Ding Tingxun was burning incense to worship his ancestors. After listening to Liu Shiyi's cry, the incense in his hand almost fell to the ground. He hurriedly said the sacrificial words, inserted a stick of high incense into the incense burner, and then walked out of the ancestral hall with force and led the
A group of deacons entered the row of rooms on both sides of the hall at the second door of the ancestral hall, where the Ding clan discussed important matters.
Although Ding Tingxun has experienced countless storms and waves in his life, the danger of today's incident is so great that it can cause the huge Ding family to be expelled from Bazhou overnight. He is old, has a family, a business, a wife and a wife.
The burden on his shoulders was getting heavier and heavier, and he could no longer bear such a blow. After entering the row room, he drank a cup of ginseng tea, and his livid face regained some of his popularity.
Seeing that all the deacons on the left and right looked panicked, he, the head of the family, could not show weakness in front of his men. Ding Tingxun suppressed his panic and calmly called in the man who reported the news. He first asked about his son's injury and learned that Ding Chengzong was just because of panic.
The horse overturned and his legs were broken, but his life was not in danger. Then he asked about the robbery of the grain truck.
This time, Ding Chengzong, the eldest son of the Ding family, escorted 200 grain trucks to Guangyuan. The Ding family's business of transporting and selling grain has long been established. Although there are some strong copycats along the way, the Ding family has long been established over the past ten years.
Joints, every time they send some money as a token of appreciation, those copycats won’t bother them.
On the one hand, this is because the Ding family has formed many good relationships over the years, and on the other hand, it is because at this time, the guardians, servants, and even ordinary servants of the landlords and gentry families have to practice martial arts in the off-farm season to strengthen the people. Two hundred vehicles
The grain truck needs to be escorted by thousands of people. Even a large village with a large brand name may not be able to accommodate a strong army of thousands of people. Besides, the Ding family transports military grain. If the officers and soldiers come to encircle and suppress them, it will be even more difficult.
The gain outweighs the loss. Bandits and robbers are also trying to survive and gain money, so no one can get in trouble with them. Therefore, for more than ten years, the Ding family has been transporting grain to Guangyuan, and it has always been peaceful. No major incident has ever happened.
Despite this, Ding Chengzong still calculated the distance in advance and set off more than ten days in advance to transport the grain in advance. It was foolproof. Ding Chengzong was as cautious as his father. Although he was familiar with the road, he encountered mountains and rivers along the way.
When eating, staying and camping, we should still be very careful and not be careless just because we are walking on a familiar road. But who knew that even with such carefulness, something might still go wrong.
On this day, they left Shenze Town and continued on their way. At this time, they were only a day and a half away from Guangyuan City. Further west of Shenze Town, there was a saline-alkali land with a radius of several thousand acres. The soil layer looked like
The black sand is like pond mud. Nothing grows in this soil except reeds, so the surrounding area is extremely desolate.
Ding Chengzong sent fast horses to explore the road ahead, but this was an ordinary arrangement. Such a large area of land was a desolate reed field with no human habitation at all, so there was no risk of any danger. Unexpectedly, they met here.
A band of robbers.
The robbers seemed to have already figured out the path and time they were traveling. When they were halfway there, thick smoke billowed in. Someone actually lit the reeds. At first, Ding Chengzong thought it was a wildfire, but he was just in a hurry.
The car was driving forward in a hurry, but not long after the lead car went forward, it fell into a dug sand pit and blocked the road. Only then did it know that it was lying in the middle, and the robbers swarmed in. It had already been smoked by the fireworks, and the whole car formation was filled with red eyes and tears.
The grain team, which had been dragged into a long line, was immediately difficult to see from end to end, and was cut to pieces by the bandits.
Ding Tingxun was asking what happened when Mrs. Lu hurriedly rushed in, wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said: "Dad, how is Chengzong? I heard that he was seriously injured. It's freezing cold today, but it's okay.
,Dad, Chengzong must not let anything happen to him."
Mrs. Lu's name is Lu Xiangwu, and her father is also a great gentry in Bazhou. Today, the Ding family is worshiping their ancestors. This grandma is dressed very well, with a round and plump figure, a cotton-padded jacket with a fox collar and brocade silk.
Wearing an eight-piece Xiangshui skirt, without any jewelry, her hair is raven black, her pretty face is full of sorrow and tears, like a pure lotus slowly floating on the water, pure and beautiful, arousing pity.
Ding Tingxun was full of worries, but he was a bit unpretentious about the eldest daughter-in-law's sudden intrusion. He frowned and shouted displeased: "This is the important meeting place of the ancestral hall. What are you doing here? Chengzong is my son. Is it possible?"
Isn't it okay? Go out and wait."
Lu Xiangwu barged in in a moment of urgency, and now being scolded by her father-in-law in public, she suddenly looked a little embarrassed, with two flushes on her face as clear as jade.
"Young madam, don't be anxious. The master has called everyone together to discuss a solution. Please wait, young madam. There will always be a way."
Liu Xiangwu, the deacon of the outer courtyard, persuaded Lu Xiangwu to leave, then turned back and said: "Master, there is no way to rush. This is a critical moment of life and death for our Ding family. You have to come up with a charter immediately, everyone."
