011 [Killing Officials and Rebelling Ordinary Things]
Since it was spring plowing, there was really no manpower available in the village, so too many people could not be sent to escort Shen Fucong to buy books.
However, it won’t work without escort.
Because the place where they went to buy books was not at the foot of the mountain in Zha Zuo Chang Sui Shi, but in Guizhou City, which was further away!
Among all levels of chieftains, changguansi is the lowest-level unit, but it is at least equivalent to lower-level states. In modern terms, you can barely understand it as "county-level city" (certainly inaccurate).
But the majestic Zha Zuo Chang Sui Si, a place as high as a state, doesn't even have a serious bookstore.
The reason is that the Song clan has its own channels for purchasing books, and the common people do not participate in the imperial examinations. Who can open a bookstore to sell goods to?
Before the Jiajing Dynasty, there were two main origins of Juren in Guizhou: one was a descendant of a chieftain, and the other was a descendant of a guard.
Common people may be able to study, but they cannot afford to take exams——
Until the Zhengde period, Guizhou did not set up its own provincial examinations, nor did it have its own academic officials.
Scholars from Guizhou had to go to Yunnan and set up a shed next to other people's examination rooms to take the exams, and Yunnan officials would do the marking for them.
"Tianxia Water and Land Road Yin" records the journey from Guizhou to Yunnan like this: "...it's ten miles to Qingpingyi Station in Qingping County, beware of barbarians... ten miles to Jigongpu... all are snakes... thirty miles to Guansoling... …There is a dumb spring, don’t drink from it…Go up the mountain, there is a poisonous spring at the Minshao slope, don’t drink by mistake…”
It is very difficult for the scholars in Guizhou to rush for the examination. They have to bring their own dry food for travel expenses, and they have to be careful of barbarians and thieves on the way. Moreover, it is still summer when rushing for the provincial examination, there are many snakes, insects, rats and ants, and miasma and poisonous springs are everywhere. It is hard not to be hacked to death. Easily die from illness.
The chieftain's children are accompanied by bodyguards, and the guards' children are also proficient in bows and swords, so they can cope with the road to the provincial examination. As for the common people, it depends on luck, and they can walk to the examination room with their arms and legs intact.
All these factors caused Wang Yuan to go to Guizhou City further away if he wanted to buy textbooks.
The ones who serve as their bodyguards are hunter Yuan Gang, and Yuan Zhi and Wang Meng are also regarded as armed forces. In exchange, the other families must help the Yuan family and the Wang family farm the land, so as not to delay the critical spring plowing days - strictly speaking, summer plowing. It's already early summer.
The book buying team was composed as follows: Wang Yuan, Wang Meng, Shen Fucong, Yuan Gang and Yuan Zhi.
Except for Master Shen, everyone carried swords and bows on their backs to guard against accidents along the way.
There are many kinds of accidents. Jackals, tigers and leopards suddenly appear, barbarians suddenly appear, bandits suddenly appear, and the victims die in various ways.
Yuan Gang and Wang Meng each led a Guizhou donkey. The two donkeys were public property in the village. The donkeys were loaded with mountain goods, which were usually traded in Zhazuosi. This time they were transported to Guizhou City for sale because the price was higher than that in Zhazuosi. Much higher.
Yuan Da is the most excited one. This kid is already fifteen years old and has not even been to Guizhou City.
Although the mountain roads are difficult to walk, fortunately they are all official roads.
The official road from Zhazuoyi to Guizhou City is the only way from Sichuan to Guizhou (middle line). As for history, Longchangyi where Wang Yangming was located was an important node on the western line of the Sichuan-Guizhou transportation line.
It took everyone several hours to go down the mountain, and another three days of walking, and finally arrived at the territory of Guizhu Changguanshi - this is also the territory of the Shuidong Song family.
Wang Yuan, who spent several years building bridges and digging holes in Guizhou in his previous life, visited Guiyang more than once and was shocked and dumbfounded.
Bamboo forest, bamboo forest, bamboo forest!
From the edge of Guizhusi to Guizhou City, the bamboo forest is not broken along the way, and even the official roads are built in the bamboo forest.
Guiyang in the Ming Dynasty was actually surrounded by a sea of bamboo stretching for dozens of miles.
At this time, the official name of Guiyang was "Guizhou City", and in Yi language it was called "Heiyangqing". "Blackyang" means beautiful, and "Qing" means the big bamboo forest in the mountains, which together means "Beautiful Mountain Bamboo" ocean".
