"Now that you've arrived, let's take a visit, Lone is also very curious about the homeless. It's just that, Duke Wei, it's clear that it's peaceful now, why don't these people choose to go down the mountain to naturalize, but still want to nest in the Qinling Mountains as savages? ”

Li Jing sighed and said helplessly: "Your Highness, all the people must not only pay taxes, but also serve labor, all kinds of things. These displaced people have been hidden in the mountains since the end of the Sui Dynasty, and now they are born, and they are short of about ten years of tax and labor in the Tang Dynasty, and they are logically guilty. Under normal law, they could only be naturalized if they had paid their arrears. ”

After listening, Li Chengqian also pouted helplessly.

The affection is because of the arrears of taxes and labor to the imperial court, and these people dare not leave the mountains.

Speaking of which, Qinling is indeed a good place to escape from the world, first of all, it is desolate enough, except for a few trade routes, it is full of wilderness. Even if any stupid emperor wanted to conquer them, he would not enter the Qinling Mountains. The Qinling Mountains are too big, and while those beasts threaten the homeless, they are actually one of their barriers.

Changsun Chong couldn't help but say: "Cheng Qian, it's better for us to avoid it, let's say it's the official and military attire, and after meeting with them, it's already good if you don't fight, do you still want to go in?" Once there are enough people in this camp, we will not be able to return. ”

Chai Zhewei also nodded in agreement.

Follow the prince out like this, any possible danger must be avoided quickly.

Glancing at the wild boar carried by Liu Mang's team, Li Chengqian smiled and said to Li Jing and Niu Jinda: "Wei Gong Bull, are you two willing to go in with Lone?" Let's take the greeting gift, and we won't be kicked out. ”

Li Jing glanced at the prince and frowned, with his character, it was never recommended that the prince contact these homeless people. However, after such a long period of contact, he also knew that the prince was actually very stubborn.

You don't need more people to go in, just ten. With him and Niu Jinda here, it's no problem to escort the prince out.

Thinking of this, Li Jing opened his mouth and said: "Yu Tai, Liu Mang, Channeling Monkey, Fang Shuo, Zhao Xing, Iron Hammer, Dongfang Su, the seven of you will go in with His Royal Highness and me, remember that once there is danger, you must send the prince out first." ”

Niu Jinda laughed, he experienced famine in his early years, and he could be said to empathize with these homeless people, and now the prince obviously has contact with the homeless people and speaks for the homeless people, so he naturally fully supports it.

After determining the candidates to enter, Li Chengqian was forced by Li Jing to change into a set of gold wire inner armor before being allowed to set off.

Let Tie Hammer and others carry the wild boar, and under the guidance of Liu Mang, everyone went down the hillside and finally walked to the front of the camp.

Seeing the defense of this camp, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel that human beings are really the most ingenious creatures in the world.

Although they didn't want to bury wooden stakes as walls like ordinary bandits, these homeless people also cut down a lot of trees, using the normal growth of trees as stakes, and stacked them horizontally one by one to form a defensive wall.

The height of the wall was about seven or eight meters, which was exactly the height that beasts could not jump. The cross-sectional walls of the columns are also covered with wooden thorns, making it difficult for bears and other beasts that are good at climbing.

The wall is very strong, and the gate is a little worse, but the two-meter-wide gate looks a little weak. However, considering that there will be people on duty, if an unlucky beast really storms the gate of the village, if there are enough people, it may also be sent nutrition.

Holding down Li Chengqian, Li Jing ordered the monkey to step forward and call the door first.

Without knowing whether there was hostility or not, Li Jing did not allow the prince to take the risk.

The sky monkey is timid, so he trembled when he stepped forward to call the door.

But fortunately, there was no picture of ten thousand arrows piercing the heart, and after the explanation of the monkey jumping to the feet, the gate of the village actually opened.

An old man in tattered linen clothes walked out with two little girls in shabby clothes.

Following the monkey to the front of everyone, the old man knelt down at Niu Jinda without hesitation, and immediately cried bitterly: "Master Guan, you are doing well, we are waiting to survive in this deep mountain to avoid the war, you want to recruit soldiers to fight, the young man is gone, and those of us who are left behind will have no way to live!" You are doing well, and the two are the most beautiful girls in our village, and I will give you Xingle. ”

As the old man's voice fell, the two girls fell to their knees with tears in their eyes.

