Forty miles northeast of Dingbian, Yanzhou City, there is a township called Minghu, named after a lake outside the township. This is a settlement dominated by Han people, but because of Minghu, there are also many Party members scattered around.
, shared water source.
However, because of this water source, there were many conflicts between the Han people and the Dangxiang people, which reached the point of hostility. In the past twenty years, there have been hundreds of armed fights, large and small, resulting in more than a thousand deaths and injuries.
There is a village outside the village, called Yuanjiazhuang. The village is not small, covering an area of hundreds of acres. The buildings are mainly made of rammed earth and surrounded by walls. The village has a population of several hundred and is also a large market town with a radius of dozens of miles.
If it goes north, it can even reach hundreds of miles, and the surrounding Han people and Hu people are willing to come to Yuanjiazhuang to trade in exchange for grain, cloth, salt, wine, and even ironware.
After all, whether you are going west or south, you have to walk dozens of miles more to participate in market town trade. In Yuanjiazhuang, not only is the distance short, but you can also get relative fairness. Even the tax collectors have to be better spoken to.
.
Yuanjiazhuang has not been established for a long time, it has only been ten years. The owner of the village is named Yuan Ke, and he happens to be the leader of the Mingsha Bandits who is "famous in the northwest". Of course, very few people know his identity, and very few people know his identity.
, will link Yuan Ke with the gangster "Lun Nan" who is wanted throughout the northwest.
Zhuangzhu Yuan is very low-key in Yanzhou, but he has a great reputation, at least in Minghu Township, because he is a chivalrous and charitable man who often provides money and food to help people in need, thus gaining a good reputation.
Not only for the villagers, but also for the Han people in Minghu Township. In remote areas like Yanzhou, living conditions are difficult and the situation of people's cliques is even more serious. The appearance of Zhuangzhu Yuan also gives the Han people something to rely on.
Most of the Han people in Minghu Township are Han people who migrated from other places, mainly from Jiangnan. Twenty years have passed since they moved here. In the past twenty years, under the temper of the northwest wind and sand, Jiangnan has also faded away.
It is more delicate and more rugged than the northwest, and the environment is the most tempering.
In fact, there were not many powerful Han people in Minghu Township in the past, and the Yuan family was not outstanding. After all, Yuan Ke's father was a scholar and a scholar, and he was also known for his modesty when he was alive.
But Yuan Ke was different. He was capable of both literary and military skills. When he grew up, he became even more heroic and made many friends. He was highly praised for his pride and fair dealings.
Since the establishment of Yuanjiazhuang ten years ago, it has become even more out of control. The Yuan family has also become the number one "prominent family" in Minghu Township. Yuan Ke's reputation is even useful in the city.
Over the years, local heroes and celebrities have continued to come and visit. Regardless of his reputation or status, Yuan Ke always opened the door to the village, entertained him with fine wine and meat, and personally accompanied him, providing food and drink. Not only did he not say anything before leaving,
Forgot to give the gift.
Even if there are some people who are not worthy of their name and eat and drink together, they are all tolerant. As the saying goes, suffering is blessing. If people come with sincerity, I will treat them with sincerity. These behaviors have further helped Yuan Ke's popularity in the local area.
reputation.
The establishment of Yuanjiazhuang was based on the servants who went north with his father, supplemented by recruiting some fellow villagers from the south of the Yangtze River, and gradually developed.
Up to now, there are more than 300 villagers and villagers in the village, many of whom are brave men. Yuan Ke leads them not only to cultivate land, livestock and business, but also actively participate in militia training.
, they all lead people in person and cooperate with government orders effectively, which is highly recognized by the government.
Yuan Ke not only has a great reputation among the Han people, but also has great influence among the surrounding Hu people. He is admired both by his reputation and by his military force. Among the heroes he has made friends with, there are many strong Hu people, including Dangxiang people.
The fight over the water source of Minghu Lake was also mediated by Yuan Ke. A plan was just made. The Han people live in the south and the Hu people live in the north. The conflict has just been eased and has been peaceful for several years. Even if there is a conflict, they all find Yuan Ke.
Let him judge and accept his reasoning.
Over the years, a consensus has been formed among some Han and Hu people in Minghu Township. If you have any difficulties, go to Mr. Yuan. If you have disputes, go to Mr. Yuan. For some matters that are difficult for the government to resolve, you can go to Mr. Yuan.
There was once a rural official who was very jealous of Yuan Ke's prestige and reported to the state city, saying that Yuan Ke had disobedient intentions. However, not long after that, the rural official was transferred away. Later I heard that he died of an epidemic.
Thanks to Yuan Ke's painstaking efforts to cultivate a good reputation, at least in Minghu Township, almost all Han people, including some Hu people, united around Yuanjiazhuang with Yuan Ke as the core.
In the eyes of many people, Yuan Ke is a big shot. However, for a long time, in the Han Dynasty's system, Yuan Ke was just a humble official. He once served as an official for five years.
However, no one dares to ignore Yuan Ke's influence. Of course, to have such influence, in addition to his own personality charm and ability, necessary means are indispensable. More importantly, he needs the support of the government.
And Yuan Ke naturally had no shortage of backers in the state capital. Because of his generosity, not only some state officials and county officials bought into his account and called him brothers, but more importantly, his beautiful sister was the concubine of Liu Fang, the magistrate of Yanzhou today.
With the relationship of being the head of a state, Yuan Ke was naturally able to call the shots in Yanzhou. For Yuan Ke, it was not that the magistrate had no intention of promoting him. He once intended to transfer him to Dingbian Town to serve as a state arrester, but Yuan Ke regarded him as being in love with his family.
The reason was rejected.
However, perhaps out of embarrassment, Zhizhou Liu Fang still promoted Yuan Ke to the position of head of Minghu Township, making him the real local emperor.
In Minghu Township, most people think highly of Yuan Ke and feel that he is generous and generous with money. However, few people explore how he got so much capital.
There are a large number of guests coming and going, as well as a large number of villagers and hangers-on. In addition, to build such a manor, it is far from enough to rely solely on nearby land and business production.
Obviously, there are too many unexplainable things behind Yuan Ke's rise to fame, and most ignorant people will not care about it. Smart people will be suspicious, but it is precisely because they are smart that they will not talk nonsense.
As for the bureaucrats and dignitaries in the city, they would not care about a mere Minghu Township, not to mention that the generous Yuan Ke could bring them a lot of benefits.
In the past two years, many villagers from Minghu Township and Yuanjiazhuang have discovered that the owner of Yuanzhuang has become more low-key and mysterious. Although the door of the village is wide open, he no longer entertains in person as he did in the past. He rarely entertains guests in person.
Came forward.
However, this does not hinder Yuan Ke's reputation in the local area. In view of the current situation, the atmosphere in Yuanjiazhuang has inevitably become more tense recently, and he seems to be more wary of party members. In response to the government's call, the villagers and villagers
Training has also increased, and the lights and shadows of swords inside the village can be vaguely seen from outside the village.