Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 1022
The scenery of the northern country is magnificent, and the mountains and rivers may not be as beautiful, but the vast atmosphere is heart-wrenching.

Compared with last year, the biggest difference around Fangtou is the creation of order.

As a center of north-south exchanges, this place maintained a certain degree of prosperity even in the most chaotic era, but even in the most powerful era of Shi Zhao, it actually showed a chaotic state of barbaric growth.

Here, the river network is intertwined and the ferries are densely covered, which constitutes an extremely complex living environment. Many people rely on this shelter to survive, and it is inevitable that the flow of goods is complicated and the law of the jungle preys on the strong.Of course, this situation is also a normal state of affairs in Hebei nowadays, but it is most concentrated and intense around Fangtou.

There are generally three ways of earning a living in this environment.The most peaceful people are undoubtedly those who live in the countryside, farming, weaving, fishing and hunting. This part of the people themselves is protected by the local clan tyrants, and they are the most basic productive population.The second is to gather in large and small Jindu river valleys and do hard labor to make a living.

These two kinds of people are not bad at all, if they can live in one place, the harm is not high at all.Even if it is invaded by military forces, or even replaced by a new ruler, it can be taken over and controlled in the shortest possible time without causing too much turmoil.

But there is another kind of people that is difficult to control, and that is the bandits who roam in the countryside and rivers.These powerful people traveled all over the country relying on their courage, and the main means of making a living was to seek wealth and kill.

Relying on the characteristics of Fangtou's surrounding area extending in all directions and being difficult to encircle and suppress, they are free from the law and are not restrained. They themselves have no concept of north and south, black and white. They are eradicated completely.

Their own strength is naturally not as good as that of the regular army, but their advantage is that they have no fixed place to live, and they can flee and transfer at any time when the situation is not good, or they have a cover on the surface, and they are farming and banditry, half of them are good people, half of them are soldiers. Thieves.

Previously, the Jie country was very powerful, and it could only turn a blind eye to such an existence. It was like weeds growing in the fields, wild fires were endless, and spring winds blew and regenerated.And these strong bandits also have their own way of survival, and they dare not challenge the bottom line frequently in order to maintain a living space.

After occupying this area, the Huainan Wangshi also faced a choice of whether to encircle and suppress these bandits. As the general of the land, Xie Ai finally decided not to encircle and suppress after some weighing.

If there is no contrast of chaos, the superiority of order cannot be reflected. To a certain extent, the existence of these strong bandits can also force the surrounding people who are unable to protect themselves to live more under the protection of Master Wang.

And to be honest, these bandits themselves don't have any clear-cut stand against us. If they show an attitude of incompatibility from the very beginning, it is very likely that they will be forced to the side of Jie country.This is tantamount to adding many helpers who are familiar with the regional terrain and accustomed to committing crimes to the country of Jie.

Of course, not encircling and suppressing does not mean completely letting go. Xie Ai's three-color flag order issued in Yecheng last year was a strategy to deal with this type of personnel, and it gained popularity in a very short period of time.And this is one of the reasons why the governor finally chose Xie Ai to sit in Fangtou, an important front line.

The previous tricolor flag order was initially created under extremely chaotic and evil circumstances, and its structure was inevitably crude.For example, the Black Banner Order, which allowed for the self-government of land, was generous to others at the time, and anyway, there was no plan to keep Ye land for a long time.

But now Fangtou is used as the frontline base for Wang Shi to attack Hebei. The existence of this kind of territory must form a complete strategic defense line with Fangtou as the center, and it is absolutely impossible to easily grant it to untrustworthy rogues.

Therefore, Xie Ai imposed extremely strict conditions on the award of the Black Flag Order. There were two rigid standards, namely donating money and food and beheading Jiehu's head.During Xie Ai's operation of Fangtou for more than half a year, a total of six black flag orders were awarded, either to hand over more than a thousand Jiehu heads, or to be able to steadily donate money and food to Master Wang.

As for the remaining Wubi and bandit dens, they have basically disappeared during the suppression of the Huainan army and the robbery of the bandits, or they have been hidden in remote areas where there are few people.

Although the black flags for self-government are restricted, the red flags for killing and looting have lowered the threshold for receiving them, and as more and more people receive them, the meaning of this red flag is greatly reduced. Basically, it can only guarantee legality. Possesses forbidden items such as war horses and weapons.

As for the original yellow flag that guarantees transportation safety, since Master Wang already has a complete logistics supply, the significance has also been reduced. Basically, only business travelers who come and go will buy one specially to obtain the protection of Master Wang along the way.

But in addition to these three flags, there is also a red and yellow flag. This red-bottomed yellow-patterned flag has the functions of the original red flag and yellow flag, and it is legally armed and not subject to encirclement and suppression.

But the greater significance is that as long as you have this kind of flag, you can directly trade with Fangtou's Wang Shi, whether it is people, cattle and horses, money, food, beheading, or even some military information, you can exchange for goods.

Among the goods available for exchange, there are even excellent ordnance of Fangtou Wangshi. Of course, these ordnance cannot be openly supplied, and the monthly limit can only be bought by bidding.

