Chapter 2: Morning Dew

"Isn't the Nine Masters ghosted? I want to grab land with the dead! Seeing that Cheng Mingzhen insisted on staying in Ping'en, the minions smiled bitterly and exchanged ears. They are not afraid of the living, but they have an innate fear of skeletons. But out of habitual respect, they reluctantly accepted the order. With the county government as the core, they spread out in all directions, looking for a relatively neat courtyard to rest, and lighting the fire to cook.

After the smoke floated up, the fear in everyone's hearts was slightly reduced. Speaking from the heart, in addition to the bones that can be seen everywhere that make people feel hairy on their spines, Ping'en County is indeed a good place. There were wells in the depths of almost every street, and in the early summer, the water from the wells was white smoky, and the entrance was sweet and cool, so that the fatigue of the march for days was swept away.

After drinking enough water, I could see that the fruit trees in the yards of many people's homes were lush and green. Among the emerald green leaves, the fruit the size of a thumb belly is faintly visible. The anxious guy immediately climbed up and stuffed a few into his mouth, only to grin so hard that his saliva flowed down the trunk of a tree.

The last time Zhang Jiajun broke the city, he left in a hurry, and only carried out simple destruction of the clumsy furniture that could not be taken away, such as tables, beds, water tanks, clay pots, etc. The furniture was dusted off and rinsed with well water, barely functional. As long as you don't consider that it was once stained with human blood, at least it's more convenient than a stone stump brought in the wild. In fact, the blood stains of those years have long been dried and blown away with time, and all that remains is the memory of war and destruction. And only a small part of the minions of the Jinzi Camp participated in the massacre of the city that year, so everyone didn't have too much burden in their hearts.

The whining can still be heard, and it has never been less. But if someone listens carefully, they will find that most of the complaints are just lamenting that the last looting of their peers was too rough, and they actually left so many good things that are suitable for use. Especially near the courtyard near the county office, the neater the house, the more exquisite the texture of the remaining things inside. The sandalwood bed and the paulownia piano stand, even if the legs are broken and the gaps are cut, they are still good wood, aren't they? When the firewood is burned more than any other wood.

There are still so many good things left in the big families near the county office, so there must be more "treasures" left in the county office! In the spirit of opening their eyes and having wealth together, several small leaders who were usually familiar with Cheng Mingzhen sneaked towards the yamen. The soldiers were busy cleaning, and they saw all acquaintances, so they didn't have time to care about them. A few small leaders slipped through the wall, skimmed the crack in the door, and walked into the backyard of the county government after three or two turns.

After all, it used to be one of the largest counties in the vicinity, and even if the backyard of Ping'en County was overgrown with waist-deep wild grass, it looked more magnificent than the rich man they had ever seen. There are pavilions, cloisters, small buildings, and flower beds. There is also a pond covering an area of three acres with spring waves. Hundreds of carp, not fresh and old, flock to the pool, spitting blisters and begging for food. They are the happiest and have no memories.

Cheng Mingzhen was standing in a freshly cleaned water pavilion on the pond at this moment, leaning over the stone table and writing hard. Degree. The seven-master cuckoo knelt beside him, and a large bag and small wrap were placed on his side. Duan Qing, Zhang Jin, Zhou Fan, Han Gesheng, Wang Fei and other close relatives were also there, arguing fiercely in front of the map. They looked a little emotional, waving their arms to cheer them on. On the corridor leading to the pavilion, more than a dozen guards stood to block the way, prohibiting unrelated people from continuing to approach.

Seeing this scene, the uninvited guys remembered the rules of the army again. He stuck out his tongue in the opposite direction, lowered his head and licked out along the shadow of the tree at the base of the wall. Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, he was stopped by a guard.

"The Nine Masters told a few of you to come over!" The guard's face was as cold as his voice.

"Nine, nine masters, yes, is there something?" The little leader Yang Lingkan was taken aback and asked nervously.

He was answered with an even colder scold, "Didn't you know the past?" What nonsense! ”

"Alas, alas!" Yang Lingkan and his partners looked at each other, feeling remorseful. It is true that the ninth master treats people generously, but he also attaches great importance to the rules. It's okay to trespass on the Chinese military tent, if this is seriously investigated, everyone's brains may have to move home! Why do you owe it so much, what is the devil confused?

