Fu Song

Chapter 596
Zhou Hong was pushing the wheelbarrow, and lying on the cart was his old lady, who held her three-year-old son in her arms, and his wife followed closely behind her, holding her seven-year-old eldest son.

The family stumbled forward in the darkness.

Zhou Hong, who was only wearing a single coat, buried his head in pushing the cart. The tattered jacket on his body was being placed on the wheelbarrow at the moment to make his old lady lie more comfortably, and the only coir raincoat was also covering his grandfather and grandson.

There is a needle-like drizzle floating in the air, and when it falls on people, if they are not careful, they will catch cold, and there will be a serious illness afterwards.

Old people and children absolutely cannot bear such torture. If they really bump into each other, they will die.

Beside them, people ran past them from time to time.

These are the ones who got away.

To be precise, it was running to Bozhou.

They are all the people of Song County under the original Beijing East-West Road, but now Song County and other places have become the territory of King Zhao.

Who would flee on such a cold and rainy night if there was still a little way to survive?
If the local officials or the troops stationed there find out, the end will be extremely miserable.

But compared to the risk of being caught and caught, running seems to have a brighter future.

The original day was not like this.

The Zhou family can be considered a well-off family.

In addition to having dozens of acres of land at home, Zhou Hong also knows some bamboo craftsman's crafts. After working in the fields every day, he still sits in his small courtyard and weaves some dustpans, hall nests, shaupans, etc. All kinds of utensils, and then the old lady took them to the market to sell.

Tang Ke is also a capable person.In addition to helping him with his work, he is also good at tea and rice, especially good at making some flavored snacks.Most other families feed the small fishes picked up from the river to their chickens and ducks. The guests at home have a different way to wash and grind these small fishes and shrimps into foam, and then mix them with some various things that he can't figure out. After being sealed for a period of time, it becomes an extremely delicious fish sauce.

The little fish was fished in the ditch, and most of the condiments were also picked from the fields. These seemingly incompatible things were mixed together, but they became the best food for dinner.

This fish sauce becomes a good accompaniment to meals when the dishes are in short supply.

I can't finish it at home, so I sell it at the food market, and I get a lot of harvest in a year.

His family, in the local area, is an enviable family.

After a year, other people will be happy if they can be a round belly and don't owe money.

His family has surplus money every year.

Zhou Hong has even made preparations to let his son go to enlightenment to study.

I don't expect my son to be successful in the exams or anything. As long as he can read and write, he can go to the city to find a place to work in the future, which is much better than begging for food in the fields.

The longing for the future and the yearning for a better life collapsed last year.

Zhou Hong didn't know what happened, but he knew that the people from the Liao Kingdom had called, and they fought all the way to the place where the emperor lived, and captured the emperor and many nobles.

Zhou Hong actually didn't feel anything when these people were captured.

And the Liao people did not come to them. Although they were a little afraid of the vicious Liao people that those who escaped said, they didn't actually feel much.

It's just a little rejoicing in my heart.

The officials in charge of them have not changed, they are still those few, but they are listening to some order from King Zhao.

In the past, it was always about officials and His Majesty the Emperor.

Oh, the emperor was captured.

This King Zhao is said to have been conferred by the emperor of the Liao Kingdom.

Originally, all of this had nothing to do with Zhou Hong and the others.

Who is here? Aren't these small people all wanting to farm land and pay for food?Whoever comes, they have to pay taxes and do corvée!

But what happened next made Zhou Hong gnash his teeth with hatred.

Taxes have suddenly become heavier. All kinds of taxes are added up to several times more than in the past. It means that his family still has some savings and can barely cope with it, while the neighbors around cannot pay their taxes. , was arrested and put in the shackles to show the public, and then escorted to build cities and roads.

In less than a year, Zhou Hong's family has been squeezed out, and even eating at home has become a problem.

There is no more food.

All the food in the family was initially required to be paid, then it became a forced collection, and finally it became an open grab.

Moreover, the people who were arrested and sent to build cities and roads to serve corvee labor have not yet returned.

I heard that people will be conscripted to serve in corvee next.

Earlier, there was only one adult male in Zhou Hong's family, so he hadn't been conscripted yet, but I heard from a friend who was a government servant in the city that the corvee to be conscripted soon didn't care about that.

