Just as more and more people in Yizhou found out that wild fruits could be exchanged for money and joined in, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's troops had already arrived in Pengzhou.
Nine days. It took them nine days to travel from Yizhou to Pengzhou, while the troops in front took eight and a half days. With the difficult journey and the rainy weather, it could be said to be a miracle.
For this miracle, Zhang Xiaobao spent more than thirty thousand strings of coins to supply and take care of the troops along the way from Yizhou to Pengzhou. On average, he spent two strings of coins on each soldier.
After Guo Tu arrived in Pengzhou and rested for a while, he led the soldiers and set off in the direction of Jinchuan City. At the same time, he didn't forget to write a letter to the imperial court about what had happened along the way. There was no lie in the letter at all. It was as it should be, including how much food was available, the condition of the soldiers, and so on.
He praised the Zhang family fiercely. What he meant was that if the Zhang family were to organize the logistics, then no one in this world could compare to them.
Of course, he didn't know how much money Zhang Xiaobao had spent on them for these eight and a half days. He also didn't know how many commoners had carried them on their shoulders and used wheelbarrows to pave the steep road for them. There were no less than a hundred mules that had been used to transport the grain into the mountain stream.
Zhang Xiaobao still had to settle the follow-up matters. There was an excuse for collecting grain and mules. He had to let the other party benefit, which required even more effort.
Without the logistical support provided by manpower, not to mention eight and a half days, even sixteen and a half days wouldn't be enough for them to reach Pengzhou. Zhang Xiaobao practically used his planning skills to the extreme, only then did he manage to perfect the entire layout and take care of every single place.
Guo Tu left with the provisions that Zhang Xiaobao had prepared for him.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan stayed in Pengzhou. The two of them only had Zhang Zhong's name on them. At the same time, they weren't in charge of Pengzhou's defense and didn't care about the local matters. Therefore, the officials in Pengzhou didn't pay attention to the two of them and treated them as if they were here to play.
"They didn't arrange a relay station for us to stay and just told us to find our own place. No matter what, we're contributing to the country." Before Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could say anything, the people in the inner courtyard were already dissatisfied.
Zhang Xiaobao hurriedly berated them, "If you say anything more, then go back. We were arranged to gather grain for the army, not to take over other people's defense. The reason why we're still waiting here is because we're afraid that the imperial court will continue to order us to gather more grain. I reckon that it's impossible. Even if we gather more grain, they won't need us. With the Jiannan Military Governor around, he'll be busy when the time comes."
Wang Juan also said from the side, "Hurry up and find a place. This place is not bad and there are many mountains. It's perfect for training. Even Grandpa Bi and Grandpa Yao's people will be trained together. Remember, if you see any pandas with dark circles on their eyes in the mountains, catch a few for me. If you see any pregnant pandas, it'll be even better. When the time comes, bring them back for Xiaobei and the others to play with."
As Wang Juan spoke, a scene appeared in her mind. A four or five-year-old Xiaobei and the others wearing beautiful clothes walking on the streets with a silly panda following behind them. They would stop from time to time and look around. It must be very interesting.
Then they had to be trained from a young age. Otherwise, the pandas would easily eat Xiaobei and the others as snacks. After getting used to being together, the pandas were still very cute.
Wang Juan immediately carried out her plan, leaving the people in the inner courtyard to follow Zhang Xiaobao's plan. She and Zhang Xiaobao led the 56 members of the Zero Squad, Li Xun's 200 bodyguards, and Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao's 100 people. A total of 358 people went to the nearby mountains to play.
"This place is good. It's rich in resources and all kinds of minerals. It's a pity that we can't develop it right now. We can only wait until we have the conditions in the future. It's said that there's a lot of limestone here, which can be used to make cement. There's also a lot of medicinal herbs. Since there aren't so many people picking them, let's gather more and bring them back to the research institute."
Wang Juan changed the environment and didn't think about the war in front of her. She happily talked to Zhang Xiaobao as they walked on the road.
Zhang Xiaobao was still thinking of other plans. He couldn't let this trip go to waste. No matter what, he had to obtain enough benefits to scare Li Longji. Otherwise, he would send them to the border for no reason in the future. Most people wouldn't be able to adapt to the climate here.
Thinking about the various frontier poems written by Gao Shi in the future, he knew that once they left Pengzhou, they would only be waiting to suffer.
Hearing Wang Juan's words, he said absent-mindedly, "Yes, there are still a lot of things that we have to think of ways to make use of. For example, the bamboo and coal here. If we don't use them properly, it would be a waste for us to come so far."
