vrcanaries Chapter 179 Road Construction
Chapter 179 Road Construction
The group of people from Hexi Village walked for an hour before arriving at Fuyuan County, but were left outside the county government office for two hours without even having lunch.
I asked the yamen runner at the door many times, and he always answered with the same word: wait!
When Village Chief Zhang saw this, he made an excuse to inquire about Li Quan's affairs and spoke softly to the gatekeeper, and finally managed to sneak in.
Not long after, Village Chief Zhang came out with a shamefaced look on his face and his steps somewhat unsteadily. Behind him were two men dressed as constables, each pushing a cart with several sacks on it.
"Thank you both."
Village chief Zhang thanked the two yamen runners and asked his eldest son Zhang Shougen and second son Zhang Shoucheng to take over the cart.
"Our corvée labor service has come. Let's go back to the village today to prepare our things. We will gather at the entrance of the village tomorrow and go to the place where we will perform corvée labor service together."
"Village chief, what is our corvée this time?" someone asked.
Village Chief Zhang shook his head and said weakly, "Let's go back first."
The hungry people of Hexi Village walked for another hour back to the village. As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, someone couldn't wait to ask, "What exactly is this corvée? Village chief, tell me quickly!"
Village Chief Zhang walked to the big poplar at the entrance of the village, pondered for a while, and then slapped his forehead as if he had made up his mind:
"Then I'll be frank. The county magistrate asked us to work with the people of Hedong Village to build a road from Fuyuan County to Yizhou. The work will take two months."
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd immediately went into an uproar.
"Repair the road? Isn't the road from Fuyuan to Yizhou pretty good? What else do we need to repair it?"
"Two months of corvée labor, won't that delay spring planting?"
"Fortunately, during the period of corvée labor, the government provides food, so I can save some food for my family."
……
Luo Xiaoran didn't know much about corvée labor in ancient times. She only knew that ordinary people were forced to do unpaid labor.
In Daliang, the law stipulated that civilians only needed to perform corvée labor once a year, which would be selected by the local officials in their place of origin, who would also decide the content of the corvée.
In addition to the corvée labor mentioned above, military households registered in the military must also perform military service if the army takes any action.
Village chief Zhang was accompanied by his two sons. The eldest son, Zhang Shougen, stood aside silently. When he saw Luo Xiaoran coming, he nodded and greeted her.
The second son, Zhang Shoucheng, wanted to come over and talk to Luo Xiaoran, but Luo Xiaoran didn't want to pay attention to him. Instead, she pulled Village Chief Zhang aside and asked quietly:
"Village head, the official road from Fuyuan County to Yizhou is no different from ordinary official roads. What will it look like this time?"
"Ah~~" Village Chief Zhang sighed deeply, "They said to use lime to repair the dirt road into a lime road."
"Lime road? Will the county government provide us with lime?" Luo Xiaoran continued to ask. How can we repair it without materials?
"The county doesn't provide us with lime, not only that, but we don't even have any suitable tools. As for food, there are only a few bags on this cart, which is not enough for all of us to eat for two months. This corvée is really difficult!"
Luo Xiaoran felt a chill in her heart. An Luhai was still causing trouble again. He actually used the pretext of "corvée labor" to blatantly make things difficult for the entire Hexi Village.
Because Yu Hongmei, who stabbed his son to death, was from Hexi Village?
No, it’s not just because of Yu Hongmei, but also because of Du Kongqing and her.
One of them was so ungrateful that she rejected An Ruquan and refuted the An family's private affair, while the other was so bold that she broke into the prison in public and slapped the county magistrate in the face.
Although it was not known whether it was because of Du Shimu's secret recipe for giving birth to a boy or something Yun Hu did, An Luhai no longer arrested people directly, but he did come with great force this time.
Maybe An Luhai even knew about the fact that Village Chief Zhang had pleaded for Du Kongqing in front of An Ruquan, and he was holding a grudge against him. Anyway, he now dislikes Hexi Village.
But Hexi Village was near Yizhou City, so An Luhai was afraid to act rashly.
The last time he arrested Du Kongqing and Sun Qingyuan, it was just an act of gaffe and loss of control on his part. Now he has regained his sanity and is still the "fair and upright" county magistrate who will not allow anyone to catch him.
Even if they want to use some means to harm people, they have to use the banner of the law and the guise of corvée to do small things behind the scenes.
After a pause, Village Chief Zhang continued, "Although the corvée labor in previous years also required a lot of physical effort, this time we not only have to work hard, but we also have to pay for the money and materials ourselves! How can we farmers get so much lime?"
“What happens if it’s not completed on time?”
Luo Xiaoran remembered that there were no detailed regulations on this aspect in the "Daliang Laws", and it should be managed by each prefecture and county on its own. She was afraid that An Luhai would make trouble for it.
Village Chief Zhang frowned even more and spoke in a lower, trembling voice:
"The county magistrate said that when Princess Qingyi went to Anruo Temple to pray for blessings during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the road from Yizhou to Fuyuan County was very bumpy. If we don't repair this road, it would be a disrespect for the royal family, and there might be... there might be a risk of life."
No matter what, the county magistrate's order had to be carried out, and the corvée labor stipulated by the law had to be obeyed. Village chief Zhang, who was worried, finally told the matter of Lime Road.
After hearing this, the villagers really started to make a fuss, and the scene was a little chaotic for a while.
"Where can I get lime to repair the road?"
"Oh my God! Isn't this going to kill us?"
"Village head, you have to talk to the county magistrate. We really can't do this corvée!"
"Yes, village chief, we can't take on things that we can't do."
"village head……"
……
No matter how the villagers make a fuss, the road will be repaired tomorrow. Village Chief Zhang doesn't want everyone to waste time here, so he said sternly:
"Alright! What's the point of you making trouble with me? Go home and pack your things! Take care of the tools for repairing the road, the cooking utensils, and the bedding for resting!"
Luo Xiaoran didn't quite understand the rules of corvée labor. When she heard that she also needed bedding, she was very curious, so she secretly asked Du Kongqing:
"Can't we go home and sleep at night? Do we have to all crowd together in the place where we do our labor service to rest?" What's the difference between that and sleeping in the wild when we were fleeing famine?
Du Kongqing nodded, "According to the regulations, after unified dispatch, they will stay on the spot until they complete their labor service, and then they can go home. It is especially important to note that the labor service is carried out in late winter. Although it avoids the farming season, the weather is still cold, and people will freeze to death if they are not careful."
At this point, Du Kongqing also noticed something was wrong. "Originally, winter corvée labor was done to prevent delays in farming, but this time it's two months of labor. Doesn't this affect spring ploughing?"
The sun was setting in the west, blood-red rays of light filled the sky, the temperature dropped sharply, and Du Kongqing couldn't help but shiver.
"The county magistrate did it on purpose. Was it because of me? Did I harm the whole village?"
The more Du Kongqing thought about it, the more he felt that this was the fact. He became more and more agitated, and Luo Xiaoran covered her mouth in time.