Chapter 5

Zhang Yu had to tame these people and make them obey his orders.

Fortunately, they had all grown up in this feudal environment.

For Zhang Yu, the difficulty was not great.

After building up the tension to the extreme, Zhang Yu finally gave the order to start eating.

The scene instantly got out of control, even though there was a large amount of grilled meat.

However, the red-eyed crowd immediately started fighting over it.

Zhang Yu watched coldly.

After a full minute, he suddenly grabbed two children beside him and shouted, "Stop it!"

The chaotic scene immediately quieted down.

Some people had their mouths full of grilled meat but didn't dare to chew anymore.

Everyone looked at Zhang Yu in fear.

"Is there not enough meat?" Zhang Yu said, "Look around you. From now on, they are your brothers, your comrades. If you can't even share a little grilled meat, how can you trust each other with your lives?"

The scene was dead silent.

"Everyone, do one hundred push-ups!" Zhang Yu habitually shouted.

The twenty-eight people had no idea what push-ups were.

Zhang Yu demonstrated a few standard ones on the spot.

The twenty-eight people immediately followed Zhang Yu's standards, all lying down and starting to do push-ups.

"Whoever finishes first gets to eat first. Don't try to cheat; one incorrect push-up, and you get ten more." Zhang Yu was now a strict instructor.

He patrolled among the crowd.

He originally thought that these children's physical condition was not very good.

But unexpectedly, they did push-ups quite easily.

Zhang Yu didn't know that these people had lost their parents at a young age, with no one to take care of them, and had to search for food everywhere, making their physical endurance far beyond that of ordinary people.

If they were well-fed and well-rested, their performance would be even better.

The fastest to finish was Yang Guanjun.

He stood up with a red face, his hands trembling after one hundred standard push-ups.

Yang Guanjun just stood there, looking at Zhang Yu with eager eyes.

"Eat!" Zhang Yu ordered.

Only then did Yang Guanjun dare to sit back down and start eating the grilled meat.

Soon, others finished one by one.

No one dared to cut corners.

Fortunately, there was enough grilled meat today.

Even the last person to finish could eat their fill.

"Form a line!" Zhang Yu shouted.

The satisfied crowd quickly formed two lines.

"Go down the mountain!" Zhang Yu made a simple torch from resin and started leading the group down the mountain.

He had left a warm roasted rabbit to take back for Yang Xin.

Whether it was because they were full and had more energy, or because the mountain was too eerie at night, the twenty-eight people moved much faster going down than going up.

When they returned to the Yang family's doorstep, the twenty-eight people were already out of breath.

"Go back and rest tonight. Meet here at dawn tomorrow." Zhang Yu ordered.

"Yes!" The crowd dispersed.

Zhang Yu's lips curled slightly; things were progressing faster than he had imagined.

The potential of these twenty-odd teenagers exceeded his expectations.

Now he needed to figure out how to mass-produce crossbows.

He would have to borrow some tools from Huang Ji tomorrow.

Zhang Yu led Yang Guanjun inside.

Yang Xin immediately rushed over, her voice trembling, "Where did you take my brother? Why did you come back so late?"

It was clear that Yang Xin was very worried.

She almost spoke with a sob.

She tightly held Yang Guanjun's hand, using her body to protect him.

"I brought you some food, it's still warm." Zhang Yu didn't explain much, just took out the rabbit.

"No need!" Yang Xin waited for Zhang Yu for a long time, squeezing out these three words from her teeth.

Then she pulled Yang Guanjun back into their house.

Zhang Yu sighed helplessly and left the roasted rabbit at Yang Xin's doorstep.

He turned and went back to his room.

Not long after, Yang Xin's door opened.

Yang Guanjun poked his head out, saw that Zhang Yu was gone, and reached out to take the rabbit inside.

"Sis! You haven't eaten, right? Come and have some." Yang Guanjun unwrapped the rabbit in the leaves.

Yang Xin grabbed Yang Guanjun's hand and said seriously, "Tell me, where did he take you tonight?"

Yang Guanjun didn't hide anything and told Yang Xin everything.

After listening, Yang Xin seemed deep in thought.

"Sis, the county magistrates in the past were all corrupt, but I don't think this one is!" Yang Guanjun had already changed his view of Zhang Yu.

Which county magistrate would be willing to mix with commoners and hunt for them?

"Looks can be deceiving; who knows what he's planning?" Yang Xin muttered.

But when a fragrant piece of rabbit meat was offered to her, she smiled and opened her mouth.

She thought to herself that Zhang Yu had not touched her in the yamen.

He had even helped resolve the crisis at her home and paid for her parents' coffins.

He was a high-ranking county magistrate; what profit could he gain from a commoner like her?

"Sis, you don't need to worry. I think he's a good person!"

"Two meals of meat, and you're already bought? You're so easily swayed."

The siblings chatted in the house.

At dawn the next day.

The twenty-eight people had already gathered at Yang Xin's doorstep.

Zhang Yu had already borrowed saws, axes, hoes, and other carpentry tools from Huang Ji.

Huang Ji was very reluctant to lend the tools, but he couldn't refuse due to Zhang Yu's status.

Only after Zhang Yu gave him silver to buy new sets did he smile.

Zhang Yu led the group back into the mountains.

Perhaps because they had eaten meat the day before, or because they knew they would get meat again, everyone felt full of energy.

Zhang Yu had them run forward.

This time, they quickly reached the mountain.

He distributed the tools one by one.

Twenty-eight people, not too many.

Some cut trees.

Some carried trees.

Some peeled bark.

Some cleared weeds.

Some dug the ground.

...

Everyone divided the tasks and worked enthusiastically.

By noon.

The mountain had been largely cleared of weeds and obstructive trees, making it look much more spacious.

To complete such a large project in the morning was hard to believe for a group of teenagers.

Zhang Yu returned from hunting and was very satisfied when he inspected the work.

"Good job! Eat and keep working!" Zhang Yu threw a wild deer in front of the group.

Everyone cheered.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the nearby forest.

Zhang Yu reacted quickly, drew his loaded crossbow, and aimed it at the sound.

This place could be dangerous if they encountered a bear.

So he planned to build a fence today.

"Everyone, don't move, stay together." Zhang Yu called out.

Suddenly, a figure darted out from the forest.