When it was getting dark, the scattered villagers came back one after another, and a miserable cry sounded in Lou Fu Town.

In the morning, when the thieves attacked, one or two hundred villagers who ran slowly died under the thieves' knives, and when the thieves retreated, they ransacked the town again, and now the town is also in shambles.

Those poor villagers were okay, they didn't have any valuables at home, they took their clothes and flipped for their lives with the pitiful amount of food on their backs.

But those families were miserable, and all the food and some valuables that could not be carried away were robbed by the thieves.

There is also a big dilapidated family in the town, that is, the Wang family in Meng Guiming's mouth, the ancestor was brilliant, it was Wang Xizeng, who did not support the Yongle Death Festival Jianwen in the Battle of Jingyan, and was the right deputy inspector of the inspector Yushi, and he was a virtuous reader.

After Wang Xi was killed by Zhu Di, the Wang family, who was originally a famous family, was ostracized by the local government and other gentry everywhere, and because Wang Xizeng's bones were buried in Lou Fu, the Wang family simply moved from Jingle North Village to Lou Fu, but the family gradually declined.

Although the contemporary head of the family, Wang Jizong, has been smart since he was a child, diligent and studious, but his family has fallen into the middle of the road, and he is trapped in the fields every day to make a living, delaying his studies, and he has not been admitted to fame in his thirties.

This time, the Wang family was even worse, almost all the food in the family was robbed, and a few slow clansmen died.

Now, the loudest crying is the Wang family, and more than 20 people cry in the ancestral hall around a few corpses.

Wang Jizong, the current head of the Wang family, was paralyzed on the ground, looking at the empty granary, his face was pale, and his heart was full of discouragement.

He didn't understand, why did their Wang family fall to such a point when they clearly abided by morality and etiquette, cultivated themselves and studied diligently, and never did anything about the common people harming the township?

There are old and young people in the family, and more than 20 people open their mouths to eat, but the family is already down, and the food is snatched up, what should be done in the future?

In this world, are you really a good person who is not satisfied?

"Don't be like this, husband, don't hurt your body."

Wang Jizong's wife, Ma Shi, saw that he looked desperate and hurriedly came over to help him up.

"Don't worry, husband, the concubine still has some marrying objects, and if you take it tomorrow, you will be able to sow it in the spring and summer harvest next year, and life will be better."

Ma Shi said softly, while helping Wang Jizong to sort out his filial piety clothes, and then took off a silver bracelet from his wrist, and took off a hairpin from his bun and put it in the palm of Wang Jizong's hand.

"Ma'am, this ...... How does this work? Wang Jizong's hands trembled slightly, and he couldn't close the palms of his hands no matter what.

"Husband, these things are just outside the body, life does not bring death and does not bring them, if you can help your husband tide over today's difficulties, and it will not be in vain for more than ten years of careful collection of concubines, so what's the matter?"

"Madame......"

Wang Jizong couldn't help himself, hugged Ma and cried.

"Is Mr. Wang here?"

At this moment, a loud voice suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Husband, a guest has arrived."

Ma pushed Wang Jizong away, straightened out his filial piety clothes, walked back to the ancestral hall quickly, and knelt beside the corpses of several elders in a dignified manner.

Wang Jizong also wiped a handful of tears and walked towards the door.

Because the Wang family was facing a catastrophe at the beginning, they were neither prepared nor had money or food for the funeral, so they only hung plain threads everywhere in the house, and there was no gatehouse to welcome guests.

Wang Jizong went out to the door and saw several people standing outside, led by a tall and extraordinary young man, who looked like the son of a big family, and next to him stood a middle-aged man dressed in a straight shirt and behaving like a scholar.

But the entourage behind these two people is all gangster, with scars and scars, and they don't look like good people.

"Mr. Wang, the festival is good."

Wang Jizong was puzzled, and saw that the tall man in the leader arched his hand towards him and said politely.

"Thank you, sir."

Although he couldn't figure out what the other party was about, Wang Jizong still returned the salute gratefully.

The man said: "Mr. Wang, the contemptible surname is Qin Mingchuan, and now lives in Mengjiazhuang, I take the liberty to visit, and I hope Mr. Don't mind." ”

Wang Jizong was shocked, he had seen almost all the clansmen of the Meng family, but he had never seen the tall man in front of him.

Mengjiazhuang has just been breached today, and this person claims to live in Mengjiazhuang, is he one of those thieves?

"Mr. Wang misunderstood."

That person was naturally Qin Chuan, and when he saw the other party's suspicious face, he smiled and said: "Qin is a distant relative of the Meng family, and he visited Mengjiazhuang today, and he happened to see the atrocities of the thieves, so he came to help, and was invited by the owner of Mengzhuang to help him guard Zhuangzi, so he stayed." ”

"When Qin was a child, he heard the elders of the family talk about the deeds of the ancestor of the Wang family, Wang Yushi, and admired Wang Yushi's loyalty and integrity.

As he spoke, Qin Chuan beckoned, and Luo Da Niu put a sack of grain in front of Wang Jizong, and took out a silver ingot of fifty taels and put it on the sack.

Wang Jizong's face changed, and he hurriedly waved his hand again and again: "I can't do it, I can't help it, the so-called merit is not good, and the contemptible person and Mr. Qin have never known each other, how can they accept this big gift?" Please also ask Mr. Qin to quickly recover the money and food, don't be contemptible. ”

"Eh, Mr. Wang will see the outside world when he speaks like this, Qin has always admired Wang Yushi, and he wants to make friends with the descendants of the Wang family, if Mr. Wang does not accept this meager gift, Qin will be sleepless day and night, and his heart will be difficult."

