Yang Chao squatted by the main road in the town, guarding the pile of firewood. From time to time, he would stand up and bargain with others. The stack of firewood on the hill was getting lower and lower, which made him smile.
Generally speaking, in the middle of winter, supplies such as firewood are not available. Although the amount is large, every household must light a fire to keep warm, but farm work cannot be done in winter, and wild vegetables and fruits cannot be collected in the wild. Everyone is idle. A broken home is worth thousands of dollars, so who would exchange the things at home for firewood just to be lazy?
Firewood is plentiful in the mountains and in the fields. As long as you have some free time and are willing to put in some effort, you can have it by going out for a walk. ""Please search Piao Tian Literature, the novels are better and updated faster!"
However, this year's situation is a little different.
Due to the good government implemented by the champion marquis, the people in Qinghe are quite wealthy. Most of the wheat in the fields has become the savings of the people's homes. Once the people become rich, the people become relatively lazy and are unwilling to collect firewood. That energy is better than tidying up the house and yard to prevent drafts from leaking everywhere.
I didn’t have money or energy before, but now that I have enough food and clothing, who can’t ask for more? Anyway, firewood is not expensive, so just exchange it for some shime to save this energy. It is only right to spend the winter recuperating and recharge your batteries, and then work hard in the spring.
In fact, the gap between the powerful and the common people in this era was not as large as in the later Jin Dynasty, Sui and Tang Dynasties. Many families were relying on hard work and hard work to accumulate wealth little by little, and then used the wealth in exchange for career development. He jumped over the dragon gate with the last leap and got rid of his civilian identity.
For example, the Wei family who funded Cao Cao, Li Dian's family, and the Mi family in Donghai, in the final analysis, they all came here like this.
This is of course difficult, but one person can't do it. As long as two or three generations work hard, there will always be hope. And the opportunity for hope to start is often a good year, the good governance of a certain difāng official, and Or some chance encounters allowed everyone to get the first pot of gold, and based on this, they developed gradually.
Yang Chao didn't expect these truths. However, the booming business made him very happy. He picked up the firewood after a busy day yesterday, and after half a day today, he exchanged it for half a day. There were corns and some small things with needles and threads. What made him most happy was that they actually exchanged a gourd of wine!
The rich harvest made him smile so hard that he couldn't even open his eyes. It was a good idea to escape from Anping and come to Qinghe.
Although they are all war zones, the difāng where the champion is located is different from other difāng. In just half a year, the people have become so rich that even the most valuable firewood has become so scarce. If it had been ten or eight years, Yes, is that okay? The legendary world under the rule of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors is nothing more than that, right?
"Little brother, listen to the accent. Are you a local?" The person who was talking to Yang Chao was the man who exchanged wine with him for firewood. He was a middle-aged man, driving a big car, and he seemed to be a man. A foot trader going to the market. However, there was a woman and a little girl with a bun in his car. They were obviously a family. It was not very common to see a foot trader with a family.
Yang Chao wiped his snot from his nose and replied with a silly smile: "Yes, my family belongs to Zaoqiang. Isn't there a war going on over there? Yesterday, General Baima's soldiers attacked General Yuan's celebrities. Today, General Baima's soldiers caused trouble again. There is internal strife, and we are chasing General White Horse's soldiers together with General Yuan's soldiers. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. I heard that Qinghe is peaceful here, so I took my mother and sister to escape."
"Oh, then we are still fellow villagers." The middle-aged man smiled, with a cordiality in his smile: "Our family is also from Zaoqiang. Weijiazhuang, twenty miles north of the county seat, is our home."
"Ah!" Yang Chao was greatly surprised when he met an old friend in a foreign land: "Weijiazhuang, I know! When my father is still here, Shihou who sells goods to Xindu often passes by there. There is a Baima River at the entrance of the village, right? We Not far away, my home is right here..."
Having someone from the same hometown and having similar experiences, the two people quickly became close to each other.
After talking with tongguo, Yang Chao found out that the middle-aged man's name was Wei Sheng, and he turned out to be a businessman. After the Battle of Longcuo, Gongsun Zan invaded Anping on a large scale, and the trade routes were cut off. When the Wangmen rebelled and the situation suddenly changed, he He is even more keenly aware that Anping will soon be in turmoil.
So, he loaded the remaining goods in the warehouse into a truck and took his wife and children all the way south to Qinghe.
It is very tragic to leave one's hometown, but from a pure comparison between the current situation and the past, Wei Sheng's trip to Qinghe can be regarded as a blessing in disguise.
