In the twenty-sixth year of the First Emperor of Qin, the Beginning of Summer had passed, and the weather in Guanzhong was getting hotter day by day. A new batch of immigrants, thousands of people, also traveled thousands of miles from the land of Yanzhao to what they regarded as a "foreign land."
“Finally it’s almost here!”
When the Qin official shouted to stop, Zhuo Tie wiped his sweat, knelt down by the Ba River, and drank the water without caring whether it was clean or not.
It seems thicker than the water in Handan and has an indescribable taste.
What it feels like to be in an enemy country? What it feels like to be in a foreign land?
He swallowed them into his stomach and turned around. His five-year-old son stood beside him, his mouth slightly opened, looking curiously at Xianyang City on the other side of the Wei River. His wife sat on the chariot with tears in her eyes. She was a family-loving person.
, but after entering Hangu Pass and arriving here, she probably realized that they would never be able to return to Zhao Kingdom!
Zhuo Tie is a native of Zhao. He lives in Handan and has been smelting iron for generations. In his father's generation, he finally got rid of his status as an iron official slave and began to independently run a small iron shop in the city. He kept the fire burning brightly every day and became a knight.
He made swords and halberds, repaired farm tools for farmers, and occasionally made iron frames for merchants and nobles who came to visit him, and helped them steal coins, and became famous in the city.
These good days came to an abrupt end seven years ago. General Li Mu, the backbone of the Zhao State, was killed by the foolish Wang Qian of Zhao. This act of self-destruction of the Great Wall soon led to disastrous consequences. Without Li Mu to stop him, the Qin army was invincible.
Soon they captured Handan and captured King Zhao.
The Kingdom of Zhao died, and the sky above the Zhao people suddenly changed color.
The Qin army took over the four gates of Handan and began to restrict entry and exit. Qin officials stationed in the government offices and promulgated new laws and regulations. The King of Qin even went to Handan in person and personally ordered the execution of hundreds of people and family members who had treated him harshly when he was a child.
Zhuo Tie was also on the side of the road watching the majestic carriage of King Qin, but the thought that flashed through his mind was: How much gold and iron would be needed to make such a large carriage strong?
Although every Zhao person has a hidden hatred for the Qin people, life has to go on. Although from time to time I hear things like "Gongzi Jia rebuilt the Zhao Kingdom" or "the famous scholar Chen Yu called on the anti-Qin righteous men to go to Hengshan to join the army",
But Zhuo Tie has been doing the blacksmithing business honestly.
Although he was no longer as easygoing as before, he managed to collect enough betrothal gifts. After marrying his wife, he soon gave birth to a son. Over the past few years, his family wealth was not much, but it had exceeded 100,000. He was considered to be a successful family.
I can still eat meat every few days.
But at the beginning of spring this year, a nightmare came. First, there was an order to "receive the soldiers of the world". All the large and small gold and iron shops in Handan City were searched, and most of them were closed on the spot. The government wanted to take away the weapons circulating on the market and announced that
From now on, all gold and iron shops will be owned by the state, and weapons will no longer be forged privately...
The craftsmanship of Zhuo Tie's shop has become state-owned, and his status is like that of an iron official slave. He can only eat a limited ration every month. This is it, it is better than becoming a prisoner.
But in March, something even more terrifying happened!
The emperor sent another edict to Handan, asking most of the workers and merchants in Handan City to move to Guanzhong!
Some people had a strong character and refused to obey. They hugged the trees at home like holding the hand of a relative and refused to let go. Those Qin officials and soldiers were so ferocious that they could not be driven away with whips and sticks, so they pulled out their swords and cut people in pieces.
He grabbed the branches and drove them on their way.
The ruthless swords separated the wealthy households, craftsmen, merchants and the trees in the courtyard. Gradually, the big trees in their hometown gradually disappeared, and the city walls of Handan gradually became blurred. They wiped their tears and began to leave their hometowns.
His long journey became a veritable "relocation of captives".
"The sky is fierce and powerful, and the sky is full of mourning. I am hungry, and the people are in exile. I live in the enclosure and the soldiers are in famine!"
A doctor from the Zhao family sang a song sadly and indignantly, but before the Zhao people responded, his voice suddenly stopped, and the doctor's body fell forever outside the city of Handan.
"At least he can die in his hometown." The wealthy households, businessmen and businessmen of Zhao country looked at the doctor's body quietly and passed by him one after another.
For businessmen, their lives are inherently unstable and migratory, so the resistance is not as great as that of farmers.
It is a long way from Handan to Guanzhong, and it takes more than a month to walk. The rich families can drive ox-carts, while the middle-class families push human chariots. The slaves and servants who belong to them are retained, gathered together, and walk with their hands tied behind their backs.
