Zhang Chu originally had a family of more than 20 people, but now only three brothers are left. As the head of the family, Zhang Chu has never forgotten his father's instructions before he died of illness, and he must take good care of his two brothers.
When his younger brother Zhang Qi wanted to enlist as a Han soldier, Zhang Chu would never agree.
What kind of good outcome can there be from working hard to earn a living?
With his thin physique, his younger brother Zhang Qi would probably be the first to be cut down if he really went to the battlefield, let alone killing the enemy and making meritorious deeds.
"Brother, the barbarians have already run away to create households and farm. You are afraid that the government will exploit you after the fall and you will work in vain for a year. It's okay if you don't allow it." Zhang Qi complained angrily.
"However, this enlisted soldier can immediately get fifty acres of fertile land for serving without food, as well as a lot of cloth, money and supplies, but you still don't agree. Are you going to hide in this reed swamp and eat wild vegetables all the time? "
After Zhang Qi finished speaking, he was very angry and kicked a broken wooden barrel next to him to the ground.
Hearing his brother's complaints, Zhang Chu was also very troubled.
Since the Hulu retreated, in addition to the officials appointed by the Han State in Qingzhou who often came to these places where refugees gathered to encourage the refugees to establish households and farm in the fertile fields near the cities, there were also many Han military generals who came to these places where the refugees gathered every day. Local recruitment of soldiers.
Zhang Chu saw that all the Han soldiers were wearing bright clothes and armor, and they were holding various swords, guns and crossbows in their hands. They were as powerful as the rumors said.
Moreover, every time these Han soldiers recruited soldiers nearby, they would set up several large iron pots in advance to cook big bones and fat meat. The fragrant smell could float for miles.
Moreover, the leader of the Han army in charge of recruitment also said that as long as the Han army soldiers were recruited, they would not only be able to eat this broth and rice cakes every day, but they would also be given fifty acres of farmland exempted from military service, right here in Dunqiu County. The fertile fields near water.
However, in Zhang Chu's view, although the Hulu is gone now, he has been coming and going in the past few years without stopping.
This time the Hulu retreated. I don’t know when they will come back again.
After working hard on those fertile fields for a year, by the time autumn comes, the barbarians will most likely come to plunder them again. They have worked in vain for a year, fearing that it will be too late to escape by then, so they risk their lives.
After Zhang Chu expressed his concerns again, his younger brother Zhang Qi asked very puzzledly.
"Brother, after the households were divided into households, the officials all said that three hundred households should form a stronghold and build forts to defend themselves. With forts built, wouldn't they be afraid of barbarians?"
"Haha, if there is a Wubao, there must be a Wubao Master. Once you enter the Wubao and have the control of the Wubao Master, won't you become the Wubao Master's ox?" Zhang Chu said.
Hearing what Zhang Chu said, his younger brother Zhang Qi was also silent for a while.
The world is in chaos now, and there are barbarians, bandits, and rebels everywhere. Although if you hide in Wubao, you can probably save your life.
However, most of these handsome owners of Wubao are very vicious, and they are always very harsh on the refugees who possess Wubao. It is not too much to say that they are treating them like cattle and horses.
"Now, we are here next to Daze. Although we don't have any good harvests, we are not afraid of Hulu rangers, and we don't have the boss of the dock to bully us. Why bother to work as cattle and horses for others?" Zhang Chu said.
Seeing that his brother Zhang Qi hesitated due to what he said, Zhang Chu continued in a low voice.
"What's more, the three of us brothers will hunt a few passing 'fat pigs'. Once we save enough money, we will find a stable place to occupy land and buy a house to live a peaceful and happy life."
When he said these words, Zhang Chu's originally honest and kind face no longer had the loyal and kind expression before, replaced by another kind of ruthlessness.
"Nowadays, money is as cheap as dirt, and it can't even be exchanged for a few buckets of food. How long will it take to save?" Zhang Qi complained in a low voice when he heard this.
The Daze where the Zhang brothers gathered was close to the north-south waterway. Business travelers from Jizhou often passed through this area. The Zhang Chu brothers had repeatedly robbed lone travelers and accumulated a little money.
In the evening, when Zhang Chu's other brother Zhang An came back, the three brothers ate some wild vegetables and grain rice as usual, and then fell asleep wrapped in reed quilts in the thatched hut next to Daze.
However, the following days did not develop as the Zhang Chu brothers expected.
First, the refugees who fled from Jizhou to the south soon disappeared, leaving the three brothers to squat in vain several times.
