"Zhou Qingfeng, you're a big idiot."
As soon as these words echoed in the fortress office, Zhou Qingfeng's slaves all stood up and glared at him. Zhou Qingfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He asked the maid who came to deliver the message, "Are these Abahai's original words?"
Seeing that Zhou Qingfeng's subordinates were full of hostility, Abahai's maid quickly shrunk her neck and didn't dare to repeat. She lowered her voice and said carefully, "Lady Master has a few more words, but I dare not say them in their original words."
Zhou Qingfeng only thought that Abahai was inexplicably angry again. He waved his hand to the slave beside him, signaling the latter to leave for the time being. He also pointed to a chair for the maid to sit down. "Go on, just make it clear."
"I don't dare to sit." The maid repeatedly waved her hand and refused to sit down. She continued to stand and said, "Grand Concubine asked me to tell Young Master that you're a Han and don't understand the customs of us Jurchen. Han people are used to farming and labor, while Jurchen people are used to plundering and annexing. We are two completely different kinds of people.
Grand Concubine said that Chu Ying Baylor capturing you to Heculun was completely a casual move, but you establishing a firm foothold in Heculun was a shocking move. Young Master had more and more businesses, whether it was Chu Ying or Uța, they would be greedy. Young Master's repeated sharing of profits could only increase their appetite and slightly delay the time for them to annex.
Young Master had built a fortress, made pottery, and smelted iron. The Baylor Baylor Baylor Baylor Baylor had long been envious. This time, they wanted to pull Young Master to the north to take in the wild Jurchen. They probably felt that the fat meat was big enough and couldn't wait to swallow it. But Young Master proposed the idea of going west, which was nothing more than to make Uța and the others feel that they could wait a little longer.
Little Master must have his own plans for this trip to the west, but he still has to be careful. The Grand Concubine said that Uța and the others must be trying to weaken the young master's strength while he's away for the war. Then, they'll take the opportunity to take over the young master's property in Ekulen. Then, they'll capture the young master and make him work for them forever. "
Zhou Qingfeng thought that Abahai was messing around again, but when it came to this, Zhou Qingfeng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his brain was buzzing. Thinking that he was in a wolf's den without realizing it, the smile on his face disappeared. It was as if he saw an executioner standing behind him, ready to take his life at any time.
When Abahai talked about the changes in the situation around Herkulen, Zhou Qingfeng felt that his horizons had been greatly broadened, but he did not feel the actual benefits. Now, Abahai had brought up the issue of national character, giving him a perfect answer to the questions that had puzzled him for the past few days. However, it also made him feel a sudden sense of fear, as if there was a knife at his back. Why was Nympho Zhen Nympho Zhen Nympho Zhen? This was not without reason.
There was no win-win cooperation in the minds of these barbarians. What they were good at was burning, killing, and looting. This was a different way of thinking brought about by the different living environment, and it was not something that Zhou Qingfeng could easily change.
It was no wonder that when Zhou Qingfeng proposed to attack the west the day before yesterday, all the Nympho nobles, including Chu Ying, were silent and had strange expressions on their faces. They had probably already calculated how to divide up the industries that Zhou Qingfeng had created, but they realized that Zhou Qingfeng could get a bigger piece of meat. Their greed made those Nympho nobles hesitate.
Whether it was the north or the west, Zhou Qingfeng was going to be out of luck.
Damn it, Chu Ying definitely had a part in this. This Grand Bailey was eager for quick success. He wanted Zhou Qingfeng to become a sharp spear under him, and he also wanted to get more benefits from Zhou Qingfeng. Zhou Qingfeng could even imagine that the reason why he was able to survive until now was because of the checks and balances between the Nympho nobles.
But the Nympho Enlightened Ones were on the same side, and they were a bunch of people who feared power but didn't cherish virtue. They didn't care when Zhou Qingfeng came to Ekulun, but now that Zhou Qingfeng had created wealth, he was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. The only disagreement between them was probably how to fatten up the 'lamb' until when they could eat it.
After figuring out the cause and effect, Zhou Qingfeng's mind became clear again. He looked at the maid and asked, "What does Abahai want from me?"
The maid lowered her head and said, "My Grand Concubine says that she is a woman, and she only hopes that Young Master can save her at a critical time on account of the many times she has helped you. She says that compared to those selfish Baileys in the city, Young Master is a Han who is more loyal. "
"Abahai isn't worried that I won't return?" Zhou Qingfeng asked again.
The maid shook her head and only said that Abahai didn't mention this.
Zhou Qingfeng sneered again and said, "Perhaps Abahai also thinks that I won't be able to escape and will come back sooner or later."
The maid couldn't respond to this.
Zhou Qingfeng sat down again and closed his eyes slightly in contemplation. After a while, he said to the maid in a deep voice, "I originally just wanted to escape, but I really didn't expect that my property would be coveted. Go back and tell your master that I'll remember this favor of hers. Ekulun will soon become the eye of a vortex, and everyone can only go with the flow and try their best to fight for it. But I can't give her any promises. "
The maid left in disappointment after failing to get Zhou Qingfeng's promise. After returning, she reported Zhou Qingfeng's words to Abahai. After that, she angrily judged, "This Young Master Zhou really doesn't know what's good for him. Grand Concubine is so good to him, but he didn't help at all. If a war really breaks out in Ekulun, I'm afraid he can't be counted on. "
Abahai was facing a bronze mirror in the room, and in the mirror was a face that could easily capture a man's heart. She sighed softly at the mirror and said, "This is a real man. What's the use of him making empty promises? I've seen many heartless liars. If he can say that he remembers this favor of mine, then he must be a good man with a conscience and a promise. Who can we count on now? It's not just that kid, right? "
The maid whispered again, "Young Master Zhou said that he might not come back."
