Taizhou and Gaoyou are very busy all winter. Many people feel that they and the outside world are two worlds. Many poor people outside are not hungry enough to eat, clothed, and live a life like a savage. In winter, they can only rely on tree bark and underground. Grassroots survival, many people simply can not make it to the next spring.
Many people outside knew that Taizhou and Gaoyou could fill their stomachs, and they embarked on a journey of wandering, relying on their own legs and feet to travel long distances. They didn't even know the specific situation of Taizhou and Gaoyou, but they just felt that they were alive. only hope.
"Good, eat." The yellow-faced and skinny woman handed the bark to her short, thin son. She wanted to smile at her own child, but she didn't even have the strength to smile. She came out with her fellow villagers, looking for someone who could live in peace. where they wandered all the way, she was a widow, the child was a posthumous child, and the parents-in-law left within a month of leaving their hometown. They have worked all their lives, and they will soon have theirs because of their old illness and wind and sleep. Life.
The woman has no choice but to stay with the bachelors in the village to save herself and her son.
But she felt that she couldn't stand it anymore, she might die here, and then go to see her husband who died early, and her in-laws, but what about the children
Her skinny hands stroked the head of her son who was eating the bark, thinking in her heart, she can't leave her son alone in this world, when she wants to leave, she has to send him away first, and the whole family can be there reunion.
The bachelor from the same town walked up to her. They grew up as childhood sweethearts, but the bachelor was too poor to marry a wife. After he fled, he knew what it was like to be a woman. He was very kind to widows, otherwise he would not be willing to eat it all by himself. When they are not full, they have to take care of their mother and child.
"It will be there soon." The bachelor said weakly.
The widow nodded, and they had been comforting themselves for months that they would be there soon.
But this "soon" is too far away, as if it will never reach the destination.
The widow stretched out her hand, the bachelor took her hand, and the two sat quietly, watching the boy eat the bark hungry, as if it were some kind of delicacy.
The bachelor said again: "Soon."
The widow forced a smile.
The sun rose, and they were about to continue their journey. The boy took his mother's hand. They walked in the snow, one step at a time. They didn't freeze to death or starve to death. Hundreds of people who came out together, now Only a dozen people remain.
After walking for a while, the boy could no longer walk. The tip of his nose was red, and if he froze again, it would turn black and purple, and then he would face death.
The bachelor carried the boy on his back and covered his back with animal fur, which would ensure that the boy had a better chance of surviving.
No one spoke, they were silent, walking quietly.
Silence can lead to depression and despair.
But they had no strength to speak.
Just when they stopped to eat the snow, someone suddenly shouted: "The city wall! I see the city wall! God! I see the city wall! We are here!"
The widow was stunned. She stood motionless, like an ice sculpture in the snow. She hurriedly hugged the son who was carrying the bachelor's back. She lifted the thin layer of fur and reached out to touch her son's face. To feel the son's breath.
still alive.
The widow opened her mouth, but she could only make a panting cry. She squatted down with her son in her arms and kept breathing in. She was almost out of breath. He ran with his feet and ran towards the city wall with his last strength.
The idea of living has never been clearer than it is now.
The bachelor carried the boy on his back again, and the widow supported each other towards the city wall.
But before they got to the city wall, they were stunned by the scene in front of them. Outside the city wall, there was a not-so-small outer city. There were many people walking on the street. They were wearing thick clothes because it was cold. His cheeks were slightly red, but they were all smiling, and many people were setting up stalls to sell things.
There are also shops selling cooked food, they can smell the aroma of noodles, and some people are selling noodles.
There are also people selling yellow noodle buns.
That is the smell of food, not bark, nor grass roots, not fleshless worms, but real food, food that fills the stomach and makes people feel happy.
There was no snow on the ground in the outer city. They saw people shoveling snow onto wooden carts and then pulling it aside to make hot water. Many people went to fetch water.
The bachelors and widows stood among their fellow villagers. They were afraid that these people would not accept them and drive them away, but even if they were afraid, they would not leave.
"Steward Zhou! There are refugees here!" a hawker shouted.
The steward sitting on the side of the road and roasting the fire stood up, picked up his scarf and wrapped it around his neck, and walked out of the stall rubbing his hands.
The refugees are also ordinary people. They are afraid of officials. When they hear the word "steward", everyone's face is like a big enemy.
Zhou Guan counted the number of people in advance, and then wrote it down in a notebook. First, he wrote the date and then the number of people. Then he said to the people next to him: "Give them hot water, bring them to the house, and then buy some steamed buns."
The person next to him took the order, and Steward Zhou said to the refugees, "Follow me."
The refugees had no other choice. They dared not speak, and followed Zhou Guanshi without any hesitation.