Then, suddenly one morning.
These refugees who were close to Daze were forcibly relocated by county officials and soldiers.
The three Zhang Chu brothers looked at the large number of Han soldiers gathered outside Caozhai. Although they were full of reluctance, they had to obey the orders of the county officials, pack up their few remaining tattered property, and start moving.
After they were monitored by Han soldiers and walked outside Fanyang County, their names were recorded one by one by county officials and included in the county's yellow book.
They, the last refugees, are waiting for Fanyang County to give them land.
Sure enough, as Zhang Chu had thought before, although the refugees were allocated land, they were all under the jurisdiction of the newly established Wubao owners.
They, the refugees who have been allocated land, need permission from the owner of the dock to go out any distance except for work. Otherwise, they will be punished once they are encountered by county officials or patrolling rangers. If you are punished, not only yourself, but also the dock owner will be punished.
After hearing the county official's loud lecture, his younger brother Zhang Qi clicked his tongue and complained.
"This is really a fool's errand! If I had known this, I might as well have enlisted in the army!"
At this time, Zhang Chu had no thoughts at all about which dock master he would be assigned to oversee. All he could think about was the money he had accumulated hidden in a secret place in Daze.
"When you find a gap, you must take out those belongings. Otherwise, when the rains rise in summer, they may be washed away and scattered."
Just when Zhang Chu and hundreds of other refugees gathered outside the city, preparing to wait for Fanyang County officials to abdicate, the sound of rapid horse hooves suddenly came.
Zhang Chu and the others followed the sound and saw a dozen Han cavalry on horses, galloping towards them holding a red flag.
The county officials, who were originally arrogant in front of these refugees, immediately greeted them very respectfully.
"According to the order of General Zugong of the Western Conquest, these refugees have been recruited as soldiers of our army. You, bring their names here!"
The leading Han general ignored the county officials' flattery and spoke straightforwardly.
When the county official heard this, he was immediately stunned and couldn't help but asked carefully.
"But, these refugees were all requested by the prefecture to be registered as residents, right?"
The Han general took out a silk book and spread it out in front of the county official.
"Now that the barbarians are plundering again, the northern border is uneasy, and the general who conquers the west has the right to control Dunqiu County!"
The county officials were in a hurry and did not read the contents of the silk book clearly, but the cavalry in the army were so impressive that they did not dare to say anything more and quickly handed over the list of refugees who had just been counted.
The Han general took a look at the roster, quickly checked the number, and kicked the roster into his arms.
At this time, some nearby refugees heard the conversation between the county official and the Han general, and some immediately had the courage to shout.
"Master Jun, we only know how to plow fields. How can we kill people in battle? Please spare us, Master Jun!"
"Yes, Master Jun, I have a good family for generations, and I don't know how to kill enemies!"
Since the Cao Wei Dynasty, under the military system of military affairs, military households were like slaves of the country. Not only did they have no independent property rights, but even the ownership of their wives and children belonged to the imperial court.
A series of military systems have greatly degraded the social status of ordinary soldiers.
After the founding of the Western Jin Dynasty, the common people regarded soldiers as having low status. Ordinary farming and weaving households regarded themselves as having good status in front of these soldiers.
Faced with these pleading voices, the Han general remained unmoved at all. He glanced around the crowd with a cold look. Many refugees were so frightened by the murderous eyes that they shut their mouths.
"Hmph! You unruly people, don't think that I don't know that bandits are frequent in the Huangchi Daze area, and the merchants and people who come and go are repeatedly robbed. It's because of the daring ones among you!"
Hearing the Han general's scolding, all the refugees did not dare to speak any more, for fear that the bad debts would be brought upon themselves.
Seeing that he had shocked everyone, the Han general continued to speak loudly.
"The imperial court is merciful and has forgiven your evil sins. After you join the army, you will have jobs, land and houses!"
"Now that the Hulu troops are on the border, they can serve the emperor and the court. They can not only report the emperor's kindness, but also perform meritorious deeds. Isn't it the best of both worlds!"
Having said this, the general shook his wrist and vibrated the riding crop in his hand.
"Snapped!"
A crisp sound of a riding crop made these refugees shrink back in fear.
"Anyone who dares to speak too much will be beheaded in public!"
Looking at the fierce look of the Han general, Zhang Chu could only shrink back into the crowd in frustration, secretly hating his bad fate. If he had known this, he should have established a household as a citizen earlier. Even if he was restrained by the director of the dock, he would not be able to do it. It's better than following these Han soldiers into battle and risking your life.
