On the eighth day of the fourth month, the Son of Heaven sacrificed to the heavens and set out on an expedition; On April 16, the royal driver arrived at the camp in the north of the town to inspect the three armies; On April 18, 180,000 Zheng soldiers marched north in three routes, and the Northern Expedition, which shook the world, officially began.

Huazhou can be regarded as the emperor far away, and the news of the Northern Expedition was known to the people in May. For ordinary people, the national war thousands of miles away is too far away, far less important than their own acres of wheat fields and melon fields, and the family's food, drink, and Lazar all rely on the production of the family's fields, as long as Huazhou does not fight, whether the north fights or not, it really doesn't matter.

Since the history of the river thorn came to Huazhou, life has been getting better and better day by day. The combined tax seems to have risen a little, but there is less miscellaneous donations and exploitation, and the benefits are actually falling, and the opposition to the new policy quickly subsided. The abundant sales of honey fruits have made the originally worthless melons and fruits easier to sell, and the income from planting an acre of melons is higher than the income from planting an acre of land. However, the government has encouraged the reclamation of wasteland, and the newly reclaimed land is free to be cultivated without taxes for two years, and hundreds of hectares of new land were added last year.

There are more than 200 households in the north of Honghe Fort in Hecheng County, the newly built earth and stone house in the west of the village, next to it is a flat wheat drying field, there are a few stones placed outside the wall, the men who work all day hold the stoneware bowl to gather in one place to eat and chat, and the little baby who has eaten early is frolicking and playing in the open space.

How the days are going can be seen directly from the food in the bowls. Your family's white bread, my family's big noodles, and his family eats mutton and fire, showing off seemingly unintentionally. The earth and stone house is the new home of Huang Laohan's third son, watching Huang Sanma come out with a big pottery bowl with a smile, everyone quipped: "Sanma, I am finally willing to leave the new daughter-in-law, come over and see what the new daughter-in-law makes for your boy, you have to work hard day and night, you have to make up for it." ”

The stoneware bowl is full of pulled strips, and the eye-catching thing is a few thick pieces of mutton slices piled on top of the noodles, although everyone's life is much better than before, and it is not a problem to eat and dress warmly, but it is not easy to open the meat, a few pairs of chopsticks unceremoniously forked to the bowl, and the mutton is divided cleanly in a moment.

Huang Laosan was not annoyed, picked out the finely minced mutton from the bowl and stuffed it into the mouths of the children who came around, and when it was clean, he knocked on the edge of the bowl with chopsticks and said with a smile: "It's all eaten, let's play." The child came running playfully and continued to run and play in the clearing.

"Your father has been in Tuntian for more than ten days, it's almost time to go back." A thin old man squatted beside Huang Laosan and asked.

Huang Laosan swallowed the noodles in his mouth vaguely, and responded: "Uncle Yang, it's been half a month since I left, and my mother said that the Tuntian Yamen invited him to teach the Tun soldiers to farm, and it's almost time to come back." ”

"Tsk, Daddy Huang can be regarded as a beautiful scenery", a black man next to him said enviously: "I heard that the government gives 50 wen a day for teaching and learning, and 200 wen for carriage and horses, at least one or two taels of silver on this trip." Sanma, you tell your father, next time the government wants someone to teach farming, can you bring my father with you, even if you save some money. ”

"Heiwa, you think well, your father's farming skills are not as good as my father's." "That's it, if you want to take my dad with you......

Huang Sanma ignored the noise of the people around him, ate the noodles in two times, and was just about to stand up and go home, Uncle Yang grabbed him and said, "Sanma, I heard."

Your father sent your brother's eldest baby to Baqing Town to read and write? ”

"Yes", mentioning the eldest nephew Huang Sanma with a proud face, said with a smile: "The tiger baby is a little clever, my father said that this baby may be a reading material, Baqing Town opened a private school, he has a relationship with General Feng in Baqing Town, General Feng promised to accept the tiger baby, just eat and live in his house, just with General Feng's grandson as a companion." ”

Baqing Town has become the largest market town in Hecheng County from a deserted town, Feng Dingzhong took his wife and children, and many soldiers brought their families, and now Baqing Town is a large market town of more than 3,000 people. With popularity and natural entry of shops, many soldiers have become new homes. There are many people and children, Feng Dingzhong and his subordinates discussed to let the children study, and specially invited two gentlemen to the county to set up a private marriage.

General Feng, Feng Dingzhong, has been promoted to become the commander of the Anxitun army. Last year, several commanders of the Tuntian Yamen deliberately sang against Jiang Tingshi and asked for benefits, which coincided with the Yuan Tianjiao Yang Siqi instigating the troops to make trouble, and Jiang Anyi grabbed the handle. Afterwards, Jiang Anyi played the court of the Ming Dynasty, and the Son of Heaven issued an order to remove Wu Dagang, the commander of the Anbeitun Army, Ji Gangbing, the commander of the Anxitun Army, and Zheng Wenkai, the commander of the Andong Tun Army. Of course, this is also the praise of Jiang Anyi from the Son of Heaven after Tuntian's great success.

Feng Dingzhong was lucky, he got acquainted with Jiang Anyi at the earliest, and Jiang Anyi was satisfied with a few dealings, Feng Dingzhong took his family to Baqing Town a few years ago, and intended to take root in Huazhou, Feng Dingzhong was considered Jiang Anyi's cronies in the Tun army, and the fat water did not flow into the fields of outsiders, Feng Dingzhong was promoted to the commander of the Anxitun army. Jiang Anyi saw that he was cautious and obedient, and he did not respond to the trouble caused by the commander of the Zhutun army of the Tuntian Yamen, so he was turned from deputy to regular and became the commander of the army of Annantun. As for the commanders of Anbei and Andong Tun, Jiang Anyi did not forcibly appoint them, and let the original deputy military commanders take over, although the Son of Heaven classified the cantonment affairs as local government affairs, Shi Qingjian, Liu Yixing and others advised him to try to interfere as little as possible.

