In the first ten days of the twelfth lunar month, some of the victims who came to Bianliang for food left.
They were mainly strong men, with almost ten thousand people. Their destination was Hongnong, and they were organized into the fifth battalion of the Wansheng Army. They would start farming next spring.
There are still tens of thousands of victims stranded in Bianliang, including men, women, old and young. They have joined the people who originally built Bianliang and continue to cultivate the land.
Among the total of less than 100,000 people, there are people from Qingzhou, Jizhou, Bingzhou, and a large number of miscellaneous people, which is very complicated.
On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the canal was frozen, but the last batch of food was still transported by land to the camp for the victims.
After the delivery was completed, Zhang Heipi sat on the field ridge and wiped his sweat.
Zhang Chong began to check his luggage to see if he had everything.
He is going to Luoyang.
Heijin Youying has some vacant positions and is recruiting new soldiers. As a good son of Chen County, Zhang Chong successfully applied and will soon become a member of Heijin Youying.
This army was established in the twelfth lunar month of the second year of the Divine Turtle (318), exactly three years ago, with a staff of 2,400.
Compared to three years ago, the personnel had been changed once, and some of the squadrons had even been changed twice. Basically, they were broken up and replaced by the Silver Spear Army and the Black Left Battalion.
There were not many vacant seats this time, only about a hundred or so. Zhang Heipi, who had participated in the Battle of Chamati, found someone to help him get through, and sent his eldest son Zhang Chong, who wanted to recruit soldiers and eat the royal food, in.
There is a knife hanging on Zhang Chong's waist. It was given to him by Prince Liang - he was still "Chen Jun Gong" at that time - it is an unusual treasure and he always carries it with him.
Zhang Heipi wanted his son to keep the knife at home, but Zhang Chong refused. He only said that he would not take it out easily, and the military would issue weapons anyway.
"Is it what you wanted this time?" Although Zhang Heipi traveled around recruiting soldiers for his son, in the end he was not willing to do so.
His family has 40 acres of land, which is located on the edge of Suiyang Canal. It is easy to irrigate and the yield per mu is not low.
If there are no disasters, in theory, we can harvest about 240 bushels of millet and wheat and 60 bushels of miscellaneous grains in two years, which is more than enough to feed a family of five.
Even if there is a disaster, as long as it is not a major disaster like the one in Hebei for three consecutive years, it can still survive. This has been the case since ancient times.
Is it really necessary to become a soldier?
Zhang Heipi had been injured in the war. When he fell from the wall, his fellow countryman Ma Jiu died next to him, with half of his head missing.
War is not a child's play, it is a matter of risking one's life.
However, he did not forcibly stop his son, because his current life was given to him by King Liang. Sending a son to work for King Liang could be regarded as repaying his kindness.
This is his simple psychology.
People like him can be found everywhere in Chen, Liang, Nandun, Xincai, Xiangcheng, Runan and other counties, because they were gathered and settled by the King of Liang during the years of drought and locusts.
After ten years of relative peace, it seems so unreal in this troubled world.
"Grandpa..." Zhang Chong looked at his father and lowered his head.
Zhang Heipi sighed, stood up and patted his son on the shoulder, saying: "Now that we have decided, don't look forward or backward. You don't have to worry about your family. If you are given leave, you can take a boat home and have a look."
"Okay." Zhang Chong said.
Outside the hut not far away, county soldier Cao Yu was already waving.
There were five young men of sixteen or seventeen beside him, standing there respectfully. They were all from Chen County, and they all went to Heijui Youying to recruit soldiers.
Zhang Heipi led his son over.
Bing Cao Zhang Dong nodded to him reservedly.
Zhang Dong is a township party member of Zhang Heipi. His two families fled together. Later, because he barely knew a few words, he was transferred to the county. Over the years, he has become a soldier, responsible for recruiting soldiers, and his family business is visible to the naked eye. The earth grew bigger.
That is, only a completely rebuilt county like Chen County has this opportunity.
Compared with counties outside the Liang Kingdom, soldiers like Zhang Dong, who did not even have child servants and whose parents, wives and children had to work in the fields themselves, were too weak. At best, they could only be regarded as wealthy farmers. They did not have a salary to be a county official, so they were completely It's work for nothing.
Of course, if he had not worked as a soldier, he would not have been able to accumulate the current family fortune so that his parents, wife and children could eat some meat from time to time. His salary was actually given to him by the people of the county.
"Go back." Zhang Dong only said one sentence, then turned and left.
The young men shouldered their burdens and followed Zhang Dong and his two followers closely, heading west.
Zhang Heipi watched quietly for a long time.
Suddenly, he felt that having his son become a soldier was not entirely a bad thing.
It's only been ten years, but that bitch Zhang Dong is already showing off.
When they first arrived in Chen County, both families were very poor and had nothing.
Ten years later, a vague gap has formed between the two families.
"Bah!" Zhang Heipi spat angrily.
This year there is a new county captain, and I heard that he is a disciple of King Liang. He is very young, only in his early twenties, and is still a student (in name). Zhang Dong is almost an adult in age, but he is busy and fawning, like a wagging tail. Like a dog.
Li Zheng and Feng Tong's son entered the Bianliang martial arts school. When he left home to study, Zhang Dong was also polite and smiling.
This man is so shameless.
However, the world is like this, what else can you say?
People of this generation can still care about friendship and will not visit your home frequently when the army is drafted. However, the next generation will not have this friendship. All official business is done. It is not sensational that a corvee who transfers military rations will ruin your family.
If his son Zhang Chong can make a name for himself in the Black Army, he can at least bring some benefits to his younger brothers and sisters.
