In the Xiangyang Prefecture, Liu Biao was already bedridden. He was frightened when he learned that Liu Cong had retreated, thinking that he really could not resist Cao's army. Until recently, news came that Liu Cong attacked Cao's camp at night and achieved a great victory.
, it was relieved.
This also made some people in the city who were ready to take action suppress their thoughts.
After paying homage to Liu Biao, Liu Cong led his guards outside the city. In the past half month, he had been inspecting the military camp every day, supervising the training of soldiers, and visiting the wounded soldiers in the wounded barracks. The situation in Xiangyang was temporarily stable.
There is a camp in the south of Xiangyang City. It is for the people who migrated to Xiangyang from Xinye and Fancheng. There are 150,000 to 60,000 people who really cannot be arranged to move to the city. Of course, there are also those rich and aristocratic families who go to the city to buy houses on their own.
industry.
This is Liu Cong's purpose today. For the ordinary people in these camps, the government only provides porridge regularly every day. Originally it was twice a day, but at Liu Cong's request it was changed to three times a day.
At first, Liu Cong had the idea of working for relief. Of course, with three meals of porridge a day, Liu Cong didn't want these people to do any work, so he allowed the people to gather here and sent soldiers to patrol every day.
At the beginning, there were some gangsters and rangers who made trouble, and Liu Cong directly sent troops to arrest them. Under the severe crackdown, the security of the camp was still acceptable, which can only be said to be acceptable. After all, this is hundreds of thousands of ordinary people.
The camp consists of.
"The last general, Xu De, pays homage to the lord."
Although it was a camp for common people, Liu Cong also ordered a wooden wall to be built and stationed 3,000 soldiers and horses here to prevent Xiaoxiao from causing trouble.
"Get up, go to the military camp first, and change my clothes."
"promise."
In the center of the camp is where three thousand soldiers and horses are stationed. In addition to the normal patrols and the one thousand people guarding the gate every day, the rest are here, so that it can easily radiate to the entire camp.
When they arrived at the military camp, Liu Cong asked Xu Feng to find some common people's clothes. After changing his clothes, Liu Cong led Xu Feng and several guards out of the military camp quietly.
It is now about three quarters past noon (11:45), which is the time for porridge soup. Liu Cong and others came to a porridge soup point and waited in line.
"Next!" called the little official who was giving out porridge.
Liu Cong stepped forward and picked up a pottery bowl, which was as big as two fists. The clerk took three spoonfuls, which was nearly a bowl.
After receiving the porridge, Liu Cong squatted in the corner and finished the porridge with Xu Feng and others in a while.
"My lord, this porridge is very thick. It seems that the officials in Xiangyang have no signs of corruption." Xu Feng, who was also wearing refugee uniform, licked his lips and said.
Liu Cong was speechless. He drank this bowl of porridge three times a day. In the eyes of people of this era, this was already a very good life.
But Liu Cong understood that this bowl of porridge could only satisfy his hunger, and could not satisfy people at all, let alone replenish energy or allow people to work.
"Hey, let's go." Liu Cong stood up.
Although Xu Feng didn't understand why Liu Cong sighed, he still followed him, washed the bowl and handed it back, and continued to inspect the camp with Liu Cong.
The common people only lived in simple tents, but even so, it could not stop their laughter.
Men carried wooden buckets to fetch water outside the camp, while women washed clothes in front of their tents. Children from each family ran around in the camp in twos and threes.
Liu Cong saw that the life of the people in the camp was relatively easy, and he felt a little relieved.
"Lord." Xu Feng called Liu Cong and pointed at a child who was shaking his head and holding several bundles of bamboo slips.
"Zhou Yuan?" Liu Cong was a little surprised.
After bringing Zhou Yuan back from Jingnan, the Ma brothers personally taught him how to read and write. Ma Liang even adopted Zhou Yuan as his adopted son. Liu Cong returned to Xiangyang and was busy with various affairs, so naturally he would not pay attention to this little child.
