After walking more than fifty miles northwest of Zhuozhou, we arrived at the foot of Taihang Mountain.
After leaving the official road and riding a horse for a while to a remote mountain, Zhang Wenwan stood on the top of a hill and looked around.
She bought her horses at the inn in Zhuozhou City, because she had prepared various messages and documents before setting off from Baozhou, which allowed her to buy horses and food smoothly.
But this also exposed her whereabouts, so she continued to take a detour and first went to the Taihang Mountains for shelter.
At this time, the sky was getting dark. Looking around, there were no pursuers to the east, but there was a small mountain village with smoke rising to the west.
Zhang Wenwan pulled up her face towel and rode over.
She knew that it was not safe for a woman to march in this world, so she wore a military robe and the lightest leather armor to cover her figure, leaving only her eyes exposed.
When she entered the village, her appearance frightened the villagers, who hid in their houses one after another.
Zhang Wenwan led her horse around the village and selected a dilapidated farmhouse with earthen walls to stay overnight.
"Ha, I said Widow Liu was reluctant to let me touch her this morning."
At this point, another group of people came from the west, all dressed as old farmers, pushing carts filled with sacks containing grain and other miscellaneous items.
The crowd was discussing this, but some people asked: "Brothers, I didn't understand the government notice about collecting grain and recruiting soldiers. Can you explain it to me?"
"It's over there in Xiling Village. We've already delivered it once a while ago, but the chickens at home are laying eggs again. Let's gather some more things and send them there together."
With a "pop" sound, Erhu slapped Widow Liu to the ground and kicked her so hard that she couldn't get up, so they searched the house.
"That is to say, if it was really your money, where did you hide it for Erhu to get hold of?"
"Master Bing."
"Collecting grain is actually very simple. The government purchases grain with banknotes..."
Shuntian Road was one of the earliest places in Great Mongolia to implement Han law, because when Zhang Rou was in charge of Shuntian Road, she had been working hard to restore people's livelihood.
At this time, many people had gathered around to watch the excitement.
Walking further inside, I entered a shabby room and finally had a roof over my head to rest for the night. Then I walked to the bed. I immediately smelled a sour smell from the quilt. I looked carefully and found that it was covered with mold.
"Relax, this is my money, where can you find money..."
Zhang Wenwan explained for a while, but Widow Liu still didn't understand.
"No, I just passed by the village and slept with Widow Liu for one night. Today I went up the mountain to cut firewood, and I saw that she had already crossed the cliff and was riding away."
Of course things are not as simple as he said. But for these old farmers, this is the most convincing reason.
Hao Erfu looked up and saw Guanzhong in front of him, and his mood suddenly brightened.
She cried hard, but she could only say these few words over and over again. No matter how hard the man kept kicking her, she refused to let go.
She rubbed her eyes, tied up her face towel, and walked outside the shabby house to take a look. Outside the yard, she saw the thin black woman kneeling on the ground, holding a man's lapel and moaning.
"No." Hao Gouer explained in the simplest way, saying: "It's not that the imperial court printed more banknotes for the Northern Expedition, but that after the victory at Helan Mountain, the imperial court seized a lot of trophies, and it was inconvenient to take out these gold and silver jewelry.
, so it was printed into banknotes.”
Zhang Wenwan was helpless and couldn't explain the matter clearly, so she took out a one-hundred-billion-cent Central Government note, handed it over, and said, "I have to go, take it and buy food for the child."
He pursed his lips, looked at his son, and said: "Do you remember, dog? That year we followed Brother He and entered the Ziwu Road from here. The road was difficult to walk at that time, but now we have cultivated it really well.
.”
"The man wearing armor is not Widow Liu's man?"
"I...I don't have a man."
"Dad, I've told you many times that your son can't be considered a scholar, he can only read and do arithmetic."
The leader of the ten captains waved his hand and ordered: "Search, recruit all the men again..."
Not long after, the sound of crying sounded again in Widow Liu's home.
"Wang Fa?"
Some people also asked: "How much can I pay for transporting baggage?"
Zhang Wenwan couldn't stand it anymore, so she stepped forward with the dagger on her waist and glanced at the crowd.
"They bully you like this?"
"Yes, yes, isn't this called getting used to it?" Hao Erfu pushed the cart, still looking around, and said: "Our hometown is in Weinan. Brother Meng died that year, and the Mongols were fighting among themselves. You
My mother was gone, so I took you out to escape. You were only six years old at that time, and I carried you all the way. Who would have thought that we could come back like this."
People around him looked at him with admiration and were filled with admiration.
"Widow Liu, where did he touch you?"
This cry made people burst into laughter.
He said that the government only accepted silk from five households.
Zhang Wenwan said seriously: "If Wang Fa encounters a thief like that just now, someone from the government will catch him."
"I heard the price is pretty good? It's a bit higher than usual..."
Afterwards, she led the horse and left the village, heading south along the Taihang Mountains.
After hearing this, Hao Erfu immediately became excited and took Hao Gou'er in his arms.
When the people in the village saw it, they shook their heads and planned to leave.
The two children kept crying, but he soon had an unexpected surprise. He reached into a broken clay pot and took out a hundred-wen note.
~~
In the village, several people were gathering together to chat.
Widow Liu cried so hard that she had no choice but to cry loudly: "Aren't you afraid of Wang Fa?!"
