Furthermore, Li Yi was anxiously following behind a Puyang regular soldier. He led his 200 cavalry and had already dismounted. They left Puyang City and headed towards Zhang Village. []
Along the way, Li Yi tried to ask the soldier about Zhang Village. Although the soldier knew what happened to Li Yi in the morning and did not suspect that he was a spy, he did not know much about Zhang Village.
Li Yi only learned from him that Zhang Village was built by Zhang Feng single-handedly, and the group was just a group of refugees who escaped from the west three to four years ago. As Zhang Village became more and more famous, a large number of homeless refugees, including civilians, swarmed here. In less than a few years, the population here was almost equal to that of Puyang City. Then, a series of factories were built. Almost all the people in Zhang Village worked in the factories. The work of farming was still considered "corvee". Every family had to take turns to work because they were paid copper coins to work in the factories, not goods or grain.
Oh my god, this Zhang Feng is so rich! When Li Yi heard this, he subconsciously smacked his lips a few times. The few Yellow Turban soldiers closest to him pricked up their ears to listen, afraid that they would miss something.
The soldier who led the way seemed to be a little familiar with him, and he became addicted to talking non-stop."Also, do you know who the poorest person in the village is?”
"I don't know." Li Yi shook his head.
The soldier said proudly," I found a woman in the village next door to my hometown. Her younger brother was betrothed to the brother-in-law of the family when he was three years old. Two years ago, he asked me to find a way to send him to Zhang Village. Because he went late, he was considered the poorest in the village. He had been gone for less than two years. My dear, he came to my house to visit once. He casually stretched his hands and legs. The unstrung copper coins in the seams of his clothes fell like rain. I wanted to return them to him. Do you know what he said?”
Li Yi curiously moved his face closer and asked,""What did he say?"
"Good fellow, he's so awesome. He smiled and waved his hand.'They're all small money and not outsiders.'”
Li Yi wiped his saliva and said,""Is that true?"
"It's absolutely true! What, you don't believe me?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Then why are you working in Puyang City, which is so close by?”
The soldier let out a long sigh, his expression somewhat dispirited."It's all my wife's fault! That year, Zhang Village had just been built. I heard about this and was about to go over. Why didn't you become a soldier and go to farm? Are you crazy? The taxes are so heavy now. Can you afford it? Although there was a saying that good men don't join the army, they could still feed their families even if they weren't fighting. I thought so too, so I signed up and didn't go. Now I regret it. Not only is the land tax low, but the copper coins in the factory..."
"Then why isn't elder brother going now?" Li Yi asked again.”
The soldier stomped his feet and said regretfully," Ah, don't mention it. I went the second time. When people saw it, they said that I had a record. Now it's not possible. They said that there's only one chance and everyone is equal. If I don't grasp it, there's nothing I can do. He even said that it was the village chief who said it. I hated that. When I got home, I beat my wife to death.”
A few Yellow Turban soldiers who were almost sticking close to Li Yi and that soldier overheard this. They all squatted on the ground and drew circles with laughter.
As they walked, Li Yi had already arrived at the iron gate of Zhang Village. It was dark inside the door, and the light outside was too strong. It was impossible to see what was inside.
Although the soldier was a regular soldier wearing leather armor, he bowed to the civilian who was checking his handwriting.
Li Yi elbowed the soldier and asked,""Why? Your brother is an official soldier, and he's afraid of a militia?”
When the soldier heard this, he brought up the topic again and introduced,""Brother, you might not know this, but although this village is made up of militia, our treatment is not as good as theirs…"
"Brother, what do you mean by treatment?" Li Yi interrupted him.”
The soldier held up his fingers and said to him," What salary? The reward money given during the New Year and festivals? There's also the cheap wine and paper from Zhang Village. There's also the compensation for those who are injured or killed in the war. There's also free medical treatment and the enjoyment of the latest weapons. Brother, you don't know. Did you see him holding a spear just now?”
Li Yi nodded, indicating that he saw it.
