After hearing what the villagers said, Wang Xiaolie turned to look at Brother Song over there, and suddenly felt much taller.
Yes, when the golden soldiers attacked, there were places where the city was opened by shooting one or two arrows at it, and there were also such unyielding people. It was their bloody battles that made the invaders understand that there were unyielding people here and that this was a respectable land.
Returning to his seat and sitting down, Wang Xiaolie was thoughtful. Last year when the Jin soldiers came south, there were countless people like Brother Song. They stood high and shouted in the face of the invaders, and dedicated their blood to the enemy's butcher's knife. The enemy retreated, they were injured or sick, and lived in obscurity.
Brother Song finished his wontons and sat down to rest. Several diners nearby said: "Second brother, what was that day like? Twenty or thirty of you guarded the ferry, and the villagers fled to the mountains. There were dozens of people, and you were the only one left."
The second brother Song clenched his fists and said loudly: "Zhi Niang thief, it's tragic to say that! Twenty or thirty of us, following Brother Tan, guarded the Ruhe Ferry to prevent the Jin soldiers from coming. Alas, we were originally The common people only had a few simple knives and a few hunting bows in their hands, so they naturally suffered losses on the battlefield. Those Jin men were really not afraid of death! They ferried over, and we went up and scuttled it with all our lives. Not long after, they came again. You guys I don’t know, the Jin soldiers are all from the north and don’t know how to swim. As soon as the ferry sank, they splashed in the water, and I don’t know how many drowned! But there were so many of them, they came again!"
A person next to me said: "We Han people are more numerous!"
Brother Song was stunned for a moment and said: "Speaking of which, there are naturally more Han people, but there are only few people on the battlefield."
Some people scolded me. As soon as the Jin soldiers came, the officials ran away first, and then the army dispersed. The only people who stopped the Jin soldiers on the battlefield were the common people. How can the common people fight against the regular army? Naturally, you can only use your life. How many people died like this.
Brother Song sighed: "You don't know that at that time, arrows at the ferry were like locusts, covering the sky and the earth! We had no armor or helmets, and it would be difficult to survive if we were hit by an arrow. How could we persevere? Poor brother Tan, with all his body Shot like a hedgehog!”
"Brother Tan is a good man!" the people around him praised together.
Brother Song sat there, looking at the sky, and said nothing for a while. After a while, his face turned red and he became a little excited.
"Well, if we had armor and crossbows, we might have been able to stop the golden soldiers! But we patrolled the city, led the soldiers to rob the city, and fled to the mountains to the south. Within a few days, they were all broken up! Hundreds of them If people were to fight like us, how could it be so easy for the Jin Army!"
Everyone cursed together again. Forbidden troops and patrols in these cities usually bully the people, but they run away when the war comes. As long as they have three-point bloody nature, they will not be like this. Not only did they run away, they also took away all their weapons, leaving the people to go to the battlefield with bare hands.
Brother Song clenched his fists and knocked on the table: "Twenty-eight of us stayed at the ferry for an hour and a half. The sun was about to set, so we held on! But there was no one left! In the end, only six of us were left. Everyone stood. When the Jin soldiers came to the ferry, we all got on board. Even if there were less people, we couldn't sink the ship! What can we do? Six of us were stabbed down by the Jin soldiers one by one. The Jin soldier opposite me took a knife and chopped one of my legs off. My hands and feet just thought I was dead. But I didn’t expect that I came back to life in the end!”
Having said this, Brother Song sighed. Looking into the distance, I seem to see the war at that time.
The cool autumn wind picks up the fallen leaves and rolls them on the ground. People in the market were bustling and noisy. A sun in the sky was covered by clouds and turned pale.
Wang Xiaolie sighed softly. Thinking of the several battles between himself and the Jin Army, it was like a dream. When I think about it now, I just remember that my blood surged up, and I rushed forward with my gun in hand, followed by my brothers behind me. I don't remember much about other things.
I won, but all I remember is that I was brave and a little reckless. Second Brother Song was defeated, and all he remembered was the dripping blood.
In fact, there is more than just the second brother Song. Most of the people who resisted the gold had died on the battlefield. As they died in the battle, the former countryside became deserted, and the surviving villagers left for far away places. Their bones turned into soil, and no one remembered their names.
This is war. It’s not just the heroes who are fighting on the battlefield, it’s not just the traitors who work as mischief, it’s not just the people who are struggling to survive, it’s also the people who died silently in the resistance.
If this fails and the invaders take over this land, the history of these people will be erased forever. The people they protect, the descendants of these people, will never be able to hold their heads high. Just like the Mongols destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, the people in the south of the Yangtze River were specifically called southerners and were at the bottom of society. People live in this world. It is not easy to form a family, but it is even harder to form a nation. But the destruction of a family and the destruction of a nation are actually not that difficult. Or it may disappear completely within decades, or even years.
The thought of a nation disappearing makes me shudder. But in fact, it's really not that difficult. Is it just because of the large population that the Chinese people continue to live on from generation to generation? If the population is too large, everyone will die? More importantly, there are these unyielding people. They are not afraid of death so they can protect people and survive. Even if the higher-ups are afraid, even if there is no organization, they are still strong.
