Zhao Sanlao, who had been waiting for Deng Dang outside the main house, looked at Deng Dang in the dark and hurriedly stepped forward and asked:
"How did things go?"
Deng Dang was not very interested and could only reply feebly:
"Chen Shuzuo said, come and have a drink."
Zhao Sanlao slapped Deng Dang on the head and cursed:
"Give me some energy, why is this so cowardly? Don't call me one of my soldiers."
This Zhao Sanlao was Deng Dang's general when he joined the army. Deng Dang was one of his generals, so Deng Dang was beaten and could only dare not say a word.
Seeing that Deng Dang was still so stubborn, Zhao Sanlao sighed:
"We are no longer serving as soldiers for Wang Shuai in the past. Now we are citizens and are under the control of the county and temple. We must bow our heads when we should."
Deng Dang didn't know this truth yet, but he was a arrogant and brave man after all, so he couldn't bear to be angry.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhao Sanlao did not intend to keep him any longer. He said to Deng Dang:
"There are people coming from Lu's wall. You should go back earlier. They are all waiting in your house."
This sentence made Deng Dang beam with joy. He was about to run back, but was stopped by Zhao Sanlao, who laughed and said:
"It's the first time someone comes to your door. Are you going to go back like this?"
After saying that, Mr. Zhao asked his son next to him to hand over a basket containing some freshly picked mulberries.
Deng Dang was still embarrassed when he was stopped by the third elder. Now that the three elders were ready for him, he realized that the third elder was still the big brother who took care of his brothers.
Mulberry is a good thing. Although when I was in my hometown in Jianghuai, the nobles did not eat it. It is said that some book said that after eating mulberries, the voices of Huaiyi became better. The nobles in my hometown were worried about being raped by the Central Plains.
As the aristocratic family belongs to Huaiyi, they will never eat these things that can easily cause embarrassment.
But the nobles don't eat it, and we ordinary people are not so particular about it. This stuff is sweet and sour, which is just suitable for entertaining the Lu family members.
So Deng Dang gratefully took the mulberry from Zhao Sanlao's hand, said some words of thanks and ran back.
At this time, Deng Dang was so impatient.
From a distance, Deng Dang also heard Zhao Sanlao calling him to accompany him for a drink tomorrow, and asked him not to forget.
Deng Dang replied happily, and then disappeared into the darkness.
Looking at Deng Dang's excitement, Zhao Sanlao, who was originally looking sad, also smiled.
But the smile disappeared before it lasted long. He thought of Chen Shuzuo and knew that he might be here to blackmail Xinxiang again.
This was the case in Jianghuai's hometown, and it was the same in the wealthy Runan. How come these subordinate officials all had the same virtues?
I just hope that Chen Shuzuo can get things done this time. Otherwise, Deng Dang's marriage may be ruined.
…
When Deng Dang returned home, his mother and second brother were entertaining three honest farm men with the family's pancakes.
Seeing Deng Dang come back, Mother Deng smiled happily, and when she saw the basket of mulberries in his hand, she felt relieved.
She knew that her son had been called out to do errands by the third elder, so she did not blame him, but took the initiative to go over and take the basket, and whispered:
"The three of them are Lu's brothers. Please say more. Give these to me and I'll go and wash them."
Deng Dang nodded, calmed his breathing, tried his best to smile, and entered the house.
The younger brother is currently entertaining three Lu brothers to drink water. Apparently, he is still a little overwhelmed by this kind of thing.
Seeing that his brother finally came back, the younger brother took the initiative to explain to him:
"Brother, these are my sister-in-law's three brothers. This is my eldest uncle, this is my second uncle, and this is my third uncle."
Lu's three brothers were obviously embarrassed, and finally saw that the real master was back, so they hurriedly stood up and nodded.
To be honest, Deng Dang's family's family background is pretty good. Although there are only one younger brother in the family, Deng Dang is rich.
Deng Dang actually paid a lot of money during the war in Runan, and after settling here with Zhao Sanlao, he not only got fifty acres of irrigated land, built this two-story yellow mud house, but also provided money
He hired someone to dig a well in the yard.
What good family has a well at home?
Therefore, when the three Lu brothers saw Deng's condition of being in charge of the family, they had already agreed to the marriage. Otherwise, if they were to come to the house for the first time and you were not at home, you would be in trouble.
And what about Deng Dang? He fell in love at first sight with the sister of the three Lu brothers and had a soft spot for her.
After seeing her delivering water to his brothers working in the fields once, Deng Dang fell in love with her. Later, he asked Zhao Sanlao to inquire about her, which led to such a fate.
Although the conditions of Lu's family were relatively difficult, it was not Deng Dang's turn to find fault.
Although people like them who have returned from other places have some economic benefits, they are actually relatively ostracized by the local people. Those local people will scold them whenever something is lost at home or things go wrong. I think it is all
These people brought these bad things.
