on horseback a mile away from Shibali Fort. Looking at their fierce appearance and the long knives in their waists, they knew that they were not good people, and the villagers did not dare to confront them.
He looked at me and hurriedly dodged to the side of the road. When the group of people passed by, he whispered: "Look, even the horse thieves came here to become my disciples."
What came back this time were several gangs of horse thieves operating nearby. On weekdays, they were suppressed by Youyi Dao, who ate meat and could only drink soup. After Du Youdao died, these gangs began to move around in an attempt to replace Duyi Dao.
I was planning to take action after the New Year, but the Thirteen Taibo's night attack on Huangcaopu disrupted everyone's plans. It turned out that the little swordsman in Shibalibao was not a lone swordsman, but a small one.
Although the gang, according to its name, only has thirteen members, it has a well-known swordsman in charge and is ruthless in its actions. This has to make people look at it with admiration and treat it with caution.
The horse thieves came to visit, but not to become apprentices and learn skills from a young man. They couldn't keep their faces off. The real reason was partly due to polite considerations. They had made a name for themselves and were ready to hang out on the street. As colleagues, they definitely had to pay a visit.
On the other hand, the visit is also to find out the truth. They say that the little swordsman is powerful and the Thirteen Taibos are fierce. As the saying goes, hearing is false and seeing is believing. Everything must be seen with one's own eyes to be true.
Zhao Ding'an took the young men out to ride horses, and there were less than five people left in the fort. According to the rules set by Yuan Feng, there must be a lookout at the fort gate at all times. The person on duty today is Gou Sheng, who can see far away
Several men with knives came over, and Gou Sheng hurriedly sounded the gong to warn them.
Yuan Feng was counting money with Ye Kai in the house. Hearing the sound of the gong, he hurriedly grabbed the knife and took the bow-back arrow. He jumped off the kang and went straight out the door to mount his horse. His movements were smooth as if he had rehearsed them countless times. When Ye Kai also took the knife and mounted the horse,
Following him out, Yuan Feng had already arrived at the gate of the fort.
"Five people, all with knives, do you want to close the door?" Gou Sheng asked nervously.
"No, closing the door will make us feel guilty. If we are looking for trouble, I'm afraid it won't be just five people." Yuan Feng said.
Sure enough, when the visitor arrived five feet away from the fort gate, he stopped moving forward and called in a polite manner: "Liu Hailong from Heifengkou and Luo Xiaohu from Bantianyun Cavalry have come to pay homage to the mountain. I have a small gift to offer. Please invite the thirteen eunuchs."
The boss, please take care of the brothers."
Hearing this, the people in the fort breathed a sigh of relief. Yuan Feng rode out alone and said: "It turns out that it's Mr. Liu and Mr. Luo. I, the Thirteenth Taibao, Lao Jiu Yuanfeng, have met these two heads."
Seeing a dark and thin boy coming out to greet him, Liu Hailong was a little dissatisfied. He thought that these thirteen eunuchs were too much to ask for, so he said, "Please, please come out and talk to me. We have prepared a small gift and will give it to him personally."
"I'm sorry, our boss has led the brothers to practice. I'm the only one taking care of the fort. If you two have any advice, the next one will take over.
Even though Yuan Feng is a young man, he still talks like that. He is neither humble nor overbearing, but he also has hidden secrets. However, he made boss Liu Hailong unhappy. We are here to give you gifts. You are welcome to let us in for tea without saying a word.
, it was too disrespectful to bring a child to fool him, so he immediately headed towards the castle gate with his horse under his belly.
"Swish, swish, swish" made three sharp sounds, and three feather arrows were nailed in front of Liu Hailong's horse. The arrow feathers were still trembling, which shocked his mount's front hooves to lift up and neigh.
"Master Liu, you guys who carry swords and carry swords on your backs, don't scare the folks in the fort. If you have anything to do, just say it at the door." Yuan Feng put the bow back into the leather holster on the side of the saddle and said coldly.
