Chapter 158 Scene 21: It’s hard to escape the trap
It was the thirteenth day of the seventh month in the first year of Zhaoxi. After the beginning of autumn, the weather turned cooler. It was the most sunny and driest season of the year. The sky was high and wild geese were flying south. The north wind that came quietly from the Shuozhou tundra blew up overnight.
Suddenly, the weeds turned yellow and the leaves turned red. Looking around, the mountains and plains were covered in a golden color, and the fields also ushered in the busiest period.
Now is the season when the rice is ripe. The rice that has been growing for a whole summer has poured all the accumulated energy into the heavy ears of grain. As the saying goes, "ten drops of blood and sweat, one grain", rice is the basis of survival for farmers to store grain for the winter.
.Before winter, they not only need to lay mature japonica rice, but also sow the seeds of next year's new wheat in the fields.
The sun was setting, and in the large fields at the foot of the Qingying Mountains, the farmers who had been harvesting for a day finally had the opportunity to sit down on the field stalks and beat their sore backs. They gathered in groups of three and five.
They smoked dry cigarettes together and exchanged news about the imperial capital brought by travelers from north to south.
Gradually, smoke began to rise in the village, and the voices of wives calling their husbands to come home for dinner gradually sounded. The farmers in the fields slowly left, but no one was left, but at this moment, a red-haired girl
Dragging tired steps and staggering a little, he walked out of the forest not far away.
Although she escaped from the monsters in the mountain, Ning Yue walked through the dense jungle for half a month without the guidance of her old grandmother, and finally found a way out. Along the way, she drank spring water, ate wild fruits, and occasionally
He used the method that Jiang Yan had taught him to climb up a tree and dig out some bird eggs to feed himself. However, the days of sleeping in the open air made him lose weight quickly. His originally round cheeks were now sunken, and his blue eyes were filled with dullness.
It's less romantic and innocent, and more vicissitudes of life.
The village in front of the girl is located in a long and narrow valley just north of Suoyang Pass. Tongyan Mountain and Qingying Mountain Range seem to have deliberately left this flat area to connect Chang and Sizhou. Heading north here,
There is no more dangerous terrain, and you can drive straight to the highlands of the imperial capital. If you ride a fast horse, you can even reach the foot of Yujing City within five days.
Now Ning Yue is standing by the field, and she can see the tall city wall of Suoyang Pass and the arrow tower standing in the distance dozens of miles to the south. Although it is not yet night, the lights are lit early in the pass. Occasionally, you can still hear the faint sound in the wind.
As they came, the soldiers shouted in unison with loud voices that shook the sky.
After Bai Jiangxi abdicated the throne and left Beijing a thousand years ago, his son Bai Jiangying succeeded and changed the reign name to Yongguang. In the same year, a nationwide effort began to build a large-scale construction project, and it was also in this year that the construction of Suoyang Pass began. However, the project was not practical.
It was so huge that it was not completed until his grandson succeeded to the throne forty years later. Since then, this unparalleled pass has gained the reputation of "the most important place in the imperial capital and the first pass in Kyushu".
Rather than saying that Suoyang Pass is a pass from Si to Chang, it is better to think of it as a small city of considerable size. Even though it is located in the narrowest area between Tongyan and Qingying Mountains, the tall city wall stretches from west to east
It spans more than ten miles. There are steep mountains and overlapping green peaks on both sides of the pass. At the pass, there is a large urn city used for garrisoning troops, as well as nine large and small city gates. It looks like a hill rising from the ground, with towers standing on both sides.
The mountain peaks are completely connected, forming an I-shaped barrier that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Any day in the four seasons, as long as you stop in this pass and look up to the south, you can see a bright sun in the sky from the cockcrow to the hour. An unknown poet even wrote with emotion: "Autumn light, clouds and moon" In the Qing Dynasty, the lonely city locked the setting sun in the magnificent poem, and Suoyang Pass got its name from this.
