Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 544: Strange Spring Scenery in My Hometown

On the first day of June, Ding Daxing finally returned to Haizhou with the army, and immediately asked for leave to go home to visit his family.

Although theoretically, as a commander, Ding Daxing cannot be so free, but who can blame him for his seniority?

He joined the army after the Loyal Army captured Haizhou, and followed Feihu Langjun in his campaigns, fighting throughout the entire campaign. He had not been home for nearly a year and had made great contributions. Even if Luo Shenyan wanted to rotate him in the army, he had to show some leniency to him.

Ding Daxing did not waste any time. He just bought nearly 100 kilograms of horse meat from the merchants accompanying the army. Then he took various rewards, found an old horse to drive the cart, and galloped towards his hometown Weigou Village.

Unlike the people in Lianghuai who hid when they saw soldiers, Haizhou, as the first place recovered by the Loyal Army, served as the base of the Northern Expedition Army for a long time. The Loyal Army had strict military discipline, and since they were all their own soldiers, the people here were not very afraid of the soldiers. When they met someone they knew, they would put down their work and tease them.

When Ding Daxing returned to his hometown, he actually met an acquaintance.

"An Baozheng, why are you here?" Just when he was hesitating at an intersection, Ding Daxing found that several people dressed in official clothes were walking from the right. The bearded man in the lead looked somewhat familiar. After carefully identifying him, he couldn't help but be surprised.

This person turned out to be An Kui, the head of Weigou Village.

An Kui was riding a poor horse and hurriedly traveling with a few officials in black clothes. When he heard someone calling him, he quickly turned around.

He also looked Ding Daxing up and down before excitedly saying, "Boss Ding, you're back! Come on, come on, I'm heading towards the village, let's go together."

Before Ding Daxing could respond, An Kui said to the archer behind him, "This is the eldest son of the Ding family I always told you about, the one who has become a general."

The archers, who were originally a little nervous, stood still when they saw this scene, and then bowed.

"Alas, An Baozheng, you are too serious. I am just a commander now." Ding Daxing waved his hands repeatedly. Although he was being modest, the corners of his mouth that were almost grinning to his ears completely betrayed his mood.

After a few more pleasantries, Ding Daxing finally asked, "Is An Baozheng here on business?"

An Kui patted his sword and said proudly, "I am no longer the head of Weigou Village. A few months ago, Luo Zhizhou took a fancy to me and promoted me to the position of county lieutenant of Shuyang."

Ding Daxing was a little surprised, but still congratulated him repeatedly.

Although the official system of the Song and Jin dynasties was relatively chaotic, it was relatively unified at the county level. The county lieutenant generally controlled the armed forces of a county and was considered the third or fourth in command of the county, because besides the county magistrate, the chief clerk and the county magistrate sometimes did not exist at the same time.

Although the county lieutenant is just a small official in the eyes of the prefect, in the eyes of ordinary people, the county lieutenant is a figure of the level of a great official.

"I'm back to our village on official business this time." An Kui pointed northwest, his smile fading. "South of our village, another dike was opened to accommodate the people from Lianghuai. But after they arrived, the spring plowing season had already passed, so they could only become tenants, and in addition, they cleared some wasteland and planted some turnips.

But the oxen distributed to them this time cannot be left idle. Weigou Village wants to borrow some and pay them with grain in the autumn, but these are government oxen after all, and they need the presence of officials. Therefore, I took the opportunity to return home to take a look.

Ding Daxing nodded, and the two of them rode side by side. After a few more casual words, he said, "I remember this road wasn't this wide, and there weren't so many forks."

An Kui said cheerfully, "Boss Ding, you have no idea how much we've done in just one winter. Normally, we'd just be wasting food and lying around at home, but Duke Wei came up with a work-for-relief program. He asked the young and strong to help transport food, dig ditches, and level roads, and he even distributed food. Even though it only fed one person, it saved food at home, didn't it?"

Ding Daxing asked curiously, "I heard that Duke Wei went to attack Pizhou in winter. Didn't we in Haizhou send laborers to transport food and fodder?"

An Kui shook his head, feeling rather regretful. "Because you can reach Pizhou by following the Yishui River all the way south, this good job has been taken by the people of Yizhou. Sigh..."

At this point, not only An Kui sighed repeatedly, but the yamen runners and archers behind him also beat their chests and stamped their feet.

"Brother An, I don't understand. How can being a laborer be considered a good job?"

