When Wang Yan returned home, he saw Wang Dun who was studying military books hard, and felt relieved.
He originally wanted to take this younger brother with him and go south to Liang County.
But when I thought of my younger brother and sister, who had cold eyes and neither noisy nor fussing after returning to Luoyang, they moved directly to a separate courtyard outside the city, becoming strangers to their younger brother, and even entered the palace once, I felt a little uneasy.
Alas, Chu Zhong must also be very troubled.
After sighing, he took some entourage and headed south to Liang County with Pan Tao.
Liang County was not far away, and I could see the city on the horizon in the distance near noon the next day.
At that time, the north wind was howling and the sky was covered with heavy snow. Wang Yan did not feel any pain, but got off the carriage and watched as he walked.
As a result, this sight made him frown.
Under a large locust tree at the head of the village, several bloody human heads were hung.
Under the tree, a man was herding sheep calmly, not feeling any discomfort at all.
Wang Yan walked over and asked, "What are you doing?"
When the shepherd saw that he was dressed gorgeously and knew that he was a man of status, he did not dare to neglect him and said: "Guard the head."
"Hey..." The two sheep dug through the snow with their hooves and rummaged through the withered pasture.
With his mouth pouting, he ate all the grass roots.
"Whose head is this?"
"A few drama thieves from Xiong'er Mountain."
"Xiong'er Mountain is so far away, why come here?"
"Invited by Li Li."
Wang Yan squinted his eyes and thought for a moment.
He has a good memory. Li Li is a powerful man in Liang County. He went to Luoyang in the middle of the year. I don't know whose route he took. He found the minister's right servant and shot Xunfan and mentioned Shao Xun's various illegal activities in Liang County.
Xun Fan ignored him and sent him away.
Not long ago, Xun Fan was appointed as the prince's young master. He was no longer the minister's right servant, and he probably wouldn't care about it.
I didn't expect that a person like Li Li was so ruthless and ruthless that he actually invited drama thieves from Xiong'er Mountain. It was really incredible. Maybe he saw Shao Xun leading an army to Hebei and became more alert, right?
"What's the name of this place?" he asked again.
"Shiqiao Defense. Seven or eight miles further south, there is the Li Family Defense. However, there are not many people there now. In the new year, 300 households will move there."
Wang Yan was stunned.
This one is for defense and that one is for defense. The place name is very strange. Is it a new name?
After getting the information he wanted, he left the big locust tree and continued south.
The land is very flat, with criss-crossing ditches in the fields, which is pleasing to the eye.
Every once in a while, you can always see a wooden sign stuck in the ground with words written on it.
Wang Yan became interested and took a closer look: "Changcan, one hundred and thirty-seven acres and twenty paces."
He looked up at the distance from the previous wooden sign to this one, and silently estimated that it was indeed more than a hundred acres.
It seems that the family of this person named "Chang Can" has 137 acres of land.
"Yang Zhong." Wang Yan turned around and looked at the approaching carriage.
Pan Tao was sighing in the car and rubbing his hands. Hearing this, he said, "Yifu, what's there to see in this cold weather?"
Wang Yan did not answer, but asked: "How much land does one household usually have?"
Pan Tao smiled and said: "If we go by the court's land occupation order, one acre is seventy acres. If we go by reality, haha."
Wang Yan smiled, it was pretty much what he thought.
Ordinary people either had very little land, or they were dependent on powerful or noble clans and had no land.
Although he has not returned to Langya for many years, the impression he had when he was young should be correct - well, people's homes seemed to have much more land in those days than now.
As we walked, it was noon, and smoke was rising from the kitchens of every household in the village.
"Yang Zhong." Wang Yan turned around again.
Pan Tao had no choice but to come down and accompany him instead of taking the car.
"Do people have three meals a day? I don't remember that." Wang Yan said hesitantly.
"Eat a dry meal when you go out in the morning, and eat a thin meal when you come back from the fields in the evening. When farming is busy, you will eat three meals. This has been the case since ancient times." Pan Tao said.
Wang Yan nodded slightly.
When the Forbidden Army soldiers are not training, they only eat two meals, but they are all done.
When training, I will only eat three meals.
Why do people in this village eat three meals a day?
