Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1010 Datong
Shanxi, Datong Prefecture.

In the former dynasty, Datong was under the jurisdiction of Governor Xuanda and was the first line of defense to protect Beijing, so Governor Xuanda was the first governor.

With the revival of Shaowu, the threat of the grassland gradually decreased, Governor Xuanda was abolished, Datong Town became Datong Mansion, and Xuan Mansion belonged to Hebei Province.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the king of Dai ruled Datong and defended Mongolia. Datong City was built by Xu Da himself, which can be described as majestic.

Of course, the most dazzling time of Datong was in the Northern Wei Dynasty, when it was the capital, and later in the Liao and Jin Dynasties, it was the Xijing.

Yunzhong and Yanmen in history are here.

There are hundreds of prefectures in the Ming Dynasty, and the capital of several dynasties like Datong is very few.

As the northernmost point of Shanxi, Datong Prefecture is Suiyuan in the north and Xuanzhen in Hebei in the east. It is the first entrance to the Monan Grassland.

At the same time, Datong Mansion is also an important node of border trade.

Going to Suiyuan, Mobei, Datong is also the first stop.

As such, the population of Datong Prefecture has continued to grow in recent years, reaching over one million. It has twelve counties under its jurisdiction and has become the second prefecture in Shanxi after Taiyuan. It can be called the Pearl of the Great Wall.

The hotter the summer, the hotter the weather, but the more businessmen in Datong Prefecture.

There are many people, and there is a lot of wealth in circulation.

A few miles outside the city of Datong Prefecture, a station has been erected, covering an area of ​​more than ten acres, which is particularly conspicuous in the entire Datong Prefecture.

Baori was squatting outside the city. He had taken off his Mongolian robe a long time ago, wrapped it in a bundle and carried it on his back. He was only wearing a sackcloth.

Big beads of sweat dripped down his dark face, and he could only stand under the poisonous sun with his burden on his back, looking around.

It's not that he doesn't want to enjoy the shade, but the wooden sheds here are all owned by the owners, and he has only been in Datong Mansion for two or three days, so he is not qualified to go at all.

Besides, he didn't want to go to enjoy the cool.

Because it is the nearest location under this soil slope.

At this time, he was like a lamb waiting to be suckled, praying for the ewe to be fed but unable to do so.

"Bao Ri, drink water."

At this time, a big man came over, wearing a short shirt, but speaking Mongolian: "Is it hot?"

"It's not hot. When I'm herding sheep at home, it's exposed to the sun every day. There's no place to hide on the grassland."

Baori took the sheepskin bag, took a sip, licked his lower lip, hesitated for a while, and then took another gulp to drink.

"Brother Zhebu, why is the water a bit salty? Did you add salt?"

Baori's eyes were full of disbelief.

"That's right." Zhebu nodded and grinned, looking at Baori's red face: "In Datong, salt is very cheap."

"You have been in the sun for so long, if you don't add some salt, you will soon suffer from heat stroke."

"That's great." Baori's eyes were full of happiness.

Zhe Bu looked at this 16-year-old cousin, and couldn't help but be laughed at by him: "The salt in Datong Mansion is very cheap, only ten yuan a catty, in Suiyuan, it might cost twenty or thirty yuan!"

"Yes." Baori nodded, his clear eyes were full of resentment: "It costs twenty Wen, and a lamb is only a hundred Wen. Livestock need salt, but people also eat it. It's expensive."

"Let's go out, profiteers are like this."

Jeb sighed.

"Yes." Baori clenched his fists, raised his head and said, "Brother, teach me Chinese."

"Why, you also want to stay in Han?"

asked Jeb affirmatively.

"Han is better than the grassland." Baori said in a low mood, "Last year there was a white disaster on the grassland, and half of the sheep in the house died, so I came here to join you and find a job to eat."

"No matter how bad the Han land is, people will not freeze to death."

"I want to stay in Handi and make a fortune. I heard that you can find money walking here."

Jeb stroked his head and sighed.

He looked around, at the foot of this hillside, there were no less than 300 men waiting to live, all of them bowed their heads and listened to the sound with their ears pricked up.

Among these people, at least half are Mongolians.

With the prosperity of the border trade, a large number of businessmen were attracted to Datong Mansion. They were ready to go north to the grassland at any time. At this time, a large number of guards were needed for protection.

Mongolians can also be guides, and their riding skills are not bad. Naturally, they are the most suitable candidates, and they are also loved by businessmen.

As a result, seven or eight markets, large and small, spontaneously formed outside Datong Mansion, and caravans also like to come here to pick people.

