The 368th year of the Dazhou calendar, October 16th.

  "Stab!" "Straighten your waist!" "Dont be distracted!"

  On the open grounds of Wan Jia Zhuang, a team of 300 refugees was practicing formation standing and thrusting techniques under Liu Ces command. The first three rows of refugees wore leather armor with huge iron nails embedded in them, holding long spears that were four meters long, with triangular heads twelve centimeters long, and a narrow blood groove in the middle to keep the blade stable. The spear shafts were made of hardwood such as oak or nanmu wood, and each spear weighed about three kilograms. The refugees behind them held similar equipment, but their leather armor had fewer iron nails than the first two rows. However, due to the previous battle, they had captured over 200 sets of leather armor and a large amount of leather, which were processed and manufactured by Feng Ying, Gao Lao Han, and other skilled craftsmen, as well as sewn together by the women in the village. As a result, all the refugees in the village were wearing armor. With improved food supplies, everyone was able to eat three meals a day, and their faces had regained some color. The refugees who were training had become more robust and sturdy.

  On the other side of the courtyard, Zhou Ou was teaching those children to recognize characters. He was originally a private school teacher in Gaogezhuang, making a living by teaching knowledge to the children of some large households in the village. In this era, literate people were highly respected, and illiterate people who did not know how to read or write always felt inferior in front of Master Xuezhi. Even in the midst of chaos, scholars like Zhou Ou and Qin Mo, with their extensive knowledge and literary talents, still received respect.

  Originally, Zhou Ou wanted to join the militia to practice and eliminate bandits, but after two days of training, he knew it wasnt his thing. Liu Ce then arranged for him to return to his old profession, teaching children in the village to read in the morning, and after training ended in the afternoon, teaching all the militiamen including Feng Xueyan to read.

  This decision was made without any objection, but it was a disaster for this group of refugees who were illiterate. To mention a few, Feng Qiu and Yang Kai Shan tried every means to avoid Zhou You, even resorting to childish tricks, pretending to be ill or in pain when it was time to study, but when it was time to go out and "fight" for food, they would risk their lives to get the opportunity, even using violence to threaten Sun Cheng and Chen Qing not to compete with them, causing everyone to be on edge. But Liu Ce gave a strict order that the refugees had to learn three characters every day, while the old soldiers had to learn at least five characters, and there would be an examination every ten days, those who couldnt write would be punished with five slaps.

  Yang Kai-shan and Feng Qiu-nian, among other refugees who didnt love "studying", had to behave themselves. They were thick-skinned and could withstand a few blows from the board, but the problem was that they were being beaten in front of the villagers, especially those girls with their buttocks exposed, it was really humiliating.

  Inside the ironwork shop in a corner of the manor, Old Gao and Feng Ying each worked at a furnace. Feng Ying, with the help of several bare-chested and sweaty workers, as well as many men from the manor, continuously hammered away at the glowing red hot metal in front of her. In the corner of the wall, dozens of spearheads forged to Liu Ces specifications were piled up.

  Outside the blacksmiths shop, some carpenters placed finished gun stocks upright against the wall in an orderly manner, with a charcoal fire burning between them. A man casually picked up a gun stock and carefully held it over the fire to dry out the moisture inside the stock. On the other side, several refugees used this worlds unique sandpaper to wrap around the dried gun stock, either moving it up and down or rotating it back and forth to polish it, trying their best to make its surface smooth.

  The old man was surrounded by dozens of people, who took the surrendered bandit weapons and re-forged them into heavy, poorly-made spearheads weighing half a catty each. They were then fixed to wooden poles as tall as a person, with the top and bottom ends thinner than the middle section. To reinforce and prevent them from falling off, they also tied a circle of hemp rope around the joint where the spearhead met the pole. Since Liu Ce currently had no long-range output capability, he could only resort to making these crude-looking javelins to deal with the approaching bandits...

