After Xinhua County helped Luo Changshan to get rid of the Black Tiger Gang in Huanglong Mountain, the more Tang Cheng and the others went to the hinterland of Guizhou, the more they felt the poverty and unbearable of the locals. Some of the villages they passed along the way were mostly thatched huts, and even many of the children who were already teenagers were barefoot, which obviously did not compare with the land south of the Yangtze River.

"Fortunately, we brought enough food, otherwise we would have had no money to buy food." The most fortunate person is Ma Fatzi, before leaving Xinhua County, Tang Cheng had already let him buy a lot of grain in the county, if it weren't for this, their team of more than 200 people might have run out of food long ago.

"Are you stupid, could it be that everyone here will starve to death? They are just poor, and they are not without food. Tang Cheng knocked the steel helmet on the head of the fat man with the branch in his hand, "Although it is a little remote here, and the people here look poorer, but there are landlords and old wealth here, and the grain is in the hands of those landlords." If we want to buy grain, we naturally have to go to the landlords here, so it's hard for you to expect these ordinary people to conjure up grain for you. ”

Poor mountains and bad water are more troublesome people, this is an old saying that has not changed through the ages, since the Tang City began to find that there are locals secretly looking at their convoys, he ordered to strengthen the guard, he does not want to be robbed by the locals of the car and horses and then tied to the big tree to feed the insects and ants. In fact, as long as there are thieves who are worried about you, you can't hide, in just two days after leaving Xinhua County, Tangcheng they have been attacked by the locals many times, and they simply attacked Tangcheng Their locals mostly used big knives, spears and bamboo bows, these are not the opponents of guns and bullets, and the locals who came to attack Tangcheng could only end in failure every time, but their attacks were tireless and never wanted to stop.

Of course, Tang Cheng didn't care, in fact, he couldn't stop the actions of these locals, so Tang Cheng canceled the training of Liu Shishi and the others, and began to speed up the march, if it wasn't for passing by larger villages and towns, Tang Cheng would not order to stop and rest. Of course, not all the locals would want to come and rob Tang Cheng of their belongings, and in order to replenish their meat, Tang Cheng even made deals with the locals he met along the way. The exchange of salt and iron for the prey brought by the locals into the mountains was a traditional trade between the locals and the Han people since the Tang and Song dynasties, and the Tang City naturally abided by this tradition.

"I need three guides, and this kind of crossbow you use, and I want 20 too. We have doctors who can help you treat your sick villagers, and when we get to the next town, your guide will return here with the salt and iron tools we have delivered. Tang Cheng will sit in a Tujia village and bargain with others, the Tujia family's self-brewed wine is not with Tang Cheng's appetite, but the Tujia bacon makes Tang Cheng secretly praise.

The Tujia men in the village were also planning to rob Tang Cheng, but after seeing a towering tree 300 meters away being discounted by Tang Cheng with a grenadier, these Tujia men changed their minds. With only three guides and 20 handmade crossbows, they could buy enough salt and iron for a year's worth of salt for the stockade, which was much more cost-effective than risking their own lives to rob, not to mention that they themselves were not sure that they would succeed.

After resting in the Tujia village for a day, Tang Cheng suddenly changed his mind, and he planned to hire 12 Tujia men to serve as the team's guards. And it is said that the 12 Tujia men selected by Tang Cheng are the best hunters and crossbowmen in this Tujia village. Hou San and the others were very puzzled, especially Liu Shishi, the three of them had been asking Tang Cheng, they didn't understand why Tang Cheng spent this unjust money, and the only one who really understood Tang Cheng's intentions was Mu Lianshan, who had been busy in the village all day.

"These people have lived in this mountain for generations, and the mountain is their home, and the mountain is their granary and paradise. We have machine guns and grenadiers, and dozens of rifles, but when it comes to these hill peoples, these things will only become a burden to us, because you can't chase them in the mountains with enough ammunition, and they can shoot crossbow arrows into your body at any time. ”

"From here, we have to pass through a lot of places like this, and without the help of the locals, it would be difficult for us to pass through the lì guò, or will we have to use salt and iron to open the road every time?" Seeing that Liu Shishi and Tan Fei didn't understand their intentions at all, Tang Cheng couldn't help but get angry, if it weren't for the fact that he was still in the Tujia village at this time, maybe Tang Cheng would have forced the two of them to do another weight-bearing march training.

There are locals as guards and guides, and their lives in Tangcheng are gradually getting better, although there will still be local mountain people who don't know whether they are alive or dead to rob the road, but with the Tujia guards, there are many fewer such things. Although there are still such and such feuds between the various villages of the mountain people, the fierceness of the Tujia men is also well-known in Guizhou, and they will not do such a thing for the sake of a sum of money that they don't know if they can get it.

