The gate of Linhe Township in Tewu County was closed, and behind the low wall were all villagers who poked their heads out to watch, and the weapons and farm tools they held in their hands did not dare to be exposed.

And the townsman stood on top of the watchtower, and tried his best to be polite to the uninvited guests: "Didn't this military Sima only collect the property tax once last year?" How to collect it again. ”

Ru Chen, who personally led a large group of people to search for grain, said with a smile: "You are really ignorant, you have eaten today, and you won't eat tomorrow?" I paid the rent last year, and I can get it free this year? “

The townsman was shocked: "So, this has become the norm? ”

Ru Chen said: "I don't know this, but I just checked the household registration of each township with the county governor, there are a total of 2,000 households in Ru Township, with nearly 10,000 mouths, and they have to pay one-tenth of the grain for military use." “

He counted very well, and immediately folded his fingers and calculated: "The whole township can't be all lower households, right?" Wealth is at least 20 million, and 2 million dollars in exchange for grain is 10,000 stones. Give you ten days to quickly raise 10,000 stones of grain and hand it over. ”

The townsman complained bitterly: "Soldier, according to the market price, 400 rice stones, only 5,000 stones!" How did it quadruple! “

Ruchen stiffened his face and said: "I use the parity price set by the five officials, two hundred rice stones, constant and unchanged, who will calculate the market price with you?" If the price of grain plummets to 100 yuan of rice stone one day, do you still want to pay more? “

Having said that, everyone knows that for more than ten years, the price of rice has become more and more expensive, and there is still a time to fall - no, there are still some, that is, every time the peasants are in a hurry to change money and pay the arrears, the so-called "constant" grain prices of the five junguan will plummet, and they are eager to buy the grain on hand of the farmers for nothing.

This scene in Linhe Township was also staged in the other townships in the south of the county, and it was really not made up by Ruchen again, but an edict from the imperial court.

It is said that after last year's Zimin, Dongfang Yiping (Beihai) even led the field to play? Pointing out that the county is not true? The local government often underreports and conceals it, which is deceiving His Majesty the Emperor!

Is it any wonder that last year's tax revenue was not large? Wang Mang suddenly realized? Do you think that Tian Guo is loyal to the country and worries about the country, and he is an earl? Two million.

And then he decided to collect the property tax again this year? Thirty taxes one. Or is it in the season of green and yellow? The counties on the edge of the border apportioned a million stone of grain to supply the army to attack the Xiongnu.

Of course, when it comes to the military Sima Ruchen, the thirty taxes will be transformed as soon as they are one? It became one of ten taxes.

Richer towns gritted their teeth? The food was scraped together, but the poorer ones couldn't squeeze it out. The autumn harvest has passed, the summer harvest is still early, Chen Gu has eaten almost enough, if the grain at the bottom of the cylinder is handed over? The people had to go outside and graze on the weeds.

"You make it very difficult for Ben Sima."

Ruchen sat in the camp, shook his head and sighed after counting the grain handed over by the townships? This is still a gap with the amount he demanded, and it is said that there are still some poor people who refuse to pay food? It seems that the people of Biansai are still too simple, in Guanzhong? Are they all rich and powerful and official? Distributing food to the poor? It only takes a few dozen families to be destroyed, and food will naturally be available.

In this way, the search for food that made the chickens and dogs jump on the edge began. The more than 100 elites who Ruchen relied on eating empty salaries and deducting food, wearing armor and swords, broke into one house like a wolf, smashed pots, turned the bottom upside down, searched out every grain of grain, and confiscated some exquisite utensils by the way.

The villagers didn't dare to stop them, swallowed their anger, the old man knelt down and kowtowed and begged, the women and children cried endlessly, and Ding Zhuang looked at it with hatred and gritted his teeth. In the process of fighting, the soldiers even killed the farmers who resisted the grabbing of grain.

And when he met a family who really couldn't hand over the food, Ruchen directly asked his subordinates to arrest the people back, and there was a shortage of strong men in his camp.

"It's even more ruthless than the Huns." Wan Xuan wore a hat on his head, pretending to be a farmer, watching this scene from afar, he couldn't help but gnash his teeth, when he was in Guanzhong, although he also witnessed officials asking for food, but it was far from being rampant.

He and Ma Yuan fell into the grass in the north for a long time, first the two of them were at ease, and slowly did a few times to beat the tax collectors, and after fighting grievances, they absorbed some poor people to take refuge, the first few households, slowly a dozen households, dozens of households, until today's hundreds of households, even Ma Yuan did not expect.

They are also short of food, and they can only rely on grazing to support themselves, and they don't have a clear goal for the future.

