Chapter 187 Settling down the people of Zhaojiacun
After a while.
Several people came in a hurry despite the cold wind. The leader was Zhao Shuwen, followed by several men in fine clothes, looking around curiously. When they reached the door of the ancestral hall, Zhao Shuwen signaled the people behind him to stop and wait, and he stepped forward alone with a bang.
Kneel down and shout: "Sir, save Zhaojiacun!"
A cry for help, filled with grief and anger.
Qin Huaidao was shocked and quickly stepped forward to help him: "What happened? Get up and talk."
The two sat down around the bonfire, and Zhao Shuwen said in a deep voice: "Sir, after last time, the Holy Father said that I should be punished and make meritorious service, and that I should change my ways, so I was dismissed from my post. In Huihui Village, I originally wanted to lead everyone to cultivate well. Three days ago
On the night of , a group of people suddenly sneaked into Zhaojia Village. Most of the people in Zhaojia Village were killed or injured. Those beasts didn't even spare their children. If the young men in the village hadn't fought back desperately and had some precautions, they would have been wiped out."
"What, who did it?" Qin Huaidao was shocked.
"Judging from the corpse of the murderer, there are Khitans, Turks, and Tang people. I suspect that the Wang family of Taiyuan was the one who silenced them and established their power. Apart from the Wang family, Zhaojiacun has no other enemies. They are beasts." Zhao Shuwen gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Qin Huaidao suddenly thought of Wang Tongbiao. This guy is now a Khitan and must have a power in his hands. It is not surprising that this power is mixed with various people. With the energy of the Wang family in Taiyuan, it is not difficult for Wang Tongbiao to sneak in with hundreds of people.
There are nearly a thousand households and thousands of people in Zhaojiazhuang. Wang Tongbiao kills them whenever he says. How can he let Qinjiazhuang go?
"Sir, please save Zhaojiacun. We can do whatever we want. We just want a way to survive." Zhao Shuwen said and knelt down again. The seven-foot man was forced to do this. He was really at the end of his rope.
"What's your situation now?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"Most of the house has been burned down, and there is not much food left. We can last for ten days at most. Sir, please save us. As long as we can survive, everyone in Zhaojia Village is willing to be your slave, and I am willing to ride the horse behind you without any complaints.
"Zhao Shuwen said solemnly, his voice was sad, painful, helpless, and endlessly confused about the future.
Qin Huaidao could see that Zhao Shuwen really had no choice. Zhaojiacun was probably even worse than he said. Fortunately, Qinjiazhuang was short of people and there was no problem in taking them in. It was just that the place to live was not easy to deal with. He asked: "Tell me, what are the details?
How many people? Tell the truth."
Zhao Shuwen was in a bit of a dilemma. Most of the people in the village were women, children and the elderly, who were a drag and a burden. To be honest, what if they refused to accept it? But he couldn't hide the matter, so he had to bite the bullet and said: "Sir, there are less than fifty young and strong people.
The others are all old people, women, children and children, about a thousand."
"There are less than fifty young and strong men, and they all died in the battle?" Qin Huaidao was shocked. He remembered that the last time he went there, he saw nearly a thousand young and strong men, but all of them died in the battle. He asked, "Tell me, what happened to the murderer at that time?"
"At least three hundred archers first used rockets to burn the house. Because it was night, many people were burned alive. After that, two hundred swordsmen rushed up and killed them. They couldn't stop them. If they hadn't taken their lives, everyone wouldn't have been able to escape.
, those beasts are simply not human beings..." Zhao Shuwen choked up when he said this, and burst into tears.
Qin Huaidao patted the opponent's shoulder sympathetically and sighed. The archers made a sneak attack at night and used fire attacks. Two hundred people took advantage of the chaos to rush in to deal the damage. They were just a bunch of civilians. It was a miracle that a thousand or so people survived. Such a sneak attack.
If it happened in Qinjiazhuang, how many people in Qinjiazhuang could survive?
After pondering for a moment, Qin Huaidao said: "What did the county government say?"
