Longtan County used to be their hometown. Upon hearing this, Aunt Liang's heart tightened. "Is it that the damned Japanese pirates are here again?"
"It is said that the Japanese pirates were driven away last year. A few days ago, Longtan County held some kind of investment promotion conference. I heard that the county town has been completely renovated, and many wealthy families have gone there to buy houses."
“That’s a matter for rich people.” Aunt Liang’s eyelids drooped as she twisted the thread in her hand.
Their family fled after Japanese pirates massacred the town of Xihe and sought refuge with their sister-in-law who had married into the area.
My sister-in-law's family of seven or eight people were crammed into four or five dilapidated thatched huts. Aunt Liang came to seek refuge, but she couldn't even afford to rent a dilapidated house in the village, so the family built two shacks at the foot of the mountain, which was how they finally had a place to stay.
Unable to afford land, Aunt Liang's husband and two sons all worked odd jobs in the county town. After eating and sleeping, they barely had any money left each day.
The days passed by in this agonizing way, with no idea when it would end.
Unaware of the bitterness in Aunt Liang's heart, Chen Dazui continued to ramble on and on.
“I heard that the new city lord of Longtan is very kind and has exempted the people who come to seek refuge from taxes and grain for two years.”
Aunt Liang was somewhat tempted by the news, but she was also afraid that the information was unreliable.
"Can we go back to our old village?"
"No, that won't work. It seems we need to re-register our household registration. My family is planning to leave first thing tomorrow morning. Are you going too?"
“But my husband and son are still working in the city, and I’m afraid they won’t be able to come back tomorrow.”
As Aunt Liang was speaking, she looked up and saw her husband and two sons carrying bundles and walking home. She quickly put down her clothes and stood up.
Why are you back at this time?
The man said with a delighted look, "Let's go back and pack our things. We'll return to Longtan tomorrow."
"You know."
"Yeah, rather than staying here living a miserable life, it's better to go back and give it a shot."
Aunt Liang slapped her thigh and said to Chen Dazui, "Dazui, I'll go with you tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll go home and pack up right away."
As the saying goes, even a broken home is worth a fortune. If it weren't for the long journey, I'd probably take even the thatched roof with me.
Meanwhile, behind the shack, in a haystack, hid two small, thin beggars, one big and one small.
"Sister, if we go with them tomorrow, we won't get lost," the little beggar said in a whisper.
The older beggar's eyes shone with an alarming light. "Hmm."
The next morning, at the entrance of Hamaowo Village, villagers watched as several families who had come to seek refuge arrived.
As they left the village, two little beggars emerged from the bushes and followed them at a distance.
On the official road of Liuguan County, a group of ragged refugees spoke to their fellow travelers.
"Let's go! Let's go back now while we can still catch the spring planting season."
"Brother Da, do you think we can still get land even though we've lost our household registration?"
"It's alright. A businessman from Longtan told me personally that Longtan is in dire need of people right now, and you can get land even if you don't have a local household registration!"
"Hey, let's hurry up, or we'll be assigned to a bad village."
A villager carrying firewood stopped the refugees and asked, "Young man, do you mean that if you say you can move to Longtan, you can get land?"
The refugee was stopped and startled. He patted his thin chest and said, "Uncle, this is absolutely true. I helped a merchant from Longtan, and that's why he kindly told me."
"Did he say how people who were originally from Longtan County would be resettled?"
The refugee paused for a moment and said, "No, uncle. Think about it, they can even accept not having a household registration, let alone having one."
The villagers thought about it and agreed. Just then, the beggar patted his hand.
"Uncle, is there anything else?"
"Oh, that's all." The villager realized he had been stopping them and awkwardly withdrew his hand.
After saying goodbye to the refugees, the villager ran home as fast as he could to tell his family the good news.
The same scene unfolded in the counties under the jurisdiction of Nanzhou Prefecture. People who had left their hometowns back then, upon hearing the news of Longtan, packed their bags and settled down in Longtan again.
As many as 50,000 to 60,000 people returned to Longtan County from various counties. In addition, with the refugees who fled from the Central Plains, the total population of the villages and towns under the jurisdiction of Longtan County reached about 100,000 before the spring plowing season.
At the Yun residence, Yun Zhentian was arguing with the county magistrates of the Southern Prefecture.
"Lord Yun, you really have to think of a solution for us this time. Three or four out of ten people under my jurisdiction have moved to Longtan. If more people leave, the fields will be left uncultivated."
Spring plowing is just around the corner.
"We can't be careless about food at all!"
Yun Zhentian leisurely sipped his tea, and after a while, he slowly spat out the tea leaves from his mouth.
"Have you all forgotten that I am no longer the governor of Nanzhou Prefecture? I am powerless to help you with your questions!"
As soon as he learned that Yun Mo and his group had produced salt, Yun Zhentian handed over all the official seals and documents.
“Lord Yun, the new prefect has not yet arrived, so you should continue to handle the affairs of Nanzhou Prefecture.”
The county magistrate was almost in tears. If the planting was delayed, how would they provide the grain when the Yu family asked for it later?
Finally, the county magistrates had no choice but to go to Yu Shida again, but unfortunately Yu Shida had led his troops to conquer Xihe and was unable to solve their problem.
Nanman Prefecture, Xihe County
Yu Shida led 5,000 men and stationed them on an open area 50 miles north of the iron mine.
He planned to set up camp here and rest for three days before challenging the enemy.
However, their every move was observed by the scout team led by Yun Qi.
Yun Qi looked through his binoculars and saw that some soldiers were cooking and others were setting up tents. There was also a small river flowing not far from Yu Shida's camp. He understood what was going on.
"Retreat!" he said to the soldier beside him.
"Seventh Brother, are they planning to set up camp here?"
"Yes, let's go back and report to Second Master first."
Inside the Xihe camp, after listening to Yun Qi's report, Yun Ye carefully examined the map back and forth.
It must be said that Yu Shida is quite skilled at leading troops; judging from his choice of camp location, he is not just a figurehead.
"Second Master, should we rob their supplies tonight while they're fast asleep?" Yun asked.
They are experts at robbery. In the past, as long as the enemy forces were not strong, they would take advantage of their inherent strength to strike first.
Yunye pointed to the map, "No, look at this. According to the information collected by Yun Si, Yu Shida, as the concubine of the Yu family head, has been taught by famous teachers hired by the Yu family head since childhood. We should not underestimate his strength."
"So we're just going to wait like this?"
"Don't worry, they're the ones who can't wait. Yu Shida will definitely come to challenge us by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Yun Yi said, "Alright, I'll have the brothers sharpen the blades."
Just as Yunye had predicted, Yu Shida arrived with a group of men the following afternoon to challenge them.
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