Hanhou

Throughout May, there was no rain in Yunzhong County.

Under the scorching sun, the streams have been cut off one after another, the water level of the river has dropped, and a large number of animals have gathered at the water's edge to compete for the remaining water source.There are signs of drought again in the land of clouds.

Just when everyone was restless and sleepless all night, the sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds, lightning crawled through the clouds, thunder roared, and a shower of sweet rain fell from the sky.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, the sky seemed to break through a huge opening, and the rain poured down from mid-air like a waterfall.The dry creek started to flow again, and the meandering river passed through the pasture. At this moment, the sun-baked land also became green and full of vitality.

Most gazelles stood motionless in the rain.

The little beast crouched in the grass, enjoying the refreshingness of the rain.

In the livestock farm, Qing Zhuang and Gong Geng walked out of the wooden house, took off their shirts, exposed their strong chests, and let the rain wash away, shouting happily.

Zhao Xin and Zhao Puonu took the lead and rushed into the rain, Wei Qing and Ah Zhi followed, not wanting to be caught by the teenagers.Turning around in doubt, seeing the smiling faces of Zhao Puonu and Gongsun Ao, alarm bells rang in his mind.

"Where are you running!" Zhao Puonu's mouth turned up, his eyes curled up in a smile.Gongsun Ao rubbed his big hands with "bad intentions" all over his face.

The children dispersed quickly, but their legs were not long enough, so they were caught one by one, and they were stripped of their clothes in a blink of an eye, leaving only a small-nosed coat.

Seeing this scene, Qing Zhuang in the rain laughed.

Zhao Puonu and Gongsun Ao were complacent, Zhao Xin raised Wei Qing, who had no choice but to accept his fate, with both hands, weighed the weight, and said with a smile: "Ah Qing is quite strong."

While talking, Gongsun Ao took the newly made soap from Mrs. Sun, and together with Xin Zhao, they pulled the children over one by one, washing off the greasy hair and the dirt on their bodies.

The "resistance" was ineffective, and the children were full of grief and indignation, but they could only give up struggling.It's not that they don't like taking a bath, it's that Xin Zhao's hands are too heavy.

However, Gongsun Ao is jealous, seeing Wei Juan rubbing the backs of children, he volunteered to take over this important task.Zhao Puonu and Zhao Xin didn't count on watching the excitement, but they also added to the chaos together.

After the hair and back were washed, the children immediately avoided Xin Zhao and the others and insisted on doing it themselves.The teenagers didn't insist anymore, took off their shirts, rubbed soap on their bodies, and shouted happily.

Ever since the farm started raising pigs, Zhao Jia had the idea of ​​making soap.

With pig pancreas, fat and plant ash, and skillful craftsmen, it is not difficult to make finished products.Of course, compared with the soap and scented soap used by later generations, the finished product made by the craftsman is still a little worse.However, experience lies in accumulation. If you do more, you will definitely be able to improve.

With soap, washing and bathing have become more convenient.

Wei Yue came to the livestock farm before, saw the newly made soap, took three yuan from Zhao Jia, and took away a craftsman who could make soap.What happened next, Zhao Jia didn't inquire carefully, only heard that the prefect's mansion put up a notice again, calling on the border residents to hunt wild boars.

It rained heavily for more than half an hour, and when the dark clouds cleared, a rainbow hung in the sky, and the stream flowing through the grassland looked like a silver belt.Raindrops hang on the blades of grass, reflecting dazzling colors under the sunlight.

Not long after the rain stopped, Qing Zhuang and the hired farmer took their farm tools and went to the field.Teenagers and children carried rattan baskets on their backs, pulled trailers, and went out to harvest grass and pick wild fruits.

The women carried the wooden basins to the well, and while they were handling animal skins and wild birds, they were gossiping about the change of service this year.

"Lang Jun said a few days ago that there are five hundred pawns this year." A muscular woman with a cloth handkerchief on her head, a straight nose, and a strong figure held a wooden stick and spoke while stirring the animal skins in the tub. Said.

"Five hundred?" The woman who handled the animal skins together asked in surprise, "Why so many?"

"Not many, the county has to build a fortress, and the county soldiers have to make up for it." Sun Mei raised a colorful pheasant, twisted her hands, and the struggling pheasant died instantly, "It must be that the county is not young enough. , there will be more people.”

Gengserv is a kind of forced labor, and the men who are enlisted are collectively called Gengzu.The service period is one month, starting from Fu Ji, basically every year.Those who are unable to serve or are unwilling to serve can pay to hire others to serve on their behalf, which is called "practicing Geng".This kind of behavior is allowed by the court and is not regarded as escape from service.

