In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 737 No matter how difficult, we must persevere.

After entering Qingzhou, the temperature rose several degrees. Although the weather was still cold, it was still more comfortable than in Liangzhou.

Wei Kui glanced at Zhang Xiaoniu beside him with concern and asked worriedly, "Xiaoniu, are you alright?"

Wei Kui had noticed Zhang Xiaoniu's condition during the march. Six consecutive days of marching in the snow was no easy task. Even Wei Kui, a man who was naturally stronger than others, was having trouble keeping up. It was even more difficult for Zhang Xiaoniu, who was thin and had a weaker constitution.

At first, things were alright, but as time went on, Zhang Xiaoniu's face, hidden under his helmet, grew paler and paler, and his steps became heavier and heavier, giving the impression that he was about to collapse at any moment.

"much better!"

Zhang Xiaoniu replied casually that the six days had been extremely difficult for him because of the cold weather and the fact that he could only eat dry rations during the march, and his hands and feet were constantly cold and stiff.

Fortunately, he persevered. The moment he entered Qingzhou, the weather was no longer so cold, and he felt much better.

"That's good!"

Wei Kui breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Xiao Niu, if you can't hold on, you must tell me. Don't force yourself."

"Ah."

Zhang Xiaoniu nodded, but he had other thoughts in his mind.

Wei Kui longed for military merit and hoped to change his life through meritorious service. Zhang Xiaoniu felt the same way. Therefore, no matter how difficult the march was, he was determined to persevere.

…………

…………

The army continued to move forward.

In the afternoon, the soldiers at the front saw the “spectacle” brick road and the bustling scene outside the entrance of Chenjia Village.

Both the spectacular brick road and the bustling scene at the village entrance made the soldiers stare wide-eyed.

Is this still an official road?

Why did they pave the official road with bricks?

"Is this Chenjia Village?"

"..."

The soldiers stared in disbelief at the smooth, clean brick road ahead, their hearts filled with awe.

Since Yang Zheng returned to Liangzhou, the reputation of Chenjia Village has gradually spread throughout Liangzhou. Many people and soldiers have heard of the fame of Chenjia Village and know about its wealth.

Despite having heard about it, when they actually saw Chenjia Village, they were still deeply shocked!

The soldiers who had marched all the way from Liangzhou Prefecture to Qingzhou knew all too well how difficult the official roads were these days, so when they saw the brick and stone road in front of Chenjia Village, they were particularly shocked!

How much will this road cost?

"This Chenjia Village is too rich! They're even willing to pave roads with bricks."

"How rich must Chenjia Village be?"

"..."

Yang Zheng was not surprised by the soldiers' shock. When he first saw the brick road outside Chenjia Village, his reaction was no better than theirs.

After issuing the order for the army to temporarily halt its advance, Yang Zheng dismounted and led his horse toward Chen Dao, who was already waiting at the village entrance.

"Mr. Chen."

"Yang Shuai".

After exchanging greetings, Chen Dao surveyed the endless army and remarked, "The Yang family army truly lives up to its reputation; it possesses an invincible presence."

Just now, Yang Zheng only gave an order, and the army of tens of thousands of people who were still moving forward stopped instantly without any disturbance. This made Chen Dao look at the army with new respect.

Keep in mind that this was an army of tens of thousands, stretching for miles along the official road. The fact that they could maintain such strict discipline clearly shows that the soldiers of the Yang family army were extremely well-trained.

In addition, Chen Dao also knew that this large army was transferred by Yang Zheng from Liangzhou Prefecture. The distance from Liangzhou Prefecture to Taiping County is several hundred miles.

To be able to march hundreds of miles in such frigid weather and still maintain perfect discipline shows that this army, at the very least, has sufficient discipline and willpower.

"Mr. Chen, you flatter me."

Upon hearing Chen Dao's praise, Yang Zheng smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, soldiers marching hundreds of miles are bound to be physically and mentally exhausted. I wonder if you have prepared anything to reward them?"

Knowing that Chenjia Village was wealthy, Yang Zheng naturally wanted to take advantage of the situation. If he could get something from Chenjia Village to reward the soldiers, that would be even better.

"Naturally there is."

Chen Dao smiled mysteriously and said, "However, my Chen Family Village is too small to accommodate so many people. Commander Yang, you should lead the army to Taiping County first."

Chen Dao didn't know exactly how many men Yang Zheng had brought, but by visual estimation, he could roughly tell that the army numbered no less than 30,000.

Such a large scale is naturally too much for Chenjia Village, which has a large population and limited land.

In fact, Yang Zheng's troop deployment plan did not include the option of stopping at Chenjia Village. Instead, he would briefly camp outside Taiping County before continuing his march south.

"In that case, I, Yang, will not stay any longer. Mr. Chen, see you again when you return in triumph!"

"Wishing Yang Shuai a triumphant return."

Soon, the army set off again, the dense footsteps seeming to make the whole earth tremble, alarming not only the workers who were busy at the village entrance, but also the villagers in Chenjia Village.

Many villagers who heard the footsteps came out of the village and then saw the army stretching endlessly along the official road!

"Where did this army come from?!"

"Oh no! War is about to break out."

"War is coming!"

"..."

Upon seeing the army, the villagers of Chenjia Village were startled. Many turned to run back into the village, some wanting to grab weapons to defend themselves, while others were thinking of fleeing...

Unfortunately, the military has a terrible reputation in Kyushu. Ordinary people aren't afraid of the military, let alone...

Yang Zheng's army still has such a large number of people.

"Don't worry."

Fortunately, at this moment, Chen Dao stepped forward and said loudly, "This is the Yang family army from Liangzhou. They are here to protect us and will not harm us."

Upon seeing Chen Dao, the villagers felt much more at ease. In their hearts, Chen Dao was the pillar of Chenjia Village and the person they trusted most.

Since Chen Dao has said so, this army certainly won't harm them.

but……

People couldn't help but feel worried.

"Mr. Chen, the Yang family army is a rebel army. If we contact them, what will happen to the imperial court...?"

Chen Dao glanced at the speaker and recognized him as one of the teachers at Chenjia Village School.

As a teacher at the school, this person was naturally literate.

Scholars in those days were often blindly loyal to the imperial court, or rather... held it in great awe.