Chapter 42

"Really didn't expect that in just two days, the village of River Bend would be completely transformed. Zhang Erlang truly has great skills!"

Zhang Ke smiled slightly. "It's just about putting effort into things, just like you, Sir Wan, who managed to gather so many pots and pans in one day! If you have time, Sir Wan, why not stay and try some fish soup? I would be happy to show my hospitality and thank you for your generous support!"

How could Wan Baichuan not hear the mockery and sarcasm in the words? He wished he could tear Zhang Ke to pieces. If not for that letter, he wouldn't have suffered such a great loss. New and old grievances piled up in his heart, but the momentum of River Bend Village was so good that it wouldn't be long before Zhang Ke would trample him underfoot.

Envy, jealousy, and hatred intertwined, making Wan Baichuan feel like he was about to explode.

He glanced at the village's wall and suddenly sneered, "Zhang Erlang, don't let the fish soup cloud your mind. The ice-built wall is so fragile that it might collapse with just a bit of wind!"

"Ha ha ha, no need to worry, Sir Wan, I have it under control."

"That's best!" Wan Baichuan mounted his warhorse, led his men, and left in a hurry with ten empty carts.

Qiao Fu looked at Wan Baichuan's back and spat, "Brother Ke, what does that old man mean? We should give him a good lesson and show him that the Horse King has three eyes!"

Yue Zixuan, who had just finished moving the things, was also angry. "Sir, that old man is greedy and has already extorted our silver. We can't let him off!"

Zhang Ke smiled slightly. "Everyone, don't be impatient. The most important thing now is to stand firm. Once we have enough strength, crushing him will be like squashing a bug!"

Qiao Fu also thought Zhang Ke's words made sense, and everyone was busy distributing the items. Each person received one pound of salt, a set of chopsticks and a bowl, one pot for ten people, and one stone of grain. The rest of the cotton clothes and shoes were given to the elderly and children first.

The villagers, holding the items, were moved to tears and knelt down, continuously kowtowing to Zhang Ke. Although they were still poor and lacking, with these items, they could survive. They had hands and were willing to work hard. As long as the government didn't exploit them or bully them, they wouldn't worry about not having a good life. Clearly, Zhang Ke had reignited their hope and made them more determined.

Not only that, Qiao Tieshan found over a dozen hunters and bought all the furs they had. Shen Shi and Aunt Qiao led a group of women to make clothes and boots, specifically for the young men who went out hunting and patrolled at night to prevent them from freezing. As for the other tools like shovels, spades, chisels, and saws, they were all considered public property, and whoever worked with them could use them.

After the distribution was complete, Zhang Ke called the people in charge over.

Qiao Tieshan and his two companions, Yue Zixuan, Ma Rufeng, Wu Boyan, and Liu the blacksmith, all gathered together.

Zhang Ke first looked at Qiao Gui and smiled. "Brother Gui, tell us about the purchases!"

"Sure," Qiao Gui nodded. "Starting from yesterday, I went to Dacheng Fort and the surrounding villages. I spent 130 taels of silver and bought 85 stones of grain. The grain in the market is almost all gone. However, 85 stones is not much. At one pound per person per day, it would only last for ten days at most."

Zhang Ke frowned. "That's not enough. We need at least a month and a half of grain. Brother Gui, I'll give you 500 more taels. Use it all to buy grain, as much as possible!"

"500 taels?" Qiao Gui was also shocked. "We've already spent over 200 taels on clothes, tools, and medicine in the past two days. If we take out another 500 taels, we'll have less than 400 taels left."

Zhang Ke raised an eyebrow. "We must spend where we need to. Having more grain is beneficial. Don't forget that the Tartars often invade. If they come, and we have no grain, we'll starve to death!"

Qiao Tieshan nodded. "Brother Gui, what the sir said is right. Not only should we buy more grain, but we should also hunt and fish more. Since it's winter, there's no fear of spoilage. The more we store, the better. However, money is also a big issue. I heard that Old Liu's stoves are very profitable. Should we make more?"

Zhang Ke smiled. "Uncle Qiao, a stove costs less than one tael of silver, and with transportation, it's at most 1.2 taels. In Guangning's horse market, it can sell for at least 4 to 5 taels. It's definitely our most important source of income right now."

Zhang Ke looked at Liu the blacksmith and asked with a smile, "Uncle Liu, can you start production immediately?"

"No problem!" Liu the blacksmith patted his chest and smiled. "I've walked around the village. River Bend Village has mountains and water. The government built an iron smelting workshop here, which has been abandoned for years, and the craftsmen have left. However, the equipment is still there. With a bit of tidying up, we can start production immediately!"

Yue Zixuan thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Sir, we have a few blacksmiths too!"

"Really?" Zhang Ke asked in surprise.

"Yes, the Tartars value our craftsmen. Each time they capture ordinary laborers, they treat them worse than animals, but they treat craftsmen with great respect, asking them to make weapons. This time, over ten blacksmiths escaped with us, and I heard they can make swords and spears!"

"Great!" Zhang Ke laughed excitedly. "Now we not only have people to make stoves, but we also have a chance to make weapons!"

"Sir, are you going to make weapons?" Wu Boyan asked excitedly.

"Of course. With so many people, we need to arm ourselves for protection. Asking the government for weapons is unlikely, and even if they give us some, they'll be in poor condition. We must make our own weapons and arm ourselves!"