After this turmoil, the Tun army became a lot more docile, the days of the Tuntian Yamen became much better, and at the beginning of the year, more than 10,000 Tun soldiers came one after another, all of whom were properly placed by Ning Qingzheng, although there were some small frictions, there were four Tun army commanders to help, and it was roughly called calm.

Uncle Yang pouted and said enviously: "Your father has been honest all his life, but I didn't expect to get to know a noble person when he got old, made friends with General Nafeng, and found a good way for his children and grandchildren." ”

Huang Sanma smiled "hehe", scratched the back of his head and didn't know how to respond, and said for a long time: "Uncle Yang, if you have anything, just say it, do you want to be paid?" Can you wait two days, and I'll give it to you when my father comes back. ”

Uncle Yang is a mason, and Huang Sanma's new house was built by him with his three sons. Hecheng County has developed rapidly in the past two years, and the work of building houses and houses is too busy to reach the land, Uncle Yang's 60 acres of land are rented to others to plant, and he takes his three sons to build houses for others all day long, and the father and son can earn at least 100 taels of silver a year, which is a wealthy family in Honghe Fort.

There are four new houses, and the wages are four taels, Huang Sanma became a family and split up, Huang's father promised to give him three taels, and he had to figure out his own way for the remaining one or two. Huang Sanma married a new daughter-in-law, and when the daughter-in-law returned to her parents' house, she had to be generous, and the more than four taels of silver accumulated in her hands were all spent, but he was not panicked at all. There are two of them

Ten acres of land, and when the wheat is harvested in June, it can be exchanged for four or five taels of silver, and the newly cultivated one-acre melon field grows well, and it can also fall four or five taels of silver, and the daughter-in-law and her mother and sister-in-law raised more than 20 sheep, and at the end of the year, they can be sold in the county seat and can be exchanged for a few taels of silver, and the debt of one or two silver is nothing.

"Didn't you ask for money, you baby, isn't your uncle the kind of person who can't see money?" Old Man Yang was a little angry, and bent his fingers and knocked on Huang Sanma's head.

"What's going on?" Huang Sanhan touched his head, Uncle Yang's strength was not small, and this time it was not light.

Yang Laohan said in a sullen voice: "Sanma, when your father comes back, you can ask me if you can send my fifth child to the town to read and write, just to be a companion with the tiger baby." "Yang Laohan has four sons and one daughter, the youngest fifth is only eight years old this year, he is still working early, and the family has spare money, Yang Laohan is thinking about letting him know two words, even if he can't show his talents, it is better than being blind, and people who can read and break words will always be of great use in the future.

Huang Sanma's face was embarrassed, he knew that General Feng promised his father to send his nephew to study a lot of face, so he wanted to introduce other people's children, is it appropriate? Dad often said that being a man should be a duty, and he couldn't get close to an inch, and he was afraid that he couldn't ask about it.

Uncle Yang saw Huang Sanma's embarrassment, and said: "Sanma, whether you succeed or not, Uncle Cheng will miss your good, if you can succeed, I will only charge half of the salary for building a house in your family." ”

Half of the four taels of wages are only two taels, and my father gave three taels, so he said that he was so white that he found one or two taels of silver in four rooms, Huang Sanma laughed honestly and said, "Okay, I remember." ”

Changes are quietly taking place in the land of Huazhou, the trade routes are prosperous, the peasants are busy, the prices of craftsmen are rising, the value of the literate Xiucai has doubled, the servants and officials of the yamen are hot, and all industries are blooming and brilliant like flowers on the grassland, exuding vigorous vitality.

Dong'er's carriage poured into Huiye Castle with the lively flow of people, and the noisy shouting came into the car, gently lifting the corner of the curtain, and Dong'er set his eyes on both sides of the street: rows of shops, cars and horses, endless flow of people, strangely dressed Hu merchants, horse teams, and camel herds, interweaving a bustling city map. It is said that Huazhou is the northwest border, and it is very desolate, it seems that those people are talking nonsense, even Wenping Mansion in Dezhou is not lively here.

Jiang Chenzhi arched up from his mother's arms, leaned on the window and looked out, and asked in a milky voice: "Mother, those horses are so weird, why are they swollen on their backs?" ”

The girl Xiaozhu smiled: "Young master, those are camels, not horses." ”

"Luo Luo?" Jiang Chenzhi seems to understand whether he understands or not, he is already four years old, and it is the time to be naughty and active. Dong'er hugged her son into her arms a little nervously, and said softly: "Zhi'er, do you want to be a father, you have to be good after seeing your father, you have to call someone when you get home, you have to be obedient, and your mother can call you whatever you want." ”

Jiang Chenzhi no longer remembered Jiang Anyi's appearance, tilted his head and asked Dong'er: "Mother, does my father have a beard, is my eldest mother fierce, and does he call my brother if he has a little brother?" ”

Dong'er's eyes flashed with confusion, she and her husband have been separated for two years, in the past two years, Xinfei gave birth to her sister-in-law Jiang Chenyi, Tong'er also married into the family, and she came to Huiye Mansion by herself, I don't know what will greet you?

No matter what, it is always a happy thing to be able to return to Jiang Lang with his son. Dong'er lowered the curtain and smiled warmly at the corner of her mouth. ()

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