Three Kingdoms

The closer we get to Pingyang, the more people there are and the population is relatively dense. Of course, the definition of dense is probably from not seeing anyone after walking a thousand meters to seeing one after walking two hundred meters.

In the valleys or hillsides on both sides of the road, you can also see some small-scale villages, consisting of three to five households, or seven or eight households, or a dozen households, surrounded by simple fences. Houses built with a small amount of soil, bark, sticks and hay.

Unlike later generations, unless they are in a city, no brave person would be willing to build their house next to an unobstructed road. The reason is very simple. No one knows how to get from the road. Whether they are good guys or bad guys, or people who are about to be driven crazy, if there is any conflict, there is not even a room for maneuver.

Therefore, in ancient Chinese Feng Shui, if a house is built on a public transportation thoroughfare, it is called a conflict, and that's it.

This is true for housing and transportation. In fact, in terms of other aspects, such as clothing and food, although many food varieties were available in the Han Dynasty, most of them were for nobles like Fei Qian, and for ordinary people, haha...

But when it comes to clothes, unlike the nobles who can change their clothes without taking a shower, to be precise, the clothes of ordinary people are generally not washed unless it is a last resort. The reason is very simple. Due to problems with the textile process, the structure of the woven Gebu is not as tight as that of later generations. After washing it a few times, it will become quite soft and even transparent.

Therefore, most people wear it as decent outerwear when they go out, hang it up when they come back, and then take it off and put it on again the next time they go out. As for sweat stains and oil stains, they don't exist at all. How can people who dig in the mud every day and deal with what some future generations regard as dirty mud for their whole lives care about the small sweat stains and dirt on their clothes?

This kind of half-robe can be worn to meet people, and it is considered a relatively high-end personal property. The average poor farmer only has a few rags to cover it...

bath?

That is a matter for the children of the noble clan.

So in fact, in the Han Dynasty, it was a very simple thing to judge people by their appearance. Those who were well-fed, fat, and clean were mostly nobles or wealthy people, while those with sloppy clothes, knotted hair, and all kinds of fleas and lice on their bodies were They are the ordinary working people at the bottom.

Generally speaking, it is relatively easy to recognize.

However, as we get closer to Pingyang, the situation becomes a little different. The farmers working in the fields are obviously different. How can I put it, it is like the difference between the wanderers in the first-tier cities in later generations and the wanderers in ordinary towns.

The biggest difference is the degree of cleanliness. There is obviously some difference. At least when you get closer, you no longer see the hair jungle like a small zoo like that of farmers in other areas...

Could it be that General Zhengxi made arrangements in advance?

It is inevitable that these officials will be a little confused, because there are indeed some differences. These officials were used to dealing with dirty farmers. Suddenly they saw the neat farmers near Pingyang, and they couldn't adapt to it for a while. Looking at himself who looked a little unkempt because he was on the road, these officials became somewhat uneasy.

Etiquette, etiquette is etiquette, etiquette is manners. Nowadays, these officials who have traveled a long distance look like their crowns are crooked and their robes are slanted. Their demeanor is naturally inferior to those of the farmers who, although they do not wear robes and long sleeves, are clean and natural.

As the sun gradually set in the west, Fei Qian looked up at the sky and ordered to find a suitable place to camp. Although this place is not too far from Pingyang, after all, it is not easy to rush with officials like Liu Xie and others. Therefore, it is necessary to find a place to camp in time before the sky darkens completely.

After leaving Chang'an, Liu Xie seemed to have put down some baggage and felt novel about everything. Fei Qian also acted as an encyclopedia of the Han Dynasty, and from time to time he had to answer some of Liu Xie's sudden questions.

Such as now.

"...Fei Aiqing," Liu Xie seemed to be tired of sitting in the car. He jumped to the ground and came to Fei Qian and said, "...I just saw that there seems to be a village on the other side of the mountain col..."

Fei Qian turned around and looked back. There was a stream over there. There was indeed a very small village with about ten households, and he replied: "...Yes, Your Majesty..."

Liu Xie also looked over there, was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "Fei Aiqing, how do the people of this... this big man live?"

"Huh?" How to answer this question? Fei Qian couldn't react for a while. After thinking about it, he adopted a more standard answer, "...work at sunrise and rest at sunset...that's it." Is that so..." Not to mention the Han Dynasty, even in later generations, there are still people living in some areas who do not use watches, mobile phones, TVs and computers at all. They just follow the pace of the sun, working when the sun rises and breathing when the sun sets. .

