Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Chao s Water Margin

Text Chapter 3 Yuncheng Kuotian

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    Xia Qi founded the country, abolished the abdication, and became the king hereditary.

    China began the inheritance method of succession after the death of father. In order to have a legitimate name, the rulers of the past dynasties became relatives with God and gave themselves a majestic title - the True Dragon Emperor.  The descendants of the emperor are naturally the sons of dragons and their grandsons, so the succession after the death of father will be much smoother.

    In order to maintain the authority of the imperial court, some dynasties even enacted the law of "people suing officials and moving three thousand miles away" to deter "unruly people".

    After experiencing countless bloody lessons, the people had to admit a ruthless reality.  He is just a group of lambs raised by the imperial court, while officials are shepherds selected by the imperial court, so some official names are simply called shepherds.  As long as the shepherds did not wantonly sweep away the sheep and shake the foundation of the court, and occasionally sheared sheep or killed sheep, the court would usually turn a blind eye.

    The people do not fight with the officials, which has gradually become the choice of the people most of the time.

    Although Chao Gai was brave, he did not dare to fight with the court unless he was in desperate situation.  The head of the family has accepted this reality, and the servants naturally dare not cause trouble.  In addition, the Chao family is well-off and can buy other properties if the land is gone. The slaves in the village do not have to worry about being dismissed, so the Chao family is calm.

    The land in Dongxi Village belongs to the Chao family, and the people in the village are all tenants. The change of land owners has little impact on them, so the village is peaceful.

    There are some nearby villages whose land is scattered. Because the fields are fought almost every day, no one is willing to hand over the hard-won land deeds. In the end, the villagers can only ask the county government to send police officers to suppress the farmers who protect the fields.

    Although Chao Yong is determined to advance the great cause of Liangshan, Chao Gai has always been one of the best at home. It is not yet time for him to take charge of the family, so he can only wait for the opportunity.

    On the contrary, the people in the village were grateful for Chao Gai's kindness over the years. They were aggrieved that the Chao family had suffered such an unreasonable disaster, and they were also worried about themselves. They could only pray that the court would not increase the rent after acquiring the land.

    Within a few days, the day set by the county came. Chao Yong also followed Chao Gai to the county for business on the grounds of his long experience.

    Dongxi Village is only a few miles away from the county seat, and neither of them ride horses.  After walking out of the village and just on the official road, I heard someone shouting from behind: "Chao Bao is waiting a moment."

    Chao Yong turned around and saw a four-person sedan coming down the path on the other side of the official road. Sitting inside was Wang Ren, Baozheng of Xixi Village.  This Wang Ren was fat, but the four peasants carrying the sedan were stout. Even though it was only early spring, they were all sweating profusely.

    Because of the hot weather, the sedan curtains had already been pinned high on the top of the sedan. Wang Ren, who was leaning in the sedan, was still shaking a gold-painted paper fan vigorously.  Seeing that the Chao family's father and son had stopped, they quickly ordered the bearers to hurry up and catch up.

    Wang Ren, who is fat and smiles all over his face, looks a bit like the smiling Maitreya Buddha.  But this Wang Ren is the famous smiling tiger who eats people without spitting out their bones.

    The Wang family in Xixi Village has been a landowner for generations, and their family fortune is no worse than that of Chao Gai. For generations, the two villages have often used force to compete for water sources.  Naturally, fighting inevitably involves casualties, so many villagers in the two villages have ancestral grudges, and the two villages have never been married for several generations.

    Although few people from the Chao and Wang families personally participated in the battle, the water source was related to the harvest of the land.  In the countryside where commerce is not yet developed, land is an important source of wealth for landlords, so the Chao and Wang families are also quite at odds.  It's just that we are both country gentry, so we can't cross-eyed like peasants when they meet.

    It was not until Chao Gai grew up that Dongxi Village completely overwhelmed Xixi Village in terms of force and ended the fighting between the two villages.  However, Dongxi Village did not take advantage of it. Instead, it suffered some small losses.

