The eastern foothills of Taihang Mountain.

The Hutuo River meanders down and the mountains stretch out.

A small village gathers on the three-pointed mound, and the owner of the village is called the Iron Leopard.

The iron leopard was born as a bandit, and the rebellion was defeated by the official army, and now it is still a mountain bandit den to open another mountain gate, but his two gentlemen have repeatedly emphasized that "this is a village, not a bandit den."

The village is the village, the iron leopard doesn't care about this, thinking about whether to rob or rob.

It's a pity that being a thief is like opening a shop to do business, and it also depends on the location and market. Nowadays, this place is remote, there are no merchants, and most of the time they still have to rely on their own farming to make a living.

Fortunately, for several months, no government came to this poor place to disturb them, and they did not have to pay food and silver, and they finally survived on the mountain while hunting and growing vegetables.

As more and more people fled, there were more than 300 people in the village.

One day, the iron leopard was busy in the mountains with a hoe, and Niu Lao Er followed him with a basket.

Although Iron Leopard is also a rebel leader who has led tens of thousands of troops, he is from a poor family, and he has not fallen behind in farm work, and he is very good at digging wild vegetables.

Niu Lao Er picked up a few walnuts and threw them into the basket, and said, "Big brother, there is no fruit here, let's go back." ”

"Look again."

"But," Niu Lao Er said, "it's time for Mr. to give a lecture......

"Lao Tzu just didn't like to listen to them and ran out."

"Oh."

The two walked for a while, turning a mountain wall, but they were stunned.

I saw three people standing on the rock, it was Sun Zhixin, Hu Jingshi, and Zhuge Laosan, who were looking at the mountain and pointing and talking about something.

The two sides looked at each other, Hu Jingshi said "ah", and said: "I almost forgot to give a lecture, it just so happens that the big boss is also here, let's give a lecture on this mountain today." ”

The Iron Leopard's face sank.

- Isn't that fucking bullshit?

"What are you looking at?" He digressed from the subject.

Zhuge Laosan sighed and said: "There are more and more people in the village, and I am afraid that this little land on the mountain will not be able to support it, and the two gentlemen and I are trying to find a way." ”

"We used to be able to feed so many people in Weifeng Village, why can't we support them?" Niu Lao Er interjected.

"Nonsense, you can't rob now." The iron leopard said, glancing at Sun Zhixin, quite dissatisfied.

He is the owner of the village, so he naturally thought about it, so he said: "Lao Tzu has also considered this matter, so let's occupy a mountain again." ”

Sun Zhixin nodded and said, "What the big boss said is very true, we and the three masters are looking at which place is suitable." ”

"It's all the mountains, what's the difference?"

Sun Zhi novice looked at him and said, "How is Baipo?" ”

The iron leopard looked over, and saw that Sun Zhixin was referring to the place where they met, Xibaipo.

It was a large beach on the north bank of the Hutuo River, and the iron leopard felt a little unsafe.

"We are bandits, and we are not the government, how dare we occupy such a big place?"

"You are also a rebel, why should you be afraid to act?" Sun Zhixin said: "Now that more and more people are fleeing, it is impossible to hide in this mountain. Since we are for the sake of these displaced people, why are we afraid of the government? I have seen with the master of Sanzhai that the land of Baipo is fertile, and the harvest of grain is bound to be abundant. ”

"What's the use of a good harvest? This army is in chaos, you have planted grain, and others will rob it for you. The Iron Leopard shook his head.

"Baipo is surrounded by water on three sides and water on one side, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If you encounter a rogue or a rogue, you can hide back in the mountains at any time......"

