The people in Shuanghuang listened. The men who deposed the Dragon Army made a new announcement. They used the copper coins they had been issued to go to the west gate of the county to buy seeds. They took the iron tools they had issued to the east gate of the county to find a big blacksmith shop and exchanged them for farm tools... Then you can plow the land with peace of mind and live a good life. After a while, someone will inspect your crops and fields, and you will no longer be asked to pay double taxes... In a word, the Dragon Army is here, and there will be a peaceful life. Don't be evil again. , and stop running around. "
In the afternoon, a pale-faced middle-aged official in green clothes stood under the big bare tree at the head of the village. He was trying hard to make an announcement, but he seemed listless. A new notice had just been posted on the big tree trunk behind him.
In front of him, there were only a dozen or so people who looked around to listen, but most of them were timid.
The objects of fear are on the other side of the big tree. They are three leather-armored warriors, wearing Liuhe boots and warrior crowns. One holds a spear, one carries a crossbow, and one carries a sword. However, they are all a little exhausted... This It's not that a few people are resisting work or feeling dissatisfied, but this is the northeastern boundary of Jiangling County, next to Husu County, almost fifty miles away from the county seat, and they can't just come to one village to do it. Announcement, these people are probably very tired from the journey.
"Thank you for your hard work, three military lords and Han Xiangzheng." When the superior shouted three times in a row that he was done, the four or five people who had been waiting immediately came forward with a middle-aged man with a slightly weathered complexion. It was none other than the local Huang Lichang, who repeatedly handed over his hands and spoke sincerely. "I have prepared some food at home, and I will go and use it. I will rest at my house in the evening. It doesn't hurt to go back tomorrow."
Han Xiang, who was indeed thirsty, looked up at the sun, which was already very far in the west, and was about to agree, but suddenly thought of something, and turned back to look at the elder of the three sergeants.
The latter thought for a moment and nodded, but with an accent from the East: "It's okay. Even humans can do it, but horses and mules are too tired to hold on."
"Then come together, come together, there will be someone to take care of the animals." Huang Lizhang responded repeatedly.
Immediately, four or five people came forward to help pick up the mules and horses, and then surrounded the four people and walked deeper into the village.
Perhaps because the weather is getting warmer in spring, there are still some people in the village. Many children, even sallow-faced women and idle men, poke their heads in and look around along the way.
After a while, a group of people came to a residence in the village that was obviously much better than the surrounding houses. It was a decent three-room tile-roofed house, with a main room, a side room, and a front and rear yard... However, even so, the yard There was also a lack of cleaning and many items looked old.
The animals were led to the backyard, and the four people were let into the main room. Then several village women hiding in the kitchen on the left immediately started making a fire to cook rice.
After a while, the food was served. The rice was aged millet, but fortunately millet can be stored and the aged rice can be eaten. The vegetables were fresh spring wild vegetables, and then they were served with sauces and rolled in a few slices of bacon. In the end, unexpectedly, There was also a chicken, but it was dismantled in four or five places and made into vegetables and soup respectively, which was extremely rare.
When the three sergeants saw this, they became excited and immediately gave up the fight and took off their leather armor. Among them, the older sergeant and Han Xiang were sitting in the two seats facing the door. Huang Lizhang sat on the left side. The sergeant sat on the right side, and there were several helpers, some who could serve the table, and some who could not. The former ate at the table, while the latter just squatted in the yard outside with old rice covered with some vegetables and sauce.
After a while, another half bottle of turbid wine was brought. A few people mixed it up, and each of them had half a bowl. They couldn't raise their glasses to drink, so they each took two sips from the bowl.
Even so, Han Xiangzheng and several of the deposed dragon army sergeants also felt a lot more comfortable, and then relaxed.
"It's rare for an old man to be so attentive in this age." Han Xiang was the first to praise.
"Yes, it's hard work for this Huang Li." The senior sergeant also spoke seriously. "When you go to get the seeds and farm tools, go to the north of the city to look for me first. Just ask Zhang Tou to find Captain Zhao of the eighth team in the camp. If you don't know, say it's Kuaishan Zhao from Jiyin Waihuang, and they will We know who it is."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Zhao." Huang Lichang quickly stood up and handed over his hands, his attitude was extremely good.
