Ma Erniang's Splendid Pastoral

Chapter 152 Second Brother Volcano
Ma Min'er smiled and bent over: "My surname is Ma, and my name is Min'er!"

"Huang Junyao!" The young man blushed and saluted.

"We are all young people, why not make friends." Ma Min'er said heartily.

Huang Junyao was stunned for a moment, and said politely: "I'm fine, I'm just afraid of my little lady..."

"Afraid of worldly eyes?"

Huang Junyao smiled and acquiesced.

"The body is not afraid of the shadow crooked."

"Since Mrs. Ma is not afraid, I am also calm." Huang Junyao said heartily.

"Okay." Ma Min'er said, "Since we are friends, I'll treat you to dinner!"

"This……"

"Do you still want to be polite?" Ma Min'er smiled.

"Thank you Madam Ma, I will be disrespectful." Huang Junyao was not polite.

Ma Min'er took Huang Junyao to the place where the stove was built. Aunt Shan and Xing'er were sitting by the side doing needlework. When they saw her coming, they quickly got up: "My little boss..."

"Is there any food in the pot?"

"Yes, but is it cold?"

"Give this Mr. Huang some Yangzhou fried rice."

"Okay!"

When Huang Junyao heard the famous dishes in his hometown, his eyes were moist, but no one noticed. His eyes were clear and bright, like the blue of the lake. In March, he was wearing a thin collared robe. If he was not handsome, he would easily lead to poverty feeling.In fact, he is indeed poor and weak, and he makes a living by settling accounts for traveling merchants and acting as a secretary.

Aunt Shan moved the pot, Xing'er fired the stove, the action was very fast, and the aroma of the egg fried rice soon overflowed.

"Do you know that I didn't have lunch?" There was a touch of joy in the majestic voice, the voice had arrived before the person arrived.

Everyone turned their heads and looked back. Xia Zhen and his son came together, and they all stepped forward to salute, and then stood aside after saluting.

"General—" Ma Min'er saluted as a junior.

"It smells so strong." Facing his future daughter-in-law, Xia Zetao did not put on the majesty of an elder. Only when he is low in the dust can he realize that an act of kindness is important to a person. It is simply rebirth.If it wasn't for her, he would have suffered a lot more when he was calming down the wandering, and he might even...

"General, you haven't eaten lunch yet?"

"I was discussing things with Zhen'er just now. After dinner, I smelled the smell of rice here, so I came here."

Ma Min'er smiled: "Xing'er, serve the general and the others with food." After finishing speaking, she turned around again, "General, please sit here." She took a few steps forward and led Xia Zhen and his son to the top This is a temporary place to eat, with a few small tables and low stools inside.

Xia Zhen and his son took off their knives and gave them to the guards. They sat at the small table, and Xing'er had already brought three bowls of rice on a wooden tray.

Ma Min'er said to Xia Zhen: "Little General, there is a friend who hasn't eaten yet, I'll ask him to come in."

friend?Xia Zhen immediately raised her eyebrows, meaning, why didn't I know you still have friends?
Ma Min'er leaned towards him, lowered her head and grinned: "A friend I just made!" After speaking, she looked at Huang Junyao outside.

Xia Zhen followed her gaze and saw a handsome and clean young man, not tall, weak and thin.

"North County King—" Huang Junyao quickly stepped forward to salute, "We met last night."

Xia Zhen raised her eyelids, and the meaning between her brows was, I don't remember.

"Last night, you came to pick up Mrs. Ma Er, in the small courtyard of the Gu family in the city."

It turned out to be where Min'er stayed yesterday. Xia Zhen lowered her eyelids, took the cloth towel handed over by Xiaowen, wiped her hands, and ate with chopsticks.

Knowing that he agreed, Ma Min'er put the third bowl of rice on the wooden tray on another small table, "Master Huang, come and eat."

Huang Junyao stood still and didn't dare.

Xia Zetao also picked up his chopsticks to eat, seeing the young man didn't move, he said with a smile: "My daughter-in-law here is always kind and warm, young people come and eat."

