"The Change of Heaven"
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 147 New Year
The weather in the lake is rather strange. Even in December, it gets hot after a few days of sunshine, and it gets chilly inside the house after a little rain. But the scenery is really charming. Riding a horse, the mountains and rivers have their own shapes. The mountain on the left looks like a horse's back, the one in front looks like a carp emerging from the water, and the one on the right looks like one or two stone geese swimming towards the lake. The trees are lush, and their types are very different from those in the north, and they are also unlike the grass and trees in Guangxin.
A soldier suggested to me that we should go to the south of the lake. I had been there a few days ago and described it as very beautiful. Looking at the speed of the ox cart, I could tell the remaining personnel to "protect" it and went over with a few people.
Going around a bunch of low mountains, along a narrow path, five miles south, turning into the west foot of the mountain, there is indeed a lake, surrounded by mountains, and the lake is cut by mountains; the water is connected to each other, and the colors are very different. There is a pool in the north of the lake across the stone fort, and the water gurgles out from the north mountain, with mist and fog. The water in the pool is level with the lake, and it is suspected that they are connected. There is a mound of earth beside the pool that looks like an altar, but it is not like the rituals of the Han people. Pig heads, chickens, and some yams, fruits and vegetables are offered on it. The tablet in the middle has the words "Thunder God" that can be recognized, and the surroundings are decorated with some patterns of flowers, grasses, livestock and insects, which should be a sacrifice to pray for good weather and good harvests in the coming year. A soldier who was greedy wanted to move it, so I drank it. He rebuked them, saying, "Others use things to worship ghosts and gods, how can we outsiders touch them?" He ordered people to put some of the food and meat they brought with them under the offerings as an offering, and put it under the original contribution. He then paid tribute to it together with everyone, bowed again, and returned.
When I turned around the foot of the mountain, I accidentally hit the ground with a spear and heard the sound of pottery breaking. When I brushed the ground with my hand, I suddenly found a broken pottery jar. Its shape was different from the usual ones. The patterns around it showed net patterns and fish patterns. The shape was simple and ancient, as if it was left by the ancestors of this place. I dared not move it rashly, so I bowed again, covered it with soil and buried it.
They circled for more than half an hour, but it took less than half a minute to go back and forth. Although the group urged the cattle to hurry, they only traveled ten miles. Someone reported that no one was moving rashly. The birds were singing and the flowers were fragrant in the forest, which was not like the twelfth lunar month at all. The road became deeper and deeper, and the farther they walked, the deeper the mountains and forests became. It was just the sun at three o'clock, but it was like dusk here. I don't know what's interesting in my heart. The things came from Wu'an in the south, and they went around for half a month to get to Tanzhong. Now they have to send the Nanyue people back to Wu'an. What's the reason for this Wu'an Shifeng? Why is he like this
The place we went to was called Shikezhai. The Liu and Xu families were the first to rush here. This family must be very powerful, but the Liu family leader didn't know the specific situation. I don't know if he really didn't know, but I think someone in the two families must know, but they definitely don't want me to know. The former Yue Hou died in the north of here. This time I insisted on following them. They were afraid of something happening, so they went south to avoid it. This is also possible, but what the real situation is, I can only guess for the time being.
The worries in my heart became more and more intense with the surrounding scenes. Yinling was originally my "sister", and she was supposed to marry Brother Mengde, while I married a childhood sweetheart whom I didn't know. Suddenly I was told that Yinling was not my sister, but my fiancée whom I never knew. I was supposed to grow old with Yinling, but I was forced to marry Guo Pei. Suddenly I was told that I was not "me" yet. At this time, Yinling must not be abandoned, and Guo Pei must not be abandoned. I finally had two wives. Originally, I could still say something with one wife, take care of her on weekdays, and fulfill my duties as a husband. But when I was with two wives, I couldn't say anything and could do nothing. I once cut off my palm lines to end my destiny, but I was still called by God, controlled everywhere, and had no choice. I was extremely depressed, and suddenly saw an open lawn on the right side of the road. I ran out on horseback, closed my eyes and looked up at the sky, and let out a bad breath.
Huarong is his father's son, this is definitely nonsense, but what else can I say. He seemed to have seen through my heart disease and took the initiative to help me heal it. Seeing me like this, he also rushed to my side and stopped the horse with a sigh.
"My Lord, do you know why my father asked me to come here?"
