Chapter 1084: Yang Village

With the continued development of the commodity economy, the Great Han's urban construction also made tremendous progress, especially the various market towns, which sprang up in abundance. Beginning in the fifth year of Qianyou, over the following decade or more, the various circuits and prefectures under the Great Han's jurisdiction newly established two hundred and thirty-seven market towns, growing at a rate of roughly twenty new towns per year, greatly enriching and satisfying the circulation and trade of agricultural, forestry, fishery, and livestock products between villages and towns.

Even the relatively remote Guannei and northwestern regions were the same. Taking Bin Prefecture as an example again, between the various counties, three new market towns were established in locations with fine environments and convenient transportation.

However, in the current Great Han, the most basic form of settlement for the common people remained the villages, for agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, and hunting were still the primary means of survival for the common folk. Bin Prefecture's topography consisted mainly of loess plateaus, hills, and ravines. Relying on the mountains, waters, forests, and plateaus, as long as there were no disasters, no harm, and no warfare, the livelihoods of the people under its jurisdiction, while perhaps not prosperous, could still ensure food and clothing without worry.

Yang Village was a settlement between the prefectural seat Xinping and the county seat Dingping, situated on the eastern plateau of the Jing River. It lacked not arable land, bordered the Jing River to the west, and was not far from the official road, making transportation convenient. Thus it could be considered a relatively prosperous village among those within dozens of li, and it also had the largest population, with a full forty-five households.

Though its name was Yang Village, the villagers included those surnamed Ma, Bai, and Jiang—just none surnamed Yang. This was not a remote village, but it was equally peaceful and tranquil, with the villagers basically surviving by farming.

In the winter season, the village exuded desolation everywhere, yet the cooking smoke rising within the village, along with the occasional sounds of chickens, dogs, and human voices, still reflected the breath of life. Beneath the great poplar tree at the front of the village, however, there was an amusing sight—a dozen or so youths, heedless of the wind and cold, gathered together in play, shouting continuously as they played at war games.

The oldest were no more than twelve or thirteen, and the youngest clearly no more than ten, but the whole group was obviously enjoying themselves, holding wooden swords, blades, and staves in their hands. At their age, they should basically be helping with household chores—either working in the fields or herding livestock in the mountains—and it was only during the slack farming season that they had leisure to play and frolic.

Because of the weather, they couldn't run all over the mountains and plains, so the youths, with energy nowhere to expend, imitated their elders and drilled as militia. Of course, it was completely without discipline, and what they preferred was imitating and entertaining themselves with the war stories they had heard. The fierce and hardy local character was evident from childhood.

The leading youth appeared to have considerable authority, playing the role of "General," commanding his "subordinates" with proper airs—now charging up the hillside, now holding a position on the earthen path, now besieging the poplar tree. The scene was very lively.

The youth's body did not look particularly strong, his complexion as yellow as the soil, yet he gave one a feeling of toughness and leanness. His name was Bai Yang, because when he was born, the family's sheep also gave birth to a lamb, hence the name.

Like more than half the households in the village, Bai Yang's family were not native-born Yang Village people, but had migrated to Bin Prefecture after the establishment of the Great Han and been assigned there by the authorities. Bai Yang's family had ten members—besides his parents, his grandparents were still alive, and he also had two elder brothers, one sister-in-law, one elder sister, and one younger sister.

Over a decade or more, the Bai family had thoroughly put down roots in Bin Prefecture, getting along harmoniously with the neighboring families. At the same time, because they had abundant labor, their life was increasingly improving, and no one dared to bully them casually. When conflicts arose with outsiders from other villages, the Bai family also contributed both men and effort.

His grandfather had served as a civilian laborer supporting the front lines, transporting grain and fodder for the Han army, building fortifications, and carrying away corpses. Bai Yang's father had also enlisted and fought for the court, killing two Shu soldiers in the battle at Fengxiang defending against the Shu army's invasion. Later, he returned home due to wounds and received a reward of money and grain from the authorities—not lavish, but enough to improve their lives.

The family had a full fifty mu of land, already considerable on this loess plateau. In addition, they had several mu of fruit orchards and raised pigs, sheep, and other livestock. Recently, the family had been making arrangements to marry off his second brother, who was nearly seventeen, and his elder sister was also soon to be wed.

Having grown this old, the only thing the youth Bai Yang was puzzled about was his family's origins. According to his grandfather, tracing back several generations, his family should have been Qiang people; by his grandfather's time they had become Tuyuhun; according to his father's account they had become Tangut; while his eldest brother firmly insisted that their family were Han...

No one gave him a definitive answer, but Bai Yang did know one thing—his family spoke Chinese, farmed Chinese land, and paid Chinese taxes. In the future, he might even marry a Han girl, for the youth had already taken a liking to a young lady surnamed Liu in the village. However, it was said that the young Lady Liu's ancestors were not Han either.

In the tranquil countryside, several urgent barks suddenly sounded. Two dogs quickly dashed out along the earthen path, skidding to a halt before the youths, then barked incessantly toward the outskirts of the village—clearly something was wrong.

Before long, a figure also came running along the earthen path—it was the youth responsible for "keeping watch." Bai Yang led the youths over to surround him and ask what was happening. With a trace of tension on his face, the youth steadied his breathing and said, "Brother Yang, a large group of outsiders has come to the village!"

"Who are they? How many?" Bai Yang asked immediately.

The youth answered hastily: "There are lots of people, as far as the eye can see, with many big carts loaded full of things, and there are officials, and riders..."

Such a display was astonishing, even frightening, to village youths, and most were at a loss. Bai Yang, however, appeared calmer, and immediately said to the youths: "You all hurry back to the village, notify the village elders and your families. I'll go see what's going on!"

