Li He was finished. He could have moved to the new city and continued to be a rich man, but he was tortured by this prodigal nephew. He lost all his belongings and the rest had to be confiscated because he had become a prisoner of the imperial court.
Immediate family members gathered their men and openly attacked the officers and soldiers in broad daylight. Without even thinking about it, it was a serious crime against the Nine Clan. If the nephew acted like this, he, as a biological uncle, would be beheaded without warning.
Whether they can escape or not depends on what Liu Shuang and others reported. If they were not involved from beginning to end, there might be a glimmer of hope. Li He was grasping at this life-saving straw, which was better than grasping at nothing.
He pretended not to have seen the three military masters Liu Shuang, Sun Lei and Wei Lai divide the money, even though all the money in the village, even if it was on dead people, was his money.
But at this time, my life is in the hands of others. If I dare to say no, I may be killed.
When people change their story later, they can just say that he is also a group of people who gathered together with Li Ji to rebel.
Although Li He's family members did not work in the army, he knew this group of people very well.
These days, officials are looking down upon people's lives and urging them to pay taxes.
The generals killed good people and took advantage of their merits, and poisoned the people.
This group of people said they were from the East Palace Guards, under the guise of the Crown Prince, and they were not sure where they came from behind the scenes.
There is the banner of the Crown Prince above and Li Chengdong's sign below. Li He and Li Chengdong have the same surname. What can they do?
In Li Chengdong's eyes, Li He is just a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Therefore, Li He didn't say anything at this moment. He did whatever the military masters told him. He had no regrets.
Not to mention dividing his money, even if he divided his woman, Li He had to swallow his anger and accept his fate.
What surprised him was that this group of people didn't seem to be interested in his woman, which really baffled him.
Li He didn't know that all the officers and soldiers would be responsible for harvesting crops during this trip.
Killing the rebels is secondary, the most important thing is not to return empty-handed.
How can the prince be happy when he comes back with a bunch of heads after not receiving any food?
If everyone does this, what will they eat and drink in winter?
Liu Shuang and others worked hard all afternoon. On the next day, they once again ordered the people who were not affected by the disaster to go to work in the fields.
Before Donglu has entered the pass, the harvest must be completed immediately, otherwise the best wheat in front of him will be burned by a fire.
Wei Lai returned to Fengjia Village where he was responsible. What happened in the neighboring village yesterday did not affect the wheat harvest here. Early in the morning, the two deputy platoon leaders and the people were busy harvesting in the fields.
Feng Haoxue, the village tyrant of this village, did not come forward like yesterday, but sent many servants to cooperate with the government troops.
He himself directed his servants in his yard to pack valuables in boxes and prepare to run away to the capital.
Feng Haoxue's name sounds interesting, but in fact he is not a scholar, it's just his father's wish.
In his opinion, if he could inherit such a large family property, it would be insignificant to be a good person and bring glory to his family.
When an official has to please his superiors and act based on other people's faces, how can a landlord be comfortable? Just have a good relationship with the county magistrate.
Yesterday, these officers and soldiers came to the village in a fierce manner, but Feng Haoxue was so frightened that they thought they were here to arrest him.
Only after asking did he find out the truth, and he hurriedly held a banquet to entertain many military lords and cleanse the dust of the heroes.
It would be appropriate to first stop everyone's mouths and then use some money to get the officer leading the team.
The prince said that the walls should be fortified and the country should be cleared, leaving no food for the Tatars. Feng Haoxue was determined not to disobey the holy will.
He has 800 acres of fertile farmland, which can be irrigated by the river. One acre of land is half a stone of wheat, totaling 1,200 stones.
Naturally, transporting such a large amount of grain by horse-drawn carriages was beyond our means, and it had to be loaded onto ships before it could be transported to the capital as soon as possible.
The reason why Feng Haoxue was so active was also very simple, because he learned from the military master that the purchase price was two taels of silver and one stone.
In this way, my harvest this year will be more than two thousand taels, which is enough for the whole family to stay in the capital for half a year.
If there is no place to store such a large amount of food, it must be cashed out as soon as possible, otherwise it will be a hot potato.
"Wardrobe! Wardrobe! Don't touch it!"
One of Feng's studious concubines ordered the servants to carry the newly purchased wardrobe out of the house. They had waited in line for two hours and spent twenty taels of silver to buy it. They must not leave it to Donglu.
“How can such a large object be easily moved into the city?”
Seeing that his concubine actually wanted to take this piece of furniture away, Feng Haoxue felt a little overwhelmed, but he refused flatly.
"No! No~! Master, I just like this wardrobe~!"
Because the concubine has a good appearance and a figure that resembles a Yangzhou thin horse, she has been deeply favored by Feng Xiuxue since she was married. She doesn't care if it is inconvenient to carry her, as long as she likes it, she will take it away.
