"Who is the infantry captain Zhang Yuan?" Mao Chunfang asked on horseback.
The crowd in front of them gave way, and a tall, middle-aged man walked over, "It's me, is that your Excellency?"
"Yangmen County Magistrate Mao Chunfang." Mao Chunfang dismounted and said, "Colonel Zhang looks familiar, but how many years have you been in the Weishan County barracks?"
Zhang Yuan cupped his fists and responded, "Yes, I have been transferred to Liangzhou for several years."
"Are you still used to working in Beishan County now?" Mao Chunfang handed the reins to the master behind him and sat on the small stool next to Zhang Yuan to talk.
Zhang Yuan said: “You always have to adapt to a new place.”
I'm afraid it's not about adapting to the place, it's about adapting to the people.
Mao Chunfang cleared her throat and asked: "How is the construction of the city wall in Beishan County? Is Mr. Meng sure that it will be completed?"
"I don't care about the construction of the city wall. As for whether Master Meng is sure about it, I don't know."
Mao Chunfang turned her face sideways and looked at him quietly. What harm did this man suffer from Meng Changqing? Why does she sound like a young daughter-in-law who is angry when she speaks?
"I'm too talkative. Please don't pay attention, Captain."
"What did the magistrate say? I wonder what you want from me?"
"I heard from my master that you are here to pick up people, so I came here to take a look." Mao Chunfang said, "If you are short of manpower, our county government can dispatch a group of government officials to come here to help."
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. After these people are taken away, we have to pick up another group before nightfall. Please ask your lord's government servants to stay here to count the number of people and check the roster first."
"This is simple." Mao Chunfang immediately asked the master to go back and call someone, "Choose someone who can read."
Then he added: "You, Mr. Meng, are very careful in your work. In order to pick up the new servant, I asked the captain to bring a note and come to pick him up inside the city wall of Yangmen County.
Going back and forth for this will make you tired. Why don't you go back and tell Mr. Meng that the captain will let me, the Yamen of Yangmen County, take care of this matter. "
"Zhang Yuan would like to thank you for this, but Master Meng specifically explained that the reason why he came to escort the laborers was not because he was afraid of them escaping, but because he was afraid that bandits would hurt people at the old site of the city wall."
"Oh." Mao Chunfang said, "I have heard about this. You, Mr. Meng, killed twenty-one people who came down from the mountain. I think you were afraid of their revenge."
While the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion from the crowd.
"Why is there one more person? Why isn't this person on the roster?" A soldier grabbed one of the servants.
"Misunderstanding, Master Bing misunderstood, he is not a servant." The person next to him immediately explained, "He is the person I asked to see the location of the well."
"Do you guarantee that what you said is true?" the guard asked the man next to him.
"It's true, it must be true. This man has a very good Feng Shui position. Many people in Liangzhou City know him."
The guard picked up the man in his hand and asked, "Does any of you know him?"
Someone next to me whispered back one after another, "We invited him when we were digging a well in our village."
"He is indeed famous in Liangzhou."
"Master Bing." The old man's face turned red when he was grabbed by his collar. "Put me down first."
"Since you are a Feng Shui master, why didn't you tell me earlier? It was a waste of time."
Mao Chunfang watched the excitement and asked, "Hasn't Beishan County built a well yet?"
"Not yet, we have been mixing snow and river water."
"Captain Zhang." The soldiers who followed Zhang Yuan came over to remind him, "It's almost time, and I haven't seen anyone else coming later."
Mao Chunfang stood up and said, "Don't waste the captain's time. We will talk when we have time later."
"Let's take our leave first."
Mao Chunfang stepped aside and heard Zhang Yuan shout: "Let's go!"
The city gate opened, and Zhang Yuan took the lead and walked to the front, followed by thousands of people.
It took these people half an hour just to get out of the city gate.
"Sir, I'm back." The master came with a dozen literate government servants, "Sir? What are you looking at at the city gate?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Mao Chunfang suddenly shook his head, "I can't understand, I really can't understand."
"What don't you understand?"
"Based on Meng Changqing's scheming, he shouldn't be able to conquer even this kind of person. He shouldn't be short of loyal people around him. Why should he keep this kind of person around?"
"Sir, if you want to tell me, why don't you make it clear? If you don't want to tell me, why do you have to say it in front of me?"
"Why why! Why don't you even know what I am thinking, sir!" Mao Chunfang got on his horse and left.
The master was left muttering on the spot: "I'm not the roundworm in your belly."
The second batch of slaves brought back by Zhang Yuan totaled 5,321 people.
The guards of the camp have already been prepared, and they will separate the men and women as before.
"You go over and stand with the women in our village, and then you can be grouped into a group." Boss Zeng said, "The guards will give you tools later and let you dig holes.
It's inconvenient for you to carry a package with you, so leave it with me first and then deliver it to you after I get off work. "
As Boss Zeng said, he was about to get the package from Mei Zi, but Mei Zi sidestepped and said, "No, I'll take it myself."
"you……"
"Hurry up! Men and women stand separately. People who were divided into groups before leave quickly. Don't linger here."
Boss Zeng trembled in fright, "Okay, you can carry it yourself."
Meizi held the package and stood together with the women from the same village.
She obeyed the guards and stood in a long queue. She did not ask questions like other women. Among the crowd, she seemed unusually silent.
Not long after, a soldier came from the front, counting in his mouth as he walked. When he got in front of her, he suddenly stopped and said, "Fifty." One of the soldiers asked her, "You are from the same village as these people in front of you. ?"
Meizi nodded, "Yes."
"Then there will be one more in our group, fifty-one." The soldier next to him suddenly shouted: "Come on, count them! Everyone follow! Remember the group number, we are five hundred."
Meizi's ears were buzzing from this man.
They followed the guard to an open space, and soon another guard dragged a cart of tools.
"Everyone, line up and come to me to get the tools."
Meizi was given a shovel. She looked at the brand new farm tool in her hand. This thing was much more useful than the scissors in her package.
"Let me tell you something first." The guard in front shouted: "The pits we ask you to dig now are where you will rest.
A range has been circled on the ground, and you should dig down according to this range.
Not everyone is assigned a tool. Those who have tools in their hands work first. The people next to them are more conscious and quickly come forward to replace someone when they see someone tired.
The rule here is which group digs the hole first and which group eats first. "
After hearing this, someone immediately started to do it.
Another guard then shouted: "The two latrines used by women are the two on the east side." He also pointed out, "Men are not allowed to go to those two latrines, so you can use them without worries. The other latrines are occupied by men. Yes, I advise you not to go in, if something happens, you will be the only one who suffers."
(End of chapter)
