Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 6: Canhewu

The setting sun hung over the western hills, the blood-like sunlight dyed the edges red, and Chanhewu was covered with a layer of afterglow.

Chanhewu is located in the valley of the Chanshui River. In order to prevent the Hu people from plundering, the Chanhewu built by Zhang paid more attention to defense. The south wall was built along the valley, and the north wall was close to the hill. The east and west high walls were built on the road, each with a watchtower. The two gates were distributed on the east and west walls, which can be said to be easy to defend but difficult to attack.

As time went on to dusk, people returned home with their hoes after their busy farming days, and women came out with their children and holding pots of tea to greet the people. The fortress gradually became lively inside and outside.

On the lookout tower, the old man with a broken arm gazed into the distance, waiting for Zhang Yu, Zhang Yang and his party who had not been seen for a long time.

"Why hasn't Old Li come down yet? Is it possible that your wife is upstairs playing with you and you are reluctant to come down?" The returning farmer couldn't help but look up and teased when he saw the old man with a broken arm who usually came down to guard the gate.

At this time, Old Li’s wife came over with a basket, glared at the farmer, and cursed, “Stop talking nonsense. The Hu people who scolded the cadres came to steal the horses. Shao Jun personally led people to chase them, but they have not returned yet. Old Zhang is watching over them.”

After saying that, Old Mrs. Li walked into the watchtower carrying a food basket and delivered food to the old man with a broken arm who was in charge of lookout.

Seeing that Old Lady Li had left, the curious farmer asked the people around him, "How many people came to steal the horse? How many people did the young master bring to chase them?"

“I heard that the young master first pursued alone, and then the second commander followed with a dozen riders.” said the fat man on the side.

"Tsk tsk!"

The farmer sighed and said, "Young Master is so courageous in chasing the Hu people on his own. He really has the spirit of a leader."

"The Hu people are fierce and brave. I wonder if you can escape safely." said the fat man.

The farmer blurted out, "Young Master is an excellent martial artist, and his archery skills are unmatched in the village. How could he be defeated by the Chigan Hu bandits?"

"Of course. There are too many horse thieves, so we probably still have to rely on the second leader." said the fat man.

"coming!"

During the discussion, the old man with a broken arm on the watchtower rang the bell rope, and the harsh clanging sound spread throughout the fort, and he shouted, "Young Master is back!"

Having said that, the woman, without even bothering to serve herself a meal, hurried down the narrow stairs.

As the gate of the fort slowly opened, the figures of Zhang Yu, Zhang Yang and more than ten others appeared outside the fort.

"Master!"

"Second Master!"

Many people went to the gate to welcome them in person. They were very excited to see everyone returning safely and the fine horses following them.

"Li Bo!"

"Uncle Zhang!"

Although Zhang is the leader of Chanhewu, it does not mean that Zhang has a higher status than everyone else. Zhang Ji was elected as the master of the fort by everyone, while Zhang Yu was raised by everyone.

Zhang Yu and the others dismounted and walked, returning polite greetings to the people who came out to greet them.

"How about it?"

Looking at a captured Hu man, the old man with the broken arm asked.

Zhang Yang patted Zhang Yu's arm and said with a smile, "Before I led the troops to arrive, Brother Yu had already dealt with the Hu bandits and recaptured all the horses. He was extremely brave."

In order to boast about his nephew's talent, Zhang Yang deliberately omitted Zhang Liao's role in his speech. With the help of language skills, the crowd's reactions really achieved Zhang Yang's goal, and everyone expressed admiration and respect.

"Young Master is brave and shrewd enough to be a great leader!"

"Young Master's martial arts are unrivaled"

"Don't dare!"

Zhang Yu remained modest and said, "It's not the work of one person!"

"I hunted some rabbits and foxes and shared them with the villagers."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu asked Li Suyi to share the rabbits and foxes hunted along the way with the people around them, either one rabbit for each family, or one fox for three families. Almost everyone who watched got something out of it.

"Thank you, Young Master!"

"Thank you, Young Master!"

With everyone's thanks, Zhang Yang first took his men to lead the horses to the stable, and then let the riders go home to rest.

