Dominate the Country

After the winter, a large number of refugee beggars poured into Lanzhou Prefecture from all directions. Those who came early could happily rely on the corners of the wine shops and shops on the streets of Lanzhou City after they were "refreshed", holding a broken bowl and looking at the people of Lanzhou who came and went. Some experienced people relied on their eloquence and miserable "faces" to beg for the occasional sound of one or two copper coins falling in the broken bowl. And more of them were action-oriented, using their own kowtows one after another in exchange for a little bit of mercy.

Those who came late could only stay outside the city.

The Fu Han Army was of course helping refugees, otherwise how could Lanzhou, which was so poor now, support so many beggars and refugees? It would have been hell on earth. Not only were these people "supported" by the Fu Han Army, but even many local people in Lanzhou were also in this "support" sequence. The only difference was that some of the latter had houses to live in, relatives and friends, while the former had no place to stand.

The Fu Han army is already rushing to build simple houses, but the supply is insufficient to meet the demand. All the trees in Lanzhou have been cut down, and the Fu Han army is now using adobe, but all this will take time. There are hundreds of thousands of people. They come from all over Gansu, and the situation is extremely chaotic. There are also spies from the Qing Dynasty among them.

The shops in Lanzhou are doing very well. There are yak jerky with unique flavor, bacon and astragalus from Longxi, angelica from Minxian, wolfberry honey from Liangdang, walnuts from Chengxian, and codonopsis from Dangchang. And with the smooth connection between Gansu and the Central Plains, Lanzhou naturally cannot do without silk from Suzhou and Hangzhou, tea from Shuzhong, ironware from western Henan, and pocket watches from Nanjing...

That's right, the latter has long been copied by the Fu Han army, and the prices of clocks and pocket watches brought by Westerners from Europe have dropped sharply. It can be said that there is everything in Lanzhou. Merchants were using abacus and carefully tapping their ink pens on their account books, slowly gathering wealth. The people they were selling to were not the poor locals in Lanzhou, but the outsiders in Lanzhou.

So many soldiers, those logistics personnel who came to Lanzhou because of the gathering of the army, and the officials who had recently gathered in Lanzhou were the ones they really served.

There was a lot of noise in front of a certain brothel. The madams seemed to be on drugs today. They screamed loudly and pulled people with great strength. As long as the pretty boys or old men passed by their doors, whether they were willing or not, they were pulled to the front of the brothel first, and then the girls upstairs started a long string of delicate calls.

After every chaos, this industry always prospers. The Fu Han Army had just settled in Lanzhou. On the one hand, they arranged the lives of the refugees, and on the other hand, they had to "refresh" Lanzhou, lead the people of Lanzhou and foreign refugees to deal with corpses, clean up the battlefield, etc., and they had very little energy to "clean up" the garbage in the market. But these dirty places will be cleaned up one day. It's not that they will be banned completely. You can't ban this thing at all. Do you think it's the Red Dynasty? Just carefully sort it out, at least that courtyard, building, how many girls, what are their names, how old are they, you have to find out clearly.

As October passed and the twelfth lunar month was approaching, a large number of opera troupes raised from Shaanxi and eastern Gansu began to enter Lanzhou, and the sonorous and powerful sound of Qinqiang resounded throughout Lanzhou. During the Qianlong period, Qinqiang was still a famous opera. Or it can be said that this era was the heyday of Qinqiang. There are Qinqiang troupes in many places across the country. There are 36 Qinqiang troupes in Xi'an alone, such as Baofu troupe, Jiangdong troupe, Shuangzhai troupe, Jinxiu troupe, etc.

Now, some of these Qinqiang troupes have disappeared in the war, some have been incorporated by the Fu Han Army, and some are still in the folk. But no matter whether they are official or folk, all troupes must kneel down in front of the Education and Propaganda Department under the Bureau of Culture and Education.

