One night, in the east camp outside Xuanhu City, several figures appeared on the camp gate, followed the hemp rope to the outside of the gate, carefully touched the antlers, and then slipped out of the camp and headed towards the wilderness to the east.

The sentry on the arrow tower witnessed the whole process, but pretended not to see it. Not only the sentry on the arrow tower, but also the sentry on the arrow tower.

It is not easy to be a soldier these days, and it is even more difficult to be a soldier in the prefectures and counties. You have to work hard when fighting, and you have to sell yourself if you don’t fight. It is said that it is a soldier, but in fact you owe a lot of debts to your superiors and will not be paid back in several lifetimes. You have to work as a slave to your superiors on weekdays.

Even if you go out, your leisure time is no exception.

Looking at the backs of several companions disappearing into the night, the sentry sighed and continued to stare blankly. It had been two days since the enemy reinforcements retreated, and the guards in the military camp finally relaxed a little. The generals who checked the sentry at night were lazy, so they could take a few more naps.

In the cold wind, the soldiers who sneaked out of the camp were trembling. The worn-out cold clothes on their bodies could not stop the coldness or their pace of progress. They hung knives, quiver pots, and spears and bamboo baskets around their waists. They opened their eyes wide and looked at the ground under the night, groping forward.

When he touched a grass nest, a soldier in the lead suddenly shouted in a low voice: "Old Li, are you asleep?"

"How can I sleep with you? It's cold and cold, how can I sleep!"

A soldier in the grass nest muttered. He and two comrades were curled up, holding spears, bows and arrows, wearing shabby cold clothes, and a trumpet hung around his waist. They were secret whistles outside the camp, guarding against the enemy's touching the camp at night.

The secret whistle took the cooked cake handed by the other party and shared it with his comrades. Seeing these people tremblingly, he couldn't help but worry: "Can you do it, don't be frozen before you reach the water."

"It's okay, it's okay if the event starts later."

The soldiers continued to walk forward in the dark, but they were not blindfolded, so they took on important tasks. They would do the things that were inconvenient to do during the day.

This time, the official army attacked the Xuanhu thieves and summoned the troops of the prefectures and counties to go to war. They followed the generals of the state (the master of the pagoda) to the south to serve the country. However, after the war, the debts still have to be paid back.

Every day when I open my eyes, I owe 30 to 50 cents. If I don’t get up early and do chores late, I can’t pay the debt.

The soldiers of the prefectures and counties said they were soldiers, but in fact they were no different from slaves. They basically had no time to practice in the military camp. They would leave it to fate when they went to the battlefield. They could fight with the wind, but they still had to go to those troops to fight their lives.

Many state and county soldiers envied the division. Although the division had to follow the leader to fight for his life, the division was treated well and the whole family was guaranteed. In order to support the division, the generals were willing to invest money.

Not to mention anything else, the armor and weapons are the most exquisite when going to the battlefield. It is not like the soldiers of the prefectures and counties raised by the stepmother. It is good to have crotch armor. The armor leaves are short and small, and they are rusted. It is still a little bit more. It is still a little bit more to say whether they can block arrows when worn on their body.

The soldiers of the prefectures and counties, who are like slaves, have to go to the military master every day to work as long-term workers. When they go out to fight, in addition to chopping wood and boiling water, they also have to pay the debts for the creditor (military master, master of the pagoda) to hunt if they are backing the mountain and fish if they are backing the water.

The Ru River flows outside Xuanhu City, and it is very convenient to fish nearby. However, the south and north of the government army are right beside the Ru River. So many people fish all day long. After several months, the fish and shrimps in the Ru River have been fishing for a long time, so they have to find another way to fish and pay off their debts.

There are scattered rivers around Xuanhu, and there are many ponds scattered. This is the case outside Xidaying. The soldiers in the camp there ran to the pond to fish and fish without going to Rushui to find a way. For the soldiers in the Dongdaying, their advantages are more obvious.

Several miles away from Dongdaying are the edge of Hongcangpo.

Hongcangbei was said to have been a lake that stretched for nearly 400 miles in the past, shaped like a long large pond, which stretched from northwest to southeast to east of Xuanhu. But if you think it was a big lake, you would be wrong.

