Seeing that no one noticed Qinglian's arrival, the old woman hurriedly supported Qinglian: "My child, I'm sorry for you, go hide in the house for a while and take a rest. My mother hasn't seen you for a long time.
how are you recently?"
Seeing that her mother was still so worried about her, Qinglian's eyes couldn't help but become red and swollen again: "Everything is fine with Lian'er, but she can't serve her. Lian'er is unfilial and makes her worry, so Lian'er won't go in."
, in case my great-uncle sees you and it’s time to reprimand you, Lian’er would be better off going somewhere else.”
The old woman used her rough palms to brush away the tears from the corners of Qinglian's eyes: "My child, it's okay. Your great-uncle went to the Black Miao Village to discuss matters and will come back in the evening. It's okay."
When Wu Ge saw the mother and daughter reminiscing about old times, he didn't bother him and quietly retreated, leaving the two of them to follow the mountain trail where the Li Wen brothers were heading.
In the wooden house, Qinglian stood up in panic, looking at her mother who was sitting on the stool with a worried look on her face: "What? Are you going to join forces with the Five Seedlings to rebel? This is not possible. Although the Five Seedlings gather together to have a large population, they can really go to the battlefield.
We only have 30,000 young men who can wield swords and wield qiang. How can we rebel? This is asking for death. Mom, no, we can't defeat them. Please advise my great-uncle."
The old woman looked at Qing Lian who looked sad and worried and sighed deeply. She looked at the scenery outside the door with a depressed expression: "Lian'er, it's not that we Miao people want to be in the village, it's the guān fǎn. You haven't been in the village these days and you don't know what's going on recently.
What happened? We Miao people have lived in the mountains for generations, often relying on hunting and gathering for a living. We have very little cultivated land. The land divided by the Han government could have been used to increase food rations, but it was all occupied by chieftain officials. There were no ancestors who submitted to the imperial court.
Relying on these thousands of miles of mountains, you can have enough food and clothing, and you can be self-sufficient as long as you don't encounter natural disasters. But now, the land is gone, the government has to levy 30% of the tax, and the chieftain has to levy another 30%. Now the people of the five Miao people are filled with resentment and lamentations.
, I can’t survive this year.”
After finishing speaking, the old woman walked to the bamboo stand behind her and took down a clay pot and placed it in front of Qinglian. She took off the wooden lid of the pot. There was only a thin layer of rice inside, which could not even cover half of her little finger: "Mom
Even if you drink gruel, you won't be able to last two months with these grains. In other villages, people have begun to eat leaves to survive. Toasts, they eat big fish and meat, their mouths are full of oil, and they play music every night. Why have they ever cared about us people?
life and death."
"But Mom, the chieftain is also a Miao. Can you go to the leaders to beg for mercy, borrow some food for the winter, and then return it to them next year? Listen to Lian'er's advice. You really can't go against it."
Qinglian's mind couldn't help but recall the scene at the foot of Cuiping Mountain, with thousands of horses galloping down. Even ordinary martial arts masters had no power to resist in front of the uniform army. They were well-trained, and the battle formations were tight and capable of both offense and defense.
, it’s just like a killing machine.
Those light cavalrymen could cut a person's body into two pieces with the impact of their horses. The horses' impact was so fast that they didn't even have time to react.
Coupled with the heavy cavalry's broad sabers and thick armor, the people of the White Lotus Sect were trampled to pieces alive. They were all top-notch masters.
Ordinary people couldn't even think of taking them down with a dozen people, but they were completely defenseless in front of the army. At that moment, Qinglian realized that the city defenders who had been ridiculed by them and complained about their vulnerability were nothing compared to the border troops.
What kind of difference.
It can be said to be a world of difference. Previously, when facing the garrison, some White Lotus cultists were able to make fun of them, but the frontier army Longwuwei only had 5,000 soldiers and horses, and more than 2,000 people were killed in half a stick of incense.
Everything was broken down, and only a few people survived.
Qinglian will never forget that day. Even those who are skilled in Qinggong are helpless. Facing the overwhelming rain of arrows, they have no place to dodge in the air and can only be shot into a hornet's nest.
Bursts of dense rain of arrows covered anyone who wanted to escape in the air. Anyone who wanted to escape in the air would be suppressed by the rain of arrows. Powerful crossbows, iron-tired bows, and iron-tied bows. Each type of bow and arrow was a deadly weapon at such a close distance.
If my sister Bai Shao hadn't blocked the blow for me, I'm afraid that I would have been shot into a hedgehog by the dense rain of arrows like a violent storm: "Sister"
The pained look of her sister Bai Shao flashed through her mind, and Qinglian covered her mouth and cried silently.
That nightmare-like scene really made Qinglian dare not recall it.
Two thousand people who are all third-level martial arts practitioners are vulnerable to Long Wuwei, who is both offensive and defensive. Not to mention these ordinary young men in Wumiao Village. They have not received any training and only rely on brute force to think.
It is simply impossible to rebel.
Even though the Chengdu garrison is not as powerful as the frontier army, they are still fully equipped. What can the five seedlings unite with, including hoes, shovels and hunting equipment?
, with long knives, sharp swords and thick shields, these things are just children’s playthings.
Moreover, Chengdu Prefecture, as a prefecture, is not comparable to that of a small state. There are 50,000 well-equipped garrison troops. With 30,000 men, they want to attack the well-guarded city and simply deliver food.
fate.
"Mom, you really can't go back. Go talk to the chieftain to borrow some food. You don't know how terrifying the imperial army is. It can destroy Wu Miao in an instant."
"My child, it's useless. Although the chieftains are managed by the Miao people, they have long been corrupted by Han officials and have colluded with the Han people. They are more ruthless than the Han people in exploiting poor people like us. The Han people want to conquer
At least taxes will not kill people, but chieftains are a disgrace to the Miao people. If taxes are not paid, they will be beaten and scolded, and if they are serious, they will kill people. They have completely become lackeys. Instead, they may be killed. Otherwise, they will really starve to death.
It’s dead, it’s winter, and there’s no place to dig wild vegetables.”
Qinglian slumped on the stool: "Mom, did my great-uncle go to Hei Miao Village to discuss this matter?"
"That's right, the five largest Miao villages, Long Skirt Miao and Short Skirt Miao, have been in dire straits for a long time. How could we have embarked on this path if there were some ways to survive."
Qinglian sighed helplessly. She didn't know how to advise her great-uncle. Her mother was right. If she went against it, she might be killed. If she didn't, she would starve to death.
She warned her mother not to be fǎn just to watch her mother starve to death.
When she was lost in thought, an old voice interrupted Qinglian's meditation: "Why are you back?"
Qinglian came back to her senses and saw that her mother was holding an old man with white hair and beard around eight months old. The old man looked at Qinglian with an unhappy expression. For Qinglian to be pregnant before she got married, it would be quite unfair to execute her according to the rules.
I had no mercy, I never thought she would dare to come back.
"Lian'er salutes my great-uncle." Qinglian knelt down gently, holding her heavy body.
"Oh, what a bad fate." The old man turned his back and turned his back, sighing with a sigh.
Qinglian's great-uncle Wu Sangnai is one of the few old people in Bai Miao Village. As the saying goes, we are close to each other in the next generation. Wu Sang naturally watched Qinglian grow up. He liked this child since he was a child, but she did something like this.
This is something that will embarrass everyone in the village.
"Uncle, Lian'er, please let's think of another way. We really can't do the opposite. It will push all the Five Miao people to death. Let's think of another way."