Chapter 1051 Emperor Shao's Kingdom
Chapter 1051 Emperor Shao's Kingdom (Additional chapter for the Alliance Leader's Broken Wings)
During the hot summer, Bianliang was also hot.
The servants were slowly building the Liang Palace, and the new soldiers looked at them with curiosity and a hint of pride.
These were the soldiers or followers of the Zuo Feilong Guard and the Zuo Jinwu Guard, a total of 4,000 people, with more from the Zuo Feilong Guard and fewer from the Zuo Jinwu Guard.
They will be the newly appointed soldiers of the Heilongjiang Camp and will soon set off for Luoyang.
The Left Cavalry Guard will also contribute a thousand of their sons and daughters, but I don’t know whether those who have already signed their names to go to Hongcheng and Pingcheng will regret it.
Ordinary households in Chen and Liang counties contributed hundreds of people, plus a large number of military students, and that was all the Black Shadow Camp had.
Feng Bachi, deputy commander of Longxiang Prefecture in Pingqiu, led 300 men to maintain order on the grass near Liang Palace.
"Can we travel twenty miles a day with this motley crowd?" Xia Wu, the Sima of the Nanliu Defense Department of Chuitai Prefecture, wiped his sweat, feeling worried.
"How did your commander-in-chief select his men? All three hundred men from the Nanliu defense came out in full force?" Feng Bachi looked at the flags and drums and asked.
"What else can we do..." Xia Wu said, and saw at least three military flags standing behind Feng Bashi, and he smiled: "They all want to go to the capital to receive the reward."
"You won't make much." Feng Ba Chi waved his hand and said, "If I take these people on the road, it will take me half a month, and I will only get a piece of miscellaneous silk as a reward, or at most two pieces. After deducting the travel expenses and calculating the work that will be delayed at home, how much money can I get?"
"If you give me two pieces of silk, I can save one piece by spending some flowers." Xia Wu said with a smile.
Feng Ba Chi also laughed and said, "Are you calculating even this little bit of money?"
"I have seven sons, and they are all alive." Xia Wu said after a moment of silence.
"You..." Feng Bachi was shocked. You just climb onto a woman for no reason, right?
Moreover, this man is definitely no more than thirty-five years old, and may be in his early thirties.
It's really scary for someone to marry and have children at the age of fifteen...
"My third son has grown up and is now fifteen." Xia Wu added, "The court has shown mercy and granted a piece of wasteland nearby, so my two sons can have a farm. But now we need to buy another piece of land."
"Have you found a good place?" Feng Bachi asked curiously.
"There are fields over there in Cangyuan, only a few dozen miles away from Chuitai, not very far." Xia Wu said.
"You've sacrificed your entire life." Feng Bachi said.
"After all seven of my children have their own families, my clan will be prosperous and I can die with peace of mind." Xia Wu did not feel bitter. Instead, he smiled and said, "It is not impossible that my grandchildren will be over 50 by then."
Feng Bachi really admired him.
"Will the Left Jinwu Guard be mobilized during the southern expedition? Has General Feng heard any news of it?" Xia Wu asked.
"It's hard to say." Feng Bachi also felt the urge to go south to plunder.
Although the Daliang army had strict military discipline and looting required money and property in the form of donations - some jokingly called it "city redemption money" - people were not allowed to do whatever they wanted, but the money was real.
When the Zuo Yulin Guards, who had gone on the western expedition to Liangzhou, returned to Puyang and Jibei, they had large and small bags on their ox carts. Feng Bashi even saw a large iron cauldron, which he heard was distributed as a reward after the appraisal, but he didn't know how those people divided it when they returned.
"How much land does General Feng have in Pingqiu?" Xia Wu asked again.
"We have 700 acres now." Feng Bachi said, "It's hard to buy land. If it's not connected, it's boring and inconvenient to take care of."
"It's actually not that difficult to buy." Xia Wu said, "Just continue to measure the land and clear out the land that was occupied by the wealthy families before Yongjia."
