Chastity Layman 2

Chapter 866
early morning.

The red sun rises, the sun rises, the clouds clear and the fog clears.

The Manzhai hidden in the deep mountains has just emerged. On the hillsides, there are patches of earthen houses and wooden buildings, low and scattered, and they live together in clusters.Although looking from a distance, one mountain is next to another, and one village is next to another, but outsiders often can't even find the way to enter the village.

Some villages are built on slopes, which seem to be shrouded in a sea of ​​clouds, next to their terraced fields.

In the mountains, among the lofty mountains, hundreds of households and barbarians live here. There are layers of terraced fields under the stockade, and the morning sun is shining brightly. Each layer of the terraced fields is full of fine and delicate ripples.

The arrival of a team broke the morning tranquility in the mountains.

The bull horn sounded, and the men in the village hurriedly stood up, picked up hunting knives, bows and arrows, with anxiety and fear on their faces.

Standing in front of the village, one could clearly see the approaching team in the mountain. Under the rising sun, the armor was shiny and murderous.

The young villagers held spears and machetes in their hands, but their hands and feet were trembling.

During this period of time, these Iron Armored Army with the Sanchen Banner were circulating everywhere on both sides of the river. Various rumors let everyone know how powerful this Iron Armored Army was.

"The best?"

The men all looked at an old man in green felt. Under the thick headband of the old man was a face that had experienced many vicissitudes. There were ravines and creases, and there seemed to be a magnificent past hidden in every furrow and crease.

A man couldn't help but said from the side, "Yesterday Songshu Village was beaten up, Zuima was beheaded on the spot, and the black iron army confiscated all the land of Zuima's house in Songshu Village..."

There was panic in his tone, "You haven't seen the tragedy of Songshu Village. Dozens of men died, all young and strong..."

Lao Zuma sighed and stood like a statue in the sun. He looked at the Tang army in black iron armor, bright red burqa and jacket, and the banner of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the three stars, and his heart turned back and forth.

The young and strong men in the village couldn't help speaking and arguing. Normally, no one would dare to behave like this in front of Zuma, but now everyone couldn't help it, and they didn't even care about thousands of years. Here comes the old rules.

"We fought with Iron Man."

"What are you fighting for? Just a few hundred of us? Songshu Village is much bigger than us, with more than 200 households. In the past, when we competed with Songshu Village for hunting grounds and water, we couldn't beat them. Now Songshu Village We're all defeated, shall we go on again?"

"Then what do you say, do you just obediently obey the orders of the man in iron armor?"

······
Listening to the disputes of the villagers, Lao Zuoma also understood that the people in the village were in a state of confusion.In the past, they were rivals with Songshu Village, and they often caused gang fights because of some things, but although they lost more than they won, every time as long as Su Ma raised his arms, all the men in the village would rush forward, and no one would frown. frown.

But today, my heart is disturbed, and my heart is not in harmony.

Some people in the village called Tang Jun the Iron Armored Man, some called the Black Iron Army, and some called the Red Shirt Army. The elderly Suma was the leader of the village, and he was well-informed about outside news. In fact, he was the last Ma, this is the biggest landlord in this hundred-and-a-half households and Ni village. Nearly half of the terraced fields around the village are actually owned by his family.

At the same time, he also asked one of his sons to often bring some prey fur, medicinal materials, and grains to sell outside, and then exchange them for salt, iron, cloth, etc., basically monopolizing the trading in the stockade, and even many of the surrounding Zhaizi also often goes to trade regularly.

So the old man knows more about the outside situation than ordinary people.

Generally, he would not easily disclose such information to the villagers, because it would allow him to maintain a high, wise and wise image, which his father had taught him little by little.

The old man had known for a long time that these outsiders in iron armor and red robes holding the Sanchen flag were Han people from the distant Central Plains, and they were sent by the emperor of the Tang Empire.

Not even the Cuan family, which had ruled Yunnan for hundreds of years, could stop them from going south.

The Juding Liaozi tribe in the east, and the Meng tribe, who are also from the Ni people, have been defeated by these Tang troops. Countless villages were abandoned and fled all the way south to the other side of the river.

And these Honi people who live on this side of the big river, close to the land of Yunnan, are now in a worrying situation.In the past, they accepted the rule of the Cuan clan, and they would pay some tribute regularly, and occasionally they would be called out to fight or something, but basically their lives were peaceful.

But now that these Tang people came, they sent someone to send a letter.

Zuima's son, who was running a business outside, translated the letter for him, but it was an official document addressed to the Zhuman village. It is said that now their place and many villages belong to the newly established Tonghai Dudufu by the Tang people.

Cheng Chu, the newly-appointed inspector of the Tonghai Metropolitan Government, silently complied with the ministries, asking for registration of households, tax payment, and military service.

The Cheng Dudu also asked the leaders of the various villages, no matter if they were Heni tribes, Juding Man or other barbarian tribes, to go to Tonghai City, Qilu Lake to meet them.

At the same time, all villages were required to hand over money and food for military supplies.

When the official document was first received, Lao Zuma was silent for a long time, and finally did not throw the official document into the firepit and burn it, but folded it and put it away.

But did not intend to respond.

Although the Tang people sounded extremely powerful, Lao Zuma still believed that the Tang Dynasty in the Central Plains could not control this remote Yunnan, and their village had been attached to the Cuan family in Kunming for more than [-] years. The reason is that now he ran to pay money and food to the Tang people.