  In a courtyard similar to the former owners mansion, the girl who was rescued by Liu Ce and others was now sewing some cotton clothes. The weather in October had gradually begun to get cold, and these girls from poor families had started to share household chores early on, practicing their sewing skills, and now being arranged by Liu Ce for Qing Shu, it was also a suitable task for them.

  These days, the girls have also gradually walked out of their psychological shadows. Liu Ce and others took extra care of themselves. Previously, there were a few vagrants in the village who had bad intentions towards the girls, trying to use violence to get what they wanted. As a result, they were caught by Liu Ce and beheaded on the spot, with their heads hung at the entrance of the village as a warning. This move shocked everyone in the village, including Qin Mo. Six heads were cut off without any hesitation or mercy. Qin Mo also privately found Liu Ce to ask if this was not too much, after all, they could only be considered "attempted crime". As a result, he was shut down by Liu Ces sentence "In chaotic times, severe punishment is needed" and did not dare to speak again.

  However, Liu Ces approach was indeed the most effective way at that time. After this incident, the security of the village improved greatly, and many men who had previously had ulterior motives towards those girls immediately threw away their dirty thoughts and treated them with courtesy.

  Liu Ce has been the head of the village for over a month, and he has directly established a large number of rules for the village. From these strict village rules, many people in the village are confused and even do not understand. For example, if someone is caught urinating or defecating anywhere, spitting, they will be beaten with five sticks for the first time, ten sticks for the second time, twenty sticks for the third time, and driven out of the village for the fourth time. Also, if someone throws garbage randomly, they will be beaten with a board in sequence. There is also the rule that if someone does not line up to get food for the day, they will be driven out after three times of being discovered. Originally, the refugees who were already in the village could understand this, but because later refugees came to settle here, several people who did not follow the rules have been beaten and driven out of the village, among them one person was even beaten to death by Yang Youhuai...

  These are minor matters, and everyone can tolerate them, but what follows is a chilling scene.

  Rape of women, kill!

  Thieves and robbers, kill!

  Kill anyone who collaborates with bandits!

  Sell friend for survival, kill!

  Whoever insults anothers wife and children shall be killed!

  ……

  In the midst of this "killing" atmosphere, especially with those six heads hanging outside the village as a vivid example, it is clear that this Liu Zhuangzhu is not a kind-hearted person. Many refugees in the village had to behave themselves and be obedient, not daring to make any mistakes. Fortunately, as long as they followed the rules and worked hard, Liu Ce would not treat them harshly. Having three meals a day was not a problem, which was rare in todays River Source Ganzhou where bandits were rampant. In fact, it could be said that there was no second household like this. Many refugees who knew about this gathered at Wan Jia Zhuang to take refuge and seek food.

  However, the ones who benefited most from these established rules were the women and children in the Zhuang family, who were a vulnerable group. In this chaotic world, they were the first to be abandoned, and even in peaceful years, their status was extremely low and without dignity, and no one would pay attention to them.

  Now that they have met a good landlord like Liu Ce, he doesnt think of them as burdens just because they are women, nor has he done anything unacceptable to them. On the contrary, he has arranged some work within their capabilities to let them share the many trivial matters in the manor and do their part, so that these women can hold their heads high in the manor. Moreover, the rules set by Liu Ce himself are most beneficial to them, and those who dared to bully them have their heads hanging on the trees outside the manor. Therefore, this group of women were the first to support Liu Ce and worked hard every day to repay him...

  At this time, a team of twenty people, escorting four mule carts loaded with goods, was walking on the road one mile outside the village. The horse in front was ridden by Chen Qing, who had changed into iron leaf armor, and his long gun had also been replaced with a three-meter-long triangular awl spear. His horses stirrup had also changed from a single stirrup to a double stirrup, which was also made by Old Man Gao at Liu Ces request.

  "Hey, Brother Chen is back? Looks like youve got a big haul there! The migrant worker on the wall with a waist knife smiled and greeted Chen Qing, seeing the four carts of supplies, he burst into another fit of laughter."

  "Go, go, go! Cant I, Chen Qing, accomplish anything? Brothers, dont you think so?" Chen Qing rode on horseback with a self-satisfied expression, turning his head to ask the refugees who went out together, and was met with a chorus of "Brother Chen is mighty!"

