Chapter 36 Dipping

The loose bandits on both sides of the Luo River went their separate ways.Comparatively speaking, Scarlet Ma has a higher prestige among the various poles, not only because of his strong soldiers and horses, but also because of his magical skills.He believed in the Qing religion, and he had to take a bath every day, set up an incense table to worship Guanyin Bodhisattva, and sat cross-legged on the futon with his subordinates, chanting words.It is said that those who sit for a long time have a calm mind, a clear mind, a deep way, and a high skill.His old problem of coughing up phlegm for more than ten years is just like this.Later, no matter where his troops sat and stood, they could go to battle as fast as they could if they were thirsty for two days and hungry for two days.Some people put it even more mysteriously, saying that they had seen them fighting with their own eyes, and they could hardly bleed when cut by knives, and their flags could not be pierced by guns. Needless to say, this was the result of sitting on the futon.

Ma Scarzi's team has another characteristic, they often don't wear shoes when marching and fighting, but they are very flexible when climbing mountains and jumping ditches, no matter sharp stones or iron nails, they can't hurt their feet.The common people called them the "Barefoot Army", and said that they had to recite the magic spell of the Thirteen Taibao every night to practice such skills.Guangfu later told me that this was of course an exaggeration.Barefoot is just for running fast. Two kinds of plants called mulberry juice and baby tree are pounded into ointment, coated on the soles of the feet, and then applied after the ointment dries. Repeat several times, and there is a layer of shell under the feet. , harder than the soles of any shoe—this is a method his father learned from the Miao people in Xiangxi when he was in the army.

People were amazed by this barefoot army.Wherever they go, some children and old women will follow them to take a bath. Of course, there are some people who don't sit well on the futon. Once they get mad, they will go crazy.Ma Scarzi advises ordinary people not to follow his example, not to engage in ritual sacrifices casually. He said that the most important thing in Dazhan is to be pure-hearted and ascetic, and to be kind.At that time, there was a shortage of food, and the poles robbed everywhere.As soon as Ma Wenjie entered the city, he was often stopped by men, women and children, crying and complaining. Some money was robbed, and some daughter-in-law was robbed. He hoped that Boss Ma would do justice.

Ma Wenjie invited the leaders of various poles in Changle Street, held a meeting, and said that floating money is fine, but people must be released, and grains and cattle must be returned.Seeing that he came to the meeting alone in straw sandals, without guards or even a gun, he felt a sense of righteousness, and was timid before opening his mouth.Some people were dazzled by watching, and saw a circle of white light above his head, with purple clouds on top of the white light, so they became more nonchalant.After everyone drank a table of wine, they drew their knives and hacked down the next table to express their oath, and went back separately to do so.

Ma Scarzi also gained the reputation of Ma Daqingtian.People said that Ma Baozi's team asked for food but not money, and they didn't take away when they were full.That is to say, wherever the subordinates go, they can ask the common people for food when they are hungry, but they only need to eat one meal. Any other seizures are regarded as disturbing the people, and they must be punished once they are found.Once, two soldiers under his command smeared cigarette ash on their faces to make them unrecognizable. At night, they rushed into the principal's house of the county middle school and snatched two gold bracelets from the principal's wife.A nanny of the principal's house threw a basin of firewood outside the threshold in desperation, leaving footprints when they went out, and invited Ma Scar to come and see the scene the next day.Ma Scarzi went back to check the soles of the shoes, and soon found two robbers, and immediately put them in a cage.Both had iron wires pierced through their collarbone, and they were locked up in a wooden cage for public display for three days. The meat holes where the wires were worn rotted and gave off a stench.Then one was burnt to death, so that butter came out of his body, and his skin exploded.The other one was not considered the first offender, so he was stabbed to death with a bayonet, leaving a body—at that time, the bayonet came in and out several times, and it was not bent.Blood spurted out from the knife hole, turned several feet high, and stained a large area of ​​red on the nearby whitewashed wall.

The two condemned prisoners never begged for mercy, neither shouted nor snorted. worth it!All the men present were in admiration. Ma Baozi's soldiers are greedy even for money, which can't stop other soldiers from looking at him differently. From then on, no matter where the soldiers of the horse ruffian borrowed a way, the other poles would not be in trouble.If they were bodyguards for merchants, they would not need to be armed at all, and would be sufficient to accompany them empty-handed.This is called "Renyi Dart".When you encounter other poles, hold a fist, report Ma Wenjie's name, and match a few secret words in the rivers and lakes, and you can turn danger into luck and go all the way smoothly.Sometimes the other party will kindly leave a meal, send a cow or two bottles of good wine, and make friends.