Let’s work together to overcome this difficulty.”
Ding Tingxun had gradually stabilized. He calmed down and picked up his son's letter and read it again: "Father, the child is unfaithful. The army rations were taken away. He has caused great disaster for the Ding family and will never be redeemed by death. I hope that my father will not treat his son as a child when he sees this letter.
For the sake of thinking, it is important to quickly resolve this disaster.
There is something strange about the seizure of military supplies this time. When transporting supplies from Bazhou to Guangyuan, there are many possible routes, including official roads, mountain roads, big roads and small roads, and they can be crisscrossed and changed at any time. It is difficult to predict, but the thieves actually knew it.
I set up an ambush according to the route and time, fearing that there must be a spy among the people accompanying me. The people led by Er were strong and brave. Although the thieves thought they were prepared and unprepared, they still suffered heavy casualties. The thieves' head was shot by Er's arrow.
Zuo Mu, in a rage, set fire to the grain. The mule cart the son was riding in was frightened and galloped into the wilderness and overturned, breaking both of his legs. The son returned slowly, so he sent his confidants to rush back. The father must do whatever it takes to transport the army grain again.
Guangyuan. If the army rations are delayed, great disaster will befall the Ding family..."
The handwriting was a little sloppy, but despite his sudden change and serious injury, his son could still think so carefully. He really lived up to his years of training. Thinking of this, Ding Tingxun felt a little relieved.
"My boss... you should come up with an idea." Li Shouyin, the foreman, also said anxiously. The foreman and the tenant leader are also the equivalent of deacons in the Ding family. The Ding family farmed on their land.
, the boss does not need to go to the farm to supervise. These long-term foremans and tenant heads have a group of servants who manage the households obediently. Therefore, these deacons are quite favored by the boss. The Ding family eats meat.
, they drink soup, and now they are all well-known small landowners in the local area. Their fate is closely related to the Ding family. Seeing that the Ding family is in danger, how can they not be anxious?
Ding Tingxun took a long breath, slowly raised his head, and ordered word by word: "Liu Ming, you take inventory of all the grain stored in my Ding family overnight, keep the seeds, and pack the rest into bags and ship them to Guangyuan.
.However, the existing grain reserves of my Ding family may not be enough. After taking inventory, you immediately go to the city overnight. Today is New Year's Eve and there is no curfew in Bazhou. As soon as you enter the city, buy all the grains from various rice stores.
Transport it back, and all the grain that we prepare to sell in our own shop will also be transferred back."
"Yes!" Liu Ming stood up and responded quickly.
"Liu Shiyi, you need to transfer all the available carriages, horses, donkeys and mules from our Ding family, as well as from various villages and other villages overnight, and then go to the city and rent all the carriages and carriages from various car dealers.
, send it back to me immediately."
"yes!"
"Chen Feng, Yang Ye, Li Shouyin..." The expression on Ding Tingxun's face softened a little, and he bowed his hands to the foremans and tenant farmers: "Guys, the Ding family is now at a critical moment of life and death. Ding has a
Please help me with this important matter. Please help me hire all the young people from all over the country. We have to travel long distances to work during the New Year. Ding will not treat them badly. One day's work will be paid for three days.
Work, and you will be rewarded after the work is completed."
"My boss, you are so polite. I will do my best to face the difficulties with the Ding family." Chen Feng, Yang Ye and others quickly stood up and handed over their hands.
Ding Tingxun nodded, with a sickly flush on his face. He clenched his fists, pursed his lips and said: "There is no obstacle in this world that cannot be overcome. This time... I will personally go out and transport the food to the destination."
Guangyuan.”
"My boss, your body is not strong enough..."
"Master, leave this mission to me, you can't go..."
Just as all the deacons were trying to stop him, a woman's voice at the door said: "Dad, let me go!" Everyone turned around after hearing the voice and saw Miss Ding standing at the door.
"You, a girl's family, why are you joining in the fun!" Ding Tingxun scolded him harshly. Ding Yu raised her eyebrows and said dissatisfiedly: "I am also a member of the Ding family, why not? I can ride a horse and shoot arrows.
, I have been to the three major cities of Guangyuan, Taiyuan, Pingyuan and Border Pass. Who would go if I didn’t go there at this time?”
"You are a woman, no!" Ding Tingxun flatly refused.
Early the next morning, Ding Tingxun lay on the kang, with a wet towel covering his head, and repeatedly warned: "... In short, there must be spies among Minzhuang who escaped this time, so none of them can be used. As for us,
The Ding family's finances can't be broken down by losing another two hundred carts of food, but this is military rations. If something important is missed, the whole Ding family will be slaughtered and the female family members will be enslaved. Yuluo, dad is now
I can only entrust the Ding family to you. You must deliver the military rations to Guangyuan safely no matter what. Maybe it is too late, but it will take a few days. With the friendship between the Ding family and the Guangyuan army for so many years,
Maybe it doesn't matter, but if it takes too long..."
Ding Tingxun coughed when he said this, and Ding Yuluo quickly stroked his back and comforted him: "Dad, don't worry, my daughter will have to transport the military rations even if she risks her life."
