"People in Shuanghuang, listen, the military men have made a new announcement. Take the copper coins you have been issued to the west gate of the county to buy seeds, and take the iron tools you have been issued to the east gate of the county to find a big blacksmith shop and exchange them for farm tools...
Then you can plow the spring with peace of mind and live a good life. After a while, someone will inspect your crops and fields, and you will no longer be asked to pay double taxes... In a word, when the army comes, there will be a peaceful life. Don't be evil again.
And stop running around."
In the afternoon, a middle-aged official in green clothes with a pale complexion stood under the big bare tree at the head of the village. He was trying hard to make an announcement, but he seemed listless. A new notice had just been posted on the big tree trunk behind him.
In front of him, there were only a dozen or so people who looked around to listen, but most of them were timid.
The objects of fear are on the other side of the big tree. They are three leather-armored warriors, wearing Liuhe boots and warrior crowns. One is holding a spear, one is carrying a crossbow, and one is wearing a sword. However, they are all a little exhausted... This
It's not that a few people are resisting work and are dissatisfied, but this place is the northeastern boundary of Jiangling County, next to Husu County, almost fifty miles away from the county seat, and they can't just come to one village to do it.
Announcement, these people are probably very tired from the journey.
"Thank you, three military lords, and Han Xiang." When the superior shouted three times in a row that he was done, the four or five people who had been waiting for him immediately came forward with a middle-aged man with a slightly weathered complexion.
It was the local Huang Lichang. This person repeatedly handed over his hand and spoke sincerely. "I have prepared a little food at home. Let's go and use it. I will rest at my house in the evening. It doesn't hurt to go back tomorrow."
Han Xiang, who was indeed thirsty, looked up at the sun that was already very far in the west, and was about to agree, but suddenly thought of something, and turned back to look at the elder of the three sergeants.
The latter thought for a moment and nodded, but with an accent from the East: "It's okay. Even humans can do it, but horses and mules are too tired to hold on."
"Then come together, come together, there will be someone to take care of the animals." Huang Lizhang responded repeatedly.
Immediately, four or five people came forward to help pick up the mules and horses, and then surrounded the four people and walked deeper into the village.
Perhaps because the weather is getting warmer in spring, there are still some people in the village. Many children, even sallow-faced women, and idle men poke their heads in and look around along the way.
After a while, a group of people came to a residence in the village that was obviously much better than the surrounding houses. It was a decent three-room large tile-roofed house, with a main room, a side room, and a front and rear courtyard... However, even so, the courtyard
There was also a lack of cleaning and many items looked old.
The animals were led to the backyard, and the four people were let into the main room. Then a few village women hiding in the kitchen on the left immediately started making a fire to cook rice.
After a while, the food was served. The rice was old millet, but fortunately millet can be stored and old rice can be eaten. The vegetables were fresh spring wild vegetables. Then they were served with sauces and rolled in a few slices of bacon. In the end, unexpectedly,
There was also a chicken, but it was dismantled in four or five parts and made into vegetables and soup respectively, which is extremely rare.
When the three sergeants saw this, they became excited and immediately gave up fighting and took off their leather armor. Among them, the older sergeant and Han Xiang were sitting in the two seats facing the door. Huang Lizhang was sitting on the left side. The two younger ones were
The sergeant sat on the right side, and there were several helpers, some who could serve the table, and some who could not. The former ate at the table, while the latter just squatted in the yard outside with old rice covered with some vegetables and sauce.
After a while, another half bottle of turbid wine was brought. A few people mixed it up, and each of them had half a bowl. They couldn't raise their glasses to drink, so they each took two sips from the bowl.
Even so, Han Xiangzheng and several army sergeants felt a lot more comfortable, and then relaxed.
"It's rare for an old man to be so attentive at this age." Han Xiangzheng was the first to praise him.
"Yes, it's really hard for Huang Li to grow up." The old sergeant also said seriously. "When you go to get the seeds and farm tools, go to the north of the city to find me first. I just asked Zhang to lead Zhao from the eighth team of the camp.
Just be the team leader. If you don’t know, just say it’s Ji Yin Wai Huang’s Kuaishan Zhao, and they’ll know who it is.”
"Thank you so much, Mr. Zhao." Huang Lichang quickly stood up and handed over his hands, his attitude was extremely good.
However, after sitting down, Huang Lichang couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "That's why the world is so troubled. If it were before the Three Expeditions, no matter how difficult the season was, there would still be new millet at home, there would be no shortage of fresh white flour, and there would be enough food in the backyard.