"Thank you, General, thank you!" Huang Junyao bowed again and again.

Xia Zetao squinted his eyes, "Looking at your bowing posture, you are born without shame."

Hearing the words of the future father-in-law, Ma Min'er hurriedly stood beside Xia Zetao, "General, can you see something in the salute?"

The playful and lovely appearance of the daughter-in-law made Xia Zetao feel that the elders were being admired by the younger generation. He smiled lightly and pointed at the rice, which meant that I should eat first.

Ma Min'er smiled embarrassedly, and moved two steps to the side, "Young Master Huang, come and eat, the general won't let me inquire about you."

This child... Xia Zetao burst out laughing. It really made people speechless whether he was speaking sincerely or cunningly. He shook his head and looked at his son.Head down to eat.

The nervous Huang Junyao just breathed a sigh of relief, and was amused by Ma Erniang's straightforward words, "I'm sorry, Ma Erniang!"

"Eat, eat is the most important thing." Ma Min'er said to the people around: "Everyone stands towards the open station, so it doesn't affect their eating."

When everyone heard this, they hurriedly avoided the side and let the three of them eat.

Aunt Shan warmed up some soup for Xing'er to bring into the shed. Although the food was simple, the three of them seemed to be full.

Xia Zhen was going to work again, and said before leaving: "For the time being, we will still live here and not move. If you want to enter the city, let someone follow you. The people here are tough, so don't cause any collision."

"Yeah, I see." Ma Min'er nodded repeatedly, meaning you can go to work at ease, I'll be good, and won't cause trouble for you by walking around.

Haha... Everyone was amused by her cute appearance, but they didn't dare to laugh. They all held back. Xia Zhen stretched out his hand and flicked his daughter-in-law's head. She promised to move freely, so she could fool him.

After Xia Zhen and his son left, Ma Min'er asked, "Young Master Huang—"

"Miss Ma Er, seeing that I am old, why not... why not call me elder brother." Huang Junyao was a little embarrassed, he didn't come to curry favor because Ma Min'er was the future wife of the King of Beijun, he did it to avoid suspicion.

"Oh, yes, Brother Huang."

"Uh..." Huang Junyao blinked, wondering what it was called.

"I already have a brother Zhang, let me call you Brother Huang."

Huang Junyao laughed, "It turned out to be like this."

Ma Min'er said: "Second brother Huang, do you have a house in the city?"

"I rented two small rooms." Huang Junyao said with a smile: "It's rent, it's better to say that Uncle Gu gave me the room for nothing."

"Then you have met a good man."

"Yes, there are still many good people in this world."

"Of course." Ma Min'er looked at the sky, "Second Brother Huang, it's getting late, and it will take you half an hour to walk back to the city, so I won't keep you here."

Huang Junyao nodded and saluted, "Thank you little sister for your hospitality, and my second brother is very grateful."

"Second brother Huang is too polite." Ma Min'er looked at Shan Xiaodan, she immediately understood, and quickly asked her mother to scoop up a small bag of flour.

"Xiao Dan, take another bag."

"Okay." Shan Xiaodan went to do it again.

Huang Junyao quickly waved his hands, "I can't...I can't..."

"Second Brother Huang, this bag is for Uncle Gu. Thank you for inviting me to dinner that day. Even though there is no meal, I am happy."

"Oh, so that's the case, then I'll bring it to him for you." Huang Junyao pondered for a while, "It's just mine..." He raised his head and said, "Do you have any copying and writing for me to do? I'm free when I'm free. on."

Ma Min'er understood that he didn't want to eat for nothing, "Then you can go to the yamen tomorrow to find Mr. Wei, he should have something to transcribe, and you can say that Ma Erniang introduced it."

"Okay!" Huang Junyao felt less awkward when he had something to do.

As the days slowly darkened, Ma Min'er found that apart from the homeless vagrants, there were no civilians left in the camp outside the city, and finally it was much empty.

Sitting in front of the tent and watching the sunset and the stars rise, in the evening wind, the sunset is really worrying, Ma Miner held her chin in a daze.

