Dominate the Country

Masa Town, Jianyang County, Jianning Prefecture, northern Fujian.

As the junction of the mountainous areas of Jianyang, Chong'an and Shaowu, Masa Town was once a very prosperous town. But now, things are the same and people are different.

The Manchu and Qing flags disappeared from Masha Town, replaced by bright red red flags. At the same time, a recruitment office has been set up at the south end of Masha Town.

People in Fujian are having a hard time. Fujian, which is short of food and has the most wars, is far worse than southern Zhejiang.

"It's outrageous, it's outrageous!" A man in his thirties, dressed in long robes with a hint of elegance, stood not far from the recruitment point set up in the south end of the town, looking at those who had cut off their braids to become soldiers. The young man couldn't help but lamented: "The hair and skin of the body are inherited from the parents, and the braids are inherited from the ancestors, how can they be cut off easily!" Chen Ni even more shamelessly asked the man to put his foot down, which was simply a barbarian.

But such anger only attracted ridicule from everyone around him.

"Kang Xiucai, you are out of date. The government has long explained that the Manchu Tatars forced us Han people to have braids. Our ancestors before the Han people did not have braids. Do you really think that the holes in the fake pictures are Is it true that he can’t become a saint?” The p-picture of Master Kong has always been circulated among the people.

"Look at how the new official is dressed? It looks much better than the long robe and mandarin jacket!"

Standing next to the scholar was a young man in his twenties from the country, who burst out laughing when he heard the words. Confucius wearing pigtails really made scholars all over the world laugh at him.

Kang Xiucai's full name is Kang Jin. His ancestral home is southern Jiangsu. He has been in Fujian for six generations. The Fuhan Army had just captured Jianning. Opening warehouses and releasing grain was a good trick to win people's hearts, but it could only be used once. How to truly win people's hearts would take a lot of time.

The Kang Jin in front of him was just one of the thousands of scholars in the world who could not accept the reality. They opposed and resisted the Restoration of Han Army for various reasons. Some of them have lost their heads, and many have been captured to serve. Kang Jin was not as unlucky as those people. He was not imprisoned for "enlightenment", so he did not "wake up" after suffering a heavy loss.

To this day, she still refuses to cut off the braids on the back of her head, and her resistance is very obvious.

Although this is also related to Kang Jin's own situation. Kang Jin's family makes a living by cultivating more than ten acres of land at home. They are not considered small landowners, but can also be considered a wealthy household in the countryside. Their life is certainly not rich, but they are not completely poor.

However, such days were broken by the Fuhan Army and the Tiandi Hui. The imperial court needed money to crusade and suppress rebellion, so the government exploited and squeezed the people below in every possible way. The life of the Kang family was originally relatively easy. Compared with those tenants, at least they had enough to eat, drink, and wear. However, as apportionments and tax increases came one after another, the Kang family lost most of the wealth they had accumulated over the years. Kang Jin did not hate the Manchu and Qing government, but he hated the Fuhan Army and the Tiandihui very much. He also insisted that the issue of Kong Shengren's photos must be caused by the Fuhan Army.

Then the Hunyuan Sect and Qingshui Sect in Shandong were obviously the work of the Fuhan Army. Don’t be a son of man!

"You bitch, how dare you tarnish a saint?" Kang Jin's face turned red.

Kang Jin's anger, disgust and resistance to the Fuhan Army all exploded on the twenty-year-old young man in an instant.

Open your hand and hit him.

"The Qing Dynasty has taken control of the Central Plains for two years, and it has already become orthodox. Do you understand what orthodoxy is?" A mud-legged man dared to refute himself and tarnish the saint. Kang Jin was furious.

The young man was not afraid at all.

"Bah, that's bullshit orthodoxy. Only those with strong soldiers and horses are orthodox. The Tatars invaded the Central Plains because they had strong soldiers and strong horses. Now the King of Han, Lu Gong, has strong soldiers and strong horses, so he can naturally defeat the Tatars. Ding Xiucai, how dare you speak to the Puppet Qing Dynasty , Haha, this is the territory of the Fuhan Army. If you shout loudly that the pseudo-Qing Dynasty is orthodox, aren't you afraid that the military master in front will arrest you and kill you? "

"Huh? Hahaha..." The young man laughed happily as he watched Kang Jin's face turn from red to pale.