However, it is quite ironic that this majestic Guancheng, which has stood for thousands of years and has not fallen down, not only cannot lock the radiant sun forever, but even during the Shuodi Rebellion more than a hundred years ago, even the country that ascended to the dynasty was destroyed. Zuo was also almost not saved.
Although the soldiers of Wei Liang Guanning came north from Tongyan and regained their lost territory, before that, the Di people still occupied the large fertile land north of the pass for decades and refused to leave. To this day, On the dark green city wall, you can still clearly see the various traces left by the war. And this pass seems to have turned into a striking scar on the ground, indicating that this great dynasty has lasted for more than a thousand years. Since then, he has been seriously injured and cannot recover, and he is still breathless to this day.
Ning Yue looked back at the way she came, and suddenly thought of Granny Cen who had stayed in the depths of Qingying Mountain forever, and her tears fell again. While she was crying, a hoarse voice suddenly came behind her. shouted: "Who is there?!"
The girl was startled, and turned around suddenly, only to see a figure standing in the shadow of the mountains. The figure was stooped, with two skinny legs covered in mud, and he was holding a rusty long-handled sickle in his hand.
Due to fatigue and hunger, the girl's vision became blurry. In the afterglow of the setting sun, Ning Yue could not see the other person's face clearly. She thought that the terrifying monsters in the cave had followed her all the way here, and she was so lustful. He ran towards the village.
But the field in front of her was filled with mud up to her calves, and she had exhausted her last bit of strength after just two steps. The girl felt as if there was a huge boulder weighing on her chest, and she couldn't catch her breath. Yihei fell down on the spot.
When she woke up again, she was already lying on a straw-covered couch. It was dark all around, and she could only see a fire not far away dancing brightly and dimly. Two figures were sitting around the fire. With the faint light, Ning Yue gradually saw that she was in a dark, low room. The quilt covering her body was covered with patches and smelled of a faint musty smell.
Seeing the girl wake up, one of them immediately got up and walked to the couch. The other person was holding a chipped pottery bowl, and the bowl was filled with some steaming, fragrant yellow rice porridge.
"Girl, are you awake? Eat something first. Looking at how thin you are, you must have suffered a lot in the mountains, right?"
The voice of the other party was very different from what she had heard in the field before. Ning Yue raised her head and saw that it was a gray-haired peasant woman. She finally felt relieved and reached out to take the pottery bowl, but she still couldn't help crying. Voice.
Seeing this, the peasant woman opposite hurriedly comforted her: "Oh, girl, don't cry. Don't cry. It's all my fault. My old man smoked dry cigarettes on weekdays and made his throat hoarse. He spoke like a bandit." Normally, it will scare you."
As the peasant woman spoke, she turned back to look at the old farmer, who also had white hair and beard, sitting by the fire. The old farmer turned around and smiled awkwardly, but still put the cigarette pot in his hand into his mouth.
The yellow rice porridge had been warmed by the careful peasant woman, and it was not hot at all. The girl took a mouthful, and the sweet and glutinous rice grains and the solidified soft skin on the surface of the porridge immediately melted in her mouth, making her appetite whet her appetite. After eating a bowl of hot porridge, her face gradually turned a little red. Seeing this, the peasant woman quickly brought another bowl and then asked:
"Girl, did you get lost earlier? Otherwise, how could you have walked out of that deserted old forest alone?"
Ning Yue just shook her head and did not answer.
The peasant woman in front of her was stunned for a moment, but she still refused to stop there:
"Girl, please don't think too much. Our husband and wife are by no means bad people. We just tell you when we encounter any trouble. Although my family is not rich, we will try our best to help you, okay?"
After speaking softly, Ning Yue's nose became sour and her eyes filled with tears again. However, she still did not say a word, she just pointed to her mouth and waved her hand to the peasant woman.
After all, she didn’t know if Kun Jie would come after her, and her red hair was too eye-catching. She had already made a plan in her mind when she was on the mountain, and she would never let any innocent person get involved with her again. In the midst of right and wrong and grudges!