"..." Liu Xie nodded as if he understood, but after a while he said, "...I...want to take a look..."

"Aha?" Fei Qian looked at Liu Xie and said, "...Your Majesty...Isn't your Majesty tired?"

Liu Xie nodded and said: "Tired. However, I still want to take a look... to see how the people of the Han Dynasty live... In these years, I have never seen these people of the Han Dynasty... "

Fei Qian was silent for a while, nodded and said: "I comply with your Majesty's wish. Come, summon the guards! By the way, bring a bag of millet!"

The entire affected area is relatively calm for the time being, but it still cannot be taken lightly. If Liu Xie is damaged in any way, Fei Qian will not be able to shirk his responsibility. Therefore, normally, Fei Qian should not allow Liu Xie to leave the camp, even though it was just a small village.

What if the village is populated by desperadoes who don’t know where they came from? Even if they are not outlaws, what if there are some individuals with mental problems? If His Majesty has been injured somewhere, or if he has not been injured at all, it would be extremely serious if the blind man said a word or two wrongly...

This relationship is indeed important. Therefore, it is not surprising that even in later generations, when there were many so-called official inspections of the public sentiment, it was obvious at a glance that they had been notified and prepared in advance.

However, Fei Qian was moved by Liu Xie's words. For so many years, perhaps before Dong Zhuo came to Beijing, Liu Xie had never left the palace, and had never seen how the real low-level Han peasants lived. This was for a For the emperor, it may be a kind of happiness, or it may be a kind of sadness. Since Liu Xie said that this was the first time he wanted to observe the sufferings of the people and understand how the Han people lived, Fei Qian felt that he should provide encouragement and support.

Generally speaking, the people of the Han Dynasty work according to the sunrise and the sunrise. It may only be a short eight words, but in fact, it is very difficult. The sun has not risen every morning, and there are still many people in all directions. It is pitch dark, that is, around 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. If you raise some chickens, they will start to crow for the first time at this time, and most farmers will wake up and start the day's work at this time. .

The men brought their tools and went to the fields first. They worked hard to catch up for about two hours before it was time to cook breakfast, which was around nine o'clock in the morning. The women at home had almost finished cooking and then returned. The first meal at home, if it enters the busy farming season, there is no time to go home to eat, and the women in the family have to deliver it to the field.

After breakfast, I rested for about a quarter of an hour, then set off again, returned to the fields, and started doing farm work that couldn’t be said to be in the morning, noon, or afternoon, because the work at this time did not stop, and there was almost no break in between. interval, let alone a lunch break and the like.

This continues until the evening, when the sun begins to set at four or five o'clock in the afternoon. At this time, the farmers will drag their tired bodies back home to enjoy the second and last meal of the day.

There are two meals a day, and there is no midnight snack. After eating, I usually take advantage of the sun's brightness to pack up the tools at home and then rest.

From then on, there was no gap.

For farmers in the Han Dynasty, the so-called farmhouse entertainment in later generations, haha, does not exist at all...

The group of people followed the path beside the official road, around a hillside and then through a small forest, before arriving at this small village.

The movement from Fei Qian's side had already alarmed the people in the village. Seeing Fei Qian and his entourage getting closer and closer, the people in the village were frightened and uneasy. They all felt that a disaster was imminent, and they had to come out to meet each other, so they had to In addition to the eldest man, he brought a few middle-aged people to greet him in front of the village.

"Little old man... this, this welcomes the noble man!" When the old farmer saw Fei Qian and his entourage approaching, he quickly grinned, and led the rest of the people to come forward and salute.

Fei Qian stepped forward, nodded and said, "Please get up, my father-in-law. We are from Pingyang...well, Diannong Congcao's subordinate...well, I happened to pass by this place and saw that this village is quite exquisite. I came here to take a look. There is no other intention, I don’t need to worry..."

Speaking of General Zhengxi and the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, these peasants who were far away from the court may not have much idea. They may even be more confused and overwhelmed because of the distance and class. Therefore, Fei Qian simply named Zao Zhi. If you move out, you will be relatively close to these farmers.

Obviously, after hearing this, the old farmer immediately relaxed a lot, opened his eyes wide, and said, "Could it be that he is a subordinate of Zaocong Cao? Ah, this... ah, I'm rude, I'm rude..."