However, when Zhang Chu turned to look to the side, he saw that his brother Zhang Qi's face was full of joy, while his other brother Zhang An's face was as full of frustration as his own.
Together with these hundreds of refugees, after another large group of Han soldiers arrived, they organized the people into troops and then distributed them to different camps and brigade.
During this process, many refugees were punished with crackling whips for various reasons, such as making noise, leaving the team, disobeying orders, etc.
At this time, there were already nearly a thousand Han soldiers gathered here. These soldiers, who had just been forcibly recruited from refugees into soldiers, were all holding back and not daring to break out even if their hearts were full of complaints.
Zhang Chu finally shook his head helplessly and sighed.
"Oh, everything is fate!"
=·=·=·=·=·
Yanzhou, Luzicheng.
Looking at the piles of emergency documents and letters asking for help in front of him, Liu Yu felt a headache.
Zhao Gu, who occupied Luoyang and rebelled against Hu Han and surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, after holding on for several months, saw that the Jin armies on the east and west were unable to rescue him. In addition, the Huns and barbarians drove the Jin people as the vanguard, which caused a huge attrition blow. The morale of the Luoyang defenders was reduced, and they finally lost confidence in defending Luoyang.
While the Huns and barbarians were storming the side of Jinming Gate, Zhao Gu led his troops out of the city and broke out to the south to escape. Tens of thousands of soldiers crowded onto the Luoshui Floating Bridge and scrambled to escape the isolated city of Luoyang.
Originally, everyone in the world thought that Zhao Gu could resist the Huns for at least a year and a half with the help of the fortified city of Luoyang, and that he could use this to consume a large amount of troops and supplies from the Huns.
Who would have known that in just a few months, Luoyang City would fall into the hands of the Huns again.
Moreover, after this battle, the military power of the Xiongnu and Han Dynasty became more prominent again.
At this time, Liu Yu was discussing countermeasures with Xi Jian, Hua Xiu, Gongsun Sheng, Zu Yue, Xun Sui and other officials.
"Less than twenty-three out of ten of Zhao Gu's troops fled to Yingchuan, and the rest were chased by the barbarians or fled. The Huns and barbarians could not spend more than a few thousand soldiers, so they forced Zhao Gu to abandon the city and flee. The powerful dock owners in Sizhou are already frightened after hearing this, and only dozens of docks in Xingyang, Jijun, and Hanoi are holding on." Hua Xiu said with some worry.
Although the Wubao in Sizhou vary in size and strength, there must be more than a hundred of them of considerable scale.
Since Luoyang fell into the hands of the Huns again, there are only a few dozen Wubao left that can continue to stand out against the Huns.
"The Hulu vanguard has crossed the river and headed north towards Hanoi County. Guo Mo, the prefect of Hanoi, has just been appointed by His Majesty. He will definitely suffer a heavy attack from the Huru. If troops are not sent to rescue him, Guo Mo's troops will be defeated, or he will be defeated. Surrendering to the Hulu will be a great loss to His Majesty and the reputation of the Emperor!" Xi Jian also said immediately.
"I already know about this matter, and have urgently ordered General Zu Ti to recruit soldiers from Yangping, Dunqiu, and Wei counties to assist Guo Mo in Hanoi!"
Liu Yu touched the document with Zu Ti's reply on the case. In just a few days, Zu Ti had already recruited 20,000 soldiers.
"Your Majesty, after all, Zu Ti's troops are short of elite soldiers. Even though there are tens of thousands of new soldiers, if they encounter strong Xiongnu soldiers, it will be difficult to stop them."
After Sikong Xunfan died of illness, Xunsui, who was appointed as a regular servant of Sanqi because he "does not avoid the affairs of the Jin Dynasty", also spoke up.
"The safest strategy is not only to send troops to stop Hu Lu from attacking, but also to harass his flanks with surprise troops!"
After hearing the words of Xun Sui, the regular attendant of Sanqi, Liu Yu immediately asked.
"Xun Qing, where are the strange soldiers coming from?"
Xun Sui said immediately.
"The surprise troops will naturally come out from behind the Huru. Your Majesty can send a message to Jinyang and Yingchuan urgently and ask Liu Kun, Xun Song and other Jin troops to attack the Huru's flank together!"
"Liu Kun, Xun Song?" Liu Yu was stunned when he heard this.
"These two people respect the Jin Dynasty as their masters and have never received my imperial edict. How can we make them agree to join the army?"