Already.
"This place is ten miles away from Xiangyang. Why is he, a child, traveling so far away here?" Liu Cong murmured to himself.
"Let's go, follow up and take a look."
After Xiao Zhouyuan walked through the camp for a long time, he came to a tent and shouted crisply: "Deng Ai! Deng Ai, come out, I have brought you a book."
Following Xiao Zhouyuan's call, a child slightly older than him walked out of the tent. He trotted up to Xiao Zhouyuan and put a finger to his mouth, "Shh, my... dad and mom... he...
.They sleep...asleep."
"Then let's keep our voices down. Here, this is what my uncle taught me today, "The Classic of Filial Piety." Zhou Yuan spoke softly and handed the bamboo slips in his arms to Deng Ai.
"Let's go...to the...small...stream outside the camp." Deng Ai spoke with some difficulty.
The two sat by the stream. Zhou Yuan took out the shortbread wrapped in silk cloth from his arms and handed it to Deng Ai, "Here, this is the shortbread I brought for you. You can eat it first."
Deng Ai looked at the shortbread and swallowed, "Zhou...Zhou Yuan, wait...wait for me...in the future...I will be...promising..."
"Pfft." Zhou Yuan laughed suddenly, "I know, you will definitely repay me if you are successful, right?"
Deng Ai nodded.
"You'd better cure your stuttering first, otherwise it will be difficult to talk to you. Eat quickly." Zhou Yuan stuffed the shortbread into Deng Ai's hand.
Deng Ai blushed, "Then...I won't..."
"You're welcome, eat quickly!" Zhou Yuan interrupted him again.
As a young child, it was the time when his body was growing. Deng Ai finished the shortbread in his hand in three strokes, five by two, and divided by two. He didn't care whether the stream was clean or not, so he lay down and took a few sips, then lowered his head and wiped it with his sleeves.
Wipe your mouth. Then, wash the silk cloth and spread it on the stone on one side.
Pointing to the silk hanging there, Deng Ai was about to speak when Zhou Yuan laughed and said, "I know, I'll take it back later."
"Hahaha!" The two children looked at each other and laughed together.
After laughing, Deng Ai opened the bamboo slips and motioned with his eyes to Zhou Yuan to teach him.
Zhou Yuan stretched out his little finger, "The Master said: Those who love their relatives do not dare to be evil to others; those who respect their relatives do not dare to be rude to others... This means that if the emperor truly loves his parents, he will not
Dare to hate anyone; if you truly respect your parents, you will not dare to despise anyone..."
After reading it once, Deng Ai asked, "Who is the Emperor...?"
Zhou Yuan shook his little head, not knowing what to say, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "The emperor is the greatest official in the world. I asked my uncle that at the time, and he said it was right."
"How big is the biggest official in the world?"
"It's very, very big."
Not far away, Liu Cong and the others who were hiding in the woods could not help but feel a little relieved when they watched and listened to this scene.
While other children are playing in twos and threes, these two children are studying so hard here.
The first time I met Zhou Yuan, he was still a timid and not very sensible child. When we meet again today, he is already articulate and teaching others. The child being taught is named Deng Ai.
Liu Cong suddenly chuckled, and Xu Feng was surprised. Why did his lord sigh and laugh at other times today?
Liu Cong saw that he looked confused and didn't dare to ask, so he said, "We met today. Isn't it nice to talk about this day when they grow up?"
Xu Feng scratched his head and said, "Lord, what is a total acquaintance?"
Liu Cong said helplessly: "Look at these two children, they are so cute, and they are so diligent and diligent, right?"
Xu Feng nodded, and Liu Cong added, "Then how will they feel when they think about today when they grow up?"
Xu Feng thought for a while, nodded with some understanding, and looked at the two children with envy who were writing, drawing, and reading. When he was a child, he had no good friends, only one person and several people fighting.