Fei Qian smiled and said: "It's okay, it's okay, we just walked around and had a look. If we disturb you, I hope you'll forgive me... Didn't you move here not long ago?"

This village seemed relatively new, so Fei Qian asked.

The yellow mud pasted on the wooden piles of the village wall is relatively bright in color, and there is no moss or weeds. It is obvious that it was completed not long ago, and the thatch on the roof of the house exposed above the wall has not completely become Black and gray, with some dark green or brown, also illustrates this point.

"To tell you the truth, sir..." the old farmer cupped his hands and bent down and said, "...the little old man just moved from Guanzhong in the spring of last year..."

"Guanzhong?" Liu Xie asked with his eyes widened, "Why do you want to move here? Is Guanzhong bad?"

"...This..." The old farmer glanced at Liu Xie, and then quickly glanced at Fei Qian. He could tell that Liu Xie's dress was either rich or noble, but Fei Qian was more like a person in charge, so he didn't know whether he should answer this question. Migration, in the Han Dynasty, may also be called refugees, and for refugees, it is equivalent to losing the identity of Han citizens, and may be arrested at any time for labor or military service...

Fei Qian nodded and said with a smile: "I have already been naturalized, right? If you have any questions, I will just say whatever you want... We are just curious, so we can just ask. If it is inconvenient for me, just don't tell me..." Naturalized again Even if it is the population here in Bingbei, it has a certain legal effect just like the temporary residence permit and tax payment certificate for future generations in a certain place.

When the old farmer heard this, he felt somewhat relieved and smiled bitterly and said: "... Since the noble man asked, the little old man did not dare to hide the noble man... If he really couldn't survive and couldn't survive it, who would be willing to raise his family? Migration..."

"...Originally, the little old man was able to live somewhat well in Guanzhong, but unexpectedly..." the old farmer shook his head, obviously looking back on that period of time, "...somehow, suddenly the money was no longer enough. Then there was another round of fighting, with the first wave of grain collectors leaving, and the next wave coming again... Later, more soldiers came, either to rob food or to rob people, and the crops were ruined. I really couldn't stand it any longer. , and heard that there was land here, the rent was exempted, and farm tools could be borrowed, so I moved here..."

"Free of rent? So the rent in Guanzhong turns out to be very high?" Liu Xie couldn't help but ask again.

The old farmer replied: "...Originally, in Guanzhong, it was not too high. After one year, after paying the tax on the labor and tax, I can still have 10% or 20% left..."

"What about here? How much can be left here?" Liu Xie continued to ask.

Speaking of this, the wrinkles on the old farmer's face loosened a little, and he couldn't help but smile. He deliberately arched his hands in the direction of Pingyang, and then said: "Thanks to General Zhengxi's kindness, he reduced the rent and taxes. Last year, the remaining It's...20% is left, well, about 20%..."

Fei Qian glanced at the old farmer and smiled. This guy also has his own tricks, but it doesn't matter, Fei Qian doesn't intend to expose him.

The fields near Pingyang and Pingyang Canal are naturally fertile and easy to irrigate. Strictly speaking, they are also considered the territory of Feiqian, the Marquis of Pingyang. Therefore, the tax is relatively high, 50% in the first year, and then there will be As time goes by, it has been reduced to 30%. However, if you do not have any equipment and have to rent oxen, horses, plows, etc. from the government, then you will have to add 10% to 15% in taxes. Therefore, these fertile fields near Pingyang are basically The maximum remaining 10% or 20% in the first year is about the same, but irrigation is convenient near Pingyang and the yield is high, so even if 10% is left, it is still relatively good, and after the next year, the remaining will only increase. This greatly enhances the adhesion of the field.

After all, no one wants to make a head start with hard work and see that the good days are coming later, but then abandon everything and rise up to rebel, right?

But there is something different here. It seems that the fields here were developed by these people themselves, so the rent for the first year is only 30%. Even if you include the rental of government equipment and cattle and horses, it will only be around 45% at most. After adding in the oral tax, at least about 40% will be left. The old farmer said it was 20%. I am afraid it is due to his cautious mentality.

"There's only this little left..." It was obvious that Liu Xie didn't know what was going on. He believed what the old farmer said and asked again, "...Is it like this in other places? Other places, such as Jizhou Is this also the case in Yuzhou..."

Fei Qian couldn't help but be slightly startled. Why did Liu Xie's words sound so weird?