"You!" Liu Hailong's eyes widened with anger, but in the blink of an eye he was discouraged again, because he saw Luo Xiaohu and others also looked surprised. This kid's arrows were too fast, accurate and cruel.
, if he had deliberately taken his own life, I’m afraid there would be no living Liu Hailong now.
They say they are paying homage to the mountain, but actually they mean stepping on the plate. Yuan Feng knows what these people are thinking. The team is not at home, so why don't you give them some color to see. Maybe there will be some trouble. Count three arrows in a row.
It wasn't a big skill, but it frightened the horse thieves so much that they didn't dare to move for a while.
Liu Hailong winked wildly at Luo Xiaohu, but Luo Xiaohu had no choice but to say: "This little brother has great archery skills, but he doesn't know how to use swordsmanship? I, Luo Xiaohu, would like to ask for advice on two moves."
"Please teach me." Yuan Feng held his fists on the horse and said without any fear on his face. At this time, more than a dozen people had gathered at the gate of the fort to watch. As soon as they heard that the horse thief was going to ask Yuan Feng for sword skills, everyone burst into laughter.
He clasped his hands and squatted down to watch the excitement with great interest. Looking at his posture, he seemed to be sure that Luo Xiaohu would suffer a loss.
Luo Xiaohu was not stupid. He knew something was wrong just by looking at this posture. He could no longer retreat at this time and could only bite the bullet. However, he kept it in mind and said: "Seeing that this little brother is not tall, I, Luo Xiaohu,
I won’t take advantage of you, let’s just compare.”
Yuan Feng said: "What is Wenbi?"
Luo Xiaohu said: "The so-called martial arts competition is to fight with swords. It does not matter life or death. It is definitely not suitable for celebrating the New Year. What about a literary competition? I will give you a demonstration first and you will understand."
After saying that, Luo Xiaohu asked his follower to break a branch. It was not long, that is, about three feet. The follower held the branch horizontally. Luo Xiaohu was so angry that he took out his sword with a low growl.
Flower, and then chopped the branch with lightning speed. He drew the knife so fast that he could barely see the shadow of the knife. He saw that the branch was shortening inch by inch. After a while, only a small section was left in the follower's hand.
, and the rest turned into small pieces of wood all over the ground, inch by inch, very neatly.
This swordsmanship was indeed remarkable. Liu Hailong took the lead in applauding, and several of the horse thieves' followers also clapped their hands. Looking at Yuan Feng again, he just smiled faintly and asked Gou Sheng to break a branch, but he did not
Ask people to hold it with their hands, but say: "Throw it!"
When Gou Sheng heard the words, he threw the branch into the air. Yuan Feng jumped up and took out his long sword. The light of the sword was flying in the air. No one could see it clearly. When Yuan Feng landed, only the sky was filled with fire.
Sawdust.
Luo Xiaohu swallowed his saliva and took out the red cloth package from his backpack. He didn't dare to get too close. He placed it on the ground three steps away from Yuan Feng and said in a trembling voice: "This is our little thought.
, Brother, please pass it on to the head of the Thirteenth Taibao, what is that? People are very busy during the Chinese New Year, so we won’t go in for tea. Let’s go first. Please stay, don’t see it off, don’t see it off.”
After saying that, he ran back, got on his horse, and shouted to Liu Hailong, who was still dumbfounded: "Let's go quickly." Liu Hailong woke up from a dream, smiled, patted the horse, and left. The five horse thieves left in a hurry, and even their heads were tied.
They didn't dare to go back.
"Kuroro, good job!"
"Brother Feng, your sword skills are so good."
There was joy and laughter outside the castle gate.
In the distance, Luo Xiaohu, galloping on horseback, said to Liu Hailong: "The ninth one is so powerful, but the eight in front are not so powerful. Now we are really like Meng Lang."
Liu Hailong was also covered in cold sweat, "We have decided on the future business. Let's say hello to the Thirteen Taibao first. If they nod, we will do it. Otherwise, it will be miserable if someone comes to ask for an explanation in the middle of the night."