All the troupes active in the Chen Han area refer to the folk troupes. There has never been a conflict between the official troupes and the Education Department. It is mainly the folks. Every day, they only have to perform a reserved play, that is, "The Golden House Hidden Beauty", "The Cat Substitutes for the Prince", "The Ballad of Mulan", "Butterfly Lovers", "The Hairpin Head Phoenix", "The Legend of the White Snake", "The Mother-in-law Embroiders the Word", "Qin Liangyu"...

No matter what kind of drama you are, you have to watch the residents rehearse.

As Chen Han's strength grows, the book of the reserved play of the propaganda drama is getting thicker and thicker, and it has exceeded the 100 mark as early as last year. Although some of them are adapted from the already circulated drama scripts, a lot of "juche ideas" have been added.

The three obediences and four virtues, women's chastity and widowhood, especially childless women, and foot binding, which were natural phenomena in the past, are increasingly criticized and satirized. In more than one play, there are stories of women with bound feet who cannot escape or walk in the midst of war and end up in a tragic situation; there are also stories of strong women with natural feet carrying their children on their shoulders and hands, and raising their children alone after their husbands die. The corresponding example is a woman with bound feet. After her husband passes away, she cannot carry anything on her shoulders or hands, and cannot walk far or fast. She and her children have no way to make a living, so she can only sell herself into slavery, and her family ends up miserable...

There are also satires on feudal clan power, where those blood relatives of the clan use the power of the clan to rob the property of orphans and widows, and even force their mothers to death, just to obtain the woman's dowry...

There are also stories of killing children and forcibly adopting their children, just for the family property.

All kinds of dirty things were added to these dramas, which caused a lot of trouble in the south where clan power was very strong. But it was useless. The powerful Fu Han Army suppressed everything.

For many refugees in Lanzhou City, such a life was quite comfortable, but it was too cold at night.

The court distributed porridge at a fixed time every day, two spoons per person, twice a day. Although they were not full, they would not starve to death. But no one dared to "bully the market" in Lanzhou, and all those who acted arrogantly were "voluntarily" joined the labor reform team.

For these refugees who gathered in Lanzhou, the only painful time of the day was at night. Although these difficult days were over, the whole Lanzhou City knew that the court had sorted out other things, and the refugees outside the city were almost settled, and they would start to settle the refugees in the city.

Before the second snow came, even if they used military tents, they had to settle the 50,000 or 60,000 refugees in Lanzhou City.

Just half a month ago, the temperature in Lanzhou suddenly dropped, and that night it snowed for the first time in Lanzhou this winter. It was just a small snowfall, and there was no snow except in a few places.

Except for this night, for most refugees, life was no worse than in previous years. In the past, when winter came, the people of Gansu did not necessarily have four spoonfuls of porridge to drink a day. Even if it was a large bowl, two spoonfuls of thick porridge that would not fall over with chopsticks could fill half a bowl, which was enough for most people. If such four spoonfuls of porridge were placed in the homes of ordinary people, with two more scoops of water and some dried vegetables from the sun, it would be enough for the whole family to chew at night.

This thick porridge is mainly made of brown rice, and also contains peanuts, black beans, yam, potatoes, dried fish, fish powder, pickled vegetables and chili peppers, which is pretty good. After eating, he squatted in the corner, basking in the sun. Except for going to the public toilet to defecate and urinate, which was a mandatory rule, those who did not comply would be punished, and even starved. Then he watched the incorporated opera troupes sing propaganda plays. This life was quite comfortable. In the past, when they were in the countryside, where were the big plays for them to watch every day?

Only during the New Year and other festivals in the town would a group of people be invited to sing two days of big plays.

Unfortunately, such good days are no longer long.

Ma Liangsheng drank a bowl of licorice tea, duck eggs, and sang opera every day, from morning to night. Their Jiangdong troupe did not have such a life when it was the most prosperous in Xi'an City. But now they have food and shelter, and the new dynasty also distributes land. Opera actors like him are actually considered public servants of the court. No matter how hard or tired Ma Liangsheng is, he can't say a word.

