Let's leave, lest the people of northern Xinjiang suffer further oppression and massacres, and countless lives be lost in vain.
If we don't leave, I'm afraid my elder brother will be bullied, and I hate that the second branch of the Fang family is too arrogant.
Deeply troubled, Fang Heng couldn't eat or sleep properly, and even during the New Year, he was always frowning and unable to relax.
"Captain, you don't really need to worry too much about the Northern Frontier." Jiang Qi and Jiang Ba also came over. "Before you were here, life in the Northern Frontier went on as usual, didn't it?"
These words were met with unanimous disdain from his brothers.
The northern frontier could certainly be traversed without Fang Heng, but his arrival saved countless lives and slew countless Tartars.
Putting aside his numerous military achievements, just the fact that he became the captain of the fifth squad at the age of fourteen is quite remarkable; it would be embarrassing if he hadn't won some battles.
If I were a few years older, I might even be able to become the captain of the third brigade.
The fact that he can be troubled and worried shows that he truly cares about the people of northern Xinjiang.
"If we can make the Tartars wary, that would be great," Jiang Yi and a few others suggested. "Even if we can't drive them back, as long as they are wary and afraid, and fewer civilians are harmed, that will be enough."
But how can we make the Tartars fear us?
Think back to the last time, it was when Jiang Wu and his group hid in a carriage, pretending to be traveling merchants.
The same method will definitely not work again. Now the Tartars dare not easily intercept merchants whose carriages are too large, for fear that they will be ambushed.
But this also proves that their act of disguising themselves as ordinary people was effective and made the Tartars wary.
Fang Heng pursed his lips, wondering what advice his brothers would give if they were there.
The eldest brother is the most level-headed; he'll likely instruct the soldiers to set up a new ambush.
The fifth brother has the most ingenious perspective; he should be able to find bait that will convince the Tartars.
But what kind of bait could make the enemy so convinced that they would step in without any precautions?
Fang Heng's gaze was unfocused. He vaguely saw two elderly women walking over, carrying small bamboo baskets on their arms. Inside the baskets were clothes that were half-finished and some needlework.
They were all survivors of the Tartars' massacre of the village. They were unwilling to leave this land and had no ability to wield a long knife. They could only help by cooking, cutting meat and vegetables, and sometimes sewing a couple of clothes.
There are many soldiers in the northern frontier, even the fifth squad has four or five hundred people. The old women can't make clothes fast enough for everyone. So, whoever they like gets the new clothes.
Jiang Basheng had a baby face and was missing a finger, which made him the favorite of the older women.
The clothes were only half-finished when I came over, and I was worried that they wouldn't fit him, so I came over to check them out.
"That Jiang Ba is such a smooth talker. The old ladies like him so much that they sew clothes for him every time," Jiang Liu said sourly from the side.
The others nodded, thinking they'd borrow some from the kid later.
Even if they don't fit, you still have to give them a good pat.
Fang Heng, sitting in the commander's seat, felt something drift by and be tightly gripped.
Clothes, old woman, village, survivor.
He suddenly stood up, his mind clearing instantly. "I've got it!"
The Tartars loved to plunder villages and slaughter the defenseless people of Dayu. They would get excited every time they saw fireworks, waiting to reap their spoils.
If the warriors of Dayu could disguise themselves as traveling merchants, why couldn't they disguise themselves as a village?
Once the Tartars believe it, once they charge in, they will never return.
After this happened many times, the Tartars would become afraid. When they saw a village, they would have to think carefully: were these really ordinary people, or a group of warriors waiting to fight back?
Nobody knows.
As the captain of the fifth squad, Fang Heng possessed absolute power and prestige. At his command, even if the others were puzzled, they still acted swiftly.
First, find a sparsely populated village and persuade the people to hide for a few days. Then, have the soldiers change out of their uniforms, put on coarse linen clothes, and work in the village.
It was real labor, but it wasn't exactly difficult, because before joining the army, they were children from poor families.
Digging the ground, feeding sheep, planting vegetables, sifting manure, fetching water, and repairing walls.
Everyone was busy and excited, and in a daze, they had already left the cold and gloomy northern frontier and returned to their hometowns, where they could be with their parents in peace and happiness.
The biggest challenge here is probably the women. Even in the smallest villages, women make up half the population. On the other hand, among the soldiers who can wield swords, only a handful can be chosen to play the role of women.
Jiang Ba was the first to be chosen, and Jiang Wu reluctantly agreed. They then found a few young soldiers and forcibly dressed them up as young girls.
The old woman was played by women who wash vegetables. Although they were afraid, they gritted their teeth and agreed because they remembered their relatives who had died tragically.
In just half a month, the "Life Village" was completed.
If an outsider were to intrude, it would be impossible to detect them without careful observation; these are all played by warriors who have risked their lives on the line.
They were laughing and joking, drawing water and making a living, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, just like any other ordinary village in northern Xinjiang.
In order to lure the Tartars in, the "female relatives" led by Jiang Wu and Jiang Ba would go to the river to chisel ice to wash clothes or catch fish, and fireworks would burn continuously, as high as possible.
Seven or eight days after the Lantern Festival, the village finally attracted the attention of the Tartars.
At this point, the opposite approach was taken: everyone extinguished the fireworks, their expressions tense and cautious, perfectly portraying the fear of the Tartars among the common people.
"Given their vigilance, if they observe for two or three days without making any mistakes, they will most likely take action." Fang Heng, who was playing the eldest son, threw the firewood on the ground and instructed in a low voice, "Everyone, stay alert and do not allow any mistakes at the last moment."
"Don't worry, Captain." Jiang Wu, who was playing the mother, nodded, occasionally wiping cigarette ash on her face. "I'll pass the word down immediately."
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