As an important land pass, there are many mounted warriors like a group of people near the Taizhou North Gate. Although it is not uncommon, it is indeed not so rare that passers-by stop and watch.
The civilians who went out for an outing with their families consciously made way for the samurai to avoid them. Most of them lowered their heads humbly. A few young and ignorant children raised their faces curiously to watch and were soon pulled away by their parents. rebuke.
"Common people" - this is a word used by the Kingdom of the Moon as a general term for civilians. It is impossible to find words with exactly the same meaning in the Lamani language for translation. Even if you use long sentences to explain, it is often counterproductive. Some things are obvious to those who belong to the cultural system to which they belong, but it is difficult for outsiders to understand them.
The word "people" refers to the common people, but it is not just common people in terms of class. It also contains various aspects of life. The composition of civilians is very complex, with thousands of names and thousands of industry meanings.
If it were translated directly with the meaning of "one hundred surnames", most people in the empire would be confused, because most Kazuto people do not actually have surnames.
This is a more ambiguous and general concept. Like the social structure of the Moon Country, it is deep, complex and changeable, and it is difficult for outsiders to fully understand it in a day or two.
And this diversity is exactly what the group saw after entering the northern gate of Taizhou.
Even though the strict social class rules prohibit civilians from wearing the gorgeous clothes of nobles, you can still easily distinguish rich merchants from poor farmers based on their appearance.
It is already this time in late spring, and the temperature today is quite high. Even if you have a hat to protect you from the sun when you go out in the afternoon, it is still unbearably hot. Therefore, the farmers who work in the fields are not very well-dressed. Adult men often wear a simple crotch cloth and a light, short-sleeved, loose coat made of linen, which looks very unsightly and is just for coolness.
Because of the reserved culture of the Moon Country, women are indeed more completely wrapped up, but these clothes are mostly plain cotton and linen that have been washed and faded, and you can often see small and large patches of different colors.
In contrast, wealthy families who are engaged in business and have achieved modest success will naturally imitate the upper class society they long for in their clothing: men often wear clothing similar to samurai, and when the weather is colder, they will wear cotton underwear. The clothing is accompanied by a wide outer robe and a hakama called a hakama.
To be honest, this kind of clothing is only suitable for the spring and autumn seasons. It is not suitable for the late spring, summer solstice, and midwinter. Although the appearance is more elegant than the rude appearance of farmers who don't even wear bottoms, the thermal performance and breathability are not Very unsatisfactory.
Samurai dress similarly all year round, which is inseparable from the Kazuto warrior class culture's emphasis on patience and restraint. In a country with long-term peace and a large number of warriors who make a living by fighting and who have been training for combat since childhood but rarely have the opportunity to fight, what does the ruling class want the most?
The answer can be known from the current situation of the Moon Country.
Among the samurai who have undergone strict training and have followed various rules since childhood and lived a strict life, there have been many rebels throughout the ages who have banded together to become bandits and started to live a life of robbing others with force. Imagine if they did not constantly exercise themselves mentally; have an inner understanding of their own tradition, a spiritual belief in their own class; and an unshakable loyalty to their master. These long-trained skills have nowhere to be used. The martial attendant class will surely become a serious problem for the country in turn.
Without faith and a firm and unified goal, if you only act to pursue immediate interests, no matter how powerful your martial arts skills are, you will always be just a swordsman, not a true warrior.
"Warrior" is a Lamanite term. In order to facilitate the understanding of people within the empire, it is used to correspond to the existence of "knight". And like any translation, it must be different from the original context. The real name for this class in Kazuto's language is samurai - warrior warriors, people who master the power of force and serve the royal family and their own country with force.
Swords, armor, and even martial arts are actually just their appearance. Their truly important core is the spirit of self-discipline and absolute loyalty.
If these are lacking, then the warrior class, which forms an important structural support for this country, will become a thug who abuses force and plunders wantonly. And this country that has been unified for thousands of years is bound to be like the chaotic west coast of Rigal, where the heroes are divided and fight against each other endlessly.
