Bright Spring

Xu Caiqi opened the chatter box and complained: "The natives are not very obedient, they run around and don't seem to know how to work together. If three or four people do one job, it will be a mess. We can only ask those prisoners who came out of the prison to do it." The supervisor, a few natives, has to be watched by a Han, otherwise nothing can be done. Calculated the food wages of so many people, it is no less expensive than hiring Han in Kunming City."

Zhao Ping persuaded: "There are not enough Han people in Yunnan. They are all in Kunming and other big cities. This place is too far away, and most people don't want to come here. If you can find labor here, shopkeeper Xu has to make do with it."

"General Zhao is right." Xu Caiqi clasped his fists together.

They walked slowly to an intersection, they all got off their horses and stood by the side of the road waiting.

I don't know how long it has passed, but the sun is already above three poles.Finally, a group of people appeared on the main road on pony horses.

Zhao Ping went to the middle of the road, and when those people gradually approached, he asked loudly in Chinese: "Is this person a trickster?"

A woman's voice said: "Exactly. Your Excellency is General Zhao?"

Zhao Ping was a little surprised when he heard the voice was a woman, he was taken aback for a moment before replying: "This will be Zhao Ping from a hundred households."

The oncoming people rolled over from the back of the pony one after another, and the one walking in front was a dark-skinned native lady.The little lady folded her hands together and said: "My father is being tricked by Tengchong Qianhu. He is not in good health during this time; I can also speak Chinese, so I came instead of my father. See General Zhao."

Zhao Ping still looked surprised, thought for a while and said: "That's fine, as long as we can communicate with each other. This is Xu shopkeeper of the jade mine."

The girl spoke jerky, but she was still generous, and she said to Xu Caiqi: "Meet the shopkeeper Xu."

After seeing the ceremony, Zhao Ping said: "Let's go back to the Juntun Yamen Office to hand over the official documents, please, Miss Diao."

The two teams joined together and returned to the village along the main road.The Diao girl seemed to be very curious about Zhao Ping and kept looking at him.Zhao Ping exchanged pleasantries and said, "Haven't you asked Miss Diao's name?"

The little girl murmured, but Zhao Ping didn't understand, and turned to stare at her.Xiaoniang smiled so much that she showed her white teeth, and said with a smile in Chinese: "General Zhao can call me Ya."

"Ya?" Zhao Ping nodded, looking at her wearing a dress of various colors, her skin was tanned yellow and black, which had nothing to do with being elegant.

Diao Ya said: "General Zhao has a strange expression when he sees me. Is there something wrong with me?"

Zhao Ping hurriedly said: "Miss Diao Ya is worrying too much. Maybe our customs are different, I shouldn't be surprised."

"What are the customs in General Zhao's hometown?" Diao Ya asked enthusiastically.

"If it were in our hometown, whenever there was a half-time official, the eunuch's daughter would stay out of the gate, and generally not see anyone." After Zhao Ping said, he thought for a while and said, "But it's not necessarily... There is something about Hua Mulan joining the army and fighting."

Diao Ya asked Hua Mulan again.

While riding a horse, Zhao Ping told the story of Hua Mulan joining the army instead of his father, and read a few lines of poems from time to time, which Diao Ya listened to with great interest.

At this time, Xu Caiqi praised: "I don't think Zhao Baihu is so knowledgeable."

Zhao Ping said with a smile: "Yi Xiao is generous, I was originally a boy student, and I didn't even pass the exam for scholar."

Xu Caiqi said: "Zhao Baihu is humble. You are very knowledgeable in the army."

Several people chatted and laughed, and gradually walked outside the gate of the village.Because the military collected taxes, a city wall was built around the village to provide defense for the Han merchants and common people.The city wall is just a low rammed earth wall, and a fence of wooden piles is built on it; there is also a "moat", an earth ditch dug that rains and accumulates water.However, it is enough to defend against ordinary thieves.

Nanzhaimen is the main entrance of the village, and the main troops of the two small flag teams are on duty.There are only 150 new troops in Mengyang's territory, and they all know the general Zhao Ping.

The main army guarding the south gate is the guard of the Han Palace, with the best equipment and bright armor. They lined up in two neat teams. The general on duty shouted with the password of the guard of the Han Palace: "Stand at attention!"

All the soldiers immediately stood up straight, and there was a sound of armor rubbing against each other, and the soldiers raised their cherry guns together.The head of the general banner walked up quickly, clasped his fists in the military salute, and said, "The final general will see Zhao Baihu!"

Zhao Ping got off his horse and returned the gift.The accompanying people got off their horses, and the natives dismounted after seeing this, and walked into the village together from the gate of the village.