As for the Mongols?
After Suiyuan set up a province and merged into Ming Dynasty, a large number of troops, Han people, and merchants poured in, which led to the removal of the border crisis, so they turned a blind eye to the Mongols going south.

After all, there is more than one gap in the thousands of miles of the Great Wall, and it is very difficult for an army to cross it, but it is very easy for individuals to cross it.

Whenever there is a disaster on the grassland, herdsmen will browse the Great Wall to beg for food in Datong Prefecture.

Whether it is a part-time job, a helper, or a guard, there will be no shortage of food. The opportunities in Datong are much more than those in the grasslands.

Jebu arrived in Datong Mansion two or three years ago.

To eat, to harvest wheat, to feed sheep, to turn over land, relying on part-time labor, finally got down in Datong, and now makes a living by serving as guards for merchants.

His dream is to open a shop in Guihua City once he has saved up money.

"Brother, I still don't understand."

Under the scorching sun, Bao Ri was puzzled and said: "If you want to protect, you must be a trustworthy person. Why would merchants find strangers?"

"On the prairie, even brothers will turn their faces because of a woman."

"People's caravans naturally have their own people."

Jebu explained: "But the grassland is more dangerous, so we need to recruit more people in Datong, dozens of people at most, and a few small ones."

"At that time, not only can multiple guides interpret, but also move goods and herd cattle and sheep."

Speaking of this, Jebu said helplessly: "The most important thing is that we are cheap."

"A serious guard can't go to the grassland without two or three silver dollars a month, but let's calculate from the sky, it only costs [-] yuan, at most [-] yuan, which is very cheap."

"Also, if we die, we will die. At worst, we will be buried wrapped in a mat. If the guard dies, he will be compensated..."

Bao Ri nodded, it turned out that guards make so much money: "Brother, I want to be a guard."

"Wait until you learn Chinese."

Jeb grumbled.

"Hiring! Hiring!"

I don't know how long I waited. When everyone was drowsy, a few big men beat the gong and kept yelling.

They lead the horses, with knives on their waists, with fleshy faces, big arms and round waists, and they are not easy to mess with.

Baori took two steps back in fear, and then with Zebu's encouragement, he took the first step.

It's a pity that although he was the closest, the men who rushed over behind him squeezed him away without hesitation.

Soon, a dozen or so people were picked away.

Afterwards, a few more groups came and picked away twenty or thirty people, and it didn't end until dusk.

Bao Ri went from being full of expectations to returning lonely at the end.

It's not that he's hopeless, but he's a little thinner and too young, and he's much worse than those big and round men.

"Don't be discouraged." Jeb didn't take it seriously at all: "Just wait and get used to it, it's not that easy in the world."

Two or three days later, the number of men in the market decreased a little, but the number of merchants also decreased, and many people had disappointment on their faces.

Zhebu and Baori lived in the shack, their faces full of melancholy.

The place where they live is a gentle slope next to a small river.

Many Mongolian men who went south could only dig a few feet below the ground, build a wooden shed, put a bed, and a stove, which is considered a house.

Go south in spring and return home in autumn.

This is their journey.

Some have been there for many years and do not want to go back.

The daily food is mixed with wild vegetables and black steamed buns, and two pieces of bacon are added, and life is difficult.

Even so, people like Jeb are reluctant to go back.

Because you can make money here, more money than grazing on grasslands.

The 20 years of peace, coupled with the solidification of grasslands and grasslands, without the baptism of war, have allowed the grassland population to continue to multiply.

When there is a way to survive, going south to seek a living is the best way.

"elder brother!"

Baori ate the cornbread and licked his fingers clean: "The cornbread is really delicious."

"It's because you eat too much Naipizi that you think the steamed bread is delicious."

Jeb shook his head, and put the last mouthful of steamed bread into his mouth.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind: "Baori, there are more and more men outside the city, not only from our grasslands, but even many men from Shanxi have come to Datong."

"We have to find another way."

"Brother, I'll listen to you." Baori nodded and said, "As long as you have corn buns to eat every day, you can do anything."

"Go to sleep!"

Zhebu glanced at the missing stars in the shack, covered Baori with the sheepskin blanket beside him, and then closed his eyes.

The next day, the two brothers walked towards the east with their big and small burdens on their backs and all their wealth.

After walking for twenty miles, I saw a construction site.

I saw a large number of men wearing straw hats and shorts, showing their copper-colored upper bodies, sweating profusely, brandishing hoes, and digging continuously.

And not far away, a lot of wood was brought in, and the men waved their saws and kept cutting them into squares of the correct size.

No matter how you look at it, it is extremely hard physical work.

