"Hehehe." Lin Hai stared at the stone list for a long moment, letting out a creepy laugh. He said as he did so, "Da Chen? Old Shi, you're not telling me you didn't know the Chen Dynasty had already ceded the two southwestern provinces to Daliang, are you?"
Shi Bangyi was startled, but he finally sighed and said, "I knew, but I didn't know you guys would come so quickly, even sending officials to a remote place like Shangba County. It seems Dachen's defeat was well deserved."
"Old Shi, let me correct you on a few points. First, that wasn't the Great Chen Dynasty. You can call it the Chen Dynasty or the Southern Chen Dynasty. Remember, you and everyone in this forest are now citizens of the Daliang Empire. Second, the Shangba County you mentioned has been burned to a crisp by the Khmer. The city has been uninhabited for years, and even the stray dogs have starved to death. So now it's not called Shangba County, it's called Qinghetun, and from now on it will be Qinghe County of our Daliang Empire."
"Have you even changed the name of the county? But we have been from Shangba County for generations..."
"Alright, alright," Lin Hai waved his hand and said, "Just forget it. You've already gone from being a Chen Dynasty person to a citizen of the Empire. What's the big deal about changing the name of a county? Don't forget, Shangba County was once called Xiaba County. There are countless places that have changed their names over the years. Besides, with your current status, let alone the idea of this happening for generations, if you stay in the forest for a few more years, it will almost be the end of your generation."
"Well, then I wonder what the officials are here for. As you can see, we can't take anything out." Shi Bangyi's face changed several times, and his cheeks trembled involuntarily. It can be seen that the black mud in the wrinkles has moved forward another step. Lin Hai calculated that if he stimulated him a few more times, the black mud would fall out and achieve the effect of washing his face.
"Well, not bad." Lin Hai exclaimed.
He's a scholar indeed, Lin Hai thought. He's got a quick mind. Look, he's changed his stance in just a few words. Although the Chen Dynasty wasn't very kind to them, and was even unusually harsh, Lin Hai had seen many people, oppressed by the government, fight to the death against foreign invaders.
It can only be said that the four countries in the world share the same language and ethnicity. This is a consensus among everyone. Except that the dialects in some places are too obscure, everyone's characters are almost exactly the same in terms of appearance and language. Therefore, Shi Bangyi did not feel too uncomfortable when accepting this group of "Liang occupying forces."
Of course, it would be best if no one rushed out to fight Lin Hai with stones and sticks as soon as they heard that Lin Hai was from Liang. It can only be said that this was Lin Hai's luck, otherwise he would have to fight a battle to capture the person or simply move to another place.
"Of the four kingdoms under heaven, the Chen Dynasty no longer cares about you. The Khmer Rouge burned your county town. The Xia Kingdom is too far away, so we have no choice but to take care of you. You should have heard what I said just now. The empire is now resuming production and recruiting people from all over the country to cultivate land. Everyone can open up wasteland. The empire will provide seeds and initial rations, and then there will be a three-year tax exemption." Lin Hai finished speaking in one breath, then stared at Shi Bangyi and added, "You can go and discuss it. The war is over, the fields can't be abandoned, and people can't live in the woods forever. If you want to come down the mountain, come with me. Let's go to the camp to have a proper meal first, and then go to the county town. If you don't want to go down the mountain, I won't force you."
Hearing that it could be discussed, and even without any compulsion, Shi Bang bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, sir. Please wait a moment, sir. I will go back and discuss it. I will give you an explanation within an hour."
Lin Hai waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Go ahead, I've finished washing my clothes. Come find me at the camp within an hour." After that, he left without looking back.
Where there are people, there is order. Lin Hai firmly believes in this.
Lin Hai could also see that Shi Bangyi was pushed out to negotiate because he was educated and older, but he was definitely not the one who made the decision. In such an environment, the one who could make the decision must be a strong man, and only a strong man could maintain the survival of a group in such an environment.
When Lin Hai returned to camp, he immediately filled a bowl with rice, added a slice of bacon, and a small bowl of green peppers, and began to eat slowly. The other brothers, weapons still drawn, spread out behind Lin Hai, pretending to do their own things. For example, Jia Da was still frying the green peppers...
In less than a quarter of an hour, someone arrived.
"I am Yang Xiong, the humble servant, and I am honored to meet you, the officer."
A tall and lean man bowed deeply in front of Lin Hai, followed by several children of a few years old. They were dark and thin, and it was even impossible to tell whether they were boys or girls. They had big heads on their slender black necks, and their big eyes were blinking. They hurriedly imitated Yang Xiong's salute. Only the youngest one was trying hard to stuff his two black hands into his mouth.
"My name is Lin Hai, the leader of the Zhuangban of the newly built Qinghe Village. You can call me Lin Bantou. All the Zhuangban runners below the rank of County Lieutenant of Qinghe Village are under my jurisdiction. Of course, I am also responsible for recruiting refugees to cultivate the land."
Lin Hai introduced himself but didn't ask Yang Xiong to stand. Seeing Lin Hai's youth, Yang Xiong wanted to salute and then stand up, but out of the corner of his eye he saw several burly men behind him, armed with ring-handled swords and spears. He quickly gave up the idea of standing up, but he didn't say anything, as if waiting for Lin Hai's instructions.
"Daddy, the green peppers are burnt." Suddenly, a crisp girl's voice came from behind Yang Xiong. Yang Xiong bent over and turned back, startled. He lowered his voice and said, "Why are you here? Go back to your mother. Go quickly."
Seeing this, Lin Hai couldn't help but laugh and said, "Since we're here, we're guests. How can we just leave on our own? Yang Xiong, is this your daughter? I told you, when you come, you'll have food. Let the children go eat first."
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