Lu Xu wrapped the remaining biscuits and gave them all to Scarface.
Scarface didn't want to give up life or death, so Lu Xu simply went together and got all the points as if they were dealt cards.
"It's a bit damp. It will go bad in a few days. Let's eat it." After that, Lu Xu ate his own portion first.
Some of the others ate it immediately, while others still put it in their arms: "Our house is close. It will be here in a few days. Take it home."
They asked Lu Xu again, "Brother, can we go home?"
Lu Xu: "Can you?"
He wasn't sure either.
After all, they were bandits. Even though they surrendered, they should have been jailed for two years.
Lu Xu: "I'll ask Brother He tomorrow?"
Several people were grateful, and their attitude towards Lu Xu became a little warmer.
Anyway, when he woke up, Lu Xu had no intention of going back to sleep. Taking advantage of them becoming fond of him, he started asking them about the situation in Dengzhou.
I don’t know if I ask, but once I understand it, I find that Dengzhou is even worse than Chongning.
Dengzhou is in the southernmost part of Shuozhou, and Chongning occupies one end of Wuling Peak, one in the north and the other in the south. The difference is that Chongning only occupies a small part of the Wuling Peak valley, while Dengzhou occupies the main part. To the south are the Wulingfeng Mountains.
Wuling Peak is difficult to navigate and the terrain is still high. Except for a few small valleys where spring wheat can be grown for one season, only cold-resistant buckwheat can be grown in other areas.
The products are not abundant and the roads are difficult to travel. Dengzhou is one of the poorest in the entire Shuozhou County. Compared with several counties in the north, the only advantage is that it is located in the south and there are few barbarians. Even if a war does break out, they You can also dig deep into the mountains and take advantage of the terrain to take refuge.
Therefore, Dengzhou is poor, but the population in Shuozhou is not small.
There were many people, not enough to eat, and no way to make a living. Therefore, under the influence of Shuozhou culture, which was rich in martial arts, many people came up with the idea of occupying the mountains and becoming bandits.
The target of the robbery was naturally Chongning, who was very wealthy compared to them.
Lu Xu suddenly understood. No wonder the locals were full of resentment when he mentioned Shuozhou when he was in Chongning. When they heard that he had to go over the mountains from Chongning, they all advised him to change his route.
Chongning was really wronged. He was not rich to begin with, and he was next to a neighbor who was even poorer and had no martial ethics. He was also across the county. It was difficult to join forces to suppress bandits. He guessed that Dengzhou County must not be very good either. Cooperate.
The more Lu Xu thought about it, the more speechless he became. No wonder there was an old official road but it could be so deserted. He just said that even if Daqi now has a new official road and fewer people walk on this ancient road, it would not be so desolate. It is simply No ordinary people dare to leave!
Those small merchants, why don’t you come and grab one?
If they are not poor, who is poor?
Lu Xu was extremely curious: "Don't your county government suppress bandits?"
Several people laughed.
But someone still explained to Lu Xu that Shuozhou is an important border town. The most important thing in the entire county is border defense. It's a small county with great value, let alone sending troops to suppress bandits, it would be better if you don't recruit troops from them.
Over and over again, Dengzhou has few able-bodied people, no garrison, few county government officials, and even the county seat is not enough. How can anyone come out to suppress the bandits?
It’s not like the county magistrate didn’t work hard. He had carried out several campaigns in the past, and he even joined forces with nearby counties to suppress them, but it was of no use!
As soon as the government chased them away, they burrowed into the mountains for more than half a year. They could afford it, but the government couldn't afford it. After several attempts, they didn't catch a few bandits, so they gradually gave up.
Anyway, the Dengzhou bandits are timid, they don’t kill people, they don’t rob local people, they don’t rob small traders who pass by...
The Dengzhou County Government chose to close its eyes. Hey, what can we do? We can only express our sincere regrets to Youxian Business Travel.
Not only that, the government and them even had a tacit understanding that they would never suppress bandits during spring plowing and autumn harvest.
When the weather is bad and there is a need to harvest and plant seeds, people will be sent to beat gongs all over the mountain to signal them to stop catching rabbits and feed mosquitoes on the mountain and come down to plant the fields!