It is precisely because of these contradictions that people in the hometown are unwilling to marry their daughters here. This leaves the children of Fumin Township to solve the problem in their own hometown.
But there is also a shortage of women in this town.
In fact, it's not just a shortage in his hometown. According to Deng Dang's understanding, there is a shortage in the entire area.
Deng Dang has a secret that no one has told.
That is, during a battle, he seized some cloths recording scriptures from the Taiping Jing. He learned a lot of principles from them.
There is a saying on the cloth, saying that the world has gone wrong. After this wrong, women began to be regarded as inferior and female infants were drowned. After a long time, there were fewer women than men in the world, so the Yin Qi was eliminated. This
There will be no more sunshine in the world.
Deng Dang felt that what Taipingdao said was very reasonable. In their hometown of Jianghuai, people there were also killing women. If you asked why, they could only say that women are useless.
Think about it, if a family kills one girl, how many families are there in the world? How many girls must be killed? How many must be killed from generation to generation. There are also many pregnant women who have not yet been born, and they have also been injured. Do you think this resentment can't be great?
?
But Deng Dang couldn't tell whether the world was in chaos or not. At least Runan couldn't tell.
But the problem of not being able to marry a wife is indeed becoming more and more serious. Infanticide is one aspect, and the other is that the daughters of good families are being used as concubines for the nobles.
Which daughter from a good family in these ten miles and eight communities would not want to be a concubine in a wealthy family? There she can eat fine food, but if she marries into a poor family, she will starve for five meals in three days.
So now, there are fewer and fewer women in this village.
Fortunately, we, Deng Dang, don’t have to think about this. After we finish discussing things with Chen Shuzuo this time, we will get married to Mr. Lu.
By then, we, Deng Dang, will also have a wife.
Just like that, both parties were interested in eating mulberries soaked in well water by Mother Deng. Not to mention how good the atmosphere was.
…
The time soon arrived at noon of the next day.
In order to entertain Chen Shuzuo, who was coming soon, Zhao Sanlao had someone kill a pig and a sheep early to make this extraordinarily rich meal.
It can also be seen from this that these households in Xinxiang are indeed relatively wealthy.
Then amid the smell of meat, Chen Shuzuo came with his two helpers.
Chen Shuzuo still looked so unhurried and unhurried, with a completely calm and noble demeanor, and there was no trace of the despicable look of a lowly official.
Surrounded by Zhao Sanlao, Deng Dang, and two former generals, Chen Shuzuo walked into the hall.
Afterwards, Chen Shuzuo took his duty and sat at the head of the table, while Zhao Sanlao sat beside him.
Deng Dang and his two other colleagues were just about to sit down on the mat, when Uncle Zhang and Ma Zhong pushed themselves in front of Deng Dang and them.
Deng Dang's mentality now was different from before. He was also looking forward to settling the issue of the army's labor force as soon as possible so that he could marry a wife as soon as possible.
So facing Uncle Zhang and Ma Zhong's rudeness, Deng Dang didn't feel anything and sat down underneath them honestly.
Zhao Sanlao is obviously more experienced than Deng Dang. He will support Chen Shuzuo and the atmosphere is very good.
Soon, the food and wine were served.
This wine was bought from a liquor store in the county. Chen Shuzuo had a great time eating meat and drinking wine.
Deng Dang and others were also waiting below to welcome the guests, pushing cups and changing bowls.
All in all, everyone was very drunk during this meal.
Seeing that the atmosphere was about to change, Zhao Sanlao took the opportunity to ask Chen Shuzuo on the side:
"Chen Shuzuo, I don't know if our township can be more accommodating with this military dispatch. The eighty-two men are all from our township. It is really too heavy."
After Chen Shuzuo pulled out the strands of flesh from his teeth, he listened to these words and said calmly:
"This errand was arranged from above, and it cannot be changed in any way."
As soon as this statement came out, the whole atmosphere suddenly reached a freezing point.
Zhao Sanlao's face darkened, he threw the chopsticks in his hand on the table, then put his hands in his wide sleeves and said nothing.
He was also an old pawn, and he didn't have only a handful of lives in his hands. With his stern face, his murderous aura was coming out.
Deng Dang and others below were also annoyed. One of them, a rough man with a beard, slapped the table and cursed:
"Hot girl, I've given you good wine and meat, and you're going to play with us like this? If you offend me, I'll chop you into pieces with a knife."
Now you know why Zhao Sanlao asked Deng Dang to negotiate, right? It’s all because others are more capable than others.
The thick man slammed the table, causing Uncle Zhang and Ma Zhong to throw away their bamboo chopsticks. Chen Shuzuo, who was at the head, was also frightened.
He didn't expect that his usual method of inducing appetite would get out of control. At this time, he somewhat realized that although these people were civilians, they were all fierce soldiers who fought bloody battles with swords.
This realization made him a little worried about Wang Gongcao's plan, feeling that the restored people of Xinxiang might not be so easy to control.