"Before I went south, there was nothing left at home. I was still thinking about whether I would be reduced to begging after arriving in Qinghe. I didn't expect that in just a few months of working, I could make more money than I did in a year. Oh, I'm thinking about it, since E Niang and Zhu'er are with me anyway, it would be good to settle down here in Qinghe, but..."
As he said this, he turned to look at his wife and daughter, and saw his wife rubbing her hands and blowing air on them. She was obviously very cold. So he did not finish his sentence, but hurriedly held her hands. He took his wife's hand, put it in Ziji's collar, and said softly: "E Niang, you are suffering, please warm it up quickly."
The woman showed a hint of smile, which was sweet. Even Yang Chao, who was still a bachelor and had a different style, felt warm in his heart. The woman didn't have time to speak, because the little girl yijing on the side grabbed her father's shirt, and her breasts She cried out in a sweet voice: "Dad, Pearl needs to be warm too!"
"Okay, okay, Pearl is warm too." Wei Sheng nodded with a smile, leaned over to pick up his daughter, and put her little hands into the collar.
The smile on the woman's face became even sweeter. The little girl shook her bun, feeling a little proud. The man tightened his neck and shuddered from time to time. However, while he was grinning from the cold, the smile in his eyes could not block anything. Can't stop it.
The family happiness was so harmonious. This scene made Yang Chao feel envious.
When things get better, I want to find a wife. She doesn’t have to be pretty, but the most important thing is that she cares about people. I must work hard next year, and things will definitely get better gradually.
After sighing for a while, he remembered the topic just now: "Brother Wei, what did you mean when you said you couldn't do it just now? Do you want to wait until the battle in Anping is over before you go back?"
"That's not the case." Wei Sheng replied with a smile: "Whether you are doing business or living, you must have a good difāng. In this world, whether a difāng is good or not does not depend on the soil and water, but on the people."
"people?"
"Well, he is a human being." Wei Sheng nodded and said seriously: "Why is Qinghe so peaceful? Isn't it because of Junhou's kindness? But, will Junhou always stay in Qinghe? It's easy to say. A while ago, didn't the Lord send a message to various places, calling on the people to go to Qingzhou to farm? Earlier, the Ambassador Liu also said the same..."
"You want to go to Qingzhou to farm?" Yang Chao stared at the boss: "That's Qingzhou, hundreds of miles away!"
Anping is bordered by Qinghe. Although I moved between the two places, I also left my hometown, but the water, soil and customs of bijingdifāng were similar, and the distance in my heart was relatively close. Qingzhou and Jizhou are hundreds of miles apart, and they are also separated by the Yellow River. .gǎnjiào, it is a very, very far away difāng.
Therefore, although Wang Yu had a high prestige among the people in Qinghe, he still could not force the people of Qingzhou to retreat with the army, let alone go to Qingzhou. Even when Liu Bei planned to take the people to the plains, the response from the people was not very enthusiastic.
It's not that Wang Yu's charm is not enough, but the Chinese people's rural concept determines everything.
"It's impossible not to leave. The Lord has left, and General Yuan is here. It's too dangerous to stay." Wei Sheng glanced at his wife lovingly, and whispered: "If E Niang hadn't caught the cold a few days ago, I wouldn't be able to I just left with the army. When E Niang recovers, I will still go to Qingzhou."
"Isn't that true?" Yang Chao didn't believe it, or didn't want to believe it, and murmured: "There's no war. General Yuan is here. At most, it's just to pay for food. What's the danger?"
The long-term war has brought people not only pain, but also an increase in knowledge. Yang Chao said that the most terrifying thing in the military disaster was not that a certain place changed hands, but the repeated tug-of-war between the two armies in order to compete for a city and a place. .
In the tug of war, the life on the difāng will be sawed off bit by bit and squeezed dry until one party completely occupies the top, or the difāng is completely destroyed, and then it comes to an end.
The current situation in Qinghe is the most ideal. Although people are somewhat sorry for Wang Yu's departure, it is better for Wang Yu to retreat without a fight than to fight for it repeatedly between the two armies.
Generally speaking, when the lost territory has just been regained, the government will provide some compensation to the difāng and use tax reduction or exemption to stabilize people's hearts. This may be another blessing in disguise.
This is also one of the important reasons why Qinghe people are enthusiastic about going to Qingzhou. Who is willing to go to a foreign country and start over if they can stay in their hometown? No matter how good the policies of the new difāng are, it will still be difficult.
"You don't know yet?" Wei Sheng's voice was lowered, almost inaudible: "Both the county town and Dongwu City have posted notices, saying that in order to raise money and food to attack Qingzhou, General Yuan is going to Difāng collects taxes, saying that the taxes for the next ten years will be paid together!”