"Little Master, don't put more firewood in the stove. The food is ready and ready to eat."

"Oh." Sitting in the open-air stove, feeling the dew, Ma Min'er looked up at the sky, "Aunt Shan, it seems to be raining."

Aunt Shan was busy on the stove, when she heard Xiao Dong's words, she quickly raised her head, "The moon is rising so high, it's not raining."

Ma Miner blinked, "Maybe it will rain in ten days or so."

"Mother, little boss, you are so worried, after more than ten days, we will already live in the city, and we are not afraid of rain."

"Oh."

At this moment, several guards came over with water, "Aunt Shan, Lady Shi, here comes the water."

"Big brothers, you have worked hard." Uncle Shan hurried up with his son and took the water.

"You're being polite, old man." Several guards put down the water, said a few words, and were about to leave.

Aunt Shan took a few steamed buns and stuffed two each: "Thanks for your hard work everyone."

"Auntie, you are too polite."

Seeing that they were about to leave, Ma Min'er called out, "Big brothers, please wait a moment."

Ma Erniang is the future daughter-in-law of the King of Beijun. When the guards saw her calling, they dared to trust her, and hurriedly turned around, "Ma'am..." Like Wei Ren, they called Ma'am first.

"Where does this water come from?"

"General Gu has taken over the dry well opened by wealthy households in Liangzhou City."

"Occupy?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"there?"

"Just to the southeast of the East City Gate, there is a section of river that is connected to a large dry well dug by a rich family in the city wall. There is a lot of water. Before we came, it was guarded by the servants of the rich family. Since we came, people have been guarded by General Gu. Run away."

"So that's how it is." Ma Min'er didn't expect that the water they used was obtained in this way, "Is there a lot of water in the river?"

"It's okay!" A guard thought for a while and replied: "I heard that there is little rain here, and the ground is leaky, so it is difficult to store water. If there was not a lot of rain last year, the river outside here would be dry and there is no water at all."

"Oh." Ma Min'er nodded, "Thank you, brother, I understand."

Several guards gave a simple salute and left with their shoulder poles.

Ma Min'er thought to herself, if she is free tomorrow, she will take a walk around Liangzhou City to see why the water is so precious. Because she has a goal, she no longer is in a daze, cleans up and washes up, and doesn't wait for Xia Zhen to find her Alright, go to bed first.

Xia Zhen was busy, sitting in the tent for discussion. There were many senior generals sitting in it, and they were discussing where the garrison camp should be located.

"The walls of Liangzhou City were washed to pieces during the rainy season last year, and they couldn't stop the enemy from attacking at all. Moreover, the city couldn't house an army of 10,000+." Xia Zetao's subordinate said.

"I feel the same way." Xia Zhen's subordinate said.

Zhang Nianmei said: "In my opinion, just like our Yizhou, set up a main camp, and then distribute the troops to the border towns to form a natural defense line."

Xia Zetao asked his son, "Zhen'er, what do you think?"

Xia Zhen nodded, "In general, Yizhou is the base for defense, but for specifics, I want to inspect it myself, and then finalize the base camp and each stronghold."

"Thoughtful." Xia Zetao nodded.

……

The next morning, Ma Min'er got up early, and just picked up the bowl to eat when Xia Zhen arrived, "Wake up so early?"

"I want to go out for a stroll today!"

Xia Zhen said: "I want to go out too, do you want to go out with me?"

"where to?"

"Have you visited Liangzhou City?"

Ma Min'er nodded, "Yes, I've seen it."

"Liangzhou City does not have the location of a strategic fortress, I plan to find the location of the garrison again."

Ma Miner asked: "You mean that the current Liangzhou Prefecture cannot be the capital of Liangzhou?"

"Ah."

"Why?"

"From a military point of view, there are no obstacles and dangers around the entire Liangzhou City. It is not easy to defend, but it is easy to be captured by the enemy."

"Oh." Ma Min'er said: "Just like Pingding, there must be mountains and dangerous mountains around, so that when the enemy comes, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Xia Zhen nodded, "Will you go?"

"Go!" Ma Min'er said with a smile: "I'm afraid it will affect your work."

