Within Chang 'an, about 15 kilometers northeast.
This was an open area with many villages gathered. The village was called General Village. The reason why it was called General Village was because during the Western Han Dynasty, a few generals came out of the village one after another. Then, more people came out of the village to be conferred the title of Marquis. Hence, the name General Village. Now, many people had returned to General Village. The population was quite large. There were more than 100 households, and the population was about 600 people.
Among the nearby villages, the General Village was the largest village. The village chief, Liu Zhao, did things fairly. Furthermore, he was an elder of General Village and had high prestige. Under Liu Zhao's governance, the village was very cohesive.
Liu Zhao was in his sixties. His hair was white, and his back was already hunched. He was not tall and looked very thin. However, he was hale and hearty. His eyes and ears were not bad, and his body was in good shape.
In the early years, when the Tang dynasty and Xia Xia clashed, many villagers in General Village left their hometown to make a living. However, Liu Zhao did not leave and continued to stay in the village. Although life was difficult, at least he survived. Back then, many villagers had a hard time, and the Liu family was a big family. Thanks to Liu Zhao helping the people free of charge, many elders in the village survived.
After Xia Xia took over Chang 'an, the place was stable. Especially when production resumed, the government helped the people with spring plowing and sowing, bringing vitality to General Village. Liu Zhao even arranged for people to inform the villagers who left General Village to return. That was why there were so many people in General Village in a short period of time. That was why they could recover their vitality in the shortest time possible.
Liu family, in the hall.
Liu Zhao was dressed in a loose gray robe. He sat at the front, resting with his eyes closed. This time, he was waiting for the main elders in the village, as well as some of the important people in the village who made the decisions. Not long after, a group of people entered together. There were old men and young men, and there were a total of more than 30 people who entered.
Everyone stood together and saluted Liu Zhao in unison.
Everyone in the village respected Liu Zhao. It was not only because Liu Zhao was the village chief, but also because Liu Zhao was an elder. Moreover, Liu Zhao was selfless for the development of General Village. Although the Liu family was a big family in the village, they were not the wealthiest. However, the Liu family members were also the most promising.
Many members of the Liu family were officials outside. Although there weren't any high-ranking officials, they were all county secretaries and county registrars. This was all thanks to Liu Zhao's guidance.
When Liu Zhao heard everyone talking at once, she opened her eyes and ordered them to be quiet.
In an instant, the surroundings quieted down.
Liu Zhao's gaze swept over everyone and said slowly, "Since everyone is already present, this old man won't waste words and get straight to the point. The reason why I've gathered everyone is because the autumn harvest is over, and we've collected all our grain. "
"We have to thank the imperial court for this matter. It was His Majesty the Emperor who arranged for the soldiers to help us harvest the grain without asking for any remuneration. That was why we were able to harvest all the grain in such a short time. If it weren't for the help of the imperial court's army, we would've been caught in the torrential rain for the next few days if we had been a few days late. "
"Once it rains heavily while harvesting, all the food will rot in the mud."
"This is a great loss to us."
"Now, this old man has heard the news that after His Majesty completes the autumn harvest, he will send troops south to attack Li Tang. We can't help much, but we can contribute a little. Therefore, this old man's plan is to hope that each family will give food if they are willing to. After all, each family has surplus food and no longer lacks food and clothing. "
Liu Zhao said, "Therefore, each family will donate food for His Majesty to send troops south, so that His Majesty will not lack food.
When these words were spoken, many people spoke one after another.
They all expressed their agreement.
"Eunuch Liu, I don't think it's appropriate to donate food. If it was before, when His Majesty the Emperor had just arrived in Chang 'an, it would've been difficult to resupply, and the army would've lacked food. But now, after His Majesty the Emperor's army, he no longer lacks food, so there's not much use in donating food. "
At this moment, a middle-aged man in green spoke.
The man in green was called Qi Yunxiao.
He was a teacher in the private school of the General Village. He had been invited by Liu Zhao to teach the children of the General Village. Because of this, the children of the General Village could receive a good education.