" Compared to my broken weapon, it's a divine weapon. Once, when the village's militia went out to handle some affairs, they met a station chief from Puyang City. They fought over it and started fighting. As a result, the militia smashed the station chief's weapon into three pieces. The station chief was so scared that his face turned pale..."
"Also, do you see this city wall? Although it looked gray and unkempt on the outside, it was very thick and sturdy. It was even sturdier than Puyang City. It could be said that even if Puyang City fell, Zhang Village might not fall.”
"Brother, isn't privately building a city a rebellion?" Li Yi asked curiously. This Zhang Feng…"
The soldier immediately corrected him with a serious expression."F * ck, you have to call me Young Master Feng, okay? Young Master Feng! If Zhang Cuncun heard you call Young Master Feng by his name, he would skin you alive!”
Li Yi was so scared that he stuck out his tongue. The soldier smiled and patted him."Don't be afraid, I was wrong too. I should call you Lord Zhang now. You don't know that Young Master Feng would stuff a lot of 'benefits' into the eunuchs who come to patrol every year. This way, naturally, no one would go to the higher-ups.”The two of them burst into laughter.
After checking that it was indeed Zhang Feng's handwriting, the militiaman came out of the door and said to the two of them,"Hero Li can enter the village with me. You can go back. []”
The soldier hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying yes, then bid farewell to Li Yi and left. Li Yi led the horse and followed behind the militia. They walked into the pitch-black door. He now knew why the door was so dark. It was more than a hundred feet long! Such a thick wall was big enough for horses to ride on. On the other side of the door, there was an iron door, and it was a hanging door. When it met an enemy, it could be lowered immediately. The enemy who rushed through the door could not enter the city.
What surprised him was not over yet. After passing through the door, there were still a few rows of dense barricades, surrounding the door from the east, north, and south. If the cavalry charged in forcefully…Li Yi did not dare to think about it anymore. Fortunately, the plan in the morning did not break into the city. Sui Gu was already lying here being stung by flies.
"Hero Li has done Zhang Village a favor, but I'm new here, so there are some rules that I have to tell you. My surname is Zhang, you can call me Zhang Shizhang. You can go anywhere except the factory area in the northeast corner of the village, but that is a restricted area under military management. You can't go there. Even if it was me, I would be killed immediately if I went in without orders.”
" What military..." Li Yi obviously couldn't accept this term.
Zhang Shizhang ignored his doubts and said,"" Remember to bring Lord Zhang's handwritten letter with you when you go out. Otherwise, the patrol team will check you. If you can't tell us where you came from, they will…" Zhang Shichang made a throat-cutting gesture.
Li Yi felt a chill on his neck. He reached out to touch it and asked,""Then, then, then, are there no outsiders? There were so many people in the village. What if he got the wrong person?”
This was already the third time he had been told that he didn't know anything. Li Yi was already used to it. He felt like a country bumpkin who didn't know anything here."Look, this is proof that we are villagers. Everyone in the village has their identity registered with the village committee. Those who obtain an official identity and work in Zhang Village will be given a badge like mine on their chest. Those who draw a sword will be a military officer, those who draw a pen will be a civilian officer, those who farm will be a hoe, and those who draw a brick will be a mason…"
Zhang Shizhang proudly puffed out his chest. Only then did Li Yi see a small metal badge hanging on his left chest.
"Basically, that's all. Your daily meals will be sent over, and so will your fodder.”As they spoke, they arrived at the corner of the northern part of the city. There were many two-story stone houses lined up together.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that you are not allowed to urinate or throw things around here. Spitting is not allowed either. If you are caught by the patrol, you will be punished by sweeping the streets for a day. If you need anything, just come to the city gate and look for any of the officers. Remember to bring Lord Zhang's letter when you go out…"
"Then where is the toilet?" Li Yi asked anxiously.”
The leader touched his head." Oh my god, I forgot to mention it again. Look over there."
Zhang Shichang was pointing at a small room made of bricks. Two large letters were drawn on the wall: " Wc ", but no one understood what it meant.
"There's water and toilet paper inside. Usually, someone will change it regularly. That's all. I'm leaving."
"Thank you for your guidance, Big Brother Shi Chang." Li Yi cupped his fists.”