Xia Zhen reached out and touched the top of her head, "It doesn't matter, it's only interesting with you."

Ma Min'er made a face, "It makes me look like your pet."

"Haha..." Xia Zhen laughed.

The two had breakfast together. Since they were going out with Xia Zhen, Ma Min'er canceled her plan and packed up. They were ready to leave around eight o'clock.

Just as he was about to get into the carriage, Shan Xiaodan ran over from behind, "Xiao Dong, the Gu family came to thank you."

"A small bag of noodles for yesterday?"

Shan Xiaodan nodded.

Ma Min'er said: "Then I have received the thank you, let him go back."

"No, that Gu family has to thank you in person."

"That's it," Ma Min'er urged, "Then let him come here quickly."

Shan Xiaodan turned around and ran, and after a while, he led a middle-aged man over. He greeted Ma Miner, "Thank you Madam."

"You are……"

"I am the son of Gu's parents, and my name is Deshui."

"Get water?"

"Yes, Miss Ma."

"The name is quite vivid." Ma Min'er smiled, "You thanked me too, so let's go back."

Gu Deshui cupped his hands sincerely and said: "Madam Ma, my father invites you to visit our house when you are free."

"Okay, I'll go to Uncle Gu when I come back."

"Madam Ma is going out?" Gu Deshui asked.

"Yes." Ma Min'er said, "Go out and see the mountains and rivers here."

Gu Deshui raised his eyes to look at the little lady, "Madam Ma, to see the mountains and rivers?"

"Yeah, it's okay, let's play around."

Gu Deshui thought for a while and said, "I know a mountain is quite interesting."

Ma Min'er wouldn't talk about important military affairs in front of civilians, but she didn't expect the man in front of her to believe it, and not only that, but also took the initiative to tell her.

Xia Zhen just came over, and when she heard what he said, she gave the little daughter-in-law a look, she immediately understood, and said with a smile: "Then are you free, take me to see it?"

"I want to say hello to my family."

"No, someone will greet your home." Jing Mo, who hadn't appeared for a long time, said with his sword in his arms.

Gu Deshui was a little horrified by Xia Zhen and others, and shrank his head and tail, not daring to move.

Ma Min'er smiled and eased his tension, "Look, the army's camp hasn't been withdrawn yet, and the general is still in the city. Don't be afraid, we're really going around to see the mountains and rivers."

Maybe it's a wealthy person, Gu Deshui believed Ma Min'er's words, nodded, "Okay, I'll take you there."

In fact, Xia Zhen had already found a guide through the magistrate in Liangzhou City, but he still brought this man surnamed Gu along with the acumen of the superior.

Liangzhou Liangzhou is indeed a desolate and desolate state. After walking for a long time, there were no people. Come down and rest.

Ma Min'er gave Gu's family a small bag of flour. Gu Deshui felt that she was kind, so he stood beside her when he had the opportunity, and when he heard her sigh, he bent down and said, "People are basically inside and outside Liangzhou City."

Ma Min'er asked in surprise: "So, the entire Liangzhou has a population of 5 to [-]?"

"Maybe there are some in other places, but not many." Gu Deshui replied.

"They are all flocking to the city, what do they survive on?"

Gu Deshui replied: "In the past, I used to be a porter for merchants to earn a living."

"What about the food?"

Gu Deshui said: "The army asked for food from the court, they ate part of it themselves, and sold the other part, and the civilians exchanged their feet for food."

"Oh my God!" Ma Min'er sighed, "No wonder I think the city of Liangzhou is big and dusty, it turns out...there are many civilians living there."

Gu Deshui smiled and said, "Our family survives by selling water to these porters."

"Oh." Ma Min'er thought of another question, "But I didn't see any merchants?"

Gu Deshui smiled and said: "Because the general is here, merchants from Liao, Jin, and Western Regions dare not come."

A thought suddenly flashed in Ma Min'er's mind, and she blurted out immediately, "Could it be that they surrounded the general in order to drive him away?"

Gu Deshui squeezed out a smile with a crying face: "My father said that the little lady is smart, and you are really smart, little lady."

