The closer you get to Pingyang, the more people there are, and the population is relatively dense. Of course, the definition of dense is probably from walking a thousand meters without seeing anyone to walking two hundred meters.
You can see the appearance of one within a few meters.
In the valleys or hillsides on both sides of the road, you can also see some small-scale villages, consisting of three to five households, or seven or eight households, or a dozen households, surrounded by simple fences.
A house built with a small amount of soil, bark, branches and hay.
Unlike later generations, unless it is in a city, no brave person would be willing to build his or her house next to an unobstructed road. The reason is very simple. No one knows how to get from the road.
Whether they are good guys, bad guys, or people who are about to be driven crazy, if there is any conflict, there is not even a room for maneuver.
Therefore, in ancient Chinese Feng Shui, if a house is built on a public transportation thoroughfare, it is called a foul conflict, and that's it.
This is true for housing and transportation. In fact, in terms of other aspects, such as clothing and food, although many food varieties were available in the Han Dynasty, most of them were for nobles like Fei Qian, and for ordinary people, haha...
But when it comes to clothes, unlike the nobles who can change their clothes without taking a shower, to be precise, the clothes of ordinary people are generally not washed unless it is absolutely necessary. The reason is very simple. Due to problems with the textile process, the structure of the woven Gebu is not
It's not as tight as later generations. After washing it a few times, it will become quite soft and even transparent.
Therefore, most people wear decent outerwear when they go out, hang it up when they come back, and then take it off and put it on again the next time they go out. As for sweat stains and oil stains, they do not exist at all. They are covered in mud every day.
How can a person who digs food in the ground and has spent his whole life dealing with what some later generations regard as dirty and dirty soil care about the small sweat stains and dirt on his clothes?
This kind of half-robe can be worn to meet people, and it is considered a relatively high-end personal property. The average poor farmer only has a few rags to cover it...
bath?
That is a matter for the children of the noble clan.
So in fact, in the Han Dynasty, it was a very simple thing to judge people by their appearance. Those who were well-fed, fat, and clean were mostly nobles or wealthy people, while those with sloppy clothes, knotted hair, and all kinds of fleas and lice on their bodies were probably
They are the ordinary working people at the bottom.
Generally speaking, it's relatively easy to recognize.
However, as we get closer to Pingyang, the situation becomes a little different. The farmers working in the fields are obviously different. How can I put it, it is like the difference between the wanderers in the first-tier cities in later generations and the wanderers in ordinary towns.
The biggest difference is the degree of cleanliness. There is obviously some difference. At least when you get closer, you no longer see the hair jungle like a small zoo like that of farmers in other areas...
Could it be that General Zhengxi made arrangements in advance?
It is inevitable that these officials will be a little confused, because there are indeed some differences. These officials have been used to dealing with those dirty and dirty farmers, and suddenly they saw the farmers near Pingyang who were written about neatness. For a while, they were not able to adapt. Look again
Seeing themselves looking a little disheveled because they were in a hurry, these officials became somewhat restless.
Etiquette, etiquette is etiquette, etiquette is demeanor. Nowadays, these officials who have traveled long distances have a look of crooked crowns and slanted robes. This demeanor is naturally not as good as those who although they do not wear long robes and big sleeves, they look very clean.
Natural farming farmers.
The sun was gradually setting in the west. Fei Qian looked up at the sky and ordered to find a suitable place to camp. Although this place was not too far from Pingyang, after all, it was not easy to rush along with officials like Liu Xie and others.
, so before the sky darkens completely, you must find a place to camp in time.
After leaving Chang'an, Liu Xie seemed to have put down some baggage, and he felt novel about everything. Fei Qian also acted as an encyclopedia of the Han Dynasty, and from time to time had to answer some of Liu Xie's sudden questions.
Such as now.
"...Fei Aiqing," Liu Xie seemed to be tired of sitting in the car. He jumped to the ground and came to Fei Qian and said, "...I just saw that there seems to be a village on the other side of the mountain col..."
Fei Qian turned around and looked back. There was a stream over there. There was indeed a very small village with about ten households, and he replied: "...Yes, Your Majesty..."
Liu Xie also looked over there, was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "Fei Aiqing, how do the people of this... this big man live?"
"Ha?" How to answer this question? Fei Qian couldn't react for a while. After thinking about it, he adopted a more standard answer, "...work at sunrise and rest at sunset...that's it."