"I'm talking about medicinal herbs. What coal and bamboo? I remember that this is the most suitable place to produce medicinal herbs, especially the temperature and humidity. Why don't we set up a medicinal herb plantation here and contribute to opening welfare hospitals everywhere in the future?"
Wang Juan bent down and grabbed a handful of grass from the mountain road. She looked at it in her hand, as if it was medicinal herbs that were everywhere.
"Then let's try to plant one. Even if it doesn't succeed, we can let people know that there is such a method. Nowadays, people just go and pick them directly. As the tools become more and more advanced, there are no good medicinal herbs left.
Now, why do I feel that Guo Tu might not be able to win? Isn't it a little too little to send 15,000 people? I remember that a few years ago, Tubo sent 100,000 or 100,000 soldiers. Jinchuan is such an important place. Who wouldn't arrange more soldiers here? "
Zhang Xiaobao always had a premonition that Guo Tu would easily rush over and fail to escape back. If he could escape back, it would be fine. If he went with 15,000 people and returned with only a few hundred people, not only would the people of Wangjiang not be able to report their worries, but many people would also die. That would be very sad.
Because Wang Juan had cooperated with the people here, she also knew that Jinchuan was not a place to fight. However, if it was her, she felt that there should be hope. The art of war was to use one's strength to overcome the enemy's weakness. As long as the quality of the soldiers was high enough and the logistics were sufficient, she was confident that she could divert the enemy and find a chance to win if she was the commander.
If she was given ten thousand bodyguards like Li Xun, equipped with horses, she would be the general, and Zhang Xiaobao would be in charge of logistics. She would dare to fight her way to the capital of Tubo. If she was given the people from the Zero Protection Team, she would be able to sweep through all the surrounding countries. It would not be a problem even if she were to fight her way to Arabia.
Of course, the premise was that Zhang Xiaobao would organize the logistics for her. She really did not feel at ease with other people.
As the two of them talked, the team started. The 56 people of the Protection Team guarded Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and did not move. The rest of the people started to practice various tactics according to the previous method.
Li Xun's team had already adapted, but Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao's people were much worse. They were not used to such a terrain. When they were going up the hill, they felt that it was nothing. They were similar to Li Xun's people. Everyone was the same.
However, when they started their normal training, they realized that things were far from as simple as they thought. In the beginning, because they were full of stamina, they did not know how to conserve their energy when running up the hill. In the process of chasing back and forth, as time passed, they realized that they did not have any energy left.
On the other hand, Li Xun's guards were completely unscathed. They were able to execute all the tactical maneuvers. In just half a day's time, 100 people were 'annihilated' by 200 people. The other side actually had zero casualties.
One of Old Man Pi's team angrily found Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and said to the two of them, "Young Master, Young Lady, this is not fair. They have more people, and we have fewer people. 200 against 100 people, of course the 100 people will lose."
"Oh? You think so? Good, you have the guts to say what is in your heart. You deserve praise. You guys take a rest first. At the same time, you are responsible for my and Cuckoo's protection work. Let the others continue to train. After four hours, the Protection Team that has finished training will not do any rest and will directly fight against your 100 people. What if you still lose? "
Zhang Xiaobao did not expect that someone would find an excuse for himself. During a battle, who cared how many people you had? You were just one person, and the other side would still fight. It was just two times the number. How many? In history, there were so many battles where fewer people won. It was not about who had more people. If it was about the number of people, then it would be simple.
The 100 people were indeed tired and wanted to have a good rest. They thought that it would be easier to guard Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Therefore, that person said on behalf of everyone, "If we lose again, we will be punished with 50 strokes of the military rod."
"No need. It hurts so much when the military rod hits the body. I won't hit you. After you lose, you will help out when you go back. No matter what work you are given, you are not allowed to be picky. Even if I ask you to jump into a cesspool to catch maggots, you have to catch enough for me. Otherwise, I will talk to Grandpa Bi."
Zhang Xiaobao usually could not command people like them. Now that he finally had the chance, how could he not take advantage of it?
This person agreed without thinking. After all, they had never fought against the people from the Seedling Protection Team. Usually, they only heard about how powerful they were. No matter how powerful they were, they only had one nose and two eyes. He did not believe that 100 people could not take care of 50 people.
The job of the guards changed. The people from the Seedling Protection Team went to fight against the 200 people from Li Xun's guards. These 100 people wanted to follow Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to have a good rest.
