Chapter 646 Heavy Snow
When Li Sui, the governor of Guangde Prefecture, and Zhao Jun were sailing north on a tower ship, Ding Ze, the governor of Henan County, was seeing off Kong Wei, the magistrate.
The white gauze curtains gently covered the eaves. The streets and alleys were silent, with only the rustling sound of falling catkins to be heard.
As soon as winter came, Henan County had snow for several days in a row, but the snow was not heavy and melted after falling to the ground.
The snowflakes have been heavier these past two days.
The imperial edict from Kyoto also arrived.
Although they didn't understand why the government mobilized tens of thousands of troops from Henan County to Guangde Prefecture, Ding Ze and Kong Wei had no choice but to follow orders.
Ding Ze looked at the army behind Kong Wei and frowned: "Our Henan County has never recovered, and we don't have the same geographical conditions as Hezhong County. We have been living a hard life in the past few years. These tens of thousands of troops are the bottom line of our Henan County. You must remember how to bring them back in the same way you took them out!"
Ding Wei turned around and saw that most of the soldiers behind him were wearing thin linen jackets, and some were even wearing only single clothes, shivering in the cold wind and snow.
Even among officers, only two out of ten could afford to wear chain mail.
They are not as good as the Kyoto Imperial Guards, and even the Kyoto Guards.
However, this was all the military force Henan County could muster.
Ding Wei knew that there would definitely be casualties on the way to Guangde Prefecture with such a group of soldiers in heavy snow.
However, the emperor's order was difficult to disobey and he urged them to do so, so they had no time to prepare warm supplies for these soldiers.
In fact, even if they had the time, they couldn’t spare it.
Henan County is too poor.
Hezhong County has a well-developed water system, and the taxes provided by the merchant ships traveling on the river alone are enough to restore people's livelihood in Hezhong County.
Not to mention, Hezhong County also has fruit wine, Baida Express and so on.
Henan County is different. It is extremely poor. Even Baida Express has only one outlet in Henan County.
There is only one fruit wine agent in Henan County.
An agent for a county doesn't earn as much as an agent for a county in Hezhong Prefecture.
"Don't worry, sir. We are only going to Guangde Prefecture to make a show of ourselves. With our current fighting power, how can we confront the Yunzhou soldiers of Duke Yun? I'm sure the emperor knows this."
With people like them, they can at best do the work of the garrison troops. If they really go to the battlefield, they will not be enough for Duke Yun to kill.
Ding Ze was worried about Kong Wei, and Kong Wei also advised Ding Ze: "Our Henan County has too many empty-handed soldiers. After I leave, there will be few soldiers left in the county. You must be careful!"
Ding Ze patted Kong Wei on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Here, even the rats think we are poor, so who would bother to keep an eye on us? As for the common people making trouble, that's even less likely."
In the middle of winter, everyone is huddled at home to hibernate.
He tied his belt, lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
If they can still open, it means you have survived the winter.
If you can't open it, it will be a lifetime.
"I'm leaving."
"Goodbye, I won't see you off."
After Ding Ze sent Kong Wei away, he returned to the governor's mansion.
In the study, four charcoal basins were lit, and it was so hot that Ding Ze had to open the window to dissipate the heat.
Ding Ze, wearing a silk cotton-padded jacket, picked up a pen and paper to do the math. If he wanted to spend the winter comfortably, he needed a charcoal basin. If he also built a pepper room, the average daily cost would be at least two strings of cash!
After thinking this through, Ding Ze took a deep breath and shouted outside, "Remove the two charcoal basins!"
As for the pepper room, forget it, it’s too expensive and we can’t afford to build it.
The pepper room is built by coating the walls with pepper powder mixed with clay, then laying a ground fire dragon, using charcoal as fuel.
It has excellent warmth-keeping effect and is the most common way for wealthy families to survive the winter.
Apart from being expensive, there are no other drawbacks.
As soon as the charcoal brazier was removed, the temperature in the room dropped instantly and Ding Ze quickly closed the window.
The yard was covered with a thick layer of snow, and the servants were clearing it.
Ding Ze sat back in his chair, staring blankly.
Back then, the Ding family was also a wealthy family. They could use as much carbon as they wanted in the winter. How could they have ever been so stingy?
What's more, you are the governor of a county, alas!
Why are our days getting worse day by day?
In fact, it is very simple to restore the previous luxurious life, that is to squeeze the people's money as much as possible.
But the people of Henan County had no meat on their bodies, so if they wanted to squeeze out some oil, they could only use their bones to make oil.
Ding Ze is not so crazy as to be so cruel.
He rubbed his face, thinking secretly in his heart that after the Spring Festival, he would go to the capital to make some arrangements and leave this poor place of Henan County. Even if he went to Jiangnan to be a school judge, it would be better than being a governor here!
Henan County is white and quiet in winter.
Especially in rural areas far away from cities, even dogs don’t have the energy to bark.
There are five counties in Henan County: Mi County, Xinzheng County, Qi County, Xingyang County, and Xiangfu County.
Xingyang County and Xiangfu County are located in the north, and Xingyang County borders Hezhong County.
There is a Hulu Village below Xingyang County. Although the village is poor, the people are united and the surrounding villages are unwilling to provoke them.
The villagers of Hulu Village all live in dugouts.
Dig a half-meter deep hole in the ground, then build a shed with branches and straw. If conditions permit, you can also use a few wooden boards to make a door.
At first glance, the entire village is made up of low underground dwellings.
No matter whether it looks good or not, at least such burrows can increase their survival rate during the winter.
Yang Laosi was lying in a cave in the ground, his nose filled with the fishy smell of soil. Occasionally, one or two unnamed reptiles would crawl across his big toe, but he was too lazy to pay attention to them.
Lying next to him was his wife, with a bulging belly, obviously several months pregnant.
It's a pity that this child came at the wrong time. It is estimated that he will be born next month and there is a high probability that he will not survive this winter.
The couple knew this very well, so they had no expectations for the baby in their belly.
"How many days?" The woman's voice was hoarse and weak.
Talking is a laborious thing, so say as little as possible.
Yang Laosi knew that his wife was asking him how many days it had been snowing.
When it wasn't snowing, they could still brave the cold and look for food, as long as they could get back before freezing to death.
Once it snows, people will probably freeze to death before they even leave the village.
"Five days."
Yang Laosi's wife looked at the roof worriedly: "Go sweep the snow."
If they don't clear the snow, the roof of the shed will collapse under the weight of the snow and they will die.
Yang Laosi didn't want to move. He was so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back. When he walked, his legs were as soft as noodles.
"Let me take my time."
The whole village was silent.
The cold wind was howling, as if blowing in my ears.
Suddenly, a creaking sound came from the village, like boots stepping on snow.
It's really strange, who would come to Hulu Village in the middle of winter?
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and several pairs of eyes opened in the dugout.
Yang Laosi couldn't suppress his curiosity, so he sat up and looked out through the crack in the door.
The man was wearing a thick linen robe and a strange hat that covered his ears tightly.
The footsteps sounded deep and heavy, and seemed very strong.
Yang Laosi blinked, not sure if it was the person he knew. He only dared to call out through the door lightly: "Brother Lan?"
Hey, have you guessed who he is?
(End of this chapter)
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