The village is particularly bright at night, with torches lit everywhere.
Several officers and soldiers guarded the entrance, holding crossbows.
There are people on horseback riding around the village.
People in official uniforms yelled and pointed at the closed doors. The officers and soldiers dragged the people out, ignoring their cries.
The people in the village were gathered together and lined up neatly.
Under the torch, there were frightened faces.
Liu Da stood at the far side of the crowd, while Liu Zhang and Tao Zi were guarded by several fellow villagers at the end, clinging to the wall.
A man with a thick beard was holding a book and pacing back and forth in front of everyone.
“One person per household!”
"Let's set off tonight!"
"Fugitives will be punished as dead!"
He started calling names.
That little booklet is like a reminder.
"Zhang Shenghu!"
"Zhang Shenghu?!"
The official shouted, and he looked at the people in front of him, "Where are the Zhang Sheng family members? Are they all dead?"
The fat man on the side smiled flatteringly, "Shi Jun Yingming, you are indeed dead."
The official was furious, "Why didn't you close your account?"
"I've already reported it, but I haven't had time to delete it yet."
The official snorted and looked at the next one.
"Zhang Daishihu!"
The old woman walked forward tremblingly, "Here."
"Mr. Zhang Li?"
"It's me, your Majesty. My three sons, two grandsons, and one husband were all taken away by you. Are they all okay? Have you seen them?"
The official waved his hand and said, "Get your things ready and we'll leave later."
"Well go see them, I'll go see them."
The old woman turned around and went home tremblingly.
"Zhang Duhu!"
"Your Majesty! Please! I still have to nurse the child. The child is less than one year old and has no one to take care of him. How can I go through such suffering with me!"
"Zhang Bubinghu!"
"Your Majesty, please let my child go. I'm going, I'm going. Although I can't walk, my hands are still strong!"
"Zhang Chenghu!"
"Oh my God!!!"
"Liu Dahu."
The entire noisy and sad scene seemed to pause for a moment, and everyone looked to one side.
Liu Da stood with his hands on his chest and stood at the far side, his eyes particularly calm.
The official looked at the burly man in front of him in surprise, "Why haven't I seen you before?"
The fat man stepped forward and whispered a few words into his ear. He spoke very quietly, but he could still vaguely hear something.
"Hunter approved by the county magistrate"
"Killed a tiger."
"Exemption from service."
The official said oh.
He took the book and looked down, "Let his son go, prepare now and set off later."
Liu Da still stood there expressionless, showing no signs of movement.
Mrs. Liu Zhang's face turned pale, and she squeezed her son's hand tightly, trembling slightly.
Liu Taozi gently pulled her hand away, then pushed aside everyone in front of her and walked to the front.
He looked straight at the official, and several soldiers around him slowly raised their crossbows.
The crossbow arrow flashed with a faint cold light.
"I can't go."
"Who are you?"
"He is the son of the Liu family."
"Your grandpa is exempted from military service, not your whole family. Go back and prepare!"
"I can read."
"So what?"
"I have applied to the county law school and want to take the official examination."
After the official paused, he narrowed his eyes, looked at Taozi again, looked at him deeply, and then continued to look at the reminder, "Zhang Daqianghu!"
Taozi returned to her mother's side, and Mrs. Liu Zhang squeezed his arm again.
The official's angry roar lasted for a whole hour.
When the sky gradually turned white, the torches burned out a cold light that was penetrating. A group of skinny old, weak, sick and disabled people, with their heads lowered, embarked on an unknown road amidst the urging and abuse of the officials.
There was no crying anymore. Everyone was probably tired of crying. Only the baby in the mother's arms was still crying, which made the officials more and more irritable and ordered them to be silent several times.
Pawns on horseback flew by on both sides, with a freshly picked head hanging beside the saddle of a white-haired old man.
The official mounted his tall horse, glanced at Liu Da, and finally his eyes fell on Tao Zi. He grinned, and his smile was quite terrifying.
Taozi responded to him with indifference.
People who were leaving would look back from time to time. Everyone gathered at the entrance of the village, just staring blankly at the direction in which their relatives and friends were leaving.
Several more houses were empty, and the mud on the ground was mixed with blood.
When the sky dawned, the village was already empty. Birds sat on the branches and whispered, rats came in and out of the courtyard, and no one could be seen on the village road.
"He will come again, he has already remembered me."
"Conscriptions are becoming more frequent. They have come three times this month."