With dozens of chickens, we know a few are coming. We don’t need anything else. We just hang up a few chickens and ride mules to Changjiaji in Husu, so that we can exchange for some fresh fish and mutton, and get some new brewing water.
,How can we let several people eat this?"
"That's true." Han Xiangzheng also sighed with emotion. "But Lao Huang, you are pretty good. You have survived the past few years. You are like Wang Xiangzheng, Liu Xiangzheng, Sun Xiangzheng, and the next door
Needless to say, your family and property in Sanhuangli fell into decline early, otherwise it wouldn’t be my turn to be the mayor of the village..."
"How does Hanxiangzheng count as having lost his or her residence? Your father served as a county captain, and it's your turn in this township." Huang Lichang quickly answered. "But those people are indeed impermanent. When they were young, they only
I thought they were all wealthy people who had to deal with them all their lives, but in the end they were all gone."
"What happened to those countrymen?" a young army sergeant asked out of curiosity.
Upon hearing this, Huang Lichang put down the wine bowl he had just touched and smiled bitterly:
"The first one failed to collect the goods during his three expeditions against the Eastern Yi, and was executed by the government;
"The second one became a thief...no, he became a rebel and stood out for half a year. As a result, when the soldiers from the Hejian camp arrived, his whole family was killed, and he was also driven to Bohai County by the Youzhou soldiers. Later,
I heard that he died in the spring last year;
"The third man was not stable after he took over, so he gave money to the people in the Hejian camp. After Qiu, he built a small fort, built a polder, and claimed to be the garrison leader, but he was killed by the army's soldiers years ago.
Come on, kill those who are showing off to the public... It can be seen that it is fatal to show off among the villagers these days. When the wind blows, nothing can stop it."
"The one who is missing is his family member." Han Xiangzheng said with a smile. "The army has come over, but they still have to build a stronghold. No one is allowed to come in and out at will. They also found out that the three of them were the same as Gao Shizhan who was torn apart next door.
My nephew had connections and hid people, so the village was pacified five days ago."
A young sergeant suddenly realized: "Isn't that the same family where Chief Jia led the army? Is it actually a relative of Huang Lichang?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Lizhang quickly waved his hand: "If it is true that our relatives were killed together in Wuzhai... the villages are two villages, but they were one family five hundred years ago. They usually fawn over others, so they are called the main family."
Everyone burst into laughter. Although Han Xiangzheng knew that Shuanghuangli and Sanhuangli actually had something to say, he regretted talking about it in front of Jun, so he also laughed.
"It also depends on fate." After laughing, the same boss Zhao said grandly. "For example, our Zhang Yingtou is also a village chief, and everyone in Jiyin veterans knows it. But if the world is in chaos, why don't we take advantage of the wind?
Now, have you become a leader and led a battalion of soldiers? This is just here in Hebei and in the east. The industry and family are still there. Leader Dou, who is becoming more and more useful nowadays, is originally from Hebei, so you should too
You know, the guy in Gaojibo also became a county official and then turned against him..."
"We know about Leader Dou, but it took the whole clan to die." Huang Lizhang shook his head. "On the other hand, your leader Zhang, is he so smooth?"
"Of course." Captain Zhao said seriously. "Back then, our situation in Zhangyingtou was the same as Huang Lichang's here. We usually brought three or five people to collect taxes, catch thieves, etc., but when we had three levies,
There were too many thieves to catch, and the superiors wanted to punish them in turn, so they had no choice but to abandon their homes, and took a group of people to seek refuge with the leader Wang Wulang. They hid in Wang Wulang's village, and then followed Zhang Longtou.
We formed a gang and have been together till now."
"You are following the right person and meeting a noble person." Han Xiang was taking a sip of wine and interjected.
"Indeed." Captain Zhao thought for a moment and nodded seriously. "Actually, if we count it carefully, seven or eight of the dozens of leaders we help must be li chiefs, township officials, and county officials.
We were forced to do nothing during the Three Expeditions, but when we met in front of our leader, it was all due to lack of luck... There is another leader Zhang, whom you should recognize, named Zhang Jinshu, a luxurious figure nicknamed the Eight-Armed Heavenly King.
I heard that even the county officials in the plains and the Bohai Sea were forced to rebel by the Three Expeditions, but they could not gain a foothold in Hebei. As a result, they went to the east and met Zhang Longtou, and things became prosperous..."
"This person really knows." Huang Lichang perked up. "I met him once in Changjiaji. At that time, I was just in charge of public security. I came over to talk to some local heroes..."