Practicing Geng needs at least [-] yuan, which is not a small burden for ordinary families.In the border county, there are not many cases of practice.Just like Zhao Jia, it is even rarer to pay for old servants to practice repairs.

The most important thing is that in addition to hard labor, soldiers will also undergo military training.There are frequent battles in Bianjun. For the young and strong who have just graduated, this is the starting point for joining the army, and it is also a rare opportunity for training.

As early as March, the county issued a notice, flying to the counties to convey the training of soldiers.

If Zhao Jia hadn't taken up the post, Shaling County Prime Minister would have to take on several positions, and if government affairs and military affairs were grasped, he would definitely be exhausted.Now that the official temple has a county lieutenant, the military training will naturally be handed over.

In order for Zhao Jia to get started smoothly, the county magistrate specially dispatched two experienced clerks to help him sort out the bamboo slips and slips of the past years and summarize the training methods.

In response to the number of soldiers serving in the army reaching 500, the existing barracks were a bit cramped. With a wave of his pen, the county magistrate sent people directly from the official temple to temporarily build two rows of new houses.

With the cement provided by Zhao Jia, as well as the ready-made wood and masonry, the house was built at an extremely fast speed.

The car panels in the arsenal were all pulled over, and after some repairs, they were paved into long bunks that reached the walls on both sides, and a layer of straw mats was spread on top to accommodate the incoming pawns.

Mosquitoes breed in summer, especially mosquitoes. When they bite people, they can swell up in the blink of an eye. If you don’t scratch, it will become unbearably itchy. If you scratch, there will be blood stains, and it will become more itchy after a while.

There are dried herbs and ointments prepared by the doctor in the livestock farm, which are enough to deal with the rampant mosquitoes.The military camp was not the same. There was a pond behind the school ground where the pawns practiced. Although it was connected to a stream and was a running water, it still gave birth to a large number of mosquitoes.

After the rain, Zhao Jia walked around the barracks and was bitten twice on the back of his hand.

Not to mention the small officials and health servants who clean up the barracks.Because of the hot weather and sweating profusely, when working, the clothes stuck to my body and felt uncomfortable, so I had to take them off.Without clothes to cover, mosquitoes will immediately pounce on you.There were swollen bumps on the shoulders and arms, and red marks from scratching with fingers.Sweat soaked into the scar, burning hot pain.

This is still daytime, and the situation will only get worse at night.

Zhao Jia couldn't help frowning when he thought that the pawns had to practice and rest in such an environment.He wanted to fill the pond, but found that the bottom of the pond was extremely deep, and was reminded by the officials that there was no well near the military camp, and this water source was very important.In the early years, the school yard was built here to ensure the water for the pawns.

"This pond was not big at first, but it was widened and dug deeper by the order of the county lieutenant at the time of Emperor Xian."

Zhao Jia slapped his arm, spread his fingers, and in the palm was a blood-drunk mosquito.

Why did the county lieutenant at that time make such a decision?

Is it possible that those more soldiers are naturally anti-mosquito?

The clerk grinned and explained: "The service is issued every year, every month. As usual, April, July, and October are all acceptable."

Zhao Jia's movements stopped, and he suddenly realized.

No wonder!

Presumably, those soldiers were enlisted in October. According to the summer calendar, it was already early winter, and the mosquitoes had long since disappeared. There would be no troubles like the present.

Thinking of this, Zhao Jia couldn't help but smile wryly.

It is said that the predecessors planted trees and the descendants took advantage of the shade. If it were changed to him, it would be that the predecessor dug the soil and then fell into the pit.

According to the situation described by the officials, there are no wells nearby, and if they want to use water, they can only rely on ponds and streams flowing into the ponds.Moreover, a small stream flowing out passed through the city, supplying some people with water.If he insists on filling the pond, there is no guarantee that he will not provoke public resentment.

Looking at the pond in front of him, Zhao Jia felt speechless while slapping the mosquitoes.

In order to train his soldiers, he spent many days burying his head in bamboo slips, working out a strategy, and presupposing many situations, racking his brains to come up with a countermeasure.Unexpectedly, the military training has not yet started, and the situation envisaged in advance has not happened, so he was stumped by mosquitoes first.

Snapped!

Another mosquito was slapped to death, Zhao Jia flicked the flying mosquito dead expressionlessly, took out the ointment prepared by the doctor and applied it on his neck, then turned and returned to the school grounds.

