In early spring and February, the Guanzhong Plain is still a cold and steep scene, but the shadows of hard-working farmers can already be seen in the suburbs.

The people of Guanzhong have no leisure time all year round, taking advantage of the New Year's festival to take care of the houses they live in and the farm tools they use, and they will be busy again in the New Year. They either drive away pikas that are scurrying around the wheat fields and gnaw on their seedlings, or they plough the idle land and dry it until the next month's flood season arrives and the water flows abundantly.

In the village of Weinan, a team of twenty or thirty people entered the village, and immediately the sound of striking a gong sounded in the village, which was a signal for the lieutenant chief and party leaders to gather the villagers.

For a while, the busy people, whether staying at home or in the fields, came to the small square in the village, which was quite open.

At this time, the lieutenant chief was standing with the group of people who had entered the village and whispering about something, and when the villagers had almost arrived, the lieutenant introduced these visitors to the villagers: "This is the county lieutenant Zhang and the officials of the government office, you should stop making noise and listen carefully to the official order!"

The villagers were still whispering, but when they heard this, they all immediately closed their mouths, and just looked at the county lieutenant and the officials who were traveling with him with curiosity and vigilance.

County Lieutenant Zhang, a middle-aged man in his thirties, waited for the crowd to stop talking, so he opened his mouth and said loudly: "I entered the township today on the orders of the county honor, and a large group of people will cross the county border in the coming day, and entrust the county office to raise a batch of grain and grass materials on behalf of the county office. If you have fodder in your house, you can ask ......."

Before the county lieutenant finished speaking, there was a buzz among the crowd present, and everyone showed dissatisfaction, and some villagers couldn't help but be angry: "Miscellaneous tunes continue all year round, and food and clothing are reduced every year, and now they refuse to let go of cattle and horse food!"

Not to mention the angry villagers, the chief also looked at the county lieutenant with a cautious face and whispered, "Is the county lord sending the wrong one? This township has always paid hemp as a miscellaneous adjustment, the pasture has never been levied, and the villagers are only preparing cattle and horses in the breeders, if they want to be forcibly requisitioned, I am afraid that the livestock will suffer!"

The county of Western Wei Prefecture is in charge, and different places will levy different materials, mainly in line with local products, and the forage needed to raise war horses is also collected. However, in addition to the official pastoral areas, if other places want to collect forage, each household must also be granted additional grazing land of different areas. As for the villagers who take advantage of the slack to dry the stored forage, it is not included in the levy.

When the lieutenant learned of the intention of the county lieutenant and his entourage, he muttered in his heart, and at this time, taking advantage of the villagers' resentment, he had the courage to express his opinion.

The county lieutenant first glanced at the villagers, and then looked at the villagers and said, "This expropriation of forage is not forcible to ask for it, the crossing army will buy it with property, and the county lord is ...... in order to take care of you and other villagers."

However, before he could finish speaking, he was immediately drowned out by a louder discussion, which was mixed with ridicule and ridicule. The villagers were already very unhappy when they were forced to be levied, and when they heard that the officials and soldiers would spend money to buy it, they immediately felt that their IQ had been insulted.

When the villagers learned that there would be a large army crossing, they were already considering whether to go out with their belongings to hide for a while. But the county lieutenant actually said that those officers and soldiers would pay for forage, which is simply ridiculous!

Seeing the crowd's reaction, the county lieutenant was also greatly embarrassed, and in the blink of an eye, he motioned to the attendants to draw their swords, and only then did they suppress the chaotic voices of ridicule and complaining.

"You are foolish and do not know that there is really goodness in the world! Do you know who the people who came to Japan to cross the border? It is General Li of Taiyuan, who sits in Jingzhou! The Duke of Taiyuan is a famous general who is powerful in the world, and even the extremely arrogant army of thieves has been repeatedly defeated by the Duke of Taiyuan, and he has said that he wants to buy materials from you villagers, how can he deceive the people such as you!"

Seeing that the crowd was silent, the county lieutenant snorted coldly again.

When the villagers heard this, they couldn't help but be a little skeptical, especially when they heard the reputation of General Li, there was no shortage of people with puzzled and curious expressions, and after a while, an old peasant suddenly asked: "May I ask if the General Li mentioned by the Ming Mansion is the General Li who opened a house along the river in Shangyuan, Luodong, Weibei?"

"The old peasant has some knowledge, yes, General Li is indeed a merchant in the martial arts township......

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When the county lieutenant heard this, he raised his eyebrows and said with a smile in his mouth, but this time he was drowned out by the sudden loud discussion of the masses before he finished speaking, which inevitably made him even more irritable.

He has been in the county government for a long time, and rarely goes to the township to do things, but he didn't expect the work in the township to be so difficult to carry out, and the villagers didn't even let him finish speaking.

He was still about to raise his eyebrows and scold angrily, but he found that the villagers who had originally gathered here were scattered, and he was so angry that he grabbed the hand of the chief, pointed at the backs of the villagers who turned around and left, and said angrily: "These Diao people, what are they going to do? How dare you disregard ...... in such a way?"