"The county government has no choice but to report it to the imperial court and wait for the imperial court to send troops. The county government cannot provide much surplus food for relief. I don't want to trouble you, but... I am really worried that the murderer will come again."
Qin Huaidao suddenly realized, who among the common people is willing to leave their homeland? After all, if their houses are burned down, they still have some land that can be rebuilt, and there are also paddy fields. After a while, they can see hope. How can they live in a different place with nothing? But the murderer comes again.
Everyone still dies.
If the Wang family really takes revenge, they will definitely take action again.
"Bring all your clan members. The question is, will the county government let them go?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"According to the regulations, it is not allowed, but the county government has no spare power to provide relief. If you are willing to accept it, the county government will not throw us out as a burden from Jingzhao Mansion." Zhao Shuwen said.
"You go to Xianggong Fang and say that I agree. There must be no less procedures to avoid trouble. However, there is no shortage of food in Qinjiazhuang, but there is no place to live. It is too late to build a house. Let's dig some caves first to make ends meet.
Do you think it’s okay?”
"More thanks for your life, sir." Zhao Shuwen was overjoyed and knelt down with a pop.
Several strong men guarding the door also knelt down and shouted loudly: "Thank you for being alive, sir."
"Go ahead, do you have any money with you?" Qin Huaidao asked with concern.
"The expense is enough, thank you for your concern, sir." Zhao Shuwen said gratefully, wiped his tears, and hurried away with the people. The high-spirited county magistrate back then now has a stooped back, showing more vicissitudes of life and helplessness.
Qin Huaidao watched Zhao Shuwen leave with a somewhat complicated mood. The original opponents were now getting together. Things are unpredictable. When he saw Xue Rengui coming over, he motioned to sit down and said: "Zhaojiacun was attacked. The murderer is suspected to be Wang Tongbiao. I suspect this guy brought someone with him."
If you infiltrate, you may attack Qinjiazhuang at any time."
"Zhaojiacun?" Xue Rengui's expression changed.
"How is the recruitment process for the village protection team?"
Xue Rengui quickly said: "It's difficult to recruit unless the age is relaxed."
"Be careful these days, prepare more traps, prepare more weapons, and be ready for battle. Wait for the people from Zhaojiacun to come, pick some from them, and make up a hundred. Zhaojiacun was massacred by Wang Tongbiao. If you have hatred in your heart, you can use it.
"
"Understood, I'll go over here and prepare." Xue Rengui agreed and hurried away.
Qin Huaidao followed him out, found Jia Youcai who was busy, and warned: "Uncle Jia, find some people from other villages to dig holes on the hillside toward the Weihe River. Dig ten holes, each of which can accommodate a hundred people. After digging,
Put some straw in and let people live in it, and nearly a thousand people will move here in a few days."
"How can you feed so many?" Jia Youcai reminded.
"There are 1,200 acres of paddy fields over there that belong to me. Someone has to plant them in the future. Just do it. Work all night long to dig it out as soon as possible. Find more people. I will pay you thirty cents a day, regardless of food.
I'm too busy cooking." Qin Huaidao warned.
"Understood, let's make arrangements here."
"Remember to dig higher and reinforce it with wooden piles to prevent collapse. Don't be careless about safety. It can be used as a warehouse when no one can live in it in the future." Qin Huaidao reminded.
Jia Youcai nodded and made arrangements in a hurry.
Qin Huaidao returned to the ancestral hall, looked at the bonfire and pondered. Shouldn't Wang Tongbiao be waiting for news about the mobilization of military supplies in Khitan and lead troops to knock on the pass at any time? Could it be someone else sent by the Wang family in Taiyuan? Aren't they afraid of being uprooted by Li Er?
Or is it that the Taiyuan Wang family is ready to make a desperate move to change the world?
There seems to be no such place in history. Could it be that if your arrival affects the trend of history, then your prophetic advantage will be completely gone? Once the trend changes, history will be changed beyond recognition. Where should you go?
Then I thought about it, just live your own life however you like, anyone who dares to reach out will be chopped off!
Thoughts come to you instantly.