However, Zhang Xiaobao did not intend to let them relax now. If he did not teach them a good lesson, they would not be obedient in the future. In the army, strength was the most important thing.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaobao said to the 100 people, "How about this, it's boring to be idle. Cuckoo and I will run 100 steps forward and then hide. You guys find me and Cuckoo. How about it? Just treat it as hide-and-seek. "
Wang Juan was happy when she heard this. In the past, when she was at home, she could only find a suitable place to exercise, but she could not play as well as she did today. At home, she had to pretend to be dignified when she met others. Today, it was really exciting to cooperate with Zhang Xiaobao and play hide-and-seek with 100 people.
She said happily, "Let's do it this way. I'll leave you two binoculars. You can use them. You have two hours. If you catch them, you will be rewarded with 10 strings of coins. If you don't catch them, you will be rewarded with 10 strings of coins. Is there any objection?"
The 100 people looked at the height of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and thought about their age. They did not take it to heart at all. They nodded and agreed, ready to earn 10 strings of coins.
One by one, they rubbed their hands and waited for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to run away.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan looked at the surrounding environment, chose a direction, and ran out holding hands. After running 100 steps, they shouted, "Okay, you can come and catch us. As long as you catch us, I will give you 10 strings of coins."
The 100 people were excited. They did not need binoculars at all. They could see the clear figures of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan now. It was just that there were more trees, so it was nothing. They spread out and surrounded them, in case Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ran away.
In this way, the 100 people began to play hide-and-seek. The figures of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan appeared in front of them from time to time, but when they reached the place, they found that they were still so far away. They did not know how the two children could run so fast.
As they ran, the 100 people found that one person in front of them was missing. Wang Juan was gone, and only Zhang Xiaobao was left. This time, they were confused. Just now, they wanted to catch Wang Juan, but they did not know when she had hidden. The person who complained at the beginning quickly ordered 50 people to look for Wang Juan on the way here.
He thought that Wang Juan had hidden while the others were not paying attention, and the remaining 50 people continued to chase Zhang Xiaobao. The more they chased, the more trees there were. If it were not for Zhang Xiaobao's figure flashing from time to time, they really could not find him.
This chase went on for an hour. The 100 people who had not had a chance to rest finally felt a little tired. However, they were not willing to take out 10 strings of coins for nothing, so they could only grit their teeth and continue to chase.
After chasing for about a quarter of an hour, the person who complained first gestured for the 50 people to stop. He pointed to a place in front of them. There was a big tree there, and beside the tree, a corner of clothes could be seen. If one did not look carefully, they would not be able to see it.
"Be careful. Surround it and surround this place. We finally caught one. I don't know if the people on the other side have caught Wang Juan. It's better to catch one than not to catch one. When the time comes, it will be hard to determine the winner, so we don't have to worry about taking out 10 strings of coins."
The person whispered to the others. The crowd began to disperse and slowly surrounded the place. When the encirclement was successful, the 50 people shouted happily and rushed over.
However, when they came close, everyone was dumbfounded. There was only one piece of Zhang Xiaobao's clothes here. It was held up by a stick, and from the angle they found it, there was a corner of it.
There was also a piece of paper stuck to the clothes with a few words written on it: "Remember to bring my clothes back. Otherwise, it won't be as simple as 10 strings of coins."
"What do we do?" a person in the team asked.
"Chase, chase. Pay attention to your feet and look for traces." The person who complained felt that he was sweating uncontrollably. He clearly saw Zhang Xiaobao running over, so how did he disappear in the blink of an eye?
The 50 people began to look for traces on the ground again. If they hadn't surrounded him and ran in such a chaotic manner, they might have had a chance to find him. But now, no matter which direction they looked in, it seemed to be in the direction Zhang Xiaobao had left.
The 50 people split up again to look for him, but the result was obvious. When Zhang Xiaobao was escaping, he had police dogs. Even so, they couldn't catch him, let alone the 50 of them.
These 50 people couldn't find him, and the 50 people who were searching for Wang Juan were also at a loss. Where was Wang Juan? The 50 people discussed for a while and decided that Wang Juan was still with Zhang Xiaobao. They decided to meet up with the 50 people in front of them first.
When the 100 people successfully met up, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were eating at the place where they first came out.
"We made a profit. Ten strings of cash per person, so 100 people will have 1,000 strings of cash. That's enough to do a lot of things. Xiao Bao, do you think they can take out the ten strings of cash per person?"
Wang Juan sat there and leaned her head on Zhang Xiaobao's shoulder. She ate a hazelnut as she asked Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao held a fruit that he had just plucked. He didn't care that it was so sour that his teeth were about to fall out. He ate it in small bites and replied, "They probably can. They don't usually have much to spend. Their meals are all ours. Just as well. We'll treat the 1,000 strings of cash as food money. If there's a chance in the future, organize a few more such activities. We can't let them take advantage of us for nothing."