"Huh? It wasn't my teacher who asked you to come here." I still remember what he said to me at that time.
"That day, my father and Lord Wei had a banquet in Luoyang, and during the banquet, we talked about this matter. Lord Wei, there are three people I can choose from." After saying this, the man imitated the teacher's tone, just like we did before: "My Jingchu, Hanzhong Jiang Wei's Qin, Lingnan Zirui's Yue, among the three, which one do you think is the best?"
"Don't follow my teacher's words?" I was amused by his words, but I was still curious: "Then why did your father choose me?"
"My father has met you several times, mostly just watching from the side. In several of your battles, my father either fought in front or died in the back. In addition, during the conversation with Aunt He, I took your pulse. After observing, smelling, and asking questions about you..." He added some gestures before saying, "My father said: You are a wise man. You are slow to plan and make decisions in normal times. You are quick to plan and make decisions in times of trouble. You will not change your mind when things are settled, and you will not hesitate when things are urgent. You can put aside old grudges and remember the kindness of old friends. You worry about the people's hardship and the soldiers' depression. You are kind and strong, arrogant and generous. The soldiers are willing to go anywhere and the soldiers are willing to die. The affairs of the world today seem dormant, but they will change when thunder is heard. This boy is a rare talent. My son, you can go and join him."
Mr. Hua En is definitely not an ordinary doctor, but...
"I am really ashamed that you have praised me like this in front of my teacher. However, this is also a bit disrespectful to my teacher. I wonder how I should respond."
"He replied: 'It is exactly what I think.'" After saying that, he imitated my teacher's tone and nodded his head in agreement.
Why did the teacher think it was good for Huarong to come to me? The benefactor only praised me, but he didn't care. Thinking about it, I was actually moved. I was originally upset, but now I feel warm in my heart. I slowly don't care about the original troubles. After all, I still have time to make up for it.
"You have been in Yue for half a month, how is it?" I suddenly remembered that I was the commander-in-chief. It is not a good thing for a commander to be happy and sad because of love. The benefactor praised me, which was really embarrassing, but I didn't have the face to be ashamed, so I quickly said this to evade the question.
"The army is like the common people. Being with these colleagues, there is no distinction between superiors and subordinates. It is very fresh and comfortable." He smiled. "I followed my father in the north. In addition to treating civilians, I was also invited to visit officials' homes. I know the temperaments of those famous families. Even if they are brothers, if there is a difference in official rank, they must be separated when they meet. There must be differences in seating. In their conversations, there is mostly respect for superiors and inferiors, and there is no brotherhood. Before the treatment, they were all ordinary people who led us in through the side door. Even if my father cured their parents of serious diseases, he might be a little polite in his words, but he must stay away from them. Chairman, I lowered my head and replied from a distance. The hostess would cover her mouth and nose with a silk handkerchief, as if she was afraid of the smell on our bodies. At that time, I was still young, and I felt that these people were really hateful when I looked at them from a distance. There were also those who used the imperial edict to make money, and the imperial relief was embezzled by officials. Naturally, I saw all the ugly things. Natural disasters can be prevented, but the government is powerless. My father was not very willing to treat those people. I guess when he considered my future, he also considered that I didn’t want to be under those people. He also told me not to let the Yue Kingdom be like this, otherwise it would be better to be a wandering doctor. "
I nodded, these words in my heart, with a special meaning. Finally, I nodded to him again, hard.
There are not many mountains here, but they have a certain shape, not like the mountains in the north. There is often a huge rock protruding from the flat ground, or something like that, so the locals named it after that thing. The space between the rocks is filled with flowers, grasses and trees, which are lush and green, blocking out the sun.
At noon, the terrain was slightly open, and the mountains on the east and west looked like a barrier in the distance, but in the middle there were dozens of miles of short woods and grasslands leading directly to the south. I asked the two guides and they said that Wu'an would be a hundred miles south. I asked again if there was a pass from Wu'an to here, and they said yes. I asked again when we could reach the land of the southern barbarians, and they said it would take another hour or two. I asked them why they were in such a hurry, and they said that today was a big market day, and if we couldn't make it before dark, it would be difficult to do business.
An hour later, we got off the official road. From the voices of the two families' dependent men, we knew that hard work was coming. The team turned east and entered a pile of hills and dirt mountains after hearing shouts.
