Chapter 27 2. Red Poppy

Then, a man wearing a leather collar and a big cloak rode a tall horse with several horse-riding attendants. He jumped off the horse when he arrived at the back street of Xijia where his grandfather lived. He looked at the house number and said, "Okay, I found it!" I informed my grandfather of his name, saying that he came to Yancheng to visit his in-laws.Grandpa had never heard of this father-in-law, so he just looked at him with surprised and wary eyes.He smiled and said, "Mr. Meng, tell your third son-in-law, Sheng Wazi, to come out and see if he recognizes me as a father?" Then he opened his fur cloak to fan himself.Grandpa saw two pistols pinned to his waist, one on the left and one on the right, and there was a row of entourages leading horses standing outside the door, so he got more careful and lied: "It's good that I have a third son-in-law, but I'm still here I haven’t seen him yet.” The guest changed his face in shock and said, “Oops, something must have happened to them!” Grandpa hurriedly asked, “What’s the matter?” The guest said, “You don’t know, their young couple is ‘comrade’ '. I heard that they were tied up by Wuhuada in Yichuan County, and they were arrested on death row. They hurried to Yichuan, and I heard that they fled to the old man. If you don't see them, something really happened!" Grandpa breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Don't worry, let me ask Ernier again."

That day, my mother happened to take me to visit my grandfather, and my mother replied: "He came in two whole bodies, and then left in one body. It's just that he walked in a hurry, like a gust of wind, and I don't know where he went again!" The guest turned his worries into joy and said, "That's good, that's good!" But he saw my grandfather still studying him with puzzled eyes, and said, "When they leave, they won't be able to tell who I am. The in-law is a real person, or a fake material!" Grandpa smiled and said: "Then make friends first, please sit in the room!" But he walked out the door and said: "I have something urgent, don't Excuse me. According to the customs in the mountains in western Henan, the in-laws have to drink when they meet for the first time, and they have to get drunk. Let's save this wine for later." Grandpa asked again: "You have a dick on you, why can't you see it? What is your designation?" He said, "We are the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, not a regular army. Your third son-in-law was originally my political training director. The Chief Command of the First War Zone said that there were alien activities in the Volunteer Army and revoked our designation. Mr. Meng, tell me that no one can take away the power to beat devils, can you?" Grandpa said, "That's a good point!" When he got outside the door, he turned around and said, "Mr. Meng, tsk, listen Listen, Mr. Meng, I dare not call you your father-in-law anymore! You can deposit my father-in-law with me first, and let me and your third daughter come to claim it later." Turned over and jumped on the horseback , whipped the horse's buttocks, and the entourage also rode to protect him and galloped towards the base of the city wall.Grandpa looked at the chaotic horseshoes, twitched his beard and said with a smile, "That's right, he is a hero in the mountains!"

My mother told me that the elder my grandfather called a hero was my uncle's father, and I should call him He Ye.He Ye's hometown is a place where corn and poppies are grown, and knights and bandits are born. Many years after Mr. He passed away, I saw Mr. He again from the county annals of L County. It was said that he was the first person from Podi Town to walk out of the valley. The commander of the army battalion returned to his hometown because he could not see any hope of the national revolution. He successively served as the captain of the political police team of L County and the captain of the security team. The common people are in good weather.

As soon as He Ye became the captain of the security team, a farmer named Wang Zhen led the riots and organized the people of more than 20 villages to fight against food and money. Armed with guns and iron branches, he blocked the main roads entering the village.The mayor of the fifth district, Cao, urgently reported to the county government to send troops to suppress it.After Lord He was ordered to lead the security brigade into the fifth district, he stood still and faced the iron branch alone. He went into the village to meet Wang Zhen, handed him cigarettes and said, "My brother, what should you do for gathering people to fight against grain?" Wang Zhen said: " You should ask District Chief Cao, why doesn't that big household with the 'Thousand Hectares card' pay the grain and expenses on a per-acre basis, but distribute it to small households in poor villages on a per-capita basis?" Mr. He asked, "What do you mean? Why?" Wang Zhen said, "Because Zhang Dahu is the cousin of District Chief Cao, and they colluded with officials and gentry to oppress small households in poor villages." The old people in the village also gathered around to complain.Master He sat on the stone roller in silence, took a bowl of hot tea and drank it, dropped the bowl on the stone roller, and cursed: "Bastard, let's fight him!" Wang Zhen was startled.Master He told Wang Zhen: "Brother, I advise you to stay calm. I will go back and ask Zhang Dahu to pay the grain and errands according to the land. All land taxes and miscellaneous errands will be handled in the same way in the future."