"Okay, okay! Move it! Move it!"
Feng Haoxue was most affected by the fact that his concubine was acting coquettishly towards him. While he was impatient, he also seemed to have a sense of enjoyment.
Besides, twenty taels of silver is money. You have to spend money on everything when you get to the capital, so save it now if you can.
Although my family can meet the standard of earning thousands of taels of silver per year, if I have to be filial to the magistrate and don't contribute to the magistrate, 70% to 80% of my income will be taken away.
Secondly, they have to support a large family, including relatives and servants. The money spent on wives and concubines every year reaches hundreds of taels.
In addition to the expenses of more than thirty servants, maids, and numerous livestock, Feng Haoxue could only save hundreds of taels of silver throughout the year without being extravagant.
Even so, Feng Haoxue was not very happy, because the Eastern captives had to withdraw from the pass in the spring, and the Eastern captives had to knock on the pass in the autumn. Wouldn't this allow people to live?
Previously, Donglu had been quite abiding by the rules. As long as the villagers did not resist and paid the prescribed amount of money and food, they would let everyone go.
Thanks to this, the poor farmers were left empty-handed after paying the money and grain in their hands, and had to borrow money from the Feng family.
Such a back-and-forth cycle allowed Feng Haoxue to gradually control more than half of the village's fertile farmland.
Although Feng Haoxue was grateful to Donglu for his indirect help, he was not looking forward to Donglu's comeback.
After Donglu's repeated plunders, he had taken control of the village and no longer needed Donglu.
However, this time Donglu knocked on the pass again, it was equivalent to plundering twice a year, breaking the default rules of both parties.
Just play this way, let alone poor farmers, even landowners like him who have some wealth can't stand it!
Donglu is trying to catch all the fish!
Although Feng Haoxue read very little, he was not stupid, let alone dull.
The King of Ming Dynasty was not useful before, so he showed favor to the King of Qing Dynasty.
Now that the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, there are weapons from the fairy world to help him, and there may be a chance of improvement. In addition, the dog Tatar is driving people to death, so he does not intend to continue feeding the wolves meat.
Fortunately, there was still time to harvest crops, otherwise the whole year's harvest would have been burned down in a fire, and Feng Haoxue, who suffered huge losses, would have cried and fainted on the spot.
"Master Jun, I'm so brave. I don't know when Donglu will knock on the pass. My family can follow the villagers to the capital in time."
Seeing Wei Lai entering the hospital, Feng Haoxue hurriedly went out to greet him and planned to ask about Donglu.
"The above only said that the crops should be harvested within five days and the grain should be transported to the capital. The specific time of Donglu's knock on the gate has been published in the newspaper. If you haven't bought the newspaper, then ask about it. My general said that it will be in ten days. Two days before leaving, maybe eight days left.”
Wei Lai couldn't say much about this matter. After all, he was just a small platoon leader. Even the company commander or even the battalion commander might not be aware of such an important military event.
"Thank you, Master, for telling me. I will order my servants and fellow villagers to harvest the crops within five days. I will not embarrass Master!"
Feng Haoxue didn't want to offend the other party. Each of them had a blunderbuss, and there was a package slung on the side. It was said to be a palm thunder, which exploded into a large area. Who dared to provoke this?
After harvesting the crops and cashing in the money, he would find a house in the capital and spend the first half of the year with his wife and concubines until spring began.
Donglu is not easy to fight. Everyone knows that once the war lasts for a long time, the outcome will be unpredictable. Feng Haoxue does not know whether the crown prince is sure of victory.
"It's best. You also saw the flares rising over the Lijia Village yesterday. I don't want to hide what happened from you. The Li family led a rebellion and attacked the prince's troops. They were suppressed yesterday afternoon. Don't you dare We must learn from the Li family!”
The purpose of Wei Lai's recounting of this incident was to warn the other party that if they dared to have different intentions, this would be the end.
"Ah? Oh my god! This...this..."
Feng Haoxue was stunned and didn't know how to reply. He didn't dare to provide guarantee for Li He. This kind of thing was a serious crime and anyone who said the wrong thing would be implicated.
"The whole Li family will be escorted to the capital. What fate they will end up with depends entirely on the Holy Judgment!"
Wei Lai didn't know whether Li He could save the dog's life in the end. This matter was not his business.
"Yes, yes! What the military master said is absolutely true! I am definitely loyal to the Ming Dynasty! Loyal to the court! And even more loyal to the crown prince! Don't dare to have any different intentions!"
Feng Haoxue hurriedly assured the other party that looking at the way this man hurriedly led his troops towards Lijiacun yesterday, he had a rough guess.
He didn't expect this outcome, but he still planned to live a happy life for many years with his concubine in his arms. He didn't want to lose his body and become a ghost under the knife.