In any case, it is too late to regret it. Everyone followed the guards into the water pavilion, thinking that they would at least be beaten with a military stick. Unexpectedly, the nine masters were in a very good mood today, and they couldn't even make a fire, so they stopped their pens and asked with a pleasant face: "After you have cleaned up, have the brothers under your command been properly settled?" ”

"Alas, alas, it's over, it's over!" Yang Lingkan agreed casually, lest he would be dealt with by military law if he was a little slow, and after answering, he felt that his words were very easy to misunderstand, and quickly added in a panic, "I am, I mean it's over." Brothers, the brethren are all very good, and it is better to have a house to live in than to sleep in the open. Nine, nine masters, do you need our help here? With such a large yard, there must be a shortage of manpower to clean it up! ”

"Yes, yes. A few of us are afraid that you won't be able to clean it up on your own, so we will take a look here. If you need us to exert your strength, just ask! Another team leader, Feng Ding, also panicked and helped Yang Lingkan lie.

Knowing that everyone was talking nonsense, Cheng Mingzhen didn't expose it. Pick up the paper on the stone table one by one, and stuff a few into the hands of each guest, "Take it, I just need you to do something!" A few of you go to the city gate, the little pavilion five miles outside the city, and the nearby villages, and help put up a ...... everywhere it looks like you can pass by."

"Yes, yes, my subordinates will go ......!" Yang Lingkan grinned and responded with a bitter face. He didn't know any of the words on the paper, and he didn't know at all how many villages and forks there were around Ping'en County. If it is not posted anywhere, wouldn't it be a violation of the military order?

"Try to post as much as possible, I'll write so much for the time being, and I'll find everyone to help me copy it when the sky comes down!" Cheng Mingzhen seemed to be able to see through people's minds, and patted Yang Lingkan's shoulder with a smile, "This is an announcement from Anmin." Degree. It is to tell the people around us that we are here, and we will not rob them of their food or kill people indiscriminately. Let them plant the land and cultivate the land, and open up the wasteland. It's business as usual! ”

"No, my subordinates will do it immediately!" Only then did all the leaders relax and agree in unison. Turning their heads, they looked at each other again and asked, "An Min? Are there any people in the vicinity? ”

Seeing a few small leaders go away, Cheng Mingzhen turned his head and continued to explain to a few cronies: "This place is only separated from Wuyang County by a water, as long as the place is quiet and the officials do not disturb the people, there will definitely be people on the other side of the strait who will not be able to live a long time to come to reclaim the wasteland!" In addition, along the way, I made a rough estimate that from the water to here, and not far from Qingzhang, the remaining population of the three counties and the displaced people hidden in the wilderness are about 7,000 to 10,000. If they were all concentrated near the three county seats, a lot of wasteland would be created. There are also brothers under our command, except for the more than 4,000 warriors who insist on training every day, the rest can be scattered and cultivated by themselves, whether raw or cooked, as long as it is wasted, whoever opens it will be anyone's! ”

"That's not enough to catch up with the solar terms, huh? It's all about time! After the mango seed, you can't force the seed! Regarding Cheng Mingzhen's vision, Zhou Fan is obviously not optimistic.

"You can grow buckwheat, the yield is low, but you can have a harvest somewhat." Duan Qing had fiddled with crops before when he was a village warrior, and he took Zhou Fan's words and reminded with a smile.

"It's okay to sprinkle millet down, although the yield of that thing is not very good, it is a lazy crop, and it hardly needs to be taken care of. Lay down millet to eat, and the straw can also be fed to livestock. "Han Gesheng is also from a humble background, and he is clear about the living doors in the field.

"There is plenty of water in this area, the terrain is flat, and there are indeed a lot of good fields, and they are all watered and very fertile! The key is to bring people to repair those canals as soon as possible, otherwise there will be no water in the areas that should be watered. All the places that should not be watered have become ponds......"

"It's already a pond, and if you drain the water, you'll be clogged with a lot of fish!"

When it comes to farming, except for Cheng Mingzhen, almost everyone here is an expert. Soon, the atmosphere in the water pavilion became lively, and everyone came up with ideas.

"The key is that we can stay here for a few days, if we stay for a long time, we don't need to give you orders, and everyone is not willing to let the land be barren. If you don't believe it, near the city wall, Tebi is a convenient place to go to the water, and there is no need to order the wasteland to be cleared, and the brothers themselves have to fight in order to grab the land. "Some people have a long-term vision, and they don't wait for the wasteland to be cleared, and think of disputes first.

