Top-notch Little Horseman

"I said...we are the border troops of Zhenbeibao..." Brother Biao said with his head down.

Zhenbeibao… Ye Chen remembered Hong Chengye’s words. He hadn’t expected that these people were from that side.

Judging from their appearance, could something have happened at Zhenbeibao?

"How did you get into this state? Are you deserters?"

Brother Biao paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a reckless light.

"I beat up our centurion!"

What?

Ye Chen was stunned for a moment upon hearing this; this guy was really fierce!

That was a centurion, so his skills were undoubtedly exceptional. The fact that he could beat up a centurion meant that he himself was no ordinary man.

"You dare to hit your boss? You really have guts!" Ye Chen said, raising his eyes slightly.

"Yes, we did beat them!" Brother Biao licked his chapped lips and said, "That son of a bitch, Ma Baihu, cut the brothers' rations, making each of us eat several portions."

"Our rations and pay haven't been paid for three months! And what's he doing? Secretly selling our brothers' grain to grain dealers in Dingyuan County, pocketing all the money!"

"The brothers were so hungry that their stomachs were practically touching their backs, but his pot was filled with the aroma of meat."

His voice grew louder and louder, as if long-suppressed frustration had finally found an outlet.

"The night before last, he withheld half a month's worth of rations from the brothers again. I went to confront him, but he whipped me, making me feel like I was being beaten to a pulp!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I couldn't take it anymore, so I punched him in the nose, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt!"

"His two bodyguards tried to arrest me, and then they started fighting with my brothers. In the end, we had no choice but to escape."

"Deserters are to be executed according to the law, but since we've already fought them, they'll die anyway if they don't run away."

Brother Biao smiled bitterly, looking like he had come to terms with it.

"Damn it! I'm going to die anyway, so beating that bastard up will at least vent my anger. I won't lose anything by dying."

"Now that you've captured me, you can do whatever you want with me."

"Send us to Zhenbeibao to collect the reward, fine. We're dead, but we've already vented our anger. I'll just accept my fate!"

"My brothers are all implicated because of me. I beg you to spare their lives!"

His chin was slightly raised, like a stubborn bird whose wings were bound but which still refused to bow its head.

His eyes were red, but he didn't shed a single tear.

It's not that I don't feel wronged, but I can't afford to lose face.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and calmly met Biao Ge's gaze.

After a long silence, Ye Chen shouted in a low voice, "Untie him!"

The smoker didn't know what Ye Chen's intentions were, but he still stepped forward and untied the rope for Brother Biao.

Brother Biao rubbed his wrist, which was red from being bound, and looked up at Ye Chen with a puzzled expression.

"It's getting late. Since you're all hungry, let's eat first," Ye Chen said as he walked outside without saying much more.

"Let's eat and talk."

Brother Biao didn't know what Ye Chen's intentions were, but when he heard there was food, he didn't care about anything else and immediately called on his brothers to help.

When he saw the hidden supplies, his eyes widened immediately.

Surprisingly, there was even dried meat... They had all forgotten how long it had been since they had eaten meat.

The villagers who came to help never expected that they would be rewarded with meat porridge after lending a hand; they never even dared to dream of it.

They all secretly resolved to serve the official well and build up Huangchen Pass.

The meal consisted of a few vegetarian dishes, not a particularly lavish spread, but at this time, even a single bite of meat porridge would be a cause for celebration.

"Eat!"

As Ye Chen spoke, he took the lead and started drinking.

A steamed bun with some pickled cabbage and a bowl of meat porridge—life is quite pleasant.

Brother Biao and the others were carrying the meat porridge, their hands trembling.

Brother Biao looked at the cornbread in his hand, then at the meat porridge he was holding.

He brought the rim of the bowl to his lips and took a sip.

With just that one bite, a suppressed sound, almost like a sob, escaped from his throat.

Then he lowered his head and began to drink in large gulps, as if afraid someone would snatch his bowl away.

Ye Chen finished his porridge, put down his bowl, and said, "Let me introduce myself first. I am a horse herder from the Third Horse Battalion of Yanmen Pass."

"Just like you, I also offended my boss and was sent to this desolate place."

"They said they were ordered to establish a cavalry squad, but in reality they were just cannon fodder thrown out."

When Biao Ge and the others heard this, they were all stunned for a moment.

Biao Ge's Adam's apple bobbed, and the confusion in his eyes as he looked at Ye Chen gradually faded.

"Brother Ye... Brother Ye." His voice was incredibly hoarse. "I never expected you to be one of them..."

Ye Chen smiled frankly and nodded slightly, saying, "That's right, me too!"

"You guys beat up your boss, I offended my boss. You guys escaped, but I was kicked out."

"In the end, we're all on the same path. May I ask your name, brother?"

Brother Biao clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ye Chen and said, "My name is Liang Biao, I am from Dingyuan County, and my ancestors for three generations were all border soldiers."

"They are all from Dingyuan County. We all come from the same place and were assigned to the same place."

Ye Chen nodded slightly. The border troops were getting weaker day by day, and their numbers were decreasing. In order to strengthen the army, it was natural to recruit men.

After hesitating for a moment, Brother Biao finally knelt down on one knee before Ye Chen and said, "Brother Ye, I was very rude just now and disturbed your wife. Please forgive me!"

"I, Liang Biao Biao, will cherish this bowl of porridge for the rest of my life. You didn't send us to collect our reward, but instead gave us food. We will always remember this kindness."

He gritted his teeth, as if searching for a word that was heavy enough, but he couldn't find a suitable one.

"As long as I, Liang Biao, am alive, I will repay this debt with my life!"

The other nine knelt before Ye Chen, shouting, "We will remember this forever and repay you with our lives!"

Ye Chen's gaze swept over them, and he smiled gently, "You said you would repay me in the future?"

"Yes!" Liang Biao nodded.

"When is the future?" Ye Chen asked with a light laugh.

Liang Biao and the others were stunned for a moment upon hearing this, unsure of how to respond.

Ye Chen smiled and said, "From what you're saying, it seems you have no one left in your family, and you probably can't go back to Dingyuan County."

"Now that you've escaped, you probably don't even know where you'll go next, right?"

Ye Chen's voice was not loud, as if he were calculating a very simple account, with a handsome smile on his lips.

"In that case, why don't you stay at Huangchen Pass? There are plenty of rooms there, enough for you all."

"I will be establishing a base in Desolate Dust Pass. You can help me with some work first, and then decide whether you want to join us!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the cracked wall and then to the side room over there.

"Many people will live in Huangchen Pass in the future, so the walls here need to be repaired, the houses need to be patched up, and the doors need to be bolted."

"You're from the border army, building walls and constructing fortifications is your forte. I'll provide meals! I guarantee you'll have three full meals a day!"