"Rogues? Lao Tzu is a rogue. The iron leopard muttered, and said, "Since you want to hide back in the mountains, what's the use of going down to farm?" ”

"If the world thinks like you, how can there be food in the world?" Sun Zhixin said calmly: "Only by planting grain can the world be peaceful, others don't want to plant, I will plant, one year's harvest has been robbed, and I will continue to plant next year." ”

The iron leopard looked at him with disdain, and said: "Lao Tzu thinks that the mountain is good, Lao Tzu is the owner of the village, and Lao Tzu has the final say, so he will occupy another mountain." ”

Hu Jingshi pulled Sun Zhixin and said: "This iron leopard is scared of the officers and soldiers, and it has become a turtle with a shrunken head......

His voice was not loud but not small, and the iron leopard couldn't help but be furious, and shouted: "Lao Tzu is afraid of his eggs!" ”

This is how it was decided to go to Baipo to occupy land and grow grain.

……

The mountains don't know the years, and the Iron Leopard and the others don't quite know what is happening in the world.

They learned from the exiles that Tang Zhongyuan was on an expedition to the east, but they didn't know where his army had gone. But anyway, they don't care if the world is from the Chu Dynasty or the Rui Dynasty, and it is only right that they can survive.

However, Sun Zhixin and Hu Jingshi were quite concerned about Wang Xiao's entry into Liaodong, and they only heard a few words when they asked people.

And they didn't get the news of the massacre of Yongping Mansion until two months later, Hu Jingshi's eyes were black and he fainted, and he was sick for half a month, and Sun Zhixin was also depressed for a few days before he regained his strength, but his heart became more and more determined.

If the country is not strong, it will be bullied by others, and this truth is engraved in their hearts little by little......

The situation north of the Yellow River was obviously bad this year, with people fleeing every day.

Now that they have an open territory, Sun Zhixin and Hu Jingshi want to keep people.

But farming and harvesting grain is not an overnight thing, they are just two scholars, and they can't get food to feed so many people for a while.

If it weren't for the iron leopards, I am afraid that the original 300 people would be robbed by the homeless people and then dispersed in a hurry.

What to do before the harvest is available? Sun Zhixin and Hu Jingshi feel headaches here every day.

On this day, the two were plowing the fields, and suddenly heard a man come over and say, "The two gentlemen have turned over the land very much...... It's a little worse. ”

The two turned their heads to see that it was a man who had known each other for a long time, named Tian Ba, and his son Tian Yong was followed behind him.

Although Tian Ba's words were not good, he just told the truth, and then said, "Two gentlemen, take a break, right?" When the small one finishes turning over the field, the small one can turn over more than the two gentlemen in three days. ”

Sun Zhixin thought that he only had one hand left, and he felt a little frustrated.

But in fact, even if he has two hands, he can't turn over Tian Hachi in this life.

The next moment, Tian Yong handed over an ugly fruit and said, "Sir, eat." ”

Sun Zhixin had never seen the fruit before, so he asked, "What is this?" ”

"Sweet potato." Tian Yongzhi said in a childish voice: "Yesterday, a group of people couldn't escape, and Daddy helped them build a house, and they gave Daddy sweet potatoes. It is said that it was brought from the capital, and it can be planted on a barren mountain......"

Sun Zhixin was stunned, took the sweet potato and looked at it for a long time.

He vaguely remembered that he seemed to have heard of this thing when he was in the capital.

But even if these things can be planted on the barren mountains to replenish the harvest, they will not solve the urgent need.

After a while, he suddenly thought of something, pulled Hu Jingshi and said, "Huaiyuan Hou!" When the Marquis of Huaiyuan was in Beijing, did he set up a ......?"

"Beijing Suburb Industrial Park?"

"Yes, the industrial park." Sun Zhixin's tone was fast: "Huaiyuan Hou can be the teacher of my generation, and now the predicament we encounter, he must have also experienced it, so he set up this Beijing suburb industrial park." ”

Hu Jingshi was also stunned, but asked again: "Brother Sun wants to ......?"

"I want to go to the capital again, one is to ask for advice on how to feed the displaced people in the suburban industrial park, the second is to ask Huaiyuan Hou for some food, and the third is to buy more sweet potatoes and other crops to seed and supplement the harvest......

