It took Hong Tao's team a month to reach Kaifeng, and the total number of people was close to 3,000. There were countless robberies in the middle of the journey. There were four robberies in broad daylight, and there were more people stealing while the night was dark. Of course, let alone a thousand men, even if there was a zero at the back, they could not fight the Imperial Army equipped with more than 20 field artillery, not to mention these troops were all cavalry. However, in order to take in the prisoners, Hong Tao had to inquire to Lin'an and demand that additional transport ships be sent along the canal.

This canal is not the Grand Canal that everyone knows later generations, but the Sui Dynasty canal built during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. Its northern end is Zhuojun and the southern end is Hangzhou, but the middle is slightly westward, and the center is Luoyang, because the state of Emperor Yang of Sui is in Luoyang. The section from Zhuojun to Luoyang is called Yongji Canal, the section from Luoyang to Huai River is called Tongji Canal, and from Huai River to Hangzhou is called Hangou.

If Hong Tao wanted to follow this Hebei and go to Zhuojun, he had to follow Hangou to Huai River first, and then continue to go straight to Kaifeng along the Tongji Canal. Finally, he turned from Kaifeng to Yongji Canal. The whole journey was more than 2,000 kilometers, and it took about three months to walk. When he arrived in Kaifeng, he had just finished walking for more than half of his journey. It was still harsh winter when he set out from Lin'an. When he arrived in Kaifeng, there were already signs of germination on the willow branches.

Hong Tao did not send a ship to Lin'an for the prisoners of this 1,000 people. These people followed them halfway and didn't have to go back and change to the sea route. Just walk together. If there are so many prisoners along the way, it will be easy to deal with. Cut the food in half, as long as you don't starve to death. Don't be too slow to go to Zhuo County. When you go to Zhuo County, you can eat big fish and meat every meal. This is the big cake that Hong Tao drew for them.

Is this big cake effective? It works! People in this era are so easy to deceive. Whenever they see officials, they will involuntarily believe in three points. When they see the yellow silk imperial edict and the respectful attitude of officials along the way towards Hong Tao, although they don’t know what the Prime Minister is, they believe in seven or eight points.

In addition, following Hong Tao's army, there is basically no need to do any heavy work. They can have three meals a day, and women and children can also ride on boats without having to struggle. The treatment is very good. Even without the promises of the future, most people are unwilling to leave, and some people are starting to care about the conditions for joining the army. They also want to be such soldiers. Anyway, they are all working hard, so why not sell them at a good price?

Of course, Hong Tao would not accept them into the army, but he did not refuse. In Hong Tao's view, using the army as bait, he would first practice these bandits and refugees to let them know the rules, which would also be helpful to them in the future. So the thousand people became temporary reserve camps and also had a separate camp, led by formal soldiers, and they would go out to exercise, train, cook on time every day, and set up camps.

Everything is not compared to nothing, and it is shocking. Although it is just a simple daily training, the refugees who originally thought it was easy to be a soldier only took a day to know that this bowl of rice was not as delicious as expected. Just cross-country running with weight is enough for most people to complain. You said that you have good physical fitness and can handle it, so there is also queue practice. Moreover, these things are not once or twice, but at least once a day. Even if you are sick, you have to participate as usual, unless you can get the recognition of those military doctors.

The most terrible thing is not fatigue, but annoyance. Let the refugees enter the barracks directly, and the rules everywhere become the biggest obstacle. They have rules to eat, sleep, get up, walk, and speak, and they can’t even shit and urinate at will. This makes the refugees who are used to being dissatisfied with it. If they violate the rules, they will be punished. At the least, they will be embarrassed to be trained, and at the worst, they will be punished. In the first three days of the establishment of the reserve camp, there were crying and howlings in the barracks from morning to night, which sounded so miserable.

At this time, most refugees could only complain that they had a bad life and had to suffer and be controlled after just getting full. A small number of people felt that they were smarter than others and began to think about how to escape. They would rather go to the mountains and forests to eat hunger and full, than such an inhuman life.

Unfortunately, no deserter can escape successfully. The person caught will be tied to a wooden stake and stabbed the sieve with a bayonet by the person in the same tent with him. If anyone is weak, the soldiers holding guns will not force you to stab you. These soldiers in the army are very reasonable. They will tie you up and then let others stab you. Whether to kill or be killed is 100% up to themselves, and no one will interfere.

When the team reached the West Hebei Road, Hong Tao suddenly found that the situation here was very different from when he just crossed the Yellow River. Although the population was still relatively sparse, the villages and towns here were relatively orderly, and bandits could not be seen.