Is that so..." Not to mention the Han Dynasty, even in later generations, there are still people living in some areas who do not use watches, mobile phones, TVs and computers at all. They just follow the pace of the sun, working when the sun rises and breathing when the sun sets.
.
"..." Liu Xie nodded as if he understood, but after a while he said, "...I...want to take a look..."
"Aha?" Fei Qian looked at Liu Xie and said, "...Your Majesty...Isn't your Majesty tired?"
Liu Xie nodded and said: "Tired. However, I still want to take a look... to see how the people of the Han Dynasty live... In these years, I have never seen these people of the Han Dynasty...
"
Fei Qian was silent for a while, nodded and said: "I comply with your Majesty's wish. Come, summon the guards! By the way, bring a bag of millet with you!"
The entire affected area is relatively calm for the time being, but we still cannot take it lightly. If Liu Xie is harmed in any way, it will be Fei Qian's unshirkable responsibility. Therefore, normally, Fei Qian should not agree.
Liu Xie left the camp, even though it was just a small village.
What if the village is populated by desperadoes who don’t know where they came from? Even if they are not desperadoes, what if there are some who have mental problems? If His Majesty is injured somewhere, or if it is not injured, what if
It is also an extremely serious matter for someone to say a word or two wrongly without opening their eyes...
This relationship is indeed important. Therefore, it is not surprising that even in later generations, when there were many so-called official inspections of people's conditions, it was obvious at a glance that they had been notified and prepared in advance.
However, Fei Qian was moved by Liu Xie's words. For so many years, perhaps before Dong Zhuo came to Beijing, Liu Xie had never left the palace, and had never seen how the real low-level Han peasants lived. This was for a
For the emperor, it may be a kind of happiness, or it may be a kind of sadness. Since Liu Xie said that this was the first time he wanted to inspect the suffering of the people and understand how the Han people lived, Fei Qian felt that he should give
with encouragement and support.
Generally speaking, the people of the Han Dynasty work according to the sunrise and the sunrise. It may only be a short eight words, but in fact, it is very difficult. The sun has not risen every morning, and there are still many people in all directions.
It is pitch dark, that is, around 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. If you raise some chickens, they will start to crow for the first time at this time, and most farmers will wake up and start the day's work at this time.
.
The men brought their tools, went to the fields first, and worked hard for about two hours before it was time for breakfast, which was around nine o'clock in the morning. The women at home had almost finished cooking, and then returned.
The first meal at home, if it is the busy farming season, there is no time to go home to eat, and the women in the family have to deliver it to the field.
After breakfast, I rested for about a quarter of an hour, then started again, returned to the fields, and started doing farm work that couldn't be said to be in the morning, noon, or afternoon, because the work at this time never stopped, and there was almost no break in between.
interval, let alone a lunch break and the like.
This continues until the evening, when the sun begins to set at four or five o'clock in the afternoon. At this time, the farmers will drag their tired bodies back home and enjoy the second meal of the day, which is also the last meal of the day.
There are two meals a day, no late-night snacks. After eating, I usually take advantage of the sun's brightness to pack up the tools at home and then rest.
From then on, there was no gap.
For farmers in the Han Dynasty, the so-called farmhouse entertainment in later generations, haha, does not exist at all...
The group of people followed the path beside the official road, bypassed a hillside and then passed through a small forest before arriving at this small village.
The movement around Fei Qian had already alarmed the people in the village. Seeing Fei Qian and his entourage getting closer and closer, the people in the village were frightened and uneasy. They all felt that a disaster was imminent. They had to come out to meet each other, so they had to
I selected a few middle-aged people except the oldest one to greet them in front of the village.
"Little old man... this, this welcomes the nobles!" When the old farmer saw Fei Qian and his entourage approaching, he quickly grinned, put on a smile, and led the rest of the people to come forward and salute.
Fei Qian stepped forward, nodded, and said: "Please get up, my father-in-law. We are from Pingyang... Well, Diannong Congcao's subordinates... Well, I happened to pass by this place and saw that this village is quite exquisite. I came here to take a look. There is no other intention, I don’t need to worry..."
Speaking of the generals who conquered the west and the emperors of the Han Dynasty, these peasants who were far away from the court may not have much idea. They may even be more confused and overwhelmed because of the distance and class. Therefore, Fei Qian simply named Zao Zhi. If you move out, you will be relatively close to these farmers.
Obviously, after hearing this, the old farmer immediately relaxed a lot, opened his eyes wide, and said: "Could it be that he is a subordinate of Zaocong Cao? Ah, this... ah, I'm rude, I'm rude..."
