knife

Chapter 283: Entering the Pass
In early March, while the area outside the Great Wall is still covered in ice and snow, the area inside the Great Wall is gradually warming up and flowers are blooming.

The further south you go, the more obvious the signs of spring become.

The vibrant green shoots, nurtured by the withered branches and fallen leaves, stubbornly peek out from the ground, dancing in the wind, curiously gazing at this brand new world.

The gaunt old man wore only a pair of patched-up shorts. He was bent over, pulling the plow with all his might to turn the soil. His body was almost touching the ground. He had to use his hands and feet to slowly move the plow forward. And the one holding the plow was an old woman who was also poorly clothed.

Looking around, the surrounding land was mostly barren, and the only people working in it were the old man and woman.

The sound of horses' hooves came from the road. The old man and woman stopped plowing and turned their heads to look in the direction from which the sound of hooves came.

Two people and three horses were slowly approaching from a distance.

At first glance, he is no ordinary person.

The two men were dressed in fine clothes and rode spirited horses, carrying swords and bows. In addition to their horses, they also had a camel specifically for carrying their goods.

The two men dismounted and walked straight toward the old man.

The old man quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, gentlemen!"

"No need for such formalities, sir!" The young master at the head of the group smiled and returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute. "My servant and I have come from afar, but we are a little surprised. We have heard that the Hedong region is usually prosperous and populous, but today we have been walking for most of the day and the population is sparse. We don't even have a place to rest. Now we have run out of water. I wonder if you know of a place to rest?"

The old man, seeing the young man's polite demeanor, felt a surge of goodwill towards him: "To be honest, young master, our village used to be a large village with over a thousand people. However, last year, a war struck, and half of us died. In the first half of the year, some General He recruited soldiers, and most of the able-bodied men in the village who couldn't escape were taken away. Before the New Year, some Marshal Linghu came to recruit soldiers, and the remaining able-bodied men were taken away as well. Now, the only people left in the village who can move around are elderly men and women like us, in our seventies and eighties. If you want to rest and recuperate, young master, please hurry and try to reach a big city. It's not safe out here these days!"

"Is there no one else at home?" The young man was somewhat shocked.

The old man shook his head and said, "I originally had two sons. One was captured by General He, and the other went to answer the call of Commander Linghu before the new year, saying that he would come back in the spring. But now there is no news of him. I don't know if he is still alive or not."

"Have some water, you two!" An old woman came over carrying a dark-colored jar. "Linqin tea, made from leaves picked and dried by ourselves, is the best way to quench your thirst."

"Thank you, thank you!" The young man took the jar, then a chipped wooden bowl from the old man, poured a large bowl of bright yellow tea, gulped it down, and then poured another bowl and handed it to the man behind him, saying, "Little cat, try this Linqin tea, it's really refreshing and thirst-quenching, a good thing!"

Fang Xiaomao smiled and drank it all in one gulp.

"Old man, could you sell me the rest of this Linqin tea?" the young man asked.

"Young master, what are you saying? This Linqin tea is just a little bit of tree leaves and spring water. It's not worth much. If you like it, please take it!" The old man hurriedly waved his hand.

"That won't do!" The burly man took out a leather pouch and poured all the Linqin tea from the jar into it. Then he took out a silver ingot from his pocket and handed it to the old man. "Our young master never takes advantage of others. This is for you!"

The old man stared blankly at the silver, saying, "It's not worth much."

"The rest is a reward from our young master!" the man laughed.

After saying that, he stuffed the silver ingot into the old man's hand.

As the two mounted their horses, the old woman leaned closer with eager eyes and said, "Young master, you must be a man of great importance. When we reach the big city ahead, could you please speak to the high-ranking official there and ask him to release our son so he can return home?"

The young man chuckled and said, "It's worth a try, but I don't know if they'll give me the time of day. What's your son's name?"

“My son’s name is Fu Erniu. His older brother, Da Niu, was taken away by that General He’s men in the first half of last year!” The strong woman was overjoyed when she saw that the young man had agreed, and she quickly told him about her eldest son.

"I might be able to help Erniu, but Da Niu's group has long since left this Hedong region, at least several hundred or even a thousand miles away. I have absolutely no idea what to do with them!" The young master shook his head, mounted his horse, bowed to the old man, and rode away. Behind him, the old man and woman, clutching silver coins, watched the two figures disappear with hope.

There should always be hope, shouldn't there?
"Young master, didn't you say that Hedong is known as the land between mountains and rivers, and has always been one of the most prosperous places in Qin? Now it seems that it is very poor, even worse than our Guanwai!" Fang Xiaomao was full of surprise. He had entered Guanwai for the first time with great anticipation and longing, but now it seemed that it was far inferior to his hometown.