Zhang Yu handed the fox to the old man with the broken arm as usual and said with a smile, "Uncle Li, thank you for your hard work in keeping watch!"

"It's not hard work!"

The old man reached out and picked up the fox, and asked with concern, "Are you hurt, young master?"

"I was helped by righteous men and was not injured," said Zhang Yu.

"Young master is extremely brave and heroic, which is really a happy event for us in Chanhewu!" said the old man with a smile.

Zhang Yu looked at the dwarf who had appeared out of nowhere and said with a smile, "Remember to share some of the meat with Bo Shu!"

"It's natural!"

Old man Li glanced at the dwarf who was only 1.3 meters tall and said, "How could I forget Bo Shu." Bo Shu, who had a deformed appearance, bowed to Zhang Yu and murmured to express his gratitude.

After bidding farewell to the old man and the dwarf guarding the gate, Zhang Yu took Zhang Liao and Li Suyi to their residence in the fortress.

Along the way, Zhang Liao couldn't help but ask curiously, "What about Li Bo and Bo Shu?"

Zhang Yu saw Zhang Liao's curiosity and explained, "Li Bo was originally a cavalryman of my father's army. When the fort was first built, my father led his troops out of the fort. The Xianbei took the opportunity to attack the fort. Li Bo led more than ten people to fight alone. Although he repelled the Xianbei barbarians, he also lost an arm and became a lame man. He was then assigned the post of lookout."

"As for Bo Shu, he was originally a comedian in Wuyuan County, making a living by playing drums and performing plays. When the Hu people came south to plunder, Bo Shu was displaced, but fortunately he was rescued by my uncle, and from then on he guarded the gate and watched the drums for Chanhewu."

Li Suyi took the opportunity to say: "This is a benevolent policy to stop laxatives!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It's not a benevolent policy, but under the war, it's hard for disabled people to survive. We can only let them do what they can and give them some food from the fortress to survive."

The term "Balun" specifically refers to the elderly, weak, sick and disabled civilians who are unable to hold office.

In order to show benevolence, the Han Dynasty legally allowed disabled people to be exempted from paying land rent and head tax, and occasionally imperial decrees were issued to grant them financial assistance.

In terms of policy, in order to take care of the registered impotents, the government would often arrange some work for them within their capabilities and try their best to ensure that they had food to eat.

As a semi-official organization, Chanhewu actually doesn't need to care about the people who are on strike. The reason why they care now is more because Zhang Ji is a warm-hearted person and hopes to protect the poor.

Zhang Yu was different. He was on good terms with the two men, not only for taking care of Ba Lun, but also for being a gatekeeper and lookout, similar to the front desk of a company in his previous life. Although seemingly insignificant, he was very crucial at certain times. He was a small person with a big impact.

Zhang Liao praised and said, "The border is in chaos, but Chanhewu is a rare peaceful place!"

The border was in chaos all year round, and the order in the counties was in disarray. The reason why the fortresses came into being was that the government had lost control of the local area, and the people had to form associations to protect themselves. Zhang Liao was quite impressed that such good governance could be seen in the fortress society.

When they arrived at the residence, a young man about the same age as Zhang Yu walked out quickly. As he left, he looked back, as if he was avoiding something.

Seeing Zhang Yu and Li Suyi, the young man hurried forward and said, "Jian, my mother has a bad temper. Please be careful with your words."

Li Suyi held the young man and said with a smile, "Brother, why did you make mother angry again?"

This young man was none other than Li Suyi's elder brother, Li Song, who grew up with Zhang Yu.

Li Song smiled bitterly and said, "My mother urged me to get married, but I didn't like it and said a few more words. My mother was angry and scolded me, saying that I was an unfilial descendant. She told me that I would not be able to face the ancestors of the Li family in the underworld in the future."

"It seems that brother looks down on the girl from the Song family!" Zhang Yu understood Li Song's intention and said with a smile.

"The girl from the Song family is really ugly, how can I agree to this!" Li Song said, "If I marry her, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep."