Seeing this scene, Li Chengqian was a little sad. It's not that I think this old man is weak and can be bullied, it's that the previous world was really chaotic.

These homeless people have lived in the mountains for a long time, and they don't even know that the battle outside has been over.

Niu Jinda couldn't stand such a scene the most, so he walked past the two little girls and walked up to the old man and picked him up.

After sighing, Niu Jinda said: "Old man, you misunderstood, we are not here to recruit soldiers, but to know how you live." The war around Chang'an ended ten years ago. And now, there is no more warlord scuffle. You haven't been out of the mountain for a long time, so you don't know this. ”

"Really?"

As soon as he heard that he was not here to recruit soldiers, the old man's eyes suddenly appeared with hope again.

Iron Hammer smiled and said, "Old man, look, we have brought gifts here, why don't you let us in quickly?" These three or four hundred catties of wild boars can sink when they are carried! ”

After glancing at the wild boar and then at the team of ten people, the old man finally put his mind at ease.

Arching his hand, the old man said: "It's the mountain people who are slow, let's enter the village." The old man Liu Yang is the head of this cottage. ”

After speaking, Liu Yang respectfully led Niu Jinda inside. Based on his stature and armor, he deservedly regarded Niu Jinda as the leader.

Li Jing and others also saw through it, and they were able to hide the prince, and they were happy to see it.

Stretching out the green flag and waving it three times in a row, Li Chengqian followed into the cottage.

The place of the walled gate is actually the same as the city gate hole, and there are traps every few steps, if it weren't for Liu Yang's advice, even Li Jing wouldn't have noticed that there was any difference between this place and the normal ground.

Living in the mountains all year round, they naturally mastered a lot of hunting skills. With these traps, the gate really doesn't need to be strong.

After passing through the gate hole, you can see the inside of the village.

Now that autumn is approaching, many people are busy stockpiling food for the winter.

The so-called grain is some grass seeds and the like. The only thing that looks past is probably all kinds of meat.

Because of the storage, many people are carrying the meat to the fire and roasting it.

It looks like a harvest map, but after really seeing the appearance of these residents, Li Chengqian doesn't know what to say.

I don't have enough clothes!

A lot of men are wearing hemp pants like shorts, and the exposed skin and flesh have long been tanned. Women, on the other hand, wore short dresses that looked like they were in later generations, and the hem was not even below the knees. This is also in the mountains, if it is outside, such a costume is to be immersed in the pig cage.

The two little girls, who had been given as gifts, disappeared after entering the stockade, and when they reappeared, they also changed into dress-like sackcloth.

Walking to a wooden house and looking, Niu Jinda sighed, not knowing what to say.

In winter, you can only rely on a fire to keep warm, but if you make a fire in a wooden house, you will run the risk of being burned to death. Judging by the coke under many new wooden houses, such tragedies have already happened.

Seeing that the group didn't know what to say for a long time, Liu Yang knew that they were shocked by the scene in front of them.

Smiled helplessly, Liu Yang said: "That's what it looks like, although living in this mountain is very hard, but don't worry about being involved in the war." Once, a village near us was slaughtered overnight because it refused to deliver food to the army. When he arrived at the old man's village, the old man persuaded the neighbors to hand over the grain, and moved into the mountains together before they came to ask for food again. "Recommended Reading: /.. /

Speaking of the past, Liu Yang's eyes were a little moist.

The wild boar carried by the hammer was sent to the vicinity of the bacon fire under the guidance of Liu Yang.

Most of the meat they store is pheasants and hares, and prey like wild boars is difficult to catch unless it is a trap.

After witnessing a wild boar being used from head to toe without any waste, Li Chengqian didn't know what to say for a long time.

Stretching out his hand to pat Li Jing, Li Chengqian whispered: "Gong Wei, you can help me ask if they have any plans to go out of the mountain." ”

Li Jing nodded, and asked Liu Yang: "Old Liu, you have lived so hard in this deep mountain, have you ever thought about going out of the mountain to become a naturalist?" Now that there is no war, if you go out of the mountains, you don't have to worry about anything other than life. ”

When Liu Yang heard this, he shook his head again and again: "You can't go out of the mountain, you can't go out of the mountain." Not to mention that our displaced people owe the taxes to the imperial court, even after leaving the mountain, there is no land to plant. In the past, when there was land, it was just barely enough to make ends meet, but now that the land is gone, how can I survive! ”