"Boss Ding, your words are truly short-sighted." An Kui shook his head repeatedly. The two men were familiar with each other, so their words were not unkind. "We farmers all live a hard life. You say being a laborer is hard, but isn't being a boatman or a bag farmer any less? However, even though it's hardship, Duke Wei can still offer some sweet treats. Duke Wei's army has strict discipline and has never killed any laborers. Moreover, Pizhou is where the Jin bandits store their grain, and there is an untold amount of wealth from the people. Duke Wei naturally treats everyone well and is very generous. I heard that everyone, whether regular soldiers or laborers, has received rewards."

A yamen runner, an archer carrying a long spear, said jokingly, "My father-in-law's family is from Yizhou. He has a fishing boat and transports food and fodder for the Loyal Army. I heard that in the end he was rewarded with half a boatload of wheat and three bolts of cloth."

Hearing this, the other yamen runners also nodded and sighed, as if they felt that the people of Yizhou had gotten a great deal.

Ding Daxing smiled and said, "That's not the case. After all, it's a war. Not only will people die, but there are so many soldiers and horses on the front line. It's very hard to transport food and fodder."

An Kui shook his head repeatedly: "It's not hard at all. The Duke of Wei only dispatched a few thousand soldiers and horses, and with the Yishui River connecting us, large ships can reach Pizhou directly.

After the capture of Pizhou, there were immediately countless food and supplies for the army. The civilians were all happy. They put on new winter clothes and carried a few bags of food back home.

If we talk about hard work, it’s not as hard as building roads and digging canals here in Haizhou.”

Seeing that the topic had turned back to the construction of his hometown, Ding Daxing quickly asked, "Did many people from our village contribute to the repair of the ditch?"

"Of course not." An Kui nodded immediately. "Not just this whole village, but all the other villages have mobilized. Magistrate Luo has given us countless grains to encourage us. We even had a few meals of white flour pancakes!"

Ding Daxing pressed on, "Digging a canal is physically demanding. Is there no objection?"

"Yes, of course not. Every village has a few lazy people." An Kui sighed and said, "Besides, taxes and levies are to be light, and the state doesn't have that many people, so we can only make full use of the winter to repair it. We'll repair the areas that can provide the most labor first. We can all work together in Weigou Village. Even those who can't dig the canal are still transporting water and soil in the rear, so it's natural that we should start with our area."

"Hmph, the other villages were still waiting and watching. When spring plowing time came, they were all dumbfounded. Once the sluice gates were opened, the water from the Shu River flooded the entire field. Why would they need people to carry loads or horses? Only then did they realize that we were serious about this. Just now, elderly people from other villages came to the Qushan Prefecture government to petition for water conservancy projects. But it's already June, how can this be a good time to do so? Magistrate Luo could only give the lie and say we'll deal with it in the fall."

As he spoke, An Kui shook his head repeatedly, as if lamenting the shortsightedness of the other villagers, yet also feeling proud of his own superior skills.

As they chatted, they soon arrived at Weigou Village and immediately caused a great sensation.

"Isn't this the Ding family's eldest son? I heard he became a general!"

"Boss Ding, didn't you bring back those two women?"

"Xiao San, Xiao San, go call your Uncle Ding and Aunt Ding and tell them that Boss Ding is back!"

Ding Daxing could be considered the highest-ranking official in the village. Even An Kui, the county lieutenant, was below him. He was instantly praised as the incarnation of the star Wu Qu. Some villagers kept telling stories about Ding Daxing's childhood, and at the end they would say, "I've always known that the eldest son of the Ding family would have a bright future."

Completely ignoring the fact that Ding Daxing was a salt worker a year ago.

Ding Daxing did not join in the fun. Instead, he looked at the dug ditches, the paddy fields, and the houses that had obviously been renovated. He couldn't help but laugh heartily, feeling that all his life-and-death experiences on the battlefield had become meaningful.

"Big brother!"

"Dalang!"

In the distance, Ding Ersheng, supporting Old Man Ding, came quickly, and the whole family gathered around them in a lively manner.

Before being overwhelmed by the enthusiastic family, Ding Daxing shouted, "Fellow villagers, today I'm treating you to meat! Everyone come to my house. Those who have pots, bring your pots. Those who have vegetables, bring your vegetables. Those who don't have anything, bring a bucket of water. Let's have a good meal today!"

Cheers rang out one after another.

(End of this chapter)