Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

In mid-August, the autumn harvest was coming to an end, and more and more people were walking in the fields.

Many villagers had completed the most important harvest of the year, but they had no time to stop and rest. They had to husk the millet as soon as possible.

The newly harvested grain was still wet. If it was processed immediately, it would increase the loss, but the civilians and small households only had this harvest to pay the rent and did not have any surplus grain to store for the time being.

At this time, the pestles along the Luo River were also the busiest time, busy all night processing the grains sent here from the surrounding villages. Of course, the processing of these grains was not free. It was considered benevolence to get six dou of grain for one stone of grain.

But the villagers had no choice. If they did not send the grains to the pestles for processing, they would process them at home, which would be time-consuming and laborious, and they might not be able to catch up with the government's collection period.

Moreover, the completion of the autumn harvest did not mean the end of the year's farming work. They had to quickly plow the land and prepare for the sowing of winter wheat and other overwintering crops. Repairing houses, digging cellars, accumulating firewood for cold weather, etc., repeated over and over again, there was no time to breathe in a year.

On the riverside road upstream of Luoshui, a group of pedestrians rode on horses. All of them wore plain hakama, with black collars around their necks, leather belts around their waists, and black shackles on their hands and feet. They also wore small black gauze crowns.

Such uniform clothing makes people feel that they are not ordinary passers-by at first glance, and they are secretly in awe.

A floating bridge built on a tributary of Luoshui appeared on the road ahead. Because there is no bridge foundation to support it, the bridge deck is just swaying and floating on the river surface.

There are several monks standing at each end of the floating bridge. These monks are strong and powerful, holding sticks, and look like the Vajra Arhats in the statues and murals.

They guarded the two ends of the floating bridge, looking at the passers-by with stern eyes, asking for fares from them while checking their luggage. If there are too many goods, they have to cross the bridge in batches, and the fare for crossing the bridge is naturally one trip.

Most of the passers-by were from nearby villages, so the toll was naturally not too high, just a few handfuls of millet or a few eggs. Even so, the large baskets next to the monks were filled with all kinds of local goods.

When the team of knights approached here, the villagers who were queuing to cross the bridge saw this and tactfully avoided them, not wanting to cause trouble.

The leading knight, who looked like a young man, waved his hand to refuse the villagers' concession and ordered his followers to dismount and queue up to cross the river.

"Excuse me, old man, why is the bridge controlled by the monks here?"

Looking at the monks guarding the bridge, the young man curiously patted a fellow villager carrying a large bamboo basket in front of him and asked.

Seeing the young man's impressive procession, the villager did not dare to neglect him. He quickly replied, "This canal is called Ejiaogou. The water is swift and fierce. Many people have drowned in the past. County officials and village elders have used materials to build bridges, but none of them lasted long. It was only thanks to Master Gaode of Pushan Temple that the evil dragon dared not do evil and built this floating bridge for villagers to cross..." The young man nodded after hearing this, and then asked, "I came from the south and saw that there were water order notices at many ferry bridges along the Luo River. As long as the villagers can read the notices, they can In order to avoid the ferry charges, why can't I see it here? "

"On the 15th day of the eighth month, clouds cover the moon, and on the 15th day of the first month, snow lights up the lanterns! This monthly order has also been heard by the old man. I read it for a long time before I wrote it down, hoping to save some money on the journey, but I didn't see it after crossing two bridges. I don't know which village idiot is spreading rumors and deceiving people!"

The old man was angry when he heard this, and a pedestrian sitting on a cargo cart next to him laughed and said, "The old man has little knowledge, and he still blames others for deceiving. I just came from Weibei and crossed the Baishui River. I didn't cross the river or the bridge. It must be spent. I heard that the court sent a wise official, the Du Shui Envoy, to take charge of the bridges and ferry on the Luo River, and then issued such an order. "

The young man was immediately interested when he heard this, and approached and asked: "You are a knowledgeable person in the village, do you know what this wise official Du Shui is in charge of? How many policies that benefit the people have been issued?"

"Of course I know, the Du Shui Envoy is the ancient name of the Water Balance Commander, and the rivers, bridges, and wells are all under his control. It is the river god of this waterway, and fish and shrimps must obey his orders!"

The merchant Hearing the question, he became interested and showed off his knowledge, but after seeing the monks at the bridge, he sighed and said, "It's a pity that the Dharma is destroyed in this world, and the gods of mountains and rivers have to give way to these foreign ghosts and evil spirits! The old farmer is stupid and said that the evil dragon harmed people. It was the Pushan Temple that blocked the river upstream and built a dam to make paper with water. The old bridges on the river were all destroyed and demolished by those evil monks..."

When the man said this, he immediately felt several fierce eyes staring at him, and he quickly closed his mouth and dared not talk nonsense anymore.

When the young man heard this, his face sank, and he returned to the team without saying anything.

Not long after, it was the turn of the merchants to cross the river. Because there were too many goods on the car, they needed to be transported in batches. After several round trips, they had to charge two pieces of cloth for the bridge fee.

