Chapter 2080 Equivalent exchange, wave of refugees
South of Wuguan, north of Zhuyang.
In this area, it was basically deserted and rarely populated, but now, it has changed again.
No one knows which family the once-abandoned Wubao originally belonged to. The place where the lintel should be placed in Wubao, I don''t know if it was taken away or was chopped down later, anyway, there is no sign of the county name, hall name, etc. left behind.
Zhuge Liang probably belonged to the Yuan family, but it may also belong to other Runan gentry. After all, before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there were many gentry Wubao in Runan County.
The damaged wall of Wubao is constantly being raised, and those walls of Wubao that have been exposed to the rammed earth have also been re-tamped, and then sealed with stones. However, these stones are basically not polished, and various edges and corners are exposed. The trenches around Wubao are also being re-excavated to clear out the congested silt, but no water has been drawn yet.
Whether it is repairing the walls of the dock, digging ditches, or mining stones and transporting soil from the surrounding area, manpower is required, and these manpower are precisely the refugees who have poured in from Jingzhou.
The soldiers on duty inside and outside the Wubao are hussars and horses, with bright armor and waving flags. Even if they are seen from a distance, they know that they are not easy to mess with. These hussars are orderly commanding the refugees, either recruiting labor, or allocating rations, and some are distributing some labor tools, which vary. It is also these hussars who are in charge. Although these refugees are not as rigorous as the army formation, they are not bad. At least they have goals and orders.
Most of the refugees are people who still hold some desire to live and want to struggle to survive in the misery, but they often lose hope as they walk, and then various problems erupt, so when these refugees feel hopeful When you can live well, some dirty and unbearable things will be reduced accordingly.
Some slightly stronger vagrant men, following the orders of the hussars, were transported and repaired, and some simple sheds were built on some dry ground outside the dock, which is the kind of roughly triangular shape like a doghouse. Ordinary simple shack.
Most of these homeless men are working, while they can''t help but turn their heads to look at the place where the smoke rises inside Wubao, and sometimes they can''t help but raise their noses to smell it, even though it''s so far away. Basically, they can''t smell anything, but those multigrain cakes and a bowl of thin wild vegetable hot soup that can make their throats sore are their greatest desire at the moment.
At least, when faced with the food cooked by the hussars, it can be proved that they can still be like a human being, eating human food instead of eating those... At the same time, they can also be like a responsible man Live the same, as usual, provoke the burden of the whole family, and bring hope to the young and old in the family.
Strong women, old and young, if they can move, they basically receive errands, and then go around to collect supplies, a bundle of dry firewood, a bag of soil, a handful of wild vegetables, or a bunch of wild vegetables that I don’t know where to find. Even a small bird egg can be replaced with a bowl of hot soup. Although there is no actual food in the hot soup that can fill the stomach, at most it is some porridge with wild vegetables that can make people''s shadows, but it is warm in the stomach. It can also restore humanity and rekindle the flame of life.
If you pay, you will gain.
Only when there is work can there be food.
Will this dock be an important defensive location in the future? Maybe, maybe not.
How superb the craftsmanship must be in building the Wubao, and how beautiful the restoration must be, it is also not necessarily the same.
Zhuge Liang is here not to release so many errands for these refugees to work, but for a very simple exchange rule, which inadvertently brings back the refugees whose order is on the verge of collapse. Normal, or relatively normal human social rules.
At the same time, in the process of continuous work, these refugees also learned how to build simple huts, how to collect all kinds of food in the wild, how to make some simple tools, etc., which will naturally be more important for their next journey. have some guarantees.
This, perhaps, is more important than simple relief.
Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, standing on the wall of Wubao Village, wearing ephedra-gray robes, mixed among the soldiers, if he didn''t look carefully, who would know that the three or four thousand refugees are actually in charge, and there will be even more in the future. So many refugees came here, but it was just such a young man?
Some come, and naturally some go.
『Zhuge is engaged, everything is ready...』 A chief came forward to report.
『I remember, your name is...Wang Dahu? Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded, "Work hard and be careful along the way." let''s go. 』
Shi Zhang Wang Dahu was a little excited, straightened his waist, shouted his orders, then turned around and went down.
Wang Dahu passed through Wubao and arrived at the north side of Wubao. He stood in front of a crowd of exiles, looked at the dozen or so soldiers under his own, then turned his head to look at the exiles behind the soldiers, and shouted loudly: "Follow it! follow along! Honestly, I guarantee that nine out of ten can enter the pass alive! Stealing, cheating, vandalism, see? ! 』
Wang Dahu drew out his knife, and cut a wooden stake beside him in two with one knife, "I don''t rub sand in my eyes, and I don''t recognize anyone with a knife!" Do you understand? ! 』
There were sparse responses among the refugees, and more people opened their eyes wide and curled up in fear.
『All of them! "Wang Dahu shouted loudly, "First team, turn around!" Set off! The second and third teams follow! 』
A team consists of 100 people, that is to say, Wang Dahu, a team of ten people, will lead these more than 300 people to pass through Wuguan and enter Chang''an in the next process.