The youths scattered in a flurry, and as the news spread, the village's tranquility was broken. Bai Yang then took two of the bolder youths and left the village to investigate.

Passing through Yang Village was naturally that relocation convoy where the Yuan family was. After a "friendly" exchange with County Defender Chen, County Defender Chen ultimately agreed to Yuan Zhen's request to temporarily halt the journey and find a place to rest, so that a physician could be sought for his daughter. The price was thirty taels of gold—after all, because of one family's problems, delaying the journey of the entire group, that County Defender Chen truly did not show any mercy when fleecing people.

In fact, even if they continued on, they couldn't go much farther anyway. With so many people and so many carts, especially after entering the Weibei Plateau, constrained by the terrain and roads, they could only manage about twenty li per day.

Of course, what Yuan Zhen was buying was follow-up service—for instance, finding a comfortable environment, and most importantly, seeking a physician and medicine, which was no easy matter on these wild mountain roads. County Defender Chen was also a man who did things for money, and immediately gave orders. Guided by the local guide, they headed toward Yang Village—it was the nearest village to them, only three li off the official road.

Then, before reaching the village, they were discovered. And then, they were stopped by Bai Yang leading two youths.

"Who are you?" The thick accent made the words hard to understand.

Looking at the Yang Village youths holding wooden weapons and blocking the road, their crude appearance was admittedly somewhat comical, yet that fierce and wary bearing gave one a feeling they should not be underestimated.

One of the officials stepped forward and said condescendingly: "We are an official party on government business. The hour is late and it's inconvenient to travel on. We hope to borrow your village for temporary lodging and rest!"

"What are you here for?" Equally unable to understand the Mandarin spoken with a heavy Jiangnan accent, the wariness in Bai Yang's eyes grew even stronger.

"Go back and call out your person in charge!"

"This is Yang Village. Outsiders are not permitted to enter at will..."

"..."

After a conversation that was like a chicken talking to a duck—utterly incongruous and utterly ineffective—it was the guide who stepped forward and explained things to Bai Yang, and only then was basic communication achieved. However, the youth Bai Yang firmly refused to allow them to approach the village. There were too many of them, and with that unfamiliar accent, even if there were officials among them, they had to be on guard.

At present, the village's able-bodied laborers had basically all been conscripted by the authorities to build reservoirs—it could be said to be the time when the village's sense of security was at its lowest. Of course, the officials generally paid no heed to the wariness of these ignorant country folk, but following local customs, they also didn't want to cause trouble in another prefecture.

It was still quite a while before the village's elders came out, with the village head conducting the communication, and finally understanding the situation and reaching a consensus. They agreed to receive them, but only allowed them to stay outside the village—absolutely no entering the village, to avoid disturbing the village's elders. The village would provide certain supplies, but they must be purchased with money...

Yang Village had received traveling strangers before, but so many people was a first, and their defensive mentality was very strong. County Defender Chen ultimately did not press the matter and agreed, for the party lacked nothing in the way of camping equipment.

As for Yuan Zhen's matter, he would handle the communication himself. Considering his daughter's illness, Yuan Zhen bribed the guide and exhausted his eloquence before getting the village head to agree to let him borrow a household for care—not seeking comfort, only shelter from wind and cold.

As for the matter of medicine, the village was also lacking. On ordinary days when villagers fell ill, they either relied on their own immunity to tough it out, or used folk remedies and local methods; the last resort was to send someone to the market town to the north to find a physician.

Yuan Zhen naturally did not dare let his beloved daughter use those folk methods. After inquiring about the situation, he learned that about a dozen li north of the village there was a market town called Baiji, a new town established only a few years ago, where medicines were fully available.

Next came the time to put money to work. He spent twenty coins to hire a villager as a guide, and paid out a "small fortune" to County Defender Chen to rent one official and one horse, to go to Baiji Town to summon a physician.

In fact, although the journey had been arduous, for the officials led by County Defender Chen, there was indeed tremendous profit to be made—even without resorting to "illegal and violent" means, they still benefited greatly.

On the matter of relocating the people, the court had also given consideration. Besides moving people to strengthen the frontiers, they also hoped to move wealth and balance riches. Unwilling to see the powerful and wealthy families completely reduced to poverty upon reaching the borderlands, and also knowing the nature of grassroots officials and soldiers, they had issued very stern warnings in advance: no squeezing, no encroachment, no exploitation.

In other convoys, there were those who couldn't bear it and risked death to report abuses. Those who failed suffered retaliation, and the officials and soldiers involved would then restrain themselves. As for those who succeeded, the responsible officials and their men received the harshest punishments—not only were their ill-gotten gains confiscated, but their fate changed from escorting the migrants to true exile, never to return. Those with serious consequences and egregious circumstances were even sentenced to death.

The small village of Yang Village became lively because of this relocation convoy's stopover. Grain, firewood, drinking water, and even treasured mountain products, wine, and meat were all contributed—of course, in exchange for equivalent money. Almost every household obtained copper coins, and several families who had been troubled by the two-tax levy found their worries resolved.

Night gradually darkened. In a ravine outside the village, campfires were densely lit—this was the spot the village head had chosen for them, a good resting place, convenient for sheltering from the wind.

The youth Bai Yang volunteered, and together with the few remaining able-bodied young men in the village, took turns keeping watch on the ridge, monitoring these outsiders. In their spare time, they inevitably discussed things, with several people's attention fixed on those big carts—one rarely saw such "wealthy people" in the past. If the village's able-bodied laborers were all present, if the other party were only a few households of a few dozen people, if there were no armed officials... perhaps...