Chapter 24 Rural people dominate the water

Chapter 24 Rural people dominate the water

"what happened?"

Li Tai ran back to the manor from the hillside and found Li Zhusheng who was gathering his troops. He pointed at the villagers gathered on the west side of the boundary stone and asked.

"After mowing the grass, we have to plow, and after plowing we have to divert water to irrigate the fields. I sent a few people to the canal to check the water situation, but they were chased by the villagers. Three of them escaped and two others were captured by them. Caught and beaten.”

Hearing what Li Zhusheng said, Li Tai's face suddenly dropped. When he saw hundreds of outsiders gathered at Jie Shi, they were all waving their sticks and yelling. Two of his tribe members were tied up in the crowd and spit. Take a beating.

"Bring me my horse!"

When Li Tai saw this scene, he was already furious and directly ordered, and soon all the strong men working everywhere gathered.

Seeing that all the troops were holding bows and knives, Li Tai thought for a moment and then said: "Don't use sharp blades, distribute sticks and sticks. Go to Ji, Yantou, Xiaoyong, mount your horse, and recapture your companions first!"

Li Tai got on his horse, did not take the horse stick handed to him by Bu Qu, picked up a long stick and rushed towards the crowd on the opposite side. Li Quji and a few others also rode their horses to follow, while Li Zhusheng shouted from behind: "Charge the left formation! How can a good man lose his life in the battle formation and allow the local thieves to harm him!"

The villagers across the street relied on their strength because of their large numbers, but they didn't expect the crowd in the countryside to be so staunch. They were still shouting and shouting in a lively manner, but when they saw Li Tai rushing towards them on horseback and holding a staff, they suddenly became a little panicked.

"Folks, show your blood and blood and kill these foreign thieves who have invaded our land!"

A strong countryman who led the team raised his hoe and smacked it at Li Tai, who was charging forward on horseback. Li Tai was about to stab the man with his stick, but when he got closer, the stick shook slightly and swiped the man's armpit.

With the force of the stick and the momentum of the horse, the man was swept away. Li Tai struck out with a long stick in his hand, and more than a dozen villagers in front of him were swept away. The momentum of the powerful horse under his crotch was still strong, and the villagers who had no time to escape were knocked away one after another.

Seeing the ferocity of his approach, everyone on the way behind also fled from left to right, and soon the villagers' formation was cut through. Li Quji and a few others then rushed forward and consciously rode their horses northward. Although they were only a few riders, their momentum was unbearable. Soon the villagers' formation was cut with a gap several feet wide.

"Those who abandon the stick will not be pursued, but those who hold the stick will be pursued!"

Li Tai fought back from the fields behind him, and the many villagers fleeing in the fields were even more confused. The stick in his hand was like a snake, and he directly attacked the villagers who were still waving the stick. There were four or five brave villagers who were still waiting to be surrounded, but they were knocked down one by one by him before they got close.

"Uncle Jiu's leg was broken by this foreign thief!"

A cry of mourning rang out from the chaotic formation of the villagers. After hearing the cry, the villagers who had been separated showed signs of indignation and gathered together one after another.

At this time, Li Zhusheng also led his men to rush forward and smashed them all the way from the chaos on the left. The villagers who had just gathered were charged again.

Although the rural fight was not as brutal as the broken limbs and bloody flesh, when it came to the hedging in the battle formation, these ragtag rural disciples were no match for Li Tai's tribe.

Most of these people are old soldiers in the army, who are used to life and death, but they have orders to guide them and never retreat when fighting. Although there are not many members, their momentum is not comparable to that of the locals. Soon the hundreds of villagers were scattered to pieces. Even though the father and son were close relatives, they couldn't cooperate well in this chaotic scene.

Soon, the villagers fled in fear. The first one was followed by the second. The formation of hundreds of people fled in an instant.

At this time, the tribesmen had also started to show their real fire. Although some villagers begged for mercy, they were inevitably punched and kicked.

Seeing that the villagers no longer had the courage to gather together, Li Tai reined in his horse and gave an order: "Clean the place, collect farm tools and prisoners, hold back the injured, and dig ditches for the uninjured! Distribute bows and arrows, if you dare Anyone who comes too close will be shot, regardless of death or injury!”

In addition to those villagers who fled, there were still more than fifty people left behind, either exhausted or injured and unable to walk.

Seven or eight villagers with broken bones and muscles were dragged back to the pastoral camp. The remaining more than 40 people who were still able to move were all driven to the ditch. Under the threats and curses of the troops, they were all frightened. Without a soul, he either wielded a hoe or used his hands and feet to dig a big gap in the ditch.

"Dig from here, all the way to my field. If you want to die, come forward, if you don't want to die, dig hard!"

Li Tael immediately stood in the field and roared with a livid face.

From the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to be enemies with his fellow villagers, but that didn't mean he had to tolerate everything.

It is now late spring and early summer, and the villagers' fields have already been cultivated in time. However, these villagers still gather together to prevent their families from diverting water from canals. This is no longer a matter of grabbing water for their livelihood, but simply to embarrass and exclude foreigners like them. .

Is it tolerable, which one is intolerable?

The villagers gathered nearby did not have the courage to regroup for the time being, and those captured villagers could only dig trenches under the threat of bows and knives.