『All follow, don’t fall behind! 』
『When we arrive in Guanzhong, there are fields and agricultural tools! 』
『It takes ten miles to rest before you can rest for a quarter of an hour, and you will have something to eat when you reach the ground! 』
『Go away! Whose family''s child is over there, pull it back...』
Wang Dahu took it all the way, and slowly went away. After such a trip, as long as he can lead well, Wang Dahu will accumulate a lot of experience in command, and the day when he is promoted from a low-ranking officer to a non-commissioned officer is naturally just around the corner...
"Mother..." In the queue, an immature and somewhat thin child raised his neck and asked, "Where is Guanzhong...?" Will it be fine? 』
『Yes, it will be fine... There will be food, land, maybe even cattle...'' the woman murmured, with hope in her eyes, 『It will be fine...everything will be fine...』
…()…
At the same time, there were also a large number of refugees in another place.
Zigui.
Qu Yuan''s virtuous sister, who heard that Yuan was exiled, also came back, because she was called Sister Gui.
Zigui has the Qu family, and also has a huge manor. And right now, outside the manor, there are refugees all over the mountains and plains, which makes Qu''s heart jump from head to toe. In Qu''s Manor, Zhuang Ding, the farmer, who could afford a stick and a spear, stood on the wall of the village to patrol. Even so, no one would feel safe. The more refugees gathered, the Make everyone terrified. With so many half-starved and half-fed refugees gathered in the cold wind, if something goes wrong, it will be a chaos. These thousands of people can drown everything around them in the blink of an eye!
At that time, these refugees will not care whether Qu is the descendant of Qu Yuan, no matter whether the Qu family is a good person or a bad person, Qu''s warehouse will be looted, Qu''s men will be killed, and women will be abused. If that moment comes, life is worse than death!
The steward of Qu''s Manor stood on the fence of the courtyard, watching the crowd of people with a pale face. These are the refugees who escaped from the southern county of Jingzhou. Their clothes are ragged, and they seem to have wrapped everything they can bring and find around their bodies. They drag around like zombies wrapped in strips of cloth. There are at least one or two thousand refugees gathered outside Qu''s Manor. Although the number does not seem to be very large, the gathering of hedgehogs in one place is already quite visually impactful. Among the crowd, many were staring at the manor. The hunger in their eyes, and the madness hidden under the hunger, made the eyelids of the steward standing on the wall twitch.
If the big Han is stable, these people certainly dare not do anything, but let alone the big Han, even Jingzhou is finished. The original ruling system has lost its deterrent power to these refugees. In order to survive, These refugees will struggle crazily, tearing up and devouring everything that stands in their way!
It would be fine if these refugees were ordinary farmers, but right now Jingzhou, Xiangyang, and Jiangling are in chaos, and not all the soldiers in Jingzhou before died in battle or surrendered, and some are missing, and these have seen blood. A human soldier, if he has a single thought...
Qu''s Manor is not a strong defense system, or in other words, most of the manor''s defense is not very good. Thanks to Qu Yuan''s reputation, the Qu family is also quite prestigious in Zigui, and is willing to do good deeds, but unexpectedly, this good reputation in peacetime has now become a source of disaster.
『Go to Qu’s side, Qu’s has money and food, I have nothing here…』
『Qu’s heart is kind, he will definitely give me something to eat, look at me, I’m so poor that I’m nothing but chaff...』
『It’s not that I don’t give it, it’s that the harvest is really not good this year... Qu’s roads were built back then, think about it, can they be repaired if they don’t have money and food? 』
『Go, go, maybe you will be eaten up if you go late...』
"roll! There is nothing here, if you come again, you will be killed! 』
『…』
Regardless of whether the surrounding places are intentional or unintentional, in any case, countless refugees are rushing to Qu''s place, and gradually there are various noises. Some people say that there are three hundred stones of grain and grass in Qu''s manor. , but the next day it became a thousand stones, and now it has tens of thousands of stones...
Pairs of hungry eyes stared intently at the manor fortress with a wall only one foot high and an unknown amount of grain and rice in front of him.
『We really don’t have that much grain in our village! The steward of Qu''s manor almost burst into tears, "No, I won''t lie to you!" Really not! 』
『Liar! If there is really no food, why don''t you let us go in and have a look? 』
"right! let''s go in! 』
『I beg Master Qu, be kind and give me something to eat...』
『…』
There were chaotic shouts one after another, and the steward of Qu''s Manor broke out in cold sweat. He knew that although these refugees were still somewhat afraid of the spears and sticks of Zhuang Ding and Zhuang Ke on the wall, but this would definitely not last long...
Just when the steward of Qu''s Manor begged hard but had no effect, the refugees surrounded by the outer circle seemed to be agitated. Immediately, a group of soldiers seemed to break through the waves, and opened a path from among the refugees. In front of Qu''s Manor.
At present, a person is wearing a half-new and not old armor. The iron plate on the armor is blue and black, and there are red tassels floating in the air on the top of the scorpion. Under the armor is a bright red battle robe. blowing in the wind. In his hand, he held a knife with a mouth-to-mouth ring, with red silk fluttering around the head, and some red paint on the black scabbard as decoration.