However, sit down and
Finally, Huang Li Zhang couldn't help but sigh again: "That's what the world is like. If it were before the Three Expeditions, no matter how difficult the season was, there would still be new millet at home, there would be no shortage of fresh white flour, and there would be dozens of them in the backyard." Chickens, I know a few of them are here. We don’t need anything else. We just hung a few chickens at home and rode mules to Changjiaji in Husu. Then we can exchange for some fresh fish and mutton, and get some new brewing water. How can we let it go? How many of you will eat this?”
"This is true." Han Xiangzheng also sighed with emotion. "But Lao Huang, you are pretty good. You have managed to survive these past few years. You are like Wang Xiangzheng, Liu Xiangzheng, Sun Xiangzheng, and your family in Sanhuang next door, let alone the property. Said, in the end, it fell into decline early, otherwise it wouldn’t be my turn to be a rural official with a low-income family..."
"How can Hanxiangzheng be considered settled? Your father once served as a county captain, so it's your turn to be a local." Huang Lichang answered quickly. "But those few are indeed impermanent. When they were young, I thought they were all wealthy people who would deal with them all their lives, but in the end they were all gone."
"What happened to those countrymen?" a young deposed Dragon Army sergeant asked out of curiosity.
Upon hearing this, Huang Lichang put down the wine bowl he had just touched and smiled bitterly:
"The first one failed in his three expeditions against the Eastern Yi and was beheaded by the government;
"The second one became a thief...no, he became a rebel and stood out for half a year. As a result, when the soldiers from the Hejian Camp arrived, his whole family was killed, and he was also driven to Bohai County by the Youzhou soldiers. Later, I heard that he died in the spring last year;
"The third man was not stable after he took over, so he gave money to the people in the Hejian camp. After Qiu, he built a small fort, built a polder, and claimed to be the garrison leader. However, he was deposed by the soldiers of the Dragon Army years ago. Eat it and kill those who show it to the public... It can be seen that it is fatal to take risks in the countryside these days. When the wind blows, nothing can stop it."
"What's missing is his family." Han Xiangzheng said with a smile. "The whole army of the Deposed Dragon Army came over, but they still had to build a stronghold, and no one was allowed to come and go at will. It was also found out that he was related to Gao Shizhan's third nephew who was torn apart next door, and was hiding people, so the stronghold was destroyed five days ago. .”
A young sergeant suddenly realized: "Isn't that the same family that Chief Jia brought down before? Is it actually a relative of Huang Lichang?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Lichang quickly waved his hand: "If it is true that relatives were killed together in Wuzhai... the villages are two villages, but they were one family five hundred years ago. They usually fawn over others, so they are called the main family."
Everyone laughed. Although Han Xiangzheng knew that Shuanghuangli and Sanhuangli actually had something to say, he regretted talking about it in front of the deposed dragon army, so he also laughed.
"It also depends on fate." After laughing, the same boss Zhao said openly. "For example, our Zhang Yingtou is also a village chief, and everyone knows Jiyin veterans. But when the world is in chaos, why don't we just ride on the wind, become the leader, and lead a battalion? This is just Hebei. Here and in the east, the industry and family are still there. Leader Dou, who is becoming more and more useful nowadays, was originally from Hebei. You should also know that the one in Gaojibo was also a county official, and then It’s the other way around…”
"We know about Leader Dou, but we only survived because the whole clan died." Huang Lizhang shook his head. "But your leader Zhang, is he so obedient?"
"Of course." Captain Zhao said seriously. "Back then, our situation in Zhangyingtou was the same as that here in Huang Lichang's place. We usually led three or five people to collect taxes, catch thieves and so on. But during the three expeditions, there were so many thieves that we couldn't catch them all, so the boss had to do the opposite. There was no way to punish him, so he abandoned his home and took a group of people to find the leader Wang Wulang and hid in Wang Wulang's village. Then he followed Zhang Longtou and established the Deposed Dragon Gang, which he has been doing until now."
"You are following the right person and meeting a noble person." Han Xiang was taking a sip of wine and interjected.
