As soon as the sky was dawn, the morning breeze blew gently across Xiangjia Village, scraping away the smolder smoke from every household, including Xiang Lao San's family.

Xiang Lao San squatted on the bluestone slab under the eaves in front of the door, supported the tobacco pole with his right hand, biting it in his mouth, twitching, frowning, eyes empty, and thinking about something: a few days ago, Tian Yinglong's men hid in Xiangjia Village to support Tian Yinglong's eldest son Tian Dalong became lustful to his eldest granddaughter. This was not what he was most worried about at the moment. At worst, he could sacrifice his granddaughter and save a hundred people in the village. Although he was ruthless, he was righteous. He ran to the town office to ask for help. Although he was beaten up by Tian Yinglong, he was still imprisoned. This was not the most important thing at the moment, because the bandits entered the village and went to report to the officials. Besides, Tian Yinglong had been the village chief, and he thought he would not have been slaughtered specifically for this matter.

What he was most worried about was: he led the Red Army to rescue everyone. At the beginning, he didn't know what the Red Army was. When he got to know that the Red Army and the Kuomintang were rivals, he was extremely worried that Tian Yinglong would bring people to retaliate against the whole village. Because before the Red Army arrived, the Kuomintang and some local major forces let go: Who dares to support the Red Army and kill the whole village?

When the Red Army returned, he immediately found several respected people in the village and told them what they were worried about, so that everyone would go far away to seek refuge in relatives and friends, and not come back in a short period of time. The villagers were shocked, but the hometown was hard to leave, so the elderly sent the young people and children at home to relatives and friends for a while, but they stayed.

However, after all, the sky was gone, nothing happened. The young man with a little impatient attitude came back. Xiang Lao Sanyue, who had been living in panic these days, was worried. He squatted at the door of his house early in the morning, frowned and smoked.

"Old man, stop worshiping gods outside, have breakfast."

"oh!"

Xiang Lao San quickly took a deep breath of cigarette, knocked the cigarette pot on the ground a few times, then blew out of the cigarette mouth. Seeing that there was no ash in the cigarette pot, he stirred the cigarette pipe on the cigarette pole, and then inserted the cigarette pole to the back of the waist and got up to enter the room.

"Dang!"

The rapid sound of gong ringing sounded, causing Xiang Lao San, who was about to enter the house, to turn around, and look at the sound of gongs with bright eyes.

"After a bandit is going to enter the village, everyone should bring swords, guns and food to the village chief's house! A bandit is going to enter the village, everyone." Don't underestimate this sentence, the knowledge inside is very great, and outsiders really don't understand the true meaning of this sentence: the bandit is going to enter the village, not only says that the bandits have not yet arrived at the entrance of the village, but also explain to everyone who came this time. In addition, combined with the geographical advantages of Xiangjia Village built on the hillside, you will get this result: the bandits will be at least fifteen minutes away from the village.

The distance is at least, and they have just arrived at the foot of the mountain or on the top of the mountain. Everyone should bring swords, guns and food to the village chief’s house to gather! The meaning of this is: If you listen to the village chief, if there are many bandits, then you will unite and drill into the deep mountains. If there are fewer bands, then retreat to the Niulan Cave and fight attrition with the bandits. Anyway, gathering at this time is a kind of meaning of not being anxious. However, if there are many people and great power, you will be familiar with all good things, so you will naturally know the way inside.

The reason why Xiang Lao San frowned even deeper was: When he heard the voice of the caller, it was his eldest son Xiang Dayou. He and Lao Er and others were sent to his second uncle's house, why did he run back at this time?

"Old woman, pack up quickly and bandits are coming." He quickly walked into the house, shouted to the kitchen, and walked into the bedroom.

When he came out, he had two short muskets inserted between his waist, two long muskets in his right hand, and two bags in his left hand: one with gunpowder and one with iron sand.

Sitting by the door, I was waiting while loading gunpowder and iron sand on the musket.

"Bad, the bandits are coming. Has mom packed up?"

Turning his eyelids to the third child, Wen said angrily: "Why are you back?"

"I'm not worried about you and my mother, so I came back to take a look. I didn't expect to see bandits cooking in the forest over there, saying that they were going to slaughter our Xiangjia Village. I was so scared that I quickly took a shortcut to report the news."

Xiang Lao San wanted to do it, but he thought that this was also the child's filial piety, and he couldn't bear to do it, so he had to pick up Yi and hand it to his son the musket standing upside down by the wall.

"Dad, I still want to beat the gong and shout"

"It's a big village, no matter how much you shout, it's useless. Just a few sounds."

"Then I'll go into the house and drink some water."

Soon, Xiang Dayou came out with a musket and squatted beside Xiang Lao San. Before he could speak, he saw a middle-aged man coming with a musket and asked from a distance: "Dayou, how many bandits have come?"

"There are about a hundred people." Xiang Dayou quickly entered the house, carried two chairs, handed them to the visitor, and continued, "They were resting and cooking in the forest a few miles away from the right at the foot of the mountain. I was afraid of being caught, so I could only take a sneak peek at the crowd. It was estimated that there would be no less than a hundred people."

"Didn't they say anything else?"

Seeing Xiang Dayou shook his head, the visitor looked at Xiang Lao San and said in a deep voice: "Third brother, it is probably related to the last incident. Tian Yinglong, a big bandit, is here to take revenge."

Bandits loot the village for the purpose of robbery, and they will not hurt people. But if they come for revenge, then nothing will be said. At least the whole family will be slaughtered, and it is not very rare.

Xiang Lao San nodded, pondered for a while, and said to Xiang Dayou: "Dayou, you should immediately take a small path to the town to find the Red Army. They promised me that as long as we need it, they will help us no matter when and whatever."

Xiang Dayou stood up with a gun and was about to leave, but he saw his mother walking quickly and handed him three glutinous rice cakes and a bamboo tube filled with water.

After Xiang Dayou ran out, Xiang Lao San put the long musket filled with gunpowder and iron sand upside down to the wall, pulled out the short musket from his waist, and said while loading ammunition: "Stone, you take the young people back to the back mountain, and I take the old people to Newland Cave to attract bandits."

This is impossible: Even if you run into the mountains, the elderly and weak will definitely drag everyone down, so it is better to hide. As for telling the third brother to attract the attention of bandits, it is impossible: it is said that poor mountains and rivers are too bad, but a few people have thought deeply: the unlucky people in their eyes are just for the sake of food and clothing and continuation of their descendants, so they do not take their lives seriously. The Chinese nation is the most able to endure suffering. If you really want to eat and wear a good meal, who will rebel?

"Brother San, are you more familiar with the mountains than me, or should I guard the cavities?"

"Stop talking to me. It's true that you and I are brothers, but I am still the village chief. How dare you not listen to this village chief?"

Shi Tou glanced at Lao San, moved his lips a few times, lowered his head and said nothing.

Soon, the villagers came to Xiang Lao San's family with their families, mostly old people, but everyone had muskets. When Xiang Lao San's proposal was made, the young people immediately opposed it, but the old people kicked the young people directly, scolding and urging them to get out of life and death. They used this rough way to express their care for their relatives and younger generations and the continuation of life.
Chapter completed!