In June, Liangzhou Prefecture was extremely cool. It was already a scorching summer in the Central Plains, but here was the scene of spring. Ye An's motorcade also arrived at the land of Hehuang in the spring breeze.
Hehuang originally refers to the fertile triangle between the Yellow River and Huangshui. It was also the Hezhou and Huangzhou of the Song Dynasty. Thanks to the abundant water resources, the land here is fertile, the food is abundant, and the people are simple... But in fact, it is not
There are people dying of hunger everywhere, refugees everywhere, and hordes of bandits!
Since Puhui Company was established in Liangzhou Prefecture, Liangzhou City's appearance has changed drastically in just one and a half years. More and more people have come from nearby prefectures. The original Liangzhou Prefecture was a prosperous place in the northwest.
It's just that the Song people were not in power when the Dangxiang people, Uighurs, and Tubo people were there. Now that the Qingtang Tibetans have been expelled from Liangzhou City, the Dangxiang people have temporarily settled down, and the people of the Song Dynasty have returned here again.
A prosperous land of Wuliang Capital.
The land of Hehuang was connected to Liangzhou Prefecture, so it naturally prospered.
Humans are social animals and will unconsciously move closer to places of prosperity. This is true for economy, politics, culture, and military.
And what connects all of this is the official road. Don't underestimate this simple infrastructure. It is the foundation for future generations, but for people in this era, the official road is the best place to avoid risks.
Although bandits appear frequently, the official way is the official way after all, and the green forest tycoons do not dare to be too presumptuous. Just robbing property does not hurt people's lives, but sometimes there are exceptions. If you are unlucky and do not arrive at the inn at night,
Then you will encounter a big crisis.
Ye An encountered several waves of robbers along the way, but fortunately they all retreated hastily after the flag was raised, and no one dared to directly confront the court.
Robbers are not visible, but they are not a disease of scabies. The further you go to the northwest, the more robbers there are and the larger the scale! It is better in other prefectures on Qinfeng Road, but when it comes to Hehuang Prefecture, robbers are more likely to be robbers.
There are countless bandits, big and small.
Judging from their various equipment and the large age difference, these are not robbers at all, they are simply a group of refugees who cannot survive and can only make a living by robbing.
Because the people in the Imperial City Division only care about guarding and do not care about other things, this leaves Ye An with very few manpower. If there is no inn at night, he can only stay in the village, and suppressing bandits has become impossible.
thing.
Ancun Village is a small village straddling the two states of Hezhou and Huangzhou. It is adjacent to Hongxuchuan, a tributary of the Yellow River. It is an important place, but there is no official military village to guard it. Because it is close to Tabaicheng in Hezhou and adjacent to
Lintanbao, the governor of Hezhou did not think it was meaningful to set up a military stronghold in Anxiang Village.
But this place at the junction of the river and Huang has become a must-pass for business travelers, and it has also become a place full of banditry!
When Ye An's motorcade arrived, the children with snotty noses at the entrance of An Village saw it. Before Tieniu handed over the snacks, they rushed into the village. After a while, a large group of villagers came out to greet them with gongs and drums.
This shocked Chen Lin and immediately ordered the Imperial City Department to be on alert. The other party knew who she was without even showing the flag of the convoy? Isn't this very suspicious?
A ridiculous and sad scene appeared. The soldiers of the Imperial City Division removed their hoods, showed off their armor, drew their swords, and drew their bows and arrows. However, under the cold sword blades, there was a group of half-clothed, sallow and thin, miserable and panic-stricken people.
common people.
The leader of the old man swallowed dryly and led the people in the village to kneel down: "The Heavenly Official is here. We have offended the Heavenly Official's majesty. Please forgive me!"
Ye An frowned and looked at Chen Lin, pointed at the thick bowl held in the hands of the woman and child and said: "Master Chen, please be careful not to get scratched by the mouth of the bowl!"