After Diao Ya walked through the gate of the village, she was still looking back frequently at the soldiers guarding the gate, looking very curious.Zhao Ping had seen the so-called army on Meng Yang's side, and it was really incomparable. Brothers in the army sometimes joked that those troops were like monkeys, because they were always moving around when they were in formation, either scratching their heads or scratching their bodies.

The houses in the village are very simple and mostly made of wood.Because of the rainy weather and the abundance of insects, the foundation was propped up with planks.

Although the construction is simple, military households and common people still brought the habits of the inland.There are drainage ditches on both sides of the road, the street is also compacted, and some stone slabs are paved into a simple road.Every street is equipped with large wooden barrels filled with water to prevent fires, and there are government servants in charge of general disputes; every morning, dung trucks pass by to remove the sewage, and the military camp government arranges to clean the streets and dry hoes. Grass and other live handymen.

Compared with the native villages, this place is of course clean and orderly.The aroma of cuisines from various provinces is wafting on the street, and colorful shop flags are floating at the door.The eyes of Diao Ya and the native attendants were all wide open, they were curious about everything and kept looking around.

Diao Ya exclaimed: "The place of the Han people is really beautiful. If I have the chance, I must go to Kunming City!"

Zhao Ping smiled lightly: "The people of the Ming Dynasty have been in Kunming for more than ten years, and the current Kunming is nothing. Miss Diao Ya should go to the capital to have a look."

Diao Ya smiled and said, "I've heard people from the village say that Han people love face and like to brag, and they're right!"

Zhao Ping was a little embarrassed when he heard it, and he and Xu shopkeeper looked at each other, and the two looked at each other.

Diao Ya hurriedly said again: "Just kidding, General Zhao, don't be angry."

Zhao Ping said, "Miss Diao Ya is right."

Diao Ya asked again: "Just a few months after General Zhao arrived, the 'Da Ming City' was built. How did the general do it?"

Zhao Ping thought for a while, but couldn't answer: "Isn't it just an ordinary village, how to build it?"

An old native man behind him chattered a few words.Zhao Ping looked at Diao Ya and said, "What did he say?"

Diao Ya shook her head and said, "Third Uncle didn't talk to General Zhao. He said that the Middle Earth Dynasty has existed for thousands of years, and the entire tribe is stronger than ours. It's not due to General Zhao alone."

Xu Caiqi said: "Miss Diao Ya is straightforward, but fortunately Zhao Baihu is an easy-going person."

Zhao Ping said with a smile: "I'm just a hundred household, and I don't need to be flattered by others."

Chapter 271 Uneven Profit Distribution

The village is peaceful and cozy, the sun shines on the newly built wooden houses with wide eaves, and the scenery is unique.There was the sound of "jingling" beating in the air, mixed with shouting and shouting.However, in Mengyang, the weather is unpredictable; on a sunny morning, it may suddenly rain torrentially.

There was no shower today, but there was a rush of hoofbeats.

As soon as he rode his horse on the street, the sergeant on the horse saw Zhao Ping and others, he got off his horse and clasped his fists and said, "Report to Zhao Baihu, the scouts came to the camp to report, and found that behind the mountain in the mine, many natives Digging a mine!"

Zhao Ping frowned, remembering what the King of Han told him, and immediately said: "Pass my order to call the brothers in the camp immediately."

"Decree!" The sergeant clasped his fists and said.

Zhao Ping turned to Diao Ya and said, "Our official documents will be handed over later. Miss Diao Ya will follow me to the mountain and have a look."

Diao Ya nodded in agreement.

Zhao Ping rushed to the back of the mountain with 30 people, and saw a large group of natives digging stones at the foot of the mountain.He stopped in Ma and observed it, and decided that these people really came for the jade mine.

The natives imitated the method of the Chinese craftsmen in the mine, burned the ore dug out, and poured water on it, so that the ore could be cracked and the jade inside could be seen.The black smoke and white steam at the foot of the mountain was full of noise, and there were two elephants in the middle of it, honking muffledly from time to time.

Many natives noticed that the armored soldiers were coming, and looked up one after another.

Zhao Ping got off his horse and led the horse down the hill.He then turned to Diao Ya and said, "Ask them who is in charge, come out and answer!"

After Diao Ya yelled a few times in the local language, several dark men in floral skirts came towards this side with knives.

"Array!" shouted the sergeant.More than twenty sergeants held guns, shields, bows and crossbows and lined up in two rows, making way in the middle of the formation to protect Zhao Ping, the native official Xiaoniang and others.

The natives in floral skirts chattered.Diao Ya said quickly, "What do you want to do?"