The peasant woman finally believed that the girl in distress in front of her was indeed a mute who could not speak. She sighed and stopped asking any more questions.
The old farmer by the fire also came forward and patted his wife on the shoulder:
"Okay, old lady, stop chasing after this girl with endless questions and let her have a good rest. If it is convenient tomorrow, I will go to the town to find a gentleman and ask for some pen and ink, so that she can write down what she wants to say. .”
The peasant woman nodded and stretched out her hand to help Ning Yue lie down on the couch again. However, she suddenly heard several barks of yellow guard dogs outside the hut. In a blink of an eye, the rapid sound of horse hooves was approaching, and then she heard a man riding a horse. The state dialect shouted loudly:
"Every household, come out and count the heads!"
Before he finished speaking, the speaker had dismounted, ran outside the house and slammed the door. The peasant woman's face changed slightly, and she quietly opened a slit in the small window next to the couch. Through the slit, Ning Yue vaguely saw the visitor's face. Appearance - the opponent held a spear and saber in his hand, and was covered in gold and white iron armor. He was actually a fully armed and powerful guard!
"They are the defenders at Suoyang Pass, and they are probably here to collect land taxes!"
The old farmer seemed a little indignant and helpless, throwing away the pot in his hand, and motioned for his wife to go out with him to deal with the situation. Halfway through, he suddenly remembered something, turned to the girl on the couch and said:
"Girl, please don't show your face when you stay in the house. These soldiers are cannibals and don't spit out bones. If they see you, they will definitely charge an extra head tax!"
Ning Yue nodded a little at a loss, and watched the couple helping each other out the door. As the soldiers came one after another, the girl's heartstrings quickly tightened. She suddenly felt uneasy about the couple. The honest and honest farmer couple boldly opened the window a crack.
"Old Jintou, are both of your family still alive?"
The captain at the head was very arrogant, as if these farmers were just like a bunch of pigs and dogs in his eyes.
"Thanks to you, you are all still alive, but your health is getting worse every day."
The old farmer bent his back and smiled submissively.
"Since you are alive, according to the law, you must pay ten stones of food. Pay half today, and pay the other half after winter!"
Listening to the lieutenant's expressionless expression, Ning Yue in the room also secretly calculated in her mind. Although the weight calculation methods of the people on land are completely different from those in Cangliu City, she helped Jia Yun Zhai in the past few years. , the big and small accounts can already be calculated clearly.
However, after a calculation, I was frightened - according to the measurement standards of the Great Sheng Dynasty, thirty kilograms is one Jun, and four Juns are one stone. From this point of view, if you need to pay ten stones of grain, it will be about more than a thousand kilograms. Brown rice. But in this old farmer’s house, he couldn’t even find half a rice vat that could only store a hundred or ten kilograms of grain.
Sure enough, upon hearing the captain's words, the old farmer and peasant woman outside the door suddenly became anxious:
"My lord, last year you only collected five shi of food from my family. This year, it suddenly doubled. The weight of these ten shi is really too much for me -"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you trying to bargain with me?"
The captain immediately raised his eyes and his tone suddenly became sharp.
"I don't dare, I don't dare. It's just that the autumn harvest has just begun, and there isn't much rice harvested. In addition, the harvest in the fields is not good, can you--"
The old farmer explained and wanted to beg the other party for some grace. However, the captain on the opposite side did not allow him to argue at all: "No! You should know that today I came to collect the field rent just to act on orders and without any selfish motives. Besides, why can every family in the front be able to hand it over, but not yours? Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"
Before he finished speaking, the captain actually waved the riding crop in his hand and slapped the old farmer on the face with a "wu" sound. Then he pointed at a large cart not far away that was still loading grain. The cart was loading rice. The sacks are now piled up like a hill.