"I...I...I am not afraid of scholars who are powerful and unyielding!" As he said this, Kang Jin's voice became lower and lower. He looked around guiltily and relaxed when he saw that no one was paying attention. One breath. The young man's laughter made him embarrassed. He tossed his sleeves and walked home quickly.

Funingfu City.

A notice with the seal of Chen Han Funing's government office was posted at the north end of the city gate.

From now on, all men in the city will have their hair braided. One braid can be exchanged for three kilograms of rice noodles. After three days, if there are still men with braids, no matter old or weak, once discovered, their names will be registered, and their relatives within three generations will have their taxes doubled for one year, and they will not be allowed to take scientific examinations for one year;

If you don't braid your hair for a month, it will be the same for three years;

If you don’t braid your hair for three months, you will be treated like this for five years; if you don’t braid your hair for half a year, you will be treated like this for ten years...

After the notice was posted this time, people quickly surrounded it on three levels inside and three outside.

Faced with this notice about cutting braids and the temptation of 'three kilograms of rice noodles', the people in Funing City reacted the same as people in other places. Most people were silent, and some people cursed, but they didn't dare to amplify their voices, feeling guilty. Some people cried bitterly, as if they were mourning their heirs. And there are still some people...

"Master, can you really get three kilograms of rice by cutting your braids now?" A sudden voice came out among the crowd of onlookers.

What bastard would cut off the pigtails left by his ancestors just for three pounds of rice! ? Some people cursed in their hearts and looked towards the voice. But when they saw the person speaking, they didn't dare to show their dissatisfaction. How could it be this rogue?

"Of course. Well, the rice noodles are right there. You can cash them on the spot after cutting off the braids!" A Fuhan Army clerk in black robes happily replied, "If you want rice, you have rice, and if you want white noodles, you have white noodles." Just saw the question. People couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. This man was about thirty years old, tall and thick, with a fierce look on his face. That doesn’t look like a peaceful master!

The clerk didn't recognize this person, but everyone in Funing City did. Zou Daxing lives at the north end of the city. He is the eldest of three brothers. He is a famous rogue in Funing City. Because the three brothers are all so tall, no one dares to offend the ordinary people in Funing City if they cause evil.

"Okay, I'll cut it!" Zou Daxing rushed to a Fuhan Army soldier in a few steps, shook his head, and then lowered his head. Three kilograms of rice and one pigtail, this deal is not worth it.

The leading clerk didn't care who this person was. He signaled to the soldiers and threw his braid into a basket aside in the blink of an eye. At the same time, two ladles of rice were poured into Zou Daxing's hem. Two ladles full, not to mention three kilograms, five kilograms would be enough. This is obviously a reward for Zou Daxing.

Zou Daxing took a deep look at the clerk and four Fuhan Army soldiers in front of him, glanced at the piles of rice next to the basket, turned around and walked back home. An idea has been made in his mind!

And with the first, there is the second and the third.

The temptation of three kilograms of rice is enough for ordinary people to chew for several days. If it is replaced with whole grains, it will be enough to feed a family for five or six days.

After Zou Daxing, people rushed out of the crowd of onlookers, and soon there was a long queue in front of the pigtail basket.

"Can't cut it, can't cut it!"

There are a few hot-blooded or stubborn people in that place. Seeing this scene, the two scholars in the crowd were very anxious. It's just that their shouts really have no binding force on the crowd in front of them. The restoration of the Han army in the South has been completed, and the Qing army in Fujian is about to be destroyed. Pigtails are a burden to most people.

Cutting braids, unlike haircuts, only requires one cut, so it's very quick. Seeing that everyone in front had received rice, more people from Funing City joined the queue. Several Fuhan Army soldiers were busy. Seeing this scene, the clerk shouted loudly: "No need to queue up, you can just cut off your braids and exchange them for rice!"

