Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

"Is this corn?" Xiang Zhixian reached out and grabbed a handful.

Bai Dalang said: "That's right, the yield per mu is extremely high. When he learned that I was going to the city, Zhu Dalang asked me to bring seeds to the county magistrate."

Xiang Zhixian thought the corn kernels were quite beautiful and asked, "How does it taste?"

Bai Dalang said truthfully: "I picked some small grains that are not suitable for seeding and ground them into powder to cook porridge. It is a bit... rough and the taste is not as good as corn porridge and white rice porridge."

"That's food for the common people," Xiang Zhixian said with some disappointment, "Put it down. I'll let the tenants plant it in their fields next year."

If it tastes delicious, Xiang Zhixian intends to offer it to the emperor.

If it doesn’t taste good, then give up.

"Then...I'm resigning." Bai Dalang couldn't understand. Shouldn't he be excited to learn about the high yield of corn? Why did he show no interest to the magistrate?

After bidding farewell to the magistrate, Bai Dalang went to his younger brother's office.

He expressed his doubts, but Bai Erlang smiled and said: "The heads of the second-class rebels and their families have been escorted to Lizhou. In the past few days, both Lizhou and Xingyuan Prefecture issued documents commending them."

"So?" Bai Dalang didn't understand.

Bai Erlang was a little speechless and could only explain patiently: "With such a reward from above, when the three years are up, even if you can't be promoted, you will be transferred to a wealthy county. The eldest brother is sending corn now and asking the county magistrate to plant it in his field next year. Gentlemen They followed suit the next year, but before it could really be promoted, the county magistrate had already been transferred."

Bai Dalang finally understood: "If Xiangzhi County vigorously promotes corn planting, it will be equivalent to making political achievements for the next generation, and he will not get anything."

Bai Erlang nodded and said, "That's it. He will definitely grow corn, but his real intention is to take the seeds to the next place of employment."

Bai Dalang said disdainfully: "If you don't grow good food, even God will not tolerate it. You will be struck by lightning from the sky."

After chatting for a while, Bai Dalang left the county government office.

There were officials greeting him all the way, but he was still as snobbish as ever. He only looked good to the senior officials and didn't even bother to look at the lower-level officials.

Just like the first time they met, when Ju Ming took the initiative to greet him, Bai Dalang didn't even bother to respond.

Character flaws cannot be corrected.

He Tiesi met him and personally sent Bai Dalang to the door.

After returning, He Tiesi said to his subordinates: "Call all the Tie Si to discuss the matter."

Not long after, the six cases were gathered together.

He Tiesi took out the list of archers and said: "The autumn grain has not been collected yet. Should we go to the Yamen again to urge us?"

Hu Tiesi smiled and said: "The archers we recruited earlier are suitable for collecting taxes. They gain prestige by destroying bandits."

He Tiesi said: "We can't do too much at once, otherwise it will be too obvious. We have plenty of time to take our time."

"Five?" Hu Tiesi asked.

"Five is too many, three is just right." He Tiesi said.

Wang Tiesi said with a sinister smile: "These three people have to be scattered in various villages. They cannot be allowed to join forces in private to cause trouble."

Hu Tiesi stopped pretending: "These archers received a lot of reward money at the beginning, and the higher their position, the more they received. We need to knock the money out of their hands."

Wang Tiesi said: "You can't choose someone with a position that is too high. Those who are the chief and deputy chiefs cannot be moved."

He Tiesi said: "Young man, don't move. You might be forced to fight to the death."

Hu Tiesi said: "We must send officials to keep an eye on them at all times to prevent them from escaping with their money!"

Yuan Tiesi said: "How can there be any trouble? Just take the money away."

Wang Tiesi said: "Didn't the county magistrate leave two teams of archers? They are all the remaining soldiers selected by Ju Ming. They escorted the property of Xiabai Village back to the city in advance, but they failed to receive the reward for attacking Heifeng Village."

Hu Tiesi said: "Yes, yes, these archers have not received enough money and are quite resentful. They are definitely willing to cooperate with us."

"..."

The Six Case Posters are all old officials who are good at playing tricks on the people and know how to do such immoral things.

After some discussion, the plan was determined.

In the evening of that day, He Tiesi invited the two archer captains to dinner.

Although there are only 22 standing archers left in the county, their positions are still there, one is the chief and the other is the deputy chief.

"Li Dutou, Zhang Dutou, please come in." He Tiesi said with a smile on his face.

"Tie Secretary, please go first."

The two were so flattered that they even nodded and bowed.

Although the county lieutenant position is vacant, they take orders from the county magistrate. But the county magistrate is an outsider, and those who stick to the bureau will last longer. They know what to do.

The dishes are very rich, including a roast chicken, two plates of fried meat, and a plate of vegetables.

"Come on, let me toast you both first." He Tiesi said with a smile and raised his glass.

"I don't dare." The two stood up quickly.

After drinking more than ten glasses of rice wine, He Tiesi said: "You two followed Zhu Dutou, and you got a lot of rewards, right?"

