Thinking of this, Chen Tingmei's heart suddenly became hot, he turned his head and said to this country man seriously: "The English, who are good at boating, crisscross the four seas, and are also dominant in Taixi. However, how can the elite army of our dynasty be able to withstand such barbarians? Some time ago, at the mouth of the Gambia River, our fleet, under the wise command of the commander of the land, smashed the Yingyi, sank more than 10 ships, killed more than 1,000 enemies, and captured countless ships. Now that our fleet has been smoothly transferred, we may be able to return to Korea in a few days. ”

"Hey, I'll just say it!" The militia director clapped his palms excitedly and said, "When the fleet comes back, I will definitely take a boat to Zhenhai Fort to have a look." Killing more than a thousand enemies, Chief Lu is really a fairy-like figure, this is a great achievement! Alas, it's a pity, I haven't seen what Chief Lu looks like. Back then, I was a firecracker on the 'Maritime Writers', and I was often seen by Chief Han, who was the commander of the fleet, but I never had the opportunity to meet him. Later, I heard that the "Sea Writer" was sunk in the battle with Yingyi, but it was a pity. It seems that a lot of people died in that battle, there are navy brothers, there are army brothers, and a few of them are from our village......"

Listening to this man talking about the past upside down, Chen Tingmei didn't feel impatient at all, and listened with a smile all the time.

The three of them chatted while hurrying, and after a while, the village was in sight. Chen Tingmei stood on the hillside at the entrance of the village, taking in the village in front of her.

It is a standard village of 50 families, with traditional Chinese style red brick and green tile houses nestled among lush orange trees. The vines in the courtyard of the house climbed most of the fence along the braided reed supports, and some birds landed on top of the fence from time to time, chirping into the courtyard.

A group of urchins at the entrance of the village seem to be playing some kind of game. More than a dozen children, big and small, shouted and had fun. Several hounds shook their heads and tails after them. It seems to be sharing their simple happiness.

What a picture of the peaceful countryside! Chen Tingmei looked a little intoxicated. He now suddenly understood the mentality of the militia director. Yes, I don't want to believe that our fleet is gone, and I don't want to believe that our beautiful and peaceful life is going to be shattered.

Who the fuck said our fleet is gone?! Chen Tingmei's heart roared silently.

A few naughty children were playing a game of war at the entrance of the village, and one of the older children in the lead was wearing a big black-brimmed hat that he didn't know where he got it. With this "sacred" military hat in the eyes of the children, this child naturally became the leader of this group of children, and gave orders to several others.

"There's an enemy coming!" The eldest child pointed the wooden stick in his hand in the direction where Chen Tingmei and the three men were coming, and shouted in a childish voice: "There is a whole platoon, five rounds of shooting." Preparation...... Put! ”

Then a group of children lined up in a row with wooden guns in their hands, accompanied by the auxiliary words of "pop papa" in their mouths, and "salvo" at the three people.

The director of the militia, Ha Luha, smiled, rushed over with an arrow, and hugged the eldest child in the middle of a crowd of chickens and dogs, and instantly disintegrated the children's "military formation".

"Uncle Sun, you Laipi! You've been beaten into a hornet's nest before you rush over! Ahh The child twisted in the arms of the militia chief and muttered dissatisfiedly.

Chen Tingmei looked at the two people in front of her, one big and one small, playing together. I felt a sense of peace in my heart. The child looked to be ten years old, with maroon hair and a Central Asian face. It also looks quite cute.

"This baby is pitiful." The village chief next to him suddenly sighed and said softly: "Back then, it was said that their family of three was sold to us from that black seaside. This uprooted man was miserable enough, and then his father was drafted into the army, went to sea with the navy, and never returned. The boss quickly issued a pension of 200 yuan, but this family lacks a pillar, how can they live this life. Fortunately, his mother-in-law was quite shrewd, and bought 20 acres of land with half of the pension, and then rented it to an Italian who came over to beg for food, and said that the harvest would be half for one person, and the two of them barely survived. ”

Chen Tingmei was silent.

The militia chief put down the eldest child, put the military hat on his head, and then walked over holding hands and said, "Today is Sunday, and a bunch of bear children are on vacation and no one cares about them. ”

Chen Tingmei stepped forward and patted the young man's shoulder, and then encouraged: "Little Marati, you are a man now, you must study hard in the future, strive to go to high school in the future, and then enter the Academy of Natural Sciences for further study, be a scientist, and make your mother proud of you." ”

"I don't want to be a scientist." The child stubbornly raised his face and said: "Little Marati will be able to ride a horse when he is five years old, and in the future I will go to military school, and then become a soldier and kill all the British!" ”

"Marati, why do you hate the British so much?"