Even if he didn’t recognize the flag, the manager of Qu’s Manor still didn’t dare to slack off in this attire, and hurriedly bowed his hands on the fence of the manor: “Which general is coming? Dare to ask your name? 』
At the moment of the big man, copper and iron are all hard currencies that can be used as general equivalents. Even the county lieutenant in Zigui County may not be able to get all the armor. Come down to the wall and kneel down to the ground...
Wang Sheng also thinks so, if he can have another horse... By the way, now Wang Sheng has changed his name from Chang Sheng to Shuang, because on the one hand, he wants to make a clean break with his previous life, and return to the place of Hussars. Starting his new career, on the other hand, he feels that this is his second life...
『No expensive, surnamed Wang! The newly renamed Wang Shuang laughed, "Where is the head of the Qu family?" Good things are coming! 』
The steward of Qu''s Manor straightened up slowly, the flattering smile on his face gradually disappeared, and his waist straightened a little: "What position do you have?" What''s the good thing? 』
Wang Shuang couldn''t help being stunned for a moment. Isn''t there too much change in just one sentence before and after? Wang Shuang was not a son of a noble family, and he didn''t know the rules. Before he opened his mouth, he was well-dressed, but when he opened his mouth, he immediately failed, and immediately let Qu''s steward know Wang Shuang''s details.
Wang Shuang suddenly felt a little angry, staring and shouting: "A certain general who conquered Shu under the command of the hussars came here!" Let the Patriarch of the Qu family come to see him! Come on, spread the flag! 』
Someone pulled out the three-color flag from his arms behind the king''s double, put it on the spear, and then raised it high, and suddenly the three-color flag fluttered fiercely in the wind...
The manor steward''s legs suddenly softened. If he hadn''t held on to the wall of the manor, he might have collapsed all of a sudden, "Brother, don''t be joking..."
『That’s just kidding you! Pointing to the tricolor flag, Wang Shuang shouted, "Are you blind?" Didn''t see what this is? ! less verbosity! act fast! 』
The steward of the manor swallowed his saliva, feeling his head buzzing.
Although it is said that Zigui deviates from the battlefield of the Central Plains, and if it were not for the turmoil in Jingzhou, there would be few incidents of swordsmanship, but after so many years, the wars in the northern Heluo area of ??the Central Plains are more or less known.
The great Han hussars rose like a miracle, and fought north and south. Some people say that the hussars are all fierce and evil, while others say that they are all heroes. But no matter what, there is a basic argument for the combat effectiveness of the hussars. The county soldiers who are like a big man are several times stronger...
Hearing this news all of a sudden, the manor steward''s face turned pale. Looking at Wang Shuang and the others outside the manor wall, seeing the calm expressions of these soldiers standing among hundreds of refugees, he couldn''t help but suck. In one breath, no matter whether it is true or not, it must be reported to the Patriarch, so the steward of the manor said, "Hero, wait a moment... I will report it..."
In the manor, although Qu Cheng, the patriarch of the Qu family, was sitting in the hall, seemingly stable, but his face was pale and his hands and feet were trembling. He had already sent someone to ask for help from the magistrate of Zigui County, but a few days had passed, what? There is no news, only more and more refugees outside the manor, and the mood is getting more and more unstable...
『Patriarch! 』
The steward of the manor came over panting, and Qu Cheng was startled, "What''s wrong with the refugees? Do you want to do it? 』
『Uh…』The steward of the manor said with a sigh of relief,「This…this is not yet…」
『Huh...』 Qu Cheng''s pale face began to turn red, and he obviously relaxed a lot. He tremblingly picked up the tea on the table, "So... what''s the matter? 』
『The Hussar General of the Great Han Dynasty has sent someone... 』The manager of the manor said in a low voice.
『Boom! 』Qu Cheng shook his hand, unable to hold the tea bowl, and fell on the wooden floor in the hall, smearing a large piece of tea stains, like spilled blood, making Qu Cheng feel a little dizzy Dazed, "What... what? ! 』
『Big fellow hussars...huh? Patriarch? Patriarch! Before the manager of the manor finished speaking, he saw Qu Cheng roll his eyes and fall backwards. He was so frightened that he yelled, "Come here!" The owner fainted! 』
Suddenly there was chaos...
The management of the manor is also a little at a loss. The owner of the manor, Qu Cheng, is not in good health. This is something everyone knows, but at this juncture...
There are not only thousands of refugees in front of this gate, but also big Han hussar soldiers who don''t know the truth. If no one makes up their minds, this will really be a catastrophe!
I''m afraid that the sky is going to kill Qu''s family?
『Uncle De…』 Just when the manager of the manor didn’t know what to do, a slightly immature voice sounded behind him, “What happened outside? 』
The manager of the manor quickly turned around, "Ah, my lord, this..."
『Father can’t manage things right now...』Qu Cheng’s son, Qu Huang said, 『When Father wakes up, will there be a delay? If it''s urgent, just tell me first..."
The steward of the manor hesitated for a moment, but quickly explained what had happened in the manor before.
『Under the Hussar General? ”Qu Huang frowned, “Let’s go, let’s meet last time…”
(end of this chapter)