When Xi'an first started, their troupe was starving to death. They had no income for more than half a year, and many people ran away. The troupe's costumes, which were made of good materials, were either taken away by others or pawned by the master, and the food they had stored was eaten up. Ma Liangsheng remembered clearly that before the show started that day, as the mainstay of the troupe, he ate half a bowl of wheat bran and wild vegetables. His master didn't eat a single bite.

The Dongjiang Troupe has been in Xi'an for more than ten years, and it is also a well-known name in Xi'an. In an open-air corner at the entrance of the street, as soon as the stage was set up and the flags were raised, a group of people quickly surrounded them. When they went on stage to sing, the onlookers had already squeezed into a big circle, and everyone was watching with great interest. Ma Liangsheng was really happy at that time. Although his stomach was burning with hunger on the stage, he was happy in his heart. Even if there were only a few people who gave tips, if there was one person among the twenty people, they could earn enough for their meal in the morning. At that time, Ma Liangsheng had no ambitions, he just wanted a meal! Who could have expected that a group of actors would be able to achieve what they have today? Just when he thought about it, he saw a few black dogs with a group of soldiers rushing through. Ma Liangsheng now secretly called the police black dogs, all because of that scene. Those black dogs pushed the audience away fiercely, and in the blink of an eye, they detained all the people in their troupe, and confiscated all the troupe's stuff. Those black dogs also took away the only handful of copper coins. What a wicked thing!

Ma Liangsheng was completely desperate at that time. But he didn't expect that he could become a regular official of the court as an actor. He heard from the instructor sent by the superiors that when the northwest was quiet, they "actors" could also take the rating exam. If they could be rated as national-level drama actors, they would be rich.

Ma Liangsheng didn't quite understand what a "national-level" drama actor was, but it was definitely high-end to have a "national" name. He had a vague ambition in his heart, he wanted to become a national-level drama actor, and he wanted to join the national drama troupe.

Not just because of the increase in salary, but also because of a sense of satisfaction in dignity.

Half a year ago, he was still an actor. What was an actor at that time? People of the lowest class. Have you heard of the saying "actors are ruthless, and women are unrighteous"? They are people of the same level as women.

But now they are honored by the country, and Ma Liangsheng is grateful to the new dynasty and Chen Han in his heart.

"The county magistrate of Meiwu is restless on horseback. He has escaped death for a few days. As an official, I, Zhao Lian, have a clear understanding of the case. It is rare for me to be restless when there is no clue..."

The faint voice came into his ears, making Wang Sanchuan frown. He lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the Fu Han army members who were distributing porridge not far away on the street. Wang Sanchuan seemed to be in a worse mood. Wang Sanchuan, who had just come out of the government office, was weighed down with heavy thoughts. The official of Chen Han said that his grandfather's reputation as an official was not very good, and he was definitely corrupt and perverted the law, so the land registered in the family could not be completely replaced with a new land deed, and how much to cut off depended on the specific instructions from the superiors.

Wang Sanchuan's mentality was as if a dog had been beaten. No, he had been beaten by a dog. No one knew what to say. His grandfather died of illness as early as the 25th year of Qianlong's reign, more than ten years ago. But facing that man's doggy face, what could Wang Sanchuan do?

Although he was originally a son of an official, Wang Sanchuan, who was the best in academics, had long gone to Songyang Academy in Dengfeng to study, but he did not have many social connections in his hometown in Lanzhou. Especially Lanzhou, which had just been replaced by old and new, and was severely washed away by Chen Han. If his father hadn't broken his leg, there would be no need for Wang Sanchuan to take action. Both of Wang Sanchuan's brothers died in the war.

When the rebels raided the city, the big families suffered a lot. The royal family's family were all dead. All the family property has gone to the second wife, but Wang Sanchuan is not happy at all now.

This is already the fourth time he has gone to the Yamen, but to no avail. The boss has not yet spoken, the work of the Zhang Zhang Bureau has not been completed, and the land deed to the new dynasty cannot be obtained even if he talks too hard. Therefore, the Wang family, who had been robbed completely by the rebels, could not buy and sell the land with the land deeds. To meet their urgent needs, they could either sell it to the new dynasty at a relatively low price, or they could explain how much land they had.

