According to legend, during the Tianshun period, there was a Huanghua Taoist who lived in a small temple on Banpo outside Gaizhou City. He practiced Taoism for several years. Once a crane came, he would ride on it and fly away. The place was named Immortal Mountain.
Banxian Mountain will be Heyang Mountain in later generations.
On the halfway slope of Banxian Mountain, there is Heyang Temple, which is actually a Taoist temple. To the northwest of Banxian Mountain, there is another temple called Chaoyang Temple, which is a monk temple.
A Taoist temple and a temple were the main targets for the fleeing military households in Gaizhou.
Kuai Laosan fled with his family to Heyang Temple (Guan). He was originally a member of the Gaizhou Guards. When his eldest and second brothers died, he automatically became a regular soldier. In the fifteenth year of Zhengde, there was a severe snowstorm in Gaizhou.
There was another major earthquake and drought in 2011. It was really hard to survive, so hundreds of military households and their families fled here.
Kuai Laosan escaped earlier and was able to rent the temple land of Heyang Temple. Those who ran slower had to go further and go to Chaoyang Temple.
Some people also fled to the mountains and cultivated their own land. However, lack of agricultural tools and seeds made life even more difficult. I don’t know how many people will freeze to death and starve to death this winter.
It snowed heavily, and there were three feet of snow.
The tenants all lived in simple bamboo and wooden shacks, and there was not much farm work to do at this time of year. Although they lacked food and clothing, fortunately they made their own earthen kangs, so the family would not freeze to death.
It will be good after spring, and the land can be cultivated by the Taoist priests. I heard that Heyang Temple is going to be expanded, and maybe I can earn some money from work to barely support daily expenses.
"Third brother, the firewood is almost gone. It's sunny today, and my mother asked you to go out and collect some firewood and come back," the younger sister said.
Kuai Laosan had no choice but to get up from the kang and put on the only cotton-padded jacket at home. He also wore two layers of rags of Gebu on the outside, which not only kept him warmer, but also prevented the cotton-padded jacket from being worn out while working.
There were seven people in the family.
The eldest brother, the second brother, and the younger brother died in Gaizhou Guards. During the escape, the father also starved to death, and now only Kuai Laosan, mother and sister are left.
He put dry grass into the cloth boots, and after Kuai Laosan put them on, he wrapped the shoes several times with rag strips. This was to keep them warmer and to fix the worn boots to prevent them from being torn off or torn by the snow.
There is no shortage of firewood on the mountain, but you cannot cut it at will around Heyang Temple. You need to walk two or three miles further to do it.
The mountain road in the snow is difficult to walk, and when cutting firewood, you have to look for dead branches, otherwise you don't know when it will be used again. Just after cutting half a bundle of firewood, Kuai Laosan was so tired that he rubbed his waist and straightened up to rest for a while.
Suddenly, Kuai Laosan saw a group of people coming from a distance, and there were also mules and horses carrying some goods.
"In this cold weather, there are still people going to the mountains to do business? They are full of food." Kuai Laosan couldn't help but complain a few words, and then went to chop wood by himself.
After finally chopping a load of firewood, Kuai Laosan was about to pick it home, but was shocked by what he saw.
The people he complained about before were now more than ten feet away. Who were the merchants who came into the mountain to do business? They were clearly officers wearing cotton armor!
As a fugitive military household, Kuai Laosan's first reaction was to run away. He didn't even want the firewood he had just harvested. But he just ran two steps and suddenly stopped again, thinking: I am now a tenant in the temple, as long as I
If I refuse to admit it, can these officials take me back?
So Kuai Laosan pretended to calm down and walked home slowly with his burden.
"That man in front of you, wait a minute!" an officer shouted.
Kuai Laosanquan pretended not to hear and continued on his way.
The officer struggled to catch up in the snow. When he got closer, he was out of breath: "Let you wait... hoo... wait a minute!"
Kuai Laosan could only put down his burden, turned around and asked, "Master, are you calling me?"
The officer said: "Heyang Temple is in front, right?"
"Right in front." Kuai Laosan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The officers and soldiers in front of me must be the followers of some high-ranking official. It is estimated that the elderly at home are sick or something, and they bring their belongings to the temple to pray for blessings in the cold winter months.
The officer was very generous and took out a few Zhengde Tongbao: "Take us to Heyang Temple."
"Okay!" Kuai Laosan was overjoyed.
He stood there waiting for the other sergeants, and took a look at the copper coins in his hands. These copper coins were all black and shiny, larger and heavier than ordinary coins. You could tell at a glance that they were high-quality coins.
Not long after, all these sergeants had arrived, and Kuai Laosan secretly counted them. There were thirty or forty sergeants in total, leading dozens of mules and horses, and each animal carried heavy goods on its back.
Kuai Laosan couldn't help but ask: "Where did the military men come from?"
"Gaizhou Guards." A sergeant replied.