Hongcang Bean is actually a lake, and the general term for ponds. It is said that in the Han Dynasty, local officials controlled water and built dams on a river called "Shenshui", which turned this river that flooded in summer and autumn, dried up in winter and spring into a huge pond, stretching for nearly four hundred miles. From then on, countless fertile fields around were irrigated, and the harvest was guaranteed by drought and flood.

However, as time passed, the embankment was disrepaired. In the chaotic times of the late Han Dynasty, there were wars and chaos. It was difficult for Jin to unify the world, and within a few decades, the world was in chaos.

In the chaotic times, no one could care about Hongqian Pond. After years of disrepair, the embankment gradually collapsed.

At this time, Hongchuang Pond had actually "breaked" into dozens of ponds of all sizes. The "Shui" of the past was gone without the constraints of the embankment and turned into a harmful water. It is now called a "flood" because this river always has heavy water during the rainy season.

For the soldiers who went out to camp tonight to catch fish, it doesn’t matter if they were flooding. The pond they were going to was one of the many ponds in Hongcang Pond, with fish or fat eels.

The best season for catching eels is summer and autumn. Now it is winter. Eels are hibernating in the mud. It is not easy to get eels out of the mud in this ice and snow.

However, it is precisely because of this that eels are valuable, and only by catching eels to the creditors can you repay the debt.

The team they belonged to was fifty, and everyone was hoping that these "capable people" would catch eels and go back to pay off their debts. If they didn't do it during the day, they would be hung up and beaten by the patrol supervisor.

Because of the camp ban, they went out privately, went out in the dark at night, and rushed back before dawn.

So the sentries turned a blind eye to them. After all, the eels caught are used to pay off their debts, and there is one of them. Who would be dissatisfied with their own people?

Eels can now be sold at a good price in the grass market in the military camp. Those rich generals, big and small, now like to eat eels. Creditors (military masters, pagoda masters) make money by making money through this transaction. After making enough money, the profits they owe every month can be considered to be paid off.

However, not everyone can catch eels in the water in winter, which requires a secret. One of the "capable people" among these soldiers knew that the others came out, one to boost their courage, and the other to be just in case.

The enemy soldiers have retreated, and they have to guard against wild animals. It is hard to say that there are wild dogs, wolves, and boars in this wilderness. It is not enough to go out alone in the dark, so everyone brings swords, spears, bows and arrows just in case.

As for the bamboo basket, of course, it is used to hold eels, with hay inside so that the caught eels will not freeze to death so quickly.

After walking in the grass for a while, the group finally arrived at the pond. They didn't care that the water was cold and icy. They took off their broken boots and began to roll up their trousers and prepare to go into the water.

It feels bad to go into the water in the cold world, but it can’t be paid back the profits owed to the creditors. It feels even worse when you pass it through various means. So in order to pay off the debt, the eels hibernating in the mud should be in trouble.

The 'capable man' who can catch eels in winter began to introduce his experience: "In winter, eels hibernate and eel holes are very easy to block. When looking for them, don't get confused with snake holes..."

"So, how to tell it?"

A sudden sound suddenly sounded, which was different from the accent of the soldiers. "Nei Ren" was shocked when he heard this. The stick in his hand fell into the water. He was about to pull out his sword, but his neck became cold.

Several people emerged from the grass, restraining him and his companions. The cold blade pressed against his throat, and then his whole body began to tremble due to fear.

The man holding the knife was wearing armor, grabbed his neck, and then laughed in a low voice: "It's really not easy to touch eels in this cold weather."

The capable man was so trembling that he couldn't even speak: "Okay...help your life..."

"Don't be afraid, I and I are just like the government troops, one family, one family!"

His companions imitated Yeqin and then the sound of water sounded from the edge of the pond. Countless black shadows approached here, looking at a large area of ​​blackness, and the sound of metal was mixed with the sound of water.

Several soldiers catching eels could understand that it was the sound of the armored leaves rubbing and impacting when the person wearing armor walked.

When a large group of soldiers appeared in front of them, they couldn't help but complain. At this moment, a kind voice sounded in their ears:

"As the saying goes, it's better to meet me by chance than to invite me. Everyone is destined to meet me. I actually met here tonight. As cold as today, it's better to lead the way and take me back to the camp to roast the fire?"
Chapter completed!