Liu Zhao quite admired Qi Yunxiao, so he asked, "Mr. Qi, what do you think we should do?"
Qi Yunxiao sternly said, "Now that His Majesty the Emperor is about to go south and wage war with the Tang dynasty, it's the best time for good men to make contributions. The men of our General Village should also participate in it, establish meritorious service, and win the opportunity to stand out. "
"Thinking back to the ancestors of the General Village in the past, there were three Cavalry Generals, eight Cavalry Generals, twenty-five Generals, and many Deputy Generals, Deputy Generals, and Lieutenants. It could be said that it was the glory of our ancestors. But now, although our General Village has also produced many talents, these talents are not worth mentioning. We don't even have a county magistrate, let alone others. "
"Now that there are many men in the village, and His Majesty is going south to attack the Tang dynasty, it's the time to establish meritorious service. Once this opportunity is missed, it will be impossible to establish meritorious service when the world is at peace. "
Qi Yunxiao said, "What I mean is that the men who are willing to join the army should organize and go directly to Chang 'an. They should go to the barracks to join the army and follow His Majesty to attack the Tang dynasty."
"In this way, they will have the opportunity to win honors."
"What's more, many people in our village have studied in private schools under the arrangement of Eunuch Liu. They are all literate and have an advantage in the army. After all, the soldiers in the army are all simple-minded, and many of them are illiterate."
"This is my suggestion."
Qi Yunxiao said, "Of course, this is just my opinion. Whether you agree or not depends on what you think. After all, I'm just a private school teacher."
Qi Yunxiao said that he was a private school teacher, but he had been in the General Village for more than ten years now. Many people were taught by Qi Yunxiao, and his prestige in the General Village was quite high.
After hearing this, Liu Zhao stroked his beard and thought carefully, and there was a look of interest in his eyes.
Giving food was indeed an expression of sincerity.
It supported Mr. Xia.
It fulfilled the obligation of a citizen of Mr. Xia.
But now, after the autumn harvest, Mr. Xia had no shortage of food. Giving food at this time was not a timely help, but just icing on the cake. So, at this time, encouraging the villagers to join the war was the best arrangement.
Liu Zhao did not make a decision. Instead, he looked at the crowd and asked, "Everyone, what do you think?"
Liu Zhao had prestige in the village.
But he was not arbitrary and would ask for the opinions of the crowd. When there was a serious matter and the crowd was arguing and could not make a decision, Liu Zhao would make a decision directly.
Following Liu Zhao's question, no one was willing to speak at first. They were all deep in thought. After all, most of the people in the village had read books and seen some of the world, so they had their own ideas.
"Eunuch Liu, I agree with Mr. Qi. Honors can be won on horseback. Now that His Majesty is attacking the Tang Dynasty, if we don't fight, our General Village will have no chance. If you are willing to go, organize it. I'll say first, I'm also willing to go. "
The speaker was a young man in his twenties.
He directly expressed his position.
As the young man spoke, the rest of the people also spoke. Most of them agreed that the villagers should go voluntarily. Only a few people objected, thinking that joining the army was risky.
After listening to the opinions of the crowd, Liu Zhao said in a deep voice, "Joining the army and fighting on the battlefield is indeed risky. But correspondingly, there is also a chance. If you want to stand out and fight without risking your life, are you waiting for a pie to fall from the sky? "In addition, Mr. Xia's army has always been strict in accepting soldiers, and the treatment of the soldiers in the army is excellent."
"Everyone knows this."
"If our people go, whether they will be accepted is still a question."
"If they can really join the army, it is actually a good result. Since there are more people who agree, there is nothing to say. Inform the whole village that those who are willing to join the army can go. Then I will arrange for people to lead the team to Chang 'an. "
Liu Zhao made a decision directly.
After hearing this, the crowd said no more.
Even if there were objections, because there were more people who agreed, there was nothing to say now.
After the matter was decided, they all said goodbye and went to prepare.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