To the west of Tanzhong, there are mountains and ridges, stretching for thousands of miles. It is possible to reach Tanzhong from Wu'an in one day, but one has to find a way out in the mountains and take a long detour to get to Tanzhong. I really want to know what they are going to exchange for all this rice, salt and cloth. After listening to the cold county lieutenant and seeing the situation there, I thought these two families were already capable enough, but they had no way to deal with Shifeng. If these two families have the support of the local governor, Shifeng must have the support of his clansmen, or he must be strong enough. I want to go and see what is going on with Shifeng.
The fourth brother was a little nervous along the way, looking back from time to time, and didn't say much. Of course I knew what he was worried about, so I hit the same part of his body with my iron spear. He turned around with his axe in his hand, and then he saw me and let out a sigh of relief: "Brother, don't scare me."
"Don't worry, I believe him." I nodded, reassuring him, "You used to be braver than me, why are you getting bolder now?"
"There are wives and children at home, and we only have dozens of people, while they have hundreds. And third brother, you are in the team."
I squeezed his shoulder and said, "It's okay, don't worry."
In fact, I am most worried.
In fact, what happened in Guo Xu's team at that time was indeed beyond our imagination, but we didn't know it at the time, and it would have been better if we had known it.
Gradually, we began to see these rural barbarians. Most of them were children. They appeared in groups of three or five beside us. The brave ones stood by the road, laughing or looking at us fiercely, while the timid ones lay on trees or behind rocks, looking down at us. The Liu family housekeeper, who led the group, generously stuffed some preserved fruits into the hands of the children next door. The children either ate them happily or threw them on the ground and left.
After seeing this, I asked everyone to put away their weapons and not to leave them outside to make it seem like they had bad intentions.
The fourth child seemed to be relieved after hearing what I said. He discussed the children with others in a relaxed manner. Those children who didn't want to eat were those whose families had some money. They didn't eat because they didn't need it. When others began to praise him, the fourth child became proud. He asked a man named Guan for advice on how to read people. It's not a big deal. Ordinary people can tell what kind of person he is by just walking a few steps.
"I can do that too." I smiled.
"Oh, Third Brother, you can do it too?" The fourth brother was quite honest.
"Well, you don't believe it?" I said maliciously, "If you don't believe it, you don't even need to take two steps. I know your name, your wife's name, and your child's name."
Everyone laughed, and San was helpless, "Brother, please don't make fun of me."
"Really, really, please come over here and take a few steps." I pointed at a man, who was also honest. He walked two steps in front of me in a serious and elegant manner, and shook his sleeves twice: "Your name is Hua Rong."
Everyone laughed again, and San's face almost turned purple.
"Okay, okay." I closed my eyes and pointed casually: "Come out and take a walk."
I was indeed not familiar with this soldier, but I could tell after taking two steps.
"You are a man." I nodded: "The bulge on your waist must be a weapon."
Everyone was already laughing so hard and San seemed to be getting furious, so I still said something useful: "You have an injury on your right leg, probably a knee injury."
The man exclaimed, "Yes." Everyone naturally asked why. San also forgot about my previous mischief and had a questioning expression on his face. This was very simple: "His right knee was almost straight when he stepped out. Huarong, show him what's going on."
I don't know how to read faces, but I know that I will walk like this when my knees hurt. When I was growing the tallest, my knees hurt so much that I could hardly stand up, so I walked like this. At that time, it was Yinling who held a hot towel over my head and anxiously asked Uncle Zhang how to find a doctor to treat me. The doctor was invited, but he was very conscientious. He asked about the situation, took my pulse, and said, "Grow taller, nothing to worry about." He refused to take any money and left without even having a meal. It is said that a family that still had some money was cheated of a lot of money by a black-hearted doctor. After taking the medicine he brought, they fell seriously ill. Although they saved their lives in the end, they became fools. Yinling likes to use this matter. In addition to scolding those unscrupulous doctors with Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang, she also lamented that although I didn't take the wrong medicine, I was still a fool.
Laughing aside, Lao Si's guess was right. Soon we saw this scene a little further away on the roadside: a child who refused to accept candy gathered a group of children and beat the children who accepted candy next to the haystack on the roadside. I could also see the difference between their families. The leader who was in charge of the others had a dirty dress, but it was made of silk. Most of the others were wearing ragged linen, and many of them only had a few knots tied around their waists, such as the ones moaning on the ground. I asked the leader of the Liu family who often came here, and he told me that the leader was from the headman's family and suggested that we ignore it to avoid getting into trouble. To be honest, this doesn't suit my personality, but it suits my mind. I can only give up. After all, no matter how fiercely the children fight, they are not as scary as their fathers drawing knives.
