Chapter 28
No matter what, being able to play in a peaceful environment or learn something is already a pleasant time.
Wen Yi and He Xuan chatted for a while, and Nan Xun, who was originally a little absent-minded, seemed to want to say something.
He Xuan nodded, "Go ahead."
The young man was not surprised that his teacher knew what he wanted to do. After getting permission, he walked over to the two soldiers on duty nearby and asked them.
One person remained standing while the other soldier ran to Yao Wenjun who was taking a break. Even though they were far apart, Wen Yi could see the surprise in her expression, but she still nodded.
The soldier who was guarding the entrance raised his spear and signaled Nan Xun that he could go in.
"Is he...going to go in and practice his skills?" Wen Yi was a little surprised.
With the precautions Yao Wenjun had given him in advance, Wen Yi had some idea of this man's character, but he couldn't imagine what it meant for the person who was frowning the second before to suddenly leave.
"If you don't understand, just go and experience it. Maybe you'll understand." He Xuan's voice rang beside Wen Yi's ear. After thinking about it, it felt right. "Don't mention it. It does make sense."
The middle-aged man standing next to him also nodded.
The man's name was Sang Yu. He had been arguing with the child with a red face. Wen Yi had thought that he was a debater, but after observing him for some time, he found that he was even quieter than Nan Xun. He seemed to be completely overexcited that day.
So unexpectedly, there were only two more tables in the room where business was handled, one belonging to He Xuan and the other given to the middle-aged man.
After asking, Wen Yi found out that Sang Yu was responsible for the management of their daily travel. He almost never made mistakes. In a sense, he was really the right person.
With the addition of two new forces, the originally busy affairs finally became a little more relaxed, and we can even have a cup of tea occasionally.
Yuwan also likes to take a nap here. When he sees that everyone is free, he jumps onto Wen Yi's lap and snoozes in the warmth.
Putting the cup back on the table, Wen Yi tried to carry the already very heavy cat back to its nest, but the cat raised its paw to refuse, so he could only continue drinking tea in this position.
At this time, tea was considered a dish, but some people also made it into cake tea. After the iron pot was made, someone made some according to the tea-frying process written by Wen Yi. After a period of processing, it is now ready for drinking.
It's said that in areas where vitamins are scarce, tea is an extremely important survival resource, almost as important as salt. It sells well in city shops, and caravans often take some with them when they travel.
The child quickly integrated into Amu's group and wandered around the city with the group of children; Nanxun began to train among the ordinary soldiers every day.
Yao Wenjun would not give any special treatment to this man just because he was his senior brother. Nan Xun was just an ordinary soldier on the training ground, so his training naturally could not be compromised at all. Soon his mental state improved a lot.
Even some salesmen have become stronger. Their arms, which were originally unsteady when lifting spears, can now lift heavy objects steadily.
Seeing these changes, the guys handling affairs in the city were a little tempted, and they thought they should go and exercise as well. Considering their reputation, it should not be difficult to ask for a few days off to go there.
However, they also knew that the group had to gather very early every day regardless of the weather, and no one was allowed to be late, so they thought about it and gave up.
Not everyone has the willpower to get up early in the morning and exercise, and not just for a short while, but for the whole day, excluding meal times, you have to be on the training ground.
“It’s really not easy.”
After putting the last piece of wood into the stove, Yao Wenjun went out very early every day.
Wen Yi washed with cold water and finally sobered up a little, "Yes, no one's skills are gained in vain."
Although Nan Xun always attributed it to his talent, his own recent growth in strength was evident, if nothing else. Perhaps talent determined the upper limit, but hard work could raise the lower limit.
After a quick bite of cold food, Wen Yi rose and headed for the front hall, where he took the box from the messenger. It contained the messages that had arrived since he left yesterday. Important messages would be forwarded immediately, regardless of the time. Those that had been kept until this point were mostly unimportant.
Sure enough, the first thing he opened was about the workshop. The craftsmen had developed some new things and submitted a report requesting the use of some materials. Wen Yi stamped his own seal and distributed the things to Sang Yu, and then looked at the rest.
There was also new news from Xinyi.
Although there were some losses there, it was a big city after all, and those guys did not succeed. Instead, more people were left behind.
There is also good news for them. The chief seems to have not survived the injury. Now the tribe is in chaos. Those who went to Xinyi are said to be the new guys who climbed up. Many people are dissatisfied. This defeat will cause the turmoil that was barely suppressed to rebound. It seems that they will not cause trouble in the short term.
As for how they will survive the winter this year, that is not something Wen Yi and others need to worry about.
The connection between the two places that had been interrupted was re-established, and the caravans began to move again.
A few days ago, the soldiers who were assigned to the area where they previously lived sent someone to deliver some dry goods from the mountains. I heard that some people have settled there where the original village was. I wonder what it looks like now.
The construction in the city is nearing completion and there are still many vacant houses.
Wen Yi and Yao Wenjun were not too worried about this. The new guys were different from the people they were familiar with, and it was hard to say whether order in the city could be maintained.
