Chapter 32

"Where can you fish when the rivers are frozen?"

"Wrong, this is the best time to fish." Wang Ju borrowed fishing rods from the village and brought bait, leading everyone to the reservoir. The reservoir was finally completed, just in time to catch the last autumn flood, which brought a lot of river water into the reservoir. By the time spring arrived, it would be able to serve for irrigation.

It was the coldest time of the year.

The reservoir was covered with thick ice.

But the deep parts were still about eight to nine meters, so Wang Ju repeatedly warned everyone to be careful. Only then did he start to chisel ice holes and said, "You can sit on the ice and fish now, guaranteed to have a good harvest."

Everyone was skeptical.

In the water-scarce northern Shaanxi region, the area of water was not small. But they all knew that this was a newly built, rudimentary dam. Some fish might have been swept in with the autumn flood, but the ecosystem was not well-formed. How many fish could there be? Moreover, the phrase "a good harvest" seemed exaggerated.

"Let's give it a try," Wang Ju said with a sly smile.

Because Yan Prefecture lacked water, he had never heard of a group of people in the northeast who not only chiseled ice to fish in winter but also formed a large team of thousands, led by the emperor, to fish through the ice. That was a grand scene.

Actually, if you set aside national enmity, the neighboring countries around the Song Dynasty were quite interesting...

Suddenly, a cry came from behind. Zhu Jun's younger brother, Zhu Xiaosi, slipped on the ice and fell, crying loudly.

Instead, San Niu, who was a year younger, went over to comfort him.

But Zhu Xiaosi soon stopped crying.

The reservoir was frozen, and the water could not flow. Several holes were chiseled, and air came through, causing the fish to swim toward the holes. However, even after settling, the water in the reservoir was still a bit murky, so no one could see them.

Therefore, Li Wan immediately felt the fishing rod move and pulled hard, and a golden carp jumped onto the ice.

Everyone laughed and went to catch it.

The harvest was significant. By afternoon, they started to clean the fish. The Song Dynasty's dietary habits were mainly based on boiling, including stewing, simmering, braising, rolling, blanching, pot-stewing, simmering, and soup-making... stir-frying was beginning to become popular, but it was still rare in the rural areas of Yan Prefecture.

There was also a tradition of eating raw food, including raw fish, which was common in the Song Dynasty. Many refined people often brought seasonings and went fishing with a few friends by the river. After catching the fish, they would clean and slice it into strips or pieces, eating it with wine while enjoying the scenery.

There were also tea-drinking habits and other customs. Although chairs were becoming popular, many people still preferred to sit on the floor, and even the pronunciation of some words could be traced to certain syllables, leading Wang Ju to initially think he had traveled to a certain era in Korea or Japan.

It was a very happy day. Li Xiaoniang suddenly said, "Zhu Erlang, your wish has come true."

Erniu lowered her head and secretly laughed.

But Wang Ju did not stay to play with them.

He gave some more instructions and then returned.

When he arrived at the village, he saw Yuan Heizi and Sun the blacksmith teaching a dozen apprentices how to forge swords.

Wang Ju frowned and went to Wang Quan's house. "Old man, why did Yuan Heizi take so many apprentices? Do you want to expand sword production?"

"Is that wrong?" Wang Quan asked, puzzled.

"Not exactly. The villagers' lives have improved, and I think if the conditions are right, I will ask you to choose a few reliable villagers and teach them the steel-making technique. But I am a bit worried. A child can take a few coins to buy fruit and be safe, but if he takes a gold ingot and walks alone, he will likely have a big problem. If we produce these swords on a larger scale, and the village becomes so wealthy that all the surrounding villages are envious, it will be like a child walking with a gold ingot. This is a border area..."

Wang Quan was stunned. "Are we destined to be poor?"

"Not necessarily. Remember how Western Xia rose to power? Li Jiqian was initially very poor, often defeated by our troops and forced to flee to the Gobi Desert in the south. But when he was defeated, he would surrender, and after surrendering, he would develop and recover, growing stronger and rebelling again. Step by step, he took control of the four states of Dingnan and Lingzhou. Our scholars praised Li Deming for being law-abiding. That was a mistake. It was a clever move to seek peace and submission from our dynasty, allowing him to move westward into the Hexi Corridor. After obtaining Hengshan, Lingqing, and the Hexi Corridor, he finally had the strength to establish a country. Our dynasty could not stop him."

"Big Niu, I don't understand," Wang Quan said, troubled.

What does a small village have to do with the establishment of Western Xia?

"The big picture is the country, the small picture is the family. The principle is the same. To have wealth, you need matching strength. If the village chief wants to expand production, please accept my suggestions, or the Wang family village will face disaster."