Don't worry, this kind of disgusting trick may add insult to injury, but it really won't kill anyone unjustly. Because in this world, among the landowners at this time, not even one out of a hundred land deeds is completely authentic. Is it necessary for Chen Han to let go of the other ninety-nine people because of one person's injustice?

In the past Lanzhou Prefecture, the Wang family followed the legacy of their ancestors, and his grandfather became a Taoist priest. Although his father and his uncle failed to live up to their expectations, the Wang family was in decline, and it was impossible to directly meet the prefect or the higher-up Bu. Political envoys, governors, etc. [The governor of Gansu and Shaanxi is stationed in Lanzhou], but you can definitely see the magistrate of Gaolan County. Gaolan County is the name of the county in the capital of Lanzhou. But this cuteness should not be used in the new dynasty.

Even when he first approached them, he was told clearly that if the Wang family had not lived peacefully since the old man died of illness, did not do any evil, and did not actively respond to the call of the Manchus, they would all be killed. was liquidated. The highest status that Wang Sanchuan, the third son of the Wang family, can currently access is that of a clerk in the Zhizhang Bureau of the prefecture's Yamen.

Wang Sanchuan was still confused about the official positions in the new dynasty, but he knew that the county magistrate was the fifth rank, and this clerk was only the seventh rank.

He endured his temper and spent what little money he had left at home on it, but at this juncture, no one, including the new and elderly people in Lanzhou, dared to accept bribes, so he came to the Yamen many times without getting any information, hoping to find out more important information. There is no way out.

Wang Sanchuan went home frustrated. He sat in the carriage and stared at the decorations in the carriage. This four-wheeled carriage was already two years old. It was the only object in the Wang family that was not damaged during the Lanzhou catastrophe. It looked inconspicuous on the outside, but inside The decoration is very meaningful. And the horse pulling now is also the Wang family's horse.

The reason why the carriage was not damaged was because the rebels had robbed the horse and carriage before. As a result, the Fuhan army attacked Lanzhou and the army was in chaos, so it pulled the carriage home again.

This is a good horse. Wang Sanchuan made up his mind at that time to let the horse walk peacefully in the Wang family.

But when push came to shove, he had no choice but to sell the carriage and the horses.

"He who has no eyes actually dares to come to eat the Overlord's meal. Come on, take off his clothes." If it's not this piece of clothing, the shopkeeper can't take it away. It's not patched. If it's taken off, it's worth two cents. . Their small shop sells noodle soup. How can a person wearing unpatched clothes not be able to afford a bowl of noodle soup? In the end, the boss really lost his sight, even though the guy said his wallet was stolen. Bah! "Dare you come here to cheat on me? Beat me, and then send me to the government after I'm done beating you!"

Wang Sanchuan heard a familiar scream, although the scream lasted only once and was very short. He opened the curtain and saw a man lying on the ground with his head in his arms, being kicked hard by another man dressed as a waiter like a hunched-backed prawn.

Wang Sanchuan didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but when he saw the kicker reaching out to pull the freeloader up, Wang Sanchuan couldn't sit still. "Stop, stop quickly. I'll pay for the meal." The waiter was about to push the freeloader to the police station. Wang Sanchuan saw the man's face.

The pigtails had just been cut and the hair was spread out, but Wang Sanchuan would not forget the face of the visitor. This was his best friend Zhu Shihai. They went to Dengfeng Songyang Academy to study together and were absolute best friends. "Brother Jisheng, why are you doing this?" If Wang Sanchuan remembered correctly, although Zhu Shihai's family also donated money and food to the Qing Dynasty, it was not enough to commit a crime of confiscating their homes. Chen Han is becoming more and more relaxed in this regard. Zhu Shihai is a native of Yongjing Town, southwest of Lanzhou City.

Ten days ago he received a letter from Zhu Shihai. How could Zhu Shihai be so depressed in just a blink of an eye?

There was no bruise or swelling on his face, but he looked a little unkempt. Zhu Shihai looked at his good friend and struggled to squeeze out a smile.

"I want to file a complaint!"