"But ......"

"Mr. Wang, don't say much, Qin won't bother much, say goodbye first, and talk about it again in the future."

With that, Qin Chuan arched his hand, and then strode away with his subordinates.

"Mr. Qin, Mr. ......"

Wang Jizong chased a few steps, and after seeing that the other party didn't look back, he had to sigh helplessly, looking at the bag of grain and the ingot of silver with a complicated face.

After a long time, he arched his hand in the direction of Qin Chuan's departure, and said solemnly: "Thank you Mr. for saving the emergency, Wang will definitely remember it." ”

Seeing that his husband suddenly brought back a bag of grain, Ma was full of doubts and hurriedly came out to ask.

Wang Jizong described what happened just now, and Ma Shi's brows furrowed when he heard it.

"Husband, the Meng family has always been at odds with our Wang family, and when they used tricks to buy dozens of acres of fertile land from our Wang family, they also calculated and deducted silver taels in every possible way, but now they have sent money and grain, I'm afraid it is an ulterior motive."

"Madam, for the sake of my husband, Mr. Qin's bearing is extraordinary, and his demeanor is diametrically opposed to the people of the Meng family, he can be called a gentleman, and he is by no means a person from the same way as Meng Guiming and his ilk, and these money and food may not have other intentions."

"In this case, it doesn't hurt to accept these money and food first, and when the loss of the family is finished, the husband will come to the door in person to thank Mr. Qin, and you and I will be frugal in the future, and we will repay this kindness."

"Madame's words are very true."

……

"The big boss, what kind of character is the royal history of the king?" On the other side, Luo Da Niu asked angrily.

Qin Chuan smiled: "That's a court official in the Jianwen period, that is, the ancestor of Wang Jizong just now." ”

"Then the big official must be very powerful in fighting, right? Otherwise, how could the big boss be so admired? ”

"He is a civil official, his talent is not small, but he can't fight at all, it is true that he has integrity, in the face of the Yongle Emperor, he swore not to surrender, and he had to be loyal to Zhu Yunwen to death, this body of loyalty and courage is not comparable to many generals."

Song Zhiting on the side shook his head and took over the words: "If you don't support Yongle, you will build a text on the dead day, and you will not be upright and upright, and the history of Wang Yushi will be regarded as famous in history." ”

Qin Chuan didn't answer, only nodded.

In fact, he admired Wang Xizeng, but he had a fart admiration.

The reason why he sent money and food to Wang Jizong was that he wanted to encircle the other party, although Wang Jizong did not gain fame, he was also a well-known talent in the Luliang area.

It's not the kind that can only recite poems and do it right, but the kind of talent that has both a literary style and a sense of arithmetic, and knows how to farm the land.

Qin Chuan has no shortage of people who go into battle to fight, the thirty-eight old bandits of Jiuji Mountain under his command are all fierce generals, what he lacks is talents who can write and calculate, Song Zhiting is barely one, but there is only one and a half bucket of water divisions, how can he satisfy Qin Chuan's appetite.

In the near future, he needs someone to help manage logistics, and Wang Jizong, a person who is both talented and has mixed with the bottom, is the talent he urgently needs.

Another purpose of sending money and grain to Wang Jizong was to tell the villagers and miners of the mine that he respected the most loyal and courageous people in Qinchuan.

Walking in the town, Qin Chuan said to Luo Daniu: "Go and release the news, just say that the Meng family still has grain, and they will go out to buy more grain in a few days, so that the people in the town can stay at ease, especially the tenants of the Meng family, don't let them run around." ”

"Okay." Luo Da Niu took people there.

Qin Chuan took Song Zhiting to continue to wander around.

This is his territory, and the villagers in the town are his people, and he also wants the tenants to continue to help him farm the land, so that the land where the people are thriving can have a head.

……

Nothing was said all night.

The next morning, Qin Chuan was arranging for people to carry the corpse in Zhuangzi, when his subordinates suddenly came to report: There were many spies near Lou Fu, and there were them in all directions.

Those who came from the north and east were spies of officers and soldiers, and those who came from the south and west were Bashanhu and Li Biaofeng.

Hearing this, Qin Chuan returned to the top of the gatehouse and looked around.

Ba Shanhu and Li Biaofeng should have come to investigate his movements and want to know his movements.

As for the spies from the government, they are here to explore the way, and they want to see if the thieves are gone.

If you go, the people from the government will arrive soon, and if you don't go, then ...... The people of the government will always be shrunk in the county seat and the guardhouse.

If nothing else, the people from the government will arrive.

As Qin Chuan expected, at noon, a chaotic march under the banner of the Ming army appeared in the line of sight from the north.

"Shut up the injured nursing home and those women in the cave, send people to guard them, and chop up those who shout indiscriminately."

"Call the military advisor and Meng Guiming, and prepare to go out with me to greet the official master, and the rest of the people will guard the gatehouse, and no one will be allowed to go upstairs without my order."

"If the officers and soldiers turn their faces and do their hands for a while, the three-eyed guns will only seal the door, and the bird gunners and archers will kill the big officials first, then the horsemen, and then the private soldiers of the official master."

"If Meng Guiming dares to run, he will be the first to kill him."

Qin Chuan issued orders in an orderly manner, and then looked fixedly at the crooked team.