The Xia family's long-term preparation of "conscription rations" finally began a month after Xingwang Jingnan. At that time, the vast majority of the common people had recovered from the shock of the Xingwang uprising, and naively thought: "The days are not much different from before." ”

When King Xing's order to collect grain came down, the villagers were stunned. In Zhaowang Village, some young villagers with strong blood and strength couldn't help but gather together and talk about it.

There was a person who had read the book for a few days, and he complained of his dissatisfaction little by little: "After such a big disaster, the government has no pension and disaster relief, and even refuses to reduce taxes by a single star." Now that we have to levy additional military rations, there is really no way to survive. ”

When the days were difficult, he spread his hands helplessly: "Where is there any surplus grain in our family, and if we levy it again!? ”

On the side, the honest man who couldn't continue his life heard this, and said more and more helplessly: "You still have seeds at home, and our family relies on a few relatives and friends to help these days." ”

The barefoot rough man simply drank: "Lao Tzu has no food, but there is one life." ”

Although the Xia family had been preparing for this military ration for several days, they were still taken aback when they heard that their family was the first family in Zhaowang Village to levy military rations. Xia Xiucai looked at Li Zheng and said complainingly: "Our old brothers have been going to take our Xia family for so many years." ”

Li Zheng's old face couldn't help but turn red: "There is really no way, the young people in the village can't hold it down." Yesterday, all the pots in my house were smashed. However, I can't pay the military rations, and I can't pay the difference. ”

The next day, the people who went to the Xia family to collect grain were Xue Yu, the prince of the protector of the country, and Zhou Li, the county king of the Xingwang Mansion, both of whom were wearing equestrian clothes with arrow sleeves, and they were dressed in shining armor outside, and each brought a dozen personal soldiers, followed by several carriages, and came to the Xia family in a mighty way.

The Xia family here is the fifth brother who came out to receive him, and the eldest brother, the third brother, the fourth brother, the seventh brother and Ruhai are accompanying them. Ruhai secretly looked at the two of them, when he saw Xue Yu back then, Xue Yu was only eleven or twelve years old, and now he is almost fifteen. Although the figure is not as tall as the second and sixth uncles, it can be faintly seen that the muscles on the body are tight. The originally handsome melon seed face is also a little more angular, and a pair of big eyes are always slightly squinted, with a bit of evil, which makes people shudder.

is the slightly silly Zhou Li in the past, and after half a year, he has changed greatly. A face was tanned, and the original domineering expression had long since lost a shadow. When a pair of eyes looked at a person, it was like a wolf staring at its prey.

Fifth Brother Xia exchanged pleasantries with them, and then learned that the prince of King Xing had already taken five hundred guards to Beiping to meet King Yi, and Zhou Li stayed behind to cooperate with Xue Yu to raise grain and grass in the Central Plains. Fifth Brother Xia nodded secretly, and also understood that the prince of Xingwang acted like this, which meant a bit of being a proton.

So, he talked about military rations: "The so-called rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband, the son needs grain and grass, and the Xia family is naturally willing to help." It's just that the amount that the prince wants this time is too big, and you also know that this year's harvest in the field is not good, and our family only keeps this year's grain. ”

Xue Yu smiled when he heard this: "Who doesn't know that my aunt is a cautious person within a radius of 100 miles, and she has managed her family well over the years." There are nearly 30 people in your family now, why should your aunt leave the rations of 60 people, so that you can be sure. ”

When Fifth Brother Xia heard him lift out his mother like this, his face immediately showed a little anger.

Xue Yu didn't seem to see it, took a sip of tea and said, "Little brother doesn't want much, oh!" Xue Yu said and glanced outside, the fifth brother looked at the empty five carts outside, and his chest was about to explode.

Fifth Brother Xia pondered for a while, and was about to refute, Xue Yu said again: "Although it is a little tighter for you, if you go into the city and change it to corn, you will still be able to survive until next summer." ”

Fifth Brother Xia held back the anger in his heart, and said with a smile: "I won't tell you the truth, even if I take out all the surplus food stored at home, there is not so much." As he spoke, he stretched out his palm, pressed his thumb and said, "You can have these at home now, why don't you leave us a little." As he spoke, he bent his index finger and said, "Three cars, how." ”

Seeing Xue Yu but laughing silently, he had to say hatefully: "With half a car, it really can't be more." ”

Brother Xia couldn't help but say angrily on the side: "You are acting like this, obviously trying to force us little people to death. ”

Xue Yu sighed: "Naturally, I don't want to do this. However, without military rations, the soldiers would have nothing to eat, and that would be a mutiny. ”

Before Brother Xia could speak, the third brother was afraid that he would say something resentful, so he hurriedly intercepted him and said, "It's not that I don't want to give, it's really nothing." The sixth brother of my family also served in the Tiger Camp of Lan Guogong, how could we not know the hardships of the soldiers ahead. It's just that, alas, the sixth brother's daughter-in-law is pregnant again. You have to leave some for the elderly and children. ”

Xue Yu listened, lowered his eyes and thought about it, then got up and sighed, turned his head and motioned for Zhou Li to load the car.

The Xia family brothers also breathed a sigh of relief.

Dozens of guards swarmed up, and in the blink of an eye, three large cars were full, and the other car was also loaded with half of it.

Xue Yu handed over to the guards and asked in a low voice. I could vaguely hear the guard say, "There really isn't any more." ”

The faces of the brothers of the Xia family were relaxed.

