Chapter 271
Master Lu's praise came from the bottom of his heart; he was a craftsman.
He has few admirers.
Either you have exceptional technical skills, or you are incredibly loyal and righteous.
Fan Xiaoxiao was neither of those qualities, yet she became the woman he admired most.
"Master Lu, this is the result of everyone's hard work." Fan Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and looked at the increasingly prosperous Tianshan Village.
It's no longer the empty space it used to be, nor is it the start where there were no materials to do anything.
“We now have raw materials, horses, and all sorts of traps to protect ourselves.”
"There are also some weapons that have been forged multiple times."
"But that's not enough."
Fan Xiaoxiao clenched her hands, her expression extremely solemn: "The matter I want to entrust to you, Master Lu, today is the essential mechanism to protect the entire camp!"
Master Lu was taken aback for a moment after hearing this: "Little girl, it's not that I'm being nosy."
He looked around and saw fences painted with fireproof material, traps full of spikes, barbed wire, and so on.
"Even if bandits attacked, the current stronghold could easily defeat an enemy three times our size. Isn't that enough?"
Master Lu was somewhat puzzled.
Fan Xiaoxiao gave a wry smile and shook her head: "It's not enough."
“There are over a hundred people in our village, but only about twenty of them are capable of fighting.”
The twenty-odd people were all sent by Gu Zhongtai, plus Xiao Hei and the four old soldiers sent by General Yu, which made up less than 30 people in total.
The other dozens were actually artisans and a few family members who had been gathered together after fleeing.
These people have skills, but in the chaotic world outside, they can only wait to die.
Tianshan Village is everyone's sanctuary.
They provide food and clothing; it's like a paradise on earth.
The most important and urgent thing to ensure is safety!
"Understood." Master Lu pondered for a moment and nodded slightly. "What kind of defense do you need?"
"The higher the better." After saying that, Fan Xiaoxiao realized that her opinion was too vague and unrealistic. It would be difficult for someone as meticulous as Master Lu to have a standard.
He then added, "Then let's go by the standard of being able to withstand the imperial army."
Upon hearing this, Master Lu was dumbfounded and gasped in shock.
Fan Xiaoxiao quickly explained, "It's not the kind of situation where a large army is pressing in."
After all, a terrifying scale like the imperial court's attack on Tianshan would be impossible for anyone to escape unscathed; it would be a crushing defeat.
"I've been living here for a while now." Fan Xiaoxiao learned about the environment here from her own observations and from other people's accounts.
"The place Xiahou chose is very special, and the environment is excellent."
"The surrounding trees are tall, which makes it less convenient to move things, but it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is not suitable for large-scale sneak attacks."
Fan Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, "So as long as we can withstand the attack of the regular army of the imperial court, about fifty people, and drag it out to a stalemate, that will be fine."
If a standoff can be achieved.
Then we can use traps to trap them.
The people in the village could fight or run across the mountains into the northern barbarian grasslands, which would make things much easier.
Upon hearing this, Master Lu finally understood.
"Good!" He clenched his fist: "I've already taught the people below how to do the rest, and the demand for goods isn't too high. I'll let this old body of mine shine a little longer."
Master Lu is a very responsible craftsman.
Since he took it on personally, it was naturally the safest course of action.
Fan Xiaoxiao was completely relieved.
The peaceful days of Tianshan Village continued for several days.
One day, the weather suddenly changed.
The wind picked up at night.
It was at this time that...
In her drowsy state, Fan Xiaoxiao heard people shouting outside.
She frowned, thinking it was just her imagination running wild.
However, she was suddenly pulled up by her older sister, Madam Fan, along with the blanket.
"!" A chilly feeling crept into the sleeves of my clothes.
She shuddered and woke up completely.
"Er Ya!! Something's happened! Get up quickly!"
"Okay!" Without saying a word, Fan Xiaoxiao turned over and started getting dressed.
As she put it on, she forced herself to remain calm and asked, "What's wrong?!"
Whenever it's a small hour, Xiao Hei will come and call.
Because Xiao Hei can't just pull someone out of bed like that.
After all, men and women are different.
Now that the Fan family has taken action, the matter must be so serious that it cannot be delayed any longer.
"Barbarians are attacking!"
Hearing what Madam Fan said, Fan Xiaoxiao became even more anxious.
She never went to the battlefield, but she experienced the massacre in Wuxi Village.
The barbarians there were said to treat the border people cruelly, killing all the men and children and taking away the women to bear children.
Fan Xiaoxiao had already thought of this when she started doing business.
Sooner or later, the northern barbarians, dissatisfied with the status quo, will attack.
What I didn't expect was that they would arrive so quickly!
What worried her most was that the imperial army had fallen behind.
She dressed herself and then wrapped herself in a cloak.
When we went outside, the village was so dark that we couldn't see anyone at all.
Xiao Hei led a group of skilled Gu Yue Sect martial arts masters to guard the area near the fence, while others with proficient archery skills stood on the watchtower built against a tree.
"Lady Xiao!" Xiao Hei's eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now.
Seeing Fan Xiaoxiao's silhouette, I knew it was her.
They rushed over immediately.
"How is it?!" Fan Xiaoxiao asked anxiously.
Even the most intelligent person cannot remain calm in the face of an unexpected situation.
"It's not a big problem." Although Xiao Hei's words were hesitant, they did calm Fan Xiaoxiao's anxious and restless heart.
"How so?" she pressed after calming down.
Xiao Hei then recounted everything that had just happened.
It turned out that the night watchmen had seen a large area of firelight outside.
He immediately sent a message back to the village.
Then Xiao Hei decisively ordered all the lights in the village to be turned off.
It was late at night, and Lu Ye and the others were being extra cautious.
The traps in Tianshan Village were laid out far away from the village itself.
Moreover, those barbarians were all outsiders, unfamiliar with the terrain, and couldn't find the location of Tianshan Village for a while.
They also fell into a trap, which severely injured some people.
Left with no other choice, they raged in a fit of impotence for a while before finally leaving.
When Xiao Hei sent Fan Shi to wake Fan Xiaoxiao, it was right at the time when they had just discovered a large number of unfamiliar torches.
Now that the person is gone, Fan Xiaoxiao is left with nothing but loneliness.
After everything settles down.
Xiao Hei quickly led the group around the trap to investigate.
Fan Xiaoxiao and Lu Ye and the others, who were awakened, couldn't fall back asleep.
It was still dark.
The lights were on in the room.
The charcoal fire was warm, and Madam Fan was holding her baby and trying to lull him to sleep. Everyone else was sitting at the table waiting for news.
We chatted casually for a while.
Xiao Hei and the others are finally back.
He was carrying a bloodstained caltrop in his hand.
The lights are bright.
When the light shone on it, it appeared even more sinister and bloodstained.
“The blood had just clotted and was still fresh. Our people have already cleaned it up, including the traces.”
"We'll deal with the rest properly when it gets light."
(End of this chapter)
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