Zhou Hong was scared.

He is the pillar of the family, with an old mother and a young child, if he is really forced to serve in corvée, he is afraid that the whole family will be ruined.

run!
Go to Bozhou next door.

It is not under the management of King Zhao, and the people there, it is said, have a bad relationship with King Zhao and often fight.

The point is, Bozhou is still the territory of Song Dynasty!
It's better than not knowing. I used to scold the court and the government all the time. Now that the original court and government are gone and a new one is here, I don't know it's better than the old one.

Zhou Hong pushed his wheelbarrow, put his mother and child on the cart, led his wife and son, and started his escape.

And along the way, he discovered that there were so many people who fled.

The closer it was to Bozhou, the more people fled.

Zhou Hong had an extra thought. On this stormy night, when most people were looking for shelter from the wind and rain, he decided to run quickly.

There are too many people, and someone will definitely take care of it.

The government will not watch them flee.

They are people who have to pay food, pay taxes, build roads, and build cities. If they run away, who will the government find to do these things!
Extremely tired, his legs were weak, and the single clothes on his body were already soaked through, but he didn't dare to stop.

There was a bright light in front of it, it was a dead wind lantern in mid-air, swinging in the wind.

And there is more than one lamp, there is such a lamp every hundreds of steps.

This made Zhou Hong, who was struggling desperately in the bitter wind and rain, full of strength in an instant.

Coming,
That is his destination.

That was the sentry tower of the Song Army.

With the wind blowing under his feet, Zhou Hong moved forward desperately.

More people ran past him in a swish.

A Ming Dy flew into the air with a sharp howling sound, and there was a sound of scolding from the front.

Immediately, piles of fires were lit, illuminating a range of more than a hundred steps.

"Stop!" The orderly and powerful shouts made these running people stop involuntarily.

Immediately, they saw, from the darkness, groups of heavily armed soldiers pressing forward slowly with their spears upright, but behind these spearmen were rows of crossbowmen holding crossbows. soldier.

"Commander, we escaped from Song County, we are common people!" A man shouted loudly, waving his arms.

"Get down, get down!" On the other side, without letting down their vigilance because of their shouts, a man who looked like an officer came out, holding his hand on the handle of the knife, and shouted sharply.

Everyone fell to the ground, even Zhou Hong was no exception. He carried his old mother off the wheelbarrow and sat on the ground. He himself lay on the ground honestly with his wife and seven-year-old son. The three-year-old son, held in the arms of Mrs. Zhou Hong, still poked his head out a little restlessly, looking around.

The soldiers rushed over and began to search.

Zhou Hong suddenly felt cold. On the wheelbarrow, he still had two pennies of money. This was all his belongings. It had been buried in the backyard so that it was not searched by Zhao Bing. Now he might not be able to keep it anymore .

A soldier came over, touched Zhou Hong's body first, then looked at the woman next to him, frowned, ignored him, stood up and turned the wheelbarrow again.

With a jingle, the bag containing the copper coins fell to the ground, and the soldier bent down to pick it up and opened the bag.

Zhou Hong closed his eyes sadly.

But the next moment, he heard another ding, opened his eyes, and saw the soldier throwing the copper coin onto the wheelbarrow again.

"Get up and go forward!" The soldier said to Zhou Hong: "More than ten miles ahead, someone will take you in. When you get there, you will have food and hot water to drink!"

Zhou Hong glanced at the soldier in disbelief, but the soldier went straight ahead and searched for other people.

When it was almost dawn, Zhou Hong finally arrived at the camp where the soldier said they were taken in.

About miles away from the town in the distance, rows of shacks built with thatch stood in their field of vision. Outside, there were simple fences built with wood, thatch or bamboo.

In a small shed by the gate, a scribe was sitting on the table, rubbing his hands and feet, rubbing his face. An official led Zhou Hong and the others to the shed, and the book clerk picked up his pen, I asked Zhou Hong which county and which township he was in. After registering one by one, he gave them a sign and called someone over to guide Zhou Hong to wait.

"There are five members of your family, both elderly and children, so you can live here. This location is good, and you will not be exposed to the wind!" said the official.

"Thank you for your job, thank you for your job!"

