Han Qian came quietly with others and left quietly with others.

Ordinary mountain villages are always very quiet. The courtyard built by Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang's family is outside the valley. Except for a few yellow dogs barking to break the silent night, most people in the village go to bed early after dark.

No one noticed the movement at the entrance of the valley.

Tan Yuliang looked at the wine jar on the table and the thick stack of paper in his hand. If not for these, he would have suspected that what he had just experienced was just a dream.

Zhao Zhixian and Tan Xiuqun were also standing there dumbfounded. Through the courtyard gate, they saw dozens of vigorous figures escorting Han Qian and others. They had already disappeared into the depths of the night. After a long time, they still couldn't believe what had just happened.

everything.

If they simply surrendered to Xuzhou and served in the county government office, they would have nothing to hesitate or worry about.

Even though Xuzhou was deeply feared by the surrounding powerful forces, and even Han Qian himself was jealous of the Chu Emperor and the court, Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang all saw the rise of Xuzhou, and they also deeply understood that Han Qian and many people around him

The great thing about the direct lineage is that they believe that if they follow Han Qian and serve Xuzhou, the outcome will not be too bad.

However, the tasks assigned to them by Han Qian now are by no means easy, and they may end up with heads rolling on the ground.

"Who were the people who came to the yard just now?"

Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang's wife walked into the east wing at this time, their faces a little pale, and they asked with a look of panic.

Just now in the east wing, Zhao Zhixian, Tan Yuliang, and Tan Xiuqun were drinking and talking with several adult nephews. The other women and children were waiting on them, but they were not qualified to serve. They also had dinner in another room and went to bed early.

Lighting an extra lamp on weekdays makes people feel distressed; whenever they hunt game and some meat, they first ensure that the young and strong workers are well fed, so that they can satisfy the cravings of the women, families and children.

A large group of strangers armed with weapons appeared in the yard, and the corridors were blocked. The female relatives were frightened and could only close the door and hide in the house to wait and see what happened. They comforted the children and did not make any noise until the strange visitor was confirmed.

After walking far away, Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang's wife boldly walked to the east wing to see what was going on.

Zhao Zhixian was over 50 years old and had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son was already weak and could not survive the hard work in the hard labor camp. He vomited blood and died of exhaustion in the third month. The second son, Zhao Fanghai, was invited to Qingtian Village in Houshan Village to diagnose and treat patients in the afternoon.

No one walked back through the mountain road in the dark at night; the third son’s left leg was broken in the hard labor camp, making it difficult to move.

Zhao Zhixian's two daughters were married to Tan Yuliang's two sons, Tan Lang and Tan Qiu respectively.

In addition to his two sons, Tan Lang and Tan Qiu, Tan Yuliang also had a daughter. Zhao Zhixian's eldest son married in his early years and died in childbirth, so Tan Yuliang married his daughter to Zhao Zhixian's eldest son as his second wife. Unexpectedly, he also became a widow early.

Before the defeat of Tanzhou, Tan Xiuqun had a wife and one concubine. However, after the defeat of Tanzhou, his wife did not dare to face the harsh fate and found an opportunity to commit suicide by jumping into the pond on the way to Leying. Only the concubine Zhou

His eldest son Tan Wenlin, 17, and his two young daughters are still with him.

Tan Xiuqun is seven or eight years younger than Tan Yuliang. He is less than forty years old at this time and is in his prime.

In addition to being ordered by the Ma family to lurk in Qianyang in order to seek Xuzhou, the fate of the two families was bound together by the in-laws of their children.

"Nothing happened. It's just that a distinguished guest who I haven't seen for many years came to our door. After a drink, he left." Tan Yuliang said, signaling his wife Zhao and Zhao Zhixian's wife Xing to go back to the house to rest and ignore this place, but this

At that moment, they suddenly thought that the problem they faced was not only how to do this, but also how to settle the children of the more than ten female dependents who stayed in Gaoyiyu after they brought their young children to Sizhou to seek employment.

?

Especially after they revealed their identities and led the riots, what would happen if the Sizhou Yang family sent people to arrest their children?

While they were hesitating, two more figures walked up the path and came to the door. However, it was Pei Pu who had just left with Han Qian and returned. There was another person beside him who was a veteran of the Qing Dynasty and worked as a coolie at Qingniubei Wharf.

, Zhou Xiazi became very familiar with Tan Yuliang and several of his nephews in less than half a month.

Tan Yuliang stared at Blind Zhou hesitantly, not knowing why he didn't come with Han Qian and the others just now, but had to wait until Han Qian and the others left before showing up again.

Blind Zhou seemed to be able to guess what Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang were thinking. He cupped his hands and said: "There are two nails from Sizhou in the valley. I have to send people to keep an eye on them to avoid causing trouble. Come here to Mr. Zhao. Mr. Tan is late to say hello."