But when nearly an hour passed, dust was flying on the southern country road, and a group of nearly a hundred knights crossed the fields and were galloping towards them.

Li Tai had already anticipated this. He ordered the soil dug by the villagers to be piled up into a trench. Seeing the team of knights approaching, he ordered again: "Arrange behind the ditch and distribute bows and knives!"

"You and other out-of-state villains are treating my statement yesterday as just rumors!"

The group of knights rushed over quickly. The leader was Zhou Changming, the garrison leader seen yesterday in Shangyang garrison. At this time, he no longer looked like an old farmer with muddy trousers. He was wearing half armor, holding a long knife, and his horse The bow was placed horizontally in front of the saddle, Hulu arrows were hung on the waist, the horizontal sword stood in front of the horse ditch, the halberd pointed at Li Tai and roared.

"Lord Zhou Shu, save me..."

When the villagers who were forced to dig ditches saw the reinforcements arriving, they all shouted loudly, and some people climbed over the ditches to escape.

At this moment, Li Tai was also holding a horse spear and ignored the escaped prisoners. He only met Zhou Changming's angry eyes and sneered: "In the battle of Mangshan a month ago, tens of thousands of east bandits could not stop me from returning to justice! Daxingtai The reward was announced before the battle, and I was given five acres of land to make a living in Guanxi. The thieves from the countryside prevented me from diverting water for farming, which would be like destroying my life!

If Zhou dares to cross this line of ditch, he will face the difference between life and death today! If my husband dies, he will die. If this town does not become a river of blood, I will let down my ancestors! Come and fight! "

When Zhou Changming heard Li Tai's shouting, his expression became quite ugly for a moment. As the garrison leader of this village, of course his priority was to protect the local people, but when he heard Li Tai's shouting, it seemed that the villagers were the first to provoke him.

Although Shangyuan is located in the countryside, it is still close to the suburbs of Huazhou. After hearing Li Tai's declaration and Daxingtai's announcement of rewards on the battlefield, Zhou Changming would inevitably take action.

At this time, several rural prisoners also escaped over the ditch, begging Zhou Changming for rescue and revenge.

Zhou Changming's thoughts changed, and he asked in a deep voice: "Why are you fighting?"

"Yes, it's party leader Zhao from Yuanxi, and County Lieutenant Shi. They sent slaves to inform the village, saying that these foreign thieves were arrogant and wanted to punish the villagers for moving the boundary stones privately. They also wanted to expand the garden to the Luoshui River... …called on the villagers to deny them access to water and suppress the arrogance of these foreigners…”

Several villagers did not dare to hide anything, so they told the story in a trembling voice.

After hearing this, Zhou Changming's face became even more livid, and he said angrily: "Just plant your fields and weed with peace of mind. Why are you blocking the canals? If you can't plant your fields, there will be nothing to produce from the land. How is it any different from killing someone? This is what our ancestors taught you to do." Bullying foreigners, killing people in wasteland!”

"How dare we? We are just big families in the village. They don't like outsiders to take root in the village... The families who moved the boundary stones without permission are all poor villagers. I really can't bear to see them die because of official questioning."

"Shut up! Go home quickly and don't cause any more trouble!"

Zhou Changming angrily scolded the villagers again and drove away the villagers. Then he got off his horse and clasped his fists at Li Tai across the ditch: "This gentleman, it is our villagers who are causing trouble today. No matter whether the country is good or evil, the land is always innocent." , people's food is the foundation, and neglecting farming is a sin. In the past, the poor villagers couldn't bear to abandon the public land, so they stole it... If you are interested in me, then I will take the liberty to make an arbitration and lose half of the harvest from the invaded land. The compensation is limited to three years. The matter is decided by the village and does not need to be submitted to the public. What do you think? "

Li Tai was so angry that it was not because his farmland was occupied by the villagers. After hearing this, he said: "Although I am a visitor from a foreign country, I also know that it is difficult for the villagers to make a living. I don't worry about the fields being short and long." But these villagers are trying to protect the canal and interfere with my livelihood, so I can’t tolerate it!”

When Zhou Changming heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little fond of Li Tai. After thinking for a while, he said: "I led the village soldiers here, and then I realized that the fault lies with the villagers. The villagers are upright but do not protect evil. You should admit your mistakes. , I helped my husband build the canal and entered the garden with the village soldiers, and did not miss the plowing work to thank my husband for his generous donation of land to the poor households in our village!"

In fact, many disputes and disputes can only be resolved by force. After hearing what Zhou Changming said, Li Tai also had a slight change in his view of the garrison leader who still felt domineering and arrogant yesterday.

He handed the horse to Bu Qu, dismounted himself, pointed to the ditch and said: "It is true that the countrymen were at fault in this matter. If the Zhou garrison leader is willing to help in a righteous way, I will accept it. Don't let the country soldiers do it in vain. When you enter my garden, you will be given a gift of thanks. As for whether the villagers have invaded the fields, I have only been here for a short time, so I don’t know and I don’t ask.”

When Zhou Changming heard this, he took a step back and bowed to Li Taishen: "We met for the first time yesterday. I'm so rude! We will live together in this country in the future. If you ask me, I will never refuse!"