Chapter Two, on the banks of the Ba River in Chang'an

Although the burden of serving as a garrison soldier is not light, it remains a rare opportunity for ordinary children from humble backgrounds to enter officialdom through military merit. Therefore, many people still compete to become garrison soldiers

That is a heated bed.

What river is that? It is merely a ditch, a bathing ditch

Ke Wu's family is relatively well-off, and he has many brothers. Although Old Zhang is a lifelong bachelor, he is a veteran soldier with rich experience, having fought for half his life.

Zhang Chao followed Ke Wu to fetch water, chatting as they walked. Although Ke Wu is a Qiang person, his ancestors immigrated here during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. According to him, at that time the court relocated five thousand Qiang households to this area in one go. Therefore, in Ningmin County, there are actually many Qiang people. However, after so many years, hundreds of years have passed, and as a result, these Qiang people are essentially no different from the Han people.

Zhang Chao changed into it and it fit quite well, fortunately it was a short shirt rather than a long robe. However, the clothing was too thin, so Zhang Chao put on his own set of short-sleeved denim pants underneath. In the end, he wrapped a piece of cloth around his head, and it was much better.

Especially since Old Man Zhang often has to go on night watch and participate in battles, he frequently delays the farming schedule

Ke Wushou originally had 12 mu of land. Since the provincial soldiers were entitled to preferential treatment, each person was allocated 30 mu of land. Because he already had 12 mu, he ultimately received only 18 mu.

Ke Wu filled two buckets with water, balanced them on his shoulders, and walked back swiftly across the still unmelted snow.

One hundred mu per person is merely the highest limit. As for Zhangjiagou, it is already close to the capital, and with a larger population here, it happens to be situated at the boundary between the two plateaus of Bailu. There are many valleys in this area, making the land relatively scarce. Furthermore, a significant portion of the land is privately owned, resulting in even less public land.

In addition to the regular duties, there are also training sessions held every year during the agricultural off-season. Furthermore, the military government must maintain a quarter of its troops in training and garrison duty throughout the year, which also requires rotation.

Zhang Chao's footsteps slowed down as he contemplated many things in his mind

It is evident that although Zhangjiagou is inhabited by common folk living at the foot of the imperial city, their lives are clearly not good. Old Zhang is over fifty years old, has lost one eye, and bears many scars on his body, yet he still has to go to the battlefield to fight. The Tang Dynasty granted him thirty acres of land, but the harvest is meager, and his home consists of only a single earthen cellar, with not even a wife in the house

The shift schedule is determined based on varying distances. For instance, within a distance of 500 li, there are five shifts, meaning that military offices within 500 li of the capital will have soldiers divided into five shifts, with each shift serving for over two months a year. The farthest distance is twelve shifts, where each shift only requires a one-month service period. However, the time spent traveling is significantly longer.

The bathing ditch is indeed the future whale ditch, but at this time, the bathing ditch is somewhat small. It has not yet undergone the construction of the reservoir in later generations, so the water storage is limited

Before his journey, Zhang Chao had actually visited Bailuyuan several times. He used to live in Xi'an, which is not far from here. He had come here several times with his cycling friends, especially to this bathing ditch, which in later times would be the junction of Baqiao District and Chang'an District. The water flow in Whale Ditch was much greater than it is now, and the scenery within the ditch was beautiful, with different sights in each of the four seasons. In spring, the mountains were covered with flowers, while in summer, a cool breeze would come. There were also quite a few clear springs and waterfalls, which were quite rare.

However, Old Man Zhang originally had no land, so he indeed received thirty acres in full.

After circling around the small village and synthesizing the information provided by his father, Zhang Chao has already identified the location of Zhangjiagou. It is situated in the southeastern part of Chang'an, on the Bai Lu Plain.

In fact, the burden of the garrison soldiers is not light, but generally, ordinary people cannot become garrison soldiers; they must be small landowners or self-sufficient farmers. Not only must the family be wealthy, but there must also be many brothers in the family. Having family assets is essential to afford armor, weapons, and mules, as well as having many brothers.

Uncle Ke, what is the name of that river

They do not reside in military camps, but rather live among ordinary citizens. However, what distinguishes them from the common people is that the land they cultivate is exempt from rent and corvée, with rent and corvée referring to taxes

Ke Wu merely chuckled in response to Zhang Chao's question

My family has been allocated 18 acres. When Ke Wu answered this question, he was clearly very pleased with the 18 acres of land

The entire area of Bashang is bordered to the east by the Bashui River, to the west by the Chanshui River, and to the south by the Qinling Mountains, all of which belong to Ningmin County of the Tang Dynasty's Jingzhao Prefecture. To the east, across the Bashui River, lies Yushan County, while to the south, at the foot of the Qinling Mountains, is Lantian County

Living in a cave dwelling, one must have a heated kang; otherwise, it would be impossible to survive this winter. Zhang Chao walked towards that dilapidated cave dwelling while resolutely reminding himself.

Our garrison troops do not mobilize for campaigns during peacetime, and they are also required to take turns in the night watch. Additionally, they will rotate to participate in collective training at the military headquarters during regular times

Zhangjiagou is very close to the capital of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an, only thirty li away. The area where Zhangjiagou is located is also quite famous, known as Bashang, and not far from it flows the Bashui River

Upon exiting the house, he initially intended to help split wood, but his father remarked that his delicate hands bore no calluses, indicating he would certainly be unable to perform this task. Zhang Chao stood there for a while, assisting in stacking the split wood, and then began to stroll around the village

Uncle Wu, how much land has the court allocated to you?