    It turns out that this generation of Wang Ren, the head of the Wang family, is not a fuel-efficient lamp. Although he is not good at fists and feet, he has some calculations in his heart and is good at flattery. He paid a lot of money to the county magistrate and asked the county magistrate to designate their own water sources for the two villages. If Chao hadn't been hindered.  There are many desperadoes in Gaizhuang, and Dongxi Village will inevitably suffer a big loss.  On the one hand, the county magistrate came forward, and on the other hand, for the sake of peace in the countryside, Chao Gai suffered a small loss and shared the water source.

    Although the two families have some disputes, they are fellow villagers after all, and they are both prominent figures in the village. Naturally, they cannot be like ordinary villagers, staring at each other when they meet, with a look of hatred and bitterness.

    Hearing Wang Ren¡¯s shout, the Chao family and his son had no choice but to stop and wait.

    When they arrived, Wang Ren got off the sedan, cupped his hands and said, "Did the Xian father and son accept the invitation of the county magistrate?"

    Chao Gai returned the courtesy and said, "Exactly. What advice does Wang Baozheng have?"

    "Brother Chao is serious. We all went to Kuotian, so we happened to be traveling together. By the way, let's communicate so that we can fight against the imperial court together." Wang Ren said with excitement on his face.

    Chao Gai had already made up his mind, and was also wary of Wang Ren. Hearing this, he shook his head and said: "Since ancient times, the people have not fought with the officials. How can we, the common people, fight against the imperial court? The Kuotian matter has come to an end."?I waited for the boss, so I had to accept my fate.  "

    Wang Ren heard this and said angrily: "Brother Chao was so heroic in the past, how can he be so timid today? As long as Brother Chao gives an order, we will follow Brother Chao's lead. As long as dozens of village gentry are twisted into a rope, the public land will be destroyed."  We must also consider the matter of Kuotian. In this way, Brother Chao will not only ensure peace in the countryside, but also spread the word about Brother Chao's righteousness and courage."

    Although Chao Gai was not known for his wisdom and stratagem, he was not just an ordinary man with courage. Hearing this, he smiled lightly and said, "Wang Baozheng is joking. How can Chao Gai, an ordinary man, take on such a big responsibility? On the contrary, Wang Baozheng is resourceful and has many friendships with the county magistrate."  By communicating, we can petition for the people. After the success, we will never forget the great kindness of Bao Zheng."

    Seeing that Chao Gai was not fooled, Wang Ren could not help but have a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but he still forced a smile and said: "Chao Baozheng is joking, how can I convince all the squires if I am not talented in literature and military. Brother Chao has no intention of standing out.  I will take a step forward to see if anyone can petition for the people. I will also ask Brother Chao to support me."

    Since the establishment of the public farmland, it started in Ruzhou in the west of Beijing, and gradually spread to the capital, Jingdong, and Hebei. In a few years, tens of thousands of hectares of land were acquired.  Countless people were displaced, including powerful officials.

    Chao Gai knew that there was no hope of resistance, so he just smiled and said: "Bao Zheng has something to do, just go ahead, we will see you later."

    Seeing that Chao Gai didn't take the bait, Wang Ren had no choice but to cup his hands, stick his buttocks out, get into the sedan, and leave.

    Seeing Wang Ren's sedan go away, Chao Gai shook his head and said, "This smiling tiger wants to harm people again."

    Although Chao Yong was ambitious, he did not dare to be careless in ancient times where there was no human rights at all.  Although his family has a thousand acres of land, the family is not prosperous and has few official relatives.  With no one to take care of him in the court, and having a huge fortune, he is just a fat sheep in the eyes of corrupt officials.

    Chao Yong has never been to Bianjing, which is depicted in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", and he doesn't want to end up in the small Yuncheng County.  He nodded and said: "This Smiling Tiger is vicious, and some of those rural landowners may actually be fooled. That Wang Ren is cunning, and he has issues with my Chao family. Let's go early to avoid being tripped up by him."

    Chao Gai nodded happily. He was originally very worried about his son who only knew how to be brave and fierce, but a meteor fell on his house a few days ago and set Chao Yong's house on fire. Chao Yong also fell into a coma for a day before he woke up.  After that, he seemed to be a different person, he was polite to others and no longer as reckless in doing things as before, so he was asked to follow him today.