Seeing this situation, Ning Yue's heart suddenly tightened, and the peasant woman hurriedly stepped forward to plead for her husband: "Master Mingjian, my family only has ten acres of land in total!"
"Bold and cunning people, isn't ten acres of land enough? I have carefully calculated before coming here that one acre of land in your village can produce at least three dan of grain, and ten acres of field is thirty dan. In this way, you and your wife can produce After people pay for the grain, they can still have at least two thousand kilograms of brown rice left in their hands! How can two old guys eat so much grain in a year?"
"But my old man's body is no longer as strong as those of the young people in the village. With ten acres of land, only half of it can really be taken care of. In addition, we will need to use grain to go to town to exchange for some money in the future, and we need to reserve seeds for next year... "
The peasant woman shed tears as she spoke, but the captain across from her couldn't bear to listen anymore. He actually raised his foot and kicked her hard on the chest:
"Everyone, please listen to me! Those of you who have food today will obediently hand over the food. If you cannot hand it over, you will be taken back to the customs to serve as corvee. If anyone refuses, don't blame us brothers for being unkind!"
The soldiers on both sides received the order and immediately stepped forward and put shackles on the old farmer. The peasant woman could only kneel on the ground and cry with tears streaming down her nose. But no matter how she pleaded, she could not get the other party to spare her mercy. Others in the village The farmers started talking in low voices, but no one dared to step forward to intercede on behalf of the old couple.
The corner of the captain's mouth raised slightly, and he continued to lead the team to collect food from the next family. But before he had gone far, he suddenly heard a woman's voice behind him:
"Aren't you afraid of being punished by God for bullying two old people like this?!"
The officers and soldiers couldn't help but be surprised. When they turned around, they saw a young girl rushing out of the house of the old farmer and his wife. The girl's eyes were wide open and her red hair was flying in the wind, like a ball of bright red fire.
"Old Jintou, didn't you say that there are only two people left in your family? Where did this little girl come from?"
The captain looked Ning Yue up and down, wondering who gave her such courage to contradict him face to face.
The old farmer and his wife were also stunned by the girl. In their memory, except for a name that no one could remember, no one in the village had ever dared to speak to the officers and soldiers like this.
"Girl, don't be impulsive!"
The peasant woman suddenly realized that the girl was not mute. In desperation, she immediately stopped in front of her and tried to persuade her to go back, but it was too late. The captain waved his hand and the soldiers who were guarding the oxcart were With a roar, they all rushed forward and surrounded the three of them.
"My lord, this girl came from a foreign country. She got lost in the mountains before and doesn't know the rules here. We will hand over the food and we promise to hand over the food. Please don't embarrass her!"
The old farmer and his wife knelt on the ground at the same time, actually willing to use the food that was a matter of life and death for them in exchange for the safety of this strange girl whose name they did not even know.
The captain opposite sneered:
"Old Jintou, why are there so many disobedient masters in your family? I have heard people talk about that incident back then, and I sympathize with you and your wife. But now, in order to save talents, you are willing to give up your oral sex. Isn't it too late? This lady contradicted me in front of so many brothers, and you two even lied about the number of people in the family, and you should be punished according to the law! However, I am kind-hearted and don't ask for more, so I will continue. I’ll fine you ten shi of grain!”
"If you're fined another ten shi, that's twenty shi of food!"
When the old farmer and his wife heard this, they couldn't kneel anymore and fell to the ground.
This made the girl's heart feel like charcoal burning, and she became even more angry: "What are you asking him to do! If you let this evil man bully you today, will you be able to live a good life in the future?!"
"Are you brave, do you want to incite rebellion? If these two people can't hand over the food today, I will arrest you, a sharp-tongued little girl, and go back to work as an official prostitute! I want to see, how dare you then? Don’t dare to be as rude as you are today!”
During the argument, the captain finally stopped pretending to cover up his ugly face. Instead, he raised the long knife in his hand and pointed it at Ning Yue, and ordered his group of soldiers to rush towards her!
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