Ma Min'er and Xia Zhen looked at each other, cold sweat broke out behind their backs.

Gu Deshui said: "If the general and the king of Beijun keep providing food, they won't make trouble if they have something to eat."

Ma Min'er believed that after Xia Zhen distributed the food, they quickly calmed down, but it was not the same thing to just eat without planting.

Ma Min'er sighed: "Everyone doesn't farm, is it because there is no water to irrigate the farmland?"

Gu Deshui nodded again and again, "Little lady, you are so right, that's it."

Ma Min'er made a bitter face at Xia Zhen.

Xia Zhen looked into the distance sadly, it was really difficult for him, the King of Beijun, to take office immediately!
Ma Min'er looked at the vast and endless Liangzhou Prefecture. It was really sad to give up such a big place, but it was really difficult to stay here without water to survive.

In the following time, whenever the carriage stopped to rest, Ma Min'er chatted with Gu Deshui, and gradually figured out the situation in Liangzhou. With only so many resources, it can only support so many people. Secondly, there is little rain and it is not easy to save. Thirdly, this is the springboard for foreigners to enter the Great Wei Dynasty. Every now and then, foreigners will come to fight and occupy the territory. It may be often Be harassed, the people here have adapted and have their own way to deal with it, not only that, but also do business with them, get what they need, and live strong.

"Then how did your family manage to save and sell the water?" Ma Min'er asked unwillingly.

Gu Deshui smiled proudly: "Of course it is to build a water cellar and dig a dry well."

"Isn't it enough to have a well? Why do we need a water cellar?"

"That won't work, that won't work...you have to have all of them. Without one, the water can't be stored." Gu De said, "The dry well in the open air is ventilated, and the water cellar is used to store water. This is the simplest way to store water. Like Wealthy households in the city united and built underground drains to connect the rainwater to the underground aquifer, so that the ground would not leak the hard-earned rainwater.”

Ma Min'er pursed her lips, "I seem to have read it in some book, like the 'Karez Well' you mentioned just now, but the underground canals in the book are usually selected from the hills with water sources, so that the west is high and the east is low. Let the water in the culvert continue to flow, so that it can be eaten and irrigated the fields."

"Oh, little lady, you are really smart. It has always been my father's lifelong wish to find mountains and rivers with sources to build underground waterways."

"Uncle Gu's lifelong wish?"

"Yes, my father said that if we want Liangzhou City to not disappear, we must build culverts, but..." Gu Deshui shook his head, "On the one hand, there are frequent wars on the border, and the court can't control it. Who would use money to do this at the border, it requires both money and manpower, and if it fails, it will be robbed by foreigners."

Ma Min'er looked at Xia Zhen. With his hands behind his back, he lifted his head slightly and looked to the north. In the clear sky, a group of unknown birds were flying freely. The whole field was empty and silent.

People who come here for the first time will definitely be shocked by the vast and majestic wilderness, and will deeply feel that human beings are just the smallest existence in nature, but after two or three days, this feeling will be extremely overwhelmed. Defeated by the lack of material, the rest is reality, all hunger.

Ma Min'er sighed, turned around, but from the corner of her eye, she caught Gu Deshui's slightly dodging gaze, and when she saw her looking over, she smiled sheepishly, and her mind froze. Could it be that the mountain he was referring to was the source of water?

When she reached the mountain that Gu Deshui pointed out, Ma Min'er was shocked by the mountain, "It's so majestic and majestic."

Gu Deshui pointed to the highest mountain and said: "There is snow all the year round, and now it's spring, there is water flowing down, but unfortunately there is no decent river, the river is halfway, either blown dry by the wind, or eaten by the dry land .”

Ma Min'er turned her head and looked around, and found that the south of this place is a plain, the west and north are surrounded by mountains, and the east has hills. It is a good place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

"Xia Zhen, why don't people here live here?"

Xia Zhen shook her head and didn't know.

Gu Deshui said: "There are wild beasts infesting here, and people dare not live here."