Zhang Shizhang waved his hand without any expression."Don't call me big brother, we're all on the same side now. But remember to be careful here, the patrol team might appear by your side at any time.”
After Zhang Shizhang left, Li Yi and his subordinates looked at each other in dismay. They had lived for most of their lives, but they had never seen such a thing. They only felt that they were dreaming. They shook their heads and walked towards their residence.
They saw that each room was about twenty square meters in size. Each room had four beds, and each bed had a brand new cotton board. The Yellow Turban soldiers excitedly snatched a bed each and wrapped themselves in a quilt, shouting loudly.
A trusted aide of the Yellow Turban Army looked around and saw that there was no one else. He leaned close to Li Yi and whispered,""Handsome Bai, why don't we really surrender? You've heard the 'treatment' here. It's so good. I've never seen a two-story house in my life, and now I'm actually living in it. I can tell it's good stuff at a glance. Also, also…Look at this quilt, it's new. It's really a quilt. This kind of high-quality stuff can be sold for a good price…"
Li Yi glared at him and threw a punch at his head.""Do you want to die? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Seeing his subordinate squatting down while holding his head, he was also very confused.
In fact, wasn't he also hesitating?
At noon, someone delivered food and said it was "lunch". Li Yi had originally thought that he would starve until he ate his fill. At that time, it was around 9 am and 5 pm for the day.
Not to mention that the dish looked, smelled, and tasted good, Bai Rao, who had only eaten grass roots and tree bark and later joined the Yellow Turban Army, only cooked large pieces of meat in clear water, bit his tongue several times. Even the big pot was almost pierced by his subordinates.
After the meal, Li Yi stuffed Zhang Feng's notebook into his pocket and touched it from time to time to make sure that it was still there. After that, he took his eight closest subordinates out for a walk.
Li Yi's group of nine had their heads lowered. They quickly attracted the attention of others. People kept saying that they saw someone sneaking around in the village. They didn't look like good people. Therefore, the patrol team found these people more than once. It was only when Li Yi showed Zhang Feng's handwritten letter that they didn't cause trouble.
The architectural style of this " village " was the same as other places. It was square, but the characteristic was that there were almost no houses with only one floor. All the houses were above two floors. At the corners of the roads paved with slates of the same size, there was a small wooden sign pointing in the direction with the words "So-and-so Street" written on it. Moreover, there was a shallow ditch at the door of every house. The water flowing inside was so clear that it could be used on the spot. Li Yi saw with his own eyes that someone drank it after bowing. Could it be that this Zhang Feng was actually capable of making every house have water to drink? However, there was no well in any of the places. Didn't that explain the problem?
As expected, Li Yi noticed that there was a shiny badge on the chest of every passerby or person resting at the door of their house. When these people saw that their chests were empty, they all cast suspicious and unfriendly gazes as if they were thieves.
Actually, he was a thief to begin with. He had almost forgotten his mission.
There were no specialized shops here. As long as one was willing, they would put a small flag at the door to indicate that they were " open for business." However, such self-operated shops mostly sold pastries, daily necessities, some worthless jewelry, or some handmade gadgets, such as paper kites. The dazzling array of items dazzled the eyes of these Yellow Turban bumpkins who only knew how to burn, kill, and rob.
Li Yi even found a brothel, but it didn't have the kind of made-up face that made people want to vomit. His subordinates urged him to "see" it, but who knew that the shopkeeper saw that they weren't from the village and directly chased them out.
Li Yi really wanted to spit out a mouthful of phlegm and then curse. What the hell? But he really didn't dare to do it here. Firstly, he was afraid that he would be caught by the patrol team and swept the streets. Secondly, he was afraid of Zhang Feng. The actions of this fifteen-year-old youth made him, who had never seen much of the world, feel like a god. Otherwise, how could such a good place be built like a paradise?
In the center of the village, there was a five-story wooden building with the words "Zhang's Restaurant" written on it. Li Yi and the others were not good at shopping, and their eyes had already turned to jelly. As soon as they saw the restaurant, they rushed in, but they were stopped by two manservants. The reason was still," Sir, you are not from the village. I'm sorry, this building is Lord Zhang's property and does not entertain outsiders. Please leave."”Although his words were not polite, Li Yi and the others could only hold back their anger.