When Lord He returned to the district government, he sent a team to surround Zhang Dahu, and issued an ultimatum to urge him to pay the amount per acre of land within three days, and he would be fined twice if it was overdue. Come in and sit down.Zhang Dahu hastily paid the food payment, and was frightened into a serious illness.District Chief Cao said angrily: "Captain He, are you suppressing bandits or collaborating with bandits?" Master He said: "This is called forcing the people to rebel! You changed the land tax law without authorization, lest the world will not be chaotic. If you don't change the course, we will But I can’t take care of you. The three-toothed iron dung sticks into three transparent holes on the chest, and it deserves it!” He went into the village alone to meet Wang Zhen.Wang Zhen bowed his hand and asked his wife to catch an old hen that was laying eggs, and wanted to invite Master He to drink, the old hen fluttered its wings and quacked loudly.Master He said: "Forgive this laying hen, and quickly send a plaque to the county magistrate!"

The county magistrate called Mr. He to the county government office, and was about to hold him accountable for overstepping his authority and interfering with the land tax. Suddenly, he heard the sound of gongs and drums in front of the county government office, and shouted: "Master Qingtian!" .The county magistrate stared dryly and swallowed a breath of anger, and said: "Zhong, Zhong, you Captain He will really praise me, this favor is not in vain!" But Master He hid in the regiment headquarters, looked at the farmers who sent the plaques through the window, and sighed Said: "It is said that Funiu Mountain is a den of bandits, as long as there is a bowl of muddleheaded drinking, I think they are obedient citizens at first glance!"

Another well-known achievement of Lord He is that he won the "Battle of Big Smoke" with only one shot, which is called the "Red Poppy Battle" by the more elegant historians. In that year, the landlords and farmers in L County formed a united front in order to obtain greater benefits on the barren hillsides, and every household sowed opium seeds in the wheat fields.In summer, the "big fireworks" hiding in the wheat ridges don't know how to hide themselves. Almost in the same morning, they let the slender green stems lift them to the top of the head and burst into bloom. The red is blood red, the white is snow white, and the mountains and plains are rolling coquettishly. Alluring rainbow.The eyes of farmers who have just survived the famine are bright.Local officials also wanted to make a fortune from the opium tax, so they closed one eye and pretended to be deaf and dumb. The "Big Fireworks" faded in an instant, and the plump tobacco fruit bred breasts like a windy woman's swollen, lustful breasts. The milk was greasy, black and sticky, and the ravines of Funiu Mountain were filled with a strange smell. taste.

Ouyang Zhen, the commissioner of Shanzhou, also wants to make a fortune in the name of "eradicating opium", and personally leads the security team to chase the smell.Lord He has already set up heavy troops to guard the pass on Funiu Mountain.Ouyang Zhen led the team from the west of the county to the north of the county. They couldn't find an undefended mountain pass, so they rode on the horse and shouted to the top of the mountain: "Hey! Make a way, and there will be a big reward!" Master He said: "Okay, let's go!" I took off his top hat!" With a shot, the bullet seemed to have eyes, neither high nor low, and passed through Ouyang Zhen's scalp, and the top hat flew up in response, fluttering and falling into the ravine.Ouyang Zhen threw away her top hat and patted her horse to another mountain pass.Lord He waited on the mountain pass again, and said, "Let us scare him with the rocks on Funiu Mountain!" The "thunderstones" piled up in advance rushed down from the top of the mountain like a mountain avalanche.Ouyang Zhen retreated in a hurry and dragged the team around the foot of Funiu Mountain for a few days. She was already exhausted. Guessing that the opium smoke in the mountain had been harvested, she vented her anger and fired a burst of guns on the mountain, startling a group of old ravens, and turned back to Shanzhou went.

The opium harvest was bumper that year, and the farmers who had earned the opium money bought enough rations, and the government and officials also received an extra salary.This time, the county magistrate found a few squires to give Captain He a plaque.Captain He found an art teacher and asked him to draw a portrait of Lin Zexu, hung it high in front of the hall, fell to the ground and bowed: "Master Lin, I blame the people in the mountains for being hungry!" He kowtowed three times with tears in his eyes, got up and took off his clothes. He took off his military uniform, disarmed and returned to the fields, and returned to his hometown of Podi Town.

Lord He believed that the farmers who planted opium were the fault of ignorance, ignorance was the fault of not going to school, and not studying was the fault of farmers' poverty, too few schools, and high tuition fees.He donated the reward money allocated to him by the county magistrate from the opium tax, and raised funds from wealthy households to build a new house in the Guandi Temple in Dongtou, Podi Township, set up a high school, and a girls' school. , mobilize rural children to go to school, and poor households are exempted from paying tuition fees.The real estate in the temple has also become the funding for running the school.