, please forgive me!"

Gaoyiyu is the first large-scale village outside Hujian Pass, and the boats and business travelers coming down the Chen River stop nearby. Passing by, it can be said to be the westernmost bridgehead of Chenzhong County, and Xuzhou is also here.

There is a post station and the township inspection department nearby.

The Yang family in Sizhou not only wanted to make profits by cooperating with Xuzhou, but also worried that the Xuzhou forces had the ambition to annex Sizhou. It was normal for them to arrange two spies in Gaoyiyu outside Hujian Pass to keep an eye on the movements on the left and right.

"You're welcome, Master Zhou." Tan Yuliang cupped his hands and asked Blind Zhou to sit down. He couldn't help but ask again, "What is Master Zhou's surname?"

"What are you talking about? My surname is Diao, and I don't have a name. I lost one eye in the war, so everyone in the camp used to call me Blind Diao. Previously, I was worried about Master Tan's intelligence, so I went to the dock and pretended to be a coolie.

So I used my dead mother-in-law's surname to show people," Blind Diao sat down carelessly and asked, "Master Zhao, have you told me what Master Tan is going to do?"

"We are waiting for Mr. Diao to come over and elaborate on the details," Tan Yuliang said.

"Master Tan, please don't be polite to Blind Diao. I have a few brothers with me. Now I have nothing to do with Xuzhou. From now on, I will be at the mercy of Master Tan and Mr. Zhao - I have a rude temper and don't know the rules very well.

If you do anything wrong, please reprimand Mr. Tan, but don't show any mercy to me." Diao Xiazi said.

"Pei Pu, are you coming with us and not going back to Chenzhong?" Zhao Zhixian looked at Pei Pu and asked.

"If there is an incident, death is inevitable. Your Majesty is afraid of Master Zhao, and Fangcheng cannot take care of him," Pei Pu said. "Besides, I paid to redeem Master Zhao and Master Tan from the hard labor camp. There are records in Tanyang County. I really want to

If I stay in Chenzhong, Master Zhao and Mr. Tan are starting an uprising in Sizhou, and you will have to 'detain' or 'expell' me from the state medical center first. I thought that staying in Chenzhong would be useless, so I might as well ask for help.

Advance and retreat together with Master Zhao and Master Tan."

To be honest, Tan Yuliang is also worried that they are just chess pieces thrown by Han Qian so that he can have an excuse to invade Sizhou in the future. Now there are people like Pei Pu who do not seem to be direct descendants of Xuzhou but are directly assigned to participate in the uprising. This will be a big blow to them in the future.

The way out is also a guarantee.

When Blind Diao and Pei Pu sat down, Tan Yuliang and the others emptied the dishes on the table and lit an extra oil lamp for lighting. Tan Lang, Tan Qiu, Zhao Fangcheng, Tan Wenlin and other disciples all sat around and turned over Han Qian's book.

The outline of the uprising left to them:

"It is not a good law to regulate the noble and the low. We should wait for the noble and the low so that those who cultivate the land will have their own land!"

To start an uprising, you need to make it happen with great fanfare and in full swing in the shortest possible time. How to agitate to the maximum extent, gather manpower, and organize effectively is the biggest problem faced by everyone.

The specific action plan requires Tan Yuliang and Diao Xiazi to adapt to the actual situation at any time. However, Han Qian has drawn up the program for mobilizing and organizing the uprising in advance for Tan Yuliang and the others, which is to abolish the old system of slaves and slaves in Sizhou and all

The land was divided so as to maximize the mobilization of village slaves and poor people who had been oppressed by the big surname forces for thousands of years to participate in the uprising and overthrow the rule of the big surname forces headed by the Yang family of Yang Xingfeng over Sizhou.

The slogan is one aspect. How to effectively organize and implement this slogan is also described in detail in the uprising outline.

In addition, the outline also contains a large amount of detailed information about Sizhou's mountain topography, population distribution, conflicting relations between natives and foreigners, state soldiers and cities, and the defense of Fanzhai.

Even the specific entry point for the uprising, the state government office drafted a plan.

In addition to continuously reclaiming new farmland and building water conservancy roads on a large scale, Xuzhou also develops iron-making, weaving and dyeing, oil pressing, shipbuilding, river beach breeding and other industries on a large scale. The demand for young and strong labor force is getting higher and higher.

The Yang family in Sizhou was greedy for the wages offered by Xuzhou. Since last year, it has transferred the village slaves from its territory to Xuzhou to participate in the repair of post roads and other construction work. There were a total of more than 5,000 young and strong village slaves in the three batches.

, enter the Hujianguan Post Road, Xuefengshan Post Road, Yingyuzhai Post Road, Qudong Post Road and other places to work.