"What? Why?" Yang Chao jumped up in shock. He had never heard of this, and it was unbelievable and unreasonable at all.
"Why?" Wei Sheng sneered: "It's just an order from General Yuan! Brother Yang, otherwise, why do you think I came here? I'm just doing business, who will take care of my family?" ?I just want to escape from Qinghe as soon as possible before the food collection team arrives, to the plains, or to the Bohai Sea, and then take the road to Qingzhou!"
"Food collection team?" Yang Chaoyijing was dumbfounded and repeated Wei Sheng's words with dull eyes.
He believed most of it.
The village and town where he is located is between Dongwu City and Yimu City. If rugu is purely doing business, it is naturally more convenient in the county. If you are doing business, there is no need to take your wife and daughter with you. Listening to Wei Sheng's words, He should be someone who has read a book, has some knowledge, and is from the same hometown. There is no need to lie to others about this kind of thing. If he says there is, it should be true.
The people in Qinghe are indeed a bit rich, but they are being squeezed dry by taxing them ten times... I'm afraid it's not enough to use words. I'm afraid this so-called grain collection team...
"Well, the food collection team." Wei Sheng's face twitched unnaturally, even more than when his wife and daughter's hand reached into his arms.
"It can't really be..." Yang Chao had a look of despair on his face. He was thinking hard, trying to find some argument to refute Wei Sheng's statement and maintain the illusory and beautiful life in front of him.
However, before he could figure out the reason, he was interrupted by screams coming from the entrance of the town. Both he and Wei Sheng were startled. When they turned around to look, they saw an officer riding a horse. Behind mǎshàng., followed by a group of heavily armed soldiers, with swords and guns raised, were driving towards them.
As they advanced, there were people shouting loudly: "On the orders of the generals of chariots and cavalry, we collect grain and taxes, and recruit civilians to ensure the supply of the king's army! Anyone who refuses to pay taxes and earn a living will be punished with the same crime as treason and will be killed!"
While shouting, the officer pointed with his riding crop. The men he pointed at were all men who looked strong. It was obvious that he wanted to capture the men first and then grab the food. This could avoid riots to the greatest extent, which was quite a training. Yousu.
When the officer passed by, he also tapped Yang Chao with his riding crop, and immediately two soldiers rushed towards him menacingly.
Yang Chao was dumbfounded. He didn't even hear the two soldiers yelling "shime" to him. He just stood there stupidly. When he encountered someone who was uncooperative, the two soldiers didn't take it seriously and raised their sword hilts. The barrel of the gun was whipped hard.
Juliè's pain made Yang Chao jump up from the ground. Just when he was about to punch him, he saw a cold light flashing in front of him. Thinking of his mother and sister at home, his anger disappeared immediately. He did not dare to resist anymore, but begged bitterly. .I hope I can seek some mercy and escape this disaster.
"Tie him up. Take him away!" The officer waved his hand casually, and the soldier skillfully took out the rope from behind. He tied up Yang Chao firmly and pulled him to the back of the team, together with the dozens of people captured by Yijing before. The men were tied in a long row.
Not daring to resist and pleading to no avail, Yang Chao began to regret that he didn't listen to the big brother. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look back and wonder how the discerning big brother escaped this disaster. As a result, he saw When we arrived, the big car was still there, but the people were gone. Apparently Brother Wei saw that something was not going well and had already run away.
Yang Chao didn't blame the other party for not reminding Ziji. Bijingziji had been in a daze after seeing the officers and soldiers. Brother Wei was very unscrupulous in taking care of his wife and daughter, so how could he care about Ziji?
I have known for a long time that I have entrusted Brother Wei to take care of my mother and sister. Brother Wei is a kind person and should be a good support...
Before he could finish the thought, not far away, a woman's heart-rending cry rang out, mixed with a familiar roar and cry of pain. The most heart-wrenching thing was the childish cry.
Save the cry!
It's Brother Wei! The officers and soldiers didn't come from one side, but blocked all the entrances and exits of the town!
The appearance of the officers and soldiers caused great panic. The cries were like a signal, and the town suddenly became chaotic.
Many people were running and stumbling, regardless of east, west, or west.
Everyone was crying for help, but no one was sure where the danger came from. The two groups of refugees often bumped into each other and screamed in fear.
After the shock subsided, he packed up his belongings and followed the footsteps of others to escape in the opposite direction. On the way, he was surrounded by other people, and they were divided into piles again, clusters, clusters, gathering and scattering, like
An ant that has lost its leader.