At this moment, several people dressed as merchants walked straight into the restaurant. Li Yi had sharp eyes and saw that these people did not have small badges on their chests, so he politely asked,"Little brothers, why are you able to enter?”
One of the servants said politely but without any expression,"These few are merchants who have been buying goods all year round. Moreover, they have Lord Zhang's handwritten letter, so they were able to enter.”
One of the subordinates beside him immediately pointed at Li Yi's chest. Li Yi suddenly understood and quickly took out the handwritten book that had been used more than ten times today. It had already become wrinkled.
The servant took it and saw Zhang Feng's signature and a big red seal on it. He immediately changed his expression to one of respect."So it's warrior Li. Please forgive my rudeness just now. Please, please."
Li Yi had a smug look on his face. If he had known that this thing was so useful, he would have taken it out in Goulan Courtyard just now. Then, he wouldn't have been so embarrassed to be thrown out.
The two servants, one on the left and one on the right, each stretched out their hands and made an inviting gesture.
This was the straightest time Li Yi had ever stood up today. He lifted the bottom of his clothes with his right hand and walked up the steps in a very imposing manner. His eight subordinates followed him up, their complacency completely different from the servile attitude they had when they were questioned by the patrol team.
Li Yi followed the manservant and went straight to the second floor. He asked for two tables by the window. The minions swarmed up and snatched eight seats. However, Li Yi's table was gone.
"Hero Li, what would you like to order?”Li Yi would not flaunt his might as a Yellow Turban commander in such a place. He sat alone at a table. The manservant quickly wiped the table and then took out a piece of paper from his belt. There were some small regular script words written on it, but Li Yi did not recognize a word. It was probably the names of various dishes.
"Just give me something you're good at. The wine must be that 'No More Strike', one jar per table.”
The manservant smiled and agreed, but Li Yi felt that something was wrong---in the past, whenever he went to any restaurant or restaurant, didn't the manservant always nod and bow with a charming smile? Although the manservant here spoke very politely, he did not have the feeling of being inferior from the bottom of his bones like those in the past. This made Li Yi unable to find a reason to be arrogant like before.
Unhappy, he was really unhappy. Li Yi looked at his subordinates. They were just sitting around the table obediently. If they were in another place, they would definitely jump up and down, cursing and teasing the wine girls or passing women.
When he left, one of his subordinates asked him timidly,""Handsome Bai? Can you fart here?" He wasn't too sure himself, so he could only pretend to scare him."Endure it! If they made any noise and attracted the patrols, they would have their butts cut off!”The subordinate was so frightened that he lay in the room and did not dare to go out.
Not long after, the manservant carried a large food plate in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He quickly served the dishes to Li Yi's table. It would be strange if he could not tell that this person was the leader.
Li Yi was really curious about this village, so he took out two copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the table. The two coins spun on the table twice. The servant only looked at them, but did not smile as Li Yi expected. Then, he quickly put the money into his pocket... He only smiled faintly and said,"Thank you for your reward, warrior. However, the lord has ordered that anyone who comes with a handwritten letter is not allowed to accept any reward money.”
Li Yi's straightened waist hunched down again."But why?"
"You don't know…" the servant said.
Li Yi thought to himself, Damn it, I don't know anymore. I've become an idiot.
"Those who hold the letter are either merchants with close ties or people of great importance to the village. That's why we have this order."
"It's fine. I just want to inquire about some things.”
"Hero, please ask. If I can say it, I won't say anything. If I can't say it, please forgive me for being powerless.”
"Oh?" Li Yi asked curiously. Is it that serious?"
"That's right. To be honest, everything in this village is said to be Lord Zhang's private property, including the birds flying in the sky and the trees planted by the roadside. Without Lord Zhang, we wouldn't be where we are today. Lord Zhang has given us land and a place to make a living. We are extremely grateful to Lord Zhang. However, I believe that you have also seen that everything in this village is very different from the outside world. There are some things that cannot be let others know. Otherwise, it will harm everyone and Lord Zhang, so…"
When Li Yi heard this, he nodded slightly." Don't worry. I just want to ask, how much is the land tax in this village?"”