After getting rid of these confusing thoughts, Chen Shuzuo from the city also had a straight face. He snorted coldly to Mr. Zhao on the side:
"Zhao Sanlao, this is the way of hospitality in your hometown? Since you don't invite us, it's okay not to drink this meal. Let's leave now."
After saying that, Chen Shuzuo made a gesture to stand up.
At this time, Zhao Sanlao also replied lightly:
"Chen Shuzuo, the five hundred households in our Xinxiang are all soldiers who have just put down their swords. There are many factions in the army and they can't speak. You should be more considerate. In short, if you can do this,
We will definitely not treat Chen Shuzuo badly. Again, we soldiers don’t have so many twists and turns."
After listening to Zhao Sanlao's half threatening and half threatening words, Chen Shuzuo suddenly laughed:
"Look, you too, you have to wait until we finish what we said. What we just said is correct, that is, letting Xinxiang serve this time is indeed the arrangement from above. We definitely can't change this.
But it’s not without control, otherwise I wouldn’t have come to have such a drink, right?”
Seeing that Chen Shuzuo finally started to talk about the topic, Zhao Sanlao stretched out his hand from his wide sleeve again, and he toasted Chen Shuzuo:
"Please Chen Shuzuo, please take pity on my five hundred households in Xinxiang and tell me everything you know."
Then Chen Shuzuo told everyone his plan with a smile.
The specific thing is this.
This time, the total amount of military rations transferred from Xinxiang Eighty-two Ding to Pingyu was 8,400 shi. Such a large amount of military rations was Fupi's two-year reserve, and they were all placed in the county warehouse.
As long as these laborers from Xinxiang go to the county, they can take whatever they want.
But when it comes to the grain survey, things get a little complicated. Because these military rations are not sent to the same granary for storage. Some warehouses are far away from each other and even have to queue up to enter the warehouse.
It's easy to lose time after going back and forth. By then, all the eighty-two people in Xinxiang may be staying in Pingyu for a month or two, and they will have to bear all their own food and supplies for such a long time.
But now, Chen Shuzuo can help you with the operation, that is, he can let you hand over all the 8,400 shi of grain to the nearest granary, and put it into the warehouse directly without queuing.
This combination will save you Xinxiang a lot of trouble.
After saying this, Chen Shuzuo stopped talking and let Zhao Sanlao think by himself.
After Zhao Sanlao had just deceived him, he also saw that the military labor force transfer might really be an arrangement from above. In that case, the mission would not be possible. Unless they, the people in Xinxiang, give up these fields and houses.
Escape from duty, otherwise you will have to do it.
Since Xinxiang is the only choice, Zhao Sanlao has become a lot more rational. The top priority is to minimize the losses in Xinxiang.
The method mentioned by Chen Shuzuo can obviously save Xinxiang a lot of money.
So Zhao Sanlao asked:
"How much does it cost to do this?"
Chen Shuzuo stretched out five fingers.
Zhao Sanlao said nothing, but Deng Dang spoke:
"Five buckets of rice?"
Chen Shuzuo shook his head and sneered:
"Five buckets of rice? What can you do? It's not as good as the county king's salary for a day. It's five stones! And it requires a big stone."
Even though Mr. Zhao was prepared, he was also frightened by Chen Shuzuo's greed.
You must know that the big stone is twice as much as the small stone. In other words, Chen Shuzuo asked them for ten stone meters. Chen Shuzuo's annual salary was only this amount.
Really greedy.
But Zhao Sanlao knew that the price could not be negotiated, otherwise there would be trouble later. So he pretended to be in trouble and gritted his teeth and agreed.
I thought the matter would almost end here.
Unexpectedly, Chen Shuzuo just said the highlight at this time:
"That day when you went to the county to get rice, no matter how much you took, you didn't know anything about it. When you got to Pingyu, you put it into the warehouse according to the amount. When the time comes, you won't be left with an extra cent. Do you understand this?
"
At this time, Zhao Sanlao finally understood what Chen Shuzuo or the people behind them were going to do!
These rats!
I learned that July passed away this morning. I thought I had talked with him last month and learned that his condition had worsened and he had been hospitalized. At that time, he was very optimistic that he would push my novel again after he recovered. I didn’t expect that it would be yin and yang after the holidays.
We are two years apart. I have known Qiyue for four or five years, and I know that he is a senior who takes great care of the underachievers. I had always wanted to meet him in Kunming, but it was a pity that I did not realize it. What a friend in the group said today touched me very much.
.May Qiyue be reborn into the history he likes, become Zhang Shao in his writing, and continue to help the Han Dynasty. Before, he drew it with his pen, but this time he will experience it himself. Come on, you
Yes, let us help the Han Dynasty and return it to the old capital.
In addition, my family members should stop urging online novel writers to add more updates. It is really a high-risk industry. I have heard this a lot this year. Hey, in this day and age, don’t read, be happy and be healthy.