"I didn't come to Taolin the first two times. I came suddenly this time. Maybe someone couldn't stand it and reported to him."
Tao Zi chewed the cake in her hand and looked at her mother beside her.
"Tomorrow, I will go to the county."
"County."
Liu Zhang's face lost all color again, and her already pale cheeks became like frost and snow.
Her lips trembled slightly, "Do you know how dangerous the city is?"
"That is thousands of times more dangerous than the wild boar forest. I will never allow it."
She looked at Liu Da and said, "Husband."
Liu Da raised his head and said, "He has already made up his mind, what else are you trying to do to persuade him? Is his tone of negotiation? Mr. Liu has given the order, how can you dare to persuade him?"
Her eyes were full of pleading, and her tone became more humble, "Husband."
"Mom, it's okay, I've thought about it before."
"I will pass the test."
"I will protect you."
Mrs. Liu Zhang lowered her head, wept silently and said nothing.
Liu Da climbed up to the roof and continued to play with the birds he had raised. He never tired of it.
Mrs. Liu Zhang packed things for Tao Zi and gave her instructions seriously.
"Tomorrow when Zhang Cheng enters the city, you should go with him and follow him closely along the way. Don't leave the team."
"You can't enter the city, eat or stay in a hotel without a criminal record. If you are interrogated and can't get a criminal record, you will be arrested. Zhang Cheng is the only one in the village who has a criminal record, so don't offend him."
"When you leave home, don't talk to strangers, don't eat other people's food, don't conflict with others, just go your own way and don't worry about anything."
"The county is dangerous. When you get to school, don't go out of the county to study. Watch your package carefully and don't let outsiders see what's inside."
Liu Zhang said a lot.
As she talked, she cried several times.
"Taozi, you must protect yourself. Apart from you, I have nothing else in this world."
"I see."
"Chirp~~~"
The bird screamed, flapped its wings, jumped up from the roof, and disappeared into the horizon.
Liu Da jumped up and cursed at the bird.
"Thief bird! Thief bird!"
"Hey you unfamiliar!"
"If no one feeds you, you will starve to death sooner or later, you piece of shit!"
The next day.
A horse moves forward with its head down.
That's a very old horse.
The hair is messy and sparse, and an old wrinkled skin is wrapped around the bones.
The horse's hooves are very heavy.
Every time I advance, there is a pause. When going uphill, the horses' hooves tremble.
"Pa~~~"
The whip cracked on the horse's back, and the old horse drooped its head, with no sadness or pain in its cloudy eyes.
"Beast!!"
"Pa~~~"
After another whipping, it finally began to shake its head and look like it was exerting great force.
The old horse pulls a cart, which looks like a wooden board placed on two wheels, with Zhang Cheng sitting on the wooden board.
It was not easy for Zhang Cheng to sit on his knees. He could only spread his legs and occupy the entire carriage by himself. He still heard a hum from his breath.
The guards on both sides tightened their abdomens with belts and puffed out their chests to show off their strong physiques.
From time to time, they turned around and shouted with deafening voices: "Hurry up!!!"
Behind them were six pairs of bare feet. The huge sack completely obscured their bodies. Only the feet moving under the sack could be seen, not the person carrying the sack.
Liu Taozi walked at the end carrying the fishing spear.
There are thick green weeds on both sides of the road, and you can see dark skeletons and delicate red flowers hidden among them.
Zhang Cheng turned around several times and saw Liu Taozi walking at the end. He smiled and waved to him to come forward.
Liu Taozi stared straight into his eyes without saying a word.
Zhang Cheng turned his head and cursed in a low voice.
The guard approached him and said, "Master, he didn't bring any goods, so why did he go to the county town?"
Zhang Cheng grinned, his big yellow teeth not touching each other.
"Yesterday you were not here. He said he was going to the county to take the exam."
"Do you really want to take the exam?"
"Just go to the county government and be a clerk!"
The guard looked solemn and said, "That's terrible."
"What the hell are you talking about? A butcher like him, who kills people without blinking an eye, is still an official?"
"He can still act violently in the countryside, but when he gets to the county town, I'm afraid he won't survive more than three days!"
ps: In August, more than 300,000 craftsmen were stationed in Yexia. Because of their old foundation, Gao Bozhi built a large palace and visited Yuyuan. - "Book of Northern Qi·Wenxuan Benji"
Chapter completed!