I miss the sunset in Guangxin. Every day when the sunset ends, I go home, eat and chat with my family, watch the sunset or the mist and drizzle outside, and drink wine with the aroma of rice wine in my mouth. I sit around the brazier, watch the firelight, or my wife's slightly red cheeks, and tell jokes when I am slightly drunk. The only pain for me is to see my wife's cheeks. I can only sigh and shake my head. But no matter what, enjoying the joy of daily life is more valuable than all kinds of so-called fame and fortune. It is really uncomfortable to do things and say things against your will in such occasions all day long.
The carriage in front stopped in a market-like place, but there were very few things, and it didn't look like we would buy anything to bring back home. The leader and a local who seemed to be waiting for us were talking in Chinese, probably about what to bring. Suddenly, the leader gestured in our direction with his hand, and the southerner looked at us and left in a hurry.
The leader also came to my side and said, "Maybe their leader will come out to greet you."
"I think I'm still in good shape." I looked around at my brothers, "Get off the horse and wait for the headman. Steward Liu, what's the headman's name?" I had no intention of meeting the headman, I just came to see the living conditions of the southerners, but I thought it wouldn't be a bad thing to meet him. But I was still nervous about meeting this person. I still don't know the name of my predecessor, except that he was surnamed Liu, and he was dealt with by similar southern tribes. Although I had a backup plan, I didn't know if I was crazy enough to insist on coming, but I still felt that I was rash to face these heads, so I quickly decided on the name to meet and slowly deal with them.
"Yue Hou is referring to the chieftain of Sumarda. The chieftain is what we Chinese call him. With your status, he should be very happy to be called the Great Sumarda. They speak very little southern language. Most of them use Chinese words after living together with us Chinese. The big chieftain should be able to understand our Chinese language."
I raised my head and shouted to the people behind me: "Get off the horses!" Suddenly I found that everyone had already gotten off the horses. Remembering that I had already given this order, I could only keep calm and remain calm.
This Sumarda is a very sturdy middle-aged man. Of course, this is a compliment in our hearts when we meet. In fact, in reality, all my subordinates will probably exclaim "Oh my god, a pig!" when they see him for the first time. And their minds will change their previous perceptions and feel that pigs are still very slim. This man is so fat that it is impossible to describe him as "absurdly fat". He is completely like a giant of 15 meters who was hammered down by God. It is really painful and guilty to stagger to my side with his two short legs. However, being fat also has its advantages. There is no wrinkle on his face, which is all stretched out by the bloated fat. Afterwards, Lao Si and I were lucky not to have eaten much lunch. He also needed to concentrate and close his eyes to hold back from vomiting. There are also those who have raised pigs at home who are very interested and want to ask what this headman eats and why he can't raise such fat pigs.
He came to me, put his right hand on his heart, rolled forward a little, and said in a very honest and deep voice: "A tiger will not hide in the hole of a jackal, and a divine bird will only land on the highest branch. I didn't expect that Yue Hou would come to the mountain stronghold of Sumarda. The mountain stronghold was immediately protected by the divine light. Welcome, my lord."
"Headmaster Da Sumarda, you are too polite. I was in Tanzhong to provide disaster relief. I heard that you have good wine here, so I came to visit you. I did not inform you in advance. Please forgive me." I could think of such words. To be honest, I also listened to his words and threw away the official Luoyang accent that sang praises. The two rows of leaders who looked like officials behind him were much more energetic than him, especially the one in the first row, who was eight feet tall, strong, handsome, and had sharp eyes. He stared at me closely, as if he felt that I had bad intentions.
I don't know if I have bad intentions, but I don't realize that I have any bad intentions. I came here to see the situation of the southerners here and consider the countermeasures in the future. I came to the market to see the excitement, but I led the owner of this big market out. I will take it one step at a time over there, and I don't think it will cause much trouble.
However, things developed faster than we thought, and even developed beyond our imagination. I didn't even exchange a few words with this chief, and he was asked to leave by the chief of another village. I was left in a large wooden house with his brother, the eight-foot-tall, handsome, and sharp-eyed man. He asked the others to prepare things, and only he and I, Beihai, Huarong, and his followers were left in the big house.