"Uncle, why do I think this place is a bit strange? Look, we have been walking in such a big mess for three days, and no one of the villages and towns passed by has come out to greet us. Even if the local people don't welcome us, what about the local government officials? When they see the imperial court's banner, they have to send people to ask?" After leaving Kaifeng and walking north along the canal for three days, Bo Jiao had questions about the current situation.

"If you asked me this question before, I really couldn't answer you. After staying in the Palace of the Song Dynasty for several months, I've gained some knowledge. Can you guess how did the Song Dynasty manage the Northern Territory after it took back the northern territory?" Hong Tao put down his telescope and did not answer Bo Jiao's question, but asked a question.

"How could I know..." Bo Jiao grew up by the beach since he was a child. This time he probably went the north. He was so ignorant of this place that he didn't know anything.

"Old Kong, what do you think?" Hong Tao threw this question to Kong Pei again.

"Can it be better to leave it to the local wealthy families and the court will not interfere?" Kong Pei thought about it carefully and gave a not very clear answer.

"I just said that the local area must be managed by familiar locals. When outsiders come, they not only have no sense of responsibility, but also do not understand the local people's sentiment. Lao Kong said rightly, most areas north of the Yellow River are still imitated by the Mongol occupation period and handed over to the local tyrants to manage. Nominally, these places need to pay money and pay grain to the court every year, but in fact the court has never received their taxes." Hong Tao stretched out two thumbs to Kong Pei, and extremely affirmed his guess.

"Then it took several years, and the money and death of the Lao Shi went on an expedition. What's the point of taking back these places? Isn't this a loss-making business?" Hong Tao could understand Kong Pei's answer, but Bo Jiao couldn't understand it at all. The national government ruled a piece of land, and it was not tax, population and resources. Now, it's good that I can't even collect taxes, so the population and resources can be imagined.

"It's not that the court doesn't want to take care of it, but that the court can't take care of it. When the court moved south, some of the people in these places followed the court, but most of them stayed. When the Jin people came, the local tyrants came forward to deal with the Jin people, and they could roughly maintain peace. When the Mongolians came, the same thing was still the same. Without these local tyrants, the Mongolians could not even collect food and grass. Now the Song Dynasty court has returned, but time has passed, and it has been hundreds of years since the Song Dynasty occupied the place. Who else still remembers who the Song Dynasty was? They still have to use this trick to deal with the Song Dynasty court. Look, what else can't be done on the way? It's not far from Daming Mansion before, so that the soldiers are more vigilant and treat it according to the wartime situation. Be more careful. You uncle and I am not a god, I really don't know what trouble you will encounter."

When Hong Tao first heard that the Song Dynasty court unified the north but never sent local officials north of the Yellow River, he also had the same idea as Bo Jiao. Later, after explanation from Ding Daquan and Jia Sidao, he realized that this was a last resort. It was not that the Song Dynasty court did not want to take the area north of the Yellow River under the leadership of the central government, but that he did not have such great ability and could only keep the same status first.

"...If it were me, I wouldn't welcome the Song Dynasty back. I left me and ran away, and I was ruled by foreign tribes for so many years. I would come back when I came back? I still have to welcome me? Why am I so cheap? Who knows if they will leave me and run away next time?" Bo Jiao probably understood the whole story, and made some remarks from his perspective, giving serious spiritual support to the local people.

"So, when I said I was going to build a factory north of Zhiguzhai, Yi Yi's eyes were almost glaring out. Even if I told him that it was my hometown, I wanted to go back and take a look, I probably wouldn't believe it. Do you believe it or not, not only do you two have obvious imperial observers in this team, but also have no less eyeliners affiliated with the Imperial Supervision and the Ministry of National Defense." Hong Tao did not refute Bo Jiao's remarks, nor could he refute it. Bo Jiao was not too ugly because of his own face.

"Then do you want to go back to your hometown to have a look?" When Hong Tao heard that this matter was mentioned, Bo Jiao and Kong Pei almost responded to the same reaction. Hong Tao was right. Not only Yi Yi didn't believe it, but Bo Jiao and Kong Pei probably didn't believe it.

"Eighty percent." Hong Tao did not dare to say it all. It was the truth that he wanted to go to Beijing in this era, but he didn't have much hope. Now that place in Beijing may still be a wasteland. Even if he goes back, he may not be able to find where the city in his future generations should be.

"Then are 20%?" Bo Jiao was very persistent and insisted on breaking the pot and asking the end.

"Are you and Yi Yi political enemies? This time his term has arrived. Do you plan to work on the stage for a few more years? Why are you rushing to work for him like this? Tell me honestly, has he promised you any benefits?" Hong Tao stared at the triangular eyes and felt a little impatient. Since he came over, he has added a strange problem, which is that he doesn't like others asking too much about his thoughts, especially more personal things.
Chapter completed!