On a snowy night, a group of soldiers arrived at a farmer's thatched shed. The farmer's hands trembled. If he…
On a snowy night, a group of soldiers arrived at a farmer's thatched shed.
The farmer's hands trembled. If he didn't open the door, he would die immediately; if he did, he would still die. He stuffed his wife and daughter, huddled in the corner of the bed, into a tattered wardrobe and unlocked the door with shaking hands.
The leader was Zhang Yichao, and his soldiers the Guiyi Army. The farmer didn't know those names, but he felt that this group of soldiers in blue robes was different from the usual jackals.
They only borrowed forage to feed their war horses and dry firewood to build a campfire. The farmer invited them into the house to escape the cold, but the blue-robed soldiers declined. This was the farmer's house, and the Guiyi Army would not disturb the people.
When dawn arrived, no one in the thatched shed had slept a wink. Zhang Yichao asked for the farmer's name and said he would definitely return what he had borrowed. The farmer thought it was just polite talk. The soldiers were merciful enough to leave him and his family alive. How could he dare to hope for anything else?
That was until the blue-robed soldiers appeared again. With them came a new land system, a new household registration list, and that name, Zhang Yichao. A soldier called the farmer's name from the roster and exempted him from a year's firewood tax.
The farmer looked at the blue-robed soldiers. Surprised that the powerful would keep their promises. At least this Zhang Yichao did, for now.