After finishing the wontons, Wang Xiaolie sighed softly. Taking up the sword to resist is actually not just unyielding, not just revenge, but also to prevent the blood of heroes from being shed in vain. Only by following their footsteps and not being afraid of sacrifice or bloodshed can we usher in a better tomorrow.
Organize your own army and firmly resist the Jin Dynasty in order to protect your home and country. Look at these people and you'll know why.
After accompanying Wang Qingxiu around the market, Wang Xiaolie had no intention of staying there any longer. Take your subordinates and return to Ruzhou.
When he arrived at the state government office to deal with some paperwork, Wang Xiaolie called Zhou Na, who was in charge of chores.
He saluted. Wang Xiaolie said: "I returned to my hometown yesterday and saw a villager at the market. When the Jin army came south last year, twenty or thirty of them guarded the ferry, allowing the villagers to flee into the mountains. Of the twenty or thirty people, he was the only one alive. , haven't done anything yet. Last year, when the Jin soldiers attacked Ruzhou, the officials and generals fled after hearing the news, and the Jin army almost occupied the city without any blood. But in the countryside, in addition to the officers and soldiers, many people fought for their lives against the Jin army, which is really sighing. "
Zhou Na said: "The Jin soldiers came, burned, killed and looted. How could the people just surrender?"
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "Yes, who is willing? If they don't resist and are killed by the Jin soldiers, they will point their swords at these bones and say, look, these are slaves. Those who are not dead will be killed by the Jin soldiers." If you were taken to the north, wouldn't you be a slave? Now that we are stationed in Ruzhou, we will fight when the Jin army comes again. We cannot let the people die. However, these people who once fought against the Jin army cannot be ignored. You Send someone to count how many such people there are in the state and how they are living now. The state will spend some money to keep them fed and clothed. Also, there are many jobs whether in the countryside or in the city. The left and right are recruiting People, let them do what’s appropriate.”
Zhou Na thought for a while and said: "To know a state and work for the government, there are many requirements. For example, you need to be able to read and calculate, know official affairs, and so on."
Wang Xiaolie said: "How can all positions be like this! Just like Second Brother Song, the market in Zhaoluo Town needs someone to manage it, so you can entrust him to lead some people to watch. It is nothing more than handling disputes and collecting taxes. He Having killed the enemy in battle, he has a murderous intention, let's see who dares to disobey him!"
Zhou Na hurriedly handed over his hands and said yes.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Many places in the prefecture and county need people. Different from before, now we all give money to support people."
In the past, public officials in prefectures and counties received very few salaries, and most of them had no money. What to do if the money is not paid? According to the official statement, this is a kind of service that requires middle and upper-class households in the state and county to contribute. Among them, the most serious one was Li Zheng Ya Qian, because he was likely to lose all his property due to the loss, and he was even asked to replenish his income among the top households, making the people miserable.
One of Wang Anshi's reforms was the recruitment law. That is to say, the people's recruitment money was collected, and some official positions in prefectures and counties were changed to employment. But most public officials still have no money.
What to do if the money is not paid? Is it really just that the family paid for it and worked voluntarily for the government? of course not. Corruption among state and county officials is commonplace, and everyone from the government to the people is accustomed to it. The money that comes into their hands is much more than the government salary money.
Wang Xiaolie's method was to increase government income. From officials to civil servants, all salaries are paid by the government. If salaries are paid enough, corruption can theoretically be eliminated. There is a saying in later generations that high salary fosters integrity. A high salary does not necessarily guarantee integrity. Who said you have to be law-abiding if you get a high salary? The integrity of officials depends on strict government management and adequate supervision. But the salaries of officials are too small and they can't even support their families, so how can they take care of them?
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, especially the Ming Dynasty, officials' salaries were very low, but state and county officials had great responsibilities. It is actually impossible to make them as clean as water. No matter how strict the government is, they still have to turn a blind eye. The Song Dynasty was different. Officials' salaries were already high and they did not open up the door to additional income.
There is a saying that if you clean up the prefecture in three years, you will spend one hundred thousand dollars. Of course, if someone explains this sentence, I must mention that this sentence existed in the Song Dynasty. Where to draw this conclusion, I won’t say. From what Wang Xiaolie saw, these words had nothing to do with the Song Dynasty, but mainly the Qing Dynasty. Because in the Qing Dynasty, the finances of prefectures, counties and localities were in a mess. As long as they are willing, there are too many places for state and county officials to put their hands on. But in the Song Dynasty, state and county officials did not have that much power.
Whether he can make so much money depends on Wang Xiaolie's efforts. But he hopes to use official power to plug these loopholes. It's not a bad thing that the court's income is high, it just depends on where the money is spent. What is the wealth hidden among the people? How could the imperial court hide wealth from the people if it had no money?
People like Brother Song who fight for the country should try their best to support them with government money. As a government, this is what we should do.
