72. Chapter 72
"none"
The smell of gunpowder mixed with that of blood filled the cold air, and the howling and wailing shook the sky.
Hearing the noise, all the people who were having a lively meal in the house rushed over and soon surrounded the place, making it impossible to get in or out.
Burigude and his men were bleeding and struggling on the ground like maggots. They looked panicked and whispered to each other.
Aside from Bayan, the parents and relatives of the others rushed forward to help stop the bleeding, crying out in despair, "How did it become like this? Who is it? Who is it? Tell me now, and I'll avenge you!"
When Sabusu saw Qi You, he shot without saying a word. His head, which had been dizzy from drinking too much, was instantly cleared by the cold wind, and only his ears and brain were buzzing.
He looked at Bayan lying there groaning and felt it was really shameful. He hurriedly called Chang De and ordered him to drag him aside.
Burigude's father, Shaobu, hugged him and mustered up the courage to look at Qi You, who was standing at the door with a gun in hand and a cold expression. He stammered, "Seventh Prince, what did he do wrong that you want to kill him?"
Qi You said calmly, "When you came here, I told you to be polite and law-abiding and not to cause trouble, otherwise I will not be polite. They drank a few sips of wine and wandered around bullying women and the weak. They really deserve to die."
Burigude had lost too much blood, and his lips turned white from the cold. He shivered and trembled, and instinctively defended himself, "I didn't bully her. I can marry her."
Shaobu knew his son's character well. Seeing his miserable state, he felt both distressed and resentful, and then said, "Seventh Prince, you have heard that my family is willing to marry her. At most, we can come and propose marriage with the betrothal gifts. Seventh Prince, Burigude worked very hard to reclaim the wasteland and never slacked off. We used to herd and hunt, but you saved our lives. We are grateful to you for letting us farm and reclaim the wasteland, and we agreed. Seventh Prince, you want to kill him for a woman. It is really chilling!"
The crowd chatted and soon figured out what had happened. A few of the usual troublemakers stepped forward and chimed in, saying, "We don't know how to farm anyway. We only came here to reclaim the land for Master Qi's sake."
"They just drank a few more glasses of wine, didn't know better, and their minds were a little confused. Why did they use such heavy hands?"
"Buzhigude is willing to marry her, what's the big deal!"
Sabsu's Mongolian wasn't very good, so he didn't quite understand what they were saying. He just looked at the expressions on their faces, and then at the others nodding in agreement, and he silently cried out, "Oh no!"
He only brought one or two personal soldiers with him. Qi You had few guards, and several of those elusive people were sent back to the capital.
If this group of people started to make trouble, Sabusu would become nervous, quietly clench his fists, and subconsciously look at Qi You.
Qi You remained calm as he gazed at the indignant crowd before him. He said calmly, "The Altan Khan Code, the Oirat Code, and the Khalkha Code all clearly stipulate how you should treat women. Even three-year-olds know the sayings: 'Even the Khan was born of a woman,' and 'Respect your breastfeeding mother.' But seeing how you're behaving now, you're truly bringing shame to our ancestors!"
The people who were originally indignant were now stunned.
The several legal codes Qi You mentioned had been handed down from the Mongolian people to this day, and they were always proud of them. Even those who had never been educated had heard of them, and through word of mouth they had a general understanding of them.
Qi You glanced at the people on the ground and said in a colder voice: "If you want to marry, you should ask the other person if they are willing to marry. If they don't want to, you force them. How is this different from robbers and beasts? You still have the nerve to use alcohol as an excuse to get confused. So from now on, before you go out and do something bad, drink some wine first. You can avoid punishment by relying on alcohol. There is no such good thing in the world."
Shaobu saw that the situation was not right, his eyes rolled, and he said loudly: "Bu Rigude's leg is broken. Even if he was wrong, his crime has been atoned for. He will never be able to work in the fields again. If he can't work, he can't survive. He is my son, and I can't bear to watch him die. We really can't stay here any longer. I ask the Seventh Prince to allow us to leave."
Qi You looked at Shao Bu, smiled after a moment, and said readily: "Okay, you can go."
He looked at the people in front of him and said, "If any of you still don't want to farm, you can leave. It's fine. I won't blame you. Just go. You've avoided Galdan's invasion twice, so you won't be so unlucky as to encounter a third one."
Although Qi You's attitude was gentle, the few who had shouted the loudest earlier quietly retreated.
Who would want to leave their warm home in freezing weather? They ate the delicious meat dishes, and the taste was still lingering on their lips and teeth.
Farming and clearing wasteland was hard work, and herding was even harder. They were just slaves of the tribal nobles, herding for them. They produced milk, but they could only eat a few bites of meat throughout the year.
