Survival Three Kingdoms

Chapter 18
The reason why Zhou Cang rushed back home was because he was worried that he would miss out if he was chased home when he became famous. He had to go back and solve the problem without leaving any flaws. Besides, he had promised Pei Yuanshao to go to him in two years, but now he just After three months, I had to call Pei Yuanshao back to my side. There were still too few people around me. In addition, I had to tell Pei Yuanshao to keep everything about his childhood strictly confidential.

But Zhou Cang didn't know that Duke Gan sorted out all the poems that Zhou Cang had read and spread them widely, saying that they were written by Zhou Cang to make Zhou Cang famous.Gan Gong dared not tell others about those astonishing theories.

Zhou Cang found out that Gan Chi was very skilled in fists, kicks and sticks, and couldn't help but be more grateful to Gan Gong.Comparing Gan Chi and Chen Zhong in my heart, both of them are from rich families, they are very smart, know how to measure, and each has its own advantages: Chen Zhong is more outgoing and easy to talk to people, Gan Chi is more reserved and calm .

Autumn was supposed to be the harvest season, but what we found along the way were barren farmlands and refugees all over the place. Going east or south, there are many people who have fallen to the ground on the side of the road. There is still a lot of surplus food in Zhoucang, and a lot of it has been scattered along the way. The refugees are grateful and call Zhou Dashan.

Chen Zhong wears a sword and Gan Chi holds a stick. The three strong men are together, and no one dares to rob.The closer he got to Peijia Village, the more nervous Zhou Cang became, feeling that something was going wrong.When he arrived at the entrance of the village, Zhou Cang was taken aback. It was meal time, but the village was deserted, not a single person, nor chickens or dogs.Normally, the old dog at the head of the village had been barking, but now it was silent.

Looking at the houses in the village, they are still in good condition, and there is no blood or anything like that. It doesn't seem like there was a military disaster or bandits, but where are all the people?Could it be that dozens of households disappeared out of thin air?

Standing in the center of the village, seeing Gan Chi and Chen Zhong being very interested in the earthen terraces in the village, Zhou Cang said nonsense: "This is where my father gave lectures to the village children and the villagers in his spare time. Come on, let's go to Take a look at home. I don’t know what happened in the village.” Then he took the two of them to Pei’s house, but the house was also empty, Gan Chi found a person in the firewood shed in the backyard, it was Liu Quan, the servant of Pei’s family.

"Uncle Liu, what happened at home? Where have all the villagers gone?" Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao always respectfully referred to Liu Quan as Uncle Liu.

The trembling Liu Quan saw Zhou Cang crying, "Master, you are back." Pei Yuanshao always regarded Zhou Cang as his elder brother, so the servants always regarded Zhou Cang as his master.

"Uncle Liu, don't cry, first tell me what happened?"

"Hey, it's hard to say." Liu Quan wiped away tears. "After the two young masters went out, the villagers lived and worked in peace and contentment. Who would have imagined that a month later, somehow the government would come and say they wanted to collect taxes. Although the big guys were unwilling, they didn't dare to offend the government. I thought it was time to pay, so I collected enough tax and food. Unexpectedly, there were too few people who came, saying that not only this year's tax, but also the previous few years' tax should be paid. Our village has poor land, which means it is just enough for everyone. Living, who has surplus food? How can this be paid?"

"Then you didn't ask the government people?" Zhou Cang asked even though he felt that the invitation was useless.

"Why not? The village is full of honest people. In the past, it was the old man who made decisions for everyone. Now that the old man is gone, there is no one in the village to take charge. I and a few older men begged with the people who came from the government, but the people who came didn't listen. We were separated and drove us away. The young people in the village came forward to argue, and finally annoyed the people in the government, saying that we were going to gather a crowd to make trouble, and they insisted on locking us up. We begged hard and asked for some time, and finally the people in the government They ransacked the village and made the village run wild. They had enough to eat and drink, and when they left, they threatened to give us a one-month deadline, asking us to collect enough taxes in one month, and to collect them when the time came, otherwise we would get officials. punish severely."

It seems that the current emperor sells officials and nobles, and plunders money more and more fiercely. No matter how small a mosquito is, it is meat. Even Peijia Village, which is only a few dozen families, has not escaped. "Then what happened next?" Zhou Cang asked.

"The folks didn't have any spare money, so they sent people to Bojiabao to find Young Master Pei. Unexpectedly, Young Master Pei went out and didn't come back after waiting for several days. Before the two young masters, everyone gathered together to discuss, even if this Hand in all the things at home for the first time, what will I eat in the future? What will I do if the government comes again in the future?" Liu Quan shed tears again. "Afterwards, a few households in the village packed up their things and threw them elsewhere. Seeing that someone took the lead, the rest of the people did not dare to stay in the village any longer, and fled to relatives and friends one after another. Some people went to Master Pei in Bojiabao , Some people hid in Woniugang. In a few days, the village was completely empty, and it became what it is now."

After talking so much in one breath, Liu Quan took a break for a while, and continued: "The little old man is afraid that the two young masters will not know what happened when they come back, and also afraid that no one will worship at the grave of the master. He hides in the mountains on weekdays and comes back secretly every few days. Look, I really hoped for the young master. With my old bones, I am not afraid of what the government will do to me? Afterwards, the government came twice and found no one in the village, so forget it."

Zhou Cang shook his head and sighed. "The people don't want to live, the people don't want to live. The tyranny is fiercer than the tiger, and there is no pure land in the world."

Gan Chi and Chen Zhong looked at each other, and they both regarded the master Liu Quan was talking about as Zhou Cang's father, but they didn't know that he was actually referring to Pei Dahu. They also deeply felt Liu Quan's loyalty. The Zhou family's family style and style, the Zhou family is also very prestigious in the village.The two of them are also very aware of being servants, they don't talk too much and don't ask any questions, they start to check around when they have nothing to do, and the four or five thatched cottages are already empty. It is far inferior to the luxury of the Gan family and the Chen family, and it is considered tidy, and you can't see the original decorations inside.

Seeing the performance of the two people, Zhou Cang knew it in his heart and didn't point it out. Now that the whole village has been emptied, he can save himself a lot of talking and let them use their imagination. "Even so, you take me to sweep the sacrifice first." He said to Gan Chi and Chen Zhong, "You two rest here for a while, let's set up a stove to cook."

After Zhou Cang and Liu Quan went out, they said, "I will go to Bojiabao to see Yuan Shao and discuss with him what to do in the future. You should not come back in the future, so as not to be discovered by the government. What is Woniugang now? What's the situation? Is there a strongman haunting?"

(End of this chapter)