Xue Yusun said with a smile: "I remember when I was a child, I came here to play every autumn. As he spoke, he walked in the yard for a while, squinted and pointed to the firewood room and said, "My aunt often saves some of the grain she harvested that year here. I don't know if there's anything else. As soon as he said that, one of the guards rushed over like a wolf, kicked the door open, and found the entrance to the cellar in three strokes and two clicks.

Brother Xia was so angry that his temples jumped suddenly, and he rushed over with a brisk step to beat Xue Yu. Fortunately, the third brother has been staring at the sidelines, and hurriedly hugged him.

Xue Yu also kept his face silent, and pointed to two or three places where Mrs. Wu had hidden grain in the past, but there was not a single bag left for the Xia family, and it was full of five carriages.

When Xue Yu left the courtyard gate with the guards, he heard a crisp cry on the courtyard wall: "Xue Yu, you shameless Zhongshan wolf, eat me." Xue Yu couldn't help but look up at the courtyard wall, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart: "It's so far, how can you kick it over." Just as he was thinking, an embroidered shoe came straight to the door. I didn't have time to dodge for a while, and I was hit by the sole of my shoe.

The farmers of the Xia family were watching outside, and they were distressed when they saw that the master's family had been requisitioned so much grain. At this time, when I saw Xiaoyu flying away from a shoe, I felt very relieved, and they all learned from each other. Even Starling, Ruchen, and they took off their shoes and fell on the faces of the guards.

Xue Yu's handsome face turned red, and when he saw Brother Xia standing in front, he commanded the guards around him to drag Brother Xia away. When the farmers next to them saw it, they were so frightened that they hurriedly retreated, and they no longer dared to throw their shoes at Xue Yu and them.

Only Sister-in-law Xia saw it and immediately ran out crying. The third sister-in-law and the fourth sister-in-law also hurriedly ran out and dragged her back. The fifth brother also hurriedly drank the seventh brother and the eighth brother who were about to rush out. The third and fourth brothers hugged the sea and the mountains.

It wasn't until Xue Yu and the others left that these villagers ran over to pick up their shoes. It's just that the embroidered shoe that Xiaoyu threw out can't be found anyway. Mrs. Xiao Xia couldn't help but reprimand Xiaoyu again, and Xiaoyu sobbed and said: "I really shouldn't have saved this conscienceless bastard bastard, he is simply a Zhongshan wolf." "Xiao Xia doesn't know if she is really sad, or if she is a traitor and wants to evade responsibility. However, Xia Xiucai saw that she was distressed and coaxed for a long time.

The fifth and fourth brothers hurriedly rode into the city. The fourth brother entered the barracks, found a familiar general and pleaded for mercy, and finally landed in the county office. The fifth brother went to the prison of the county government again, although he couldn't be released for a while, he wouldn't let Brother Xia suffer any big grievances.

Sister-in-law Xia hated Xiaoyu this time, and sat at the door of the courtyard and scolded Xiao Fumenxing: "Even if I don't know that the sky is high and the earth is thick, it can harm my hard-working man." ”

Xiao Xia Pozi and Xia Xiucai did not come out to stop it. She was tired of scolding, so she went back to the house to rest.

So, the people near Zhaowang Village soon heard about the Xia family, and secretly weighed their own weight, feeling that they really couldn't compare with the Xia family, although they were reluctant, they also handed over the amount drawn up by the government. When the grain in Fengxiang County was almost harvested, Brother Xia was released. The originally stout crop man lost a lot of weight all of a sudden, and his cheeks were sunken.

Mrs. Xia was distressed, but there was nothing at home to make up for it, so she was so anxious that her tears came down. The third and fifth brothers brought some silver into the city, intending to buy some grain from the rice shop. Who would have thought that the food in the city at this time was also frighteningly expensive, and the silver brought was only exchanged for a small bag of rice, and he barely bought two or three bags of corn.

When Xue Yu heard about it, he went to Fifth Brother Xia's house in casual clothes, and he apologized and apologized, and he couldn't talk about his responsibilities. Fifth Brother Xia stretched out his hand not to hit the smiling man, so he had to open the page. Inevitably, he mentioned the wolf trouble in Zhaowang Village to Xue Yu again. Now that there is no food in Zhuangzi, the eldest brother and the fourth brother plan to move back to Zhaowang Village first, where they can always go into the mountains to pick some wild fruits and hunt some game. In this way, it can survive until next summer.

Xue Yu listened, but didn't say anything, and after a few days, he and Zhou Li brought some guards into the mountain. When he came out the first day, he brought seven or eight wolves and a few roe deer and sent them to Lizheng to give them to the villagers. In this way, after going in a few more times, several wolves were beaten to pieces, and they no longer dared to go to the village to make trouble. The people of the village also dared to go into the mountains in groups to find something to eat.

Xue Yu didn't know where he heard that Xiaoyu almost caught a tiger once. Not long after, he quietly gave the Xia family a tiger skin, two tiger teeth and a few tiger bones. After doing it like this, although the Xia family was still a little unhappy in their hearts, they didn't feel good anymore on their faces.

However, when Brother Xia came back, he heard about Xiaoyu's disagreement with Sister-in-law Xia, and scolded Sister-in-law Xia fiercely. It's just that he was too old and rainy, so he had to order Ruhai and Rushan to apologize to Xiaoyu. When Sister-in-law Xia heard this, she became more and more angry and hateful, but Ruhai saw the doorway, sighed secretly, and persuaded her mother for a few days, and finally the family was peaceful.