Fei Qian smiled and said: "It's okay, it's okay, we just walked around and had a look. If we disturb you, I hope you'll forgive me... Didn't you move here not long ago?"
This village looks relatively new, so Fei Qian asked this question.
The yellow mud pasted on the wooden piles of the village wall is relatively bright in color, and there is no moss or weeds. It is obvious that it was completed not long ago, and the thatch on the roof of the house exposed above the village wall has not completely become Black and gray, with some dark green or brown, also illustrates this point.
"To answer your question, yes..." the old farmer cupped his hands and bent down and said, "...the little old man just moved from Guanzhong in the spring of last year..."
"Guanzhong?" Liu Xie asked with his eyes widened, "Why do you want to move here? Is Guanzhong bad?"
"...This..." The old farmer glanced at Liu Xie, and then quickly glanced at Fei Qian. He could see that Liu Xie's dress was either rich or noble, but Fei Qian was more like a person in charge, so he I don’t know if I should answer this question. Migration, in the Han Dynasty, might also be called refugees, and for refugees, it means losing the status of Han citizens, and they may be arrested at any time for labor or labor. It's military service...
Fei Qian nodded and said with a smile: "My husband has already been naturalized, right? If there is anything, I can just say it... We are just curious, just ask, if it is inconvenient for me, just don't tell us..." Naturalized again Even if it refers to the population here in Bingbei, it has a certain legal effect just like the temporary residence permit and tax payment certificate of later generations in a certain place.
When the old farmer heard this, he felt somewhat relieved and said with a wry smile: "... Since the noble man is asking, I don't dare to hide it from the noble man... If he really can't survive and can't survive it, who would be willing to raise his family?" Migration..."
"...Originally, the little old man was able to live somewhat well in Guanzhong, but unexpectedly..." the old farmer shook his head, obviously looking back on that period of time, "...somehow, suddenly the money was no longer enough. Then there was another round of fighting, with the first wave of grain collectors leaving, and the next wave coming again... Later, more soldiers came, either to rob food or to rob people, and the crops were ruined. I really couldn't stand it any longer. , and I heard that there was land here, the rent was reduced or exempted, and farm tools could be borrowed, so I moved here..."
"Free rent? So the rent in Guanzhong turns out to be very high?" Liu Xie couldn't help but ask again.
The old farmer replied: "...Originally, in Guanzhong, it was not too high. After one year, after paying the labor and tax, I can still have 10% or 20% left..."
"What about here? How much can be left here?" Liu Xie continued to ask.
Speaking of this, the wrinkles on the old farmer's face loosened up a little, and he couldn't help but smile. He deliberately arched his hands in the direction of Pingyang, and then said: "Thanks to the kindness of General Zhengxi, he reduced the rent and taxes. Last year, the remaining
It's...20% is left, um, about 20%..."
Fei Qian glanced at the old farmer and smiled. This guy also had his own tricks, but it didn't matter. Fei Qian didn't intend to expose him.
The fields near Pingyang and Pingyang Canal are naturally fertile and easy to water. Strictly speaking, they are also considered the territory of Feiqian, the Marquis of Pingyang, so the tax is relatively high, 50% in the first year, and then there will be
As time goes by, it has been reduced to 30%. However, if you do not have any equipment and need to rent oxen, horses, plows, etc. from the government, then you will have to add 10% to 15% in taxes. Therefore, these fertile fields near Pingyang are basically
The maximum remaining 10% or 20% in the first year is about the same, but irrigation is convenient near Pingyang and the yield is high, so even if 10% is left, it is still relatively good, and after the next year, the remaining will only increase.
This greatly enhances the adhesion of the field.
After all, no one wants to make a head start with hard work and see that the good days are coming later, but then abandon everything and rise up in rebellion, right?
But there is something different here. The fields here are obviously developed by these people themselves, so the first year's rent is only 30%. Even if you include the rental of government equipment and cattle and horses, it will only be around 45% at most.
After adding in the oral tax, at least about 40% will be left. The old farmer said it was 20%. I am afraid it is due to his cautious mentality.
"There's only this little left..." It was obvious that Liu Xie didn't know what was going on. He believed what the old farmer said, and then asked, "...is it like this in other places? Other places, such as Jizhou
Is this also the case in Yuzhou..."
Fei Qian couldn't help but be slightly startled. Why did Liu Xie's words sound so weird?
