In December, heavy snow fell in various places under the jurisdiction of Jimoying, and the temperature dropped suddenly in just a few days, as if it entered extreme cold overnight.
At this time, refugees from all over Shandong were already passing through Lingshan Guard and Aoshan Guard. Under the guidance of officers and soldiers of the New Army, they went to various resettlement sites. After registration, the number of Lingshan Guard and Aoshan Guard increased by 10,000. There are more than 6,000 households and more than 50,000 people.
At the same time, Zhao Min led a group of clerical officials to sort out the civilian population of military households in Lingshan Guard and Aoshan Guard, and prepared to update the yellow books of military households in the two guards.
But what followed was tremendous pressure. Seeing that the cold winter had arrived, Liu Yan felt anxious. He immediately ordered all the money and food he had hoarded in advance to purchase as much cold-weather clothing as possible from surrounding prefectures and counties, and then shipped it to various places. The resettlement sites are distributed on the spot, and large-scale freezing and starvation of the people must not occur, otherwise Liu Yan will be severely punished.
North of Lingshan Guard City, outside the Inspection Department of Pangmeng Town under the jurisdiction of Zhongqianhu, Commander Chen Xun is here in person. This is the largest resettlement site of Lingshan Guard. There are more than a dozen large pots set up around it, and they are cooking. With hot soup or porridge, the New Army soldiers were working hard to maintain order and distribute food and warm clothing to nearly a thousand refugees.
The wind and snow were slightly lighter at this time, but it was still cold. The people waiting for relief were shivering due to the cold weather. Some frail women and children were even more pale-faced and their bodies were so weak that they were crumbling.
The commander, Chen Xun, was shocked when he was inspecting. He hurriedly ordered people to gather these frail women and children and send them to the Inspection Department of Pangmeng Town for resettlement. He was afraid that if they were delayed any longer, they would cause death.
At this time, Liu Yan had already sent an order to Zhao Min to divide the refugees who were being taken in one after another to settle in Lingshan Guard and Aoshan Guard. In other words, there will be a steady stream of refugees migrating to Lingshan Guard in the future. So many The new population immediately put great pressure on all officials below the commander Chen Xun.
In addition, Liu Yan issued a death order and set a "death quota" for each resettlement site. Once the number of people who died within the specified time exceeded the limit, everyone from the commanding officer to Chen Xun would be dismissed from office and died. If there were more people, maybe some of them would lose their heads, so the commander made Chen Xun and other officials work hard, not daring to show any signs of neglect.
The commander, Chen Xun, spent all his government resources to build houses around Lingshan Acropolis and various Qianhu and Baihu residences. He also built houses in villages, Huolu piers, and forts in Lingshan Acropolis, as much as possible. To accommodate the new people, it also called on the merchants of Lingshan Guard to donate money, materials, or efforts, so that everyone could tide over the difficulties together.
It is said that Wang Jing, the leader of the Chamber of Commerce, also braved the severe cold to go to the resettlement site outside Wangjiazhuang Fort and led a group of merchants to donate money and materials.
For this reason, the commander Chen Xun also recorded the volunteers one by one and then reported them to Liu Yan. Liu Yan was very happy when he learned about it and directly reimbursed all the expenses of these charity merchants, which won praise from both inside and outside.
At this time, there was a father and son in the queue. An old man named Shen Dong was from Qingzhou Prefecture. All the food stored at home was taken away by the local army. In just a few days, his wife, who had been bedridden for a long time, died of cold and hunger. die. With no other choice, Shen Dong escaped with his 19-year-old son Shen Wen, begging and collecting all the way, and the father and son even grabbed some food without conscience, and then they arrived at Lingshan Guard.
"Dad, there aren't many people in front, we're almost here!"
Shen Wen looked at the team in front and said very excitedly that he had not eaten for two days. Looking at the relief office in front, he could even smell the aroma of hot porridge.
Shen Dong nodded, thinking of his experiences during this period, and looking at the relief center in front of him, he couldn't help but burst into tears: "God has finally opened his eyes. With Liu Youyi here, we and the other people finally have a way to survive!" "
Many people around him echoed, and even a few old men immediately knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of Jimo Yingcheng. Some women also sobbed softly, not knowing whether they were remembering something bitter or crying with joy for the food and clothing they were about to get.
Shen Wen listened and watched, feeling an unusual admiration for the guerrilla general Liu Yan in his heart. He thought that in today's world, there are such good officials who are dedicated to the people. It is simply incredible!
Chen Xun, who was on the side, also noticed this. Listening to the words of Shen Dong and other people, a trace of pride appeared on his face: "Your Excellency really cares about the people. Even though it cost money and food to take in the refugees, it gained people's hearts."
Liu Yan ordered the refugees to be taken in, and at the same time posted notices everywhere, directing the refugees to come to Lingshan Guard and Aoshan Guard. This spread his name, which was regarded as Liu Yan's "advertisement" for himself to enhance his reputation. .
"Dad, how much land do you think Liu Youyi will allocate to our family?"
"this……"
Shen Dong looked at his longing-looking son and said with a smile: "I heard that Liu Youyi divided the land according to the number of people. The more people in the family, the more land was allocated. There are only two people in our family, so it shouldn't be too many, but This is already very good, at least we, father and son, can have enough to eat and won’t have to live in seclusion or become refugees again!”
"Besides, you didn't hear just now that if you want to stay in Lingshan Guard, you have to change your civilian registration and change your registered residence to a military household. From now on, my son will be a ward army officer. Can you do that?"
Shen Wen thought of the soldiers who had robbed his house, and his face suddenly showed a trace of sadness, and more anger: "Dad, don't worry, my son finally understands that if you want not to be bullied, you must have a knife and a gun in your hand." , I’m sure of this Dunjun!”