He already knows that this village is called Zhangjiagou, yet most of the residents do not have the surname Zhang. In any case, after the great turmoil, the common people have settled down again

Zhang Chao asked him with a smile

This year, we defeated Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, and it seems that peace is finally at hand. The days ahead will surely improve. Ke Wu is very optimistic, believing that life is getting better day by day, at least much better than during the chaotic years at the end of the Sui Dynasty. Having become a garrison soldier, he can spend a few months each year on foreign guard duty and training, which exempts him from corvée labor.

He and Zhang Laodie returned to Zhangjiagou last night, so apart from remembering that they had been climbing uphill, he has no other impressions. After walking dozens of miles yesterday, feeling cold and hungry, he simply ate some dry rations upon arriving home and then fell asleep in exhaustion

Old man Zhang had already gotten up early in the morning and was chopping firewood outside. On the bedside of Zhang Chao, there was a set of cloth clothes, a linen jacket with patches on it, but it still looked quite clean, likely belonging to old man Zhang himself

The bathing ditch is actually a small river that flows through the later generations of Lantian, Chang'an, and Baqiao. The Ba area consists of two closely adjacent plateaus, and Zhangjiagou is precisely the boundary that divides these two plateaus.

It seems that the people of the Tang Dynasty did not know how to build a heated bed. Suddenly, Zhang Chao had a flash of inspiration; could it be that he had found a way to become wealthy.

When Zhang Chao woke up in the morning, he realized that the place he had stayed in last night was not a house, but a cave dwelling. The cave was a simple earthen structure, consisting of only one room, with a small courtyard outside, quite rudimentary.

The name of the village, Gou, is also related to the terrain of the village of He and its library

Having finally confirmed his current position, Zhang Chao felt somewhat elated

However, this result surprised Zhang Chao. He recalled that during the Tang Dynasty, the equal-field system allocated one hundred mu of land per adult male, which included twenty mu of permanent land and eighty mu of allocated land. Yet, when it came to the military households, they were only allotted eighteen mu.

Each household is allocated one hectare of land, what you are referring to is the wide rural land distribution. In those areas, there are many public lands and few people, thus the government can allocate land according to the maximum limit of one hundred mu per household. However, we are in the capital region, a truly narrow rural area, with a large population and limited land, where there is not enough land to allocate. Being able to allocate eighteen mu is already quite good

Isn't this the White Deer Plain of later generations

Living in a dilapidated cave in the icy and snowy wilderness, with drafts blowing through, one can wake up several times during the night from the cold

However, apart from Zhang Chao's rough appearance, Ke Wu's speech and behavior are not much different from those of ordinary Han people

In fact, in later generations, these three counties were almost entirely within the boundaries of Lantian County

In the words of Ke Wu, during the summer season, when the weather is hot, everyone would go to the ditch to bathe together every evening. Over time, this ditch came to be known as the bathing ditch.

Before the Tang Dynasty, Ningmin County was also known as Bailu County. This name change occurred because there were a large number of Qiang people, such as the Ke Wu, who were relocated and settled in the area of Bailu Plain. Consequently, it was later renamed Ningmin County, with the name originally derived from the immigrants from Ningzhou in Gansu Province.

The Ke family used to possess some land, therefore during the land distribution, the local populace received their share of land, but it was primarily the public land here. After the distribution numbers were calculated, when the land was finally allocated, it was necessary to deduct the private land that the landlords already owned.

The dark-faced man who returned together yesterday approached with a load of water buckets, smiling at Zhang Chao. Zhang Chao had returned with him yesterday and already knew that this dark-faced man was skilled with a bow and was also a good hunter. He was from the same village, but his surname was not Zhang; it was Ke, and his name was Ke Wu. According to Zhang Laopo, Ke Wu's ancestors were Qiang people from Longyou, who later migrated here. Originally, their surname was Ke Ba, but it was later changed to Ke.

At the very least, another cellar must be built; otherwise, he cannot continue to share a bed with his father. The new cellar is not an urgent matter for the time being, but Zhang Chao believes that there is one thing that must be constructed immediately

Thirty acres of land sounds like a considerable amount; however, the land in Zhangjiagou is inferior to that of other villages, and the agricultural technology of this era is also underdeveloped, leading to extensive planting with minimal harvests

Ke Wu can be considered a native of Zhangjiagou, while Zhang Laodie is actually a newcomer who settled here.

Specifically, it should be the valley between the Dizhai Plateau and the Paoli Plateau in later generations. Standing in the village and looking south, that valley seems to be the future Whale Valley.

The garrison troops of the Tang Dynasty were primarily concentrated in the Guanzhong and Hedong regions. As a dynasty that relied mainly on the garrison system, the Tang also regularly rotated garrison forces from various regions to serve as guards in the capital.

In this village with only a few dozen households, there are more than twenty militia members organized under the same military office, albeit divided into several groups. Contrary to Zhang Chao's expectations, these militia members do not differ much from ordinary citizens; they are not military households but civilian households, and when not engaged in combat, they are also under the jurisdiction of the local government.

Before long, I will be promoted and receive a salary increase, become the general manager, assume the role of CEO, marry a beautiful and wealthy woman, and reach the pinnacle of my life. Just thinking about it makes me a bit excited, hehe ~ ~

Zhang Chao stepped out of the door, curiously surveying Zhangjiagou on a winter morning