Before I even had time to look around the reception room, he started talking to me, and his tone was not hostile at all: "I am Sumardan, the second in command of Shike Village. May I ask why Lord Yue is here?"
"The two-headed man speaks Chinese very well." I answered with a smile, wondering in my heart why the two brothers are so different. But he kept saying, "He speaks in the accent of Jingzhou. I came here to see the people here. Tanzhong suffered a snowstorm, so how could I not come?" This two-headed man was not like the big-headed man. He would not compare things before talking, and usually compose a few lines of poetry.
"We used to have frequent exchanges with merchants from Jingzhou. When I was here, my father hired a man from Jingzhou to teach us Chinese." This former leader was very insightful and knew that he would inevitably have to deal with us in the future. Perhaps that was the case at the time, when the Han people and the southerners lived together. While I was still thinking about the situation here, he suddenly made a request: "Can the Yuehou dismiss the attendants?"
"This is my younger brother, and this is the son of my benefactor. They are both wise men who accompany us. As far as wisdom is concerned, they are all people who can talk about anything. If you have something to say, just go ahead and talk about it." I thought to myself that something was going on here and I was afraid that I wouldn't have a rest.
He winked, and several of his followers immediately stood at the entrances and exits of the room, but he came closer to me and said, "I know who killed the former Marquis of Yue."
This made the three of us say "Oh". But after saying "Oh", no one said anything. Looking back at my "advisers", Huarong had a hint of surprise on his face, while Beihai had a hint of solemnity. I thought for a while before asking, "Sir, how did you know?"
"Because the family that committed the crime is related to my brother by marriage, my niece married into his family." His words were indeed concise.
"Won't this hurt your niece? If I investigate, she will be implicated. If there is a connection, it may even implicate your brother." I left Beijing for Vietnam because of this matter. If I can find out the truth, I can give an explanation to the court. But I think he must have his purpose for saying this to me.
"I am willing to bring the people of the thirty-six villages in the north and south of Tanzhong to submit to me forever and never be an enemy of the imperial court." I understand what his surrender means and what he needs. After he finished speaking, he suddenly knelt on one knee and raised his sword, obviously intending to surrender. However, this action forced the two people behind me to draw their swords, but when they found that they seemed to have no ill will towards me, they slowly drew their swords back. I only heard the sound of the sword slipping out of the sheath.
I had to answer him immediately. If I took too long, he might get suspicious. When the scabbard stopped making noises, I started laughing. This kind of thing was exactly what I was good at. Otherwise, how could I let my benefactor feel at ease and let his son follow me
"Second leader, please stand up." I replied with a serious expression, so serious that I didn't recognize myself. "It's not that I don't like the leader's hospitality. Now your brother treats me so well, if I turn hostile immediately, it would be really rude. Besides, I don't know the truth of the matter yet. I will find out. If it is true, I will follow the law."
He was about to say something else, but I waved my hand and added decisively, "If one day, you become the chief, and your servants all come to me, and offer all thirty-six villages to me, as long as he becomes the chief, will I agree? I am not a greedy person, nor a fickle person. I will find out the truth and explain it to everyone. If it is really as you said, I will reward you handsomely, and even give you a good place."
He moved his mouth a few times, but said nothing. He touched his heart with his hand, bowed slightly to me, turned around and led the people away. I could understand that this was his etiquette, so I bowed as well, still with a serious expression.
He should be a little disappointed, and even the fourth brother was dissatisfied: "Third brother, this is a good opportunity, why don't you use it?"
"I'm not sure. A few days ago, someone tried to escape the city by fire. They should have contacted this family. I don't know if this is a test from this family or something else. But even if he is sincere, it won't work." I stared at them, my breath began to short up, and several things swirled in my mind: "The current big boss of this family has a relative in law with the one in the north, and they rely on each other. That's why the second boss dare not act rashly. Now this second boss wants to use my hand to help him. If we help him, we may be at odds with the tribes in the north. He will bring the thirty-six villages to me. If he is really capable, why would he need me to get rid of his brother. The Liu and Xu families were the first to send the things here, obviously knowing that this family is the most important. It can also confirm the concerns of the second boss, which is also what I am worried about, so if you ask me to support him, it is obviously not possible."