Lu Xu was simply amazed.
There is water and soil on one side and people on the other. What a wonder!
Lu Xu asked: "Can't you think of some other way to make a living?"
They laughed awkwardly.
I thought about it and worked very hard.
After all, there aren’t many rabbits to catch on the mountain.
But Dengzhou is poor, and there aren’t many specialties that are worth selling. What they have, others have, and what they don’t have, others still have. Even if you are doing business, you can’t just buy and not sell, right?
They have no capital!
After thinking about it, aren't the only ones who can do it are these business without capital?
With the government turning a blind eye, those with pioneering spirit have set their sights on neighboring counties.
No, they just went to Baoshan to look for land, but they encountered that the garrison couldn't pay their wages, so they were all in Shuozhou County to suppress bandits?
Not to mention that all their family wealth was abandoned in Baoshan, they were chased by Chen Lian and others, and they all ran back to Dengzhou, but they were caught anyway.
These soldiers are so ruthless, more persistent than chasing rabbits!
They complained bitterly.
Lu Xu couldn't laugh or cry.
He thought that if he hadn't encountered bandits, he would have probably suffered a huge loss if he came in so recklessly.
His resentment towards Chen Lian and Wu Gang has subsided a lot.
The next day Lu Xu went to ask He Chengye on their behalf what to do with them.
When he asked, all the bandits pricked up their ears.
He Chengye: "If you can't use so many people, then ask them to work with me for three years."
The bandits were glad that they didn't have to die, but at the same time they were a little worried.
As far as they knew, going to the border to work as laborers would mean building city walls, but if not, they would have to go to barbarian territory to build cities, and if not, they would also lose their lives.
They all looked at Lu Xu again.
Lu Xu pondered, "I'm sure I'll use up all the people, but I'm afraid I can't use them..."
There is still a lot of work to be done, including building inns and teahouses, clearing weeds on the roads, and filling in potholes. People are needed everywhere.
He also asked about the prices and manpower in Dengzhou last night, and they couldn’t be cheaper!
They worked as a coolie at Guanyang Wharf for a day, but the boat gang was so deductible that they gave them back 30 cash. Here in Dengzhou, part-time workers only got 20 cash for a day's work.
Although food is expensive, meat and vegetables are cheap.
Especially the free wild animals in the mountains are extremely cheap. There are many mountains and dense forests, and almost every household knows how to hunt.
Lu Xu didn't have much cash on hand, but he could pay with food. The price of food in Dengzhou was much higher than that in Guanyang.
The only question is whether these people can be used well. If they are unwilling, Lu Xu would rather let them go and hire new people.
Before he could finish speaking, the three branches in Dengzhou immediately shouted: "Yes, yes! We are willing to follow our little brother! Three years is not five years, as long as we can do it in Dengzhou, we are willing!"
After two days of contact, they also realized that Lu Xu was kind and easy to talk to. It was better to follow Lu Xu than to go to the north to build a city wall in the ice and snow, or to build a house in the barbarian territory.
The other two groups were surprised, wondering what happened to these poor brothers in Dengzhou overnight.
Lu Xu thought for a while: "Brother He, please write a document for them. They will follow Brother Chen and Brother Wu, and I will borrow them to help with the work."
He Chengye: "Okay, Allen, you write it."
Chen Lian murmured that his nose was not a nose and his eyes were not eyes yesterday, but now he is Brother Chen or Brother Wu? While saying respectfully: "Yes."
What Chen Lian wrote was not much of a document. He just registered their names and places of origin, and asked them to perform corvee service for three years with their fingerprints. If they dared to run away, they would be treated like deserters and executed.
They are still nominally hard laborers, but they are just at the disposal of Chen Lian and the others at any time. Their current job content is to work for Lu Xu for free.
When Lu Xu heard that he even saved wages, he said kindly: "Don't worry, I will definitely let you have enough to eat."
The other two bandits looked at it and thought, well, what else can we do? Just sign it.
Regardless of whether they wanted to or not, they all signed and pledged their signatures respectfully, and expressed their loyalty to Lu Xu and Chen Lian. Each of them became a true and upright hero.