"I'm not on a business trip. I'm a local. I was called in to help!" The official said with a smile, "When you hear the bell ringing, it's time to serve the porridge. Your brand, and bring a porridge bowl or something to pick up the porridge."

"Okay, okay!" Zhou Hong agreed without saying a word. Before this person didn't say anything, he didn't feel hungry, but when he said that, his stomach immediately growled.

"Hot water has been boiled over there, go and fill it yourself!" The messenger pointed to the middle of the rows of shacks, where a large pot was hanging above a pile of fires, and the water was steaming hot: "You look like this, It's better to wipe it with hot water quickly, or you will get sick if you catch a cold!"

Zhou Hong first helped his old lady into the hut. There was nothing else in it except a thick layer of thatch. But for them, what better than a shelter from the wind and rain?
After helping the old lady to sit in the grass nest, Zhou Hong's mother-in-law scooped up a basin of hot water with the only copper basin at home that she carried with her. Zhou Hong didn't take what the official said just now. She was taken up with it, and she repeatedly urged Zhong Zhou Hong to wash his body with hot water.

"Clean it all, wipe it all!" They ran all the way, until now, they all felt the coolness on their bodies.

It was bright, and although the bell hadn't rang, the aroma of corn porridge could already be heard in the nostrils.

The mother-in-law held the copper basin, took the wooden sign, and followed the scent, looking for it all the way.

Zhou Hong sat at the door of the shack, rubbing his calf constantly.

The eldest son sat down next to him, imitating his way and rubbing his calf, but the younger son was full of energy, running around.

Not long after the bell rang, the mother-in-law came back. To Zhou Hong's surprise, the mother-in-law brought over half a bowl of corn porridge and a pickle lump in her hand.

"So many? What are you doing?" Zhou Hong couldn't believe that this was porridge for charity.

"It's the porridge shed run by the government here!" The mother-in-law also smiled happily. She used to eat this kind of porridge when life was good at home, but now that she is in trouble, she can still eat it.

Here, it's really good.

The whole family had been traveling all night, and they were really hungry at the moment. Sitting together, they took out wooden bowls and wooden spoons, and started to eat. Zhou Hong's wife took out another small clay pot, and untied the cloth on it. , a scent overflowed.

"Why did you bring this?" Zhou Hong asked with some dissatisfaction: "How heavy!"

"I'm afraid I'm running out of food, so I can take it with me. We can be hungry, but the child can't be hungry!" The mother-in-law felt aggrieved.

The two boys smiled happily, stretched out their wooden spoons, scooped out a spoonful of fish sauce and put it on the porridge. This is also a meat dish!

"Smells so good! What makes the food so delicious?" A questioning voice suddenly came from outside.

Zhou Hong looked back in astonishment, and suddenly saw a man who was Guan Er, surrounded by a group of people, walking towards this side, and the one who spoke was the one who was walking in the furthest.

The official looked around as he walked, as if he was looking for the source of the fragrance.

Zhou Hong immediately became nervous.

I'm afraid this official is not small.

Looking behind him, there are two burly men with swords and bows following him.

The official stopped in front of Zhou Hong, but his eyes passed Zhou Hong and looked inside.

"What kind of food is so delicious?" The official is very young and speaks very kindly, or is he the county magistrate of this county?

Zhou Hong quickly swallowed half of the porridge in his mouth, bowed and said, "If you go back to Shangguan, it's the fish sauce made by the mother-in-law at home."

"Can I have a taste?" the young official asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes!" Zhou Hong nodded again and again, and as soon as he turned around, he took out the small clay pot from the shack. The three-year-old was about to scoop up another spoonful when he stretched out his hand, but the fish sauce was gone. She was about to cry as soon as she grinned, but the mother-in-law covered the child's mouth with quick eyesight and quick hands.

The young official wanted to reach out to take it, but a man with a knife beside him took it one step ahead. He stretched out his hand to wipe the mouth of the can, and then stuffed it into his mouth, which made Zhou Hong stunned. Man, why are you so unruly?To snatch food from the mouth of the boss?
But the young official glared at the man with the knife, reached out to take the jar, and said, "Then be so careful? Who knew I came here? Who knew I was good at this? Bring it here. "

The guy with the knife handed over the small clay pot awkwardly and licked his mouth.

(End of this chapter)