Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 5 Clan
Liu Huaisu and Liu Huaijing are both cousins.

In his early years, when Liu Yu was just born, his mother Zhao Anzong died of illness. The family was poor and had no inheritance. His father Liu Qiao wanted to abandon him, but he was later taken in by his aunt and grew up with Liu Huaisu and Liu Huaijing.

As long as you are from a poor family, your life will be extremely difficult.

Liu Huaisu's family lived a better life than the Liu family, but they were also in a period of transition.

The same thing happened to Liu Zun next door. His parents starved to death last year, leaving him an orphan.

If it weren't for the Liu family's constant support, Liu Zun would have either sold himself to the Diao family or starved to death in the wilderness...

Even the three counties of Wu, Wuxing and Kuaiji, which have always been rich in money and grain, have long been full of famine, and life is even more difficult than in Jingkou. There is more than one Diao family there. They have to support not only the Sima family, the Wang family, the Xie family and other wealthy immigrant families, but also the local tyrants such as Gu, Lu, Zhu, Zhang, Zhou and Shen.

One can imagine what kind of life ordinary people lead, so Tianshi Dao can become popular and attract many followers.

Liu Daogui took advantage of the night to go out for a walk. The brothers Liu Huaisu and Liu Huaijing were already starving, and Liu Zun, needless to say, had already been at his wit's end.

No one knew who had leaked the news, but as soon as Liu Daogui left, seven or eight Liu clan members stopped him and said, "Agui, you can't eat alone. At least leave some for us."

It wasn't just the brothers Liu Yu and Liu Daogui who were interested in Jiang Yu.

In order to survive, everyone's eyes were red and they tried every possible way.

"Just call more brothers, as long as they are young and strong, and bring bows and swords!" Liu Daogui couldn't stop them, nor could he hide it, because they were from the same clan and lived together.

Any slight disturbance can alarm a large group of people.

Fathers and sons fight together in battle, brothers fight together, and there is strength in numbers.

"Agui is still straightforward!" Everyone was happy and dispersed, calling their friends.

Liu Huaisu frowned, "Aren't you afraid that the news will leak out if you do this?"

"If we don't bring them with us, the news will leak out. If there are enough people, we won't have to worry about the news leaking out. Will the Diao family dare to enter the village to arrest people?" The reason why Liu Daogui asked everyone to bring bows and swords was to be on the safe side.

If something really happens, I might as well do it once and for all...

The customs of the people in Jingkou have always been like this. Whoever doesn't let me live, I won't let him live either.

The Diao family was actually just a facade of strength. When the Meng brothers were arrested, and more than a hundred members of the Meng family were arrested, the Diao family finally gave in and released the men...

More importantly, Liu Daogui felt that Jiangzuo had now become a volcano. The lives of the local people were becoming increasingly difficult, while more and more rioters were pouring in. The imperial court did not care and could not see what was happening below.

Since being struck by lightning, Liu Daogui has learned a lot from that bizarre dream and his horizons have broadened a lot.

Those who follow the rules these days will either be enslaved for life or starve to death.

"We are all in the same boat, so if anything happens, we can take care of each other." Liu Daogui continued to explain.

"Agui is really thoughtful!" Liu Huaisu agreed deeply.

Liu Huaijing was timid, "Such a big thing..."

Although they are brothers, their personalities are completely different. Liu Huaisu is hardworking and studious, bold but careful, while Liu Huaijing is naturally timid.

Liu Daogui glanced at Liu Huaisu. A forced melon is not sweet. "That's right. There must be a gatekeeper. You stay at home and wait for our good news."

Liu Huaijing nodded hurriedly, "Okay, I'll wait for your good news at home."

Liu Huaisu's face was full of shame, but he didn't say much.

Half an hour later, thirty-eight young and strong men arrived, each holding a ring-handled sword or a bow and arrow, carrying a bamboo winnowing basket and a wooden basin on their backs. They were full of murderous intent, with gleaming eyes. If you didn't know them, you would think they were strong men from somewhere.

Huan Wen once said in his early years: The wine in Jingkou is drinkable, the dustpans are usable, and the soldiers are usable.

When he was alive, he used various means to seize the military power of the Jingkou Beifu Army from Xi Yin, and only then did he dare to ask the court to grant him the Nine Gifts.

Xie Xuan reorganized the Northern Palace Army, which had no sophisticated equipment and no formal training, but with a wave of his arm, he had an elite force in an instant.