The old man told his son to ignore the matter and not to disclose it to the people in the village, but he also asked his son to pay close attention to the movements of the Tang people outside and collect their news in time.

I thought, just ignore it.

Who knew, Tang Ren really ran into the mountains.

Songshu Village not far away and Dazhai with hundreds of households were defeated in the blink of an eye.

A hundred miles away from Qilu Lake, these Tang soldiers are already everywhere.

The sound of horseshoes beating on the terraced road ridge hardened by frost in winter made a crisp sound, and Lao Zuoma came back to his senses.

Looking at this Tang army again, the team meanders on the not-so-wide terraced ridges. There are about 200 people, all of whom are armored and sharp-edged, and the leader even rides a horse.

And behind this line of Tang soldiers, there were about a thousand people, black and white, some wearing green felt, some wearing white cloaks, and even some with flowered turbans, it was very mixed.The old Zuma looked familiar. These are all ministries living in the mountains near the Jiuxi River.

It is not only the Heni people who live here, but all kinds of barbarians coexist.

In the area around Qilu Lake, there were even Han Chinese who had settled and done business there long ago.

Perhaps among these savages, there are people from Songshuzhai.

Lao Zuma sighed in her heart, the sky has changed.

For thousands of years, in this Jiuxi Dajiang mountainous area, although you fight with each other, the general pattern remains unchanged.

The Jiuxi River stretches for hundreds of miles, and finally flows into the Nanpan River. In their section, the Honi people also call it the Yan River. It is said that when they first moved here, there were still Suanni here.

However, it is said that it has been a long time since anyone has seen this legendary beast that eats tigers and leopards and loves to sit.The Nijiang River gradually became the Jiuxi Dajiang River, and other tribes often called them the Qujiang Dahe River.

The old Zuoma thought, maybe 20 years earlier, he might have resisted the Tang people like the young Zuoma in Songshu Village, but after all, he was old.

He used to be able to cut wolves with swords and shoot leopards with arrows, and he was young and vigorous. He led the village to resist the bullying of Songshu Village more than once.

It is old after all.

Looking at the armored team, Lao Zuoma tidied up the green blanket, hesitated at last, but still made a decision.

Lao Zuma's prestige in the village is still very high. Although the arrival of the Tang people made the people in the village panic, but when Lao Zuma spoke, everyone still listened respectfully, and no one dared to intervene talk.

"Cuan Hongda, the great ghost lord in the city of Kunzhou by the Dianchi Lake, has allocated the area south of Zhalu Lake to the Tang court, and now it is under the rule of the Tonghai Dudufu."

The villagers all looked at Lao Zuma.

"The Cuan family in Dianchi Lake has all surrendered to Li Tang. Naturally, our small Shanqian village can't resist Tianwei, and they all follow me to meet the heavenly soldiers and generals!"

Lao Zuma called his sons and told them to go to the barn in the backyard of his house, but he brought back the good things he treasured, tiger, leopard and bear skins, and the best honey, and asked him to fetch some gold and silver .

Before the village.

The leader of the team was a regiment captain. He looked relaxed when he saw the Heman who opened the gate to welcome them. In fact, it didn’t matter if the Manzi didn’t come out. A regiment of Tang troops in full armor, plus a thousand Man Ding, it is easy to take down this stockade.

But since these people know each other, they can save some hands and feet.

After all, when he came, the governor also explained that he should try his best to surrender and appease him, and don't make any big moves. The brothers will be stationed in Tonghai in the future.

Regarding the gift presented by the old man, the school captain in bright armor asked the military enlistment of the accompanying army to be recorded, and then read the official document of the governor's mansion to the old man.

"General Cheng Cheng, the inspector of Tonghai Metropolitan Government, reads to you and others the order of Tongping Zhangshi Prince Zhanshi Lingnan Economic Strategy Envoy Guangzhou Metropolitan Governor and Tonghai Governor Wei Guogong..."

After the announcement, the interpreter next to him loudly conveyed it again.

Although the gift was accepted for the time being, Han Xiaowei still told Lao Zuma in a business-like manner that he needed all the villagers in the village to be called to a meeting immediately.

To nod.

The villagers gathered in the drying yard a little uneasy.

The army leaders counted the population in the village, the number of men, women, old and young, and the number of men among the able-bodied men.

"What is this for?"

"This is a census, and it's just a preliminary check and registration, and there will be more detailed verification and registration later."

"What does census registration do?"

"After the census is registered, you will be registered as a registered household. From now on, you will no longer be barbarians, but good citizens registered in the Tang Dynasty. In the future, the household department of the Tang Dynasty and the local government will have your files, and taxation and labor will be collected based on this. .”

Xiaowei Han had people call out all young men between the ages of 21 and 40.

"There are 120 households in your village. According to the order of the Governor's Mansion, ten households will draw one man. Now we need to select twelve strong men from your village. Those who are selected will become the United Township Bravery of the Governor's Mansion. They will go to various military towns to train and guard. To serve the imperial court, after three years of service, during this period of service, the Dudu Mansion will provide food and clothing, and pay monthly allowances..."

Captain Han was quite polite, but both the Shanqian village and the nun's queen couldn't help being agitated.

(End of this chapter)