After the entire village got money from the soldiers who came back from Xia Kingdom, these petty officials went back laughing.
It was learned from their mouths that they were not planning to go back, but were going to the next village to ask for money.
On the way, his men's faces were full of envy.
This round costs a few hundred dollars, and there are several nearby villages. If we collect them all, it will cost thousands of dollars. This is not a small sum of money.
"Sir, you are really very knowledgeable. You actually know that these soldiers who came back from Xia Kingdom are worth so much."
The clerk's face was full of smiles.
"What do you know? Yesterday when we were having a drink, I managed to make an appointment with the fifth steward of Wang Shu's caravan. He only revealed this after he was drunk."
"Hahaha, I didn't expect that it gave us an advantage."
Another subordinate was a little confused.
"Sir, if we collect money like this, nothing will happen."
The clerk's expression froze and he didn't care at all.
"Don't forget who my father is. How can such a trivial matter alarm him? It's okay. In the next village, each of these soldiers' families will receive one hundred dollars."
"good!"
The subordinates became excited.
The strong man bought some grain from the town. Shang Guo's two stones of grain was only more than two hundred kilograms, which was not as much as Xia Guo's.
But the price was not small, it cost him nearly five hundred yuan, and the price was not expensive.
You must know that with 500 yuan, you can buy at least four stones of food in Yuntong.
If instead of buying corn, you buy corn and potatoes, it will be so cheap.
But I still had some savings, so I bought rice and corn, and just went home and cooked some porridge.
If you really want to keep eating like this, you won’t be able to eat even the gold and silver mountains.
It's a pity that we are no longer in the north. If you have no money in Yuntong County, you can not only eat corn and potatoes, but also buy beans and millet, which is yellow rice, and the price will be cheaper.
It's just that Shangguo is located in the Central Plains, and the crops are somewhat different from those in the north.
After the strong man returned home, the two Adi were already ready.
The two of them know that they will get married one day, so they need to get along well with their eldest brother and sister-in-law.
Fortunately, my sister-in-law is not difficult to get along with, but instead rushes for work.
The strong man took out a large jar of wine, filled it for himself, and continued to drink.
"Brother, let's set off quickly. We haven't finished yesterday's work yet."
The strong man nodded without saying anything. He took the tools and led the whole family towards the field.
He originally thought that collecting money would only be collected once a year, but after following the clerk back and showing off in the restaurant.
There are more and more people collecting money. Anyone who eats from the government, regardless of whether they are justified or not, will blackmail them as long as they find an excuse.
At the beginning, everyone believed that it would be better to do less than to do more.
But such concessions did not make these people restrain themselves, but instead intensified their efforts.
Half a month later.
The strong man with unshaven beard and dull eyes was sitting in the house drinking wine.
Just sent away a wave of officials.
30,000 yuan, not to mention, the amount of money harvested by the petty officials alone has already reached several thousand yuan.
Although it's not a lot, if this goes on, the money will eventually be spent.
The two aunties were so frightened by the officials that they just trembled. The son's eyes were full of hatred, his little fists were clenched tightly, and he wanted to fight the officials desperately.
My mother was weeping secretly on the bed.
"What a sin! My son came back from the dead, why didn't they let our family go!!!"
The strong man said nothing, and the cold light in his eyes kept flashing.
He understood that these petty officials would not stop exploiting them, and he didn't know why. He waited for them to come back.
Not only did the petty officials come to ask for money, but many people in the village did not want to see them.
At this time, a man walked in and said a few words in the strong man's ear.
The strong man nodded silently with a gloomy face.
"Okay, I agree. If this continues, our two years of savings will one day be drained."
A few days ago, someone came to contact me, and I couldn't live like this anymore.
The strong man is doing well here, he only has one son.
There was more than one son in other families, and they were making so much noise every day. Many family members gradually became dissatisfied with the son who returned.
After hearing the strong man's reply, the man who had just spoken immediately left with great joy.
night!
In a dilapidated room without any lights, a dozen people gathered inside.
These people are all soldiers released from Xia Kingdom.
Fortunately, there was no light, so neither could see the fatigue on each other's faces.
"This can't go on like this."
"Yes, you all have some money left over, but I am unlucky. I spent it all in the county before, but this time I only brought 5,000 yuan with me."
"My sister-in-law doesn't like me anymore. If my parents weren't here, she might have been kicked out."
"Oh, you guys are pretty good. You start from my house every time and draw your sword if you don't give them. If it weren't for the fear of attracting an army, I would have killed them long ago."
"Who says it isn't?"
At this time, everyone felt that something was missing, and someone said something.
"Master Captain, don't you want to express your opinion?"
The strong man was stunned. He hadn't heard anyone call him that for a long time.