"Then tell me, how do you think Grandpa Bi and Grandpa Yao will treat them when they know about this?" Wang Juan stuffed a hazelnut into Zhang Xiaobao's hand.
"That's none of our business. Or we can help them keep it a secret and let them get all of Grandpa Bi's and Grandpa Yao's guards to play hide-and-seek with us. It's still ten strings of cash. If we win once, we'll give the 100 people a tenth of what we won.
If we win ten times, they can earn back the money they lost. I think this is fine. I'll tell them later. Grandpa Bi and Grandpa Yao have quite a few guards. "
Perhaps Zhang Xiaobao felt that life was too dull, so he had to bully Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao's guards. He believed that even if they knew that their guards had lost, they could only vent their anger on their guards. Who asked that guard to be so stupid?
The two hours they agreed on earlier passed quickly. The 100 people knew that they had lost, so they could only return, hoping to see Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. If they couldn't see them, then it would be even more troublesome.
Sure enough, when they returned, they saw Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan opening the small tent on their backs. The two of them were sleeping inside.
"If I knew this would happen, I would've left a few people to guard this place. When they came back, I would've caught them. Ten strings of cash. Do you have enough?"
The person who complained first complained again and asked the others. They didn't have any money on them now. No one could bring a few kilograms of money out to do things, so they could only go back and give it to the others.
The others nodded one after another, indicating that they had enough. However, this money was saved through hard work. They didn't have a military salary, only a monthly allowance. Occasionally, they helped Zhang Xiaobao and Wang deliver things. Only then did they save some money. After taking out ten strings of cash, they all became poor again.
One person didn't understand. He sat on the ground and said, "How did we lose them? We were watching. They were clearly right in front of us, but we lost one when we ran away."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xiaobao's voice came from the tent, "Hurry up and rest. There's less than two hours left. The others will be finished, and it's time for you to compete. Let me tell you, Cuckoo and I went to climb the trees. Next time, remember to look for traces. Tracking is a skill. Sleep."
After that, there was no sound in the tent. The 100 people looked at each other. They also looked at the trees, but there were too many trees, and they were so dense. How could they know who had climbed a certain tree?
Thinking that they would have to compete later, one by one, they lay on the ground. They didn't care if they were wet or not. They closed their eyes and slept, so that they could recover enough energy to compete with the 56 people who didn't have a chance to rest.
While waiting for them to sleep soundly, the two groups of people returned. From their expressions, it was really hard to tell who had lost. Li Xun's 200 people hung their heads dejectedly, while the 56 people had gloomy expressions.
The tent door opened, and Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan came out. They looked at the two groups of people and asked, "Who lost?"
"We lost." The two groups of people said at the same time.
While the one hundred people were still puzzled by the noise, the leader of the fifty-six people, Huzi, said very dispiritedly, "We had fifty-six people to deal with two hundred of them, but we actually lost forty-one people. Of the remaining fifteen people, nine of them were also judged to be injured.
If it was really us who protected the young master and the young lady, the other side sent 300 people like Young Master Li's bodyguards. The young master and the young lady couldn't be protected anymore. Later on, we were given special treatment, and the loss was too great. If I had to fight again, I promise to reduce the number of deaths to … "
"Another time is another time, it has nothing to do with this time. A person only has one life, which means that there are only six people who are unharmed. Hmm, not bad, it seems that we can continue to increase the intensity of the training. It has been five years, you have been trained for five years, the special forces have even been trained. Drink some water, we will go against the hundred of them again soon, seven minutes to prepare."
Zhang Xiaobao was very dissatisfied with the data. The 56 people were trained bit by bit according to the training method of the special forces. After five years, they actually got such a result. What was the special forces? They were the existence that could take the enemy's general's head from thousands of miles away. Using the special forces, there could only be one result.
"Alright, alright. After all, the training methods we've summarized aren't very scientific. We'll take it slow in the future. Let them accumulate more experience first. When the next batch of people is in place, we'll select them bit by bit. They're directly incorporated into the team. Normal special forces selection is one in a million."
Wang Juan mediated at the side. Then, she looked at Li Xun's 200 people. These 200 people were now speechless. They had also received training when they were in Lu Zhou. When they became the guards of the Prince's Mansion, they were selected again and again.
In the end, after a fight, they were all defeated. 200 people against 56 people. Before they could feel sad, the other side had already felt sad. At this time, it was useless to say anything. It was embarrassing. When the young master found out, they did not know what kind of punishment they would face.
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