Their hooves stepped on the chests and backs of several slaves sleeping in the sheep pen, and the grass-smelling sheep dung mixed with sheep urine was poured all over the slaves.
The slaves were awakened by the noise these sheep made.
They dare not scold those beasts that trample on them, or even poop and urinate on them - in the eyes of the noble master, a sheep is more valuable than all their lives combined.
If the sheep are frightened and injured due to their scolding, they will be severely punished.
Several slaves whispered to each other. When the sheep came to the side of the trough and began to enjoy the fodder brought by other slaves, the few people in the sheepfold looked at each other and sat up from the ground together -
—Their movements were so uniform, as if they had been trained for a long time.
——The ankles of both of the seven slaves passed through a crossbar. The iron hoops in the holes of the crossbar tightly imprisoned their ankles. This crossbar restricted all their movements, making them unable to sit or lie down.
, must be as uniform as possible, otherwise as long as any one of them makes a slightly larger move, it will most likely cause all seven of them to stagger around.
He even broke his leg bone because of it!
After the seven of them sat up, the two slaves on the far left and right of the crossbar shackles each hugged the pillars in the sheep shed to support their bodies. The other five people also supported the ground with their hands and worked together.
He stood up from the ground.
Seven people stood guard at the locked sheep shed gate.
Not long after, a slave with iron chains wrapped around his feet hurried over and opened the door of the sheep shed.
He removed the horizontal wooden shackles from the ankles of seven slaves,
He also put on iron chain anklets less than half a meter long for the seven people, and silently led them out of the wall outside the sheep shed and walked towards a wasteland that was only half cultivated.
"This wasteland will be reclaimed today."
The leading slave finally said the first words.
No one responded to him, they all dragged their heavy iron chains and walked towards the wasteland in silence.
The sun gradually rises, and its golden rays shine on the half-cultivated slope, making the trees around the slope more and more green. Everything is full of vitality, and the sky is high and the clouds are clear all around. This beautiful scenery makes people feel relaxed and happy.
But the people in this beautiful scenery are lifeless, as if they are sinking into an endless hell, and have been tortured by this endless hell to the point of being broken into pieces.
Eight slaves stood at the edge of the wasteland, waiting for other slaves to transport the farm tools needed to cultivate the wasteland.
This is probably the only time in the day when they can relax a little.
They stood on the slope and looked boredly down the slope. The 'Lord Shang Fang's Manor', which covered a large area, raised countless cattle and sheep, and hoarded countless treasures, slowly 'awakened' under the morning light.
.
Groups of slaves walked out of the hidden doors around the manor. They were either driving cattle and sheep to graze, carrying stones to repair the manor, or, like the eight people at the moment, going to other areas to cultivate wasteland.
The braying of cattle and sheep sounded one after another.
Interspersed with the braying of cattle and sheep was the continuous sound of the clinking of chains.
The eight slaves stood on the slope for a while, but they did not wait for the slave delivering farm tools.
Instead, I saw a group of female slaves carrying tall baskets on their backs walking up the hillside. Not far away, they picked up stones and cow dung and put them into the baskets behind them.
"Is that Ugin?"
"Wujin Jiangqu..."
"It seems like it's really Duoji, where is Wujin Jiangqu!"
The eight slaves, who had been silent all this time, saw a group of female slaves picking up cow dung not far away, and a whisper finally broke out in their group.
Several slaves were talking, and from time to time they would tug on the clothes corner of one of the taller slaves among them.
The slave had been in a daze, but when he heard his companion mention the name 'Wujin Jiangqu', his eyes became bright, and he followed the finger of his companion beside him and looked towards the group of female slaves - at
Among the group of female slaves, there was a fat woman carrying half a basket of stones. She was still bending over, searching for stones everywhere.
The fat woman's bending action was very difficult - it was not because she was too fat, her 'fatness' was just compared to the other skinny female slaves. In fact, compared to those women from noble families, her figure was
I need to lose some weight.
What really makes her look 'fat' is that she has a huge belly.
——This woman named ‘Wu Jin Jiangqu’ is already pregnant.
And the pregnancy may be eight or nine months old.
"Ugin! Ugin!"
The tall and thin slave looked at Wujin Jiangqu in the distance. The longing in his eyes almost solidified, and he waved to the group of female slaves with all his strength.
The leading slave looked around warily,
Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he pulled the tall and thin slave's clothes and whispered: "The overseer hasn't come yet, so be careful.
Let’s watch it for you for a while.”
The tall and lanky slave glanced at the leading slave gratefully, then turned back to look at his Wujin Jiangqu.