Chen Lin also saw the clear water in the big thick bowl, scratched her head in embarrassment, and then looked at the officer of the Imperial City Department and said: "Why are you still standing there in a daze? How can you put everything away?"
So Cheng Gongshou and others had no choice but to put away their weapons. This was obviously an order from the governor!
Ye An got off his horse and helped the old man up and asked strangely: "How come such a big battle happened?"
The old man carefully avoided Ye An's hand and said with a grin: "Little old Ma Shouguan is the patriarch of Naian Village. He is also Li Zheng. He was elected in the third year of Kaibao. He knows some official rituals. If you talk about naughty little old man, he will know the heavenly official." The carriage is made of big yellow pear wood. Although it is an ox-cart, it has auspicious patterns, especially the carriage... Naturally, it has an extraordinary status!" Seeing Chen Lin's unkind expression, the old man who was good at accidents immediately shut up.
In the Song Dynasty, Juren was not considered an official. It was a collective name for those who passed the examination in each subject of the rural examination. Those who failed in the examination of the Ministry of Rites still had to take the provincial examination again before they could take the lower-level examination. Juren could only pass the imperial examination and become Jinshi. You can be awarded an official position later, and you can be exempted from military service. If you land, you will have to start all over again, and your status as a judge will no longer exist in the official name.
But it is extremely difficult for local areas to pass the imperial examination, especially in remote prefectures. That’s why Ma Shouguan told the story of his passing the imperial examination during the Taizu Dynasty. Firstly, it was just to show off, and secondly, It shows that he is a "scholar" from all over the country.
Ye An didn't dare to trust such an old man. Since he is a scholar, he still needs to have respect. Weiwei crossed his hands and said: "I never thought that I am a senior scholar, but I am neglecting him!"
Ma Shouquan grinned almost to the back of his ears, but he quickly crossed his hands and said, "Young old man who failed the exam, dare not be called such by the Heavenly Official! Heavenly Official, please go to the village to rest as soon as possible!"
It was already getting late, and Ye An had originally planned to stay here. There was no shortage of dry food for the team, but water was needed. Qin Mumu and Xuan'er had already been complaining about not taking a shower for three days...
Ye An cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll disturb Ma Juren."
Ma Shouguan's face instantly lit up when Ye An said "Ma Juren". He raised his head and chest and led Ye An into the village in awe of the surrounding villagers. Chen Lin curled her lips in disdain. In Tokyo City, let alone this failed candidate, There are so many Jinshi scholars, but I have never seen them so arrogant.
But Ye An smiled and stopped talking. Ten years of cold spring, the iron inkstone was worn out, it is difficult for scholars to study...
Scenes of killing chickens and sheep did not appear. It is too poor here. Although it relies on Hongxuchuan, the people in An Village did not benefit from the river water. Wheat was planted on the land, but it was not mature yet. It was cold in the northwest. , the grain harvest was late, and the barking yellow dog in the village had disappeared. Instead of being taken back home, it was served on the dining table.
Xuan'er was comforting the crying children. It was hard to imagine that there was only one yellow dog in a village. It was so poor here that the only meat dish served to Shangguan was dog meat...
Ma Shouguan rubbed his hands in embarrassment and said: "Don't blame the Heavenly Official. The only food available in the village is these vulgar foods. Please invite the Heavenly Official..."
"It's so excellent that Ma Juren shouldn't exaggerate."
Ye An's face was kind and his smile was like sunshine, but Chen Lin, who knew him well, saw that his fingers had turned white from holding the chopsticks hard.
Unexpectedly, Ma Shouguan said cautiously: "If you don't mind it, can you please ask the Heavenly Official to stay here for a few days?"
"I have important things to do, so I can't stay too long. I have to rush to Liangzhou Prefecture tomorrow!" Before Ma Shouguan's expectant expression could fade, Cheng Gongshou beside him gnawed on the cake and spoke.
Ma Shouguan and the people around him suddenly looked lonely...