Don't think it's just talk. If the Wang family village could produce thousands of imitation Western Xia swords in a year, it would accumulate terrifying wealth. It's possible that Western Xia would send a small army to directly attack the Wang family village, not to mention the other complex villages around.

"What are the suggestions?"

"First, consider how to set up some simple defensive works around the village, such as walls. The current walls are thin, and if a dozen strong men carry a battering ram, they could knock them down in a few hits. Second, purchase some weapons, good bows, and sharp blades. Third, gather the able-bodied men in the village for training, not like before, where they fought individually..."

That's why, in that battle with such a significant advantage, many of the Black Bee bandits still managed to escape, causing all sorts of trouble afterward.

"Small wealth brings peace, great wealth brings many troubles."

Small wealth brings peace!

Even if he proposed three suggestions, which everyone would adopt, Wang Ju still did not want to expand production. The Wang family village was not a good place for "industrial wealth."

The happy day was about to end.

The evening light was soft and beautiful.

But the snowy fields were desolate, and the trees were withered, presenting a bleak winter scene.

Wang Quan was gathering a few important elders to discuss the matter. Wang Ju's suggestions were good, but they would require a lot of money and labor.

Wang Ju sat on the snow slope, looking into the distance.

It's not that simple!

"Big Niu, are you worried about the training?"

The village was small, and everyone knew quickly. Li Sandog, a true Qiang person, walked over and said softly. He had brought his wife and children to the Wang family village ten years ago. He rarely spoke, but during the battle, he shot several Black Bee bandits, surprising everyone.

Wang Ju nodded.

The village had people for training. The government had conscripted six men to serve in the Baoji Army, and three of them were stationed in the nearby Zhaoyan Village, not far away. They often returned and could lead the training to form a decent militia.

But Wang Ju was very worried.

It's not that the Baoji Army was bad; in fact, many of the famous Western Armies were composed of the Baoji Army. But these three were just ordinary soldiers. What kind of militia could they train?

"Big Niu, how about this? If the village really expands sword production, and we have to train the people, let me take charge."

"Uncle San, it's not that I look down on you. This is training, but it's essentially military training, not just archery and martial arts. There's a difference."

Li Sandog was silent for a long time before saying, "I used to lead hundreds of men."

"Are you a deserter?" Wang Ju stared at his face, looking for the tattoo. Even if it was removed, there would be traces.

"You can't see the tattoo. I was a commander on the other side..."

"From Western Xia... Why did you come to the Wang family village?"

"They killed my lord and wanted to kill us, his loyal followers. I had no choice but to bring my wife and children and escape."

"Your lord..."

Li Sandog hesitated for a moment. Although Big Niu was outstanding and proud as a child, he was not exceptional. Even after returning from the Security Army City, there was nothing special about him. But after he fell during the hunt, it seemed like he suddenly opened his mind. He was also studying hard, and his future might be promising. So, he finally said in a low voice, "My lord was Yeli Yiqi."

"What?" Wang Ju almost jumped up.

Now he understood. Yeli Yiqi was a general under whom Li Sandog had served. Later, Li Yuanhao fell for a counterintelligence trap set by Zhong Shiheng and killed Yeli Yiqi. But Yeli Yiqi still had many loyal followers, and Li Yuanhao would not leave them alive. So, he brought his wife and children, changed his name to Li Sandog, and fled to the Song territory, settling in the Wang family village. The timing of his arrival in the Wang family village also matched.

A fallen phoenix is not even as good as a chicken. If he hadn't revealed his identity, who would have thought he was a general under Yeli Yiqi?

"Uncle San, you were still quite young then."

"So what? My men were all Iron Hawks!"

Mentioning this, Li Sandog looked proud.

Iron Hawks, the most powerful military force of Western Xia, were all heavily armored cavalry.

"Didn't the Iron Hawks get defeated by Zhang Kang and Zhang Jie in Fuzhou?"

"How many Zhang Kangs and Zhang Jies are there in this world?"

Wang Ju couldn't help but laugh. These people's military strategies couldn't be analyzed based on their battle records. For example, just because Chen Qingzhi's troops were strong, does it mean that the southern troops were invincible? Their command skills made up for the lack of military strength.

"But the village needs mainly infantry for defense, not Iron Hawks..."

"Big Niu, you are well-versed and knowledgeable. Your performance in the battle on the mountain path was impressive, but you don't understand military affairs. Defending a city is easier than attacking one. Don't think that because the people on the other side are not good at attacking cities, they are not good at defending them. The Song people are good at defending cities, but they are not good at attacking them. If they were, Youzhou would have been taken long ago. I know a bit about defense. I also know a bit about infantry tactics."

Wang Ju was a bit stunned.

Although Li Sandog was a general under Yeli Yiqi and could lead troops and train soldiers, it didn't mean he could explain grand theories, which was the job of scholars.

But these simple words were profound.

Think about the future city... Lingzhou!

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