Chapter 1258: Ningyuan
Chapter 1258 Ning Yuan
The courtyard of Li Gongzuo's house is at the north entrance of the village.
The two chai gates on the bamboo fence wall face the Ningyuan River flowing north, which originates from Guide Mountain in the northeast of the Jinshan Plain in Luzon, and flows northward into the fertile valley basin between the Changxing Mountain Range and the Changshun Mountain Range. In the village where Li Gongzuo’s family lives Ningyuan Fort flows into Ningyuan Strait.
This is a large river with a length of more than 700 miles. During the rainy season, the middle and lower reaches can be navigable by wooden boats for 500 miles. long.
Standing under the eaves of the small courtyard with a thatched roof, you can see the Taotao River through the bamboo fence. There are a lot of fish in the river. Fresh and plump big fish. For a long time, the daily meals of Li Gongzuo and other villagers included wild vegetables besides fish.
Boiled fish, stewed fish, fried fish and grilled fish, I already hate fish after eating it.
A curved road leads to the river bank. The river bank is a simple pier. This location is very good, and it is an excellent shelter. Even when the typhoon is violently raging across the border, it is very calm here.
Li Gongzuo admired the person who chose this position at the beginning, this is indeed a unique and good place.
The Ningyuan River flows into the sea from southeast to northwest here, and the Ningyuan River and the sea make this land form a huge Yangtze River Delta. An east-west hill in the south makes this triangular plain stand out. Shelter this small plain from wind and rain.
This delta plain, which is 80 miles long along the coast, more than 20 miles long along the river bank, and 60 miles long along the southern hills, has become the first stop in the northeast of Luzon Island as Luzon expands out of the central plain.
At the beginning, it was not only the fertile estuary delta plain, but also the valley plain of the tens of thousands of square kilometers of the Ningyuan River. The second largest plain among the Song Islands.
Of course, the Qin family has no reason to give up.
After the victory of the first encirclement and suppression of the islands, the Luzon islands retreated to the Ningyuan Valley in the northeast and the peninsula in the southeast, trying to hide in the mountains and continue to fight.
The Qin family struck while the iron was hot, and deployed troops to start the campaign.
Li Gongzuo was one of the members who entered the Ningyuan River Valley for encirclement and suppression. During the two-year encirclement and suppression campaign, Li Gongzuo participated in several major battles and finally completely defeated the islands in the north. Afterwards, he and some companions stayed at the mouth of Ningyuan River settle down.
At the end of the battle, he got more than a dozen island slaves, and then moved his family from the Central Plains. In San Francisco, he exchanged some old and weak island slaves for Haidong slaves and Kunlun slaves. A woman from the same country is his wife.
The land in the village was distributed by the Governor’s Mansion, and some were awarded by him for his meritorious service. Before coming to Luzon, Li Gongzuo was a poor man in Guanzhong who went south to make a living. His hometown was on the Loess Plateau. Flappy place.
Planting some crops depends on the food rewarded by heaven, and it is not easy to raise a few sheep.
Under the new policy of the imperial court, although life was much better than before, it was still not easy. The young Li Gongzuo went to Chang’an, Xijing, with his fellow countrymen, first to get some work, and to do some moving and other work to earn some coolie money. After a year, he could indeed earn some money. It is much better to live frugally than to farm and herd sheep at home, but it is difficult to marry a daughter-in-law and buy land to live a good life with this little money.
Later, he followed Xia Lingnan to wander around, saying that although it was hot there, as long as he was willing to endure hardships, he would definitely have a chance to make a lot of money. He first went to Guangzhou and worked for two years in Foshan, the city of iron smelting. His income was indeed higher than that in Chang'an, but he couldn't make a fortune.
He later went to Taiping Port again and got on a whaling ship. He went to sea for two or three years, and then followed the whaling ship to Luzon. He didn't like the loneliness on the whaling ship, and finally joined the Luzon gold panning team. . When the Dao Fan attacked, Li Gongzuo, who was strong and strong, joined the mine guard team, fought against the Dao Fan, and made great contributions with his bravery.
Then he was incorporated into the Qin family's local regiment to practice armed forces, and then joined the battle to encircle and wipe out the islands. He made some contributions along the way and got a lot of spoils of war.
When the situation in Luzon basically stabilized, he chose to settle down at the mouth of the Ningyuan River, where there are rushing rivers, blue seas, and endless flat green plains. This is the place he had longed for.
Father and brothers moved here with the help of the Qin family.
Following the route they used to leave home, they first arrived at the state city of Yanzhou, then went to Chang'an in Xijing, arrived in Xiangyang via Lanwu Road, and then went down the Hanshui River to Jiangxia.
After entering the Yangtze River, go south, turn into Jiangxi Ganjiang River at Hongzhou, all the way to Ganzhou, pass through the newly built Dayuling Canal in recent years, enter Beijiang River by boat, and arrive at Guangzhou.