There were shouts and greetings from outside, along with the barking of mules. It was the coal convoy coming back. Qin Huaidao observed at the door. More than 2,000 vehicles were lined up in a long queue and were moving forward slowly. The one at the front was unloading the coal.
Come down and walk to the side to get some change.
It was Jia Youcai who handed out the money, and there were two guards assisting him. He'er took notes at the side. The coachman received his wages, thanked him and pulled the carriage away without disturbing the people behind him. The scene was in good order and the speed was very fast.
Luo Zhang came over in a hurry, got off his horse and said hello: "Uncle!"
"Is it going well?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"Everything went smoothly. By the way, I drove away the carriage sent by the imperial court early in the morning. You were not here, so I didn't have time to say hello. Today, more people joined the transport team. The total number of vehicles is about 2,500. This team is not small. It is estimated that there will be more
Will there be any problems if someone joins?" Luo Zhang reminded.
"No one asked to quit in such a cold weather?" Qin Huaidao was a little curious.
"Quiting? How is that possible?" Luo Zhang said: "Everyone who joined today regrets it to death. They said they should have joined early in the morning, but they lost a lot of income a few days late. They also said that neighbors and relatives would join, and they were worried that we wouldn't want to join.
"
"The more the merrier, it would be better to transport all the coal as soon as possible." Qin Huaidao said, looked around, lowered his voice and warned: "Remember Zhaojia Village in Weinan County? It was attacked and there were heavy casualties. I suspect it was Wang Tongbiao.
This guy might attack the coal transport convoy."
"Wang Tongbiao?" Luo Zhang's face changed slightly.
Qin Huaidao warned: "I'm just suspicious, not sure, but I have to be careful. Go to the Supervisory Mansion and ask Cheng Chumo to accompany you. Transfer the first and third guards, leaving the second guard and Yuchi Baolin behind. It will be much safer if there are 300 more escorts."
.”
"No problem, it's just that escorting by government guards is against the rules." Luo Zhang reminded.
"It's okay, just do it. I will explain to you, Your Majesty. Coal is related to the stabilization of food prices, and the supply cannot be cut off. Without Wang Tongbiao, this matter is not easy to mobilize. With it, it will be different."
"It makes sense. To protect coal is to protect food prices." Luo Zhang said clearly.
With the addition of three hundred guards to escort, as well as the three masters Cheng Chumo, Luo Zhang and Luo Ying, the problem should not be big. Qin Huaidao reminded: "Wang Tongbiao may not be leading the team, but this group of people should be related to the Wang family in Taiyuan. They must not be
Don't worry, they have three hundred archers, two hundred swordsmen, or even more, so be careful."
"Archer? Then you have to be equipped with a shield." Luo Zhang agreed.
After chatting for a few words, Luo Zhang hurried away and walked around Qin Huaidao. The stone transporters were doing their work, and the briquette makers were still scrambling to finish the remaining coal slime. Not far away, dozens of kilns were billowing with black smoke.
, on the hillside of the back mountain facing the Weihe River, people were clearing weeds, building roads, and preparing to dig holes.
Everything is going on nervously and orderly.
Unconsciously, night fell, Qin Huaidao returned to the ancestral hall and found Jia Youcai, Huang Lao, Mingyue, He'er and others. They chatted about various affairs of Qinjiazhuang, decided on the spot if there were any problems, and then dispersed.
Early the next morning.
Qin Huaidao woke up, ignored eating and went to the platform built with cement yesterday. He kicked it and it was very stable. He couldn't help but increase his strength and tried again. It was very stable. He tried to break a brick and found that it was very uncomfortable.
Easy, the cement strength is not as high as I remember, but it's not bad either.
Xue Rengui came over and kicked him out of curiosity, but he didn't move at all. He was immediately happy and tried hard to kick it over, but he still didn't fall. He was surprised and said: "Young master, you can explain it like this. Other blue brick walls can't."
If you can't withstand Xue's full force kick, unless the wall is made of high-grade glutinous rice mortar, it will be comparable to glutinous rice mortar."