Shao Buluo stood there in a daze. His original intention was to encourage other people who were unwilling to farm to leave together, so as to threaten Qi You.
Qi You never gets angry with others, let alone threatens them.
Not much wasteland has been reclaimed this year, and it is not enough for the law-abiding people to cultivate.
Since they are unwilling to stay, letting some of them leave can relieve some of his burden.
After the navy arrives here next year, the military settlement will have enough manpower. The experienced people who stay behind will lead them to reclaim wasteland, and he will not have to worry about having no one.
He is kind, but not indiscriminately kind.
As for the unstable factors, he knew they would still exist, and he became the farmer among the farmers and the snakes.
Qi You saw several captains standing in the crowd and called them forward, saying, "I want to emphasize again, if you want to leave, I will not stop you, nor will I make things difficult for you. When you return, go register with the captain so I can calculate the food distribution for next month."
Several lieutenants were also very upset. Qi You had told them countless times. They tried their best to persuade these people not to provoke the girls following the Westerners, but who knew they still wouldn't listen.
They were also annoyed by those who were usually disobedient and unruly. This time, they took the opportunity to drive them away. Several lieutenants looked at each other, understanding each other's intentions, and rushed to shout, "Don't worry, Master Qi. When I get back, I will ask every household. If they want to leave, they will not be allowed to stay!"
Qi You looked at the confused faces before him, which were filled with suffering and vicissitudes. He felt extremely complicated and said in a loud voice: "Those who want to stay must abide by the rules. Those who dare to break the rules will suffer the consequences today."
He looked at Shaobu and his son and the other families and said without hesitation, "We can't keep you here anymore. You must leave immediately. Degao, take your guards and supervise them. Allow them to take the remaining food supplies. Other things like farm tools that don't belong to them are not allowed to take anything."
When the families who committed the crime heard this, their faces turned pale with fright.
The sky was gloomy, and it looked like snow was coming. Without shelter, even the cattle and sheep would freeze to death. Even with some food, it was unclear whether they could survive.
What's more, they gradually got used to the stable life. As long as they were willing to work hard, they would not go hungry, so no one was willing to leave.
These people quickly knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Please forgive us, Seventh Prince. You are our savior. We will obey you from now on!"
Shaobu saw that something was wrong and threw Burigude away. He then kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Please, Seventh Prince, have some mercy on me. I was wrong. Since you saved our lives, you are our great benefactor. We will remember your life-saving grace for the rest of our lives!"
Qi You smiled and said calmly, "I don't need your thanks. I can't stand you saying thanks but feeling resentful and dissatisfied in your heart. In fact, I'm also surprised. Before you move into the warm house and eat the hot soup and rice, why don't you tell us first that you don't want your things and don't want to farm?"
Some who couldn't bear to watch and wanted to plead for them retreated immediately. Some of the more shameless ones lowered their heads in shame.
They are unwilling to work but are not polite when eating. Even their parents and relatives will not allow them to do this.
As a prince, Qi You did not enslave or whip them like the nobles did, nor did he deprive them of food.
Even if they were allowed to reclaim wasteland, the land would be theirs in the future. They didn't have to pay taxes in the first two years, which was already quite tolerant and caring enough for them.
Qi You ordered the guards to drive the man away, ignored him, and turned into the house.
Sabusu was stunned for a moment, then followed him in and asked awkwardly, "Seventh Prince, what do you plan to do with Bayan?"
Qi You asked with amusement: "Bayan is your soldier. Doesn't military law apply to border troops?"
Sabusu was stunned for a moment, then smiled apologetically, "These armored men, well, you know, they've always been tough and unruly..."
Qi You just smiled at Sabusu. Under his cold gaze, Sabusu's words began to stagnate, and her tongue was almost tied. She said with a stiff upper lip, "Don't worry, Seventh Prince. I'll take care of it right away. Changde, come with me."
Chang De hurriedly followed Sabusu out, and Qi You ignored them. He trusted Sabusu's cleverness in this little matter.
The house was in a mess. Zhang Bai was sensible and buried his head in cleaning it up. Zhang Song kept whispering comfort to the frightened and crying Lin Xiuxiu.
He Ye pursed her lips tightly, her round eyes filled with anger, and she looked like she was still not satisfied. Hearing Lin Xiu Xiu's cry, she said impatiently, "Stop crying, what are you crying about? Sister Song didn't cry! Besides, it's these bastards who should be crying!"
Lin Xiu Xiu was choked and couldn't help burping. Her eyes were filled with tears and she looked pitiful and aggrieved.
Zhang Song saw Qi You pause for a moment and stood there smiling. He quickly tidied up his messy hair, glanced at He Ye reproachfully, and whispered a reminder: "Keep your voice down, Seventh Master is still here."
