Shi Yiming brought a felt hat, crossed the river with a few people, and walked to the grass market not far away. Although the Juma River was the border between the Song Dynasty and the Khitan, it was just a river for the local people. The two sides of the river, theoretically, belong to the same county.

On the south bank of the river are the two counties of Guixin and Rongcheng under the rule of Xiongzhou in the Song Dynasty. Both counties are attached to Xiongzhou, the county is the same person, and the name of the county is only a political declaration. On the north bank of the river are the two counties of Guiyi and Rongcheng of the Khitan. Rongcheng has a county seat, and Guiyi is attached to Xincheng County. Because this was originally the Guannan region taken by the Northern Expedition of Later Zhou Shizong, the Khitan did not recognize it, so it set up prefectures and counties like the Song Dynasty. A large number of Song Dynasty people in Xiongzhou actually paid taxes to the Khitan, that is, the so-called two losers. And the errand service of the people under his rule, the Song Dynasty and the Khitan were divided proportionally. It has been like this for decades, and the people have long been used to it.

When he arrived at the grass market, a man said to Shi Yiming: "Brother, what are you buying today?" We're going to sell two chickens over there. ”

Shi Yiming said: "You take care of yourself." I went to the grass market to have a look, and in the afternoon I gathered under the big willow tree over there. ”

After speaking, he dragged away and walked towards the grass market.

A few people came in groups, not very familiar, and the others didn't care about him.

When he entered the grass market, Shi Yiming looked left and right, and looked again, but he didn't buy anything. After a while, the small grass market has already been visited.

Buying a cake to eat, Shi Yiming looked at the people in the grass market and thought of an idea. Seeing a fish seller, he sold his goods and went to a tea shop on the edge of the grass market to drink tea, Shi Yiming followed.

Sitting down next to the fish seller, Shi Yiming asked for a pot of tea, took a sip, and said, "This tea is a little astringent." ”

The man who sold fish saw that there was no one around, so he said: "This brother, drinking tea in the grass market is just to quench your thirst, where is there good tea." ”

Shi Yiming nodded: "That's what I said." In a grass market, even if there is good tea, few people can afford it. ”

After speaking, he arched his hand and said, "I don't know what my brother is called?" Where are the people? ”

The fish seller said: "In Xia Zhangfang, he is a local clan, and he cultivates the fields in the south for a living. I don't know my brother's surname? ”

Shi Yiming said: "When you have a surname, you have a single Thai name. It is a blessing to meet my brother today. ”

These are all polite words, and Zhang Fang doesn't care about it. Let Shi Yiming move a stool to sit with him and gossip. The person who bought the fish today was a somewhat sluggish person, and the price was excellent, and Zhang Fang's heart was happy.

Shi Yiming sat next to Zhang Fang, and said casually: "I don't know what my brother is doing in the grass market today?" ”

Zhang Fang said: "Yesterday, there was a puddle near my house, and on a whim, a few fish were caught in it. There is no market left and right, so I went to the grass market today to sell it, and I bought some tea vinegar to go back. Countryman, brother Mo smiled. ”

Shi Yiming said: "Good luck brother!" We farm the same, which one will laugh at the other. ”

The two gossiped for a while, and Shi Yiming said, "Brother lives in the south?" I heard that two months ago, there was a group of Khitans who escaped across the border because they were evading the errand of the other side, and the yamen was placed on the south bank of Nanyishui. ”

Zhang Fang smiled when he heard this: "That's a good word. I, a farmer, didn't know about this, but I happened to have some dealings with them a few days ago and found out about it. These Khitans escaped from the border, and they were really lucky. ”

When Shi Yiming heard this, he was secretly happy in his heart, and hurriedly said, "Why did my brother say that?" Hearing that these people fled, the Khitan earthquake in the north caused an earthquake, and the Khitan lord was exempted from taxes and did not repair the city. So, aren't they busy in vain? ”

Zhang Fang said: "My brother has shallow knowledge. For the imperial court, these people fled south, so they naturally wanted to get together. In the south of Nanyishui, a large piece of idle land was set aside for them, and money and food were exempted for three years. And these are not counted, and they are lent farm tools, ploughing cattle, and seeds, all without profit. You don't know, these people's farm tools are all carefully made by the Xiangzhou Iron Supervisor in the south, which is not ordinary and comparable. I saw it the other day, and it's really sharp when used to dig the ground, and I don't know how much effort it saved. You know, only in the shopping malls of Hejian Province in the south, there are these things for sale, where have we countrymen seen them? That's all there is to it, and you know that these people are all lucky. ”

"I see! Good luck for these people. Shi Yiming nodded, but he didn't know what Zhang Fang was talking about. Those new farm tools were actually not new in the Song Dynasty, but they were all made of good steel and were forbidden to be sold abroad. Xiongzhou is on the border, and it is a remote countryside, which the peasants have never seen. Shi Yiming on the other side of the Juma River didn't know what it was.

Zhang Fangdao: "In my opinion, if the yamen lends farm tools and cattle to these people, they will be able to grow grain next year." Tax exemption for three years, but from next year, what a good deal! You say that these people, don't they suffer good luck? ”

Shi Yiming said again and again: "What my brother said is that it turns out that these people still have this blessing." I only heard that after they fled, the Khitan stopped serving, and thought that they had left the memorization. By the way, brother, where do they live? ”

Zhang Fang said: "This grass market goes south, all the way to the Nanyi water. More than ten miles away from Xiongzhou City, there is a small ferry. After crossing the ferry, three or five miles to the southwest, they lived. I heard that there were more than 300 people, divided into five villages, and cultivated fields there. ”

Shi Yiming listened to the ecstasy. I only know that the Khitan people who fled south were placed south of Nanyishui, but I don't know where they are. I received the reward from the government, and as long as I inquired about the news, I would have ten rewards. It was because he was greedy for this money that Shi Yiming crossed the river and came here to inquire about the news.

A few days ago, Shi Yiming had already been here twice. It's just that the news in this era is really not well-informed, and no one knows about things dozens of miles away. But I didn't expect to finally meet today, and someone knows where they are. The route is so clear, go back to report to the government, and the money will be in hand.

There are all kinds of people in the world, and this is especially true in the Youzhou area. Since the Anshi Rebellion, it has been self-reliant, and the imperial court can't control it at all. It is even more so when Shi Jingtang is dedicated to the Khitan. For more than a hundred years, it had no relationship with the Central Plains Imperial Court, and the people under his rule were different. There are those who are interested in the Central Plains court, there are those who only care about their own lives, and of course there are those who are interested in the Khitan. But the most is that they only care about their own lives and don't care about what court they belong to. Whoever gives money and can make a good life is a good court.

Shi Yiming doesn't have any concept of family and country, he only knows that the current government is Khitan, and if he does things for them, he can have a reward. Zhixing himself was originally a Han Chinese, and he should have his heart towards the Song Dynasty, and he was in Shi Yiming's ears.

It is now summer and autumn, the Juma River is big, and the Khitan has no choice. But the incident of more than 300 people who escaped has always been remembered. After asking the Song Dynasty for many times without success, Zhizhou Yang Ji thought about getting it himself. Just wait for the winter, after the Juma River froze, send thousands of soldiers and horses across the river to take these people back.

Now in August, winter is approaching, Yang Ji ordered his subordinates to go to the government to inquire about the news of those Song people. However, the Song Dynasty was very strict in the border area, and only heard that it was in the south of Nanyishui, but did not know the location of the body.

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