Feng Bachi nodded. That was true. How could the nobles have the right to occupy so much land?
"How much rent do your family's soldiers collect?" Xia Wu asked.
"I got four, and Buqu got six."
"General Feng is truly kind and righteous." Xia Wu stood in awe.
"The troops have to pay taxes and labor service." Feng Bashi said, "Even though each family only pays 30 mu, it's still not easy. Throughout the year, we can only eat meat and wine a few times."
"And wine and meat?" Xia Wu was surprised. "My family can only eat millet and wheat. If there is a disaster, we have to eat flowers in spring, stems in summer, fruits in autumn, and kernels in winter. We can also prepare some bran and vegetables, so that we can be full."
"If there is a disaster or famine, won't you reduce the rent?" Feng Bachi frowned and asked.
"Why should I reduce the number of people I captured in the battle?" Xia Wu asked back.
Feng Bashi sighed.
This guy is comparable to the Han family members who help him manage the family business. They are both very cruel.
He could never learn to be so cruel.
"The soldiers are also rewarded for going into battle, so I think we can still make ends meet." Xia Wu said disapprovingly, "Your Majesty is on a southern expedition, and they are all eager to go plunder with red eyes."
Feng Bachi laughed after hearing this.
A group of hungry wolves headed south, desperate to kill. If they couldn't stop, there was no telling what would happen.
Only Your Majesty can calm them down.
"Boom boom boom..." The sound of drums was heard not far away.
A group of martial arts students who looked like they were not yet twenty years old stood up, fully armed and holding horse whips, and beat the stupid recruits who stood there without knowing how to form a battle array, making them scream in pain.
Feng Bachi folded his arms and watched.
There was a market near where the recruits were lined up. Some vendors who were squatting on the ground selling fruits, vegetables, chickens, ducks, eggs and the like now stood up to watch the fun.
Feng Bachi walked over.
When the vendors saw a soldier in jingling armor coming towards them, they were suddenly at a loss as to what to do.
Feng Ba Chi bent down, picked up a few dried mulberries, and said with emotion: "When I was young and lived in the countryside, I often picked and dried mulberries when they were ripe. In bad years, chestnuts were scarce, so they could be eaten. I haven't eaten this for many years, but I didn't expect to see it again today."
"Sir, you know the sufferings of the people." The man selling dried mulberries said nervously.
"Haha." Feng Bachi laughed happily and said, "We have all been through hardships. There is nothing to pretend when we suddenly become rich. I just fermented a pond of hemp before going out. I can do farm work in my spare time to loosen up my muscles and bones so that I can have strength when I go into battle."
The peddler looked at the different shades of armor on his body, the bow and sword at his waist, and the silk lining of his armor, and knew that this man was most likely a military officer who had earned his wealth through military merit.
Such people were not uncommon in the countryside, especially in Chenliu where the Left Jinwu Guards gathered. To put it bluntly, there were few normal people here, but many military households. Feng Bashi asked about the price, casually took out a few Kaiping Tongbao coins and handed them over. He bought a large bag of dried mulberries and put them on his back. While eating, he asked, "Have you ever been on an expedition?"
"How can we not go to war when we have been fighting for years?" the vendor laughed dryly.
"Did you go on a campaign last year?"
"Not last year. I went to Yanmen once to transport grain and fodder when we fought the Xianbei a few years ago," said the peddler.
"Did it delay farm work?"
The vendor paused and said, "I was just about to go collect wild chestnuts and acorns when I was conscripted."
"No harvest?"
"My family went to collect them, but a large basket was missing. Sir, you don't know that we must collect three or four baskets and steam them to be enough for the three winter months. Only then will we be safe."
"Not enough food?"
"Emperor Shao distributed land, enough for food. But we can eat wild vegetables, elm leaves, chestnuts, acorns, and dried mulberries. Who eats grain? Grain is precious and must be saved."
Feng Ba Chi felt a sense of familiarity when he heard this, so he asked, "Were you a farmhand before?"