"Indeed." Captain Zhao thought for a moment and nodded seriously. "Actually, if we really calculate it carefully, seven or eight of the dozens of leaders of our Deposed Dragon Gang are from the ranks of village chiefs, township officials, and county officials. They were all forced to do nothing during the Three Expeditions, but when they encountered We all have bad luck in front of the leader... There is another leader Zhang, whom you should recognize, named Zhang Jinshu, a luxurious figure nicknamed the Eight-Armed Heavenly King. I heard that he is a county official in the Bohai Plain area here, and he is also the third Zheng was forced to rebel, but Hebei could not gain a foothold at all. As a result, he went to the east and met Zhang Longtou, and everything became prosperous..."
"This person really knows." Huang Lichang cheered up. "I met him once in Changjiaji. At that time, I was just in charge of public security. I came over to talk to some local heroes..."
"It is said that our big dragon head is really quite magical." A slightly younger sergeant of the Deposed Dragon Army also interjected at this time. "When I was with other camp leaders before, everyone in that camp said that our leader was selected by the Black Emperor in the North. Those who came to the Central Plains to soar in the mist were destined to achieve a legacy like that of the Emperor of Tang Dynasty. This time During the Ma Mian River war, there was also a rumor that Da Longtou’s true energy also had miraculous claims.”
People in Huang and Han were immediately surprised.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." However, Captain Zhao interrupted the statement directly. "Which big shot can't say anything? But our leader is indeed capable... Just compare Hebei and the East Territory and you will know... The three expeditions to Dongyi followed the river. Both sides suffered equally. As a result, the East Territory has stabilized. It’s so difficult here in Hebei.”
Han Xiangzheng shook his head and said nothing.
Huang Lichang hesitated for a moment, and then asked seriously: "Is the East Territory really good?"
"That's natural." Zhao said calmly. "I am from the Eastern Territory... To be honest, I didn't feel good about being in the Eastern Territory before. I also thought that Longtou's management was harsh and life was not as easy as usual. But as soon as I came to Hebei, I knew that Longtou was really capable and listened to him. Just tell him to do the work and fight with his food and salary, so as not to end up like the one in Hebei."
Huang Lichang nodded and couldn't help but ask again: "So, the county really provides seeds and farm tools?"
"Of course it's true." Before Captain Zhao could reply, Han Xiangzheng knocked on the table instead. "Old Huang, if you don't trust others, can I still lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes. Zhang Dalongtou was personally in charge of the county seat. Soldiers and horses from three battalions were placed on three sides. A big stove was turned on in the east. There was no sun. The ones at night are making farm tools; to the west are seeds and grains shipped from the east, all of which are escorted by cavalry... Including the copper coins and iron tools I gave you before, just for today's explanation, this is called turning swords into plowshares, and turning wealth into seedlings. .”
Huang Lichang was obviously stunned for a moment.
"If Brother Huang didn't believe it before, why are you still so attentive?" Zhao, who had just put down the soup bowl, also asked at this time.
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How did the nearly 100,000 Hebei garrison troops come from? ” Captain Zhao was extremely speechless and couldn’t help but sigh again. "Human life is the most despicable thing, but it is also the most resilient."
"Then don't these people want to go home?" the young sergeant continued to be curious. "Stay there as a field soldier?"
"Of course I miss home." Zhao continued to explain helplessly. "But not to mention that many of them are from other counties. Even those from these two counties have to finish their spring plowing before they are allowed to go slowly to find their families. Moreover, their families are still there? Apart from these, there is still military law. Yes, how can we leave the camp so easily without clear explanation from above? Those guys spent the New Year in the Eastern Territory last spring and didn’t want to come back. Shouldn’t we pursue it to the end?”
The young sergeant then shut up.
Just now, Team Leader Zhao came to warn Chief Huang: "Take this opportunity to check the people in the village... The so-called exchanging money for seeds and using knives to gather farm tools are just general terms. Fundamentally, it is still to farm, but it must be done in a serious way. If you don't do it falsely, you won't collect more taxes... Therefore, population is the foundation. This is why your family was wiped out. He wanted to hold Dingkou in his own hands. This is a real taboo. .”
Huang Lichang suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.