——The words return to their original place.
Although wealthy businessmen often imitated their clothes out of their longing for the upper class, they eventually chose to compromise in some places without being trained in samurai self-discipline. For example, the horse hakama worn by samurai is a full-size long bottom that reaches to the ankles. In summer, merchants often wear a large-mouth half hakama that is only lower than the knee, similar to cropped pants. The same goes for the outerwear on the body. Both the upper and lower garments have been shortened in length and made of lighter and more breathable fabrics.
This kind of improved clothing was born because civilians imitated nobles and pursued comfort. Over time, it began to be accepted by the upper class and became the casual clothing adopted by many samurai, especially young people, in summer.
Of course, they will still wear neat and complete traditional costumes on the most formal occasions, but this kind of detail is proof that the seemingly distinct upper and lower classes in this country have actually not severed communication.
The group of people went upstream, and after walking more than a hundred meters away from the North City Gate, the flow of people began to gradually become sparse.
The Tomb Sweeping Day holiday lasts for a full week, but just like the soldiers who are still guarding the gate, there will still be people who choose to work overtime during the holiday to earn as much money as possible, whether they are public servants or individual merchants.
Although it is also very important to go on an outing with your family and visit the graves of your ancestors, your own business will be better if other families are closed. There are many businesses with this idea. The holiday lasted for a full week, so that they could travel separately at different times.
After officially entering the territory of Taizhou, businesses and workshops are lined up in rows. Looking further into the distance, the terraces built on the hillside reflect the gleaming waves in the bright sunlight.
From here, the terrain becomes lower again towards the west.
Rice, the staple food of the wealthier Japanese people, has officially begun to be grown in Taizhou. Although it is still grown in conjunction with other crops, as a production area of rice, it does not rely on trade like the northern land behind it, so the price is naturally higher. For cheap.
After passing the small businesses near the North City Gate, the group walked through the terraced area along the straight road on the ridge. When they looked down, they saw farmers busy planting rice.
The keel waterwheel, which is composed of a movable wooden structure, is set up diagonally at the top of the ridge road. After the waterwheel is started by manpower pedaling, the irrigation water is transported to the top from the artificial stream below and is automatically irrigated. In the dug trench.
Then it gradually flows along the planned ditch to each terrace.
After the land has been cultivated, irrigation needs to be done before transplanting the rice seedlings. After the irrigated water on the plowed fields has calmed down, the pre-cultivated seedlings are taken out and inserted into the rice fields one by one.
Judging from the fact that most of the fields were still vacant and the timing, it was obvious that when the group arrived, it was just the time for early rice transplanting to begin.
This is a very magnificent scene.
Looking forward from the land beneath our feet to the other end of the distant horizon, the trees and shrubs on the hillside were cleared and manpower transformed the hillside into terraced fields.
There is a stream about three meters wide at the foot of the mountain, which was dug manually in the past. After water was diverted directly from the Yongchuan River Basin, a wooden human-powered waterwheel was set up at intervals, placed slanted on the hillside, and the water was transported to the mountain by pedals. Mountain.
The waterwheel consists of a runner with a pedal and a transmission belt carrying a small wooden barrel on each section. The other end is placed in the water. As long as people step on the runner at this end like a staircase, the transmission belt will start to operate, automatically scooping up the clean water in the creek with each small bucket and moving upward. After reaching the top, due to the structural design And tilt the keg to pour clear water.
There is no need for manpower to carry it back and forth. You only need to tread water trucks to continuously transport the stream water to the mountain. After that, relying only on natural gravity, the water gradually flowed downwards and filled each section of the terraces.
The only thing farmers need to do is clear the ditches with pitchforks when they are clogged with weeds.
Relying on such efficient agricultural infrastructure, the cost of manpower and farming time has been greatly reduced. Although farmers are still at the bottom of society, the lives of farmers in the Kingdom of the Moon are completely different from those of Rigar's farmers who are often fed up with excessive taxes imposed by their lords.