"Yes, the guest of Wu's village."
“Is life better now?”
"Without the manor pawnbroker to collect the surplus grain, things will be better."
Feng Bachi smiled happily and said, "You have benefited from Emperor Shao, and I have benefited from Emperor Shao. The emperor of the Sima family has behaved like this, so his wife and children are doomed to die."
After hearing this, the peddler hesitated to speak.
"What do you want to say?" Feng Bachi stuffed a dried mulberry into his mouth and said vaguely.
"I heard that Princess Yu is in the Emperor's Palace?" Perhaps because he saw that Feng Bachi was easy to talk to, the peddler bravely asked.
"Princess Yu? Which Princess Yu?" Feng Bachi was stunned.
"It's the Yu family from Chenliu. They're the most famous." said the peddler.
Feng Bachi thought about it, and it seemed that Han said that Sima Rui’s wife was named Yu Mengmu?
"She has been dead for many years." After thinking about it, Feng Ba Chi laughed and scolded: "You are a merchant, instead of doing business properly, you are asking about these things."
“I feel relieved to hear that the Yu family is in trouble.” The vendor said embarrassedly.
"There are still people in the Yu family." Feng Bachi said with a wicked smile.
The vendor's face turned pale.
There were some people next to the vendor, but they didn't dare to be so bold and just listened with their ears pricked up.
Feng Bachi looked around and found someone selling salt and cheese, so he spent money to buy some, preparing to share it with a few old brothers on the way.
"Salt cheese is cheaper now." He said casually after buying it.
"It's only now that it's cheaper." The vendor selling dried mulberries said, "I don't know why, the purchase price is cheaper."
"Oh? Is this true?" Feng Bachi looked at the vendor who was picking up salt and cheese in front of him and asked.
The vendor's face was full of wrinkles. When Feng Bashi asked, he replied timidly, "Yes... it's cheaper."
"Why?" Feng Bashi asked curiously.
"A big... big merchant from Shangdang came to the Bianliang market." The merchant's words were not clear, but his hands were very efficient. He filled a big bag in a few seconds and said, "After the market opened, a lot of salt and cheese were sold. They were cheap."
After saying that, he added: "I heard that the salt and cheese merchants in Hanoi... Hanoi and Puyang are all cursing."
Feng Ba Chi did not know what a market was, and thought to himself: Why didn't I see any big merchants from Shangdang come to Bianliang to sell salt and cheese before? They made me spend so much money in vain.
But being cheap is a good thing.
The army was not allowed to eat foods such as salted cheese, jerky, fermented black beans, and salted pickles.
Especially salt cheese, which is very filling and easy to carry.
When the cavalry attacked from behind, they often ground cheese, made it into powder, and put it in cowhide water bags.
When chasing the enemy, pour some water into the water bag, seal the opening tightly, and when riding on the horse, shake it evenly for you so that you can eat and drink on horseback.
Everyone in the North loves cheese; even the wealthy and powerful eat it frequently.
"This must be because the emperor loves his people, so he implements this policy, making everything cheap." Feng Bachi said like a crazy fan.
"Maybe." The vendor replied with his head down.
"You have to learn from others. You are not stealing or robbing, you are just doing business. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Feng Bachi put away the salt and cheese, threw them behind him together with the bag of dried mulberries, and walked away.
On the grass, the recruits had already lined up, with fear and occasional anger on their faces.
"Go!" The drums sounded soon, and the officers with recognition flags on their backs waved their hands and led the recruits westward.
This time, they took the mountain road between Mi County and Yangcheng, which was considered a marching exercise.
Feng Bachi sat on the ox cart, leisurely looking at the countryside where smoke was rising from chimneys.
Everything is in good order, everyone is full of hope, and feels that they will be able to achieve their wishes in the future.
Perhaps, this is what peace and prosperity means to the world.
Emperor Shao's regime became increasingly stable.
(The first update tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to sleep first.)
(End of this chapter)