In the vast wilderness, the withered grass has been burned, and a few cattle dragged heavy iron plows, walking slowly in the fields. Several women, sweating profusely, supported the yoke and whipped the whip, ploughing the land beside the bull. Now that the twelfth lunar month is approaching, it is time to take a break from farming, but they can't rest.
More than ten days ago, a group of Hun rebels attacked. The house of the head of the family was breached by the rioters, and the food and belongings for the winter were also robbed. Without a village to rely on, these surviving tenants and servants could only take the only remaining furniture, leave their homeland, and flee to other places. Fleeing from the famine in winter is not like usual. Although there are fewer soldiers and bandits, the cold and hunger are more terrifying than any enemy. No one knows if they can escape from the dead and take refuge in a new household safely. However, after only a dozen miles, this group of people heard the wind that Gaoducheng was taking in refugees!
It turned out that the rebels were killed by the defenders of Gaodu! When they heard the news, many people were moved. In this world, there is nothing that can calm people's hearts more easily than a reliable city. What's more, the county magistrate in Gaodu also issued an decree that as long as you come to Gaodu to build the city, you will receive rations, open up wasteland in the place designated by the government, and rent good seeds for spring ploughing in the coming year!
This is simply a rare good official ah! !
Hearing this news, without exception, the fleeing team rushed towards Gaodu City. Most of the men chose to climb to the top of the city to reinforce the city wall. And those female relatives and the old man carefully pushed the plow cart and tilled the barren land in the cold winter.
In winter, the soil is too hard and lacks moisture, making it difficult to plough. However, the government office lent oxen and iron plows, as well as the keels that were being built in the distance overturned, all of which indicated that this place would become a new village. They, on the other hand, will cultivate their own crops and support themselves with the land under their feet.
"Hope" is a force beyond imagination. It can smash the cold, smash poverty, smash everything that stops people. The New Deal in Gaodu is something that can give people hope.
Therefore, even if they are tired and sweating profusely, even if they are hungry, their faces are yellow and their muscles are thin. Deep plowing, watering, manure spreading, and digging of ditches for water. These are the guarantees of a bumper harvest. As long as there is a bumper harvest, they can take root here!
After ploughing a piece of land for more than half an hour, Mr. Sun stopped in his footsteps and hurriedly unloaded the iron plow on the back of the ox and took the ox aside to rest and feed. This is the county government's farm cattle. If you are exhausted, you will not be able to pay for selling her!
After carefully inspecting the cattle, she sighed softly, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her cuff, picked up the bucket beside it, and started pouring fertilizer into the field. While working, a small figure suddenly ran over from a distance.
"A-Niang! A-Niang! There's someone from the Liang residence!" the little guy shouted loudly, causing the women around him to stop their work.
Mr. Sun hurriedly put down the wooden barrel and went up to meet him: "Are they going to the city? Did they say they would bring someone back this time?!"
"No, I don't know." The boy was panting heavily, "But those people brought dried meat! You can eat minced meat in the porridge at noon!"
"Ah!" When Sun heard this, she immediately lifted her skirt and ran towards the scalper beside her.
Take the cow back quickly. Meat porridge once in five days! Missed this time, I don't know when the next time will be!
It is a blessing to be able to come to Gaodu. However, as long as you stay here for a few days, you will know that there is a more desirable place near Gaodu. It is Liang Mansion!
Liang Langjun, known as the "son of Buddha", lives nearby. It is said that the rebels were struck by lightning because they offended the Buddha, and they were defeated by the defenders of Gaodu. As long as there is a skill or a strong body, you can bring your family and mouth to Liangfu. This is simply a good thing that you can't ask for in eight lifetimes! It's a pity that Liang Mansion is not so easy to enter, so these refugees outside the city are expecting Liang Mansion to come to Gaodu to pick people every day.
However, if you can't pick it up, you can also get some benefits. For example, the pork jerky once a few days. It is said that it is made of horse meat, which can strengthen the body. If you eat this kind of meat porridge, you will not get sick all winter! And the dried meat is still marinated, and eating hot bacon porridge in winter is better than anything else!
Not to mention the Sun family, even the women next to them hurriedly packed up the farm tools and hurried to the makeshift village.
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"Has the food and grass arrived?" Guo Jiao put down the brush in his hand and asked.
"It has arrived. The chief official replied that Duke Dongying was still in Luoyang, and the reward was temporarily suppressed. Fifty stone of wheat was shipped over first. They are all stored in the county government's warehouse." The little official replied hurriedly.
The Taihang Pass is much smaller than the ordinary pass, and there is no way to store too much food in the pass, so the military rations of the Wuling Division are also placed in Gaodu City. However, it is usually placed in the grain depot next to the arsenal, and it is the first time to directly enter the county government's warehouse like this.
It seems that Wu Ling is still talking. Guo Jiao nodded with satisfaction: "This time it's a reward, it shouldn't be old grain. Let's use the grain in the treasury first. Don't boil the porridge too thin, you need to eat more in winter to keep your stamina. Those who build the city The laborers, you can give me some dry rice and pickles."