"Yifu." Pan Tao said helplessly: "Don't you think the name Shiqiao Fang is weird?"
Wang Yan nodded subconsciously.
"Defense is a military garrison." Pan Tao explained: "The entire Shiqiao defense is a military garrison. There are hundreds of soldiers from the township regiment, each with its own tribe. The fields around the village are all owned by the soldiers from the township regiment. .A little further, do you see the wasteland? It is not divided, but it is still here. Buqu often goes to graze. The man you saw under the big locust tree just now is Buqu, and he is guarding it. The human head is also tending the sheep for its master."
After finishing speaking, Pan Tao explained in detail the ins and outs of rural regiment garrison areas such as Shiqiao Fang.
After Wang Yan heard this, he was a little surprised. He took another look at Pan Tao and secretly guessed what his relationship was with Shao Xun.
He probably isn't Shao Xun's, but the relationship is definitely not ordinary.
While the two were talking, they had arrived at the door of a house.
Chang Can's wife, Mrs. Liu, has a big belly and is accompanying Chang's mother in housework.
Chang's mother no longer has many teeth, but she has a smile on her face, as if she has experienced all the hardships in her life and is living a good life that was unimaginable in the past.
Chang Can was arranging the equipment rack, and from time to time he would take down a weapon from it and try it out.
At the beginning, there was only one heavy sword and a ring-headed sword on it, but now there are also long spears and wooden poles.
It seems that the owner has also begun to try to use more equipment to make himself more comprehensive.
When Wang Yan, Pan Tao and others walked by outside, Chang Can's eyes froze. After hesitating for a moment, he quickly drew out his sword and chased after them.
Wang and Pan's followers were shocked and took out their weapons to protect them.
"Who are you? Are you a spy?" Chang Can looked at Wang Yan without fear and asked.
He didn't pay attention to any of those servants and guards.
There are dozens of government soldiers in the village. If they are surrounded, none of these people will be able to escape.
"Bold!" one of the guards scolded: "This is Situ, the Marquis of the Northern Army. Do you dare to charge?"
Chang Can was stunned for a moment, lowered his sword slightly, and said: "Recently, some thieves came to spy on Shiqiao during the defense. The general ordered us to conduct a strict investigation..."
"Are you the regular team leader?" Pan Tao walked over and said with a smile, "I met you before the expedition."
"Shilang Pan?" Chang Can put away the knife.
"Now I am serving in the Taifu Shogunate." Pan Tao said.
"King of East China Sea..." Chang Can smiled, waved his hand and said, "You can go on your own."
After saying that, he left.
Wang Yan has been watching with cold eyes.
He discovered something interesting.
This "team leader" named Chang Can never saluted him from the beginning to the end. He even insisted on using a sharp knife and spoke arrogantly.
Where did you find this kind of soldier? How did you train it?
Even in the Luoyang Central Army, the soldiers were well-behaved and cautious. When they saw Wang Yan, they didn't dare to breathe, and they couldn't speak smoothly.
Is it true that what kind of general leads what kind of soldiers?
Within a few years, all the soldiers that Shao Xun led were arrogant and powerful generals?
Wang Yan winked, and a follower understood, took out two pieces of silk, walked into the courtyard, and negotiated.
After a while, Chang Can came out again. He glanced at Pan Tao first, and when he saw that the other party didn't say anything, he nodded and said, "People from the countryside have rough food. I'm afraid Situ won't be used to it."
"No problem." Wang Yan waved his hand and walked in directly.
Pan Tao and several entourage followed closely behind, while the others stayed outside to guard the carriage.
Chang Can's mother and wife seemed to be afraid of strangers, and after curtly bowing, they hid in the kitchen.
Wang Yan didn't take it seriously and entered the main hall.
There is a small couch in the hall for guests to sit and lie on. The couch is covered with a straw mat, and a layer of mattress is added on top of the straw mat.
Poor families cannot do this alone. They live on straw mats all year round. This is even the case for some poor and distant families of declining scholars. Wang Yan has seen this many times.
He took off his shoes, sat directly on it, and looked around.
There are two small single beds on the left and right sides of the small couch.
There are hidden bags on and around the bed board - the so-called hidden bags are made of cloth or brocade and other fabrics, and the inside is made of light and soft things (silk, reeds, feathers are all acceptable), which are placed behind or beside the body for people to use.