Poverty is indeed still the norm for most people, but the so-called poverty in the Moon Country refers to the fact that you can't afford good food, you can eat all kinds of coarse grains, and most of the clothes are replenished, not that they are not fully clothed. The poverty of not having enough to eat. I can eat well, but not well; I have a house to live in, although it is not big. We need to work every day, and there are only national holidays like Qingming Festival a year where we can relax.
They are rich and poor. Although they cannot break through their own class for most of their lives, they can still live their lives peacefully.
Such a unique scene is really unimaginable for people who have come all the way from the Rigar continent.
A unified and powerful central government and strong supervisory measures prevent local officials from severely exploiting civilians - this is a reason for political structure, but this alone is just a piece of cake to satisfy hunger.
What truly determines the rich material culture of the Moon Kingdom is the large amount of infrastructure they have accumulated through thousands of years of peace without the destruction of war. The waterwheel and terraced fields that the group of people are about to cross are the epitome of this aspect.
No matter how loud the spiritual slogans are, if the material foundation cannot be satisfied, the status quo will still not be changed, or even if changes occur in a short period of time, it will eventually return to chaos.
If the loyal warrior class with faith constitutes the backbone and backbone of this country, then the workers and peasants all over the country who are engaged in their own industries in an orderly manner are the solid foundation of this country that cannot be shaken.
Relying on infrastructure, efficient and orderly farming means that they can have more time and energy to do other things.
It is very common in Taizhou for farmers to weave cloth and paper umbrellas while working in the fields. Most of the bosses of the small businesses near the North City Gate behind the group are willing to take over the items they made from the farmers and hold them in trust. sell.
Priest Alfonso looked at all this, combined with what he had seen and heard along the way, and the mixed emotions in his heart were not understandable to outsiders.
This is a country where the vast majority of people across the country are content with the status quo, like a towering tree with a solid foundation and luxuriant branches. The current sufferings of the White Church are all tests, and the fact that there will be a better life in the next life has no appeal to them at all. The more he understands the people of this country, the more he can be sure.
Everyone has their own concerns and thoughts. The thoughts given to them by the magnificent and vast scenery and the various aspects of life cannot be summarized in two or three sentences, but such issues can be thought about slowly. At the moment, they have more urgent things to do.
The supplies were almost exhausted and they had to find a way to replenish them.
And besides that - Henry and Mira looked back at the barbarians behind them who were dressed like ordinary people.
The joint trip of Temulun and others is officially over here.
As they move forward, Kazuto's power becomes more and more powerful. Even if there are samurai cover, the risk is too great for the minority people who are being hunted by Xinjing at this stage.
They plan to go into the mountains and go to the refuge of the Yi people in the mountains, and the best time to set off is in the past few days.
Hidden away in the city, if a Yi tribe of more than fifty people entered the mountains alone, it would be difficult to escape some of the passes set up by Kazuto.
But today is the Qingming holiday across the country, and there are countless civilians going to the mountains to pay homage to their ancestors and go on an outing. If he blends in and quietly disappears into the mountains, no one will notice him. This way, the Kazuto samurai will not have the chance to track him down and find the refuge of the barbarians.
"Are you really, really not sure about following us?" Temulun said this to Lulu as he stopped at the end of the terraces.
"..." The Yi girl shook her head. Although she was from the same tribe, she did not belong to the Temulun branch.
The front is the place of separation. Henry and his companions will take the western branch towards the Yongchuan River Basin, while Temulun and others will take the eastern road and enter the mountains.
As a parting gift, the last supplies and some tools were given to them for use along the way.
The common travel and the previous fight against bandits allowed the samurai to eliminate the barriers and establish a somewhat trusting relationship with the barbarians. Even though it was only a few weeks, the separation was still a bit sad.
But such is life.
When the two parties on the fork in the road almost lost sight of each other, they turned their heads in unison and performed a simple courtesy by pressing the edge of the bamboo hat on their heads.
"If we are destined, where will we meet again?"
