He Qizhou said: "Let's do this. Those who have household registration or can prove their identity can go to Jiangling Prefecture. Each county government in the prefecture has sent documents to the disaster victims' reception points to replace the household certificates lost due to the disaster, and use them to compile information on the victims.
As for the damage to your house and property, it is best for everyone to register it. Most of them will receive assistance from the court in the future. If you are really unable to provide identification or do not want to face the court, let them stay away from here and find another place to hide."
Zheng Yuan nodded and shed tears silently, and said: "That's the only way it can be. It's just that my siblings and Zhuo Jing have to wander with their children for a while. I will find a place in the mountains as soon as possible to rebuild my house."
An idea flashed in He Qizhou's mind and he said: "Does anyone here recognize the murdered Han Song? Brother Zheng might as well pretend to be Brother Han from now on. Anyway, there are no survivors among those official officials. It will be easier to take care of the two families' wives and children in the future."
Zheng Yuan slapped his head and praised: "Why didn't I think of this? Our family has almost no contact with the outside world. From now on, I will be Han Song. My daughter is also five years old, so I can help her obtain household registration."
Lin Chuan, who was carrying Zheng Yuan on his back, asked curiously: "Brother Zheng, why don't you let your relatives live in the clan while you live in seclusion in the mountains?"
Zheng Yuan smiled bitterly and said: "Two benefactors, Zheng Yuan will ask you to take you to the clan tomorrow morning for a visit. Then you two will know why."
He Qizhou frowned and said: "To be honest, we are preparing to go to Jinling to participate in the martial arts competition. Time is already very tight. We must arrive in the city early the day after tomorrow at the latest. After sending you into the valley, we will return the same way. Our horses are still tied.
It's under a cliff on the opposite side of the mountain. I would also like to ask for advice on how to bypass the roadblock on the official road and get out of the mountain?"
Zheng Yuan shook his head and said: "The shortest route is to cross Qimen Mountain from Beishan Mountain. Otherwise, the official road would not be built on such a dangerous mountain wall. I have seen that road blockage. Horses cannot pass it at all, nor can they climb it."
If you go from Shannan to Qinan County and then to the Guangling River, you can walk in a big circle, but it will take more than two days to go out of the mountain from the southeast. Moreover, it is getting late now, and there will be fog in the mountains at night, even if there are no roadblocks.
, you won’t be able to leave the mountain today. Both of our benefactors, Zheng Yuan, are not good at studying and have brought trouble to you."
Lin Chuan asked anxiously: "Master, what should we do?"
He Qizhou said: "Brother Zheng, there is no need to blame yourself. It seems that we are destined not to go to Jinling. Forget it, Lin Chuan, let's go directly to the capital. My master claims to be from Quanzhen, let's see if he can help us.
There are two full spots. If it doesn’t work, we will sign up for the four schools of the Military Academy and directly grab their spots."
Lin Chuan said in frustration: "To join the Quanzhen sect, you need to obtain the mountain gate genealogy. You haven't seen your master for so many years. Can you really find him? And can he help you get it done? I heard that you can obtain the six major sects.
The quota is many times more difficult than that of the provincial martial arts examination. Guys like Yang Shan do not want to join the teaching, but would rather take the provincial examination. And how many quotas are there in those four colleges? The tuition is astonishingly expensive. I think we are here
This time it’s over.”
He Qizhou patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder and said: "Believe me, we will succeed. Besides, if I can't even pass the selection of the four academies, I will have no shame in entering the armament hall."
The group of people went down the mountain while talking. After descending forty or fifty feet from the peak, the mountain gradually leveled off and the two children could walk on their own. Zheng Yuan was carried by Lin Chuan and He Qizhou in turns. Almost an hour later, the sky was approaching.
In the evening, a faint full moon had risen quietly, and everyone was only a few hundred steps away from the village house in the valley. He Qizhou, who was walking at the front, was about to pass through the gap between two huge rocks.
When he reached the naturally formed mountain road, He Qizhou suddenly stopped and asked, "Who is he?"
Two young men holding sticks came out of the gap. They looked about seventeen or eighteen years old. They raised the tips of the sticks, stared at the group of people, and asked sharply: "Who are you? Where did you come from?"
Zheng Yuan, who was lying on Lin Chuan's back, said hurriedly: "Xiao Liuzi, it's me!"
"Fourth Uncle!" The young man who was called Xiaoliuzi hurriedly put down the stick and ran over. It turned out that the two of them, like Zheng Yuan, were descendants of the Yin tribe and lived in this valley. Because of the recent arrivals from outside the mountains,
There were too many people and they were assigned to be on guard here. When they saw Qi Zhou and his entourage approaching, they wanted to hide behind the big rocks and subdue Qi Zhou who was walking at the front before asking questions. Instead, He Qizhou discovered the traces first.
Zheng Yuan hurriedly told the two of them what happened in the north of the mountain, and asked them to contact the tribesmen and inform everyone in the valley that they would leave the valley before dawn tomorrow morning and head west to Jiangling City. Fortunately, there were many people who could enter the valley.
The mountain roads are mostly used by young adults, and the mountain roads in the south of the valley are relatively easy to walk. It only takes two days to reach Jiangling City to the west.
Xiao Liuzi quickly took everyone into the valley, and first went to a small stone house to rest, while he and another person went to deliver the news. Zheng Yuan's internal injuries were not serious, but his skin injuries were serious. In order to prevent the sores from bursting, He Qizhou refused to let him go.
He walked around by himself, and after taking Qi Zhou's elixir, he felt much better. After asking about the place where He Qi Zhou tied his horse, he persuaded the two of them to rest assured. There was a mountain spring seeping out of the cliff all year round, and the weeds in the forest were lush.