"They killed my dad!" Marati said with red eyes: "There will be no one to ride with me again, hunt with me, or sleep with me, so I will kill them." ”

Listening to the child's astonishing words in simple language and with great seriousness, several adults present sighed inaudibly.

Marati's home is at the entrance of the village, and Chen Tingmei and the three of them followed the child over. There was a lush Parana pine standing at the door, and the sharp-eyed Chen Tingmei saw that a piece of bark at the bottom of the pine tree was carved with a knife with a few simple patterns, which seemed to be a large and a small two people riding horses, the smaller person in front rode a foal, the older person in the back rode a tall horse, and behind the two horses there was a long-haired woman standing under the tree and quietly watching them. The strokes of the knife carving are relatively immature, but it can be seen that they are extremely careful.

Chen Tingmei could only sigh again in her heart.

This is a standard government-issued housing with three rooms on the left, middle and right, with a kitchen, utility room, yard and fence. The utility room had been converted into a sheepfold with four or five bleating goats. There was a big dog lying in front of the sheepfold, and when he saw the man come in, he shook his head and threw himself into Malati's arms, and Marati caressed the soft fur of the big dog lovingly, and his expression was not at all like the boy who had just said that he wanted to kill all the Englishmen.

The mistress of the house was not there, probably went to work in the fields. In the courtyard, an Italian was killing two fish by the well, and when he saw the village chief and the militia chief come in with a stranger, he immediately stood up with some restraint and looked at them in a daze.

"Marati, you're back." The Italian said in somewhat unfamiliar Chinese, "I caught two fish by the lake and killed them for you to eat." ”

Marati snorted, played with the dog to herself, and ignored him.

The Italian was suddenly a little embarrassed, even though his face was full of beards, Chen Tingmei could still see that his face was a little red.

"Ahem." The village chief cleared his throat, and then said: "Zamparini, I have already handed over your materials to the county, and the county will issue you an ID card in a while, and you will be a citizen of our East Coast Republic of China in the future." Remember, you must obey the law, be loyal to the country, do your military service on time, pay your taxes, and nothing else you will have to tell you. You're in luck, you have to cherish it. ”

The Italian nodded with some delight.

After the village chief finished speaking, he said to Chen Tingmei with some embarrassment: "This Italian named Zamparini came from La Plata to beg for a living, and it has been more than a year since he came. Originally, he was a tenant of this family, renting 20 acres of rice fields, and usually helping the family cut some grass and herd sheep. A few months ago, Marati's mother came to me and said she wanted to ...... To ...... with Zamparini What's that...... When I got married, I was asked to declare my household registration to Zamparini. I think it's true that there is no man in this family and it doesn't look good, and both of them are willing, so I will report to the county according to their wishes. Well, a few days ago, I heard that the county has approved it, and the ID card will be issued after a while. ”

Chen Tingmei nodded in agreement. Today, the country is grass-roots and lacks a population. Widow remarriage can increase fertility, which is naturally something to be encouraged. However, at this time, he finally understood the reason for Marati's cold attitude towards the Italian. This child's heart must have a deep affection for his father, so he will be extremely disgusted with the cheap stepfather in front of him, which is also human nature.

Seeing that Chen Tingmei didn't say anything, the village chief said cautiously: "Their family has 20 acres of paddy fields, five goats, and two pigs, and the property valuation has exceeded the 50 yuan property tax threshold stipulated by the state. However, I thought that their family's life was not easy, so I took it upon myself to report his family's property to 45 yuan, so his family did not pay taxes......"

Chen Tingmei is a clerk sent down from above to check the accounts, and he will start checking the accounts in the village in a while, and there is no reason why he will not find out about the small movements of the village chief. Therefore, the village chief saw that others were still easier to speak, so he had the courage to speak first.

Chen Tingmei smiled when she heard this, and said, "Village Chief, you did the right thing. The state has just issued a new regulation, and the families of military martyrs are exempt from tax for ten years, and they also enjoy various preferential policies. The martyrs sacrificed their lives for the country, and how can we living bear to bully their orphans and widows. So, village chief, you're doing the right thing. ”

After listening with a smile, the village chief said, "So, Clerk Chen, let's start sorting out the accounts and counting the materials now?" ”

"It's good that the country is at war with Yingyi, and the sooner this matter is done, the sooner we can do our best for the country." Chen Tingmei nodded and said.

……

At the end of August 1637, several working groups dispatched by the Government Council basically cleaned up the local materials and accounts, and at the same time made a preliminary investigation of the local people's feelings, including ideological trends, and submitted a report, which provided an important basis for the Executive Committee to make decisions. At the same time, it also made the Executive Committee and the Government Council realize that the people's will and morale are available, so they are even more determined to fight the British. (To be continued......)