"Are you sure?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"I'm very sure. Xue used to work as a helper and has seen the strength of glutinous rice mortar. If we compare it, it doesn't feel as strong as this." Xue Rengui said seriously.
"That's good." Qin Huaidao smiled with satisfaction.
After breakfast, Qin Huaidao found someone to grind gypsum and cement clinker, and then dispatched a few kiln guards who were not busy to help. He used tools to dig out the river bank, diverted the river water into the pond, diverted the water, and dug another hole downstream.
, let the pond water flow into the river.
The river stopped flowing, which made construction much easier. Under Qin Huaidao's guidance, everyone excavated to form a deep trench, then filled it with large stones, mixed the ground cement clinker, gypsum and lime according to yesterday's ratio, and poured
Mix in sand and small stones to make concrete.
Not long after, a concrete and stone dam was built. It was about one meter thick and had a height of about three meters. A two-foot wide water tank was opened in the middle. A piece of bluestone was used as a baffle to block the opening of the water tank. When the water was full,
When the bluestone is pulled apart, the water will rush out from the sink, forming a powerful momentum.
After that, Qin Huaidao asked carpenters to help him and invested in making the waterwheel. At the same time, he had people build a mill with bricks next to the dam. The mill dug a ditch one and a half meters wide and two meters deep.
Four days later, a huge waterwheel stood in the river. In the middle of the waterwheel was a large square iron rod. It was cast and tempered into steel. It was much better to make a transmission shaft than wood. One end of the big iron rod was connected to the square in the center of the waterwheel.
The slot is just the right size, one end extends along the ditch to the bottom of the mill, and the cast gear is installed.
Although the gears made of iron are not precise enough, they are hard enough and will not collapse. The stone mill is also equipped with gears, which are connected up and down. As long as the waterwheel rotates, the stone mill will also rotate. When not in use, break apart the transmission gear connecting the stone mill.
Simple, easy to use and easy to operate.
Everyone had never seen this kind of semi-mechanized device before, and everyone gathered around to watch. Within three or four days, the cement in the dam had dried up. With an order, everyone blocked the diversion opening and started to store water. When the water was full, Qin Huaidao gave an order.
Down, the bluestone slab was lifted away, and the water sloped down along the water tank, hitting the water tank of the waterwheel hard.
The waterwheel rattles, choose.
"It's moving, it's moving!"
Many people shouted in surprise and ran to the mill one after another. Looking at the selection of stone mills, they were all pleasantly surprised.
With the stone mill, grinding wheat will be much easier in the future.
Qin Huaidao asked people to pour some smashed small stones into it, and the stone mill rotated to grind the small stones into powder. There was no lag, jump or other abnormality. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief - it was finally successful!
"Ah, can you still grind a stone?" someone exclaimed.
"Nonsense, what the young master does is simply grinding wheat?" Jia Youcai said proudly.
"Master, these stone mills can be replaced, right?" He'er also asked happily. Seeing Qin Huaidao smiling and nodding, he couldn't help shouting in surprise: "Then no one will need to push them anymore. Such a big stone mill must be sharpened very quickly.
, can this rotation speed be fast? This one looks a bit slow now."
"Of course you can. Just change the gear. Grind the stone slower. To grind wheat, you need to use another stone. Just change the gear and it will be faster. It's very simple. I will teach you how to use it later." Qin Huaidao said with a smile.
When Jia Youcai heard this, he quickly said: "Young Master, you can't do it. Just teach one or two people to be responsible for it."
"That's okay. You can go arrange some people. Be more careful and patient. There will be two men and two women." Qin Huaidao smiled nonchalantly.
Everyone watched the excitement for a while and dispersed. After all, you can earn money by working, and the money is more valuable.
Jia Youcai arranged for four people to come over. Qin Huaidao taught everyone and then left. He found the guard responsible for burning cement and told him: "It's time to burn the second kiln. Don't make big changes to the proportions. Make slight adjustments. Keep records and compare them later.
The other kind is more suitable. In addition, when I finally added the gypsum to mix it, I felt it was a little less. If I have time, I will try a few more mixing ratios and find the strongest one. If this is done, the young master will reward you personally.