Xuzhou had abolished corvee service as early as the Han Daoxun era, and all workers employed in industrial and manufacturing affairs were hired by the state government. Although the wages were low, it also ensured that applicants could have an income equivalent to one stone and five measures of grain per month to support their families.

The village slaves sent to work in Sizhou, excluding the supply of low-quality rations, were exploited by the Yang family for an income of nearly a stone of rice per month. Cumulatively, in the past year, the Yang family in Sizhou had earned almost 100% of their income from Xuzhou.

Earned more than 40,000 tons of rice and grain.

After the Qianjiang Passage was opened, the Yang family focused on business operations in Sizhou, thinking about renovating the post roads, passing goods through Guizhou, Hunan, Sichuan and Shu, and collecting sufficient taxes to increase financial resources. At the same time, they were also wary of the abolition of the old slave system in Xuzhou.

There would be negative effects, and they were also worried that Han Qian had unpredictable ambitions to occupy Xuzhou, so the number of village slaves working in various places in Xuzhou, led by the Yang family, dropped sharply to about 800 at this time.

In any case, once the impact occurs, it is difficult to dispel in a short period of time.

After a few years, the village slaves in Sizhou became passive and sabotaged their work, fled and even directly resisted. The conflict between the powerful surname forces and the village slaves who had been exploited by them for thousands of years became more and more acute.

After the opening of the Qianjiang River waterway, Sichuan-Sichuan well salt became the most important material flowing to southwestern Hunan and Qianzhong. In order to protect its own interests, Yang also greatly strengthened the crackdown on the trafficking of illegal salt in Sizhou.

In the early days, some of the private salt dealers in Sizhou were directly participated or led by the Yang family and other powerful forces, and some were poor Sizhou people in Xiago Mountain, Panlongling and other places, as well as escaped slaves who had escaped from Fanzhai control.

composition.

Naturally, the private salt dealers with powerful surnames must be incorporated into the formal Salt and Iron Supervision Institute by the state government, so that the salt profits generated by the circulation of Sichuan salt can become the most important source of finance and taxation for the state government, but for other private salt dealers

After such a blow, the Yang family and other powerful forces will no longer be merciful.

These two factors made the prisons in Jinhe, Shiqian, and Renshan (prefectural administration) counties to which Sizhou belonged to overcrowded.

Jinhe County, which is adjacent to Chenzhong and located to the west of Hujian Pass, has only about 20,000 people in Dingkou, but the number of escaped slaves, salt traders, tax-resisting poor and other prisoners in the county jail at this time is as high as 400.

.

"Are we going to rob Jinhe County Prison?" Zhao Zhixian did not expect that Han Daoxun, Han Qian and his son had established their prestige by suppressing the state prison riots on their first night in Xuzhou. At this time, the plan drawn up was to have them rob Jinhe County Prison.

The first battle of the Sizhou Uprising!

"Dong Tai, Dong Ping, Zhang Guangdeng and others must be no strangers to Mr. Tan. These private salt dealers are imprisoned in Jinhe County Prison. Their brothers Dong Qing and Zhang Guangli are running around secretly, thinking

Gather the desperadoes and rescue them," Diao Xiazi said, "We have also had informants in contact with Dong Qing and Zhang Guangli, and we will bring them over tomorrow and the next day to ask Mr. Tan to help..."

At that time, Tan Yuliang used the Qianjiang Inn as a cover to lurk in Qianyang, making friends with people from all walks of life on both sides of the Yuanjiang River. Naturally, he also had a lot of friendship with private salt dealers in Sizhou who traveled to and from Guizhou and Hunan through the southern foot of Wuling Mountain.

When they participate in prison robberies, they are confident that they can gain the trust of the private salt dealers among the prisoners and those who participated in the prison robbers. They are also confident that they can gain the initiative for subsequent uprisings, so that they can organize them in the shortest possible time and form the basis for the uprising.

The first vanguard soldier.

However, Tan Yuliang was a little confused at this time. Did Han Qian wait for this day when Pei Pu came to Tanyang County to redeem them, or was it really because of the serious situation in Guangde Mansion that he thought of using them to knock down the mountain and sway the tiger?

After they officially raise their flag in Sizhou, if they are too late to pick up the family members left in Gaoyiyu, Xuzhou will step forward to "detain" them and protect them.

…………

…………

When dusk was approaching the next day, Diao Xiazi took the two of them and took advantage of the dim light and no one on the mountain path to visit the house.

These two people are Dong Qing and Zhang Guangli whom Diao Xiazi mentioned earlier. They are running around to recruit people to rescue Dong Tai, Dong Ping, Zhang Guangdeng and other salt dealers who are imprisoned in Jinhe County Prison.
To be continued...