Ding Tingxun, who originally refused to let his daughter escort the army rations on behalf of the Ding family, finally fell ill and couldn't get up from his bed under repeated blows. In despair, he could only leave this important matter to the only person who could represent him now.
The eldest daughter of the Ding family. He coughed and wheezed for a while, then said: "Go, go, everyone in the Ding family, you can use whoever you want, and take a hundred thousand taels of silver notes and two thousand taels of broken silver with you.
The silver will be used as rewards on the road, and the banknotes... When the food is delivered, it will be used to clear the joints, cough cough cough..."
This year's business was a done deal. He knew that the second batch of military rations would probably be delivered with a delay of several days. In order to maintain his exclusive privilege of selling military rations, he did not hesitate to spend 100,000 taels of silver to let his daughter smooth the relationship. As long as he kept it
With his own business privileges, the losses will be recovered soon, but... even if he uses money to clear the joints, the delay cannot be too long, otherwise who dares to accept his money and who dares to cover it for him?
"God bless me. I have heard that General Cheng Shixiong of Guangyuan is brave and good at fighting, and he is well versed in the art of war. I hope he will not suffer a defeat, otherwise... otherwise, my Ding family will be responsible for the defeat..." My daughter has already
After going out, Ding Tingxun, who was worried, lay on the kang, but his heart felt as if boiling oil had been poured on it, and the pain made him unable to breathe.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the sound of crackling firecrackers rang out in the village, which was when every household started cooking dumplings early in the morning. In the past, the Ding family had to set off firecrackers for at least half an hour, but now there is no firecrackers.
The news of the New Year. A large number of temporarily recruited Minzhuang gathered in the Ding family compound. Cars of various styles and drawn by mules and horses drove into the yard one after another. The servants Minzhuang came and went like ants in a hurry.
Bags of grain were loaded onto the cart, tied with linoleum, and driven out.
At three o'clock in the morning, the last car was filled with food and slowly drove out of the Ding family courtyard. Ding Hao, who had just finished carrying the food, stood idle and looked curiously at the people holding spears and hunting bows.
.
If you want to formally recruit minzhuang, you have to give an order from the prefect and issue a fire lottery from the official. However, these minzhuang are originally farmers. It is common sense to work as part-time workers in the off-farm season to subsidize the family. As for why they still carry weapons when they work part-time,
Based on the relationship between the Ding family and the Bazhou prefect, as long as they don't cause trouble, they can still turn a blind eye.
Ding Hao was standing in the courtyard watching, when a man pretending to be a man suddenly walked past him. This man wore an ear-covering cashmere hat, a gray cotton riding suit, and a
He wears a woolen waistcoat, and carries a sword on the back of his shoulder. The apricot-yellow sword tassels are shaking in the wind. Looking at his back, his waist is neatly tied, his cotton trousers are covered with leggings that are rolled up, and his wrists are also wrapped with leather poles.
Wearing soft sheepskin sleeves and a pair of grippy boots with tiger-clawed toes, she is not very tall but exudes a dashing spirit. She is the standard outfit for a long journey in the northern winter.
"Are you all ready? Okay, let's go!"
Ding Hao was stunned as soon as the man spoke. From the accent of "his", he was actually a girl? At this time, the man stretched out his hand to pull the saddle, jumped up, and got on the horse's back neatly. Looking at "his" appearance, he looked long.
With eyelashes, big eyes, a straight nose, and a delicate mouth, there is no such handsome young man in the world. He is clearly a grown-up girl.
"Miss?" Ding Hao's eyes flashed, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: "If I don't go out, I will never be able to get ahead. If I go out, it depends on my luck! The Ding family is in great trouble right now.
It’s an opportunity, why don’t I try it?”
"Zhu'er, let's go too."
"Ah? Let's, can we? Neither of us has ever been ten miles away from home in our lives."
"You can say that we have never traveled far away until now, but it doesn't have to be a lifetime. Today, we will go to a place thousands of miles away!" Seeing Ding Yu sitting on his horse and about to leave, Ding Hao suddenly jumped out.
Ding Yuluo was so anxious that he knocked on the horse's belly and was about to gallop out of the atrium. Suddenly a person appeared from the side, stopped in front of the horse and shouted loudly: "Miss!"
Ding Yuluo hurriedly tightened the reins, and the strong horse stood up with a long neigh. Ding Yuluo sat steadily on the horse, and looked forward with a pair of handsome eyes. He saw Ding Hao standing in front of the horse and said loudly
: "Miss, Ah-Dai and Zhu'er are willing to go with the eldest lady."
"You guys?" Ding Yuluo pulled the horse's reins around him and asked, "Tell me, what can you do?"
Ding Hao glanced at Shang Zhuer and replied loudly: "We are pretty good at driving horses and chariots. Let's make a whip and deliver food with the eldest lady."
Ding Yuluo raised his eyebrows and said simply: "Okay, come with me!" After saying that, he shook the horse's rein and galloped away.
Ding Hao perked up and quickly pulled Xue Liang away, chasing Ding Yuluo's figure and walked out.