"Tian Hu, how did you Tujia people have the surname Tian? I mean, shouldn't your Tujia names be as long as the elders? "The Tujia man who talked to Tang Cheng the most was the one named Tian Hu in the escort team. Among the many Tujia names that were called by Tang Cheng, only Tian Hu's name was easy to call, and Tian Hu was not only a person who could speak Chinese, Tang Cheng also found that other Tujia men were alienating Tian Hu intentionally or unintentionally.

Tian Hu, who has a strong body and a figure comparable to the old Northeast, is actually a person who doesn't like to talk much, when he is with Tang Cheng, Tang Cheng mostly asks questions, and Tian Hu only occasionally answers a few words. "I wasn't originally from their village, and the surname Tian is also a branch of the Tu family." Stretching out his hand and scratching his head, Tian Hu gave Tang Cheng an answer that was not an answer, what he said, Tang Cheng actually knew for a long time.

Unlike other Tujia men, Tian Hu is not only an outsider, but he is also only a lonely person in the Tujia village, although Tian Hu has worked hard to be accepted by other people in the village, but unfortunately in addition to the great elder and the owner of the village, other Tujia people still treat Tian Hu as an outsider. Stuffing Tian Hu into the escort team is the meaning of the Great Elder, the Great Elder who is already in his late teens is an old fox-like figure, he can't bear to see Tian Hu living in the village like this, so he wants to hand Tian Hu over to Tang Cheng and take him away from the village, regardless of whether Tian Hu is willing to leave or not, at least let Tian Hu see the things outside the village.

Tian Hu shot a good crossbow arrow, and once fought a hungry leopard alone with a machete for a child in the village. These were all privately told by the Great Elder to Tang Cheng, although Tang Cheng had not yet seen Tian Hu's methods and skills, he had a very good impression of this fierce and taciturn Tujia man. Not only because Tang Cheng found the shadow of the old Northeast in Tian Hu, but the most important thing is that after leaving the Tujia Village, only Tian Hu among these Tujia men does not drink alcohol, and he will consult Tang Cheng about firearms in his spare time.

"I like people who are not satisfied with the status quo, such people are not so much a waste in the stockade as a bomb that will explode at any time, such people are born to be soldiers." It only took Tian Hu two days to become familiar with how to use and maintain shell guns and rifles, and now not only Tang Cheng was interested in Tian Hu, but even Mu Lianshan, who had been taking care of the wounded, began to notice this Tujia man, and it was rare for novices to be able to use guns and guns for the first time.

Tang Cheng nodded frequently at Mu Lianshan's words, perhaps it was because the Great Elder saw Tian Hu's unwillingness that he would instigate him to take Tian Hu away, but these had nothing to do with Tang Cheng, and he would only think about how to pull this Tian Hu into his hands now. "I look at the stones in the past few days, a few of them have started tossing and turning again, rather than them being idle, it is better to let this Tian Hu take them to learn to hunt, and the fat man will be more relaxed." Mu Lianshan's mention made Tang Cheng admire, this was indeed a good way to bring Tian Hu and his people closer.

"This thing is easy to do, you can see it, it won't take three days, I'll make sure that this stupid big man can't get away." Tang Cheng didn't want to hide it from Liu Shishi, and before arranging for Liu Shishi and the three of them to learn hunting with Tian Hu, he had already told the three of them his plan, and Liu Shishi, who was active by nature, immediately patted Tang Cheng's chest in a big way. Tian Hu didn't know that Tang Cheng was playing his own mind, he just tried his best to take Liu Shishi and the three of them around the forest along the road all day long, and the amount of prey he harvested was not in Tang Cheng's consideration at all, all he cared about was the relationship between Liu Shishi and Tian Hu.

Hunting is not as hard as training, but it is not an easy thing either, after seeing the power of firearms, Tian Hu gradually began to take Liu Shi and them to the depths of the woodland, Tian Hu himself began to be obsessed with the rifle in his hand, this thing is much more powerful than his crossbow arrows. Tang Cheng was very happy to see Tian Hu's changes, and while the other Tujia men were busy chatting and amusing the people of the Dian army, Tian Hu slowly moved towards the sharpshooter with the consumption of 50 rounds of ammunition per day.

In fact, the happiest person is not Tang Cheng, but Ma Fatzi, since the appearance of Tian Hu, a person who is extremely familiar with the mountains and forests, Ma Fatzi's daily meat has gradually increased. If there is more meat, it means that everyone's food is better, Zhang Xiaobao and Lin Ying, who were originally yellow-faced, now have ruddy faces, and even Tang Cheng's injuries seem to be getting better a lot faster.