The guard nodded in agreement, then rode his horse from front to back and passed the message on.
Among all the coachmen, guards, servants, etc., not a single one complained privately.
At first, when they learned their leader was a young boy, they were naturally a little unconvinced. But before they had gone two hundred miles, when they encountered the first wave of bandits, the young leader didn't hide in fear, but instead responded calmly.
He first offered bribes, but when the other bandits refused to compromise, he led his men in a counterattack. He hurled his sharp darts, killing and wounding three or five, and finally, he personally engaged the enemy with a knife. His ruthless demeanor impressed everyone.
At last count, there were only a dozen or so bandits left, and surprisingly, one-third of them were killed by their young leader...
From then on, no one dared to look down on others or to disobey them.
Along the way till now, whether it was accommodation, dealing with various bandits and bullies, or even exploitative officials, nothing could stop the team's progress!
Later, when someone familiar with the situation spoke up, everyone realized that although the team leader was young, he was a veteran who had been to the south of the Yangtze River and the grasslands. He could even play a big role in the grassland royal court!
In this way, they hurried on all night. At dawn, everyone was tired and the horses were a little weak and irritable.
Yonglu finally ordered to find a sheltered place to rest for the morning.
As a result, just as they set up camp, a group of people, about two or three hundred in number, came from afar.
"alert!"
No matter how tired they were, everyone drew their swords and bows and arrows, used the camp carriages as cover, and closely monitored the movements of the group of people.
Slowly, the group approached. The guard lying next to Yonglu suddenly shouted happily, "Boss, they've raised a flag with the word 'Tai' written on it!"
Yonglu also saw it. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not mistaken, then called out to the two guards, "Come on, let's go check it out! Maybe it's my third uncle or eldest brother!"
The two guards were Chen Zhao's subordinates, the most trustworthy and close to the Tai family.
At this moment, they pulled Yonglu's arms from the left and right and jumped out from behind the carriage.
In just a moment, the three of them were about 20 to 30 feet away from the cavalry. Tai Yonglu recognized the man on the horse first: his grandfather, dressed in a sheepskin coat and a large hat, with one arm pulling the reins and a pipe tucked into his belt.
"Grandpa, Grandpa!" Tai Yonglu couldn't bear it any longer and ran forward!
Mr. Tai didn't recognize his grandson, but the voice sounded familiar.
He jumped off his horse, picked up his grandson, and laughed heartily, "Boy, you've suffered so much that Grandpa didn't even recognize you! I feel like you've grown taller since you left home!"
Yonglu's nose felt sore. No matter how calm and considerate he was in front of outsiders, he would always be a child in front of his grandfather, a child who was protected and loved!
But when he looked up at his grandfather's face, which was red from the wind and frost, he swallowed the bitterness back.
Grandpa is old, and he has grown up!
The old man continued to ask, "Who did you come back with? Your Uncle Chen? Are your mother and Zhuzhu safe?"
Yonglu shook his head and replied, "Grandpa, this time I'm leading the team to transport food to the border. Uncle Chen, Brother Ruiyang, my mother, and my sister are all in the south. Uncle Chen has been buying food and transporting it back one after another. I think Yongyue is also behind me, about seven or eight days behind!"
The old man was a little surprised. After all, transporting grain was such a big task, but Chen Zhao actually trusted him to entrust it to two young boys to lead the team.
But when he looked at his grandson who had obviously matured a lot, he felt that what Chen Zhao did was a good thing.
"Let's go to your camp first. It won't take too long to talk."
The two guards ran back to report the news in advance, and Yonglu walked slowly with the old man and others. Behind the old man were the rest of the Tai family, as well as the villagers from the surrounding villages. Those who knew Tai Yonglu well all spoke.
Some praised Yonglu for his achievements, some asked about the situation in the south, some mentioned their previous killing spree and capturing of the Russian devils, and some even talked about the battle situation at the border.
Tai Yonglu felt warm and excited after hearing this. Even though he was still on the road, the arrival of his family was like going home.
His back unconsciously relaxed a little, no longer as stubbornly straight as before.
The old man patted his grandson's shoulder, feeling a little distressed, but he didn't say it out loud.
The small camp suddenly had two or three hundred more people, and it became much more lively.
The conversation spread from a few people to the entire camp. For a moment, it sounded like thousands of ducks making noise. Even the north wind, who liked to eavesdrop, covered its ears and ran away!
Old Master Tai called several team leaders, including Tai Jizu, Tai Jisheng, Zhang Tieniu, etc. The things that needed to be studied were not complicated.
Their mission in coming here was to help transport grain. Now that they have picked up Yonglu, they have completed part of the task. They still have to continue to pick up Yongyue and even the rest of the Chen family's grain transport teams.
Finally, Tai Jisheng led a hundred men to help the grain transport team continue to the border. There were still about three hundred miles to go, and if all went well, they would arrive in five days.
At this time, Mr. Tai led his men to continue heading south, and he should be able to pick up Tai Yongyue.
Everyone agreed and set off immediately after dinner.
Because of the new helpers, everyone in the caravan took a nap in the carriage, which did not delay their journey and gave them a good rest.
After a leisurely stroll, it took five days for the grain transport team to arrive at the border town.
The news was sent to the border defense troops, and He Xiong's personal guards rushed to take over.
Yonglu often went in and out of the military camp and was familiar with them, so he greeted them with a smile.
Several guards were delighted. One of them said to Tai Yonglu, "Little brother, General He is discussing official business with the general and has asked us to come over to take over the grain. General He said the handover is complete. Please come over, little brother. The general has something to say."
Another guard couldn't help but praise him, "These past few days, your eldest brother Yong'an has been on a killing spree, almost catching up with the Sixth Prince in military exploits. Your father also led his men to kill all the Rakshasa devils who had fled into the interior of the country, and now you've led the team to transport military supplies back. General He has always said that your family was born to be part of our border defense army. Your combined military exploits are enough to make you a general!"
"Yes," the other guards nodded. "The army is short of food, and you returned just in time."
Tai Yonglu was young after all, and he felt flattered when he heard it, but he still remembered to say a few humble words.
"My grandfather is old, and my eldest brother fought in dangerous battles. They have made greater contributions. I just led the caravan on the road and killed a few bandits."
Several personal guards had come over at this time, so how could they not understand the young man's contradiction and pride? They all laughed and soon got busy handing over the food.
After discussing military affairs with the general, He Xiong couldn't wait to come out to check it out. He happened to meet Yonglu. He smiled and patted Yonglu's shoulder, jokingly saying, "Oh, our timely rain of grain delivery manager is here!"
Everyone laughed, Yonglu blushed and scratched the back of his head.
"Come on, go in and sit down. The general is waiting to talk to you."
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