Ma Min'er shook her head: "I don't think this is the main reason. If there are wild animals, people can raise the walls of their homes so that no one will live there."

Gu Deshui frowned and thought about it, "That's the legend of the older generation."

"What legend?"

"It says the mountains here will catch fire."

crater?Ma Min'er covered her mouth in shock and looked towards the top of the mountain, no wonder even people who don't understand Feng Shui think this is a good place, but no one lives there. It's not that people are stupid, but people know that this place is dangerous and cannot be lived.

"Xia Zhen—"

"I'll ask Wei Ren to look up the local chronicles here, what happened to the mountain on fire." Xia Zhen was also tempted by this place.

This is simply an excellent place for military strategists. The west and north form a natural protection circle, the small hilly area in the east is suitable for garrisoning troops, and the southern plains can be used for living, living, and production. There is really nothing better than here place.

Gu Deshui said: "Generally, when foreigners invade, they always go to the east."

Ma Min'er said to Xia Zhen: "I don't think there are many green mountains and rocks, so I want to take a closer look."

Xia Zhen said directly: "I want to visit the highest mountain."

When Gu Deshui heard this, his eyes lit up with joy, "That's great, I went there twice with my father when I was young, and I can lead the way."

"How many times have you been there?" Ma Miner asked curiously.

Gu Deshui scratched his head in embarrassment: "I'm almost 40 years old, and I've been there three times."

"It seems that this mountain is really difficult to walk."

"Ma Niangzi is right, the mountains are very difficult to walk, and there are wild beasts."

It took more than three days to get here from Liangzhou City, but it took them nearly three days to climb the highest mountain. Not only that, the highest mountain of more than 3000 meters is unbearable for people living in plain areas. Soldiers suffered from high altitude syndrome due to lack of oxygen.

Ma Min'er was not much better, she was almost caught by Xia Zhen before reaching the top of the mountain.

When we got to the top of the mountain, God, it was so beautiful, like a fairyland on earth, the frozen mountain top, because the spring is coming, the ice and snow are melting, the water is rushing down like a small waterfall, and the clear snow water hits the rocks, forming a beautiful landscape splash.

"Xia Zhen, let's build a city at the foot of the mountain!"

Xia Zhen was also shocked by the magnificent mountain scenery, and nodded without thinking, "Okay."

"Wait, let me, a layman, see if the mountain is an active volcano or an extinct volcano?"

"volcano?"

"Yeah." Ma Min'er said: "I read it in the book, it is said that there is a fire on the mountain, it may be the fire formed by the eruption of underground magma."

Gu Deshui said: "Isn't it Tianhuo?"

"Uh... it can be regarded as a sky fire!" Ma Miner smiled, unable to explain the volcano to the ancients, "Let's look for the crater."

Everyone was stunned and did not move.

Xia Zhen waved her hand, and the guards and soldiers immediately moved into action.

Half an hour later, they found a small clear lake on the slightly flat north slope. From Ma Miner's point of view, it was the mouth of a crater formed after a volcanic eruption.

"My God, it's so beautiful!"

The area of ​​the lake is small, but the clear water reflects the blue sky and white clouds, which is clearer than a mirror. The lake wall is like a basin, and the gray stones are rough and smooth.

Ma Min'er squatted down, took out her dagger and poked it a few times, and found that the volcanic ash had been eroded by years of rain. The crater was quite old, so it should be an extinct volcano.

She prayed secretly, it is an inactive crater, let us survive here, otherwise, the water here will be wasted.

After returning from Beishan, Xia Zhen didn't care about the sky fire in Deshui's mouth, and didn't ask what Mamin'er volcano was and whether it was dangerous. He set his sights on the barrier plain.

"I found the place where the army is stationed." Xia Zhen said directly to his father.

"So fast?"

"Yeah!" Xia Zhen replied, "It's less than three days away from here."

"North Hill?"

"Father knows about Beishan?"

"Standing here, you can see the mountain in the distance. How could you not know it, but the locals say that it is an unlucky mountain."

"Father, I want to make it an auspicious mountain." Xia Zhen said firmly.

(End of this chapter)