We must find a way.

If you don't have a problem, you have to figure it out.

The soldiers have to practice here for a month, and they are harassed and bitten by mosquitoes. They can't sleep well at night and have no energy during the day. The training results will definitely be greatly reduced.What's more, mosquitoes can spread diseases. If a pawn gets sick during training and makes it impossible to complete the service period, it will not be counted as corvee and must be returned to service.To pawns, this is undoubtedly very unfair.

Back in the school grounds, Zhao Jia pressed the saber with one hand, looked at the clerks and petty officials coming and going, frowning and lost in thought.

The pond cannot be filled, so we can only find a way from the barracks.Herbal medicines to repel mosquitoes must be stored in large quantities, and medical craftsmen must be asked to help prepare more ointments.Anti-mosquito at night, you can also pull up the mosquito net.

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a method of preventing mosquitoes with curtains, which was called "帱" at that time.

Aristocrats often use silk fabrics as tents, which can not only prevent mosquitoes but also take into account ventilation, and then light the incense to repel mosquitoes, so they can sleep well overnight.People's homes can't afford silk, and can only use Gebu and linen.

The short brown that Zhao Jia often wears is made of Gebu.It is also called Xiabu, which has the advantages of being light and thin and low in price, but the disadvantage is that the material is relatively hard.

There is a batch of Gebu stored in the livestock farm, except for making mosquito nets for everyone, there are still some leftovers.All brought to the barracks, enough to supply half of the barracks.What is insufficient can be purchased from the villagers, or exchanged in the city.

As soon as he thought about it, Zhao Jia summoned a civil servant and ordered him to continue organizing the cleaning of the barracks. He jumped on his horse and took Ji Bao back to the livestock farm, preparing to transport all the Gebu in the warehouse.

The weather is hot, and the wind blowing on the face is full of heat.

The world seems to be a huge steamer, and the refreshment brought by the rain has long since disappeared.

When Zhao Jia arrived at the livestock farm, a layer of hot sweat broke out from Zhao Jia's body, and his face was flushed with heat.After getting off the horse, he strode to the well, picked up a bucket of clean water, and poured it directly over his head.

The water flowed down from the top of the head and sprinkled all over the body, dispelling the irritability caused by the sweltering heat.Zhao Jia shook his head, and his spirit immediately improved a lot.He wanted to lift the bucket again, but was stopped by Mrs. Sun.

"Although Mr. Lang's injury has healed, his body has lost a little after all. The well water is too cold to be used much. The servant drank warm water in the tank, which can also relieve the summer heat."

Zhao Jia is not someone who doesn't listen to persuasion, knowing that Mrs. Sun is doing it for her own good, she immediately put down the barrel.I didn't want Ji Bao to mention it directly, and fell down from the beginning.Then they brought up the second bucket, but the women didn't stop them.

The girls at the well put down their work and watched Ji Bao watering with interest, their eyes mainly moving between Ji Bao's chest and arms.

Ji Bao seemed to have a feeling, so he simply tore off his shirt.

The girls' cheeks were flushed, but their eyes still didn't dodge in any way.The women laughed and cursed, picked up the wooden basin, poured the whole basin of water on Ji Bao, picked up the wooden stick for beating his clothes, and swung it at Ji Bao.

Ji Bao didn't dare to fight back, grabbed the clothes thrown on the well platform, and ran around while turning his head frequently, not forgetting to show his strong arms and shoulders.

The woman drove the man away and looked back at her daughter by the well.There was no anger on his face, but with a smile on his face, he asked, "You are older, but your body is the best, and you are one of the most powerful. What do you think?"

"Very good." The girl's cheeks were flushed, showing a bit of shyness.

The woman nodded in satisfaction, but Zhao Jia was stunned.

Could it be another trick?

When Zhao Jia went back to the livestock farm to pick up the Gebu, Wei Juan was driving a cart full of steamed cakes, steamed buns, bacon and freshly made short brown, heading towards the horse farm.

The scorching sun hangs high, Wei Juan is wearing a hat, and there is still thin sweat on his forehead.Peach blush pink, more delicate and charming.

There are few people on both sides of the road, and there is a sparse elm forest fifty paces ahead.When approaching the edge of the forest, a figure flashed behind the tree, and a rope stretched suddenly on the ground.

Wei Juan grabbed the reins abruptly, and the ragged horse stopped, snorting uneasily.

After the cart stopped, a man came out from behind the tree and from the bushes. One of them was the scoundrel who dug the canal a few days ago and went to Zhao's livestock farm.