If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

Fifteen minutes later.

The blind fat man, looking pained, weighed out ten jin of sorghum flour and then pulled out a small bag of coarse salt.

He gritted his teeth and took the full amount of the nails and arrowheads Bai Zhi wanted, and finally added two doses of herbal medicine for treating colds.

"I've lost money on this deal," the fat man said, pushing the items onto the wooden table.

Tie Niu stepped forward, opened the sack, stuffed all the supplies inside, hoisted it onto his shoulder with one hand, and strode back behind Xu Qingshan.

Xu Qingshan counted the number, ignored the fat man's complaints, and led everyone away from the black market.

The wind and snow subsided slightly, and the sky gradually darkened. The group of six hurried back to Blackstone Castle along the original route.

Xiao Qi, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped.

He squinted at what was ahead, then immediately lowered his voice: "Sergeant, something's wrong with the rocky area ahead. There are three men hiding behind the boulders, carrying weapons."

Xu Qingshan's gaze sharpened, and he immediately raised his hand to signal the team to stop.

"Move closer." Xu Qingshan's voice was steady.

Su Jinniang obediently retreated behind Xu Qingshan, and Zhou Laoqi, Tie Niu, and Hou San also quickly became alert.

Hou San swallowed hard, his calves trembling. Zhou Laoqi gripped his wooden stick tightly, but they were always hungry and would definitely be at a disadvantage in a fight.

Three figures slowly emerged from behind the two giant rocks in front.

The three men were dressed in thick, tattered sheepskin coats, carrying rusty iron rulers and short, barbed sticks. The leader was a burly man with a face full of scars and a clear knife scar on his right cheek.

"Brother, you've done a good job." Scarface weighed the iron ruler in his hand, approaching step by step. "You've traded up quite a few good things, haven't you?"

Xu Qingshan's hand rested on the handle of his wood-chopping knife, his expression unchanged: "Who sent you?"

Scarface grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "An old soldier with one eye spent half a sack of coarse rice to have us ambush a few people here. He said the leader is weak and spineless. Leave the sack and the women behind, and you old, weak, and disabled can get lost."

Li Kui.

Xu Qingshan understood.

The one-eyed veteran had his wrist crippled in the courtyard last night and dared not openly use violence in the military camp, so he hired black market thugs to ambush and kill him on the way.

Xu Qingshan gestured to Tie Niu, signaling him to protect the supplies, and then took a step forward.

His understanding of basic sword techniques flowed through his mind. Without wasting any words, he got straight to work.

"You're asking for it!" Scarface roared, raising his iron ruler to smash it down.

Xu Qingshan slightly turned his body to avoid the iron ruler, and with a flick of his right wrist, he slashed the wood-chopping knife diagonally upwards.

when!

The wood-chopping knife struck the iron ruler, and the enormous recoil made Scarface's hand go numb.

Using the momentum, Xu Qingshan leaned forward and punched his opponent's wrist pressure point with his left fist.

The iron ruler slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, he flipped the back of the machete and, using the strength of his waist, forcefully slapped it onto the scarred man's jawbone.

The sound of bones cracking rang out.

"what!"

Scarface screamed in agony as he was spun halfway around on the spot, blood spurting out along with a few broken teeth.

Xu Qingshan raised his leg and delivered a front kick, striking the scarred man's knee joint.

Scarface collapsed onto the snow, hugging his knees and howling in pain.

The three moves were executed in quick succession, without any hesitation or delay.

The two thugs next to him had just raised their short sticks when they saw their boss lying in a pool of blood, convulsing. The two men were so frightened that their legs went weak and the sticks in their hands fell to the ground.

Xu Qingshan turned around, his icy gaze fixed on them: "Get lost."

The two thugs, as if granted a pardon, scrambled and fled into the depths of the rocky hills.

Behind them, Hou San, Tie Niu, Zhou Laoqi, and Xiao Qi were all stunned.

They had initially thought the young corporal was just good with words, but they were surprised to find him so decisive and ruthless. The four men's contempt lessened and replaced with genuine awe.

Xu Qingshan walked over and squatted down next to Scarface.

He rummaged in Scarface's pocket and pulled out a greasy money pouch containing a dozen copper coins and a small piece of silver, which should be the deposit given by Li Kui.

Xu Qingshan tucked the money pouch into his pocket and stood up.

"Consider this a small compensation for the time we've wasted."

He turned to look at Su Jinniang and the four veterans.

"Let's go, it's getting dark."

……

Half an hour later, the group returned to the dilapidated courtyard unharmed.

A specific code was sounded, and the courtyard gate was opened from the inside.