Shen Fucong was also stunned by such a magnificent sight and couldn't help but said: "There are bamboo forests here, so they must be rich in beautiful paper, and the paper price should be very cheap."
Yuan Gang vigilantly observed the bamboo groves on both sides of the official road and said: "There is a village in the northeast of Guizhou City. The family named Peng has been making paper for generations. I also heard that the Peng family has a good relationship with every governor of Guizhou, because Han officials need to buy paper for their offices. As for the price of paper, I have never asked."
"This Peng family must be a big local family." Master Shen speculated.
Yuan Gang smiled and said: "The big family is indeed a big family, and even the chieftain cannot bully him. But Pengjiazhai is located at the border of various ethnic groups. No one cares about it, everyone wants to fight, and there are tribal fights every year. Nanjing built by the Peng family The temple was burned down by thieves the year before last, and the gold foil on the Buddha statues was scraped clean."
Master Shen couldn't help but sigh: "In this part of Guizhou, life is difficult even for big households."
Yuan Gang gestured with the steel knife in his hand and said: "If you want to live in Guizhou, the sword and arrow in your hand are the most important. Whoever has a strong fist will count." Five years ago, Chieftain Zhazuo sent people up the mountain to try to penetrate the mountain. The tax in Qingzhai was increased by 20%. None of us said anything at that time. Every family took out their weapons, and even Liu Carpenter copied a plane. Regardless of old or weak, women or children, more than a thousand people wearing green clothing means more than a thousand brave soldiers. , even unweaned babies can bite people. If the chieftain wants to raise taxes, yes, he must bring at least five thousand soldiers and horses to the mountain to be qualified to talk to us Chuanqing people!"
Master Shen suddenly didn't know what to say. He thought to himself: No wonder everyone in the village is rude and untamable, they are all forced out by the circumstances of life.
Wang Yuan said in a helpless tone: "The natives have their own ethnic groups to depend on, the Han people have special care from the government, and the chieftains are all over the sky. We are the only Chuanqing people who don't want to be seen by anyone. We have to struggle to survive on our own. I heard from the leader of Fang Village, As early as more than 40 years ago, when he was still a little baby, Chuanqing Village had a population of 3,000."
"Why are there still fewer now?" Master Shen couldn't help but ask.
Wang Yuan lamented: "We fought a battle with Chieftain Zhazuo. In Chinese terms, the government forced the people to rebel and rise up. For three months, the tribesmen in the village suffered numerous casualties. Zhazuosi mobilized all the soldiers and horses. , I’m surprised I didn’t knock down the stronghold.”
Master Shen asked again: "How is the battle going?"
Yuan Gang answered: "Guizhusi and Guaixisi near Zhazuosi are both Shuidong Song clan's territory. Zhazuosi couldn't conquer the village, so he went to Guizhusi and Guaixisi to bring in reinforcements. There were more than 20,000 chieftain soldiers. Immediately on the mountain, we were outnumbered and only more than 900 people died, so we had to surrender to them. However, there are conditions for surrender. We can only add 20% of the tax to Chuan Qingzhai. If you want more, then continue to fight. Even if Chuan Qingzhai is All the young people are dead, and those chieftain soldiers will have to shed some more blood!"
Yuan Da, a young man, was not sad at all. Instead, he said with a proud tone: "My grandpa, grandma, and several of their brothers were all killed in the war. My grandpa can It was so powerful that he shot dozens of chieftain soldiers to death! His fingers were worn out by the bow string, and he raised his knife to kill the chieftain soldiers who broke into the stronghold. He led more than a dozen young men from the stronghold and killed hundreds of chieftain soldiers. Drive out of the village."
Wang Yuan continued: "The parents, uncles and aunts of the leader of Fang Village were also killed in the war at that time. Otherwise, the Fang family alone would have a population of hundreds."
Master Shen was secretly speechless, this is too cruel.
Only 900 of the 3,000 people in the stronghold died, and the death rate was as high as 70%. Excluding the elderly and young children in the stronghold, I am afraid that there are only 400 to 500 young men and women left. How dare you negotiate terms with 20,000 chieftain soldiers? ?
In fact, fortunately, the head of the Song clan at that time was Song Ang.
This person was devoted to Chinese culture, passed down poetry and etiquette to his family, was relatively open-minded and kind, and was loyal to the court. He was unwilling to do anything too extreme.
If it were Song Ran, the current head of the Song clan, Chuanqing Village would have ceased to exist, and he would probably have directly ordered the massacre of the village, preferring not to collect taxes to save face.