Zhang Yu took Li Song's hand and said with a smile: "Next time, you can say that the Song family doesn't like the Xiongnu people, and your mother-in-law will reject the girl from the Song family."

"That's a good idea!" Li Song said, "But I'm afraid it will just make my mother sulk again."

As he spoke, he heard some noise coming from inside the house. Li Song let go of Zhang Yu's hand and said, "I'll stay out of the spotlight for now. I'll discuss academic matters with you tomorrow."

Although Li's mother was a noble lady of the Southern Xiongnu, her father and grandfather had already been sinicized, so there was no difference between her and other Han women. She just grew up in the frontier for many years and had a more aggressive temperament.

After her uncle Li Ying passed away, Li's mother raised the three children, Li Song, Zhang Yu and Li Suyi, on her own. In order to train them, she often hired people to teach them Chinese.

Therefore, although my cousin Li Song grew up in the frontier, he was well-versed in Chinese studies. In his early years, he was fortunate to study under Cai Yong for more than half a year. He was considered one of the few young talents in the frontier who was well versed in classics.

After her cousin Li Song left in a hurry, Li's mother came out with an angry look on her face. Just as she was about to curse a few words, she saw Zhang Yu, Zhang Liao and the other two, and her anger immediately disappeared.

Zhang Yu bowed and said, "Auntie, this is Zhang Wenyuan, an official from Yanmen County, who has done me a favor!"

Perhaps influenced by the words of Zhang Yu and his party, Zhang Liao was a little reserved. He bowed and said, "I am honored to meet you all. I have not brought any gifts, so I am sorry for my mistakes. I hope you can forgive me."

The "da jia" (gū) of the Han Dynasty does not mean the same as the people in later generations, but a respectful title for women and ladies, representing their high knowledge and good moral character.

Hearing this, Li's mother's expression suddenly changed. She tried to show a gentle smile and said, "Courtesy is a minor virtue, and affection is a major virtue. Why do you need to say such things, Wenyuan?"

After a pause, Li's mother led the three people into the hall and said, "Please sit down for a while. I will ask the cook to prepare some more dishes."

"I'm disturbing everyone!"

Seeing that Li's mother was so kind, Zhang Liao felt relieved immediately.

After entering the small hall, Zhang Yu asked Zhang Liao to sit at the seat, while Li Suyi left and went back to her room.

Zhang Liao knelt on the couch, looked around at the furnishings, and asked, "Where is Mr. Zhang?"

Zhang Yu poured a glass of wine for Zhang Liao and said, "A few days ago, the river in Wuyuan County overflowed, the mountain bank collapsed, and the Hu people took advantage of the chaos to plunder, so many refugees fled eastward. My father was ordered by the governor to bring food to Shaling to provide relief to the refugees, so he is not in the dock for the time being."

"That's a pity!"

Zhang Liao showed a look of regret and said, "Mr. Zhang has established his power on the border, and Liao has heard a lot about it."

Zhang Liao hesitated for a moment and said, "In the past, when Wuyuan County was attacked, many people fled to Yanmen, so many counties and towns were abandoned. I don't know if it can survive this disaster!"

Zhang Yu took a sip of wine, frowned and said, "During the Former Han Dynasty, the Shuofang counties had a large population, so they could be set up as a separate Shuofang Prefecture. Since Wang Mang's chaotic rule, the population has decreased. Since the restoration of the Later Han Dynasty, the Shuofang counties have migrated back and forth, and the population is no longer as prosperous as in the Former Han Dynasty, so they were merged into Bingzhou."

"Since the Yonghe period, the Xianbei invaded from the north, the Western Qiang rebelled from the west, and the Xiongnu rebelled from within. The Shuofang counties have been in turmoil year after year, so there was even the abandonment of Shuofang County. Judging from this, Wuyuan may be able to survive temporarily, but if it continues to be invaded by the Xianbei, it will not be able to survive for long!"

"Book of Tang, Biography 4" records: "Li Song, courtesy name Bosong, was the daughter of his great-grandmother Li. After the death of his mother, Song's mother was raised in his own home. Taizu and Song were as close as brothers, and both learned calligraphy and archery."

(End of this chapter)