    The changes in the stars are the most taboo for the imperial court.  Originally, Chao Gai was worried that the court would strictly investigate the meteor issue, so no one in the village was allowed to talk about it. However, he did not expect that no one in the county would ask about it. After a few days, he felt relieved.

    Chao Gai thought that after this happened, it was time to let his son go out and experience things for a long time. At his age, he had already traveled all over Jingdong. It was just that the world had become more chaotic in recent years. In the past, his son was reckless and strong, so he didn't let him.  go out.  Since that day, Yong'er has made him feel more at ease. In a few days, he will find an opportunity for him to travel around the world and gain experience.  Otherwise, if you stay in Dongxi Village all day long, you will suffer a loss sooner or later.

    Not long after they left, they saw Yuncheng County.  The ten-foot-high city wall is entirely built with adobe bricks. However, since there has been no war for a long time, people have become accustomed to the comfort. The city wall lacks a lot of repairs. Only the city gate section is still intact.

    In these peaceful years, city gate inspections are in vain. The few soldiers guarding the gate have long forgotten their duties and are just plundering money from some poor people in the countryside.

    "Chao Daguan and his men are entering the city, but you still won't get out of the way."

    When the gatekeepers at the head saw the arrival of the Chao family and his son, they dispersed the people entering the city and stepped forward to greet them.

    Chao Gai was obviously used to this kind of behavior. He took out a few coins from his sleeve pocket as ten coins and threw them to the gatekeepers. He said: "Don't disturb them. The county government has something to do. I went to the city once and I haven't seen it for many days. These coins have been gone for a while."  Invite you to a bar.¡±

    Chao Yong looked at Chao Gai's spending money and knew why these gatekeepers came to greet him.

    When we entered the city, it was quite lively.

    There are many shops on both sides of the street, and the street is full of people, making it a lively scene.

    The vendors did not simply shout, but sang and shouted in various dialects, which had a unique charm that made Chao Yong want to stop and listen to their singing.

    "It's just that I have something to do today, but I can't delay, so I have to follow Chao Gai to the county government office."

    Chao Yong has also visited some ancient cities in modern times. Whether they are preserved or newly built, the important place of Yamen is naturally indispensable among them.

    But when he arrived in front of the county government office, Chao Yong discovered that the real ancient county government office was not as majestic and majestic as the ones built in later scenic spots. It was just a relatively large courtyard.  The front yard is the lobby, where official business is usually handled, and the back is where the county magistrate lives. Because of the Song Dynasty official appointment system, locals were strictly prohibited from becoming local leaders.After three years of office, they cannot be re-elected. Therefore, county magistrates generally live in the backyard of the county government office and do not buy property locally.

    As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw many Baozhengs wearing military uniforms standing in the lobby.  Although the position of Baozheng is to be in charge of local security and to train bravery, it has obviously deteriorated by now and has been stolen by landlords. Many Baozhengs in the lobby are potbellied and can hardly run, let alone train them to be brave.  On weekdays, they squeezed the people's money very hard. When the bandits came, they all ran to the county town. No one could train to be brave enough to resist the bandits.

    This time, in order to curry favor with Yang Jian, the eunuch in charge of the public land office, the county magistrate swept away all the villages in the county.  Even someone like Wang Ren, who was very filial to the county magistrate, was not spared.

    The usually spacious lobby seemed a bit crowded at this time, and Chao Gai and his son had no choice but to squeeze in.

    In ancient times, wealthy families did not have much to make a living, so they preferred to buy houses and land. There were hundreds of hectares of fertile land everywhere, and many villages were owned by the same family.  Who would have thought that the imperial court would enclose the fields? Generations of savings would be wiped out in one fell swoop, and everyone would inevitably have a look of sadness on their faces.

    When several acquaintances from the countryside saw Chao Gai's arrival, they all came forward to greet him.  A squire who was entangled by Wang Ren also hurriedly came forward to say hello. The others also stayed away from Wang Ren. Only two or three rich people and Wang Ren whispered something.

    It seems that the bad reputation of this public farm is already known to everyone, and no one dares to touch it.
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report