Wang Yuan suddenly smiled and said: "That battle also showed the prestige of Chuanqing Village. Neither the Shuidong chieftain nor the surrounding barbarian tribes dare to provoke us Chuanqing people easily again."
Yuan Gang also raised the corners of his lips: "Just last month, Ajia, the Miao chieftain from Guaixisi, came to visit us in the village and wanted to draw us Chuanqing people to rebel together. Sir, just watch, and there will be no more than two or three In the year, there will definitely be a major rebellion among the Miao tribe in the west, and the Shuidong Song family will shed their skin even if they don't die."
Wang Yuan added: "Miao Chief Ajia, although he is just a leader of the Miao tribe, even I have heard of his reputation. Guaixi, Zhazuo, and other Miao tribes in Hongbian all admire him, and he is almost the leader of the Miao tribe here." Wang. Once he rebels, he can gather at least tens of thousands of troops, and it is possible to attack the ancestral home of the Song family!"
Master Shen's head went numb when he heard this, and he cursed: "Can you please stop talking about such a big thing as killing an official and rebelling so easily, just like talking about what to eat at night?"
So barbaric!
A few people chatted all the way and approached Guizhou Station outside Guizhou City.
Suddenly there was the sound of horse hoofbeats, and more than ten people and horses rushed out from the post.
The one in the lead was a little girl of twelve or thirteen years old. She was dressed in Zhong family clothes, with a colorful scarf on her head. She was riding a pony, with a short bow hanging from her waist, and she was lying on the horse's back, whipping wildly.
Even when Wang Yuan and four other people were walking toward him on the official road, the little girl from the Zhong family showed no intention of slowing down.
There were more than ten people behind, all riding horses and carrying swords, and they seemed to be the little girl's guards. As they chased, they shouted at Wang Yuan and others: "Wai Pai material, Wai Pai material (get out of the way quickly)!"
Yuan Gang and Wang Meng suddenly changed their expressions, and each pulled the Guizhou donkey loaded with mountain goods to get out of the way. Master Shen was frightened by the sudden incident. Wang Yuan hurriedly pulled him away from the official road, and the remaining Yuan Zhi also jumped away quickly. .
Fortunately, we are now close to Guizhouyi, and the official road is relatively spacious. If it were in a mountainous area, the official road would be narrow and unavoidable, and we would definitely be hit by a collision - even that little girl would also take people, horses and donkeys with her. We had a car accident together.
The guards shouted again, and the little girl didn't even raise her head. She just lied on the horse and scolded her for a few words, then continued to speed up with her whip.
"Pooh!"
Yuan Zhi spat out a mouthful of dusty saliva, wiped his mouth and vented: "If you are caught by me one day, I will definitely beat her ass!"
Master Shen was also confused by the dust brought up by the horse's hooves. He rubbed his eyes and asked, "Whose girl is this? She is so arrogant. If we hadn't hid quickly, we would have been hit by her horse."
Wang Yuan curled his lips and sneered: "Who else could it be? Wearing clothes of the Zhong family and accompanied by a horseback guard, this evil woman must be named Song!"
Yuan Gang added: "Even the daughter of Chieftain Zhazuo did not have such a big battle. She could be accompanied by more than ten horseback attendants. Her father was either An Guirong or Song Ran. An Guirong is Yi. , Song Ran is a son of the Zhong family, and she is wearing Zhong family clothes, so she can only be Song Ran’s daughter."
An Guirong and Song Ran, one is the chief of the Shuixi'an clan and the other is the chief of the Shuidong Song clan, are both ambassadors to Guizhou, and their offices are both in Guizhou City.
According to historical records, Song Ran had no children, so this little girl was probably the only daughter of the Guizhou Xuan comfort envoy.
Master Shen asked again: "What did she say on horseback just now?"
Yuan Gang translated: "That's Zhong Jiayu. She asked her followers to run faster and don't let the bamboo bear go. We must catch it today."
"What is a bamboo bear?" Master Shen had never heard of it before.
Wang Yuan smacked his lips and said, "Iron-eating beast."
This damn girl actually led people to catch pandas, and she will definitely be in jail after being released for hundreds of years!
(ps1: After being reminded by a study committee member, Lao Wang finally recalled his junior high school chemistry knowledge. Calcium hydroxide reacts with carbon dioxide in the air and turns into calcium carbonate. This stuff is one of the raw materials for making modern chalk. So, Wang What Yuan used was not slaked lime, it was very close to modern chalk.)
(PS2: The second heroine is already online and has been added to the character bar.)