Jingwei Camp was newly established. The refugees in the village finally had their own flag and name, but there were still many things to do, even busier than before.

  A group of women and girls are embroidering a huge flag, on which the image of Jingwei bird drawn by Liu Ce has been modified by Qin Moye Bin and handed over to them for sewing. On the other side, several large flags have embroidered "Jingwei" in two big characters, as well as some "Feng", "Yang", "Sun", "Liu" and other commanders flag numbers.

  "The embroidered flag is majestic." Feng Chou Nian couldnt help but rub his hands as he walked back and forth among the women and children. Normally, he wouldnt casually approach the area where the women and children worked, but as a soldier, being able to lead a team into battle was a dream come true, how could he not be excited? Feng Chou Nian couldnt help but wipe away sweat as he looked at the embroidered flag, "I didnt think Id have a day where Id lead troops."

  Not just him, Sun Cheng, Yang Fan, Yang Kaisan, Chen Qing and others, even Han Feng couldnt wait to see how mighty their own banners were, and their performance was not much more elegant than that of Feng Qiu Nian, which brought a burst of gentle laughter from the young ladies.

  "Qin brother, arent you being too hasty?" On the sidelines, Ye Bin and Qin Mo gazed at the refugees who were currently training, no longer calling them refugees but soldiers.

  Ye Bin was puzzled by Qin Mos haste in letting Liu Ce establish a righteous army, although the Jingwei Camp soldiers had impressive combat skills, but after all, there were too few of them, and this Brother Qin seemed to be in too much of a hurry, normally he was very steady.

  "I also know Im a bit impatient, but I have no choice, I really cant wait any longer." Qin Mos eyes were like sharp knives, "The Hulan people are almost all back north of the pass now, and this year the common people of the Far East will surely suffer another miserable fate!"

  "Now the distant eastern border is eight thousand miles away, we are willing but unable, besides, these soldiers have only been trained for a few days, and the Hulan people are not bandits, their combat strength is obvious." Ye Bin understood that Qin brothers heart was filled with hatred towards the foreign tribes outside the pass.

  "What you said I understand, but I really cant wait any longer. What needs to be done now is to quickly make the Jingwei Camp famous, so that Wei You and Zhao Yuji will take it seriously. This way, the Jingwei Camp can bear the mark of official troops and smoothly head to the Far East. At that time, you and I will do our best to assist Liu Ce, block the invasion of the barbarians from the south, and keep the Far East safe! Even if we can only protect one city or county from being harassed by the Hu barbarians, I, Qin Mo, will be very satisfied!" Qin Mo said fiercely, his words revealing his hatred for the foreign tribes outside the pass.

  "Qin, I think its still not feasible. Even if we follow your plan and make the Jingwei Camp an official army, how can we be certain that it wont be annexed by other forces? In our Great Zhou history, there have been many instances of ordinary soldiers forming righteous armies being summoned to surrender, but what were the results? Either they were exterminated by the aristocratic families on some pretext or they were completely absorbed. Those who were lucky became rich merchants or lackeys for the aristocratic families gatekeepers, while those who were extremely unlucky had their entire clan slaughtered, leaving not a single one to achieve anything. How can you be so sure that Liu Ces Jingwei Camp will come to no harm?" Ye Bin finished speaking in one breath, his face full of doubt.

  "I dont know either, but I have a hunch that this young man is definitely extraordinary. Im willing to take a gamble on him!" Qin Mos face was filled with determination.

  "Alright, I have another question," said Ye Bin. "How can you be certain that Jing Weiying will definitely be assigned to the Far East after his convalescence?"

  Qin Mo smiled and returned with a pretentious tone: "Because of the Jiang family!" After finishing speaking, he no longer spoke and went back to his room to draft the military laws for the Jingwei Camp...

  "Lao Gao, do you think this thing is really useful?" At the edge of the iron forge, countless blacksmiths were shaping blocks of refined iron into a "U" shape. Feng Ying held in his hand a cooled-down object that Liu Ce called a horseshoe, shaking his head repeatedly.

  The old man grasped a horseshoe that had been forged into shape with a long pair of tongs and then plunged it into the water bucket beside him, whereupon there was a hiss and a plume of white smoke rose up.

  "When did the landlord ever cheat us? Look at those crafted long spears, how much sharper are they than those broken guns before? And that stirrup, why didnt I think of it earlier?" Old Gao is very satisfied with his current life, and some things Liu Ce thought of are indeed practical, so he is exceptionally supportive of Liu Ce.

  "Its such a good piece of steel, wasted on this beast, its bleeding my heart." Feng Ying has now left the military and taken up his old trade again. He is also friends with Gao Lao Han, but he still has some complaints about Liu Ce using the fine steel to make horseshoe nails for the horses hooves.

  The old man hung the horses hoof on the iron hook at the door of the blacksmith shop and said, "When has Master Zhuang ever made a losing deal? Just follow his instructions with peace of mind."

  As they spoke, a craftsman at the door took down four horseshoes hanging on a pole and came to a horse with four legs tied to four wooden stakes. A man beside him lifted up one of the horses legs, and the craftsman put one of the horseshoes onto the hoof, holding it in place with one hand while taking four nails from the ground with the other and slowly hammering them into the hoof. Then he took a mallet and gently tapped to secure it. Before long, one horseshoe was installed, and then he came to another leg...

  In the center of the manor, row after row of soldiers maintained their military posture under Guo Taos shouting voice, lifting spears and raising knives in repetitive motions following the slogans.