"Replying to the warrior, ten taxes and twenty cents."
When Li Yi heard this, his eyes widened to the size of Sui Gu's."So low?" He clearly remembered that before he joined the Yellow Turban, his family's tax was 10.6% to barely make ends meet. Later on, it was raised to 10.8% and he could no longer make ends meet, so he joined the Yellow Turban. If he had known earlier...
" That's right. In the first year, the tax was 10.5% and the lord also provided farming tools and cattle. Later on, because the winery and paper factory were opened one after another, everyone became rich, so there were fewer people who planted the fields. Later on, the lord simply ordered that whoever planted the fields would have the land. Only then did people agree to plant the fields. The tax was also low. Don't say, when I first found out, I thought I was dreaming.”
The people at the other two tables hadn't eaten at all, and their ears were almost reaching Li Yi's table. When they heard this, they all sucked in a breath of cold air. Damn, such a good thing? With such low taxes and free land, he would probably be beaten to death as a lunatic if he changed places.
"What's with those merchants? Aren't you worried that they will tell others what they saw?”
" Hero, do you have…" Seeing that Li Yi's expression was a little off, the shrewd manservant quickly changed the topic,""Those merchants have been doing business with the village for three years, and they are all from the Mei Residence. Do you know about the Mei Residence? Head Shopkeeper Mi Zhu and Deputy Shopkeeper Mi Fang are partners with our Lord Zhang, so they also have shares? These people know everything about us, and Daren is very at ease. Besides, if we expose this matter, where will they buy such good wine? Isn't it because of money?"
"Also, I heard that the Mei Residence is preparing to marry their Third Miss to our Lord as his wife. That would be even more in-laws. However, a new face like you, who is meeting you for the first time, will attract attention. As long as a stranger appears here, the person who sees it will definitely report it to the patrol team as soon as possible. After all, no one wants to be a spy or something. If someone else finds out about this god-like place, some people will definitely be jealous. Lord Zhang's official position is not high. If this place is taken by someone else, we won't even have a place to cry.”The manservant became excited as he spoke. Seeing that Li Yi was quite interested in his words, he simply put the white rag on his shoulder and sat down beside Li Yi.
Li Yi poured him a cup of wine. The servant did not try to be pretentious or refuse. He took it and poured it down. Then, he smacked his lips in satisfaction."This is really good wine."
"That's right. I went out with a few brothers and was checked 17 or 18 times along the way. If not for this handwritten letter, sigh, I might as well stick it on my forehead. It also saves trouble!"
"Hehe, warrior, you really know how to joke. However, if you stay in our village for a long time, you will probably pounce on strangers and capture them in a few days and send them directly to the patrol team.”
"In that case, Lord Zhang is simply a god-like figure.”
"Isn't that so? We used to call him Immortal Zhang, but Sir was not happy. We had no choice but to call him Young Master Feng. Now Sir has an official position.”
Li Yi and the others came out of the restaurant after eating and drinking to their hearts 'content. Those brats under him were muttering something far behind. They were probably tempted.
Sigh, Li Yi didn't know how many times he had sighed today. This village was like a fairyland. How could he not be tempted? But what about Sui Gu and Yu Ai? There were also his tens of thousands of brothers who had spent their days and nights with him…It was as if there were two people fighting in his mind, giving him a headache.
Forget it, let's wait and see.
He walked drunkenly towards his residence. Suddenly, another patrol team appeared from the corner of the wall. Li Yi was already familiar with the shiny armor and the spear in their hands. When he saw the other party charging at him with the spear, he quickly raised his hands and shouted,"Wait, I know! I'm not a spy, I have Lord Zhang's letter…It's in my arms…Hey, I say, don't scratch me, haha…I'm ticklish…Hahaha…"
After the patrol team finished their inspection, Li Yi smiled bitterly. This was already the eighteenth time he had been inspected today. It was not easy to be a spy…
——
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