"Then each person will have a maximum of fifty acres, and if it is more, even if it is public land, the harvest will go to the yamen!" Cheng Mingzhen groaned slightly, and then he had a way to deal with it. "If we want to stay, we won't be a year and a half. It could be five or ten years, or it could be here forever! ”

His words attracted the attention of Duan Qing and the others again, and everyone seemed to suddenly realize something, slowly closed their mouths, and the smiles on their faces slowly converged.

Cheng Mingzhen was unaware of it, and continued to think about future planning, "The three counties are less than thirty miles away from each other, and they just happen to be horns of each other. Zhou Fan, would you like to take a thousand sharp soldiers and three thousand ordinary minions to drain the water? Just open a porridge shed at the entrance of the Yamen in Lishui County and help Liu Laohan and them stay up until autumn? ”

"As for Qingzhang, Duan Qing has been there once, and he is familiar with the land. In a few days, he will bring a thousand sharp men and five thousand brethren with him. First clean up the county seat, find a place to incinerate and bury the bones that no one has gathered! As long as we gain a firm foothold in these three places, we don't have to look up to other people's eyes to live in the future! ”

When everyone heard this, their faces became more and more solemn, and finally someone couldn't hold it back, first interrupted Cheng Mingzhen's words with a cough, and then asked tentatively: "Brother Jiu, do you really plan to be the county master?" This is the junction of Wuyang County and Qinghe County, no matter which side it is, it may not be able to accommodate us! ”

"Why don't you say, if we want to fight Qinghe now, we will fight Qinghe, and if we want to fight Wuyang, we will fight Wuyang?" Cheng Mingzhen glanced at everyone and grinned. Degree. When he was in Julu Zezhong, he rarely laughed like this, and he was never as stubborn and confident as he is today! Ever since he killed Feng Xiaoci, his face has always been flat for months, as if there is a bunch of dark clouds above his head. And after leaving Juluze, the dark clouds above his head suddenly dispersed, and every gesture was full of sunshine. "We are close to both Wuyang and Qinghe, and no matter which soldier comes to fight us, the county guards of the two counties feel that they are helping their neighbors, so no one may be willing to do this disadvantaged thing! And this year's grain, we can use the banner of the big boss to force the government of Wuyang County and Qinghe County to make it up for us, including giving alms to the people who come to take refuge, or we can force them to take it out. ”

Food is indeed not a problem, since everyone did not hesitate to follow Cheng Mingzhen and his wife out of Juluze, they believe that Cheng Mingzhen and his wife have the ability to support these more than 10,000 brothers. However, this protection of the territory and the people, and the cultivation of wasteland and farmland have always been the only things of the government. Everyone said that they could, but it was really difficult to adapt to the sudden change of role.

The heroes of the green forest have always robbed the wealth of others and helped their own poverty. Throughout the ages, who has ever seen a hero in the green forest cultivate the land by himself?

"At present, there is chaos everywhere in Hebei, and one place is poorer than the other. No matter where we go, we can't grab too much! "Cheng Mingzhen knew that everyone didn't understand his thoughts, so he was patient and explained slowly." What if you run out of a place? We'll have to go to the next place. None of them are familiar, and none of them are long. The men are fine, they can eat and sleep in the open, they can finish eating today and not tomorrow. What about the wife and children? And let them follow the team for a lifetime, looking for water to drink in the mud pit? Searching for dry food on the corpses of dead people to eat? There is no fixed place to live in this life, and in the next life, it will be home from all over the world? ”

Looking back at the northern horizon, he sighed and continued: "Originally, Juluze could barely live in peace, but there was no room for us there. Along the way, I was thinking, where can we really count our territory? Today I finally figured it out, where to go? I'm afraid it's all someone else's territory, and it's not ours. Only when we open it ourselves and play it out can it really belong to us, and we can live righteously. So, I decided to stay in this place of bones and make a clearing in the courtyard of the dead for the living. I don't want to become the foundation of any king in the future, at least, we can protect ourselves and our families through this troubled world! ”

"That's right!" Everyone responded with a wry smile. They don't fully understand what Cheng Mingzhen said. But there needs to be a place to settle the wife and children, which is a reason that no one can refute. Juluze can't stay anymore, and other places need to be fought, and blood needs to be shed. Only the wasteland and dead cities in Ping'en, Qingzhang, and Lishui are depopulated, which others look down on, and they don't need too much force to protect them in a short time. Here, everyone can just settle down.

A home that belongs to you, builds yourself, and defends yourself.

In a troubled world, a place where wives and children can not have nightmares for a while.

This book.

Even if your message is just one, it will become the motivation for creation, please work hard to cheer for it!

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