Right now, the villagers are all gathered under the old locust tree in the village, and those who are close to the Lu family are all around Lu Yanzheng.
Upon hearing Village Chief Li's question, Meng Tianze, Li Dachui, and the others all looked expectantly at Lu Yanzheng.
For them, Lu Yanzheng's presence greatly enhances their sense of security, so naturally they hope he can stay in the village longer.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanzheng glanced at everyone and then smiled lightly, saying, "Uncle Village Chief, I will not leave for the time being unless there is a war. I will stay here from now on."
Now that we've decided to make Dingshui Village our capital, we naturally need to shift all our focus there from now on.
He has already sent instructions to the prefects of the four northwestern prefectures, ordering them to move to Dingshui Village in batches.
"What? We'll be living in the village from now on?" Village Chief Li was taken aback, then overjoyed. "That's wonderful! Our village will never be afraid of anyone again!"
As he spoke, he looked towards the direction of Yunshan.
Following his gaze, Lu Yanzheng noticed that he was looking at Yunshan Mountain and said, "I will bring people up the mountain in a few days, so there's no need to worry."
"Great! Now we don't have to live in fear anymore!" Many people cheered.
They've had a really tough time these days. Even though Wei Chengzhong sent people to protect them, they can't relax. Especially since they sent out so many strong laborers a few days ago. Who would have thought they've managed to get through all this time?
Meng Tianze punched Lu Yanzheng on the shoulder and laughed, "Ah Zheng, count me in! Last time we were outnumbered and didn't dare to confront those guys. This time, with you here, let's see how arrogant they can be!"
Lu Yanzheng patted the back of his hand and said gently, "Alright, Brother Meng, come with me."
Meng Tianze is brave, resourceful, and not impulsive. He is actually very suitable for the military. This is a good opportunity to see his current abilities.
“Me too, me too, Ah Zheng, do you think I’m okay?” Jiang Dacheng suddenly squeezed in, looking at him expectantly.
Lu Yanzheng chuckled and nodded, "Sure, anyone in the village who wants to go can come along."
"Haha, I knew Ah Zheng would agree. See? I wasn't wrong, was I?"
"Tch, that's just how A-Zheng is, what's it to you?"
"Alright, alright, as long as I can go and help, that's enough. I don't care about anything else..."
After everyone had been chatting and laughing for a while, a voice rang out nervously.
"Big brother... um, can I go too?" Lu Yancai gripped the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands, looking at Lu Yanzheng with trepidation.
Lu Yanzheng looked over and saw that Lu Yancai had long lost his former arrogance. Now, he was just an ordinary person standing in the crowd. If he didn't make a sound, Lu Yanzheng might not even notice him.
Seeing that Lu Yanzheng didn't reply, Lu Yancai awkwardly waved his hand and said, "Heh, well, I think I'll pass. Anyway, my skills aren't that great..."
“Okay.” Lu Yanzheng suddenly spoke up, nodding to him, “You come along too, stay by my side.”
After all, he was Lu Yancai's younger brother, whom he had grown up with. Lu Yanzheng couldn't completely ignore Lu Yancai, especially since he was said to have changed a lot recently.
However, Lu Yancai really doesn't have any fighting skills. As the pillar of the family, Lu Yanzheng knows this better than anyone. If Lu Yancai is going to go, he must stay by his side, otherwise something might happen.
Lu Yancai was stunned upon hearing this, and after a long while, his eyes welled up with tears. "Okay! Thank you, big brother. I definitely won't cause you any trouble..."
He didn't know what to say, but the feeling of having his brother's protection returned.
In Lu Yancai's memory, Lu Yanzheng always protected him when he was a child, but as he grew up, this protection slowly disappeared.
When exactly did Lu Yanzheng stop protecting him?
The more Lu Yancai recalled, the lower his head drooped.
He remembered.
Back then, because his elder brother was capable and skilled, the Lu family lived a better life than other families. So he started to act arrogantly in the village, and was almost hated by everyone.
From that time on, Lu Yanzheng stopped protecting him, and if anyone went to Lu Yanzheng to complain, he would be severely punished by Lu Yanzheng himself.
Thinking of this, Lu Yancai felt deep regret.
It's all his own fault for being so useless. If he had followed his older brother and studied hard since he was young, and practiced his skills more, he certainly wouldn't be like this now, right?
At the very least, he would never have been involved with Ma, let alone do something like that before marriage... Let's not even mention that.
In short, now that his elder brother is willing to accept him again and let him stay by his side, he can't let his elder brother down again!
The people of Dingshui Village enjoyed a lively communal meal again, while on Yunshan Mountain, Jiang Chengyou led his men toward Dingshui Village.
"Are you sure the number of guards in their village is half less today?" Jiang Chengyou asked Tuoba Ling.
Tuoba Ling cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, our men have learned that the magistrate of Yongshan County suddenly came today and took away half of his men. This is a good opportunity for us to attack Dingshui Village."
"Why did Wei Chengzhong transfer half of the people?" Jiang Chengyou frowned in thought, but his steps did not stop.
No matter the reason, as long as the number of defenders in Dingshui Village is less than two thousand, they can take Dingshui Village at minimal cost!
Tuoba Ling shook his head and said, "I have already sent people to inquire, but it may take another hour before we get any news back."
They didn't have many men, and even fewer spies. Moreover, several of them had been captured by the Northwest Army in Dingshui Village before, so he could only cautiously send out two people to gather information.
Those two people went back to report the news, and they haven't returned to the vicinity of the village yet.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Chengyou suddenly said, "Pass down the order: we must take Dingshui Village today! Make sure the men behind catch up as soon as possible and launch a surprise attack!"
"Yes!" Tuoba Ling accepted the order and immediately went to relay it to the rear.
They mobilized 3,000 men, coming out in full force, determined to take Dingshui Village tonight.
Meanwhile, the spies sent by Tuoba Ling to Yongshan County to gather information were trapped in a pit, feeling utterly helpless.
"Is anyone there? Help!"
He was ordered to go to Yongshan County to gather information, but before he even got off the mountain, he fell into a trap. What was worse, there was no one around, and he shouted until his saliva was dry, but no one came.
As darkness fell, he could only helplessly clutch his badly sprained and swollen ankle in the trap.
Because of the spies, Jiang Chengyou and the others did not know that Lu Yanzheng had returned to the village, nor did they know that Wei Chengzhong had transferred half of his men because of Lu Yanzheng's return.
When Jiang Chengyou led his men, brimming with murderous intent, into Dingshui Village, before he could even begin to kill, he saw the man who struck fear into the hearts of the Western Qiang soldiers…
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