Wu Boyan's eyes sparkled, and he asked eagerly, "Sir, what do you plan to make? I've heard the Mongols fear the three-barreled gun and the matchlock. Let's make firearms and beat the Tartars to a pulp!"

"Right, that's a good idea, I agree!"

Qiao Fu said excitedly, but suddenly got hit on the head. "Father, why did you hit me?"

"I hit you, you little rascal. How much does it cost to make a matchlock, and how long does it take? Besides, ordinary craftsmen can't make them well enough, and they might explode. What's the point?"

Zhang Ke also smiled. "Uncle Qiao is right. We will definitely make firearms, but not now. We can't even make swords and spears yet. We'll start with spears, as many as possible!"

"Right!" Qiao Tieshan smiled. "Spears are good. The shaft can be made from hard wood, which is abundant in the mountains, and the spearhead doesn't require much iron. Training spear soldiers is also easy; they just need to learn basic thrusting and retracting."

Yue Zixuan scratched his head and asked pitifully, "Uncle Qiao, can one move be enough?"

"Ha ha ha, kid, you haven't been on a real battlefield. When tens of thousands of people charge, no move is useful. Besides, we don't want to fight in the open; we just need to defend our home."

Zhang Ke nodded. Indeed, spear soldiers were the cheapest and most effective in the age of cold weapons. A well-organized spear formation could even resist cavalry charges. Zhang Ke was familiar with modern training methods and was very confident.

"Let's do it as Uncle Qiao suggested. We'll select 250 young men, 50 in each team. Yue Zixuan, Ma Rufeng, Wu Boyan, Qiao Gui, and Qiao Fu, you five will be the team leaders. I'll personally oversee the training, and Uncle Qiao will assist me."

Everyone stood up and bowed.

"Please rest assured, sir, we will do our best and follow your lead!"

After the discussion, they were about to go and arrange things when suddenly Huzi came running in, out of breath.

"Brother Zhang, Wan Baichuan is back!"

Zhang Ke immediately stood up, surprised. "Why is he back? Is he alone?"

"No, he has many soldiers with him, about two to three hundred."

Zhang Ke's brows furrowed. "Let's go and see!"

Everyone was uneasy and followed Zhang Ke to the wall, looking outside. They saw a large group of people, more than Huzi had said. In front of the group, besides Wan Baichuan, there was a general on a black horse.

The general was wearing chainmail armor, with a red robe over it, making him stand out.

"It's him!" Wu Boyan exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Ke looked at him urgently. "Do you know him?"

Wu Boyan's face twisted with anger. "Sir, it was he who forced us into the valley, tried to rob us, and wanted to kill us! Sir, they are back, and they won't let it go easily."

"Don't worry!" Zhang Ke said resolutely. "Put your heart at ease. If I can't protect my people, I won't be able to survive."

Zhang Ke stood on the wall and bowed. "I don't know which noble has arrived. This humble servant, Zhang Ke, greets you!"

The general pursed his lips and didn't speak, but Wan Baichuan came out arrogantly.

"Zhang Ke, this is the Deputy Commander of Yizhou Guard, Xu Bangyan. Xu Sir braved the wind and snow to lead his troops to pursue bandits. How can you not open the gate to welcome him?"

"Ha ha ha, if it's Xu Sir, this humble servant wouldn't dare to be disrespectful." Zhang Ke smiled. "Open the gate!"

The people below hurried to open the gate, but Wu Boyan looked frightened. "Sir, we can't let them in!"

Zhang Ke patted Wu Boyan's shoulder. "I have a plan!"

As the gate opened, Xu Bangyan rode in first, not even looking at Zhang Ke. He raised his head and said, "Are you the headman of River Bend Village, Zhang Ke?"

"Yes, this humble servant is!"

Xu Bangyan sneered. "You're young but bold. Do you know that Wan Baichuan's third daughter is my concubine?"

"Ha ha ha, then I must congratulate you, sir. Wan Baichuan looks about your age, and his third daughter is in her prime. You are fortunate!"

Insulting someone by pointing out their weakness, Zhang Ke was essentially accusing Wan Baichuan of being shameless, trading his daughter for a future. Wan Baichuan was furious, but with his son-in-law's support, he wasn't afraid anymore.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Zhang Erlang, you have insulted me multiple times. I won't hold it against you, but now that Xu Sir is here, if you don't hand over the bandits you're hiding, watch out for your head!"

Zhang Ke touched his head and laughed. "I don't have a dog's head, just a dog's fur hat. Some people, despite their age, act like mad dogs, relying on others for power!"

"You!"

Wan Baichuan's face turned red with anger, and he almost fainted.

"Xu Sir, you see, Zhang Ke is so stubborn. He relies on Wang Huazhen's power. But remember, civil officials are one thing, and military officials are another. Collaborating with the enemy has no good end!"

Xu Bangyan squinted his triangular eyes and looked at Zhang Ke. "I am tracking over 500 escaped bandits. They have run to River Bend Village, under your jurisdiction. Hand them over now. Don't think that having a backer means you can ignore me!"

Xu Bangyan laughed. "A county official is not as powerful as the current authority. You should understand this, right?"

Zhang Ke still smiled, staring at Xu Bangyan and standing firm. "Xu Sir, whether they are bandits is not for you to say. I have only one thing to say: if you want to take them from me, you're dreaming!"