Manager Zhou took them to a hut where a charcoal fire was burning. Unlike the cold outside, the warmth inside was like spring. The frozen bodies of the refugees were stretched, and the numb skin seemed to finally wake up.
Director Zhou pointed to the bench in the room and said, "Sit."
These people sit down one command at a time.
Manager Zhou: "Report your names one by one, and where you came from, where you have passed along the way, where is safer, where is more dangerous, the more detailed the better."
The refugees reported their names one after another, and Steward Zhou wrote it down in the notebook, and then began to remember their hometown and places they passed by.
When Zhou was in charge of affairs, the people who were sent to buy buns came back and distributed buns and hot water to the refugees.
The refugees devoured the steamed buns, they could not say a word, and ate hard, until they ate all the three buns that one person had been allocated, and drank a bowl of hot water, then raised their heads again.
The buns are warm, well done, soft and easy to swallow, they don't even chew.
Manager Zhou began to measure the height of each of them again, look at their teeth and record their obvious features, and then handed out a small wooden sign: "Keep this, you will need this for buying a house and working in the future. If it wears out, come and replace it. ."
He explained in detail where to sign up for work. After signing up for work, he will be assigned a house, but it is not that they will not be charged, and they will have to be deducted from their wages in the future.
Manager Zhou asked them, "Is there any problem?"
Everyone was taken away in a daze. The manager said that they would sign up first, and then they would be assigned a house. They could rest for three days before going back to work. During these three days, they would be provided with food and hot water. After going to work, they will also advance one month's salary in advance for daily life.
When registering, the bachelor said that the widow was his wife and the boy was his son.
After getting along for a long time, the boy has long called him a father.
They were divided into a hut by three, and a curtain separated the room from the main room, which was enough for a family of three.
And the single person can only squeeze the dormitory with others.
After staying in Gaoyou for seven days, these people have already settled in here. The official master will never ask them to be filial, and he will not come to them if there is nothing. The neighbors are very friendly, and no one looks down on them.
The widow now starches and washes clothes with the neighbors every day. In a big warm house, it is full of hot water, which will not freeze hands or feet, nor get frostbite. They will also teach the children some simple numeracy, and they are very relieved.
"Wash with this." The person next to him said to the widow, "This is clean."
She asked the widow to pick up the ashes, which can be washed clean with water.
The widow smiled gratefully at the other.
During the break, the women would take out needles and thread to mend their own clothes.
The widow asked softly, "How long have you been here?"
The women answered in a jumble of words.
"The outer cities are all foreigners. I have been here for half a year. I used to be in the inner city. Later, Nan Bodhisattva said that the outer city wanted people, so I came out with my family."
"Me too!"
The widow wondered, "Isn't the inner city better?"
The women laughed: "The inner city is crowded!"
The widow said, "But the inner city has walls..."
The outer city has no walls, what if there is danger
The women added: "Every night there are people patrolling, and the military camp is outside. If there is something wrong, the soldiers will be able to come out immediately and be safe!"
The widow was finally relieved.
Women began to ask how she escaped to Gaoyou.
The widow said, "In my hometown, the village chief was killed by the bandits. We were afraid that the court would send someone, so we could only escape. There was no food left at home. If we stayed any longer, we would have to die."
The women groaned.
If it is not a last resort, who would like to travel far away from home and travel long distances to a strange place to start a new life
The women began to comfort her.
"Just come here. The adults above never trouble us, nor do they ask us to honor us."
"As long as you work hard, you can find a job, and we women can also have private property! Be diligent, and you won't starve to death!"
"Yes, the treatment in our laundry bureau is very good, and we can also get meat during the festivals."
"You can buy whatever you want."
"We don't charge for sending our kids to nursery."
After comforting, the women taught her:
"Nan Bodhisattva is a living immortal, you can't do anything wrong to Nan Bodhisattva."
"Otherwise God will punish you."
The widow worked in the laundry for seven days, was brainwashed for seven days, and became a faithful believer.
The same is true of bachelors, even children.
Their family of three even saved money to buy a deity statue, which was Nan Bodhisattva.
The carvings are not very fine, but for them, this is already the best idol they have ever seen.
Lin Yuan is not only their ruler, but also their spiritual leader.
Every refugee who goes to Gaoyou will experience this kind of baptism.
In modern parlance, this is the cult of personality.
Except for Lin Yuan, they did not identify with any leader.
What Lin Yuan said was the truth, the oracle.
Knowing this, Lin Yuan's mood is very complicated. He thought that this phenomenon and people's fanatical pursuit would gradually subside over time, but now it seems that there is no sign of abating at all, instead it is becoming more and more vigorous.
Song Shizhao thought it was a good sign.