"If the eldest of these two brothers gets sick and dies, the second brother can take the position rightfully, wouldn't that be enough?" The fourth brother smiled cunningly.
"As soon as we arrived, the eldest brother fell ill. It's such a coincidence. It's okay to deceive a few kids, but how can those southerners not be suspicious?" The fourth brother immediately stopped smiling.
"There are so many things going on here, and it's about the southerners, which is not my forte. I have to take it one step at a time. The second brother will be suspicious of us if he can't get accurate information. He must be very anxious, afraid that I will leak the secret and we will be in danger. And he is sure that I will help him because the northerners got rid of the previous Yue Hou. Since he knows it, then his eldest brother can't be unaware of it. This big man Sumarda will also be suspicious of us." I held my forehead, which was a little hot. This is really a headache. But now it is obvious that it was the people in the village who got rid of my predecessor. I don't know what the Western Ou people are like further west, and their attitude towards us. Thinking that Yulin is mostly Western Ou people, the people in the village already have 36 villages, and one of them can get rid of the entire Yue Hou's guard army, a group of officials with a lot of hatred, and a Yue Hou and maybe his concubines, which makes me even more headache about this land.
Finally, we had to face this big man. The bonfire was lit, and the whole center of the village became very lively. On the fire were fragrant meat. Usually, the scenery in other places at this time was meaningless to us, especially me and Lao Si. Although I reminded myself that there were many things more important than this, it was always difficult to take my eyes off the meat racks. What I was thinking about was not the problem of this brother, but those ignorant guys who blocked my view.
The fat guy named Sumarda was such a person, and the key point was that he covered it up for a longer time.
Of course, I still had to greet him politely. He stood between me and the meat rack for a long time, and compared me to something else. It seems that foreigners from the north and south like this tune. No matter how important or urgent, they all point to the south and the north. I smiled naturally, but kicked him away several times in my heart. It's a pity that this is Shike Village, and I am just a guest. Although he nominally surrenders to me, based on some of the shadows I know or understand now, I can also know that this place is not a very safe place. However, I was very calm, at least I didn't have any fear in my heart. I think I am still too young. Although my nose and mouth are already velvety, I think the teachers, brothers and fathers in the north still treat me as a child, but I am still a child with advantages. As for the advantage, it should be that in this situation, I can still think about the meat on the meat rack instead of the meat on that guy's chin.
However, I decided to take the initiative. I didn't like things to drag on. "You are short of rice, salt, cloth and oil. What can you exchange with them?"
Sumarda suddenly became very proud: "Didn't they tell you, sir? It turns out that dark clouds can still cover the sky, and only eagles can see the sun." After saying this, his whole body sank into the stone seat, and suddenly an elbow stretched out from his body and swung twice. The original bustle around him immediately began to quiet down.
After a moment, four young and strong guys came with great effort carrying two thick bamboo poles with a tray on top. The tray was filled with neatly stacked things that made my brothers behind me exclaim.
"What a good thing!" I looked at the two people on my left and right as if nothing had happened. They also had no change in expression, and even seemed to be disdainful of seeing this scene, which made me very happy.
"If Yue Hou needs it, I can give you double the amount I gave them." His eyes were not friendly, and it was rare for him to be so straightforward, which made me lose the confidence I had initially believed that there was a necessary connection between fat people and honesty.
"I'm not here for gold." I looked him in the face. "Gold is a good thing, and my Yue State also needs it. But taking it from you like this is against the laws of my Yue State." In fact, I don't know if there is such a law, but I am the law of nature here.
"I'm here for one thing." The surroundings were completely quiet, with no other sounds except the squeak of roasting meat and the crackle of firewood. "You have lived in the mountains for a long time, and the fields are not enough to support you. You have to spend a lot of gold every year to buy them. I decided to give you a piece of land, enough for you to farm there to support yourselves and have some left over."
The big-headed man snorted. I knew this was disdain and suspicion, so I immediately added, "This forest still belongs to you. I will never take it."
There was a lot of discussion behind the big boss Sumarda. He looked at me, as if he wanted to understand what I was trying to do. I suddenly got the idea and continued with a smile, "If the big boss is worried, I don't know your men, but I know the second boss you sent to answer my call. I think the second boss is also a capable person. Then give the land to him, and you can stay here as the master of your Shike Village. What do you think?"