Kuai Laosan escaped from the Gaizhou Guard and said in surprise: "I heard that all the military households in the Gaizhou Guard have fled. Are the military men new here?"
"Isn't that true?" the sergeant complained, "Damn it, we were transferred to Gaizhou Guard. We have some land, but there are not many people left. There is such a thick snow in the mountains, and we have to go into the mountains to bring people back in person.
.By the way, you are also a fugitive from Gaizhou Guard, right?"
"No, the younger one is a tenant of Heyang Temple." Kuai Laosan hurriedly shook his head and denied it.
The sergeant smiled and said: "Whether you are or not, you have to go back with me this time. If you have family members, bring them with you. I promise you won't be treated badly."
Kuai Laosan's scalp went numb when he heard that. He threw down his burden and knelt down: "My dear military lords, I am really not a military household. I have been a tenant farmer in the temple for generations. I beg you, please give me a way to survive."
The sergeant was amused: "How can there be any tenant farmers in Liaodong? Even if you are not a fugitive military household, your father and grandfather must be. Don't even think about running away, you can't run away. We will go into the mountains this time and see living people."
We all need to be taken back, even the Taoist priests from Heyang Temple can’t escape!”
Kuai Laosan just felt that the sky was falling, and he didn't care about the biting snow and just collapsed on the ground.
"Don't scare him," Niu Zhen, who had been promoted to Deputy Qianhu, walked up to Kuai Laosan and said, "You are lucky. Wang Shilang is in charge of Gaizhou. If you go back and be classified as a military household, each person will be allocated ten acres of land.
, there is no need to hand over grains for farming within ten years. Moreover, Wang Shilang paid for it himself and rewarded each person with three feet of cotton cloth. Did you see these mules and horses? They are all carrying cotton cloth, and everyone has a share!"
Kuai Laosan did not believe these officers. Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang did have regulations that newly cultivated farmland in Liaodong would not have to pay taxes for ten years. But how could the officers listen to the court? It is estimated that next year they will be asked to pay taxes for farming.
Kuai Laosan led the sergeant and walked forward slowly. Suddenly, his foot slipped and he rolled down the hillside.
"Catch him back!" Niu Zhen shouted.
In a short while, Kuai Laosan was brought back in disgrace and forced the soldiers to lead them to Heyang Temple.
"Where is the abbot?" Niu Zhen shouted.
The Taoist priests in the temple ran out quickly, and an old Taoist priest came forward and bowed: "I am a poor Taoist, but I am not able to meet you from afar. Please don't be surprised, military lords."
Niu Zhen said with a smile: "No wonder, no wonder. Take your disciples, disciples, disciples, tenants, and servants from the temple, and follow me back to Gaizhou Guard."
The old Taoist priest was stunned, and immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Master Jun, I can offer 300 dan of food to you, please Jun Master, let me go to Heyang Temple!"
"I can't make the decision," Niu Zhen shook his head and said, "Since you don't want to leave, then I will set fire to the temple and see where you can live in the cold winter months. Anyone who dares to stop this thousand households from setting fire will be chopped with a knife!"
When a Taoist priest encounters a soldier, he cannot explain why.
Not long after, fire broke out in many places in Heyang Temple, and the Taoist priests in the temple could not hide at all. They did not dare to flee. If they fled into the mountains at this time, they would not starve to death or freeze to death, but they would also be bitten to death by wild beasts.
The same was true for the tenants around Heyang Temple. Only a few chose to escape, and most of them followed the sergeants back obediently.
There were three members of Kuai Laosan's family, and they received nine feet of cotton cloth on the spot.
Just listen to Niu Zhen say: "There are too many people and not enough cotton cloth. I will make up for you when I return to Gaizhou. I am not lying. As long as I go back, I will have ten acres of land and I will not have to pay for food for ten years! If I tell lies
, the whole family will not die well!"
He swore all this, but the people who were taken down the mountain still didn't want to believe what he said.
Heyang Temple was burned down.
The Chaoyang Temple in the northwest did not last long and was burned to the ground half a month later.
The monks and Taoists were forced to return to secular life one by one and worked as military households in Gaizhou Guards. Not all of them were military households. For example, Taoist Songfeng, the abbot of Heyang Temple, was appointed by Wang Yuan as Gaizhou Guards because of his superb medical skills.
Medical officer of the state health department.
Throughout the winter, Gaizhou guards were busy going into the mountains and bringing back living people when they saw them. Several thousand people were brought back here and there.
Replenishing the Gaizhou Guard is a serious matter recognized by all officials.
The Minister of War was the first to support him, the Minister of Hubu was Wang Yuan’s father-in-law, and the Minister of Cangchang was Wang Yuan’s advisor. Food, seeds, cattle, farm tools... these materials were not deducted much, and Wang Yuan paid for them himself.
, a lot of cotton cloth was shipped to the military households to keep out the cold, and the entire Gaizhou Guard had a pretty good winter this year.
At least the military households felt very happy and just wanted to live like this for the rest of their lives.