It is said that Jiangnan is a rich and prosperous place, which is true, but it is biased after all.

In the middle of the Great Yue Dynasty, this is naturally the case, but if you push forward a few hundred years, it will not be the case.

That is, after the Sui Dynasty dug the Grand Canal, all parts of the south of the Yangtze River were gradually able to catch up with the footsteps of the Central Plains, but in the early period of Li and Tang, it was still far less prosperous than the Central Plains.

It was not until the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion and the southward migration of a large number of people that all parts of Jiangnan really had the foundation for rapid development, and then the mercantile policy of the Zhao and Song dynasties made the economy of Jiangnan stride forward.

In this dynasty, under the deliberate guidance of more than 100 years, Jiangnan has completely surpassed the Central Plains and become a real economic center......

It's just that such a big contribution to the imperial court may not be really good for the local people.

For example, a wealthy family with the surname Nine has a way to transfer all kinds of taxes from their own families, and there are many people in Jiangnan who have taken the imperial examination, once they are successful in studying, these people can also get rid of the heavy taxes and servitude, so the heavy burden of all this will naturally fall on the heads of other ordinary people who have neither family background nor background.

So no matter how rich Jiangnan is, no matter how prosperous the business is, in fact, the life of the people is not easy.

Originally, with the sudden overturning of the imperial court, the government no longer had to pay taxes and was more relaxed, but as a result, there was a Buddhist gate on top, so the burden of the people was heavier.

In a big city like Hangzhou, I didn't feel that there was a problem, but when I really left the state capital and came to the most ordinary and humble villages, what Sun Ning saw was a completely different picture.

Although it was spring, everything was recovering, the scenery was just right, but there was not much joy on the faces of the busy people in the fields, only numbness and hardship.

For them, all the beauty and flowers are empty, and only by working hard can they barely make ends meet, feed themselves and their families, and not go hungry, so that they will not be unable to make ends meet when the officials come to the door in the autumn.

Xing, the people suffer; Death, the people suffer. The people who do not rise or die, and the most bitter are still the people.

Looking at these, his mind turned, and Sun Ning couldn't help but sigh.

And at this time, Yiqi leaned close to his side: "Brother Sun is also feeling worthless for these people who are always exploited, right?" ”

Sun Ning glanced at Liang Wentong, who had a deep meaning, and had to nod in acknowledgment.

I don't know if it was intentional or coincidental, the officers and soldiers who escorted the monks to Suzhou this time were headed by Liang Wentong, the head of the soldiers, and he also had another identity - a person who destroyed the Fa.

When he met him in front of the city gate and knew that he would also escort the monks to Suzhou with the team, Sun Ning was really nervous.

This is a great opportunity for Liang Wentong, who is a member of the Dharma Destroying Society, as long as he has the idea of attacking the monks, there are methods along the way.

Even in this way, one cannot help but wonder how many of those officers and soldiers are also his comrades, and this is the real internal and external troubles.

But Sun Ning was not easy to identify the other party, so after leaving the city, he told the people below to be extra careful, at least to ensure that the monks of Yunlin Temple did not have accidents, and at the same time they were thinking about how to negotiate with them.

Unexpectedly, Liang Wentong found him first, which made Sun Ning feel a little relieved, so he looked around with a smile and said: "Yes, no matter when, the people at the bottom are the most pitiful." It's a pity that you and I have limited strength after all, and we can't help them. ”

"That's not it, as long as you have the heart, it's not easy to help people?" Liang Wentong pressed his horse and lowered his voice, "These monks we protect are so rich that they don't have to work too hard, they can squeeze out a lot of oil and water, enough for many people to live for several years." ”

"The consequences of self-theft are very serious. And I heard that Brother Liang still has a family in Hangzhou. Sun Ningning couldn't help but remind the other party.

"Hehe, if you say that, naturally you don't dare to come nonsense."

Liang Wentong said, and suddenly changed the topic, "But seriously, this time it was thanks to Brother Sun's rescue that the lives of Gu Yaohua and the others were finally saved, and in two days, they would be able to regain their freedom." ”

"Huh?" Sun Ning glanced at him curiously, and he didn't understand the meaning of his words.

Liang Wentong added: "In early March, they will be escorted to serve in the mines in western Zhejiang, and then our brothers will rescue them halfway." ”

Sun Ning suddenly turned his head to look at him again: "That's why you escorted the monks to Suzhou?" ”

Looking at Liang Wentong, who only smiled and didn't say anything, Sun Ning's heart was a little more relieved.

The other party acquiesced, and he didn't want to get involved in the next robbery, so he offered to escort the monks to Suzhou.

And this naturally means that he doesn't want to reveal his identity yet, which means that he won't have any trouble on the way to Suzhou.

As for the sentence just now, maybe it was just a feeling, or maybe it was because he wanted to move Sun Ning to do it, and he could stay out of it.

"Brother Liang, if you can't bear it, you will make a big plan, I hope you can understand that things are also prioritized." After Sun Ning threw this sentence to the other party, he returned to his own team, which made Liang Wentong's thoughts a little confused.

……

The land official roads in the south of the Yangtze River are naturally spacious and accessible, and in addition to their huge team, there are also many people and horses coming and going from the south to the north.

Many of the people who walked past this mixed procession of troops, monks, and quacks could not help but look curiously for a moment, until the officers and soldiers stared at them vigilantly, and then they lowered their eyes timidly and avoided them, and then accelerated away.

So two days later, when there were so many men dressed as businessmen passing by the team like this, the soldiers in Hangzhou and the southwest didn't pay much attention to them, and only regarded them as ordinary passers-by.

But just as they passed them and walked out of the south, the leader of the group exhaled: "Their defenses are still very tight, and it is not easy to take them." ”

"Those officers and soldiers don't look very good, as long as the big boss gives an order, the brothers will definitely be able to disperse them!" The brother next to him said disapprerovingly, "When did our brothers in Tianmu Village ever be afraid of these weak soldiers in Hangzhou City?" It's not a private soldier of the Nine Wealthy Clans......"

"No, it's too risky to do that, and there are many counties along the way, once you attract a large number of defenders, I'm afraid that there will be endless troubles." The man at the head suddenly smiled, "So I have a plan, why don't you start at the junction of the two places!" ”