The two horses will be fine for a few days. Since they can no longer reach Jinling in time, I urge the two of them to follow their tribe to the hermitage early tomorrow morning.
It turned out that Zheng Yuan was the grandson of the old patriarch. He really had nothing of value to repay the kindness of the two of them. He just wanted to ask his elders to contribute money to repay them. He Qizhou thought that the place where the horse was tied was indeed very hidden, and the official way was blocked.
Due to the blockage, it is unlikely that anyone will notice. If we go back now, it will be dark before we reach the top of the mountain. Not to mention there are so many officers and soldiers on Beishan now. It is very likely that I will be recognized while carrying a bow and arrow. It is better to stay away for a day or two and wait for the officers and soldiers to retreat.
Then he went to lead the horse, so he agreed to Zheng Yuan's request. Then he carefully checked Zheng Yuan's injuries, and re-applied medicine and bandage to the bleeding areas.
Xiao Liuzi found some food and came over. After everyone had eaten, they made beds on the floor in the small stone house and went to sleep. Due to the running around all afternoon and the mental and physical exhaustion of losing their loved ones, Zheng Yuan and his relatives fell asleep in the blink of an eye.
In the past, Lin Chuan was also exhausted and quickly fell asleep. Only He Qizhou had an unbearable pain in his abdomen. After adjusting his breathing for more than an hour, he regained some energy and went out of the stone house to take a breath again.
The stone house is located slightly higher in the north of the valley. It overlooks most of the houses in the valley and the entrance to the south. It should be a resting place for the guards of the Yin tribe. It is late at night, the autumn wind is cold, and the moon is in the sky. The stars and lights in the valley complement the stars in the sky.
, but the sighs coming from far in the valley broke the silence of the night sky from time to time. He Qizhou turned his head and said hello to Xiao Liuzi sitting on the stone roof, and walked up the hillside, leaning against Xiao Liuzi, sitting on the stone roof.
He went up and said: "Little brother, how about I come to watch the night?"
Xiao Liuzi said: "My name is Zheng Zheng, and Zheng Yuan is my fourth uncle. Thank you benefactor for your generous help. This night shift in the valley is our duty. My benefactor, please go and have a rest."
He Qizhou said: "My name is He Qizhou, and the one with me is Lin Chuan. We are from Jiangjun County, not far from here. I have always heard about the banditry in the Qimen Mountains. I think I am falsely accusing you. I heard from Brother Zheng that you are in
You have lived in the mountains for more than sixty years? Can you tell me something about this place?"
Zheng Zheng said: "Okay, Brother He. I heard from our elders that more than sixty years ago, when the war was raging, our ancestors could not bear the suffering and hid in the Qimen Mountains. By chance, they found a secret place and took their families with them.
, subordinates, more than 200 people from more than ten households in the neighborhood moved in and never cared about worldly affairs. We are now located in the hinterland of Qimen Mountain. There are more than 70 peaks like Beishan. Except for the official road in Beishan, there are no roads, but the south mountain
The area is relatively low, and has been trampled and built by generations of hunters and medicine farmers. There are also several rough mountain roads to reach here. Our Zheng family was originally a military home. Everyone practiced martial arts and was the leader of the hermit tribe in the mountains. After more than sixty years,
As the population multiplied and the population surged, the small dense valley could no longer accommodate such a large population, so young people like my fourth uncle and me would take the initiative to live in other places in the mountains. Since we are of the same race and clan, everyone is united and will
We try our best to maintain order in the mountains. Because outsiders are afraid of us, they generally don’t dare to cause trouble here. However, bandits and warriors who are unwilling to serve the court often escape into the mountains, attracting government encirclement and suppression, so we are often attacked.
As for Chi Yu, of course some tribesmen with impure intentions will occasionally do evil in the mountains. When encountering such a situation, we will usually deal with it according to our family's methods."
He Qizhou asked: "Then how to decide who can stay in Migu and who must come out?"
Zheng Zheng said: "Most of the people who come out are young men. Who wants to live in the valley all their life? We usually have to compete in martial arts to decide who is qualified to leave the valley. Of course, it is almost impossible to live in the valley for a long time after coming out.
Since we don’t want to pay taxes or serve in the military, most of us don’t want to get a household registration after we come out. Most of us still live in these seventy-two peaks, and sometimes we can help the clan do business with people outside the mountain. And those sporadic residents in the mountain are also willing
By marrying us, firstly, we are the biggest force in the mountain, and secondly, our family motto is to be kind to others, so the residents in the mountain will get more or less help from us."
He Qizhou asked: "If you invite me to Migu tomorrow, aren't you afraid that I will tell the truth?"
Zheng Zheng said firmly: "I'm afraid! But my fourth uncle believes in you, and we want to believe you. We, the Yin clan, must repay our kindness. Besides, if the government really wants to encircle and suppress us, we will definitely lose more than we gain!"
He Qizhou looked at the lights in the valley and asked, "Are everyone in the valley willing to leave? Zheng Yuan is seriously injured. What will happen tomorrow?"
Zheng Zheng said: "Most of them have household registration and will leave before dawn tomorrow. Look at the mountain walls on the west and southeast sides. There are more than a dozen large and small caves there, all of which are inhabited by people. Tomorrow
They will all be gone, but there are still more than 30 people who don’t want to deal with the government, so they have left tonight. There are also many people of three or four generations in our clan who have registered residence in Daqi. Tomorrow we will arrange a few people to take turns carrying my fourth uncle out of the mountain.
, I will take you into the secret valley, brother He, don’t worry."