flstandardbreds Chapter 126: Settling the Refugees
Chapter 126: Settling the Refugees
"Second adjutant, Commander Wang is awake."
The soldier woke up Ermazi who was sleeping soundly on the chair. Because he didn't want others to call him by his real name, when he came out, his subordinates called him adjutant.
Of course, this is a title he gave himself.
Ermazi hurriedly sat up from the chair, straightened it, then fanned himself in the face, stood up after waking up, and waited for Wang Zeren to arrive.
A moment later, Wang Zeren came over wearing armor. It seemed that there was no expression on his face and he was still gloomy.
"Xiaoman, how is the number of refugees counted?" Wang Zeren sat down on the chair.
Xiao Man, who was well-proportioned and handsome despite having a scar on his face, held a booklet in his hand and said, "Commander Wang, there are a total of 520 refugees, of which 451 are men and 69 are women.
There are no more than a hundred men aged 20 or younger, and no more than a hundred men aged 40 or older, with most of them being in their thirties.
Xiaoman was recommended by the county magistrate when Wang Zeren arrived in Feng County. He is both civil and military, and can be considered a talent.
As for how Xiaoman survived the war, that is his secret.
Wang Zeren nodded and stood up. His voice was low but loud, so deep that it shook people's chests. He said with full energy, "We are the official Lin Guo army sent by the state. The country is regrouping and repelling the enemy, but the journey back to Beijing is long.
We were specially sent to set up a medical base in Jixiang Village for the soldiers on the front line to rest and receive treatment."
After saying that, Wang Zeren sat down again.
"Is it really the Lin Kingdom's army?"
"We are saved, we are finally saved!"
"Yes, we no longer have to live a life of wandering."
The refugees below looked delighted and chattered non-stop.
Er Mazi took a few steps forward and said, "Silence! We are not here to do nothing.
There are many farmlands in the village, and we will distribute the seeds and split the harvest 90:1.”
In fact, what the court said was 70% and 30% respectively. Some food had to be left for these coolies so that they could eat their fill and have enough energy to continue growing new crops.
But the officials in the state wanted to take one tenth, and the officials in the county took another half tenth. Now the half tenth is split 50-50 between the county and Wang Zeren. With such a small amount of grain, as it goes down through the layers, these refugees who are conscripted will only be exploited more and more severely.
"Ninety-one? Then we have no chance of survival." An elderly man among the refugees cried.
"Yeah, 90% of it is still not enough to eat the moon!"
The refugees rioted again, and the arguments became louder and louder.
The annual tax revenue is only a few kilograms of grain, and the bulk of it goes to the farmers. Now the contrast is so great, who can bear it all at once?
Wang Zeren sat in the chair unmoved. It was obvious that he had expected this situation. He was not panicking. He was not afraid of killing ten enemies at once in the battlefield. So why would he be afraid of these refugees who had no weapons and were in disarray?
"I won't do it!"
It was at this time that a young man's voice was heard from the crowd. Although this man was also pale and thin, he looked much better than the others and was obviously a capable man.
When other refugees saw someone express his opinion, they also echoed it while hiding in the crowd.
Wang Zeren supported his head with his hands and glanced at Ermaizi.
Er Mazi smiled at him, then walked towards the young man with a cold look and kicked him to the ground: "Don't want to do it? Not doing it is disobeying military orders!
Some things need to be thought through before you speak. "
Ermazi drew out his knife, revealing its sharp cold light, and the reflected light accurately hit the young man's eyes.
After all, Ermazi is also a regular soldier. Although he looks a little bit ugly, his fighting ability is not low.
The young man lay on the ground, swallowed his saliva, and did not dare to say anything in the end. He knew how powerful the soldier's kick was.
Er Mazi smiled, leaned over and patted his face: "That's right." Then he stood up and pulled the man up: "We give you seeds and protect your safety. This is a favor! We are all people of Lin Country. We will only suffer for a few years. General Huo fought bravely on the front line.
You just need to farm here for a few years and starve for a few years."