Located tens of miles north of Fangtou, the angle between the tributaries of Qishui River is shaped like a crane's beak, so it is named Hekoujian.A dock wall on the east side of Hekoujian is one of the few regional forces that has obtained the Fangtou Black Flag.

Although this Crane Wharf is called Wubi, it is not inferior to ordinary cities in terms of scale and various buildings, especially in terms of military defense, it is far superior to ordinary cities.

For example, the several large bed crossbows that are being installed above the door opening have huge bases, cast iron capstans, three crossbows in a row, and their arms are more than ten feet wide, which looks extremely ferocious.

And the fact is true, there is a newly installed bed crossbow at the top of another gate, and the workers in charge of installation and maintenance are demonstrating to the people in the dock wall how to operate this large murderous weapon.

"This thunder crossbow looks heavy, but it is easy to use. If you only shoot with one arm, you can wind it by stepping on the trigger..."

While speaking, the bare-armed worker stepped on the pedal at the end of the bed crossbow, grasped the cast iron trigger with both hands and pressed down hard, and then heard the depressing winch coming from the iron-wrapped casing. There was the sound of gnashing teeth and the friction of the noose, and then the crossbow arm at the front slowly bent. When the crossbow arm bent to a certain degree, a crisp sound of "clang" came from the box machine, and the entire crossbow arm was shattered. fixed.

Seeing this scene, the people on the nearby Wubi couldn't help but let out exclamations. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, even if they were killed, they wouldn't believe that such a huge and heavy bed crossbow could be shot by only one person. Operate winding.

Hearing this exclamation, several workers and soldiers around the bed crossbow all showed proud smiles, and then one of them pushed a few inches thick, almost spear-like crossbow arrow into the center and hit the taut crossbow string, while the other swung the wooden crossbow The hammer smashed hard on the protrusion of the string, and there was a sudden muffled sound. The fully charged crossbow arm bounced back in an instant, and the arrow on the string turned into black light and shot out through the air.

"Wow……"

When the onlookers saw this scene, they couldn't help exclaiming again and again, and hurriedly turned their heads to look in the direction where the crossbow arrows flew away.The speed of the crossbow is so fast that it is almost impossible for the naked eye to catch it, but because of the long range, everyone can still catch the trajectory, and the shouts in their mouths are lengthened, until the crossbow is completely submerged in the mound in the distance, and a cloud of smoke is stirred up. It stopped, but more enthusiastic applause followed.

Taking advantage of the people in the dock galloping their horses out to measure the shooting range, the workers began to explain the precautions again: "The thunderbolt crossbow is better than simple to use. If you want to use two crossbows and three crossbows at the same time, it is not enough for a single person. To install a winch under this box machine, it is best to pull it with great strength and lift heavy objects. This is the case in normal use. After frequent fires in fierce battles, it is best to remove the arms and strings and replace them more often.

Keep an eye on the key points on weekdays. It is still on this machine. Do not kick, hit or disassemble it at will.The damage to other objects is fine, and they can be replaced in Fangcheng, but the box machine is damaged and cannot be repaired, and it can only be repaired by sending it back to Shouchun Metropolitan Governor's Mansion..."

Daily maintenance is naturally extremely important for such an object with an astonishing range, so everyone in Wubi listened attentively, and kept all kinds of precautions in mind, and did not get bored because of the tediousness.But when they heard that the most important bed crossbow machine was not well repaired in the local area, even some people questioned it.

You must know that any kind of fierce situation on the battlefield may be encountered. The most important thing about this kind of killer is that it can be used immediately at critical moments. If there is any damage, do they have to wait for several months to go back and forth for repairs?

In the face of everyone's doubts, the workers answered patiently, with a kind attitude, and repeatedly assured that as long as it was not deliberately damaged or operated in violation of regulations, the box machine is generally difficult to break, and even if it is broken, they will repair it during the repair process. It is also possible to temporarily rent a substitute in Fangcheng without delaying normal use.

Of course, there is a reason for such a good attitude. This time, Hewu bought four bed crossbows called Leiche Nu at Fangtou, and the total cost was more than 20 hu!If such a huge sum of money is used to purchase ordinary armor equipment, if the standard is not too high, it is even enough to arm a thousand-man team!
This is because Hewu itself has a deep foundation, has gathered thousands of people, and has developed well. If you change to other dock walls, even if you win this spot, you can't afford it at all.

"Of course, the real use of such a heavy weapon is still deterrent. Now that Hewu has such a powerful weapon that is known from hundreds of miles away, who would dare to come here to harass it? Even if the slave general Ma Qiu led the crowd to attack, look With such a killer weapon at the top of the city, we must avoid the side of the road!"

Facing such high-ranking guests, those workers were also told to be kind and friendly, so they also praised: "You gangsters are also precarious when they are wandering in the wild. I am lucky to be able to follow General Xiang, who is so ambitious and generous. My heroic general, living a peaceful life is just the beginning, and the rest of my life will be full of joy and enjoyment!"

(End of this chapter)