"Hmph …" Abahai snorted coldly and said, "He is no longer alone when he first arrived in Ekulun. He has at least fifty to sixty close aides that he needs to take with him. Escaping back to the Ming Kingdom with so many people is not something that can be done alone.
Chu Ying and Uța have calculated this, which is why they let Zhou Xiaoxi go in to rob them. They definitely want to exhaust Zhou Xiaoxi's strength and force him to come back to work. Right now, everyone is scheming. Let's see who will have the last laugh. Besides, I don't expect this kid to have a conscience to save me. I just want this kid to stir up the situation in Ekulun. "
"The Grand Concubine is the smartest and will definitely have the last laugh. Although Young Master Zhou is young, he will be infatuated with the Grand Concubine. "The maid's praise made Abahai quite proud. But the latter sighed softly and said, "This is all I can do. The key is to wait for the Khan to send troops to rescue us. But waiting for the army to come and then worrying that we won't be able to escape is also difficult. "
The beauty's worries made her thinner day by day.
When Zhou Qingfeng heard the news from Abahai, he immediately began to re-examine his current situation. He called the female slave, Sun Ren, and asked, "How much iron ore do we have left?"
"I've built three rooms." Sun Ren could not tell how much exactly, so she could only make a rough estimate and said, "It's enough for our ironmaking furnace to burn for three days."
"Is the iron ore being sent here getting less and less recently?"
"Yes, less than half of the original amount."
"Let the ironmaking furnace refine all the iron ore, quickly."
"Then our furnace will stop burning in two days at most. Master, didn't you say that once the furnace starts burning, it can't be stopped easily? "
"Because someone is coming to rob us. Quickly finish refining the iron ore, and quickly forge the refined iron into weapons and tools. Let the blacksmith apprentices practice. It doesn't matter if they don't do well. Also, our pottery kiln can be stopped. As soon as the furnace and kiln stop, immediately do as I say. "
Zhou Qingfeng whispered a few words, and Sun Ren could not help but be shocked. Zhou Qingfeng continued, "After the matter is settled, send people to continue to light the fire in the furnace and continue to smoke. We can't let people see too many flaws. Those guys want to scheme against me, but I won't let them take advantage of me for no reason. "
Sun Ren did not understand what Zhou Qingfeng wanted to do, but after understanding, he went to make arrangements. Zhou Qingfeng sent people to check the deployment of the Jurchen nobles in the city. After finding that the other side did not show any signs of mobilization, he immediately felt relieved – now everyone was acting, and it was time to see who could act better.
Everything seemed to be peaceful, and Zhou Qingfeng just pretended that he did not know anything and continued with his marching training. After two days of light walking training, he began to add transport carts to the team, increasing the load, and increasing the marching distance and terrain difficulty. There were even tasks such as temporarily building a bridge across the river.
The slaves who participated in the training complained incessantly. They had never had such an experience, and they did not know what the meaning of such training was. Especially the last bridge-building task, it was a disaster. Without enough tools and materials, the craftsmen did not know what to do. More than two hundred people struggled for a day, and they could not even cut a few pieces of wood.
After Zhou Qingfeng announced that the mission had failed, he even found that a few slaves were missing. He did not know if they escaped or were washed away by the river, but they did not appear again. However, this kind of training gave him and the core backbone a lot of commanding experience. At least they knew where the limits of their abilities were. What could be done, and what could not be done.
After a total of ten days of training, Zhou Qingfeng had consumed more than half of his food reserves, but he did not feel the slightest pain. Sufficient food supply allowed the slaves to maintain their vigorous energy and stamina, so that they had enough morale to endure all kinds of torment.
On the eleventh day …, Jia Gang returned.
"I went to more than thirty villages in the west. This is a rough map I drew." Jia Gang took out a map drawn on silk, which roughly marked the roads and villages between Hetuala and Ehekulun. This map was very crude, and there were not even any mountains or rivers. It was at most a reference, and could not be used for marching.
"Are there only so many roads?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.
Jia Gang nodded and said, "The road from Ehekulun to Hetuala is full of mountains, and the roads are difficult to walk on. There are not many choices. There is only so much we can do. "
"We need to follow water sources when marching. Which road does not lack water?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.
Jia Gang thought about it and added a few more thin lines on the map to represent rivers.
"What about mountains?" Zhou Qingfeng asked again.
Jia Gang thought that he had drawn it clearly enough, but he did not expect Zhou Qingfeng to have such high requirements. He used his memory to mark out a few more mountains, but soon said helplessly, "There are mountains everywhere on the road. How am I supposed to draw?"
"Which village is worth robbing?"
"We can attack Liuhe Village first. This place is the closest to us, and we can reach it in two days. After that, we can attack Meihekou. This is the place where Jianzhou stores troops and supplies. I saw many horses and livestock there, and it is enough for us to rob. However, there are at least two hundred troops stationed at Meihekou, and it is also close to Hetuala. If the news is leaked when we attack Liuhe Village, Nurhachi will arrive in a day at most. "
Zhou Qingfeng estimated the road conditions and distance, and agreed with Jia Gang's suggestion. "How many troops does Liuhe Village have?"
"Liuhe Village has very few people, only about three hundred people, and about twenty soldiers. Most of them are leftovers who are not very good at fighting." Jia Gang said, "The problem is that Liuhe Village has a few other villages nearby. If we disturb them, we won't be able to attack Meihekou, because the enemy will probably cut off our retreat. "
Leftovers were the unofficial Jurchen soldiers in every Niu Lu Village, and they were the reserve forces. Those who had undergone training were the armored soldiers, and the elites among the armored soldiers were the White Armor Bayala.
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