"Master, the spring will come next year, and the time will come." Song Shizhao is very excited. He has become more and more confident recently. He believes that if this momentum continues, it is only a matter of time. Although the Red Turban Army is developing rapidly, it is now a matter of scale and people's hearts. Can't compare to them.
Look at the people who rushed to Gaoyou across almost half of the territory. Doesn't this really represent the people's hearts
Lin Yuanchong Song Shizhao said: "Liu Ji, Song Lian and Luo Guanzhong, have these three replied?"
Song Shizhao said quickly: "Song Lian and Luo Guanzhong have already sent a letter and are on their way, Liu Ji's side..."
Lin Yuan sighed: "It doesn't seem like the time."
Liu Ji's spirit is higher than Song Lian and Luo Guanzhong, and Lin Yuan also understands.
Song Shizhao whispered, "How about I send someone to tie him up?"
Lin Yuan smiled: "Do you think it's so easy to bind? Besides, coercion or sincerity, which is more useful, you understand in your heart."
Song Shizhao sighed.
"How is the preparation of the military supplies?" Lin Yuan invited Yang Zian, and Yang Zian had been accustomed to the military supply reserves during this period of time.
These include explosives, siege machines, trebuchets, and swords and halberds, as well as armor.
They haven't been able to replace all the armors with iron ones yet, but Lin Yuan asked someone to make a batch of helmets. If the opponent's weapon is relatively blunt, the attack on the body may not be fatal, but the attack on the head may not be fatal.
Helmets can save some lives.
Yang Zian sat aside, he was very tired and had not slept well for several days, so he could only drink a sip of strong tea to keep his mind awake, he said to Lin Yuan, "Enough is enough, the food and grass can last for two years, and the weapons are called People are re-polishing, not to mention critical, but it is sharp enough, explosives are rushing to work these days, and women have not slept for days."
Lin Yuan nodded: "It's been a long time."
Yang Zian shook his head: "It's not your hard work, look at your eyes."
Lin Yuan touched the bags under his eyes. He had been boiled until the bags came out recently.
Sometimes Lin Yuan felt that the emperors in ancient times were really pitiful. During the day, they were busy like dogs, and at night they had to go to the concubine. They were prostituted by the courtiers in front of them and slept by the concubine when they went back. Probably they were quite happy themselves.
Sometimes it's happier to be a fool than a wise man.
You can enjoy happiness.
Mingjun wants to bring happiness to others.
Lin Yuan leaned on the chair, but did not dare to close his eyes, for fear that he would want to sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
"It's good to be busy for this period of time. Next year, I will do my best." Lin Yuan smiled at Yang Zian.
Yang Zian let out a long breath.
"More than 400 refugees have come here, and they are all settled in the outer city," Song Shizhao said.
Lin Yuan nodded: "How many prisoners have you had recently?"
There are still people who have committed rape and criminals, and they are all in Laurie now.
Song Shizhao: "More than a thousand people."
Lin Yuan: "All pulled out to build the city wall."
Song Shizhao nodded: "There are a few people."
Lin Yuan: "It can also recruit people. The treatment for building the city wall is higher, and there will always be people there."
There must be a city wall, otherwise the outer city will become a fragrant bun.
—
Compared with Gaoyou, Taizhou, Changshu's winter is not so good. The rich can burn charcoal and eat meat, but ordinary people can only make ends meet no matter how much work they do. , pretending to be a businessman, knocked on the gate of Zhizhou with food, the prefect's name was Sukhbaru, a Mongolian, after seeing the food brought by An Lao Si, he quickly asked his servants to bring An Lao Si to him. .
An Laosi pretended to be a businessman from Hangzhou. In addition to food, he also brought exquisite gold, silver and jade.
There is also a beauty beside him, this beauty is Tianxiang, but now Tianxiang and An Laosi are partners, and the two do not have a physical relationship as before.
Tian Xiang is in charge of dealing with the female dependents, and rhetoric from their mouths, but because it is Meiji, all she can contact are concubines, not mistresses.
However, the concubines knew more than the mistress.
Because gentlemen don't bring their wives to certain occasions, and concubines don't have so many concerns.
And most of the concubines have no education, and they don't know what they can say and what they can't say. If Tian Xiang has a few words, they will reveal everything they know.
On the contrary, on the side of An Laosi, the gentlemen are not easy to pry their mouths, and there is not much useful information under the circumstance.
The two were in the room in the middle of the night, and An Laosi could write, and An Laosi would write and pass on the letter.
He also has a book in his hand. The different words in this book correspond to special symbols. He needs to use symbols to write letters, so as to ensure that even if the letter is intercepted, no information will be leaked.
If you find something wrong, just burn the book in your hand.
Tian Xiang told An Lao Si the news he had inquired all day. After An Lao Si wrote the letter and handed it over to his entourage, he said to Tian Xiang, "What didn't you say when Nan Bodhisattva sent you?"
