In the center of the settlement is a large house, which is the place where the village is discussed. The village chief and clan elders are meeting here. Although it was cold outside, there was a roaring fire in the house, and the kettle on the stove was bubbling out. Everyone sat around the fire, their faces happy.

The head of the village was a man in his thirties named Chen Shuisheng, who was originally a second lieutenant officer in the Imperial Army. However, he injured his foot in the battle and could no longer continue in the front-line troops, so he chose to be demobilized. He gave up a job that the government had arranged for him to work as a military instructor at an elementary school in the city and chose to return to his hometown. Of course, if he stays in the city, he will live a good life. However, he will not forget that his fellow villagers are still suffering in their hometown.

After returning to the village, Chen Shuisheng, who had seen the world, was elected by everyone to become the village head. After the empire announced a large-scale emigration, he persuaded the villagers to be the first to go to the county to register, and the entire Chenjia village of more than 500 people, all emigrated. For such immigrants who moved entire villages, the imperial government gave them priority.

After a long journey, in the spring of 1856, they finally arrived on the fertile plains of Lake Michigan in North America, and with the help of the local government, moved into the settlement. Thus, the happy life of the entire Chenjia Village began.

"Guys, this year's harvest is pretty good, isn't it? Our first year here, we had a great harvest. I can guarantee that our days will get better and better in the future! Chen Shuisheng said to everyone.

"Yes! I never thought that we could collect so much food that we couldn't eat it all! An old man in his seventies and eighties narrowed his eyes with a smile. He is the oldest clan elder in Chenjia Village, and he is highly respected in the village. He lived all his life, and basically never had enough to eat. Before dying, he was able to see the family's granary full of grain. Even if you die, you can look at it!

"Yes, thank you to the emperor for his old man. Let's live a good life now! The clan elders said one after another. Originally, there were some old stubborns among them. He resolutely refused to immigrate overseas. Chen Shuisheng had a lot of effort to convince them. Well, it has been proven that immigrating to North America is undoubtedly the right thing to do.

"His Majesty's goal is to let all the people live a good life like us. We must use our own practical actions to support His Majesty. Only if we live a good life will we live up to Your Majesty's expectations! A hint of frenzy flashed in Chen Shuisheng's eyes. As a soldier of the empire, probably everyone has a heartfelt reverence for the emperor Long Yufei!

"That's right. I looked and saw that almost all the families planted wheat this year, and no other crops, which is not good. In addition to food, we also have to grow some other cash crops and vegetables. In this way, everyone's life will be better. In addition, since there is too much food to eat, it is also possible to raise some chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep. It won't be long before we will be able to live a good life with white flour buns, chicken, duck and fish! Chen Shuisheng said with a smile. Maybe everyone is scared of hunger. So in the first year, almost all the families planted wheat on their land, for fear that there would not be enough food to eat. But. As a result, there is too much grain to eat, but almost no other crops are grown.

"Hehe, aquatic! Aren't we all afraid of not having anything to eat? Now, you should not have this doubt. A clan elder said with a smile.

"Yes! Next year, our family will definitely grow some vegetables and raise a few pigs. When the time comes, our life will be better than that of the landlords! Another clan elder is also full of confidence in the future life.

"That's right, aquatic. We have collected so much grain, we can't forget the emperor and the government! Grain to be paid. Not a single grain is missing. The emperor has let us live a good life, and we must not be ungrateful! The eldest patriarch said. Although he is old, he is full of energy, and his speech is even more categorical.

"Yes! People must not forget their roots, it is the emperor and the government who have given us today's good life, and we can't do things that have no conscience! The other clan elders said one after another. Chinese have never lacked patriotism. If the country is in trouble, even if it is ruined, it will not hesitate to relieve the difficulty. However, in many cases, poor Chinese people cannot even support themselves and their families, let alone help the country. Now, it's completely different, they already have the ability to give back to the country.

"Folks, everyone be quiet. The government's rule is that we don't have to hand over food for three years. You have to start paying your taxes in three years. At that time, of course, we will not pay less taxes. Chen Shuisheng said. However, the empire originally collected very little tax on agriculture. The main sources of tax revenue in the empire were excise taxes and customs duties. If it weren't for the fact that there were still a large number of peasants in the empire now, Long Yufei would have the idea of abolishing the agricultural tax.