Then, everyone chatted some more, but they only focused on a few things - Huang Lichang asked about the spring plowing subsidy and the situation of peripheral wars, while Zhaobo asked about Shuanghuangli's current situation. How poor, how difficult is it?
In this way, the two parties ate until evening, and then went to see the mules and horses together. When they came back, it was almost dark. Huang Lichang bluntly said that there was no lamp oil and candles, and it was not easy to hold a torch in the house. Han Xiang was talking to Team Leader Zhao Several people had nothing to say, so they simply took a rest early in the side rooms on both sides of the main room.
Several guests went to bed without mentioning it. After a while, Huang Lichang calmly walked to the backyard with a torch, looked at the mules and horses again, told people not to forget to add food, and then left grandly through the back door of his house. He walked outside the village until he reached the big tree at the head of the village. He held the torch again and read the notice for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking.
After a while, a dozen men holding torches gradually gathered under the big dark tree. Although they were not fully dressed, they could barely be said to be holding knives and wearing armor. It was obvious that they had been in war for many years. There is no shortage of weapons and residual armor and stomach among the people.
"Brother Huang." Someone was waiting impatiently and took the initiative to speak. "Hurry up and take action. The longer things are delayed, the more unstable things become."
"I changed my mind." Huang Lichang turned around and said holding a torch. "Wait and see whether the Deposed Dragon Gang will give us seeds and farm tools, and whether they really want everyone to be safe... If they give it, we will have to flee to the west, and there is no need to destroy them. The lives of the fellow villagers are in vain..."
The surroundings became quiet, but one person was still angry: "Second uncle, we are leaving, why do we still care about our fellow villagers? How can we establish ourselves in Dalang's place when we get to the west without some things?"
"Are you in charge, or am I in charge?" Huang Lichang, holding a torch, asked coldly.
The man also immediately shut his mouth.
Seeing this, Huang Lichang also sighed:
"Everyone, as the saying goes, if you move a tree to death, a person will live if you move him. This is true. Moreover, we have indeed exhausted our resources in the past three years and have no way to survive. But as the saying goes, people are humbled when they leave their hometown... In today's world, then, Great generals and great heroes often die without a burial place. If you entrust your life to me, I have to weigh it carefully. Besides, the people in Shuanghuang are our fellow villagers, and they have nothing to do with us. If it is for This matter has delayed their spring plowing and ruined their lives, and I really feel bad about it... So, listen to me on this matter, let's take it slow, take it a little bit, okay?"
The people below looked at each other in shock, especially since some people had been reprimanded before. Naturally, they did not dare to say anything, so they all agreed and then dispersed.
Only the man who was scolded before could not help but turn around and say before leaving: "Second uncle, let alone the end of the road, the key is not to forget the fate of Uncle Sanhuangli!"
Huang Lichang was upset when he heard this, and just told the other party to go back to sleep quickly.
The next day, several deposed Dragon Army sergeants and Han Xiangzheng had no idea that they had escaped from the ghost gate last night. Instead, they sincerely said goodbye to Huang Lichang... This is how the so-called friendship actually came about... Then, Huang Lichang naturally also personally He led the horse and people to the entrance of the village.
At this time, Captain Zhao took something out of his arms and handed it to the other party.
"What is this?" Huang Lizhang looked at the thing in his hand and was puzzled for a moment.
"Food stamps can be exchanged for military rations at the county military camp. Those who work as craftsmen for the deposed Dragon Army in the county, as well as those of us retained officials know that they are also the most precious today." Han Xiang sighed and looked at Zhao Huo Long hand. "Brother Zhao is Renyi."
"It's not my kindness." Captain Zhao responded frankly. "There is a military law. You have to pay for eating out. You have to pay everywhere. Otherwise, if you are found out, it will be recorded. If there are too many, you will be transferred to the field soldiers... However, I heard you say it yesterday, and I watched it myself. You guys It’s really difficult now, so I decided to give it to myself... I know that people like you are heroes and don’t pay attention to these details, but this is really the best thing I can offer, so just keep it.”
After saying that, he turned around, took the horse, and headed towards the main road of Jiangling City.
But Huang Lichang looked at the thing in his hand, just doubtful.