Tian Xiang drank tea: "Nan Bodhisattva told me to take a good look at you, lest you do anything bad."
An Lao Si laughed twice.
He asked again: "Anyway, one night husband and wife, one hundred days of grace, can you be a little more polite to me?"
Tian Xiang pouted: "What are you polite?"
An Lao Si whispered, "Or else, would you be my concubine?"
Tian Xiang's eyes widened: "You think so beautifully, I think you are a toad sitting on a kite, I don't know how much you weigh!"
An Lao Si hurriedly said, "It's a joke, it's just a joke, don't take it seriously."
Tian Xiang snorted: "What Nan Bodhisattva asked you to inquire about is that you have already inquired?"
An Lao Si sighed, with a sad look on his face: "Those people's mouths are too tight."
Tian Xiang: "Useless man."
Tianxiang rolled her eyes: "Next time, take me with you."
An Lao Si said curiously, "What are you doing with you?"
Tim Xiang: "Men, it's better to pry open your mouth on the bed."
"Auntie, don't make trouble for me." An Lao Si said helplessly, "If Nan Bodhisattva finds out about this, he will have to rip off my skin."
Besides, if he was put out by the fragrance, wouldn't he be compared to the mud
Is he not even a woman
Unable to say anything about the big man, An Lao Si can only focus on the little official below.
Unlike the wealthy big men, the small officials don’t have much monthly pay. They can only rely on the common people for money to maintain their dignity and life. The common people are so poor now that they can’t search if they want to. How many, if there are many dead people, they still have to be responsible, so it is simple when An Lao Si throws money at them.
But they don't know much, at least some confidential information can't be asked.
But they are very clear about the positions of the arsenal and the granary, but the distribution of troops is not clear.
In addition, the biggest gain is that they are connected with Tongzhi in Changshu.
Unlike Zhizhou, this Tongzhi is a Han Chinese, named Jiang Zheng, twenty-five-six. He is a rare young man who can sit in this seat. The vigilance of young people is not so strong. After receiving the benefits of An Lao Si, the official asked someone to call An Lao Si in front of him.
It may be a little difficult for An Lao Si to deal with Sukhbaru, but it is much easier to deal with such a fellow who has written his desire for interests on his face. He took a set of pure gold tea sets and another. Set of fake jade jewelry to visit.
When Jiang Zheng saw the pure gold tea set, he couldn't take his eyes off it.
Tongzhi is only from the sixth grade, and Changshu is Zhongzhou, so the Zhizhou in Changshu is the fifth grade. The administrative division of the Yuan Dynasty and the grades of local officials are all divided according to Shangzhou, Zhongzhou, and Xiazhou.
In Changshu now, Zhizhou Sukhbaru is living a good life that ordinary people can't imagine. Jiang Zheng, who is by his side, naturally sees it in his eyes, and it is normal to have greed and extravagant thoughts.
"Brother An is really amazing." Jiang Zheng gave the set of jade jewelry that An Lao Si gave him to Jiang's mother, and took the gold tea set himself. After he received this gift, he never used tea again. tea set.
An Laosi flattered: "It is said that heroes come from young men. I think Jiang Tongzhi is the young hero."
Jiang Zheng smiled and said, "If I had known that I had such a good relationship with Brother An, I would have invited you in early."
The two chatted for a while, and finally Jiang Zhengxian couldn't help it and asked, "Brother An is so generous, I don't know what kind of business you are doing."
An Lao Si's eyes lit up: "What? Jiang Tongzhi is also interested? The business I do is simple. If Tongzhi can make it easier for me in Changshu, we… "
Jiang Zheng didn't let go easily, he just asked: "Master Zhizhou didn't mention it to you?"
An Lao Si: "Lord Zhizhou is so busy, how can he care about my small business."
Sukhbaru is smarter than Jiang Zheng, and he didn't take the bait from it. Besides, as long as An Laosi comes to do business, he will inevitably be filial to him, so why bother himself
Jiang Zheng is different from Sukhbaru. He is not as powerful as Sukhbaru. He wants more money. Of course, it is impossible to directly ask An Lao Si to be filial.
Even if I want it, can I get more than Sukhbaru
An Lao Si said: "What I do is the business of the nobles. There are always some nobles who are having a hard time now and sell their properties. As soon as I receive a low price, I will turn around..."
Jiang Zheng smiled: "Sell it at a high price, but those people don't know that they are selling at a low price?"
An Lao Si blinked at Jiang Zheng: "I don't know, An Mou has some face outside, and they have to sell it if they don't sell it."
Jiang Zheng was finally moved: "Brother An is carefully distinguished from me, so that I can also gain insight."
An Lao Si smiled.
The fish is hooked.