"Then we can't do nothing, can we?" The elder patriarch asked.

"Well, after this snowfall, we will send someone to send a batch of food to the local garrison, which is a little bit of our heart. In the past year, without their protection, we would not have thought of such stability! Chen Shuisheng said.

More than 300 miles from the settlement of Chenjia Village, there was an infantry company of the 10th Army of the Imperial Army. This infantry company was responsible for deterring the Americans in the area and was responsible for exterminating the American guerrillas. Of course, an infantry company has only more than 150 people, and it is undoubtedly powerless to garrison such a large defensive area.

However, in this area, in addition to them, there are hundreds of settlements, large and small, with tens of thousands of reserve troops. and hundreds of police officers from two police stations. If you cooperate in this way, it will undoubtedly be a great combat force. Those American guerrillas were often strangled by a combination of the Reich's regular army and the reserves. This makes their living space smaller and smaller.

"Well, it's time to send some food and fish to those soldiers!" The other clan elders said one after another.

"It's good to live in North America, but the locals are hostile to us and dangerous! Zhuzi's mother and daughter-in-law were all killed by those foreign devils! "A clan elder with hatred on his face.

A few months ago, an American guerrilla group attacked the settlement, and their numbers were not large, only a dozen or so. However, at that time, the immigrants had just arrived, the reserve forces had only been trained for a long time, and the various defense systems and warning systems were not yet perfect. As a result, many villagers who were working in the fields were killed and injured. Zhuzi's mother and daughter-in-law were killed by American guerrillas in this attack.

"We must not forget the deep enmity between those foreign devils and our blood sea. Someday, we will let those foreign devils pay for their blood debts! A hint of anger flashed in Chen Shuisheng's eyes. He is not only the village chief of Chenjia Village, but also the captain of the Chenjia Village Reserve Force. The whole village is hundreds of strong, all of them are members of the reserve force. Although they could not compare with the regular army of the Empire, there was no problem at all with guns and the like, and even if they were attacked by American guerrillas, they would not even have the power to fight back.

"Folks, it is the slack season of the year, and I have decided to gather the members of the reserve team to start training. In the future, when the regular army exterminates foreign devils, we will not lag behind! What do you think? Chen Shuisheng said.

"Of course there is no problem! Those foreign devils want to kill us and rob us of our food, so we will fight with them and let them know that we are not easy to bully! A fiery clan elder said.

"That's right, our good life must not be ruined by those foreign devils!" The other clan elders also said.

Although, Chinese often give people a sense of timidity and fear. But in reality, they are not lacking in blood, they are just imprisoned by the foolish rule of the previous rulers. Now that the Emperor Long Yufei has lifted these confinements, everyone will naturally not be stingy with their own happy lives.

In the reserve units of Chenjia Village, everyone was equipped with rifles, which were the standard rifles of the Imperial Army. During the war, the Empire's arsenals produced a large amount of weapons and equipment, and what was not used up during the war was used to equip immigrants from all over the country. In addition to the rifles, there were five grenades for each of them. The entire reserve also had a light machine gun and the corresponding ammunition. Once they ran out of ammunition, they were supplied by the Empire's regular armies stationed everywhere.

This makes it possible for the reserves of each settlement to be without a shortage of weapons and equipment.

In the woods dozens of miles away from Chenjia Village, simple tents are distributed here. Some skinny American guerrillas huddled in tents, relying on each other's body temperatures to keep out the cold. In order to avoid being traced by the Chinese garrison, the guerrillas did not light fires, even in the cold.

However, the guerrillas are having a very hard time now. They had little food left, and the cold winter had made their lives even more difficult. It is difficult to say whether the entire guerrilla force, numbering hundreds, will survive this winter if they are not able to obtain supplies.

These guerrillas, including former soldiers of the U.S. Army, merchants and peasants whose property had been confiscated, whose country had been destroyed, had no choice but to fight against the exploitation and domination of the Chinese Empire. Of course, judging by the current situation, they have not succeeded, but are getting more and more difficult. (To be continued)

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