"Our big leader is said to be quite miraculous." A slightly younger army sergeant also interjected at this time. "When we were together with other battalion leaders, everyone in that camp said that our leader
Those who were selected by the Black Emperor in the North and came to the Central Plains to ride the dragon and ride the mist were destined to achieve a legacy like that of the Emperor of Tang Dynasty. During the Ma Mian River battle this time, there was also a rumor that the true energy of the big dragon head also had miraculous sayings.
"
People in Huang and Han were immediately surprised.
"I won't talk nonsense about this." However, Team Leader Zhao directly interrupted the statement. "Which big shot can't say anything? But our leader is indeed capable... Compare Hebei and Dongjing and you will know... The Three Conquests of Dongyi are
Those who walk along the river will have the same hardships on both sides. As a result, the eastern border has already stabilized, but the difficulties here in Hebei are just as difficult."
Han Xiangzheng shook his head and said nothing.
Huang Lichang hesitated for a moment, and then asked seriously: "Is the East Territory really good?"
"That's natural." Team Leader Zhao said calmly. "I am from the Eastern Border... To be honest, I didn't feel good in the Eastern Border before. I also felt that the leading management was harsh and my life was not as easy as usual. But once
When you come to Hebei, you will know that Long Tou is really capable. Just obey his orders and fight with his food and wages, so as not to end up like the one in Hebei."
Huang Lichang nodded and couldn't help but ask again: "So, the county really provides seeds and farm tools?"
"Of course it's true." Before Captain Zhao could reply, Han Xiangzheng knocked on the table instead. "Old Huang, if you don't trust others, how can I still lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes. Zhang Dalongtou in the county seat personally
Sitting in town, soldiers and horses from three battalions were placed on three sides. A big stove was turned on in the east and they were making farm tools day and night. In the west, there were seeds and grains shipped from the east, all of which were escorted by cavalry... including those before.
I give you copper coins and iron tools just for today’s teaching, which is called turning swords into plowshares and turning wealth into seedlings.”
Huang Lichang was obviously stunned for a moment.
"If Brother Huang didn't believe it before, why are you still so attentive?" Captain Zhao, who had just put down the soup bowl, also asked at this time.
"Even if you don't believe it, you should still be treated like this." Huang Lichang smiled bitterly. "I'm going to say something bad, but you guys are so generous, don't take it to heart... When official officials from the imperial court came, they had to be treated like this.
Those who are well-off do not want to be flattered, but are afraid of causing trouble."
Han Xiangzheng sighed quietly.
The two young men among the three sergeants were about to say something, but were stopped by the older man. The latter just nodded with emotion: "I know how hard you have worked... So how is the village now? How difficult is it?
"
"Too many empty words make people annoying." Huang Lichang became more and more emotional after hearing this. "I will only tell you one thing and you will know... Do you know why the big tree at the head of the village is bald?"
"Staying close will save effort when picking, so the villagers picked them and ate them all?" Captain Zhao guessed right.
Huang Lichang nodded: "Bouchang Zhao has also experienced this."
"How many people have died in the past few years?" Captain Zhao continued to ask.
"It's hard to say. No one knows whether he died or ran away, and we don't know when to start counting." Huang Lichang sighed. "Not to mention the three years since the Three Expeditions, but counting forward.
When it came to the second levy and the first levy, it was quite chaotic... and the system also changed randomly. At first, there were 100 households in each li, but as a result, the household registration was so small that it was impossible to support people. Later, the system was changed to allow large li
, in charge of three to five hundred households, it is actually a village... Our village was once close to five hundred households and thousands of people before the expedition. I remember this because at that time we were still discussing whether to establish another village? "
"What now?"
"Now..." Huang Lizhang was silent for a moment. "I don't know... there may be 70 to 80 men, 2 to 300 women, and 20 to 30 children. It has been a long time since I checked."
"Are they all dead?" A young sergeant was obviously confused.
"They are all dead... How did the nearly 100,000 Hebei field soldiers from Ban County and Changhe come here?" Captain Zhao was speechless, and he couldn't help but sigh. "Human life is the most despicable thing, but it is also the most tenacious.
"
"Then these people don't want to go home?" the young sergeant continued to be curious. "Stay there as soldiers in the field?"
"Of course I miss home." Boss Zhao continued to explain helplessly. "But not to mention that many of them are from other counties. Even those from these two counties have to finish spring plowing before they can slowly go to find their families. Moreover,
Is their family still there? Apart from these, there is still military law. How can we easily leave the camp without clear instructions from the superiors? That guy was celebrating the New Year in the Eastern Territory last spring and was unwilling to come back. Shouldn’t we pursue it to the end?"
The young sergeant then shut up.