  These days, due to sufficient food and drink, everyones body has greatly improved, and the intensity of training has also increased. Due to continuous practice, the refugees have become more robust.

  To maintain combat effectiveness, Liu Ze established the Jingwei Camp and announced some military orders on the second day, specifically as follows:

  Those who leave the camp without permission will be beheaded!

  Those who fear the enemy and do not advance will be beheaded!

  Those who disobey orders will be beheaded!

  Anyone who violates another mans wife and daughter shall be beheaded!

  Those who seek achievements by taking undue risks shall be executed!

  Those who hoard military supplies will be beheaded!

  Those who oppress the common people shall be beheaded!

  Those who collude with the enemy shall be beheaded!

  ……

  These are the iron laws in the army, and all members of Jingwei Camp must remember them by heart. Currently, there are five flags in the army: the main flag is led by General Liu Ce, the deputy flag is Yang Kaisan, the left flag is Yang Youhuai, the right flag is Sun Cheng, and the guard flag is Feng Xueyan.

  Many veterans who were not assigned to a banner, such as Chen Qing, Guo Tao, and Yang Fan, were quite disappointed. However, Liu Ce promised them that once the Imperial Guard expanded, he would set up banners for them, on the condition that they quickly adapt to commanding troops, especially the training methods which differ from those of local officials armies and the central army.

  ……

  Menghe Town is located in the southwest of Ganzhou, about 400 li from Gaoyang City, and less than 200 li from Wanjiachuan Jingwei Camp. At its peak, it had a population of around 120,000 to 130,000 people.

  After Gaoyang fell, officials from various places in Ganzhou were leaderless and surrendered to save their lives. Meihe Town was one of them who actively begged for surrender.

  After the surrender of Meihe Town, nearly 10,000 bandits moved in. Since it was a voluntary surrender, the damage to the towns buildings was not great. The surrendered officials handed over more than half of their personal property and were still able to manage affairs in the town. As Meihe Town is the closest town under the bandits control to Gaoyang City, various strongholds transported large amounts of grain and supplies to this place for storage, and then continuously transported them to Gaoyang City to stabilize the bandits situation in Gaoyang, while responding to the impending Wuliang Town Battle.

  Although the damage to Meihe Town was relatively small, it was only a matter of comparison. The officials who surrendered temporarily had nothing to worry about, but the wealthy households and ordinary people in the town still suffered greatly. The houses of rich families were occupied, their money and supplies were taken away as military rations, and some beautiful women were forcibly dragged away to satisfy the desires of the bandit army... Even the wealthy households were treated this way, let alone the ordinary people, who were forced to do hard labor in large numbers. Especially now that the weather was getting colder, they still had to go hungry and transport huge stones from miles away to reinforce the city walls. Under the ruthless whips of the bandit supervisors, many people died of exhaustion on the road...

  In the government office of Meihetown, more than a dozen local officials wearing worn-out official uniforms knelt trembling in one corner of the main hall. In the middle of the main hall, four women wearing extremely revealing clothes danced amidst a group of bandits who were cheering and whistling, surrounded by the sound of music not far away. The bandits eyes emitted lewd glances, constantly peeking at the exposed bodies in the hall, as if they couldnt wait to rush forward and tear off their last shred of clothing to satisfy their lust.

  On the top of the main hall, a burly and powerful leader of the bandits was leaning lazily on a luxurious armchair, holding an exquisite porcelain bowl in his hand, with people constantly coming up to him to refill his wine.

  This man is the real commander-in-chief of the bandit camp, named Jin Heng. Eight years ago, during the battle between the local army and the bandits, he was the flag bearer of a battalion. When the bandits swarmed in, he led his subordinates, more than 300 officers and soldiers, to collectively defect and kill their own commander, leading to a great defeat for the government army. Afterwards, the bandit chief rewarded him with elite soldier treatment.

  Due to Jin Hengs exceptional martial arts skills, bravery in battle and experience in leading troops, he was soon recognized by the upper echelons and appointed as a leader, commanding over a thousand elite soldiers as his main force. The bandit army he led was notorious for its cruelty and brutality, leaving no grass unscathed wherever they passed, repelling countless local government troops who attempted to surround and capture them. Initially, due to food shortages, Jin Heng had ordered the slaughter of captured civilians and government soldiers in the streets, turning their flesh into dried meat to sustain his armys provisions. Several villages and county towns were left in ruins after being ravaged by him, becoming empty cities with only bloodstains remaining, attracting countless crows and wild dogs that roamed the area.

  Jin Heng is very satisfied with what he has done, and shamelessly raised a large flag with the words "Jin Family Army". Now that Gaoyang City has fallen, Jin Heng has been entrusted with an important task by the high-ranking bandits. He leads the Jin Family Army to guard Meihua Town and ensure the safety of the grain route. Because he knows about the "style" of the Jin Family Army, the bandit leader Duan Hong personally came to him and repeatedly warned him to restrain his subordinates and not turn Meihua Town into a dead city again. Only after promising Jin Heng some benefits did he nod in agreement.

  "How boring!" Jin Heng tossed the empty bowl on the table, gazing at the restless crowd below and the women dancing with abandon, suddenly feeling annoyed.

  "General, whats wrong?" The bandit beside him pouring wine was called Wang Xie, also one of the soldiers who defected with Jin Heng earliest.

  What you are reading now is only half a chapter of "Mohe Town" in the 32nd volume of "Yi Jie Feng Huo Lu". To read the full version, please search on Baidu: () and then search again for "Yi Jie Feng Huo Lu".