Niu Jinda couldn't help but say to Li Chengqian: "Palace.... Childe, according to the law, when the displaced people go out of the mountains, they must be incorporated into the untouchables, and it is naturally impossible for the untouchables to own land. Although a government decree was issued during the Wude period, and the displaced people went out of the mountains to become citizens, the matter of land division was still not mentioned. ”

Seeing that Li Jing had already chatted with Liu Yang and left here, Li Chengqian said: "How can this work, no wonder our Datang household registration is only two million, and there has been no improvement after more than nine years of recuperation. I'll just say that the homeless people are not counted in the emotional statistics. Earth? Lack of land now? You are also a person who owns land, you say, in your fiefdom, the land is planted! ”

Since coming out of Chang'an, the barren fields are not seen in one or two pieces.

It's so weird, people who obviously have land, but don't farm it. Since the Han Dynasty, hundreds of years of continuous wars have changed the original pattern of being more valuable than people to being more valuable than people.

Niu Jinda naturally knew that this law was incorrect, but he couldn't speak. He is a military general, and he can't worry about civilian affairs.

Groping around his sleeve for a moment, he found a crumpled piece of paper and a piece of charcoal.

These two things can't be played, and he, a minor prince, doesn't have the power to play a setback.

Looking at Niu Jinda with bad intentions, Li Chengqian smiled and said: "That, Niu Gong, look at it, can you lend me the power to play?" ”

Niu Jinda also smiled, arched his hand and asked, "What does the prince want?" ”

Li Chengqian pointed to the village in front of him and said, "These people, after all, are the residents of our Datang territory. They escaped from the world due to the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, even if they owed the Tang Dynasty taxes and labor, it was understandable. And I, Datang, do not dare to start a war at will with the outside world now, and the internal taxes have been reduced again and again, just to restore production and national strength as soon as possible. Rather than encouraging more children, the fastest way to reinstate the displaced is right now. ”

Niu Jinda smiled, but still said: "Your Highness can't help but think a little too beautiful, you are not the only one who has thought about such an idea." But why hasn't anyone implemented it? It is because the law cannot be changed at will. A law that can be changed at will is not binding. The existing Tang law, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, is an iron rule, we can only refine it, or add to it, but we cannot forcibly change it. If it is because the exiles have set a precedent for changing the law, what will happen in the future? Do we have to change the law when we encounter a difficult matter? Isn't the law of ironclad too cheap? ”

"But the law is dead, man is alive, and he doesn't know how to change it, so will it continue to be deadlocked? Niu Gong, don't worry, Master Li still taught me how to write. Believe it or not, as long as I submit my recitals, the law will be changed! ”

"Yo, such a big breath."

On the other side, Li Jing walked over, and when he heard Li Chengqian's words of affirmation, he was immediately interested.

Walking to the fire and sitting down, Li Jing said: "Since His Royal Highness is so confident, the matter of playing is an old man." When the time comes, the old man and the two will play together! ”

On the issue of recovering the displaced people, Li Jing himself is also very active.

It's ridiculous to say that when there was no war, he, the Duke of Weiguo, couldn't do anything except drink in the mansion and teach the prince and his son.

It is because of the military power in his hands that the emperor can compete with the prince without falling behind. After ascending the throne as emperor, how could he continue to keep this scourge.

Although Cheng Yanjin is still the general of Zuo Wuwei in name, he does not have the ability to directly mobilize Zuo Wuwei's army, and if he wants to send troops, he must have the emperor's holy decree, military talismans, etc., all of which are indispensable.

In the past, when I was bored, I could go to the garrison to practice martial arts with my soldiers, but now in order to avoid suspicion, who dares to go out of Chang'an easily.

It's ridiculous to say, it's hunting, and each family doesn't dare to call too many generals.

If the displaced people are gathered and the national strength is improved, then it will not take too long for Datang to have the confidence to wage war against foreign countries. When the time comes, the military will be able to change its usual decadence.

Seeing that Li Jing agreed to play together, Li Chengqian suddenly became more confident: "In this case, after returning to the East Palace after the hunt, I will draft the recital." ”

Pointing to the thin child in the corner who poked his head out to look at the people, Niu Jinda sighed and said: "Your Highness, why don't we give the harvest from hunting to this village, it's all game, let's transport it back to enjoy a momentary appetite." ”