Wu Jin Jiangqu heard his call and raised her head on her knees. Her dark red face was covered with fine sweat. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and showed a smile to the tall and thin slave.
She straightened up and turned to whisper a few words with the leader of the female slave team.
So, while picking up stones, the group of female slaves approached the group of male slaves who were clearing the land.
The leading male slave pushed the lanky slave ‘Doji’.
Duoji immediately understood and quietly moved his steps closer to his Wujin Jiangqu.
The two groups of slaves mingled together and walked to various places in tacit understanding, blocking the sight of others and preventing others from seeing Dorje and Wujin Jiangqu who were surrounded in the middle.
"The baby is about to be born..." Wu Jin Jiangqu stroked her belly. She lowered her head and spoke softly. Her face was still full of smiles at the beginning. By the time she finished speaking, her eyelashes were already covered with tears, "
We have to pay the birth tax to the great lord... We only have five spoons of tsampa per person every day, so we can't afford the birth tax..."
"I'll think of a way, I'll think of a way..." Dorje looked at his Wujin Jiangqu, and his heart calmed down, and he spoke softly.
】
Listening to Wu Jin Jiangqu continue to speak: "I have tried many methods...
Eating herbs, bumping against pillars, beating his stomach - he is still fine.
He still wants to come out and take a look...
When he is born, he will be a slave to Lord Shangfang like the rest of us. Oh, I am so sorry for him..."
"I'll find a way..."
Dorje still said so.
He hugged his wife gently.
——They originally owned several pieces of land and lived a difficult but relatively free life with their parents, but they were afraid that the battle between the lords and the Naja lords would spread to their area. As a result, their families were ruined and their families were exhausted.
After getting the last bit of food, the two 'sold' themselves to Lord Shangfeng as slaves.
At that time, Wu Jin Jiangqu was pregnant.
As for the fetus now, it has grown to more than nine months old.
Will be born soon.
However, birth tax must be paid upon birth. If you do not pay birth tax, the child will never survive.
The two of them only had five spoons of tsampa to eat every day, so how could they have any savings to pay this ‘birth tax’?
All Wujin Jiangqu's sorrows are all because of this matter.
She whispered in Dorje's arms.
After about two minutes, the leading slave sent a warning signal, and the two separated - Wujin Jiangqu walked ten steps away from Duoji and began to bend down to pick up stones again.
Duoji's eyes were firm and he was determined.
"I heard that Master Duben of Lord Shangfeng's family needs a whole set of human skins to practice...
I gave my life to Lord Shang Ke as a birth tax for our children." Duoji said to Wujin Jiangqu in the distance.
Wu Jin Jiangqu looked up at her husband,
I was stunned for a while,
She nodded anyway.
There was no expression on her face, and she continued to bend down, numbly picking up stones in the soil.
In the distance, the steward who was responsible for distributing farm tools to Duoji and others and monitoring their work came over. This time, there were no slaves following behind him, pulling a whole cart full of farm tools.
He came over on a horse, followed by three other soldiers on horseback wearing armor.
The slaves all over the mountains and plains became frightened when they saw the three armored soldiers.
The sound of chains being dragged across the mountains and plains became more rapid.
Everyone moved to an area away from the armored soldiers.
——But Duoji’s group of slaves cannot move.
They want to cultivate a large piece of wasteland on this slope to fear the lord.
This is where they work.
So he could only watch the steward leading the three armored soldiers approaching - Dorje watched the huge shadows of those soldiers cast on the hillside, being pulled and twisted by the sunlight, and his heart was filled with an ominous premonition.
The other slaves knelt on the ground, put their hands on the ground, showed their tongues to the steward, and saluted like a dog.
Dorje also knelt down, pressed his hands on the ground, and stuck out his tongue to salute like a dog.
"These eight people should be enough, right?"
The strong horse under the steward's seat stood still a foot away from Dorji. The riding whip in his hand drooped down, and the whip fell lightly on Dorji's back, making Dorji shudder.
The ominous premonition in Duoji's heart became more and more intense.
He suddenly kowtowed to the steward, and before the three armored soldiers could speak, he said: "Master Nanba, I want to donate my human skin to the wizards of this academy for their training!"
Snapped!
As soon as he finished speaking, the steward's whip fell on his back, drawing a long bloody mark on his back!
His mind was empty of thoughts.
It’s over!
The skin is damaged and cannot be donated——
"I haven't spoken yet, how can you speak?
This whip is your punishment for speaking first." The steward said coldly, "But it is commendable that you have such dedication to the wizards.
I agreed."
"Then my child's birth tax——"
"What child?"
"Wujin Jiangqu's child is my child——"
"You volunteer yourself to the wizards, what does that have to do with your child?