What is Chivalry? Soldiers do what they do without loving their bodies, and go to the misfortune of soldiers! This is what Yuan Shi taught him, although Yuan Daxia may not be able to guard them, but Wan Yu wants to try!

At present, seeing these officers and soldiers looting everywhere, robbing people of food and property, and where is there the appearance of a king, he touched the knife hidden in his waist and thought, after all, when he was in Maoling, Wan Xuan also found Akamaru.

But he was stopped by horse aid.

Ma Wenyuan was more strategic, and said in a low voice: "Bo Yu also said that the crux lies in the military Sima Ruchen, but the camp between Qin Canal and Han Canal where he is located rarely comes out, and his generation is just a small thug, killing them will not help the overall situation, but will startle the snake." “

Wan Xuan nodded, and the two of them were about to leave from the ditch with the boat, but they had been seen by the soldiers who were searching for grain from afar, and they were immediately overjoyed, and chased after them with a few people, shouting: "Where are you from the township and where, hand over Dabu Huangqian and the inspection pass to see!" ”

However, the sergeant compared the movements of the people behind him, suggesting that they should prepare the rope, and the amount of strong men he promised his boss today has not been enough! Just take these people to make up the numbers.

Ma Yuan and Wan Yu looked at each other, good guys, they actually caught the strong men!

"Wen Yuan, don't pretend?"

Ma Yuan threw the hat and sighed: "I have to stop pretending." ”

So in the evening, Ruchen heard these soldiers with blue noses and swollen faces crying, saying that they had met farmers with strong martial arts, openly resisted, beat them, and then jumped into the water and ran away.

Ruchen didn't care, and only let people use this as an excuse to extort more than 100 stone grain from the neighborhood.

He was concerned about only one thing: "Get Ding Zhuang together as soon as possible, and on May 15, I will escort the grain and straw with Wu Lun to the ferry." “

Ru Chen said with a smile: "At that time, I will ask for 5,000 stones, which is beyond the expectations of General Tunhu, and he only has 1,000 stones at most, which is better and which is worse, it will be clear at a glance!" “

……

But at night, the bonfire by the Kushui River has changed places, and when Wu Lun heard Ma Yuan mention that they went to investigate Ruchen to search for grain in the afternoon, and they were almost arrested by Zhuang Ding, he couldn't help but be angry.

"Hahaha, why didn't the two of you give up resistance at that time, deliberately get arrested, and follow them back to the camp to be our internal response?"

Wan Yu took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "I'm not afraid, but I'm afraid that Wen Yuan will be too white and handsome, and if he enters the thief camp, he will lose his chastity." ”

Then he took a kick from the horse and rolled aside.

This is not a joke, in the long-suppressed barracks, people are often stabbed, even the fifth battalion has such a thing, let alone elsewhere.

Wu Lun took out the map and handed it to the two of them: "I have already said that you don't need to go over, the truth in your camp, the path of his daily activities, and even the direction of the westward delivery of food, I have made it clear to people." ”

Although the Fifth Lun was only stationed in the north of the county, it was common for his people to be ordered to go to Tewu County to buy, holding the order of the Fifth Sima and unimpeded.

And the Fifth Lun is also based on the Fifth Blessing, organizing Zhang Yu and several other loyal and clever private servants, and specially holding the Fifth Lun's talisman to hang around in the south of the county to inquire about the situation.

Fifth Lun also gave them a nickname: "Fifth Column!" ”

He himself was even ashamed to ask, and ran to Ruchen's camp to discuss with him about transporting grain, and made an appointment to go with him.

So we had this map and what we were going to do.

Wu Lun pointed to the camp where Ruchen was stationed and said: "This camp was built by Emperor Wu of the previous dynasty, the barrier wall is high, and it is located in the middle of the Qin Canal and the Han Canal, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if there are only 100 capable warriors under your command, it is still very difficult to break into the door with more than 100 people from the horse team and behead him. “

His finger went west and aimed at the ferry port located in the west of Tewu County: "On the fifteenth of this month, I agreed with Ruchen to go to the camp of General Tunhu in Hexi to deliver grain. ”

"The barrier is only thirty miles away from the county seat, and it can be reached in two to three hours, and Ruchen extorted food this time, as much as 10,000 stones, but only half of it was sent over, and it will definitely leave people to guard."

Fifth Lun predicted that Ru Chen's side that day was about fifty elite guards in armor and soldiers. In addition to the five hundred pigs who were driving the car, this group of hungry and oppressed Ding Zhuang didn't need to be considered, and they dispersed in a hurry when they heard the sound of the bowstring.

