"There are no men in the village, are you in trouble?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
Ahe didn't know how to answer. Life had always been difficult. The master had to take away most of the food in the fields, and the labor and military service were endless. He was exhausted from work, but when he opened his eyes, there was still endless work to do. But At least no one was killed or set on fire. What else could one be dissatisfied with in this world?
"I mean what do you think if I can get the men from the village back?"
"Bodhisattva bless you, but is this possible?"
Wang Wenzuo smiled: "Do you know where your master lives?"
"I know, just get over that mountain!"
"That's very good. I'll write a letter and you can bring it to your master. At least the man in your family can come back!"
Ah He didn't know how she got home, but when she returned to the shabby thatched hut, she almost couldn't breathe. She looked at the fence of the yard numbly, and subconsciously touched her waist. Only now could she confirm that it was not a dream, and tears immediately flowed from her eyes.
"Sanlang, you are still kind-hearted!" Cui Hongdu said with a smile: "Those Japanese are really lucky!"
"This is not a good intention!" Wang Wenzuo covered his nose: "The epidemic does not distinguish between friend and foe, and we still need more manpower!"
"What, you want to incorporate those Japanese into the army?"
"No, the time is too short! But it can be sold to the Silla people!" Wang Wenzuo smiled.
"Silla people?"
"Yes, there is a shortage of manpower here, haven't you noticed?" Wang Wenzuo pointed around: "Goguryeo and Silla people fight every year, and all the people who die are men. Silla people must be in short supply of labor. There are more than a hundred people here. The Japanese can definitely be sold at a good price!"
"That's true!" Cui Hongdu also understood at this time: "Did you write this in the letter?"
"Well, although Silla and Tang Dynasty are allies, the people of Silla are quite wary of us, and we are uninvited and uninvited guests. If we don't show some goodwill first, they will definitely not treat us well next. cooperative!"
Wang Wenzuo's judgment was very accurate. On the third day after he landed, the local lord of Silla came. After confirming the identities of Wang Wenzuo and the others, the lord's attitude immediately became respectful. After greetings, the lord Start complaining.
"Angel from above, you've seen the situation. I'm not trying to shirk it. It's really beyond my power. Every summer in the past few years, Goguryeo has sent Mohe people to plunder. Today it's even worse. Even Shuchuan City We’ve been waiting around for several months, it’s really—”
"City Lord!" Wang Wenzuo interrupted the other party's complaint: "I also know your difficulties, but Tang Dynasty and Silla have an agreement to send troops together to attack Goguryeo. Where is your army now?"
"This -" the city lord showed a troubled look: "I have a humble official position, so I don't know these things. Please forgive me!"
"Forget it, what about the grain, fodder and livestock we are waiting for?"
The city lord tugged at the necklace around his neck, something he often did when he felt uneasy: "I can only do my best, and you have seen that the land here is barren and cannot be compared to -"
"City Lord!" A smile appeared on Wang Wenzuo's face: "You don't have to worry about this, we won't eat you in vain. At least we can help you resist those northern barbarians. You can put all the militiamen you have raised back to farm. We are much stronger than them in a war!"
The city lord's eyes lit up and he hesitated: "How many troops do you have?"
"We have 800 people and 20 horses! Each person needs at least three liters of millet and pickles every day; the horses also need beans and fodder. You can send a thousand shi of grain first! There are also pack animals for transporting baggage. !”
"A thousand stones?" The city lord's right hand grabbed the necklace again, but he resisted not pulling. He could get a thousand stones of food, but the problem was that if he just gave it to him, he would not have any means to check and balance it. As a stranger, he knew very well that the more than a hundred soldiers in his castle would definitely not be able to defeat these well-equipped Tang troops.
"Can you send two hundred stones first, and I will send the rest in batches!" The city lord tried his best to make his smile look more sincere: "I can send ten pigs to reward your army first!"
"Then thank you City Lord first!" Wang Wenzuo was very talkative: "I still have more than a hundred Japanese prisoners here, do you want them? I can sell them to you at a cheaper price. They are all strong men, good at mining and logging! "
"Yes!" The city lord agreed readily this time. He had plenty of land here, but no one was cultivating it. Too many men had died in the years of war.
The next day, the city lord fulfilled his promise and sent grain and pigs, along with forty mules and men from the village. The village suddenly became lively, and the women hugged their The men didn't let go, and the children were running around the village laughing. In previous years, a few of them would come back, and some would be injured, but this time they all came back intact. It can't but be said to be a blessing.
"This is the money to buy Japanese prisoners!" The leader of the food transport team was a capable young man in his early twenties. He asked his men to move out a wooden box, which contained some copper coins, a gold nugget, and even some furs. Wang Wenzuo also knew that hundreds of Neither Ji nor Xinluo minted their own currency. The market mainly used cloth and grain as currency. The coins were spread from the mainland, and the number was not large. This was the only thing a small lord like this could come up with. He made a rough estimate. After a moment, he nodded: "That's it, you go to the entrance of the village and wait, I will have someone escort you there later!"
"Thank you!"
——————————————————————————————
The sky had just broken, and the light on the river flickered with the waves, shattering under the oars, and then healing again after the boat passed by. In the past two days, about a thousand Mohe people crossed the Han River. This is The last person in the boat.
"This is the land of the Silla people, you can do whatever you want!" Gao Sheji said: "Burn the villages, destroy the orchards and fields, seize the livestock, kill the men -"
"Okay, you don't need to teach me these things!" Qi Si Biyu smiled and interrupted Gao Sheji. He was the leader of the Mohe people of the Baishan tribe: "I know what to do before I even grow a beard. This is how the battle back home is fought!”
"Very good, I'll do it now, but I have to come back here in fifteen days, remember?"
"Fifteen days later, I will remember it!" Qi Sibiyu nodded solemnly, then he turned around, grabbed his pony mount, and boarded the boat. Gao Sheji watched the boat leave the shore and sail towards the other side of the river, gradually disappearing into the morning light, and his heart gradually became heavy.