The big-headed man's eyes unexpectedly fell on his younger brother, and I looked at the fire with a relaxed expression: "The meat is ready, take it down quickly, otherwise it will be too burnt and not tasty."
With my hands covered in oil, I ordered Lao Si to come over: "Hey, wasn't this one sewn by your sister-in-law?"
"Well, I wore it inside because I was afraid it would get dirty." He proudly turned up the collar to show the sewing inside: "This is an old piece of clothing I just found."
"That's great." I pulled up the corner of his clothes without any hesitation and started wiping it: "If there is something, do it right away to make everyone alert." I was right, there was indeed something, but it was not what I thought of.
"Wipe it clean." I clapped my hands, looked at the fourth brother and winked at him.
"Which piece of land does Yuehou intend to give us?" I knew the question must be waiting here. So I said my thoughts: "Of course it can only be the land in the pond. Not only your fellow tribesmen in the north will also get some rewards. Do you want it?" I smiled and looked into his eyes. He wanted to move his eyes, but seeing me looking at him like this, he could only look at me.
He was silent for a long time, and I watched him for a long time.
"Does Yue Hou really mean what he said?"
"really."
"The flowers bloom to thank the rain, and the fruits close to pass on the gift of the gods." He seemed to be back to his old ways, and I had no way to deal with it: "Why did the Lord of Yue treat us like this?"
I have so many ideas, no matter how I tell you, it's a bother for me. But at least I have to say something on the surface: "I am the king of the Han Dynasty and Yue State. This place is my territory, so I should plan for the survival of the people here."
My idea is a bit unfair to the Xu and Liu families, but the wonderful part is not here. First of all, this plan naturally cuts off the trade routes of the Xu and Liu families; secondly, since there is no grain harvest around Tanzhong all year round, it is better to let these southerners who rob things grow their own crops. When they can have enough food, I don’t believe they will come up with any tricks for me; thirdly, the people of each village will be separated into two places, and specific people will be entrusted with great power. They will echo each other but also restrict each other, which will not only divide their strength but also create gaps. In the end, they will rely on me, and need my help to prevent outsiders from starting a new business, and at the same time, they need my help to stabilize their own position. In fact, there is a back-up plan. When I was secretly thinking about whether there was a loophole in this plan, I heard the sound of horse hooves, as if thousands of troops were about to shake the hills.
The whole village was confused, and the soldiers who were guarding the village immediately closed the village gate. Everyone, including the old, weak, and children, came out from the high hillside to see what was going on. One cannot help but sigh at the courage of these southerners. If this happened in the Central Plains, most people would flee first, and if they couldn't escape, they would hide in the house. We were naturally surrounded in the middle, and the big and second leaders kept questioning us, what did we mean by this.
Everyone was sure that it was my people who came. I didn't think it was necessarily my people. But I was sure who it was. The sound of horse hooves was so familiar. I didn't know why he came, but I didn't feel anything good.
"I didn't order them to come. They either came to protect someone, or they are not my people." I remained calm, my voice didn't tremble, but my heart was beating very fast.
The sound in the mountains was very loud. Even if all of their thousand men came, they could not make such a loud noise on flat ground, but in the mountains it was like tens of thousands of horses galloping and neighing together. Moreover, the confusion on my face brought fear to the head of the village and then to the people below until the entire tribe.
"If it is an external enemy, I will resist it with the whole village." I nodded to him, took out the iron spear from my side, and waved to let all the guards go up to their earthen wall and bamboo tower to stand with their soldiers and look ahead. Suddenly I could feel that some of them looked a little strange, and I began to understand some of the problems here: "Our army will move forward, leaving the back for others."
The sound of horses' hooves was urgent, and the sound was devastating; time seemed to freeze, but it followed the sound, and it was extremely urgent. I heard the shouts gradually become clearer from the sound of horses' hooves, and I suddenly felt relieved, "It must be our own people."
"If Guizi Guo wanted to kill me," I suddenly felt relieved. "He wouldn't make such a loud noise. I'm afraid there's something urgent. Could it be that someone from Guangxin is coming again?"
I looked at Sumarda and the others and said, "Open the gate. We are going out. You can close it again and open it again when everything is clear."
I remember that day very clearly, because the next day was New Year's Eve. I also remember who came, because I had never expected it, and I didn't even think about why he came. That year's New Year was really interesting.