They continued traveling north for another two days, and finally reached the main road.
Those military households who bypassed the Wulingfeng Mountains and came from the south and west gathered on the avenue.
If Lu Xu had taken the water route, passed through Longxing Prefecture, passed through Jianyang and Pingwei, then crossed the small plain to the west of Chongning, and bypassed the west side of Wuling Peak towards Dengzhou, he would have walked on this road.
He silently calculated that if he went at full speed and didn't delay on the way, it would save seven or eight days to travel from Chongning through Wuling Peak than by water.
Lu Xu was very satisfied.
When we arrived at the main road, some of the military households heading north were pushing carts, and some even just carried their bags and walked north with their families, asking questions all the way.
There were more officers and soldiers patrolling the road, and Lu Xu even saw one on horseback.
Horse...
They only have one horse in Guanyang...
They saw soldiers on horseback leading their troops straight towards them.
Lu Xu's caravan, which included nearly five hundred people, had already caused a commotion before they even reached the main road.
The patrol officer was startled by the sudden appearance of so many people and quickly gathered his men to stop them first.
Lu Xu also quickly took out the documents issued by the government.
When they got close, the patrol officer on horseback saw He Chengye and Chen Lian in the team and quickly dismounted and knelt down.
"Congratulations, Governor."
He Chengye stepped forward to wake them up and asked about the situation in Dengzhou City.
The patrol officer gave a brief report and handed the horse to He Chengye.
Lu Xu stood aside stupidly, waiting for He Chengye to finish speaking, and then proved his identity for him, "Brother Lu is a businessman from Guanyang County, Longxing County. You patrol to make it easier for him. The ones behind were caught by Allen and the others. Bandit, now I’ll leave it to Allen to help Brother Lu, and you should keep an eye on me more.”
The patrol officer was confused when he heard this, but he still said solemnly: "Yes!"
After He Chengye finished his explanation, he wanted to take his people to the west of Dengzhou to continue suppressing the bandits. There were still a few groups there who were stubbornly resisting and wanted to escape there.
Since he was no longer going to Dengzhou County, Lu Xu no longer went on the same journey. He said goodbye to He Chengye on the side of the road and gave most of the jar of mints to He Chengye before leaving.
He Chengye laughed, asked Wu Gang to carry it for him, and led Wu Gang and a few others to the west, leaving only Chen Lian and five soldiers to look after the bandits for him.
Lu Xu looked at He Chengye who was heading west against the tide, still not knowing who he was.
The patrol officer came to Chen Lian's side and muttered questions, while Lu Xu asked people to stop at the roadside to organize the team. The trucks were rearranged and all moved to the right to make way for pedestrians on the left before continuing northbound.
It's a thoroughfare, and at its widest it can accommodate two larger carts side by side. If they occupy the middle, block the back, and come towards you, no one will be able to leave easily.
Lu Xu was new here, so he didn't want to be so arrogant.
Luo Chun looked at the sky and came over to ask Lu Xu: "Should we cook here or go to the front?"
Lu Xu: "Ask Tian Dachui if they are not far from their village."
He remembered that they said they wanted to go back and deliver cookies.
After a while, Scarface caught up from behind, "We are almost at our village, but the village is far away from the main road, only half a day away."
Lu Xu: "Then rest near your village."
He happened to see if he could set up a tea stall on the side of the road.
The author has something to say:
Little Angel is curious about the map, here is a text version of the trade route map to briefly illustrate:
Up north and down south, roughly a line (please use your imagination to figure out the twists and turns of the route and the ups and downs of the terrain. It’s not easy to walk anyway (run)
Northern Territory (end point)
——Qianjiao Ridge——The boundary between Daqi and the barbarians——
Yonggu County
Hongxian
Qinglong City
Chuanqiu County
Baoshan County
Dengzhou County
——Wuling Peak——the boundary between Shuozhou County (in the north) and Longxing County (in the south)——
Chongning County
Wenqiu County
Guanyang County (starting point)
Xiao Lu’s current location: Just passed through Wuling Peak and arrived at Dengzhou County (Shuozhou County)
PS: You don’t need to remember the place name, it’s not important and it won’t affect the plot~~~
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