As a result, the braids in this place piled up rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Folks, you can't cut it. Your body, hair, and skin were given to you by your parents. How can you throw them away for a mere three kilograms of rice?"

Naturally, the old guard has not given up yet and continues to persuade those waiting in line. As for the clerk of the Fuhan Army, although he was very angry when he saw the behavior of several people, he just sneered. Don't look at the joy of dancing now, but you will suffer a lot in the future. You might even get pointed at and scolded by your blood relatives!

Brother Zou Daxing has all cut off his pigtails, and the younger brothers who usually hang out together have also cut off their pigtails. A group of people were gathered outside to watch the fun, and the actions of several scholars seeking death were all seen in Zou Daxing's eyes. "Brothers, do you know why my brother asked you to bring scissors? Have you seen those people who are seeking death? The braids on the back of their heads can carry three kilograms of rice." This is a good business with huge profits.

The eyes of Zou Daxing's brothers and younger brothers immediately changed when they looked at the howling people, like cheetahs eyeing their prey.

Zou Dawang, the second eldest son of the Zou family, his eyes flashed, "Hey, is this a good deal that you don't come across once in ten years?" His eyes suddenly turned from watching the excitement to the back of the heads of those people who were seeking death. . The thick or thin braids are like steamed rice exuding an alluring aroma.

Huang Ping, who is thirty-five years old this year, was trying to persuade her. The back of her head suddenly tightened and her scalp hurt. It was because someone had grabbed her pigtails. Just when he was thinking about what happened, there was a sudden light on the back of his head, and an uncomfortable sense of relief came. Huang Ping felt something was wrong, and hurriedly turned around to look, while touching the back of her head with her hand, her empty head Finally, the braids were gone. Then I saw a gangster-like guy going to the place where the rice was placed with a braid in his hand.

"Oh, you beast, give me back my pigtail!" Huang Ping let out a horrified cry, and regardless of her dignity as a scholar, she jumped towards the ruffian.

This ruffian was one of the little brothers next to Zou Daxing. At this time, his face was full of proud smiles: "I got three kilograms of rice." As for Huang Ping who rushed over, he could put him down with one hand. On the other hand, he said disdainfully: "You are a piece of shit that forgets your ancestors. Don't you just wish you had become a dog?" He kicked Huang Ping to the ground.

It's like a signal. The stubborn people who were trying to persuade people not to cut off their braids all screamed in panic. They all felt that their braids had been cut off and made horrified sounds.

The people around were confused at first, and then some people came to their senses. The Fuhan Army exchanged one braid for three kilograms of rice. There seemed to be no requirement that it must be their own braid, and there was no limit to the number of exchanges. All they had to do was cut off one braid. I can get three kilograms of rice, which is so profitable.

Suddenly, many people's eyes shone with light, staring at the pigtails on other people's heads like hungry wolves. Some people were frightened by this look and couldn't help but stretch out their hands to protect their pigtails.

But this place is under the eyes of the Fu Han Army, and Zou Daxing and his gang dare not blatantly do the business of snatching other people's braids. Zou Daxing, who can come up with this method, is not stupid. He told his brothers to only focus on those who were beaten by the Fu Han Army, and not to cut any of the others who just watched but did not cut their braids.

Several people who cried bitterly went to the Fu Han Army to complain, but the clerk and the Fu Han Army soldiers completely ignored them and let them cry there. They just gently scolded Zou Daxing and his gang who behaved similarly. They told them not to hurt people and not to go too far.

Zou Daxing smiled and said proudly to those who cried so hard: "Don't cry and make it seem like I'm walking on your dry road. Wait and see, I'm saving you."

Zou Daxing greeted a group of brothers with excitement on his face. This is a big business, not only in Funing City, but also in all places. But it's a real no-cost business!

Among the people who had cut off their braids, the restless young men gathered together in groups of three or five, whispering to each other for a while, and their eyes were full of excitement...