Touching his stubble, he laughed at himself, "Don't talk about those who have something but don't have it. We can't accomplish anything big just by relying on a dozen of us."
"What do you think, captain?" an urgent voice sounded. It was obvious that he had been searched badly during this period.
Although many people have a lot of savings, they can't help but waste it so much.
"Gather people from several villages, and I'll go to the town to see if there are any connections. We have a good relationship."
another voice asked.
"Captain, we are now grasshoppers on the same rope. If you have any questions, you can tell us directly."
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel, we are all so miserable, why can't you say it clearly?"
"Yes, Mr. Captain, please, I can't bear it anymore. My money is not as rich as yours. I can only hold on for another month and I will be out of money. There is still a family waiting for food and drink at home. .”
The strong man rubbed his beard and sneered.
"During this period, I also understood clearly that Shangguo is not a place to stay for a long time, and the officials don't care about the lives of the people at all."
"We are also looked down upon here. It seems that the soldiers who were treated did not come back alive, but we were treated by Xia Guo but came back alive."
"If we continue to stay like this, something big will happen sooner or later. Why don't we find some connections and let's go back to Xia Kingdom."
"As long as we return to the Xia Kingdom, not to mention the rich clothes and fine food, but with our own efforts, it will be enough for the whole family to have enough food and clothing. There will be a heater in winter and they will not freeze to death."
Everyone was silent. They instinctively felt that they were from Shangguo.
Because I live near Fuyan, I still have a strong sense of identity with my country.
But after long-term cultural immersion in Zhuangzi, they gradually recognized the fact that all vassal states have one ancestor.
We are all a family, so if there is anything to fight for, it is no different from going to Xia Country. It is just a different place to make a living.
"I'll contact you right away!"
"I'll go too. My relative's home is in a nearby village."
Before everyone could disperse, a voice sounded.
"Do you still remember that a group of people were sent back before us?"
The strong man said unexpectedly, "Oh? That's what happened. I heard that there were fewer people than us last time, only 5,000. Shang Guo had 2,500 people. I don't know if they are here."
"I heard that most of them are near the border, but there are also some people near us. There are not many people, but most of them are living a miserable life."
The captain frowned.
"Although life is hard, it is not miserable."
A depressed voice sounded.
"Master Captain, please stop making sarcastic remarks. There are a few people who have returned who have adapted to this place."
"We need water, but there is not enough water. There is no food. There are no semi-automatic machines. The cattle at home are thinner than the pigs raised by Wu Anjun. If this continues, we will all go crazy."
The strong man nodded, what he said was reasonable.
"You guys should contact me first. It's not a good idea to stay here for a long time. I went to buy food a few days ago and found that the price of food fluctuated greatly. This is a chaotic situation."
"So, I plan to go to the town to look for the Xiaxia Kingdom's caravan."
"Master Captain, do you want to use a caravan to get out of the customs? But how can a caravan allow us to get out of the customs?"
The strong man sneered.
"Are you all stupid about farming? The power of the Xia Kingdom's caravan is spread all over Shangguo. Many grain and grass businesses, copper and iron businesses have the shadow of the Xia Kingdom's caravan. As long as we can get in touch, there will be no problem."
"Moreover, Yuntong County is now vigorously developing wasteland and is in urgent need of manpower."
The strong man's voice changed, his face full of melancholy.
"Mr. Wu An is a righteous man. Even though Zhuangzi is short of manpower, he still lets me wait to go home. How can such a wise king not make people yearn for him?"
"Yes, in Zhuangzi, as long as you pay the rent and poll tax, nothing will happen. If the leased cattle give birth to calves, you will be rewarded with money."
"I heard that a colleague ranked first in planting among ten thousand people. Not only was he exempted from taxes, but he was also rewarded with cattle, farm tools, and even the house was renovated for free."
"I heard that some of our Shangguo soldiers modified an ordinary farm tool and got the approval of Lord Wu'an. He was also rewarded with generous money and food. Even the wine lord rewarded him with a set."
Everyone exclaimed in surprise.
"What, the wine lord has rewarded me?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're so lucky."
"What are you talking about? Good luck, that's your real ability, right?"
"Hey, I heard that that guy was originally going to be recommended to Tiangong College, but he gave up because he didn't have any family members on the list and he was from Shangguo."
The strong man's face was filled with regret.
"Well, if you can enter any academy, your future achievements will be limitless."
"Okay, that's it, everyone goes to contact the people nearby."
The strong man changed the topic and his tone became cold.
"But I have to say something ugly before. We are all grasshoppers on the same rope. If our affairs are exposed and the matter becomes bigger, I am afraid that the whistleblower will not be able to deal with it. Instead, we will make the superiors unhappy, and it will be in vain. Lost his life.”