And the horse team of more than 100 people dispatched by Ma Yuan and Wan Yu can just deal with it.

"It's really easier than attacking Ruchen in Linhe Township at the end of last month, and storming the barrier."

Wan Yu remembered something and looked at Wu Lun: "Bo Yu has all the food to be handed over that day?" ”

Wu Lun shook his head: "Not yet, I can't bear to persecute the people, and the so-called rich families in the north of the county, no matter how much they threaten, they can't get much food, so it's enough for eight hundred people under my command to eat, where is enough to send it to the big camp?" ”

Hearing that Wulun did not extort the people, Wan Yu was relieved, but worried: "Then what did you take to pay the grain that day?" ”

Wu Lun smiled and said: "It's okay, I was behind that day, and I heard that Ruchen was attacked, after all, it was a friendly army, and my lips and teeth were cold, I will definitely go to the rescue immediately." ”

He vividly described the scene that might have happened that day: "But it was only a trick of thieves, although I saved his grain team and drove away the thieves after the death of your son. But when I turned around, I found that my food team had been attacked! ”

Wu Lun closed his eyes in pain: "My pigs are scattered and scattered, and the thieves don't have time to take away the food, and they hate me for ruining their good deeds, so they simply burn them......"

Of course, the sack was full of dead grass.

"Boyu's strategy is very good." Ma Yuan slapped his hands and admired, in this way, Wu Lun can also clear up the suspicion: You see, Ruchen just lost his life, but I, a whole grain team was burned!

Wan Xuan still felt that it was wrong: "General Tunhu doesn't care who died, but the food he asked for must be delivered, and he will definitely force you to pay the grain again." “

Wu Lun smiled: "It doesn't matter, by then, the food will already be available." ”

"Got it? Where? "Wan Xuan is indeed an honest person, he didn't react, he can't be like the story told by Wu Lun, let the Li army recruited by Wang Mang make some soldier food pills.

Ma Yuan had already understood, holding his stomach and laughing: "Jun You, Jun You, why don't you understand, Bo Yu's grain is piled up in the Ruchen Barrier Warehouse!" ”

……

Seeing that the sky was about to brighten, the three of them had also discussed, and after making an appointment to send people frequently to communicate with the news in the next few days, Wu Lun was about to return to the camp.

But he remembered something, looked back and said: "Wen Yuan, Jun You, your subordinates, don't you still have a name?" “

The two shook their heads, Wan Yu didn't have a clear plan for the future, and Ma Yuan was just taking one step at a time.

Fifth Lun said: "If there is injustice today, the impermanence of taxation leads to thieves. I heard that there are Fan worshippers in Qingxu Haidai, who gather thousands of people in Mount Tai and call each other 'giants', so they are called giant thieves. “

"In Jiangxia, Jingzhou, there are Wang Kuang and Wang Feng who are commenting on and litigate, gathering seven or eight thousand people, and they are active in the green forest mountain, so they are called the green forest."

"And in the land of Hebei, there are also many small bandits, or called copper horses, or iron shins, green calves, and five flags, all of which are simple and easy-to-understand titles."

Wu Lun smiled: "Why don't we take one now?" “

Ma Yuan was a little hesitant, after all, he was a child of the official family, Wan Xuan agreed very much, and came up with an idea: "The people are created by Wen Yuan, and most of them are Han, Hu, and Qiang herdsmen, and there are many horses, which come and go like the wind, why don't you call them horse thieves?" Horse bandits? “

It's better to call it a horse reversal!

Fifth Lun objected, because after Ma Yuan and Wan Xuan fell into the grass, they even hid their real names. After all, their family is good in Guanzhong, the crime of escaping is small, and the Ma family and Yuan Shi can still carry it, but if they raise the flag as thieves, it will be a rebellion, and it will affect the clan.

Seeing that Ma Yuan was silent all the time, knowing that he was still a little resistant to rebellion, Wu Lun said: "I have an idea. ”

"What is the most hated person of the people? The embroidered clothes are also the ones who are embroidered by the imperial court, and the embroidered clothes are directly pointed at the evil, and they have experienced the county and the country, and the ten generations have extorted food everywhere. And most of the high-ranking officials were embroidered clothes, so the people turned around and fled when they saw the embroidered clothes. ”

"What is the opposite of embroidered clothes?"

Fifth Lun patted the clothes of Wan Yu and the others and said, "Hemp! This is the dress of the common people, and since we want to make decisions for the people and do the way for heaven, we must make them feel kind, clothed in coarse linen, and covered with sackcloth, so it is better to call them ......."

"Bandits!"

……

PS: Chapter 3 at 18:00.