Faced with the chaos, the officers and soldiers were in an orderly manner. Hundreds of officers and soldiers were divided into two groups and surrounded the town from the east to the west. They were not in a hurry to quell the chaos, but guarded the intersections leaving the town tightly, not seeing anyone trespassing.
He would beat him and he would arrest any man he saw.
It didn't take long for the two fellow villagers to meet again. Hundreds of men were arrested and tied up in a long list. The chaos gradually subsided, and the town where hundreds of families lived was quickly swept away.
But Kong. The old, weak, women and children were still running and hiding, and some were knocked down to the ground and couldn't get up, but no one paid attention to them.
Yang Chao saw E Niang holding her daughter, leaning against the car, crying helplessly, her tears frozen, leaving crystal traces on her face.
Many of them, like Wei Sheng, tried to escape, but then resisted after being discovered. These people were beaten to death, and ended up like Yang Chao, being tied up in a bunch like livestock.
As for Yang Chao, who had little or no resistance, he was released. Under the supervision of the soldiers, he broke into the houses from house to house, took out all the grain and cloth, and piled them in the original market place.
Set on.
"Can you drive?" Yang Chao nodded mechanically. Following the directions of the Jizhou soldiers, he saw Wei Sheng's big car, "You drive this car."
This was a helpless coincidence. Yang Chao saw E Niang's pleading eyes and his steps froze. The personal friendship brought a heavy price to him. He was whipped hard on the back.
The thin clothes on his body were torn apart, and the pain penetrated deep into his bones.
I'm sorry... After muttering silently in his heart, Yang Chao stepped forward.
"Master! Master, we can't do this!" The woman let go of the child, threw herself in front of the soldier, hugged her boots and cried, "Master, please, please do it."
The cry was pitiful and bitter. The husband was taken away, but there was always hope that he could come back. The mule cart and the few goods on the mule cart were the hope of survival for the mother and daughter.
Yang Chao felt the same. When he looked back secretly, he saw the soldier's face full of anger, raising the spear in his hand... He closed his eyes. He couldn't fight for a person he met by chance. Even if he fought, it would be useless. He turned a blind eye and turned a blind eye.
The only thing that can be done.
When méiyou heard the expected slaps and screams, Yang Chao opened his eyes and saw the soldier frowning and touching the woman's shoulder with a smile: "Do you want me to leave the car to you?"
The woman's body trembled obviously, but in the end she made no move to resist. Instead, she raised her head, with some realization in her eyes: "I just ask the military master to show mercy and leave the car to the civilian woman."
Before the soldier could answer, the horse-riding officer Turán came over, frowned and asked: "What's going on?"
"This little lady wants to keep this car." The soldier smiled ingratiatingly, pinched the woman's chin with his hand, and showed it to the officer: "Do you think it's not bad?"
"It's not bad." The officer looked at it twice and asked: "But who will take care of the food for this cart? Are you coming, Zhao Liang?"
"Uh...I'm confused." The soldier was startled for a moment, then he came to his senses, took out the rope, and tied E Niang up. Then he saw the Qing soldiers behind him dragging the rope and pulling over a group of people crying loudly.
The soldiers tied up the woman who had just been tied up and added her to the team.
In the wars of this era, strong women were also recruited. Although E Niang's face was sickly and her figure was too slender, who would care about this? Anyway, if the people are captured, there will be no Shime people.
To avenge them.
Of course, there are still some people who are reluctant to leave, and Zhu'er, E Niang's daughter, is one of them.
The little girl cried loudly and wanted to go with her mother, but she was pushed away mercilessly by the soldiers. The reason was that she was too small to carry heavy objects and could not satisfy the soldiers' animal desires.
Time and time again, the little girl struggled to get up from the ground, crying and trying to squeeze into the procession being taken away. Every time, she grabbed the clothes of an unknown person in the procession and held it tightly, even if she didn't say anything.
She was willing to let go. But her hands were opened by the soldiers again and again and kicked to the side of the road.
Finally, Yang Chao saw the impatient soldiers kicking her into the air again. Her little body flew very high and made a loud sound when it landed.
The crying suddenly stopped, and the little body lay on the ground, motionless.
Maybe there is still hope, but her parents are tied up in the queue, and every household in the town is facing the dilemma of having their families destroyed and all their property lost. Who has the heart to care about others?
The long queue began to move, with loud cries that shook the sky, and what was left behind was also the same loud cries that shook the sky. But the cries did not affect the joyful mood of the soldiers at all. They laughed and shouted
He stood up, waving the sword and gun in his hand, as if he had won a great victory.
until……
A rumbling thunder shook the haze in the sky!
That was not thunder, but the sound of horse hooves! (To be continued.)