"Brother—" Bao Ri turned his head, showing a puzzled expression.

"Let's go." Gritting his teeth, Zhebu said, "Although it's a bit hard, it can make money."

The two brothers came to a wooden shed.

Outside, the word Recruitment is written on the wooden board.

"What?" The middle-aged man in a thin shirt raised his head and saw two Mongolians approaching, and smiled slightly: "Want to come to work?"

"how much per day?"

asked Jeb without timidity.

"Twenty cents a day."

The middle-aged man stroked his beard: "Don't look too small, but I have room and board here, and there are meat and fish every now and then. It's much better than what you do as a guide and guard."

"how do you know?"

Jeb couldn't hold back his voice.

"There are a lot of people like you recently."

The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "We are stable here, and it's worth getting tired."

As he spoke, he whispered: "I told you, don't leak it out. You've been working here for a long time. If you want to recruit a construction army in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities here!"

"What is the Construction Corps?"

"Hahaha!" The man smiled: "It's just serving as a soldier for the imperial court, and you can divide the land in the future. Such a good opportunity is hard to find!"

Hearing this, Jebu swallowed his saliva.

On the grassland, who doesn't know that Emperor Ming's soldiers are the best.

Two silver dollars per month, including food, clothing, housing and transportation, is much better than many nobles on the grassland, and it is an enviable first-class place.

It's a pity that Suiyuan only recruits a few hundred people a year, which is very rare.

"I'm done."

"Okay, let's sign!" The middle-aged man smiled slightly, and randomly pulled out a piece of paper from the stack: "I don't know how to write names, but fingerprints are fine."

The two pressed their fingerprints.

Since they were newcomers, the two could only be assigned to the simplest digging work.

"Remember, it takes three feet to dig. Dig along these two lines. It should be neat and not crooked..."

After listening to the instructions, Jebu asked curiously, "Could it be that this is the official way?"

"What is the official way?"

The leading man laughed and said, "Don't think we are digging roads, but we are actually repairing iron horses."

"Iron horse?" Jeb was taken aback. "A horse made of iron? Can it also run?"

"Hahaha!" The big man likes this group of ignorant people the most. He put his hips on his hips and shook his head to show off: "It is to build two roads made of iron, and then let the carriages run on them."

"I heard that when a horse runs, even if there are more than a dozen people behind it, it's as if there is nothing. It's very easy."

"The imperial court likes to repair this thing the most."

"How fast can it run?" Jeb asked curiously.

"As long as you can change horses along the road, you can run four to five hundred miles in a day and night!"

The big man proudly said: "Datong is [-] miles away from Beijing, and you can run there in two days."

"How about going to Suiyuan?"

Jeb couldn't help asking.

"That's even closer. Suiyuan is on the edge of Datong, and it takes half a day to get there."

Jeb was so surprised that he didn't recover for a long time.

"good."

A few days later, a team of people arrived at the construction site and saw the busy workers.

A fat man in the lead is covered in silk and satin, cool clothes, gouache on his face, and an umbrella on his head: "How much can I repair every day?"

"Master, there are still too few people."

The middle-aged man lowered his head and said, "There are only 300 people on the construction site, and it only takes half a mile a day."

"not enough."

A sharp voice sounded, and the fat man's face changed suddenly, without the gentleness just now, as if someone had stepped on his feet: "At least two miles of land should be repaired every day."

"There are not enough people, let me recruit."

"Yes Yes Yes."

The middle-aged man didn't dare to disobey the slightest bit, and nodded hurriedly: "People in Datong Mansion despise low prices, only those Tartars are willing to do it."

"In the opinion of a villain, you can recruit Tartars in Datong Mansion to build roads, and you should be able to catch up soon."

"Then recruit." The white-faced man said sharply: "Whether it's a Han or a Tartar, everyone has to worship our emperor, isn't it the same?"

"This money should be saved and spent, and there should be no delay."

"It's just that this Tartar has no way to lead, and the government is not easy to arrange..."

"He dares to miss the iron horse? Young Master, I will rush to join him." The white-faced man raised his orchid finger and said proudly: "Just do it like that, what are you afraid of."

"Yes!"

After getting out of the car and walking for three or five steps, the white-faced man left.

The middle-aged man straightened up and spit out: "Eunuch, don't you lose some meat? What are you so proud of?"

He waved his hand and recruited a person: "Go to Datong Mansion to recruit people, make do with five hundred..."

Seeing it, Zhe Bu couldn't help but think, is that the eunuch serving the emperor?

Without that thing, is it so majestic?
"Brother, I also want to be so majestic." Bao Ri couldn't help but said.

(End of this chapter)