My parents, brothers and sisters were used to wind and sand before, but I have never seen so many big rivers, and I have never imagined that I have so many opportunities to sit on so many boats, let alone eat so many fresh foods while sailing on the boat. fish.
In Guangzhou Port, boarded the big ship from Luzon to pick up the people, sailed directly to Luzon, replenished at San Francisco Port, then traveled hundreds of miles northward, and finally sent the people to Li Gongzuo at the mouth of the Ningyuan River.
Parents helped Li Gongzuo bring a daughter-in-law, a small woman wrapped in a headscarf who spent thirty-six dowry gifts. When Li Gongzuo saw her, he felt like he hadn’t seen her for a long time. I saw it but felt so kind.
She was very shy, covering half of her head with a scarf, and her eyes were dodging. The skin on his face was red and chapped, but Li Gongzuo felt familiar.
The mother hugged her long-lost son and said that she was Aunt Li Gongzuo's natal cousin. When she was a guest at that hour, she always liked to follow the little girl behind their buttocks, and she had grown up inadvertently.
Father said that although Li Gongzuo sent home a lot of money, he felt that his daughter was more reliable.
Li Gongzuo was actually very satisfied with the marriage chosen by his parents.
It is not easy for Luzon to talk about family marriage. Many people who come here to make a living here mainly return to their hometown to get married. Women in their hometown are easier to get along with than women from other places. Besides, Luzon has more men than women, and the governor The government also encourages everyone to go back to their hometown to marry and bring them here to settle down, and there are even rewards and subsidies.
It’s better to be a girl in the family. Although she looks rustic, she just feels kind and pleasing to the eye.
When his family arrived, Li Gongzuo had already settled down in Ningyuan Fort. He had his own house and his own field. After his family arrived, he immediately took him to meet the village chiefs in Lizheng to register and settle down, and then applied for Divide the land and grant the land.
In the following days, Li Gongzuo was very happy.
He took his family to see his field, and then the family helped to expand the house. He has a large homestead, and he can build more houses. Parents feel very satisfied, although the climate here is completely different from their hometown.
Some people are uncomfortable with the heat, but the fertile land can dispel all their discomfort.
The whole family built wood, bamboo, thatch, and invited some neighbors to help. They built several houses, expanded the small yard, and even built a cattle house at the suggestion of the mother.
After the new house was built, Li Gongzuo and his cousin officially held the wedding ceremony, inviting the neighbors in the fort, Lizheng Village Chief and Baojia Chief also came to congratulate on behalf of the officials, and gave a congratulatory gift.
New wedding ceremony with ten strings of money, of which five strings are rewards from the Luzon Metropolitan Government for the marriage of new immigrant men, and the other five strings are rewards from Li Gongzuo who brought immigrants from his hometown wife.
Li Gongzuo's parents and brothers could hardly believe that there is such a good thing. People get married, and the government actually rewards them.
But for the Luzon Dudufu, and for the Qin family, it is a policy that has been drawn up long ago, and it is a benefit for newcomers, so as to attract and encourage immigrants.
The wedding was very lively, but it didn’t cost much. There were many banquet tables, but there was no ostentation wasted. Relatives, friends and neighbors came to congratulate and send blessings and gifts, usually one or two daily necessities, such as bowls, teapots, Or cloth or tea snacks.
Things are not very valuable, but they are all usable in life.
After marriage, Li Gongzuo felt happier.
The family members have registered and settled down, and the land has been allocated. Although under the new policy, there is no free land allocation, but each new immigrant has a corresponding number of low-priced land purchase rights, which are still exempt from deed tax. Of course the opportunity should not be missed.
Like most of the other neighbors in the village, Li Gongzuo's family has also become a small landlord. From the purchased land to the awarded Xuntian, their family's land exceeds a thousand mu. A slave plowed with oxen and horses.
Of course, he will never forget that he got what he is today by fighting in battle, so like many of his neighbors, he declares and selects. , but belonged to the militia archers in the village.
Train by yourself at ordinary times, train intensively during slack, and recruit when there are tasks.
But he wants to become a united soldier, which is a local armed force.
After several rounds of selection examinations, Li Gongzuo, with his young, strong and good archery skills, unexpectedly passed all the way to the selection of warriors.
When the news of passing came, the whole village was happy for him.
The county sent an archer down to congratulate, and brought a band to beat gongs and drums to make an announcement.
Click to be a warrior, which is much stronger than the united soldiers. It is equivalent to the soldiers of the Luzon government. After becoming a Luzon officer and soldier with military registration, after paying a sum of equipment money to Cao Yamen, the soldiers of the Luzon government, they will provide the warriors with A full set of military equipment, including riding mounts and mules and horses for carrying, etc.
Li Gongzuo was selected as an archer, belonging to the Ningyuan Battalion in Ningyuan Prefecture, the Luzon Governor's Mansion, and was under the command of the Guards and Infantry Division under the Guards Division.
(end of this chapter)