"After He Zudao's rampage, burning, killing, and looting everything, the wealthy families, rich merchants, and even those with a little wealth in Hedong were all plundered, their vitality almost completely wiped out. Before they could even catch their breath, our Commander Linghu arrived again." Li Dachui sighed, "Commander Linghu definitely wants to use Hedong and Hexi as his base, but being new here, he's naturally not very polite in order to establish a foothold. Before long, all the good places have been trampled on!"

"It really does prove what you said, young master: 'When the dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when it falls, the people suffer!'" Fang Xiaomao shook his head. "Young master, do you think it was a good thing or a bad thing that He Zudao wiped out all the powerful families of Hedong?"

“From a close distance, it’s obviously bad!” Li Dachui pointed with his whip at the overgrown fields on both sides of the road: “You can see that these were all good fields. See those irrigation ditches? These were all irrigated land, guaranteed against drought and flood. Now, they’re all barren. Food is the foundation. If no one is growing food, famine will naturally follow. But in the long run, the absence of these powerful families is actually a good thing for the future recovery of these places.”

“Just like in our area outside the Great Wall, our government orders can be passed down to the lowest-level people through those captains, regimental commanders, captains, and village chiefs,” Fang Xiaomao said. “Without the middlemen, these powerful families would be nothing more than empty shells without the people who depend on them for their livelihood.”

"That's the truth."

"If that's the case, shouldn't we thank He Zudao?" Fang Xiaomao said, "If he really wipes out all these powerful families, when we enter the pass, Young Master won't have to bear any infamy or burden. He can just start drawing on a blank sheet of paper!"

"You're dreaming!" Li Dachui laughed. "After sweeping through Hedong and Hexi, He Zudao may still look very powerful, but do you think he's taken down any truly powerful families? No, those who fell were all those who lacked the strength. Now, those who truly have the power are thinking about how to use He Zudao as a weapon! Once He Zudao has completed his mission, he'll probably be dealt with by someone else."

"What mission?"

“Take Luoyang, or Chang’an!” Li Dachui said, “That depends on He Zudao’s own abilities. In any case, in the eyes of those in control, it’s enough for He Zudao to accomplish just one of them.”

"General Linghu must also be planning to take advantage of the situation!" Fang Xiaomao sneered.

“You’re quite accurate in your assessment. Moreover, He Zudao’s all-out attack on one of these two places is probably just around the corner!” Li Dachui said.

"What makes you so sure, young master?"

"Commander Linghu is a commander who values ​​farming in the area outside the Great Wall. He knows the principle that supplies must come before the army moves. But this year, even though it's already spring planting season, the able-bodied men he conscripted still haven't returned home to farm. What does this mean?"

"There's a major military operation!" Fang Xiaomao suddenly realized: "He needs a large number of able-bodied young men."

“Yes, so He Zudao will definitely take action soon, and Linghu Ye needs to follow He Zudao’s actions to complete his strategic direction, so naturally he can’t let these young men go home!” Li Dachui said, “Looking at the world, I’m afraid all those with strength are making this preparation. Today, the spring plowing in Great Qin is probably going to be a nightmare.”

"Don't these people even consider how they'll eat if they don't start spring planting?"

"They won't go hungry; it's the common people who will suffer in the end!" Li Dachui sneered. "Once they've achieved their goal, they'll open the granaries a few times, cook a few pots of thin porridge to provide disaster relief, and their reputation as great philanthropists will return, won't it? They've been playing these tricks for ages."

Fang Xiaomao shook her head repeatedly.

Li Dachui lashed out with his riding whip, sending a clump of bushes flying off the ground and revealing a section of a boundary marker hidden within. He glanced at it and said, "Let's go. We're not far from Boling now. Let's go there and check out the situation before heading to Taiyuan!"

"Young Master, are you really planning to meet Linghu Ye? That guy probably hates you to death. If you meet him, won't he try to kill you? Young Master, although you are now a Xiantian cultivator, Linghu is also a Xiantian cultivator, and he has many experts under his command. Aren't we just walking into a trap?"

“Linghuye is a politician!” Li Dachui said, “He will always weigh the pros and cons before doing anything. He would disdain doing something meaningless or just to vent his anger. He’s the kind of guy who would try to squeeze water out of a dry towel and oil out of a crack in a rock. Why would he want to kill someone like me who has great value to him?”

“I don’t think Linghu Ye is that kind of person, but I do think you are!” Fang Xiaomao said earnestly.

"How dare you slander me like this?" Li Dachui said, feigning anger. "Your young master is a kind and benevolent person."

(End of this chapter)