When He Ye heard Zhang Song's reminder, she quickly glanced at Qi You and shrank into the corner of the kang without saying a word.
Qi You saw He Ye's head hanging down, her round eyes rolling around, and he couldn't help laughing. He said, "He Ye is right. It's those bastards who should be crying."
The lotus leaf immediately raised its head, its eyes sparkling. Its round face, which had grown fatter and whiter in the winter, was so proud that it could not hold it back and tears fell down.
Qi You smiled and nodded at her to show encouragement, then said solemnly: "He Ye did the right thing today. You can't compare with them in strength, so don't force it. You must go and seek help quickly."
Zhang Song was silent for a moment, then said self-reproachfully, "He Ye is younger than me, and I'm not as clever as her. It's all my fault that everyone has suffered. I will definitely correct my mistakes and not let the Seventh Prince worry about us anymore."
Qi You sighed helplessly and said, "This isn't your fault. You've done a great job taking care of them. It's just that I may not be here all the time, so you have to learn how to protect yourselves. When you encounter a strong enemy and you really can't deal with it, the first thing you should think about is how to protect your life. Only by surviving can you have countless possibilities."
Everyone listened carefully to Qi You's words. Lin Xiuxiu lowered her head sadly and said, "When we are strong enough, those people will not dare to bully us. But it will take a long, long time to wait for that day!"
Qi You pondered for a moment and said, "That day will be a long, long time away. However, once you become strong enough, you can only prevent those with a clear mind from bullying you. If you encounter a purely evil person, you still have to be vigilant."
He Ye blinked and asked, "What kind of person is a pure villain?"
Qi You said: "Just like these few people today, they are purely bad. It's not that they don't understand, nor are they drunk and crazy. If they were really stupid, they would do whatever you tell them to do without thinking too much. These people are stupid too, but they are bad at heart and rely on their stupidity to do whatever is lawless. Don't try to reason with these people, it won't work. You can only beat them until they are completely subdued, and then they will stop."
Everyone looked thoughtful and huddled together to whisper. Qi You sighed inwardly: women were the weaker sex in this era, and in fact, it wouldn't be much better in the future.
Male animals always love to show off their strength, and they will be restrained by moral and legal constraints. Those who cannot restrain themselves will display their reproductive power everywhere, which is ugly.
As a man, Qi You did not feel complacent, but only felt ashamed.
Be a good person first, then it’s not too late to talk about men and women.
After comforting them and returning to the courtyard, the food had already gone cold. Gui He hurried forward to clean it up: "I'll go get some hot food."
Qi You was not hungry and had no mood to eat, so he said, "No need, go boil a pot of water for tea. And prepare two bowls of noodles and cook them for Sabusu and Changde later. They probably haven't eaten enough yet."
Guihe agreed, put away the kang table and brought up the tea. Sabusu and his son also came into the house, feeling cold.
Qi You asked them to sit down, poured a cup of tea and handed it to them, saying, "Gui He, go and cook the noodles."
Sabusu saw that the food on the table had been cleared away and was about to go hungry. When he heard that Qi You had prepared noodles for them and their son, he immediately laughed and said, "Thank you, Seventh Prince. You are so thoughtful."
Qi You smiled and said, "It's a rare opportunity for me to invite you to eat the butcher pig soup, but in the end you only had a bowl of noodles. I'm sorry for not hosting you well. Please forgive me."
Sabusu and Changde repeatedly said they dared not.
They really didn't dare. In their eyes, Qi You had a mild temper, was never impatient, and would remain calm even when faced with a crisis.
After seeing him shoot without blinking, fiercely and forcefully, and ruthlessly killing several families, the father and son are still a little dazed.
After eating two bowls of hot noodles, Sabsu felt warm and relaxed. Looking out the window at the falling snowflakes, he hesitated and said, "I saw those families leave earlier. It's so cold, and some people are injured. There's no one around for dozens of miles. I wonder where they can get to."
Qi You lowered his eyes, sipped his tea slowly, said "oh", and didn't respond.
They can't go far.
Qi You had only injured a few of Burigude's men, but did not take their lives.
But he knew that several people would not survive.
After being driven away, they began to feel not only anger and hatred towards him and the other companions who were unwilling to leave, but also a strong fighting spirit. They wanted to survive, live well, not be looked down upon, and come back for revenge.
After two days, when they are cold, hungry and have no place to stay, they will face reality.
They will begin to resent and blame others for the current situation and the fact that their injury has become the culprit.
Next, they will comfort and persuade themselves with countless excuses, such as taking action to deal with the troublemaker for the sake of other family members, and then turn around and ask Qi You for forgiveness.
