I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 427 Thief
The next day, Zhuge Jin and Jia Kui went again to promote the policy of moving the people south.

Although they changed the place, to their surprise, the old man Zhang, whom they failed to persuade yesterday, came again today.

This made both of them feel excited.

The two men then went up to the platform together and were about to start their lecture when Zhuge Jin suddenly noticed a large group of people coming up the country road in the distance.

Zhuge Jin originally thought that they were common people who had come after hearing the news, and he was very happy. However, when the group of people got closer, he finally saw clearly - these people were not common people at all, they were clearly criminals with knives and guns!

At this time, some people who noticed the movement in the distance cried out in surprise, attracting more people's attention. The people were no longer able to care about anything else and all ran in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, Zhuge Jin drew his sword from his waist. Jia Kui beside him gritted his teeth and drew his sword as well.

When they first came to Changshan, they were told that there were bandits active in the area, but they had never seen any in the many days they had been there, so they temporarily put the matter behind them.

But I didn't expect to meet you today.

The two men tacitly wanted to buy time for the people to escape, but they did not expect that the people who had already escaped would run back again.

Jia Kui was very happy to see this, thinking that the people came back voluntarily to help, which made it worthwhile for him and Ziyu to sacrifice their lives for justice.

Then Zhuge Jin asked, "Father, why are you back again?"

Jia Kui was looking forward to his answer.

Even if his words were insignificant and the matter was not enough to be recorded in history books, it was enough to be recorded in the county annals.

But... "Mr. Zhuge, there are thieves over there too!"

Jia Kui heard the sound of a broken heart.

Zhuge Jin shouted loudly: "Generally, thieves rob for money. If you trust me, you may stay here and wait for me to negotiate with the thieves first!"

The people looked at each other in confusion, and it was not until Old Man Zhang took the lead and shouted, "Mr. Zhuge, we will all listen to you," that the people reached a consensus.

Jia Kui also reacted after hearing this, regained his composure, and said to Zhuge Jin: "Zi Yu, I will go with you."

"No, you have to stay here and appease the people!"

Zhuge Jin patted Jia Kui's hand, then let go and walked towards the gathered thieves.

Under the sunlight, it seems as if the whole body is radiating light.

When the thieves saw his actions, they raised their swords and guns, shouting and killing.

Zhuge Jin thought to himself, this is terrible! The thieves not only want to steal your money, but they also want to kill you!
He clenched the sword in his hand.

Although he had practiced swordsmanship before, Zhuge Jin knew that he had no chance of surviving a battle with so many people.

However, a gentleman cannot take off his hat until his death. Now that things have come to this, he can no longer retreat.

"Zi Yu!" Jia Kui, who saw this scene, also rushed over shouting.

Seeing this, Old Man Zhang behind him looked back at his two sons who were cowering behind him and cursed: "The thief has the will to kill you, are you still waiting here to die? Come with me and help!"

A small number of people also rushed forward under the leadership of Old Man Zhang.

Seeing that the battle was about to break out, Zhuge Jin suddenly heard a loud shout from a distance: "Xiahou Lan is here, how dare you be so presumptuous!"

He breathed a sigh of relief. The rescuers finally arrived before Shanshan.

Only after the bandits were defeated did Zhuge Jin and Jia Kui have time to thank the people who rescued them.

Only the leader, who called himself Xiahou Lan, went to chase the fleeing thieves.

Zhuge Jin took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with an injured guard.

The guard's surname was Zhao. He was very proud when he talked about his clan. He also talked about the village he lived in and said proudly: "Don't underestimate our village. A few years ago, a great man emerged from our village! Last year, he happened to pass by on his way to take office. He treated the young and old in the village to a meal for three whole days, and every meal had meat. In terms of seniority, he should call me uncle!"

"I heard that he went to the north to serve as a captain to protect Wuhuan. Wuhuan people are so hateful that they came to us to steal food a few years ago. I don't know why we have to protect them. However, this captain is as important as our county governor!"

Zhuge Jin was moved when he heard this, and asked with a smile: "Is the big man among you called Zhao Zilong?"

"Hey, you know Zilong?"

Zhuge Jin smiled and said, "I talked to Lord Zhao about this in Luoyang!"

When Zhao Yun was in Beijing, he would always follow the emperor whenever he met him, and it was not that they had no communication. But Zhuge Jin did not know that this was Zhao Yun's hometown.

Zhao Tingzu became interested and requested, "Since you know Zilong, you must come to our house as a guest! Otherwise, when Zilong comes back, he will blame us for not knowing etiquette."

Zhuge Jin had already saved his life, and he also wanted to know more about the real thoughts of the local people, so he agreed.

Not long after, Xiahou Lan, who had been chasing the thieves, came back. Zhuge Jin and Jia Kui also thanked Old Man Zhang who took the lead in supporting them. After cleaning up the small battlefield, Xiahou Lan decided to personally send the two to Zhao Yun's home.

On the way, the two sides also started chatting.

Zhuge Jin then realized that Xiahou Lan had grown up following Zhao Yun since he was a child, he was just a little young, otherwise Zhao Yun would have taken him to Liaoxi last year.

Xia Houlan said: "But it's a good thing I didn't go, otherwise Changshan would be in such chaos this year, and the people in my hometown would need someone to protect them."

Jia Kui asked, "You have been in Changshan for a long time. Do you know where these bandits came from? Judging from their formation today, it doesn't look like they are just after money."

"Who else could it be? The Black Mountain bandits!" Xiahou Lan was furious. "I heard that Zhang Feiyan is also from Changshan. I feel ashamed to be from the same hometown as him!"

Soon, the two arrived at the village where Zhao Yun lived.

After visiting Zhao Yun's parents, the two were warmly received by the patriarch of the Zhao family.

Especially after knowing that Zhuge Jin was an old acquaintance of Zhao Yun, the Zhao family members couldn't be more friendly.

During this period, Zhuge Jin talked with the elders of the Zhao clan about his most troublesome problem recently - the resettlement of people without land.

To put it bluntly, if we move all the people without land in the counties and kingdoms to the southern part of Yangzhou and Jingzhou, the two places probably cannot accommodate them given their current level of preparation.

What the Han Dynasty lacks at all now is landless people.

But these people would rather make a living by doing odd jobs, being tenants, or relying on support from their clans than go to the south to obtain their own land.

After thinking for a long time, the Zhao clan leader said, "Zi Yu and Zi Long are old acquaintances, not outsiders, so I won't say anything polite."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jin hurriedly bowed to Jia Kui and said, "Please teach me, elder!"

"In fact, every family has a few poor relatives. We are all from the same family. How can we just ignore one family when it is in trouble? In fact, if we move to the south, our livelihood can be guaranteed. There is nothing wrong with moving south."

(End of this chapter)