"Didn't the Ming Mansion send an order to the villagers to donate materials? If the villagers don't go home to get it, how can they gather?"

When the lieutenant chief heard this, he said a little dazedly, and then looked at the county lieutenant with anticipation and asked, "May I ask the Ming Mansion, when will General Li cross the border specifically?" Is it the general who leads the men and horses, or the generals who do it for him?"

"General Li is here, and he will ...... the day after tomorrow."

The county lieutenant first subconsciously replied, and then reacted again, and then said, "But these villagers, who obviously complained a lot just now, why are they so obedient at this moment?"

Judging by the previous reactions of these villagers, he would never believe that these people would obediently go home and collect the hay and hand it in.

When the lieutenant heard this, he laughed again, and at the same time said with respect, "There are complaints in front of the villagers, because they don't know that it is General Li's needs. Since General Li is in need, it is natural to gather as soon as possible, and don't delay the general's actions!"

The county lieutenant was even more dumbfounded when he heard this, he knew that General Li Da had great military achievements and fame, but he didn't expect that he would accumulate such a deep prestige in this countryside. Just hearing about his name, the villagers who had just complained again and again were courteous and respectful.

Thinking that he was frequently interrupted by the villagers when he came to this township, even his words were frequently interrupted, the county lieutenant couldn't help but feel angry in his heart, and asked curiously: "I haven't heard that General Li has ruled this township, and this is not where his township is, why are these villagers so respectful?"

Although extreme fear can also make people obediently obey their fate, but seeing that these villagers did not have a look of fear on their faces, but took the initiative with a look of enthusiasm, which really made the county lieutenant who felt that the grassroots work was not easy to carry out, he was very puzzled.

The lieutenant first instructed his sons and daughters to go home and pack up the hay, and then explained to the county lieutenant with a smile: "Although General Li did not govern this township, the villagers have been greatly favored! The wells in the village and the canals in front of the village were all built by General Li Da's disciples. The mill houses along the Luoshui River will help the villagers to grind rice and noodles every year! If there is no General Li to benefit the township, how can the villagers plant wheat and prepare for famine?"

Wheat is not a high-quality crop for small families who lack productivity and production tools, so its cultivation scale has lagged behind that of millet and millet soybean. However, the wintering characteristics of wheat can be used as a crop for famine.

In previous years, the water conservancy in Guanzhong was mostly controlled by powerful clans, and it was difficult for small people to share it. However, as General Li erected a grain in Luoshui, he would spend two months every year to help the villagers process grain crops for free, and the price of purchasing grain was also very fair.

Without the burden of restrictive processing of grains, wheat cultivation has increased dramatically even in the surrounding areas. The processed flour not only enriches the choice of staple food, but also has high economic added value, and also allows the villagers to obtain real benefits.

Small migrant workers are calculating because they don't have much, and a slight difference can add more burden to their lives. And Xiaomin also advocates morality more, because morality is one of the few things that can make them feel dignified, and it can also make it more convenient for them to participate in interpersonal interactions. Rich and powerful people are born to be the focal point of their networks, and they do not have high moral requirements.

Although General Li never governed Weinan, the help he gave to the villagers was reflected in one meal at a time. Therefore, when they learned that General Li was going to cross the border and had this need, the villagers naturally enthusiastically helped.

Soon, the forage from all the fields and eight townships gathered at the county office, occupying all the open space inside and outside the county office, and the ox carts and horse-drawn carts from the township were still pouring towards the county seat.

Originally, the notice received by the county was to help collect the forage, and all the amounts produced in the townships were recorded, etc

After the arrival of the army, they will be compensated with goods and goods, and then distributed to the township by the county office.

However, the county officials soon found that this seemingly simple thing was not easy to do, and the villagers were too enthusiastic, and the amount of forage collected far exceeded the amount demanded by General Li. In addition, there are many villagers who are not coordinated by the county bureau at all, and directly carry a carriage with a full amount of forage, and after unloading the horse, they even leave the cart and goods outside the county office, and only return to their hometowns by horse.

Li Tai didn't know how much trouble his request had caused to the county officials, but after passing the Wuguan, he clearly felt the enthusiasm of the fathers and elders in the pass. It may be an exaggeration to say that the pot pulp welcomes the king, but wherever you pass, there is no lack of cheers on both sides of the road.

Li Tai also went in and out of the customs before, but he often traveled lightly, and did not notify the counties along the way, and passed through quickly. But this time, he led 5,000 men and horses, plus the entourage of Ding Servants and the baggage convoy, and the front and back of the team stretched for several miles, and it was impossible to pass quickly.

In addition, Li Tai had the idea of showing off his might this time, and the speed of the march was not very fast, and he used the silk brocade goods he carried to buy temporary supplies from the counties along the road, and it was also through this interaction to pave the way for the future.

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