~~

Regarding the fact that the two gentlemen wanted to go to the capital, the iron leopard was a little entangled.

On the one hand, it is indeed very quiet to let these two annoying scholars leave for a few days. On the other hand, he was worried that the two were trying to run away.

But the Iron Leopard has been with them for so long, and he understands that they are not people who like to pick children, so after thinking about it, he decided to let Niu Lao Er take them to Beijing.

After making this decision, thinking that he would not have to listen to them for a while, the Iron Leopard only felt a lot more relaxed.

Naturally, there are also problems, such as, do people take care of you when you go to the Beijing suburb industrial park?

Sun Zhixin and Hu Jingshi said that they had a friendship with Huaiyuanhou, and the original words were "friendship between half teachers".

The iron leopard didn't believe it in his heart, and said disdainfully: "That Lao Tzu also has a relationship with Huaiyuan Hou, and Lao Tzu almost tied him up." ”

At this point, he thought about it and said: "Lao Tzu has a brother, that is, the fifth brother of the majestic village, called Wang Jue, who is the son of some Wang family in the capital, it seems to be a relative of the shitty Huaiyuan Marquis, this bullshit Wang family's generations are messy, and Lao Tzu can't figure it out." Anyway, when you go to the capital, you can go to him, report the name of Lao Tzu, and ask him to send a few carts of grain. ”

Niu Lao Er ordered a few people over there, and began to escort the two scholars to the capital.

Along the way, the soldiers were in chaos, and the soldiers and horses of Wu Yan and Shandong fought in Zhending and Hejian. Several people bypassed the battlefield and it took ten days to arrive at the capital.

The capital was heavily guarded, but fortunately, Sun Zhixin and Hu Jingshi were famous, and they were able to enter the city after being searched.

As soon as they entered the city, they went straight to the Wang's house, and they couldn't tell what the east and west mansions were, so they directly asked to see the Marquis of Huaiyuan.

The porter of the Wang family saw that they were dressed in tatters, and he didn't believe that Hu Jingshi was the son of the prefect, so he only looked at them with the eyes of a fool.

"Ask to see the Hou Ye, go to the princess's mansion, what are you doing in our Wang family? See clearly, this is from the mansion of Lord Yin of the Sanpin Shizhi Shao Yin......"

Sun Zhixin and Hu Jingshi were stunned for a moment, and then asked, "That...... Dare to ask how to get to the princess's mansion? ”

"Master Hou is not in the princess's mansion again."

"That'...... Dare to ask where is Master Hou? Haven't you returned from Liaodong yet? ”

"Where?" The rosacea-nosed porter frowned, glanced at the pock-faced porter, looked at them with vigilance, and said, "Say! Are you the rebels doing this, and you came to inquire about the whereabouts of my marquis. ”

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, I have been living in the mountains and forests for a long time, and I don't know these ......"

Before Hu Jingshi could say more, Niu Lao Er suddenly pulled him, walked to the side and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Hu, are you stupid?" Even I know that it costs money to see a big official. ”

As he spoke, he took out a small string of copper plates and handed them to Hu Jingshi.

Hu Jingshi is also an official eunuch, looking at this small string of pitiful copper plates, he can't help crying or laughing.

They went up to see Wang Jue again, but they were told that Wang Jue was not at home.

"Not at home? Then dare to ask the eldest son of the Wang family? ”

"The eldest young master went out, and I don't know when I will come back. You can leave a post......"

Hu Jingshi left a name post, but Sun Zhixin was in a hurry to do something, so he asked again: "I don't know who is in charge of your mansion?" ”

"Naturally, our master is from the three grades of capital to rule the young Yin."

"May I let the boy see me?"

The pock-faced porter ran back to the house and spread the word, but he didn't expect the master to really be willing to see them. But as a porter, he was still quite uneasy, so he said: "Two scholars can come in, and others will wait outside......