Rely on.
Seeing this, Wang Yan and Pan Tao exchanged glances: This family is really not poor, it can even be said to have little wealth.
Moreover, the hostess also has some taste. She is not an ignorant village woman and should have seen the world.
Wang Yan looked up again.
There is dust on the roof. Judging from the condition, it should have been newly added this year.
The area covered is not large, and it can only protect the place where you sit and lie down. The so-called dust holder means "applying dust on top". It is mainly to prevent the dust on the beam from falling on the body, so a dust holder is set up on the top of the bed, similar to
on the ceiling.
This thing is dispensable to ordinary people.
The effect is not big, the cost is not low, and it does not seem to be too necessary, but this thing is one of the symbols that distinguish ordinary people from well-to-do people.
Do you mind if guests come to your house and get dust on them?
If you mind, just spend money to show off.
If you don't mind, this thing can be completely omitted.
Wang Yan didn't know much about it, but he came into contact with too many scholars.
The poor, the rich, the talented, the untalented, etc., even visited their homes.
This Changcan family is not simple.
Shao Xun came to Liang County just over a year ago, and his soldiers followed him and robbed a lot of money?
Wang Yan continued to look at it while thinking.
Suddenly, he saw two incense burners.
These two furnaces are of different sizes, old and new, and of different shapes, so they look very strange when placed there.
Even if most people buy incense burners, they will definitely buy two of the same ones. The two in front of them - they were probably snatched, right?
Wang Yan's mouth twitched slightly, and then he remembered that he was a proud soldier.
Going on an expedition and grabbing even the incense burner is really crazy.
Of course, Wang Yan didn't know that Chang Can was not the most outrageous. Some people even snatched the tiger's cubs and planned to give them to the mistress.
Chang Can quickly brought the food, which was mainly corn rice, biscuits, some pickles, and a little bacon.
Wang Yan and Pan Tao stood up to say thanks.
Chang Can finally returned the gift and then left.
Wang Yan picked up the bowl and chopsticks, took a few bites, then put it down and said, "Yang Zhong, you said these people are from a rural troupe, but I'm afraid that's not entirely true."
Pan Tao ate happily. When he heard Wang Yan's question, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and asked, "What do you think of Yifu?"
"With so many instruments, you can't just leave them alone, right?" Wang Yan said, "If someone is proficient in various skills, he must be a sharp soldier and should not be underestimated."
Wang Yan was not familiar with military matters. He only considered it from the simplest perspective, but his conclusion was correct.
After saying that, he looked outside the door and lowered his voice and said, "How many township regiments does Marquis Lu Yang have?"
"This place is called Shiqiao Defense. There is also Yongxing Defense in the southeast of Yongxing Temple. As for Lijia Defense, it should be newly built and the personnel are not yet fully staffed." Pan Tao said.
"Does it cost money to raise these soldiers?"
Pan Tao shook his head.
"How many soldiers are there in the first defense?"
Pan Tao still shook his head.
Wang Yan was a little dissatisfied, but with a calm expression on his face, he picked up his rice bowl and took a few bites.
The bacon does not belong to the genus of dolphin or sheep. It seems to be venison. It should be obtained from hunting. It tastes pretty good.
Venison is edible, but what about deer skin? It can be used to make armor!
These rural regiment soldiers have tribes, and the deerskin armor can be used by themselves or given to the tribe. When estimating the number of soldiers in each defense, you must not only count the soldiers themselves, but their tribes cannot be ignored either.
Aren’t these just small heroes?
Without saying a word, Shao Xun created such a big situation in Liang County. I really didn't know if I didn't come here, but I was shocked when I came.
You may not care much about many things when others talk about them. But when you see them with your own eyes, it’s a different feeling.
What did Shao Xun want to do? Wang Yan suddenly regretted coming to Liang County and didn't want to have anything to do with Shao Xun.
When Taibai came to the world, the treasury in Xuchang was opened; when the Luo River was cut off, the real person came out...
Wang Yan's face was solemn, like a sculpture, without any change for a long time.
He felt that he had met a person who didn't like to follow the rules and liked to start over again outside the rules.
Such people made him subconsciously repulse him.
But - alas.
Chapter completed!