  Chen Qing stroked his beloved horse, and couldnt help but feel a sense of admiration for Liu Ce once again. A small modification to the stirrup had allowed him to wield his long spear with both hands while riding without worrying about falling off. His combat ability on horseback had increased significantly...

  Liu Ce has been managing the manor, and he has continuously absorbed new refugees who have families or are honest and friendly into the refugee army for training. In just over a month, the number of refugees being trained in his hands has exceeded 600 people. The number of refugees within the manor has also increased to more than 5,000 due to the continuous influx of refugees, with a trend of continued growth. The food problem that had originally been solved immediately appeared again as a crisis.

  Liu Ce then ordered the more than 600 trained refugees to be dispatched in segments to attack the strongholds of small groups of bandits and robbers, or the grain transportation routes. In half a month, not only were there rich gains, but also the soldiers combat effectiveness and morale were improved through this exercise, which can be said to have achieved multiple benefits at once. Now many refugee soldiers even yearn for battle, their mentality has gradually shed its refugee identity, becoming qualified soldiers...

  On the other side, Han Feng and Sun Cheng each rode a horse with dozens of refugee soldiers transporting over a dozen carts, it seemed that everyone had a bountiful harvest this time...

  Afternoon training ended, the manor was filled with smoke, childrens laughter and shouts were endless, and the air was filled with joy. Liu Ce also got tired for a whole morning, strolled to a long bench and sat down, took out his water bag and drank a few mouthfuls of water, looking at the crowd with a sense of satisfaction.

  "Ive done all I can......" Liu Ce sighed inwardly, "As for whats to come, well cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, survival is the top priority."

  "Master, dinner is ready!" came Zhous voice from under the wall. At this time, he was holding a large bowl, on top of which were fragrant white rice and green vegetable leaves stir-fried in oil. Seeing Liu Ce respond to him, he picked up his chopsticks and vigorously shoveled the rice into his mouth. This refined man didnt seem very refined when he was hungry.

  Liu Ce walked slowly down the steps of the village wall, and a young girl timidly placed a bowl full of rice and a plate of salted vegetables beside him. Just as Liu Ce was about to eat, he saw Yang Kai-shan, Feng Qiu-nian, and Qin Mo riding towards him from outside the village, followed by hundreds of refugees pushing large and small carts in a long line.

  Yang Kaisan and Feng Qiu Nian still had bloodstains on their faces, but judging from the situation, they should be other peoples.

  "Are you all right, Yang, Qin, and Brother Feng? Are there any casualties among the brothers?" Liu Ce asked warmly as he stepped forward to shake their hands.

  Yang Kai-shan waved his hand: "Whats the big deal? We encountered a group of two hundred bandits escorting grain, and we didnt want to fight at first. But Mr. Qin said we could win, so we fought. It turned out to be a mob, and our brothers in the front row charged too hastily and dropped their supplies, fleeing in disarray. One of our brothers twisted his leg while charging, but thats all."

  "Old Master Bao said, "I didnt even get a chance to show off my skills, and those bandits ran away with just one shot. I chased them for half the day but couldnt even cut down a few of them. What a disappointment!" He finished speaking and threw his axe aside, hanging his head in despair."

  "Good job, everyone! Lets eat first. Come on, lets eat. Xu Hui, after you finish eating, take some men to check the spoils!" Liu Ze smiled with satisfaction at his troops performance in this battle.

  Soon, bowls of sliced braised pork belly steamed in large pots were placed before the returning soldiers, filling the air with savory aromas that drew envious glances from other refugees. But no one begrudged them, for these were rewards they deserved after fighting to upgrade their village.

  Qin Mo sat beside Liu Ce with a smile and discussed todays bandit-eradication process.

  The "Yi Jie Feng Huo Lu" you are reading now has only half a chapter of the 31st elite guard. To read the full version, please Baidu search: () and then search again for "Yi Jie Feng Huo Lu".