"That's the best. As long as you transport food into the capital, the prince will not treat you badly!"
The Donggong Guards came to Tongzhou just to transport food. Whether it was transported by water or still in the fields, what could be taken away must be taken away, and what could not be taken away must be burned.
The task Li Yuanyin assigned to everyone is also very clear. They must transport as much food as possible. The top five companies that transport the most food will also receive rewards from his own pocket.
Although the amount of the reward will not be as generous as that of the Crown Prince, it is still sweet. With this motivation, everyone will naturally be willing to come down to collect food.
Another point is that this time it is a "grain requisition" or "grain collection", and it is definitely not a grain grab.
Because many crops have not been harvested yet, if you want to rob them, you have to go to the fields and cut the wheat yourself.
Li Yuanyin also revealed a trick to everyone, which is "coercion and inducement"!
The collection of grain is an order from the Crown Prince, and no one is allowed to disobey it. And it's not Bai Zheng, they will all be levied at the price of one stone and two taels of silver.
It would be best if the people are willing to sell grain. As long as one person sells fifty kilograms of grain, he can be qualified to take refuge in the city.
If you don't want to sell grain, that's fine, but you will definitely not be able to enter the city. Except for the capital, you can go wherever you like.
It doesn't matter whether the crops are harvested or not, but as soon as the time limit is up, the crops that have not been harvested will be burned.
In short, you can keep the grain for yourself or sell it to the court, but you can't leave it in the fields.
"Master, master, it's not good!"
"Why are you so panicked? Didn't you see that the military master is here?"
"Sir, the big boats in the river have all gone to Tongzhou, saying they want to transport the grain from the south of the Yangtze River!"
"ah???"
The news from his confidants left Feng Haoxue a little confused as to what to do. If he couldn't even hire a boat, even if the village's grain could be harvested on time, he might not be able to transport it all to the capital by vehicle.
"Don't worry, Mr. Feng. Grains come from a long way by water. Naturally, they have to be given priority. Tongzhou is so close to the capital. You can go there and back in one day. Our village is very close to the river bank. As long as it reaches the river bank on time, there will be ships." Coming for shipment.”
This is an order from above, because without water transportation, it would be impossible to transport all the grain into the capital in a short time.
Not only the large ships in the Tongzhou section, but also the ships in the capital area have arrived in Tongzhou, with the purpose of transferring food as quickly as possible.
The troops and horses have not moved, but the food and grass go first!
Right now, food is more important than gadgets. Boats of all sizes in the river come and go, and the water transportation route is as lively as a festival.
"Thank you, Master, for telling me, otherwise I would be on pins and needles!"
Feng Haoxue also planned to use his own vehicle to pack the family's daily necessities. If all the food was packed, many items would have to be thrown away, but he was reluctant to part with them.
"Buy some fish to reward everyone, and have a good dinner so that you can have the strength to work in the fields the next day!"
Wei Lai pointed out a convenient way for this guy, so he couldn't take advantage of him in vain. Through the account numbers, Wei Lai knew the approximate income of this guy.
Almost every village has a rich one and a poor one. Taking advantage of the fact that the fish in the river are fatter in autumn, we can simply let this guy pay for the fish.
Poor people do not necessarily have to eat meat all year round. Wei Lai also comes from a poor family and feels the same way. This is not his hometown, but he also wants to attract considerate people.
"Yes, yes! I will send someone to buy twenty big fish, cook them and give them to the military men to enjoy!"
Feng Haoxue immediately understood what the other party meant. A group of military lords came here to extort money and money, so he could only meet the other party's request.
"It's for the village ministers who go to the fields to harvest crops!"
When Wei Lai saw that this guy had misunderstood, he directly explained his intention.
"ah???"
Feng Haoxue didn't refute, but his surprised look showed his inner thoughts.
"We all come from poor backgrounds. After joining the East Palace Guards, the Crown Prince treated me with great kindness. He never withheld money and food, and we could often eat fish and meat. As a wealthy family in this village, don't you follow the Crown Prince's style? Is that what it should be? Is it possible to be rich and unkind?"
Wei Lai took the opportunity to move out the prince, a great immortal that no one dared to offend, and give him a good beating.
"Don't dare! Don't dare! I will definitely obey the orders of the military master! The prince is wise and mighty, so I should bow down to him! I will send people to buy a lot of fish. I don't ask for merit, but I want no fault!"
Feng Haoxue secretly looked down on vulgar martial artists, but he had no choice but to have firearms in his hands.
There are also lessons learned from Li He's mistakes. It's better to believe that they have something than to believe that they don't.
It’s better to buy some fish while it’s not too expensive, since you won’t be able to eat it for a few days anyway.
Feng Haoxue felt very uncomfortable because he was getting a better deal on those poor people.