Er Mazi put on a different expression again, and said with a helpless smile: "The war will soon be over. I know I have wronged you, but this is an order from the state, and it is not easy for us to do it."
The crowd, which was restless just now, was actually somewhat persuaded by his words, and the resistance in their hearts was gradually suppressed.
Obviously, Ermazi's strategy of giving a slap and then a date was very good. He used both soft and hard tactics to achieve the best effect.
But if he didn't have any skills, how could he be an adjutant under the moody Wang Zeren?
"Of course, in addition to this, we will also collect some medicinal herbs. As long as they are herbs that Doctor Zhao knows, we can collect them. We will provide coarse grain cakes according to the value of the herbs collected. The more you work, the more you get."
After hearing this, everyone was shocked. Pancakes! They were pancakes. In the past few months, I had long forgotten what pancakes tasted like.
But after the joy, everyone became worried again. Those were all medicines. Who could recognize so many of them? We were all farmers and only knew about pig grass and wild vegetables.
Er Mazi cleared his throat again and said, "That's it. You all go back to your houses now. We will send someone to register you later. Remember, we will not show mercy to those who cause trouble."
After announcing the matter, Ermazi respectfully invited Wang Zeren to rest, and left behind a few decent-looking village women to cook for Wang Zeren.
"Xiao Man, go register."
"it is good."
Xiaoman held a booklet in her hand and a brush and ink in her pocket. These were rare items and had to be carried with her.
In the team, Wang Zeren was the only one who could read. Although the others from other states knew a little, their arithmetic was not as good as Xiaoman's.
So Xiaoman is considered to be the best soldier recruited by the county.
"Everyone please go back to your houses as soon as possible. Those who don't have a place to stay can choose a house where no one is living." After Xiaoman said this, he walked away. They also had to choose a house to live in.
I don’t know how long I will stay here.
"Xiaoman, why are you being so polite to these refugees? Just scold them and they will go back obediently." said one of the six soldiers following Xiaoman.
Xiaoman just smiled and walked towards the village. Soon they stopped in front of a gray-white house.
"No, Xiaoman, you live here?" Several people looked at the gray and white little house with disgust.
"You know, I like quiet places."
As soon as they walked in, they saw a disheveled woman sitting on a small stool in the room, adding firewood to the fireplace. There was something green cooking in the pot.
"Oh, she's still a woman."
A soldier stepped forward.
The woman was so frightened that she fell to the ground and kept retreating until she was forced into a corner.
The soldier pinched the woman's face, picked up the wooden bucket beside him and poured the water from it on her body: "She's pretty good looking! She's prettier than the women in the brothels in the state."
"Luo Sanyuan, are you really hungry? Don't you see how dirty she is?"
Luo Sanyuan smiled faintly and turned his head: "Dirty? What's dirty? You are so clean, why don't you just wash it? I have been holding it in for several months, and it is swollen down there."
The other soldiers glanced past Luo Sanyuan and looked at the woman behind him. Except for her dirty clothes and messy hair, her face was quite unique.
"Hey! Yeah, who's going first?"
Xiaoman also followed the gaze of the others. She originally didn't want to care about it, but the woman seemed familiar.
"Sanyuan, wait a minute." Xiaoman called out to a few people.
Luo Sanyuan turned his head impatiently: "What are you waiting for? I've already unbuttoned my pants. Xiaoman, you're next."
"No, look at this woman's hands, neck, and waist, there are sores all over them. I think she has some disease. Haha, you feel good for a while, but don't let your brother become a mace in the future." Xiaoman also teased jokingly.
After listening to this, Luo Sanyuan also looked at the woman carefully.
"Snapped!"
Luo Sanyuan slapped the woman so hard that she fell against the wall, and her mouth and nose were bleeding.
"Damn it, it's really, so damn unlucky." Luo Sanyuan was just about to draw his sword to kill this woman.
"Hey, how are you going to live if you kill me? Okay, okay, I see there are still a few young people in the village, let's talk about it when we register."
Luo Sanyuan pulled up his trousers and walked out with his men, cursing.