This family was the least afraid of Zhang Wenwan, standing there looking numb and lifeless.
"My son remembers that it would be great if my mother could come to Hanzhong with us to live a good life."
"Let my son tell you that he is a scholar. In our area, he reads newspapers and notices to the villagers. Hehe, he likes these."
"Who said that?" Hao Gou'er said: "First of all, Hebian in the Song Dynasty was compulsory. Each household could only keep rations, and the rest had to be sold to the Song court. Not to mention the low price, Huizi was not worth anything.
"
"Hanzhong, brother, what are you doing?"
"Damn it!"
"Mine! My money, mine!"
The woman turned around and saw the armored man leading the horse, and murmured in a low voice: "My man has been conquered, and there is no man left."
After this trivial matter was over, Zhang Wenwan was about to leave. Before leaving, she asked Widow Liu a few words.
"Yes, when we first arrived in Hanzhong, we had no place to live. We dug a cellar. Then year after year, life gradually got better, and my son became a scholar, hehe."
"Stop talking nonsense, this is my money!"
"Damn it! Don't take my money, I won't survive..."
She didn't even speak. The Erhu man looked her up and down, thought about it, put the thirty cents at Widow Liu's feet, slowly stepped back a few steps, turned around and ran away.
The next day, I was woken up by the loud crying.
When everyone gathered together, they couldn't help but talk about it.
"The royal law?" Erhu was surprised and laughed loudly: "What is the royal law of the Great Mongolia? It is the royal law of the grassland, and the strong is respected."
A dark and thin woman was standing in the courtyard cooking something, flanked by two sallow and skinny children, who were looking longingly at the pot.
He reached out and patted Widow Liu on the head, scoffed at "stupid woman" and walked out with a smile.
Erhu chuckled lightly, stood up and went out.
After hearing this, Hao Gouer lowered his head and muttered something.
The woman thanked him profusely and kowtowed to her two children.
"Damn it, I just went out to buy firewood from Mr. Liu's family, and he started touching me while he was holding me. He grabbed the money when he touched it..."
Widow Liu was stunned. She had never heard of Wang Fa.
It's like there's no hope for life anymore, and there's nothing to be afraid of.
She herself was in a difficult situation, and there was only so much she could do.
And just at the entrance of the village, a group of soldiers and horses had already galloped over.
The thin black woman shouted: "I am not a widow, my man will come back! This is really my money!"
Hao Erfu raised his head and said: "I came from Hanzhong and answered the call. When the time comes, I will go north with all my supplies."
But Widow Liu shook her head and said: "The government... collects silk from five households."
Zhang Wenwan glanced into the broken pot and saw that there were some shelled cereals and wild vegetables inside, so she handed over half a piece of dry food.
"But I heard that the imperial court printed a lot of banknotes for the Northern Expedition, and the imperial banknotes will be as worthless as Huizi."
"I didn't bring it here just to sell it for a higher price. I brought it here to help the army. When the time comes to talk about the King's Northern Expedition, I will also contribute."
The woman then shouted: "My money! The two damned tigers robbed my money!"
~~
A group of carriages and horses left Ziwu Pass.
"Dad, my name is Hao Xingbang. I won't call you Gouer anymore. Ziwu Road has been repaired a few years ago and is now the main road from Hanzhong to Chang'an."
Looking at the entire Dayuan, it is difficult to find a place with better security and order than Shuntian Road.
Zhang Wenwan looked around and saw that the man was in his forties, wearing short brown clothes, with a strong build, a wound on his face, and some clumsy legs and feet. He must be a retired Yuan soldier.
"Really?" Erhu confirmed again.
"No, then how did I hear that this is He Bian from the Song Dynasty?"
The circulation of Zhongtong's banknotes in Dayuan was very convenient. Even the woman from the mountain village recognized it. She raised her head timidly and quickly led Zhang Wenwan toward the inner room with her back bent.
What he held in his hand was exactly the thirty coins she gave him last night.
The man named Er Hu kicked Widow Liu to the ground hard, spat and left.
Hao Erfu's eyes widened and he said loudly: "How can he not be a scholar? In the past, it was difficult for us to have a literate person in the whole village."
"If there is no man, then there is no king's law?"
"Could this be your village?" Hao Gou'er said, "In Hanzhong, there are many literate people. In Chang'an, there are even more."
Crying and crying, Zhang Wenwan fell asleep.
"Sister, was it so difficult for you to get to Guanzhong back then? How far away from home am I now?"
"Where are you from?"
"Dad." Hao Gouer complained again.
But then he patiently explained.
Hao Erfu had just heard someone brag and learned from it, so he patted his chest and said, "I'm not doing it for money, but I am doing my best for the country."
"It's true."
Soon, the sky had darkened and there was no light at all. Zhang Wenwan sat there, took out the medicine and applied it to her ankle, and cried again.
"I can't live anymore! Give me my money back!"
Zhang Wenwan took out a 30-yuan note from the Central Government and handed it into the woman's hand, and said in a low voice: "Give me a room to stay at."
"Tsk, tsk, scholars are different. When you say this, you will understand immediately."
Facing the compliments from everyone, Hao Erfu was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth.
Hao Gou'er, however, was just shy and continued speaking seriously.
"Collecting food is very simple. There are several types of recruitment, some are for logistics, and some are recruits..."