Qi You never agreed to punish the entire clan, and he was not one to enjoy killing. As long as they were honest and lived peacefully on the land, he would not let them all die.
Qi You tried his best to consider these people, no matter how much they were grateful for him. Over time, they would think that everything he did was natural, and they would turn against him at the slightest dissatisfaction.
After this harsh punishment, this group of people felt fear in their hearts, and this place can be said to have truly settled down.
Sabusu observed Qi You's expression and advised, "Seventh Prince, don't be angry. They are very stupid. Once they get drunk, they lose their minds."
Qi You said seriously: "They are either stupid or bad. General, I know what you really think in your heart. You think I am making a big deal out of nothing."
Sabusu felt his true feelings were seen through, and his expression became awkward. He said vaguely, "The Han people say that it's better to demolish ten temples than to destroy a marriage. After the marriage, sharing the same quilt, no matter how big the resentment is, it will disappear. If the daughter-in-law is promising and can go out to earn money and bring honor to the family, they won't stop her. They will still let her go out to work in the future. Isn't it a good thing to have the best of both worlds?"
Changde was listening beside him. Although he didn't say anything, he nodded from time to time, obviously agreeing with Sabsu's statement.
Qi You had a calm expression and poured tea from the pot without saying a word.
Qi You didn't blame them, in fact. This was the current state of the world. Even in later generations, there were many harsh words when dealing with such disputes. When a conflict arose between husband and wife, people would try to reconcile rather than separate.
Sabsu hesitated for a moment and said, "Because of the constant fighting, many people haven't been able to get married. For example, Bayan lost two wives, leaving no children. He's still a widower and hasn't remarried. He's almost forty years old this year. Now that he's gone, the family line is completely cut off... Alas, there are many people like Bayan. It's really a headache."
Judging from what Sabusu said, Bayan should have been dealt with. Qi You looked over and asked indifferently, "How did Bayan's two wives disappear?"
Sabsu paused, looking uneasy, and said, "I didn't ask much, and I don't know how it disappeared."
Qi You said, "General, you all know it. Why pretend not to know? Look at them. They can't get married, but they don't treat women as human beings."
Sabusu laughed dryly and agreed, "Yes, they deserve it. But Seventh Prince, if this continues for a long time, I'm only worried that people will become confused and the safety of the border will be affected."
Changde looked thoughtful, glanced at Sabusu, and frowned tightly as he sat beside him.
Qi You said slowly, "When farming, you must first select the seeds. Bad seeds planted in the ground will not produce good crops. The continuation of human beings and the continuation of the family line are just like the selection of seeds when farming. For bad seeds like Bayan, let the incense be cut off."
Sabusu was stunned and mumbled, "Seventh Prince, incense is important..."
Qi You smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He said, "I suggest that when you think about something in the future, General, you should pay less attention to the overall situation and focus on the practical aspects. First, look at the suffering in front of you, and after solving it, you can look at the world. This is more practical."
Sabsu was a little embarrassed and argued, "I am the general here. How can I lead them if I don't see the overall situation?"
Qi You said: "Why does the general guard the border? It is to protect the defenseless and weak people, so that they can live and work in peace without being invaded by foreign enemies. But the general is actually sacrificing the weak to guard the border. Is such a guard worth it? What is the meaning of it?"
Sabusu stood there, his face a little grim. Changde's eyes lit up, and without giving his father face, he praised him, "Seventh Brother is right. Father often said that we should consider the overall situation. I never understood what the overall situation was. Now I understand. It means sacrificing the small to preserve the big!"
"Get out of here!" Sabsu angrily cursed Changde, then calmed himself down and asked seriously, "Seventh Prince, do you have any solution?"
Qi You pondered for a moment and said, "I've seen the population here, and the number of women is roughly equal to that of men. As for why some people still can't find wives, other than some taking multiple concubines, you should think carefully about other reasons. If you have sisters or daughters, would you be willing to marry those bachelors? If you put yourself in their shoes, you'll know what to do."
Sabusu and Changde both had several concubines. The father and son looked at each other and both of their faces turned red.
They certainly don't want to take fewer concubines. As for their sisters and daughters, who would want to marry those scoundrels?
Qi You ignored the two of them and looked out the white window. The snow was falling heavily again.
Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest, but I wonder if there will be a harvest next year. He has no money, and the school has not yet been established.
No matter what kind of hardship you face, education is the worst. Where else can you make money?
Qi You looked down at the tea bowl, paused, and his eyes couldn't help but light up.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-11-11 22:17:20 and 2022-11-12 22:46:12~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Huhu 50 bottles; Yijin Strawberry 30 bottles; Amao 20 bottles; Yukisanada 12 bottles;
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