Li Dutou's name is Li Tian. I think this name doesn't sound good, so I asked someone to change it to Li Maotian a while ago. He shook his head and sighed: "I couldn't stand the rules and didn't sign up to be a soldier. After capturing the little white member's house, I was sent to escort the property back to the city. I didn't get a penny from the reward of Black Wind Village. "

Zhang Du's name is Zhang Fu. He gnawed on the roast chicken and said, "I don't have that fate either. This magistrate is a stingy man. He only gave out reward money at the beginning, but after using it, he didn't give us even half a penny."

He Tiesi smiled and said: "Now there is a profitable business, I wonder if you two are willing to do it."

"Please give me some guidance." Li Maotian said quickly.

He Tiesi took out the list of three hundred archers: "You two, please take a look."

The two of them shook their heads in unison, indicating that they didn't know how to read.

He Tiesi said: "How many of Zhu Dutou's archers were like this? They received a lot of rewards and were very honest."

"Yes," Zhang Fu said, "there was a man named Deng Chun, who was born tall and strong, but very timid. But he was so lucky that he was chosen as the deputy chief. . Later, when Zhu Dutou was training troops, Deng Chun was greatly appreciated for his obedience. I heard someone said that when the officers and soldiers captured Heifeng Stronghold, Deng Chun received a reward of one hundred guans!"

He Tiesi asked again: "What is the background of Deng Chun?"

Zhang Fu smiled and said: "No background, just a farmer. I know him, he lives in the village next to me. This guy's family is a fifth-class family. He has been able to eat well since he was a child, but he has made the family poor. Farming is the same. He is a good hand, and as long as he is well fed, he can do the work of plowing cattle. He is not very talkative at ordinary times, he only knows how to work stupidly, so the village calls him Deng Daguo, and later they just call him Deng Daniu."

"Are you really timid?" He Tiesi asked.

Zhang Fu said: "When this guy was a few years old, he injured Yu Yuan's grandson and was almost tied up and beaten to death by his parents. Later he became timid and did not dare to talk to others. Children threw stones at him. , he just giggled and never dared to make a move."

"That's it!"

He Tiesi slapped the table and said with a smile: "Choose two more like this."

Li Maotian recalled carefully: "I remember one of the ten generals who also didn't like to talk. He was not tall, but he was very strong. Moreover, he was very stupid. When practicing the Yuanyang Formation, this guy often made mistakes and was punished. He didn't even get punished. Shouting, lifting up his pants and practicing again, practicing and eating military sticks. By the end of the beating, even Zhu Dutou was embarrassed to punish him again."

"What's your name?" He Tiesi asked.

Li Maotian scratched his head and said, "I can't remember his real name clearly. I only know that his nickname is Shitou."

Zhang Fu said: "I also remember that his name is Shitou. It seems that his surname is Shi. What is Shi..."

He Tiesi looked through the list of archers and found two people named Shi, and asked: "Shi Biao or Shi Ying, which one is him?"

Li Maotian said: "Shi should be on duty under me, it should be Shi Biao."

"It's called Shi Biao, I remembered it." Zhang Fu answered.

When asked if there were any such honest people, Li Maotian and Zhang Fu couldn't remember clearly, so He Tiesi randomly checked one on the list of archers.

These three people were all appointed by the county government as yamen errands, responsible for collecting the autumn grain in their respective villages.

Moreover, the household level is not right. Only households of the third level and above can take the turn of Ya Qian Chai. Since the three of them have received a large amount of reward money, they should upgrade their household status, and the taxes they should pay should also be increased accordingly.

He Tiesi said: "Both of you are in charge, you should keep an eye on each one, don't let Deng Chun and Shi Biao escape. If the tax collection is not enough, they will be arrested and exiled according to the law, and their property will be confiscated. By then, there will be two. Benefits of position.”

"Hey, I'm following He Tiesi's orders."

Li Maotian had no psychological burden for betraying his former comrades. He was originally quick-witted and did not even want to be a soldier. He only admired Zhu Ming, Zhang Guangdao and Chen Ziyi, and had no friendship with the other archers.

…

To the west of the city, Yujia'ao Village.

Yu Dayuan, who wanted to use poetry to make things difficult for Ju Ming, was studying hard at home.

Suddenly he heard a noise outside. He called his servant and asked. It turned out that it was an official from the county government who had entered the village.

Yu Dayuan put down his brush and went out, only to see his grandfather, father and eldest brother had come outside to watch the fun.

"Ms. sir, the county has ordered Deng Chun's Yamen errand!" A servant rushed over to report the news.

Mr. Yu sneered outside: "I know that those subordinate officials in the county government will never give up. The archers caused trouble in the county government, but they lost their face."

Yu Dayuan said disdainfully: "A sinister villain, a greedy person!"

A few hundred steps away was Zhu Guoxiang's cheap father-in-law's house.

Meng Zhao, a poor scholar, was saying goodbye to his mentor.