While they were talking, Shen Dong and his son came to the relief office. A new army flag commander gave each of the father and son two black flour cakes, a bowl of hot porridge, and a thick cloth long coat to keep out the cold.
After Shen Dong and his son took it, they walked into the Inspection Department of Pangmeng Town under the guidance of the New Army officers. They ate the black flour cake in their hands and drank the hot porridge like a whirlwind. They instantly felt like I felt alive again, and there was an indescribable sense of joy all over my body. 33
Then the father and son put thick cloth clothes on their bodies and felt a touch of warmth. As the crowd entered the inspection department, they started to register at the land distribution office at the gate.
"Dong Shen, the couple of sons and daughters of the family, according to the decree of the Guerrilla General's Office, were allocated 20 acres of medium-sized cultivated land, some farm tools, and a working ox shared with nine other neighboring households!"
"Twenty acres!"
"Medium cultivated land!"
Hearing this number, Shen Dong and his son were stunned on the spot, as if they were in a fantasy world, and couldn't believe their ears.
"Dad! Our family has twenty acres of land, twenty acres!"
Shen Dong suddenly burst into tears. Originally, his family only had less than ten acres of land. Now here, he was allocated twenty acres. He sighed in his heart, if he could have met Liu Youyi earlier, what would happen to his wife? As for being starved to death!
Shen Dong excitedly controlled his trembling hands. Under the instructions of the new army soldiers, he pressed his fingerprints heavily and carefully put away his own land deed, for fear of damage.
The New Army officers on the side waved their hands when they saw the excitement of the father and son, and said: "You have just been allocated twenty acres of land and are you so excited? Go and have a look at the recruitment registration office over there, I guarantee you will go crazy with joy. !”
Shen Wen asked: "Is it better to be a soldier in the guerrilla general's mansion than in the land?"
"That's natural!"
The New Army officers said: "Liu Youyi will not only allocate land for you poor people, but also register the young and middle-aged refugees separately. Although you will all be transferred to military households, not every household is qualified to participate. The new army is young and strong, so not every household has to send someone to serve as an army."
"Anyone who registers as a reserve member of the New Army will receive great benefits from my guerrilla master. Each person will be given twenty acres of land. In addition, they will receive a military salary of four taels of silver per month. Their family will also receive special care from the guerrilla master. In case of war, , if you are killed or disabled in battle, the guerrilla master will pay a pension and provide monthly support to your family! Do you think this is better than just asking for the twenty acres of cultivated land? "
Shen Wen was immediately moved when he heard this. He was nineteen years old, but not yet married, and now he and his father, Shen Dong, had no place to live. Even though they have been allocated twenty acres of land now, the father and son cannot save much food every year. They will not be able to marry and have children until the Year of the Monkey and the Horse.
Thinking of this, Shen Wen immediately said to his father Shen Dong: "Dad, did you hear what this military master said? My son is going to join the army, and my father is working at home. In just a few years, our family will be able to live a good life!"
Shen Dong was a little hesitant. After all, the world is in turmoil now. Although joining the army in Lingshan Guard will provide better treatment, who can guarantee that Lingshan Guard will not start a war in the future?
"My son, our family has been allocated twenty acres of fertile land, so we don't have to worry about the twenty acres we got as soldiers. As long as we, father and son, work hard for a few years, we can live a good life."
"But how much can we save in a year like this? If there is a disaster or something happens to the family, the family will probably be broken up again. Doesn't dad still want to pawn and sell the land? Didn't dad listen to those military masters? Liu Youyi has an explicit order If the sale and purchase of land is prohibited, who dares to buy it?”
Shen Wen's words seemed to bring back painful memories of Shen Dong. At this time, he just shook his head and sighed, and his tears couldn't stop flowing down.
Shen Wen gave a few more words of persuasion, then ignored his father's objections and signed up directly.
A few days later, Shen Dong and his son were assigned 40 acres of land not far from each other, just outside the Inspection Department of Pangmeng Town. It was urgently reclaimed by Zhang Lei, the garrison officer, and some Dunjun troops. There are also contiguous tracts of farmland here, which are all allocated to the newly moved refugees. After experience, Zhao Min also led people to build some houses here, forming a small village.
Shen Dong and Shen Wen were very happy when they saw the house assigned to their family. Although this house is not big, with only two main rooms and a small courtyard, it is also the place where the father and son stay, and it can be regarded as a home.
After Shen Wen registered, as a reserve force of the new army, he was also informed that after the Spring Festival, he would conduct daily training in the village. Now Shen Wen is a military household. After the Spring Festival, spring begins, so he has to farm during the busy farming season and train during the slack farming season. Once the new army expands, Shen Wen and the other registered young men will be organized into various battalions.
In addition, Liu Yan considered that the land of Lingshan Guard and Aoshan Guard would definitely not be enough to be distributed in the future, so Liu Yan ordered the governor Zhang Lei to organize the people to reclaim wasteland to make up for the land gap, and drafted a "monetization plan". If someone If he chooses to ask for money, Liu Yan can price the income from the twenty acres of land he joined the army and convert it into silver and pay it out monthly.
Shen Wen chose the former. In the past few days, Commander Chen Xun had sent people to post notices, promising that the Lingshan Guards would organize manpower in the spring of next year to help Shen Wen and other young reservists reclaim wasteland.
Shen Dong and his son spent a few days repairing their new house. Although it was still dilapidated, it could at least keep out the wind and cold.
That night, it snowed heavily outside again. Shen Dong and his son sat around the brazier, eating the rationed food, listening to the wind and snow outside. They felt satisfied and happy, and full of longing for the future.
Some people died, but not completely...