This was to prevent them from escaping. There were many people who tried to escape on the way, but they were all caught, killed on the spot, or directly sentenced to being slaves and put on heavy wooden tongs.
"What difference does it make whether or not to be sentenced? Anyway, we are all the concubines of King Qin with our hands tied behind our backs!"
Another young blacksmith, Cheng Zheng, also from Zhao State, was very indignant and kept complaining along the way.
Zhuo Tie just whispered to Cheng Zheng to be careful and ate the dry food in silence. He was not dissatisfied, but now that he had a wife and children, his safety must be his priority in everything.
"As long as it keeps my family together, it doesn't matter where I move."
They crossed dangerous mountains and rivers, passed the densely populated Sanchuan land, passed Hangu Pass, which the six countries had been unable to conquer with all their strength, and arrived at the Baqiao Pavilion in the hinterland of Guanzhong. After crossing the bridge, they arrived at Xianyang and Weinan.
.
Qin officials said that this was the last stop before reaching the final destination, "Shanglin Garden", where they could rest for a night and have food delivered by the local government.
Although the relocated people were all well off and well prepared for the long journey, their food was quickly exhausted after entering the customs. Starting from the day before yesterday, thousands of them had to accept alms from the Qin government.
, the food is also poor, sometimes only millet porridge, as meager as water.
But from word of mouth among the immigrants, I heard that the food delivered today was even worse. It was actually wheat that even the savages and farmers didn’t like to eat...
"The people of Qin really treat us as prisoners!"
Cheng Zheng exploded again. He punched the ground hard. At the same time, a wealthy Wang family from Handan stood up from the carriage and asked the Qin official loudly: "Sir, can I buy rice by myself?"
?”
The rich Wang family is not short of money. Every time, he can give some benefits to the pavilion and get better food. Today he wants to do the same trick again.
There are many people who think the same as him. They are not short of money, gold will not depreciate, and rich households will always be rich wherever they move.
"no."
But today, the Qin officials seemed to have a special mission, and they must let the relocated prisoners eat the distributed food, so they rejected this request with a straight face.
He waved his hand at the same time and asked the slaves to carry baskets of food for distribution. The immigrants were even more desperate. It looked like it was not wheat porridge that could barely be swallowed, but wheat rice that had to be chewed for a long time?
Cheng Zheng's face had turned red, and his patience had reached its limit. If Zhuo Tie hadn't held him tightly, he wouldn't have done anything impulsive.
On the other side, the wealthy Wang family was not angry that he actually had to eat the same food as the prisoner dog pig. He felt that he had been greatly insulted, so he pointed at Baqiao and said:
"Even if I die and starve to death, I won't eat rice even if I jump from here!"
While he was talking, Wang Fuhu's belly was already growling. Although the pavilion could charge money to open a small stove, it only provided meals for one person at a time. If he cooked more, it would be against the law.
At this time, the food was also distributed to everyone. Zhuo Tie pulled Cheng Zheng forward with a wooden bowl, only to find that it was not wheat rice, but pieces of wheat-yellow cakes, like gold cakes! Some of them had tops on them.
There are still traces of scorching. If you start with a hard hand and pinch it gently, the outer skin will crack, revealing the slightly soft flesh inside...
"Can this thing be eaten?"
Zhuo Tie's wife returned to her chariot with three pieces of sesame seed cakes. She looked at them with some suspicion. The Zhao people had a blood feud with the Qin people, and they were always willing to speculate on the Qin people's plans with the greatest malice.
In the Battle of Changping, more than 400,000 Zhao people were deceived and killed.
"Maybe it's the food in Qin. Of course we have never seen it."
Zhuo Tie had a big heart and said with a bitter smile: "Now that we are here, can the Qin people still poison us to death?"
The wife still shook her head: "Qin people are vulgar, how can they have good food?"
"In order to survive, you have to eat even if it tastes bad."
Zhuo Tie smiled at his wife and took a heavy bite in a demonstrative manner!
I was prepared for it to be unpalatable, but when I took one bite, it turned out to be unexpectedly crispy and fragrant!
He was stunned for a moment, but he kept chewing the wheat cakes and swallowing them. He felt a strong sense of satisfaction. Compared with the gruel and soup he had eaten these days, this was the most he had eaten in half a month.
The most filling thing I have ever seen!
Like many people around him, Zhuo Tie was also shocked. He was about to tell his wife in surprise that this was a good thing, but he heard not far away that the wealthy Wang who had just been proud of himself and refused to eat wheat was saying
Encouraged by others, I couldn't help but take a bite of the wheat cake, and couldn't help shouting:
