After the announcement of the 20-day farm leave, the whole camp was jubilant. Many people begged Wu Nanhai if he could sell some rice directly instead of cooked rice, and they wanted to take it home. He readily agreed. It was sold at the price of 100 grams of mixed rice per serving. Sales of salted fish have also increased considerably. With the exception of those who were already homeless and ready to do it wholeheartedly, almost all workers had spent all their vouchers.

Wu De didn't say much, but said that they had to come back on time, and if there was an extension, they had to ask someone to pick up the news, otherwise they would be fined twice the number of days they were late. In addition, he asked the laborers to bring a message to the villages: All those who are willing to come to do business and work are welcome here, and ensure the safety of their persons and property.

At dawn the next day, the laborers left happily with small bags wrapped in rattan rags and salted fish and rice. Some people are from a village and travel together. Wu Nanhai watched the backs of these people slowly disappear into the morning mist, and couldn't help but sigh - birds with nests can't keep their homes. To train new farmers, we have to start with orphans.

Just thinking about it, he suddenly saw Zhang Xingjiao also carrying a small burden and a wooden stick, walking out slowly, so he greeted: "Mr. Zhang, will you go back too?" ”

Zhang Xingjiao has learned Mandarin well these days - he already knows a little bit of Mandarin. Hearing Wu Nanhai's question, he hurriedly bowed: "Chief Wu, I'll go back too, and I'll be back in four or five days." ”

"Is there anyone else at home?" Wu Nanhai heard about him from Wu De: his background was very miserable, and there was nothing left at home.

Zhang Xingjiao smiled bitterly: "How can the villain have any relatives," he touched the package, "When I was in trouble, I was taken care of by a few kind-hearted villagers." The old men looked up to them, rewarded so many things, and brought them back to give them away, which can be regarded as thanking them for their affection. In the future, the villain will be dead, and where the old man goes, the villain will follow......"

is really a kind person, Wu Nanhai couldn't help but look up and down at this Ming scholar, dressed in a tattered shirt, his hair was shaved because of unification, and now he has a tattered hat on his head. His face was pale and gray, and his face was unpale. It seems that "being a thief" is still a helpless choice for him.

Wu Nanhai thought about it and hurriedly asked, "Mr. Zhang, are there any orphans in your village?" ”

"Orphans?" Zhang Xingjiao thought for a while, "Yes, yes, but they are all raised in the clan, so they can't be considered lonely." ”

"Oh." Wu Nanhai was a little annoyed, he remembered that the clan society in ancient China actually performed many social functions in place of the government. Especially in places where the clan system is particularly strong, such as in rural areas, it is difficult to adopt many orphans unless there is displacement due to war or famine.

"But there is a widow and an orphan." Zhang Xingjiao thought for a while, "Life is very hard, I originally crossed the sea from the mainland to reclaim the wasteland, but unfortunately the man died of plague, leaving behind the mother and daughter, hey, ......" He sighed vigorously.

"Mr. Zhang, you tell them that if you are willing to come, come and work with us."

This time it was Zhang Xingjiao's turn to be surprised: "Orphans and widows can't do any work, girls are still young, and mothers are not as capable as local women." ”

"It's okay, if they want to, just bring it back."

Zhang Xingjiao hesitated for a moment, thinking that these pirates had no reason to import them for no reason, even if they had to buy slaves to work, they would naturally be young men and women; If it is for the recommended pillow mat, it is natural to ask for a woman in the prime of cardamom, what is the use of such a half-old woman and a yellow-haired child? I thought about it, but I didn't dare to ask more, so I went.

The captives were scattered. The work of the Li people here has also come to an end. After it was discovered that there were eight Li prisoners during the interrogation, the Executive Committee discussed whether to use this opportunity to connect with the local Li people, because the various mineral resources needed by the traversers were basically located in the interior of the island, and it was of practical significance to form a more Haode relationship with the Li people.

Mu Min, who originally cooperated with Guo Yi's trial of prisoners, took the initiative to apply for this task, for no other reason, she herself is the Li nationality of Hainan, although she migrated to Sichuan several generations ago, and is essentially the Li nationality of the household registration book. However, because of his own ethnic relationship, he usually knows some things about the Li people in Hainan. It is a rare professional who is more familiar with the Li people in the crowd.

Her knowledge of her own tribe made it easy for her to dispel the vigilance of several Li captives and tell all the local Li conditions.

Several of the captives could speak Chinese, and the traversers generally knew from this that they were "Shu Li", that is, Li people who were assigned to Qi Min and paid taxes on errands. There are many such Li people in various counties in Hainan. Mu Min communicated with them and knew that they were the so-called "Bu Pei Li" (Note: This is indeed the self-proclaimed Shu Li of Lingao County in the past. The degree of sinicization is already very deep, and it is spoken in Qiongzhou dialect - that is, Hainan dialect, which has the role of official dialect in Hainan. The surname is also in Han surname. According to their account, thirty of them came, and the lord of the county promised to give them twenty catties of salt each when he levied it.

From the inquiry, I know that most of them have some fields, but the yield is much less than the land of the Han people, most of them have to plant some land from the landlords, do short-term work, usually go to the mountains to hunt or pick red and white vines to the market to sell in exchange for salt and rice farm tools, but to the Han District not only have to pass the inspection department, the terrible thing is that there are also Ming army camps on the road: at least they are extorted for money, and at worst the goods are robbed, and their lives are not guaranteed. Most people have a hard time.

On the way to the Lebanese District, in addition to the inspection department, there were also military guards, and this news attracted the attention of the executive committee. Obviously, there are still Ming troops stationed in Lingao, but their task is to defend Li. Thirty years ago, because of the riots in Tinan Village, the official army went to the Li District to suppress them, and killed many people indiscriminately. I also hate the Han hawkers in the city - mountain goods can't be sold for a few dollars, and a mountain boar can't be exchanged for two or three catties of salt, they all like the iron farming tools of the Han people, but the price is ridiculously expensive, and a few large baskets of millet can only be exchanged for a sickle, except for the lord and a few rich landlords, no one can afford it.

Mu Min's report let the Executive Committee know that the ethnic issue in Hainan is much more complicated than they thought. Some people proposed to take advantage of the dissatisfaction of the Li people with the government and the Ming army, and send a small detachment deep into the Li district through these eight captives to mobilize the masses, so as to not only gain an ally, but also a source of soldiers. Since they often can't even eat salt, it will be much easier to recruit soldiers. Many people in the military group agreed with this proposal, especially Wei Aiwen, who put forward the proposal of recruiting Li and Miao soldiers to set up mountain infantry battalions, and enthusiastically promoted this proposal. The formation of a new army of locals was clearly an attractive idea. Since the local Han people are worried about "following thieves and rebelling", it is much easier to recruit Li people who are not so loyal to the authority of the government and have hatred to serve as soldiers.

"Give them some of the captured knives and guns, and arm the Li people, so that the Ming army will not be able to deal with us." Wei Aiwen carried his package of jihua, "You can also help pull out a few inspection divisions that lead to the Li District and annihilate those Ming troops, so that you can gain their full trust." Then he recommended himself as the captain of the martial arts team in Lebanon District.

This bold jihua was immediately opposed by everyone. Although there were a large number of economic and political factors in the Han-Li contradictions in Hainan in history, the repeated fighting between the two sides over the years has already caused deep national contradictions. I am afraid that the whole of Hainan will fall into social chaos at that time. The foothold is not stable, and the crossing country of small countries and widows will not be able to maintain even if there is Zenith technology.

After discussion, everyone agreed that the relationship with the Li people should be best maintained in the tone of friendship. The so-called friendship means that there is neither hostility nor alliance. Try to open up a line of communication to trade with each other and communicate with each other. Strive to recruit some new recruits in the Lebanese district.

After this tone was set, a trade caravan was formed, the captain was served by Lu Rong, a native of Guangxi, who knew Hakka, Hainanese, vernacular, Lei dialect, Zhuang dialect, Hokkien dialect, Southwest official dialect and other dialects, sales background, can speak well, and is an outdoor sports enthusiast, knows some martial arts, and has just returned with the long-range reconnaissance and survey team, has a certain amount of local field activity experience, very suitable for this job.

Mu Min went with the team as a "national advisor". Wei Aiwen, as the main touter of recruiting Jihua, also joined the team.

The team consisted of twenty people, each carrying an SKS rifle, a machete and a camping backpack, along with personnel from the exploration survey.

The Foreign Affairs and Commerce Committee prepared gifts and some barter goods, and knew that there was a shortage of salt in the Li district, and that the bulk of the goods was the refined salt that had been brought, and that there were some novelty and knick-knacks that they had to deal with with the local lords, not the common people of the bitter haha, but with some ingenious and lewd things to impress them.

"We killed more than 20 people on the other side, do we want to give them some compensation? Give each of you some silver. Wei Aiwen thought about it, "I remember that murder in ethnic minorities can be resolved by paying the price of life." ”

"There's no need," Xiao Zishan objected, "You first find out the cause and effect, it was they who participated in the Xiangyong team to attack us first, and the release of people is already a very friendly haode, and they also accompany the price of life?" Please, we are not the Qing Dynasty, and if we win, we will have to pay compensation for the land. ”

"The people who always kill them—"

"Why are you so caring all of a sudden," You Laohu, who was transferred from the military group to the escort team, sneered, "Why don't you want to accompany the hundreds of Han people who died in Bairentan that day?" ”

"Isn't this a national policy?"

"It's not good," Lu Rong shook his head again and again, "Such a national policy is unacceptable." If we win, we can just release people on our own initiative. Going to accompany the price of life will make people think that we are very weak, and we will come with a request, and if we want to start the price, the lion will open his mouth. ”

"I think so too," Xiao Zishan nodded again and again, "The so-called equality means not discriminating, not discriminating against others, and not discriminating against yourself." This tone must be grasped well. ”