At the beginning, there were still people who committed crimes in the city, and some even thought they were innocent. However, they were all suppressed by Yao Wenjun. Those who needed to be dealt with were dealt with, and those who needed to be sent away were sent away. Although there were not many people, there was still room for two or three.
Although there is no unhappiness among people now because of the entanglement of interests, and even if there are some frictions, they will be resolved under the mediation of the relevant persons in charge, Wen Yi still gathered a lot of people to reorganize the regulations in the city and post them up.
At the beginning, someone should be arranged to recite it nearby. As more people know about it, after communicating with each other, even if some details are not mentioned, the outline will be clear.
Most of them were what they had followed before, and they had no impact on their lives, so there were no twists and turns.
When He Xuan has nothing to do, he likes to stand next to the city hall where notices are posted to help people explain things, and he will patiently answer questions when someone asks.
However, as the weather gets colder, fewer people are outside, and most people choose to stay at home and do some work.
He Xuan looked at Yao Wenjun who came back at noon. Everyone around them went to eat something, and only the two of them were left in the room.
"What are your plans after spring?" He Xuan asked.
Yao Wenjun wiped her hands with a cloth and sat down in the seat reserved for her. "Let's look east first, towards Xinyi... and wait a little longer."
It's not that they don't want to take action, but with the current manpower, even if they take it, they can't hold it. Xinyi and Pingyi are different. The latter has long been abandoned, while the former still plays the role of guarding the edge.
The east is much more chaotic. There are many small forces nearby, but most of them have few manpower. If you plan carefully, it is not too difficult to swallow them up bit by bit.
The recruits need to be retrained. She and Wen Yi don’t have many people under them who can take on important tasks. It still depends on when that group of guys can arrive.
Sang Yu is a good candidate, but it is just a drop in the bucket.
"Teacher, do you have anyone suitable?" Although he didn't accept many serious disciples, there were many people who had asked He Xuan for advice. Maybe there were some who could be coaxed over.
"Didn't you send the letter?"
He Xuan himself didn't mind many things, but those kids all had their own opinions. In a sense, Yao Wenjun was also a heretic.
Yao Wenjun sighed.
*
Wen Yi took some bamboo slips from the caravan. She couldn't understand the words on them, but she had seen similar ones at Yao Wenjun's place, so she thought they were used in other places.
"Someone replied so quickly?"
When Yao Wenjun heard Yi say he had something to pass on to her, she was curious. She took the letter and saw it wasn't from her, but from her brother. He first made some irrelevant comments, then bluntly refused, adding some of the same discipline she'd often encountered.
Yao Wenjun was too lazy to even read the contents and simply threw them into the charcoal brazier in the house.
Seeing this, Wen Yi, even if she didn't know the content, probably guessed it wasn't good. Yao Wenjun didn't look unhappy at all, and it seemed that these things had no effect on her, nor would they affect her decision.
But no matter what, the original training has not stopped. Most people have already felt that after a while, they will no longer be limited to guarding here, but will go other places.
Although it has never been explicitly stated, everyone has already started preparing.
The woodworking department also began to research siege equipment.
Although there are depressions on the city walls in other places, the existence of ladders is still necessary.
Climbing along the outer wall can easily lead to being hit or poked down by people above. Most people cannot climb it when carrying a load. Ordinary ladders can be easily pushed away by the defenders, while the ladder is relatively stable because of the metal hook on the top.
The main structure consists of a main ladder and a secondary ladder that can be raised or lowered. The structure is foldable and made of metal. A six-wheeled chassis is located underneath, and the frame is surrounded by wooden panels and metal shields. Standing inside and pushing the machine forward can prevent damage.
By that time, ladders were already widely used, so remaking them would have taken much less time than starting from scratch. Wen Yi only visited a few times, then had Amu bring a few possible considerations to Qingping, deciding whether to adopt them or not.
After all, sometimes what comes later is not necessarily better.
Besides ladders, catapults and siege ramps were also extremely important siege engines. However, these two items required a large amount of materials and were too large. Even though they had ample supplies in their warehouses, they would have to wait until they had a clear understanding of the structure before moving the components outside the city for assembly.
The caravans did not stop traveling during this period, and the old rice and grain were traded for a lot of metal. Food was much more expensive at this time, so it was very cost-effective to exchange it.
The recovered metal materials are reprocessed and poured into pre-made molds to make shields and other parts.
All of this has been handed over to Qing Ping and the craftsmen in charge of metal smelting. Material consumption and reporting have also been handed over to Sang Yu. Wen Yi himself has spent a lot of time understanding the surrounding situation, including where there might be bandits and which forces might move after the temperature rises.
Pingyi wasn't located at a river junction or a pass, so it wasn't a must-attack location. Xinyi to the west was different in this respect, surrounded by mountains on both sides. Any attempt to break through would require conquering this area, and more troops would be deployed to guard it.
And how to defend the city after most people leave.
This should be considered their base camp. Even if the people who go out don't achieve any results, this place must be well guarded.
After the watchtowers on the east and west sides of the city are repaired, they can see far away. By arranging people to guard them during the day, they can notice whether anyone approaches here.
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