These days, Gao Du has accepted nearly 200 refugees, and the little official has long been used to it, and he nodded immediately, hesitated for a while, and said, "The Liang residence sent minced meat again today, if this continues, wouldn't the refugees feel at ease? "
How could Guo Jiao not understand this kind of trick to buy people's hearts. However, at this moment, he will never have any doubts about Liang Mansion's approach. Just because Liang Zixi's way of giving money for work is really ingenious! The labor of repairing the city is even better than that of the former corvés, who obviously eat no more than those people, but they work very hard, and they are grateful to themselves. Building a city in winter is not an easy task, but now the cost is less than half of what was expected. In addition to the new fields that have been reclaimed, it is no surprise that the tax revenue of Gaodu next year will probably be several times higher.
"Hehe, Zixi is kind and kind, so there's no need to worry." Guo Jiao smiled. The number of horses that Liang Mansion seized this time is unknown, but he himself received 40 to 50 kilograms of fresh horse meat. With the minced meat sent from the Liang Mansion, he can save some food, isn't it a good thing
Seeing the Shangguan say this, the little official didn't dare to say anything, so he withdrew.
Guo Jiao picked up the pen again and continued to review the documents in the case. This is also what Liang Feng entrusted him to do. If the refugees who come to Gaodu are selected, if they are craftsmen or other skilled people, they can also send them to Liangfu. Now other county governments may have already sealed off their yamen, and they are preparing to spend the winter, but he is still staying in the government ya, and he is very busy. But rare, Guo Jiao did not have any unpleasant feelings. The more he does this kind of work, the more he can show his closeness to the Liang residence.
This Liang Feng is not the children of the noble family who have been defeated, but a talented person who has the ability to experience the world. If he soars into the sky, he resigns from the county magistrate himself, and it is all right to be an assistant to him. After suppressing this little thought, Guo Jiao continued to seriously examine the writing in front of him.
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"Lord, this time I brought back thirty people. In fact, there are two carpenters and one mason, and the rest are young laborers and their families. Before I see the snow, I can collect another one or two. Hundreds of people." Ah Liang said excitedly with a ruddy face.
Now that Liang's house has recruited tenant farmers from Yin households, it has finally gained some high-level demeanor. It is no longer a matter of accepting people, but letting those refugees go to Gaodu, and then select the strong and capable ones to enrich Liangfu. This change makes A Liang very happy. As the mansion of Tinghou, how can those refugees be easily served
Of course Liang Feng knew what his big housekeeper was thinking. In the past, there was no other way. Now, with a county as a buffer, the work of sheltering refugees is less urgent. Improving the quality of personnel is the second priority, and more importantly, such a system can make those who have the conditions to join the Liang Mansion feel grateful and be more loyal to the Liang Mansion. With a sense of belonging, cohesion will naturally improve. It can be described as a feat.
"Are there many refugees entering Bingzhou from Taixing now?" Liang Feng asked again.
"Not many, the weather is too cold, and there will be no refugees fleeing unless it is a last resort." Ah Liang replied.
"Well, arrange some people to investigate the situation in Luoyang. Once the war is over, go to the city to rescue Dr. Jiang. Report the news of his grandfather's death, and he should be able to resign and return to his hometown." This was also the best method Liang Feng could think of. . Luoyang is really not a good place to go now, it is better to bring Jiang Da back as soon as possible.
"Little understand!"
After explaining the matter, A Liang has not had time to retire. Yi Yan strode in.
"My lord, the post outside the village came to report that I saw a troop of horses detouring from the front of the village, but they didn't get close, but watched from a distance for a while. I sent scouts to keep up secretly, and found that this group of people were staying in the village outside. After half a day, I went west, I don’t know what the purpose is…”
"The horse team? How many people are there?" Liang Feng was immediately alert. Now the Liangfu's combat power has been greatly damaged, and the recruits have not yet made up for it. He didn't want to attract bandits coveted by him.
"Four people, no luggage. Besides, this group of people is very experienced in riding, and the horses are good horses, not like mountain bandits, but rather like Huns." Yiyan replied.
"The Huns came to explore Liang's mansion?" Liang Feng frowned. What does this mean? Could it be that someone on the Xiongnu side noticed the hidden strength of Liang Mansion
After just thinking for a moment, he said: "Strictly guard the gate of the village, and don't let any idle people come in and out. No matter what the other party's origin is, it is impossible to easily find out the details of the Liang Mansion. The villages outside the village should also control their words. There are strangers coming, so be careful and don't let it go."
As for meritorious service, Wu Ling can lead it, he really has no intention of making a comeback. However, if someone secretly wants to engage him, you must think carefully about how to deal with it. That guy Sima Teng is still in Luoyang, if he goes back to Bingzhou, I'm afraid there will be some trouble for a while. Alas, the battle of Luoyang, I don't know when the dust will settle...