In this world, someone has to bear the tragic fate of family destruction and death, and Zhang Heipi didn't want it to be his own family.
****
In the wind and snow, Luoyang was faintly visible.
Under the shack set up outside Shiqiao Station, Zhang Chong and six other people sat together, shivering from the cold.
There is smoke rising from the walls of the inn, and there is also a scent blowing down the wind.
A line of carriages and horses were parked in front of the main entrance, and officials were coming in and out, talking loudly.
The officials' grooms came to the shack and chatted with everyone.
"He is actually a new soldier of the Heijin Army." The groom, a senior high school student, was in awe, bowed and saluted, and said: "My family used to be from Hanoi, and it was very chaotic, and now we still have relatives. Since the Heijin Zuoying moved there, the thieves and bandits
It's much more peaceful now that you have disappeared. The Shangdang Jie people used to go south from time to time and plunder on the road. In the winter, they would even take away your clothes, but that doesn't happen now."
Zhang Chong blushed a little when he heard this.
He hasn't entered the camp yet, so what kind of black soldier is he? But after hearing these words, a sense of pride gradually surged in his heart. It turned out that the black army was so powerful. In addition to killing bandits, it also deterred the barbarians from messing around.
"Who are the officials in your family..." Chen County soldier Cao Zhang Dong came back carrying a bag of fur cakes and asked casually.
"Bingzhou Mountain is in control." The groom took a look at Zhang Dong's attire, and with a sharp look he could tell that this person was a county official.
"It turns out to be Shan Zhizhong." Zhang Dong's face was filled with admiration.
In fact, he didn't know who this was at all, but he was an important staff member of the governor, and he was not comparable to him.
The groom ignored him and continued to say to Zhang Chong and others: "Heijin Youying is stationed in the outskirts of Luoyang, but I don't know which county in Luoyang or Henan. If you get married in the future, you will be here. Hey.
, where are the people from Luoyang?"
"How can people from Luoyang be as good as people from Bianliang?" Zhang Chong couldn't help but said: "At the worst, it's better to be a Pingyang person."
Zhang Dong began to distribute Hu cakes to everyone, one for each person.
When it was given to Zhang Chong, his eyelids jumped when he saw the sword on his waist, and he was given a few more spoonfuls of black bean sauce.
This is special treatment!
The sword given by King Liang himself saved the Zhang family from countless troubles.
If Zhang Chong killed him with this knife, the government would probably not dare to sentence him to death, and would have to ask for permission - King Liang had a good memory, and he patrolled around from time to time, so the palace city could not contain him.
What the fuck!
"You don't understand this." The groom also took out half a Hu cake from his arms and said while eating: "The left camp of Heijin is in Hanoi, and the right camp is in Henan. If a middle camp is built in the future, if it is not safe, it will be in Hong Kong."
Nong, guarding Luoyang on three sides. The King of Liang will eventually return to Luoyang. The status of Bianliang is just like Chang'an and Yecheng in the imperial dynasty, while Pingyang is nothing. The King of Liang also lived there for a few years.
I’ll definitely forget about it later.”
"It's better to make Chen County the capital." Someone next to Zhang Chong muttered in a low voice.
As soon as this was said, everyone laughed.
Zhang Dong shook his head and said: "If King Liang can establish his capital here, it will be called 'Chen Chang' from now on, just like the story of Xuchang."
Xuchang was originally called "Xu" county, and became "Xuchang" after it was established as the capital.
"Chen County is not incapable." Zhang Chong said: "We are all the earliest citizens of King Liang. If there is a change in the world, if we raise our arms and raise our arms, tens of thousands of soldiers will be at our fingertips. Who can stop it? Can the people of Luoyang work so hard?"
"There are not many people from Luoyang now." The horseman said with a smile: "But what if there are tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of new Luoyang people? That would be a big difference. You Heijing Youying are actually new Luoyang people."
"Where is the senior high school student?" A man stood outside the gate of Shiqiao Station and shouted loudly.
"Officer!" The senior high school student hurriedly stuffed the uneaten biscuits into his arms and walked out quickly.
Shan Shihui slapped him and cursed: "If you don't keep an eye on the car, why are you running around? You don't even know that the emperor's tribute has been stolen."
Everyone in the shack laughed again, as if the weather wasn't that cold anymore.
"A tribute to the emperor..." Zhang Dong took a few steps outside and said softly with a frown.
Zhang Chong also looked at it curiously. There was actually someone paying tribute to the emperor?
I wonder if the emperor was hungry.
He suddenly thought of a nonsensical question: What should he do if one day in the future, Heijin Youying was ordered to enter the palace to kill the emperor?
This question made him very frightened and confused.
The emperor is almost like a god, can he really be killed? Will he be struck by lightning if he kills him? Will his life span be shortened? Will he bring disaster to future generations?
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. In the end, all that remained in his mind was the scene when he fled with his parents: the grass was full of corpses, and some even held knives, crying children. Picking the meat off the legs, saying, "Meat is no sweeter than meat from the bones that is chopped alive."
"This thief can be killed!" A thought suddenly popped into his mind.
"Let's go! We must get to Dongshi before sunset." Zhang Dong stepped forward and kicked each of them.
When he arrived in front of Zhang Chong, he only reminded him.
Zhang Chong stood up slowly and packed his bags silently.
Amid the wind and snow, the group finally arrived at the temporary camp in Dongshi.
Zhang Chong looked at the barracks, and then at the towering Luoyang City not far away, and realized something in his heart: They were the swords of King Liang, and they would strike at whomever they were ordered to strike, even the dignitaries in Luoyang City. Even the emperor of the Jin Dynasty could chop it down.
Chapter completed!