The possibilities for human creativity are endless.

Today, the mountain has been planned and expanded, and it is difficult for outsiders to believe that it would have been a desolate mountain area a few months ago.

When Li Kaifu first arrived in Zhilian Mountain, he wondered if he had arrived at the county seat or an unknown state capital.

A rammed earth road two zhang wide, from the direct mountain to the road connecting the county town outside.

Every few short sections, this rammed earth road is pressed into the dirt in the middle with brightly colored stones, forming a middle dividing line. Every few miles on the road, a wooden sign is erected that reads, "Civilized courtesy, keep right." ”

The overall road surface is wide and clean, which is pleasant to look at. It is said that for this reason, the sixth brother also set up a special one called the Highway Bureau, and more than a dozen people in it are dedicated to taking care of various roads.

At the foot of the mountain are patches of people's residential areas, and down the mountainside are newly built bandit team members' residential areas, training school grounds and canteens. Halfway up the mountain is where the former bandits built the cottage is located.

The mountain is led by a wide stone staircase to the upper part of the mountain. In addition to this stone staircase, a wide road suitable for driving has been built to connect to the cottage. It facilitates the transportation and storage of supplies.

At the top of the mountain, there is a mountain spring water that is more than half a zhang wide and leads directly to the stream at the bottom of the mountain. The reason why those bandits chose to build a cottage here at the beginning was also because of the mountain spring stream.

Zhang Rui felt that it was too wasteful for the spring water to pass away like this, so he asked people to dig a large reservoir at the bottom of the mountain, and just used the soil to build adobe bricks. The water from the mountain spring is then drained to the reservoir for public use.

When Kai-Fu Lee was still visiting the building area. At this time, on the rammed earth road leading to the mountain, one after another convoys walked. In addition to the convoys that transported the purchased supplies, there were also many people who brought their families and families to the country.

The sun is scorching, and the autumn wind is dry, making people's mouth dry.

As the convoys passed by on the road, they brought up puffs of dust.

Although there are a lot of convoys coming and going, because everyone abides by the rules of the right-hand drive, they will not be congested, so the convoys are secretly surprised.

They haven't done it that well anywhere else.

Don't look at the road that looks wide, but there are a lot of convoys coming and going. If there is no such rule, the convoy will walk separately, and those who wear left and right will not be blocked into dogs.

In addition to consciously abiding by the smooth road, there is also the credit of the "traffic police" mentioned by the sixth brother, and it is said that its full name is called: "Highway Traffic Management Police".

The people don't understand this title. It's just that the sixth brother calls it a "traffic police", and everyone calls it a "traffic police". The understanding of the common people: It manages the "road officials" who are in charge of the rules on the road, so many people also call them "road officials".

The number of people in this "traffic police station" is not large, there are only about a dozen people, and there are ten horses.

Usually they patrol the entire road on horseback, and if they find someone who does not obey the traffic rules, they pull them out and "educate" them.

"This old brother, are you also here to defect to the sixth brother?"

At this time, a middle-aged man on the road, who was wearing shabby linen clothes and no shoes, said to another middle-aged man who was still wearing shabby clothes and no shoes

Looking at the convoys coming and going along the way, Ma San didn't dare to talk to the people in the convoy all the way.

It wasn't until he met Qian Qian, who was also wearing shabby clothes, that he found that he seemed to see his "kind", so he boldly asked.

"Yes, I've heard people in my hometown say that there is such a place. There is a good man named Sixth Brother, who is the hope of our poor. Qian came in and looked at Ma San, who was also wearing shabby clothes and following his wife and son, so he let down his guard and said to him one by one

"If you can't survive, you can come to him, he will give him full food, warm clothes and clothing, and he will divide the house and land."

"I don't know if there is such a place in this world, but my 'cousin' said, 'I can't live anyway, why don't I go and see it, what if it's true?'

When he saw Qian come in and talk, his wife followed him with her son and daughter. The wife who walked towards Ma San asked, "This sister-in-law, you also came to join the sixth brother?" ”

"yes, my family can't survive. Liu Peeling, the landlord who was already renting four or six sub-rents, now said that the imperial court wanted to fight a war and increase the rent, but he had to rent three or seven sub-rents. You say, if we have to pay 70% of the rent and pay taxes and grain, then how many rice will we have left after a busy year? Ma Sango's wife, Ma Chen, said helplessly to Qian Xu

"I heard that the sixth brother only needs two buckets of grain per mu here. So, I was in charge of the family and came to live. Anyway, no matter where you live, as long as you can live and raise my son, it's fine. ”

As he spoke, Ma Chen picked up his five-year-old son and touched his head dotingly.

Ma Chen originally conceived two sons, but they both died of malnutrition and illness due to lack of food. Every time I think about it, it makes her heart cut like a knife.

However, this is the reality. A person who has not received any education since childhood, who has been instilled with resignation since childhood, can only compromise and live in reality.

In Ma Chen's opinion, at least her two sons still came to this world for a trip. However, how many children are strangled or drowned at birth because their families really can't afford to support them?

Ma Chen couldn't help but feel weak and sad when he remembered that when he went up the mountain to chop firewood, he saw the white bones of the children. It was a whole mountain, and if one mountain was not enough, it was discarded on the second one. Note (1)

"Yes, if it's really a rent of two buckets per acre. That sixth brother is really a living bodhisattva for all the people in the world. Qian Xu folded his hands and said with gratitude

"That's not it, it's almost here now, just go and inquire when the time comes." Ma Chen said

"Yes, yes... Let's hope the rumors are true, otherwise we really don't know how to live. We passed all the way in Jiangxi. Qian Xu pulled his son and daughter and said worriedly

"Jiangxi, that's far away. We came from Hunan..."

………

Directly connected to the mountain

Back mountain office study

"Sixth brother, haven't you noticed that the number of people who have come to our direct mountain has been rising recently?" Liu Muxiu said to Zhang Rui, who was writing at this time

"I've been busy with workshops and captives these days, and I haven't paid much attention to it, what's going on?" Zhang Rui stopped what he was doing, raised his head, looked at Liu Muxiu who was looking at him and said

"I recently discovered that not only are there more people coming to us, but the places of origin are no longer only our two Guangzhou, but also Hunan, Jiangxi, and even Guizhou." Liu Muxiu said with some doubts

"Do you know what's going on?" Hearing this, Zhang Rui was a little vigilant, such a large scale, this is not a good thing.

"I asked them about it, and they all said that they heard about you, so they came to see it or came directly to you." Liu Muxiu replied, and at the same time blamed Zhang Rui a little

After listening to Liu Muxiu's words, Zhang Rui couldn't help but be puzzled. He didn't go to those places to put the news! Why did it get over there?

"Heaven won't play with me like that! I finally managed to suppress it and keep it from the attention of the Manchus. Who is doing this 'good deed' for me? ”

Note (1): "Documentary of the British Envoy's Visit to Qianlong" and "I See the Prosperous Age of Qianlong" refer to the records of the British mission's visit to the Qing Dynasty