When Xiao Hongluan saw that everyone had returned safely, the wariness in her eyes disappeared.

The heavy sacks were placed on the ground.

Bai Zhi and Qin Yuenu took what they wanted, while Shen Qinghe carefully put the sorghum flour and coarse salt into the house.

"I have the herbs, I'll go brew the medicine." Qin Yuenu took two doses of herbs and headed towards the stove, while Zhao Lihua quickly stepped forward to help her tend the fire.

Four veterans stood in the courtyard, rubbing their frozen hands, their eyes occasionally glancing at the hearth and the fragrant sorghum flour.

They knew in their hearts that although this courtyard was dilapidated, it was a place with real food and drink, unlike the cold and lifeless barracks.

However, Xu Qingshan turned around, looked at the four soldiers with different thoughts, and spoke in a calm tone that left no room for argument.

"It must have been tiring for the four of you to make this trip tonight. However, this courtyard is inhabited entirely by women, and there is a distinction between men and women, so you cannot stay here to rest."

Upon hearing this, Hou San's smile froze, Tie Niu was also stunned, and Xiao Qi lowered his head awkwardly.

Zhou Laoqi coughed and said, "Sergeant, in this heavy snow, there's not even a shred of firewood at the barracks. We've helped you tonight, and if we go back to freeze like this, our bodies probably won't be able to take it."

Xu Qingshan glanced at them and pointed to a spot about thirty paces away outside the courtyard gate.

"There's a half-collapsed abandoned kiln over there that can barely keep out the wind and snow. The four of you can spend the night there."

Seeing the four men's troubled expressions, Xu Qingshan didn't press them further. He turned to Shen Qinghe and instructed, "Use the newly acquired sorghum flour to make four mixed grain pancakes for them, and also cook a pot of hot coarse rice and wild vegetable soup to take over."

Hearing that there were mixed grain cakes and hot soup, Hou San's dimmed eyes lit up again. In this famine-stricken border region, a hot meal was more effective than anything else.

Xu Qingshan walked up to them and continued, "After you've eaten and drunk your fill, do me a favor. Tonight, split into two shifts and keep watch in the abandoned kiln, keeping a close watch on the front and back walls of this dilapidated courtyard. If anyone acting suspiciously approaches, take them down immediately. If you manage to subdue them, I'll reward you with two extra catties of grain tomorrow morning."

Zhou Laoqi was quick-witted and immediately realized what was going on.

The corporal was guarding against a night raid.

Having offended someone in the black market during the day, and with that scoundrel Li Kui still lurking in the shadows, tonight is indeed not safe.

If you take someone's money, you have to do their bidding; if you eat their food, you naturally have to work.

"Don't worry, Corporal. With us keeping watch outside, not even a stray dog ​​will be able to sneak into the yard," Zhou Laoqi agreed.

Half an incense stick later, the four veterans, carrying steaming hot multigrain cakes and a large bowl of hot soup, left the courtyard contentedly and headed to the abandoned kiln to set up camp.

The courtyard gate closed again, and the bolt fell down.

Xu Qingshan looked at the somewhat empty courtyard and finally felt truly relieved.

Leaving four newly recruited male soldiers with unknown backgrounds in a courtyard full of female relatives would be tantamount to inviting wolves into the house. Placing them outside the courtyard not only prevented internal troubles but also conveniently set up a perimeter for the courtyard, achieving two goals at once.

Bai Zhi took a bag of nails and walked to the back wall.

"The sentries outside are good, but the wall is too low, so we still need to take more precautions." She said as she dug a hole in the frozen ground with a machete.

She drove the sharpened wooden strips diagonally into the ground, leaving the sharp tips sticking out. Then, she used the newly acquired iron nails to connect several scrap wooden planks together, creating a simple seesaw mechanism.

As soon as someone climbs down from the wall and lands on the wooden plank, the sharp wooden spikes buried in the soil will bounce up and pierce the person's calf or foot.

Xu Qingshan nodded approvingly as he watched her skillful technique.

As night fell, the snow fell even heavier.

After drinking the herbal soup prepared by Qin Yuenu, Zhao Lihua broke out in a sweat, her cough subsided, and she curled up on the haystack by the fire and fell asleep.

Xu Qingshan sat by the door, holding the powerful bow he had taken from the system space in his arms, and closed his eyes to rest.

Time passed slowly, and the drumbeat signaled the end of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

The sound of wind and snow masked all other noises inside Blackrock Fortress.

Outside the back wall of the dilapidated courtyard, a dark figure crept in, trudging through the snow.

The person who arrived was Li Kui.