The main hall dedicated to Guan Gong has been turned into a school auditorium, but Guan Gong still holds out his chest and belly, holding the Qinglong Yanyue knife in his hand. Guan Ping and Zhou Cang wait on both sides, taking up half of the auditorium.Master He said: "Master Guan, there are so many children in Podi who accompany you to study every day, so you don't have to ask Guan Ping and Zhou Cang to stand with you for punishment, don't you think so?"Master He waved his hand, and a group of "bad guys" swarmed up with oil hammers, smashing Guan Ping and Zhou Cang into pieces. Up to now, people in Podi still say that when Guan Ping and Zhou Cang were smashed to pieces, Guan Ye suddenly turned his phoenix eyes, shrugged his nose and snorted, his three-foot-long beard fluttered with the wind, and the Qinglong Yanyue knife screamed. groan.Master He hurriedly said: "Master Guan, please don't be in a hurry, I will send you on a trip right away, so that you and your son can be reunited." Several "second poles" came up with oil hammers in their hands.Master He scolded, "How can you serve Guan Ye with an oil hammer? First ask Guan Ye to lie down, and then use the eight-car pole to lift Guan Ye out." The "two poles" tied hemp ropes around Guan Ye's waist, and dozens of people came up, shouting "Hi Ho, Hi Ho", and pulled Guan Ye like a tug of war.Guan Ye, who was more than ten feet high, was like a black mountain cliff with a straight chest and a concave belly, motionless.An old scholar said: "Look, Guan Ye is angry, isn't he? He has taken root on the ground, and we can't pull him." The farmer who pulled the rope also hurriedly loosened the hemp rope, saying: "Guan Ye, Blame me for being arrogant, even if my son doesn’t come to school, he can’t ruin your old man’s golden body!" Master He said: "What is this? Running a school is a good thing. I clearly saw Guan Ye nodding repeatedly, so I was so scared The old scholar said: "Don't dare to pull anymore! It's dark today, if Master Guan is not looking for you in a dream, you can find a way to send him out." Lord He has no reason to reject the scholar's proposal, but he is afraid that Lord Guan will come to find him in his dream.In order not to give Guan Ye a chance to express his opinions, he didn't go to bed at night, sat in front of the desk with all his clothes on, turned on the kerosene lamp, and read all night. Sober up on the forehead.When the rooster crowed four times, a dark wind whizzed in through the crack of the door, making the kerosene lamp flicker.Master He was startled, and hurriedly wrapped his palm around the lampshade, and said, "Master Guan, don't blow it, don't blow it, the sky will dawn soon, if you blow your beard and stare, won't my night be in vain?" The lamp head sat firmly again Live till dawn. Early in the morning, the gentleman who paid for the school, the scholar who loved Guan Ye, and the villagers who wanted their children to go to school but were afraid of offending Guan Ye all entered the hall with their own ghosts.The old scholar asked: "Did Guan Ye have a dream?" He said: "I have a dream. Guan Ye said, I am used to riding a war horse, how can I ask a few 'bad guys' to pull me like a tug-of-war, am I a sweet potato? Bring the big horse quickly, I want to ride my red rabbit horse." After hearing this, everyone didn't make a sound, just looked at Master He.Master He said: "I have invited all the sounders, incense watches, and red rabbit horses. Let's play and sing, burn incense and kneel down, and send Guan Ye away!" The sounder class played the "Order of the General" and Master He personally lit the incense watch. The gentleman and the villagers fell to the ground and bowed down together, and the hall was full of crying.Master He did it himself, tied three lumpy ropes as thick as eggs around Guan Ye's waist, and put on three bay red horses.Master He held the whip in his own hand again, and shouted: "Guan Ye, please go!" With a loud bang, the three bay red horses hit the front of the whip, and Guan Ye fell straight up. But only half of it fell down, crouching in the hall without falling.Everyone was terrified.He Ye discovered that Guan Ye's clay sculptured golden body was originally molded on a fir pillar as thick as a bucket, which was planted five feet into the ground.Master He hurriedly put the tackle on the beam, hung Guan Ye slowly and let it go, put Guan Ye and the fir pillars on the ground, and crackled and set off a thousand-headed fire whip, raised the whip and issued a whistle, let the red horse take Guan Ye " Please" out of the hall. In the old house where Lord He lived, a two-foot-tall statue of Lord Guan has since been added.Every New Year's Eve, Lord He would burn incense and worship, and set up a table of deep-fried offerings. Guan Ye never forgets the past, and has always protected the school in the dark. In the 1930s, it became a hiding place for Communist Party members.In the summer of 1932, my seventeen-year-old uncle came back from the summer vacation of Modern Middle School in the provincial capital. His cousin who taught in this elementary school acted as his party introduction and secretly joined the Chinese Communist Party in Guanye Temple. Master He said that the night my uncle joined the party secretly, Lord Guan came to wake him up from his dream.He saw from a distance that a small fiery red star was bouncing and jumping on the roof of Guanye Temple, and even hit the wind chimes on the cornices to jingle.Master He's eyes were stung by the red light, his eyes were dazzled, and his heart was flustered with panic, he hurriedly asked, "Guan Ye, what's the matter?" Guan Ye was speechless.Only the crowing of the rooster in the distant village was intermittently pulled out from the valley, lingering in his heart.The little star jumped a few times on the roof of the main hall, and then quickly drew a red line in the sky, like a long blood mark in He Ye's heart, and sank into the distant night sky.Some people said that this little star pulled out a red thread and tied He Ye's heart.Master He has followed this little star all his life.