Although the merchant looked unhappy, he could only laugh dryly when he saw the ferocious monk holding the shaft of the cart: "The Bodhisattva built the bridge to benefit the people, and the believers should also accumulate merits. The monks have worked hard!" He flattered and offered cloth and goods, and was allowed to pass. Soon it was the knights' turn to cross the river. The young man was not in a hurry to cross the river. He looked at the monk at the front and said: "What is the standard for charging bridge fees here, based on the goods and people?" The monk looked at everyone and showed no fear. He just said: "Building a bridge to benefit the village does not count the fees. But the Bodhisattva is very kind, and the villagers need to spread the Dharma sincerely. It depends on your heart. If your heart is not sincere, you will not be protected."

When the young man heard this, he sneered, pointed his knife at the monk and said, "The master is here protecting the bridge and protecting the Dharma. I must be sincere in worshiping the Buddha. I have this sharp blade in my hand. Master, can the Buddha protect you?"

When the monk heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he immediately stepped back for more than ten feet, and then called for his companions.

At this time, the old monk in white robe who was collecting the bridge fees hurriedly came forward and said: "The distinguished guests are of extraordinary bearing. Do you think they are officials? Although a certain ascetic is a Buddhist believer, he is also a good citizen of the state and county. How dare he interfere with the official's schedule? ! Please come with us!"

While he was talking, the old monk personally came forward, took the horse's bridle and led it to the bridge. The young man took another look at the surprised people up and down the bridge, then withdrew his saber, leaving half of the troops to guard here. After crossing the other side of the river, those who stayed behind came across the bridge.

"These monster monks are not satisfied with confusing the villagers and defrauding the villagers of their property. They actually block the river to take risks and make profits. They deserve to die! After returning from this trip, we must report them to the police and strictly investigate such monster monks and village thieves!"

After crossing the bridge, the young man looked back at the floating bridge and cursed bitterly.

This young man's name was Mao Shijian. He was the young son of Mao Xia, a powerful man in the north. He was recommended by Zhou Ti, the son of Zhou Huida, as an official in the capital water. When we recruited soldiers to return to the army, many of them died and were not formally recruited to join the army. This time, we were ordered to go north along Baishui to inspect the canal affairs.

It has been several days since the Du Shui Yamen Office was established, and all the measures taken have achieved some results in the lower reaches south of Baishui. But from the white water upwards, it has not been touched yet.

The first is naturally because the time to establish the matter is still short, and the second is the stubborn nostalgia of people above Baishui. Especially for the latter, Mao Shijian saw along the way that the floating bridge previously occupied and operated by the Buddhist temple was just one of them.

What's more, in the Luoshui diversion area, which was beyond the reach of some imperial decrees, some local tyrants or Jihu tribesmen even erected fences along the canals to prevent villagers from diverting water or fishing.

It was only after being immersed in the situation and witnessing it with his own eyes that Mao Shijian realized what his previous boss meant when he said that water control requires both benevolence and perseverance. The various demonic and exotic sentiments in the upper reaches of Luoshui River are not only due to the breeding of evil spirits in the countryside, but also due to the invincibility of the king's rule.

The stubborn control of the rural situation by the powerful Hu chiefs was only concentrated along the Luoshui river. As for the reason, the reason is much deeper. Although the Dushui Yamen Department specializes in water control, it needs to solve many stubborn problems if it wants to achieve this goal.

Mao Shijian could only hold back his anger and continue to go north along the river.

When he arrived at a manor ahead, he saw several slaves fighting with a man in front of the manor. The man who was beaten was a fellow Qiaonan whom he had met before.

"stop!"

Mao Shijian was a young man who was a knight. When he saw the rich slaves bullying the old man, he couldn't control himself. He rode his horse forward and roared loudly.

Seeing that he had so many followers, several wealthy slaves did not dare to be presumptuous anymore. However, the fellow still held on to the trouser leg of one of the wealthy slaves and said tremblingly: "Please, please, please... those fish breasts... It’s more than a hundred pounds, although it’s not a valuable thing, but I just want an old knife! My dog ​​has been recruited into the township league, and he can’t survive without a knife!”

"Why are you bothering me about your own affairs? Is it because I am greedy for fish? The thieves in the lower reaches plunder the catch and pay the local price. Want a knife? Dream on!"

The slave kicked the old farmer to the ground with a look of disgust. Seeing that Mao Shijian and others still showed no sign of leaving, he gave his companions a wink, and they turned around and fled to the village.

When Mao Shijian saw that this rich slave was using Dushui to buy fish and meat in the village, he was immediately furious. He came forward and said angrily: "The government downstream collects fish and compares it with the current price. How dare you cheat! Return the old man's fish." , I exchange with him!"

"Where did these stupid thieves come from? This is where you foreigners go wild?"

The wealthy slave became even more angry when he heard the sound, but when he saw Mao Shijian and others carrying swords, they dragged the fellow's legs back into the manor.

Mao Shijian was full of evil fire as he walked along. Seeing that the slave was still so vicious, he couldn't hold it back. He drew his knife in his hand, leaped forward on his horse, and struck the slave head-on: "Don't talk about this country, Luo I am in charge of everything above and below the water! If you are a disobedient slave, please die!”

When the sword struck down, the Haonu body was struck by the sharp blade and flew several feet away. He fell to the ground dead.

At this time, nearly a hundred slaves rushed out of the manor. Seeing this scene, they were immediately furious and rushed forward waving their weapons: "Where are the evil thieves from this country? How dare you disturb our manor!"