The Xiongzhou official office, Ma Huaide, was sitting behind the desk, holding a book in his hand, reading a book. The magistrate Wang Gongyi walked in quickly and stepped forward and bowed: "The magistrate, the Khitan has recently built Zhuozhou and the Daxing servants. Many people escaped from the north and arrived near the city of Zhou."

Ma Huaide's posture remained unchanged, and he just said, "Has the Khitan sent someone to ask?"

Wang Gongyi said: "Not yet. However, according to Xiaguan, there are many people who escaped, so they should be sent soon."

Ma Huaide nodded slightly: "Don't pay attention to the Khitans. He ordered people to carefully arrange the people who fled so that they will not be hungry."

Prince Gongyi bowed and said yes. He wanted to leave, but after thinking about it, he came back and said, "Magistrate, if we take these people in, what should we do if the Khitan sends people to pursue them? They are originally Khitan people, but they won't return them if they don't want to."

Ma Huaide said: "The places north of the Jima River mostly live in converted soldiers, and they were originally under the rule of the court. The Khitans came to ask and ignored them. If the Khitans raised troops, wouldn't this dynasty have no soldiers?"

Seeing Ma Huaide sitting there, his expression remained unchanged, and even his posture did not move, Wang Gongyi knew it and said goodbye and left the official hall.

Xiongzhou is the border between the Song Dynasty and the Khitan, and it is also the most complicated place. It is located on the north and south roads, and there are more than two losers under its jurisdiction. If the rulings are not careful, it is easy to have border disputes. Ma Huaide was a military general who made great contributions to fighting Dangxiang when he was on Shaanxi Road. He had been in charge of Xiongzhou for two or three years, and he knew it very well. If the people from the north had escaped before, most of the Song Dynasty would send it back to avoid disputes between the two countries. This time, Ma Huaide's attitude was obviously different, and Wang Gongyi would know what his attitude towards the Khitan in the future.

At the beginning of the year, the Khitan failed to seize Shuozhou. Although there was no major loss, it affected the entire border. In the past, the Khitans were at the upper hand and disputes occurred, most of the Song Dynasty tolerate it. Now it is different. Since the Khitans were defeated on Hedong Road, the Song Dynasty officials on Hebei Road changed their attitude towards the Khitan. The two losers around Xiongzhou were originally the result of the Song Dynasty's tolerance, but their attitude is about to change.

To the north of the Juma River, in Daliu Village not far away, Qin Xiaozi said goodbye to Zhu Erlang and returned home happily. When his younger brother Huzi saw his sister come back, he quickly came up to him, pulled the corner of his clothes, and asked questions.

After entering the yard, Xiao Niangzi Qin put down the goods he bought and whispered: "Mom, I'm back!"

A promise came from inside, but it sounded a little hoarse.

When Mrs. Qin entered the room, she saw her mother crying against the wall. Her father squatted aside, with a gloomy face.

After stepping forward to support his mother, Qin Xiaoniang said, "Mom, why are you crying? This year, the millet in the fields grows well, so you will definitely be able to collect more food. If you can sell more money, you can buy a calf."

My mother shook her head and wiped her tears. The father on the side said, "Just just now, Zhuozhou is building a city. I have to rush there within three days, bring my own food, and do thirty days of work. How can I survive the construction of a city in such weather? I heard people say that many people have died in Zhuozhou these days, but I am afraid that this time will be in danger."

After hearing this, Qin Xiaomazi couldn't help but be stunned. Their family was considered a loser, but under the control of Hebei and the Khitan, the servants were divided into the Khitan side, which actually had nothing to do with the Song Dynasty. The Khitans' servants were heavier than the Song Dynasty, but in this weather, it was too much for the people to build the city.

Sitting down on the side, the little lady Qin thought for a while and said, "Dad, you are the only male at home. Can you tell me about it? Is it better to change someone else? Where can we serve so many people?"

The father sighed and said, "Do you think I haven't said it? Li Zheng said it, this time is unusual. Any male must serve, no matter how you say it. If you don't go, the government will come to arrest people. Alas, I'm afraid I can't escape this level."

Qin Xiaoniang said: "Are you going to more than a dozen families in our village?"

After hearing this, my father looked around and whispered: "If it were arranged by the government, we would naturally go there. However, last night, Mo Laosi's family suddenly disappeared today. I heard that all the valuable things in his family were moved out, but the people disappeared."

The little lady Qin was stunned: "How can I move away in one night?"

The father said, "This kind of thing must be prepared early and all the things are packed. Who knows when the whole family is traveling in the middle of the night?"

The little lady Qin couldn't understand it: "Why are you traveling in the middle of the night? Where can they go?"

"I'm so stupid!" My father slapped his thigh. "A lot of people died in Zhuozhou this year. Who is willing to submit? The Mo Laosi family has relatives on the south bank of the river. I heard that they fled to the other side of the river!"

The little lady Qin nodded and then suddenly realized that Zhuozhou was close to the Juma River. The Khitan was called Guiyi County, which was actually Guixin County of Xiongzhou in the Song Dynasty. There were two households who paid rent to the Khitan in Henan. There were two households who were under the jurisdiction of the Song Dynasty in the north bank of the river. However, when Emperor Taizong was exempted from taxes from the people of Xiongzhou, the servants were returned to the Khitan. Over time, they gradually had nothing to do with the Song Dynasty.

In the past, when the Khitan was heavy, people from northern regions fled to Henan, and most of the Song Dynasty would protect them. However, in the past decade, the Khitan also intentionally reduced the burden on the households under its rule, and no one fled to the Song Dynasty for many years. At the beginning of this year, the Khitan began to renovate the border cities on a large scale, which suddenly increased the service of the households under its rule, and then the households fled again.

Looking at his father's appearance, he was both sad and yearning. The little lady Qin didn't know what to say for a while. After a while, she tried to ask: "Dad, you are the only male in our family. If there is an accident in Zhuozhou this time, the family will not be able to live."

The father nodded: "Yes, this is why it makes people worry. If there is another man, he can always hold on."

The little lady Qin said, "Dad, why don't we escape to the other side of the river?"

The mother, who was still wiping her tears, was startled: "What did you say! If you are caught, it would be a sin of beheading!"

My father said, "What's your name? I'll just say what's wrong with my family? This time, I heard that Zhuozhou is using people to death. After living a day, I don't know how many people die every day!"

After hearing this, my mother cried again: "If you arrive in Zhuozhou, there is an accident, how can our family live--"

The little lady Qin looked at her younger brother who was playing outside and said, "Dad, if the battle in Zhuozhou is so dangerous, we really have to think of a solution. My younger brother is only eleven years old and cannot do a job. How can we do without a male at home?"

The father nodded, but just didn't say anything.

The little lady of Qin said, "Or why, let's ask again. If the person who fled to the other side of the river can be taken in by the Song Dynasty, we--"

The father nodded: "If we really go to Zhuozhou for a lifetime, it would be a way to escape to the other side of the river. However, we have only started to start a military service in the past two or three days. There are really not many families as decisive as Mo Laosi. I should wait and hear the news. Besides, we fled to the other side of the river and have no relatives and old friends, how can we live?"
Chapter completed!