These people from the Liu family also followed Liu Daogui's grandfather Liu Jing and returned to Jiangdong from Pengcheng.

There is no doubt about their strength. Although forty or fifty years have passed, the spirit of bravery and fighting remains. Many people followed the Northern General Liu Laozhi to fight a decisive battle in Luojian and fought their way back to the north of the Yellow River... In short, what is most lacking in these days is brave people.

Everyone is doing their best to survive.

"Let's go!" Liu Daogui didn't waste any words. With more people around, he felt more courageous.

These dozens of people are enough to go fishing in the Yangtze River, or even take advantage of the situation in Diaojiabao, but things have not reached that point yet.

Returning to Old Liu's house, Liu Yu looked at the murderous group of people and was stunned. "Are they going fishing or robbing?"

Liu Daogui laughed dryly, "It's hard to refuse public sentiment."

"Back then, General Liu led us all the way to Jiangdong. Now Ji Nu should lead us to find a way to survive!" The oldest Liu Xinzhi shouted.

Speaking of which, the Liu family is quite prestigious in the clan.

My grandfather Liu Jing was at least a refugee leader and had fought against the Hu people.

Since the Yongjia period, every refugee leader has been a well-known figure. There are loyal and brave people like Shao Xu, Li Ju, Wei Jun, Liu Xia, Zu Ti and others who would rather die than surrender, as well as Su Jun and Zu Yue who were desperate and rushed into Jiankang.

The refugee leaders are almost all local heroes who rely on their personal prestige to form a refugee team.

Thanks to the prestige of their father and grandfather, the Liu family has some reputation in Jingkou.

"You're exaggerating. It's just catching some fish, but it acts like we're going to attack Diaojiabao." Liu Yu said without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, as soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes changed, staring blankly, like wild wolves in the wilderness.

The Diao family was wealthy and powerful, with many manors, fields, and castles in Guangling and Jingkou. It was said that they stored countless gold, silver, jewelry, and money, which made countless people jealous.

Seeing that everyone's appetite was whetted, Liu Daogui interjected, "People with families should stop talking nonsense. If it gets out, we won't be able to explain ourselves."

The reason why everyone is willing to endure is for the sake of their family.

The Northern Army came from Jingkou, and their combat effectiveness is unquestionable. If a real fight breaks out, everyone will fight bravely and fearlessly. The tens of thousands of servants of the Diao family may not really dare to fight to the death.

"Agui is right." Liu Xinzhi waved his hand and everyone calmed down.

After saying goodbye to his family, he left the village overnight and headed north.

Relatively speaking, fishing is safer than chopping wood. Wood is needed every day, especially in winter, and the demand is huge. However, fish is not a necessity. It does not have much oil or water, and it is difficult to fill your stomach by eating only fish.

But now I don’t care about that much anymore.

It was a dark and windy night, with wolves howling one after another.

But these beasts were also cunning. Seeing the ring-handled swords and bows and arrows, none of them dared to step forward.

When we rushed to the riverside, we saw shadowy figures on the mudflats. The Yangtze River was still wide, and the Guangling area on the opposite bank was also full of people.

"Hey, why is Ji Nu here just now? A Gui is here too." In the dark, someone actually recognized the Liu brothers.

Liu Yu was seven feet six inches tall, with an extraordinary bearing, very different from ordinary people. He stood out among the group. Liu Daogui was not as tall as his brother, but he was also about seven feet tall. The two brothers were very recognizable when standing together.

"I was wondering who they were. It turns out to be the Meng brothers." Liu Yu recognized the group of dark people below.

"Hey, Brother Liu has good eyesight. I left a big one for you." Meng Huaiyu pointed to the west, where there was a puddle with a radius of three or four hundred steps.

The river water receded, leaving many puddles on the mudflats. The water could recede, but the fish and shrimp could not, and were trapped inside.

You just need to scoop out the water with a bamboo dustpan or wooden basin, and you can catch fish.

"Haha, thank you very much." Liu Yu bowed.

The Meng family and the Liu family were in a similar situation. Their ancestral home was Anqiu County, Pingchang County, Qingzhou. After the Yongjia Rebellion, the entire family moved south and settled in Jingkou. They were neighbors of the Liu family and had seen each other frequently for decades, getting along well.

His father Meng Chuo was once a Jieshi Zhong and Guanglu Xun, at the same level as Liu Daogui's uncle, who was the Huangmen Shilang. However, he failed to make a name for himself, and the Meng family, like the Liu family, fell into decline.

(End of this chapter)