One hundred taels of silver."
"Thank you, Master!" the other party said gratefully.
"You're welcome. You are the old man in the house. My father can trust you and keep you in the house. Naturally, I can trust you too. But if you have merit, you should be rewarded. You deserve it. When the house is built and you marry a wife, you can look back.
The young master will be your witness." Qin Huaidao said with a smile.
"Really? Thank you, young master!" The other party was very excited. What an honor it is to have the young master as a witness.
"Work hard and everything will be fine. Remember, the formula must be kept secret and only known to you and me." Qin Huaidao solemnly warned, chatted for a few words and left.
Not long after, Qin Huaidao came to the back mountain. After four days of digging, the cave had been dug. It was not a big problem to barely accommodate people. Qin Huaidao asked everyone to light a fire inside to dry out the moisture. A team member protecting the village hurriedly came over: "Young Master.
, people from Zhaojia Village are here."
"It came very quickly, bring it here." Qin Huaidao responded.
After waiting for a while, I saw a team coming slowly, carrying packages on their backs. Everyone was shivering from the cold. The child even had a long runny nose. Many people were supporting each other and walking was very difficult. Zhao Shuwen rushed over.
He came up, bowed and said, "Master Qin, the grace of living is something I will never forget."
"Thank you for being alive, sir." People in Zhaojiacun knelt down one after another with sad voices.
No one wants to live under a fence, but in order to survive, everyone is like withered grass in the wilderness, struggling to survive against the cold wind, frost and snow, just so that new buds can sprout in the coming year.
"Everyone, get up. I don't like to be kneeled down." Qin Huaidao shouted, pulling Zhao Shuwen forward a short distance, pointing to the cave below and saying: "The cave has been dug, and the fire is being burned to dry it. Everyone is freezing all the way here.
It's not light, just go down to warm yourself up by the fire. There are ten caves in total. You can allocate how to live in them. Take a breath and carry straws on the ground later to avoid getting damp when you sleep. Someone will send you food, so you can cook it yourself."
"Thank you, Sir. This kindness is engraved in the hearts of the whole Zhaojia Village. If there is anything we can do, just ask us, no questions asked." Zhao Shuwen said gratefully.
"Choose some middle-aged men, between sixteen and twenty, to join the village guard team to protect the safety of this place. There are currently thirty or forty people, and we plan to recruit a hundred people. The principle is voluntary, no force, one or two silver per month,
Food and accommodation are included. If you die in battle, you will receive a pension of two hundred taels, and a pension of one hundred taels for minor injuries."
"No money is needed. There is also a village protection team in Zhaojia Village. No one wants money." Zhao Shuwen said quickly.
Qin Huaidao interrupted: "Since you are here, just follow the rules here."
"Thank you, Sir." Zhao Shuwen was a little moved. One tael of silver is a lot, and there is also a huge pension. No one is willing to join this kind of treatment, not to mention protecting the safety of the village, that is, protecting the safety of the clan members.
"Take the tribesmen into the cave to warm themselves by the fire. Get settled first, and then come to the ancestral hall to find me, where we met a few days ago." Qin Huaidao warned.
Zhao Shuwen agreed, ran to settle the clan members, and led them into the cave.
The fire in the cave was already burning, and it was as warm as spring. Everyone felt much better immediately. Looking at the empty cave, they were a little worried. Although they knew they would live in a cave before coming here, there was nothing, so how could they sleep?
Zhao Shuwen saw everyone's worries and explained Qin Huaidao's arrangements, which put everyone's worries at ease.
Qin Huaidao saw that there was no big problem and left on his own.
When he returned to the ancestral hall, he found Yuchi Baoqi coming over. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Why are you here? Did something happen?"
"The Holy One has sent someone to the Supervisory Mansion to look for you. If there is an emergency, he has summoned you and asked you to enter the palace."
"What's the matter?" Qin Huaidao asked. Seeing Yuchi Baolin shaking his head, he quickly changed his official uniform, told Jia Youcai and Xue Rengui a few words about the settlement of Zhaojia Village, and hurriedly mounted his horse and left.