Chapter 59: Mashan Village Establishes a Self-Defense Force

Things had reached this point, so Tang Jiangtao no longer stood on ceremony.

He immediately stood up and said, "Brothers, since Young Master Chu thinks so highly of us, let us drink freely today! However, you must mind your words and actions. Anyone who gets drunk, goes wild, and disturbs the peace will be severely punished without leniency."

As Tang Jiangtao emptied his bowl in one gulp, all the soldiers cheered.

For a time, cups were raised and glasses exchanged amidst a lively atmosphere.

During the banquet, Chu辰 turned to the excited Tang Jiangtao and said, "Brother Tang, why don't you bring all the soldiers down to settle here?"

"Young Master Chu, this... won't it cause trouble for everyone? And what about my master?" Tang Jiangtao asked hesitatingly.

In his heart, who would willingly choose to hide in the mountains day after day, subsisting entirely on dry rations?

"Don't worry, I will have some barracks built for everyone, and it will be much more convenient then. As for Zhou Heng, I will speak with him."

"Very well! Since Young Master Chu has said so, if I were to decline any further, it would seem overly contrived." Tang Jiangtao patted his chest and agreed.

Seeing this, Chu辰 immediately had Huzi summon Uncle Feng Wu and instructed him regarding the construction of the barracks.

Feng Wu's work was quite efficient. Given the simple structure of the barracks and an ample supply of labor, it would likely take only three to five days to complete.

With this settled, Chu辰 instructed Xiaofang and the others to clear out the old houses.

While the new barracks were being built, the soldiers could make do and stay there temporarily.

That afternoon, the soldier who had been sent out also returned to Mashan Village.

Shortly after, constables from Qingniu Town arrived driving an ox cart and hauled away all the corpses of the mountain bandits.

Just as the entire Mashan Village was immersed in a joyous and lively atmosphere, inside the Fierce Tiger Hall on Qingniu Mountain, Qiu Hai summoned a lackey and asked,

"Old Third has been gone for so long, why hasn't he returned? Send someone to check on things. Make sure he hasn't capsized in a gutter."

Ever since Ma Laosan had left, Qiu Hai's eyelid had been twitching incessantly.

He had a constant premonition that something bad had happened—could it be that Ma Laosan was in trouble?

That was why he had sent someone to investigate.

Before long, a nimble subordinate mounted a fast horse and galloped toward Mashan Village.

It was already nightfall by the time he tethered his horse and made his way up the mountain opposite Mashan Village.

To his surprise, Mashan Village was peaceful and serene; there was not the slightest trace of it having been raided by bandits.

The lackey spent the entire night hiding in the mountains.

At daybreak, he stumbled upon a horrifying scene.

In front of a dilapidated house, several men dressed as soldiers were chatting and laughing.

They walked toward the warehouse used for shipping goods, and then concealed themselves behind a large boulder nearby.

Upon seeing this, the lackey guessed that their Third Chieftain was most likely finished.

He hurried back toward Qingniu Mountain at top speed.

Meanwhile, back in Mashan Village, Feng Er slung the compound bow over his back and looked at the twenty robust, strong young men before him, nodding in satisfaction.

Inside Qingniu Mountain, the lackey who had hidden for the night rushed breathlessly into the council hall.

"Chieftain! This is bad! The Third Chieftain is likely in grave danger!"

Upon hearing this news, Qiu Hai jerked to his feet.

Pointing at the lackey before him, he demanded anxiously, "Speak clearly, what on earth happened? Those few rustic peasants in Mashan Village—how could that be possible?"

The lackey recounted everything he had witnessed in meticulous detail, including the soldiers he had seen and the shipping warehouse where they were lying in ambush.

"So there are soldiers stationed there? Haha, Old Third, oh Old Third, you've really found a big fish for me!"

"Go scout again. How many soldiers are there? Are there any hidden ambushes elsewhere? Figure out the situation thoroughly, and your big brother will let you all have a wonderful New Year!"

Hearing that there were soldiers guarding the place, Qiu Hai didn't take them seriously at all.

Their line of work involved licking blood off the edge of a blade.

It wasn't as if he had never killed government officials before. It seemed that weird house must contain items of immense value.

This made Qiu Hai extremely excited, and he immediately decided to pull off a major heist, dispatching the lackey back out once more.

*Didn't you ship your goods at the end of every month? Then during those New Year days, I will go personally.*

*So what if I rob you?*

Meanwhile, Chu辰 in Mashan Village had entered his spatial dimension.

He pushed open the door to the armory and conducted a brief inventory.

There were over two hundred compound bows and crossbows of various sizes.

As for the machetes, watermelon knives, broadswords, Tang swords, homemade pipe-knives, and various daggers, they were simply too numerous to count.

There were also around a hundred homemade firearms, including both gunpowder-powered and pneumatic ones.

Even explosives were present in fair quantities.

For this, he had to thank a recent government crackdown on gangs and crime.

The confiscated items from across the entire province had been gathered together in preparation for destruction, only for Chu辰 to accidentally bring them along with him.

Within that particular equipment warehouse, there was an abundance of standard-issue gear.

There were various pistols, submachine guns, rifles, and even sniper rifles.

Seeing this, Chu辰 ran curiously toward the entrance.

Logically speaking, where would a local police station get so many good things?

He had only rushed in earlier upon seeing the familiar blue and white markings.

Now he saw clearly that this place was far superior to a mere local police station.

Wasn't this a public security headquarters?

In the parking lot behind the building, there were even so many anti-riot vehicles.

This was simply too wonderful. If all these equipments were brought out, they would be more than enough to forge an overwhelmingly powerful army in this age of cold weapons.

After pondering for a long time within the spatial dimension, Chu辰 finally picked out a dozen long sabers, a compound bow, and a quiver of arrows from a corner.

With these, he walked back outside.

Coming before Feng Er and the twenty young men, he dumped the weapons onto the ground in a pile.

"Uncle Feng Er, everyone, these are the weapons I can provide for you: one compound bow and nineteen long sabers."

"This compound bow will be assigned to Uncle Feng Er, and as for the sabers, one for each person."

With that, he instructed Feng Er to distribute the weapons.

"These weapons are only for your own use. Under no circumstances are you to lend them to outsiders," Chu辰 said sternly to the crowd.

What a joke! Given the current smelting technology of the Great Xia Dynasty, a blade of this quality could easily be considered a priceless treasure.

In case some greedy person took it out and sold it, who would you even reason with?

Feng Er picked up the compound bow, handed it to Huzi, and said,

"Chu lad, don't let this cousin of yours look all rough and boorish; I tested him with a few shots yesterday, and he truly is promising material."

Chu辰 smiled without a word. As for this cousin, he didn't mind.

Giving him a compound bow was fine; at least he wouldn't have to engage in close-quarters melee combat.

When the time came, he would also whip up a set of stab-resistant armor for him.

With the things in his spatial dimension, he could easily arm him to the teeth even in this era of cold weapons.

Huzi let out a hearty laugh, took the compound bow, and immediately began fondling it with reluctance to put it down.

He muttered under his breath, "This Chu lad, such good stuff, why didn't he bring it out sooner?"