"Sir, I am going to Daming Village to join Zhu Xiucai with my wife and children. I am here to say goodbye today." Meng Zhao bowed to his disciples.

Shen Huai stroked his white beard and said with a smile: "My grandson is a man who does big things. You can be considered a blessing if you go there. From now on, follow your success and work as a good student. You can let the imperial examination go first."

Meng Zhao said: "I know that I will never take the imperial examination again within six years."

Shen Huai shook his head and sighed: "You still haven't given up. How can the Jinshi exam be so easy?"

After the master and apprentice had a conversation, Meng Zhao said goodbye and left.

Not far away, he saw a group of subordinate officials coming to kill him.

Li Maotian, the leader, asked: "Where is Deng Chun's family?"

"Which Deng Chun?" Meng Zhao asked back.

Li Maotian said: "It's Deng."

Meng Zhao subconsciously turned around and pointed the way: "It's at the foot of the mountain over there."

"Dang Dang Dang!"

Deng Chun is carving a tombstone at home. This is an ancestral craft. Although he doesn't know a few characters, he can carve the inscription according to the words.

In addition to carving monuments, he can also do other masonry tasks.

Unfortunately, there are not many orders in the countryside, so I can only make extra money occasionally, and mainly rely on farming to make a living.

Deng Chun has been very prosperous in recent months. As the deputy chief of archers, he received a reward of one hundred guan. The money was put under the control of my father. Not only did he pay off the debts of Yu Yuan's maternal family and buy a calf, but he also bought several acres of thin land from village neighbors during the summer grain collection period.

"Big guy, big guy, it's not good, the official is going to catch the poor man!" A close friend rushed over to report the news.

Not long after, Deng Chun's parents, wife, brother, and sister-in-law also rushed back from the fields in a panic.

Li Maotian had already rushed to the yard, stared at Deng Chun and asked, "Which one is Deng Chun?"

Deng Chun stood up with the hammer in hand: "I...I am."

Li Maotian shouted: "Take out your household posters!"

Deng Chun's father was so frightened that he hurried back to his house and took out his household registration book.

Li Maotian was illiterate at all, so he glanced at the household poster and said, "Where is the fifth-class household? The Deng family hid their property and falsely reported their household status. Let me go in and search!"

A group of soap officials rushed into the house, scaring the child so much that he cried.

They rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, and finally found the white deed to buy Tian Tian, ​​​​and Deng Chun's remaining reward money.

Li Maotian pointed at the cabinet containing the money and shouted angrily: "There are seventy or eighty coins here, plus the house and land, a third-class household can even be ranked..."

Deng Chun's father knelt down and begged: "My lord, please spare my life. I paid off the debts of the remaining members and bought a few acres of land and calves. My family only has fifty or so guans left. How can we still have 70 or 80 guans?"

"More than fifty guan, that can be considered a third-class household," Li Maotian shouted. "Take the money back to the county government, wait for Deng Chun to collect the tax amount, and then send his family's money back."

Strings of iron money were put into baskets and carried away. The young and old of the Deng family rushed to stop them, but were kicked down by several officials.

Deng Chun stood in front of the unfinished tombstone. He didn't say a word, but held the hammer tightly in his right hand.

"Do you still want to resist the law?"

Li Maotian walked over and suddenly felt guilty because Deng Chun was so tall, a full head taller than him.

"Bring the hammer!" Li Maotian shouted.

Deng Chun had an impulse at this moment. He wanted to swing the hammer and smash the brains of the bastard in front of him.

Li Maotian shouted again: "Bring the hammer!"

Deng Chun finally said his first words: "When we attacked Heifeng Village, I was at the front carrying the door panel. Zhu Dutou and Chen Dutou both like me."

"Hand over the hammer!" Li Maotian continued to roar.

Ever since he injured Yu Dayuan when he was young, Deng Chun has become a coward. He didn't dare to fight with others, didn't dare to quarrel with others, didn't even dare to talk to others, and behaved more and more stupidly.

But in his heart, he knew everything.

He...can't kill!

Handing over the hammer in his hand, Deng Chun turned around without saying a word and helped up his parents who had been knocked to the ground.

Li Maotian was finally relieved, and his attitude became even more arrogant: "Since you have been promoted to the third-class household, it is time to go to the Yamen. You will be responsible for the autumn grain in Yujia'ao this year. Once you have collected the grain tax, you will send it to the Yamen. I’ll pay you back the money. If you don’t collect it all, you’ll have to be sent to the army! Let’s go!”

When the officials left, they not only took away the money, but also took away the calf and the Deng family's hoes, sickles, hatchets, hammers, and drills.

Deng Chun stood in the yard, staring at the unfinished tombstone in a daze.

(PS: It may not be clear, but the corn and sweet potatoes are given to the tenants to grow. After harvesting, the corn and sweet potatoes belong to the Zhu family and his son, who then compensate the tenants for the corresponding grain and leave a small amount of seeds to the tenants.)