Just now, Team Leader Zhao came to warn Chief Huang: "Take this opportunity to check the people in the village... The so-called exchange of money for seeds and knives to gather farm tools is just a general term. Fundamentally, it is still to farm, but it must be done in a serious way.
If you don't do it falsely, you won't collect more taxes... Therefore, population is the foundation. This is why your family was wiped out. He wanted to hold Dingkou in his own hands. This is a real taboo.
.”
Huang Lichang suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.
Then, everyone chatted some more, but they only focused on a few things - Huang Lichang asked about the spring plowing subsidy and the peripheral war situation, while Zhaobo asked about Shuanghuangli's current situation.
How poor is it, how difficult is it?
In this way, the two parties ate until the evening, and went to see the mules and horses together. When they came back, it was almost dark. Huang Lichang bluntly said that there was no lamp oil and candles, and it was not easy to hold a torch in the house. Han Xiang was talking to Team Leader Zhao
Several people had nothing to say, so they simply took a rest early in the side rooms on both sides of the main room.
Several guests went to bed without mentioning it. After a while, Huang Lichang calmly walked to the backyard with a torch, looked at the mules and horses again, told people not to forget to add food, and then left grandly through the back door of his house.
I walked outside the village until I reached the big tree at the head of the village. I held the torch again and read the notice for half a day, not knowing what I was thinking.
After a while, a dozen or so men holding torches gradually gathered under the dark big tree. Although they were not fully dressed, they could barely be said to be holding knives and wearing armor. It was obvious that they had been in war for many years.
There is no shortage of weapons and remaining armor among the people.
"Brother Huang." Someone was waiting impatiently and took the initiative to speak. "Hurry up and take action. The longer things are delayed, the less stable things will be."
"I changed my mind." Huang Lichang turned around and said while holding a torch. "Wait and see whether the gang will provide seeds and farm tools, and whether they really want everyone to be safe... If he does,
Even if we want to flee to the west, we don’t have to destroy their lives and harm the fellow villagers in vain..."
The surrounding area became quiet, but one person was still angry: "Second uncle, we are about to leave, why do we still care about our fellow villagers? How can we establish ourselves in Dalang's place when we get to the west without some things?"
"Are you in charge, or am I in charge?" Huang Lichang, holding a torch, asked coldly.
The man also immediately shut his mouth.
Seeing this, Huang Lichang also sighed:
"Everyone, as the saying goes, if you move a tree to death, a person will live. This is true. Moreover, we have indeed exhausted our resources in the past three years and have no way to survive. But as the saying goes, people are humbled when they leave their hometown... In today's world, that
Generals and heroes often die without a burial place. I have to weigh it before you entrust your life to me. Besides, the people in Shuanghuang are our fellow villagers, and they have nothing to do with us. If it is for
This matter has delayed their spring plowing and ruined their lives, and I really feel bad about it... So, listen to me on this matter, let's slow down for a while, okay?"
The people below looked at each other in shock, especially since some people had been reprimanded before. Naturally they did not dare to say anything, so they all agreed and then dispersed.
Only the man who was scolded before could not help but turn around and say before leaving: "Second uncle, let alone the end of the road, the key is not to forget the fate of Uncle Sanhuangli!"
Huang Lichang was upset when he heard this, and just told the other party to go back to sleep quickly.
The next day, several army sergeants and Han Xiangzheng had no idea that they had escaped from the gate of hell last night. Instead, they sincerely said goodbye to Huang Lichang... This is how the so-called friendship actually came about... Then, Huang Lichang naturally held his hand.
The horse took the people to the entrance of the village.
At this time, Captain Zhao took something out of his arms and handed it to the other party.
"What is this?" Huang Lizhang looked at the thing in his hand and was puzzled for a moment.
"Food stamps, which can be exchanged for military rations at the county military camp, and those who work as craftsmen for the army in the county, as well as us retained officials all know that they are also the most precious today." Han Xiang sighed and handed over to Captain Zhao.
."Brother Zhao is benevolent and righteous."
"It's not my kindness." Captain Zhao responded frankly. "There is a military law. You have to pay for eating out. You have to pay everywhere. Otherwise, if it is found out, it will be recorded. If there are too many, you will be transferred to the field soldiers... However,
I heard you say it yesterday, and I saw it myself. You are really in a difficult situation now, so you just took it upon yourself to do this... I know that people like you are heroes and don't pay attention to these details, but it's really what I can do best.
It’s something, please keep it.”
After saying that, he turned around, took the horse, and headed towards the main road in Jiangling City.
Huang Lichang looked at the thing in his hand, but he was doubtful.