Chapter 218 Prisoner Camp

In a tent in the Jurgen military camp, Saimar was led in by Serdan. At this time, it was dark outside, but the room was as bright as day. Saimar looked around in surprise, and saw something emitting light on the roof.

White light.

In a daze, Serdan patted Saimar on the shoulder and introduced to Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng who were sitting behind the table in the tent: "Sir, this is Saimar."

Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng stood up, smiled and said, "Please sit down."

Serdan introduced: "This is Mr. Zhao, and this is Mr. Liu."

Saimar didn't dare to breathe at this time. When he heard that the two burly men in front of him were the chief and deputy leaders of Beihai Town, he quickly knelt down to salute and said: "Saimar, a villager in Wuktun, Qiheichen Township,

Meet you two adults."

Serdan said: "I've told you, adults don't like people kneeling, so get up quickly."

Saimar stood up quickly, bowed and pointed to what the guards behind him were holding, and said: "This is a gift that Lord Ningguta Deputy Dutongna asked me to bring specially for you. Please accept it."

The guard carefully placed the two brocade boxes, one large and one small, on the table, then saluted and stood in the corner. The big box was more than one meter long. Liu Sheng opened it and saw that it contained

The root of a ginseng root must be as big as Liu Sheng's hand. The surface is lumpy and the whiskers are covered with thick moss, making it difficult to tell how long they are.

Saimal hadn't said anything yet. When Serdan saw the ginseng, he couldn't help but gasped and his eyes widened.

"This is a wild ginseng that is more than a hundred years old! It is said to be able to revive human flesh and bones."

Saimar smiled slightly, stretched out two fingers and gestured: "Two hundred years. The beard is more than four feet long."

He Shen's trick was purely to impress the blind man. Whether it was Zhao Xin or Liu Sheng, they didn't understand ginseng at all. So they had to pretend to nod to express their satisfaction.

Zhao Xin stretched out his hand to open the small box. Inside were dozens of pearls the size of his little finger. They became more and more crystal clear under the light. Zhao Xin estimated the size and found that it was about 7~8mm in diameter. If this was Director Liu,

If you see it, you will definitely scream.

Zhao Xin still doesn't understand this thing. On a certain platform in another time and space, 14mm freshwater pearls only cost more than 300 yuan each. Why not give some gold as a gift? How about two Song Dynasty calligraphy and paintings.

After closing the lid, Zhao Xin once again pointed to a chair opposite the table and said, "Please sit down."

Saimar bowed and said: "I don't dare! I will see the power of these two adults today. I am really frightened."

Zhao Xin smiled and said, "Are you from Hezhe?"

"yes."

"Where has the generosity of the Hezhe people gone in you? You went to the capital and married a Manchu wife. How did you become a mother-in-law?"

Saimar said sarcastically: "That villain is offended." After saying that, he sat down, raised his head and said to Zhao Xin: "I made you laugh. Your official words are really good."

Zhao Xinxin said that if I were to say Pianer Tang, you would be completely dizzy.

"Tell me. So why did Qitai ask you to come?" Liu Sheng asked with a frown.

"Yes, that's it. The general asked the villain to come here to check on the master."

Liu Sheng interrupted: "You want to see the condition of those prisoners, right?"

"Yes." Saimar let out a long breath and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his temples, thinking that he was really tired!

Liu Shengdao: "The conditions of the prisoners are all very good now. We have tried our best to treat the injured, and some of the amputees have survived."

"Huh?!" Saimar was a little surprised. He felt that the other party was telling lies. In this era, if a person loses his arms and legs, the chance of survival is very slim.

Liu Sheng said: "If you don't believe it, I can take you to see it tomorrow."

"Don't dare!" Saimar felt his mouth was dry. He didn't expect that the other party actually let him see the prisoner. He thought for a while and continued to ask: "Then the general asked the villain to ask, how can the two adults be released?

these people."

Okay, it's time for Zhao Xin to take action.

"Pay the money and let him go. As for how much it will cost, I might as well reveal a number to you. You go back and show it to Na Qitai and let them think about it. The number of Qing soldiers we captured this time is."

Zhao Xin lowered his head and glanced at the numbers on the paper in front of him. "Eighteen thousand and two hundred and sixty-five people. Among them, there were 2,135 wounded and 633 seriously wounded. As for those killed by us,

The Qing army numbered 5,722. Some of them fled into the mountains, but we have not found them yet. Considering the current weather, if they are not local residents, they may not survive this winter."

"Ah!" Saimar was so shocked that his teeth began to chatter with fear. He didn't expect that the court would be defeated so miserably! But Zhao Xin's next words shocked him even more.

"Have you arrived at Ninggu Pagoda with your Excellency and Zhongtang?"

"Big, big, big sir, this, this little people really don't know."

"He Shen?" Liu Sheng was also very surprised. He turned around and asked, "He is here? How did you know?"

"He is confused. But from the look on his face, it seems that I was mistaken." Zhao Xin pointed at the two boxes on the table and said, "Two-hundred-year-old ginseng and Dadongzhu are tributes under the direct control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

.In the Northeast, the Daxiu La Yamen is responsible for this, and General Jilin cannot interfere. Even if Na Qitai had ten courages, he would not dare to bring tributes to us. The only person who can take charge of this is the minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or

It means that the chief manager of Dashou Ula Yamen got Qianlong's secret order. Which one do you think is the most likely?"

Liu Sheng curiously asked Saimar: "What does He Shen look like? Is he fat, with a round face, a mustache, and a wicked smile?"

"." The Manchu son-in-law was dumbfounded by the question. He looked at Zhao and Liu in confusion, speechless at all.

Zhao Xin smiled and said: "Saimar, when you go back, you can tell all the villagers that whether they are Hezhe Feyaka, Kuye Feyaka, Xibe or Oroqen, or even other ethnic groups, we welcome everyone to come to Fuldan City to do business.

.If you want to come here to work part-time to earn money, we welcome you. In two or three years, we will turn this place into the largest town outside the customs."

"Ah?" Saimar hasn't woken up yet.

"Although you are the son-in-law of the Manchus, we welcome you to do business. Serdan must have told you about the things you want to exchange this time. After visiting the prisoner camp tomorrow, you can go back quickly with your things.

I’m afraid the guy at Ninggu Pagoda is already waiting impatiently.”

As soon as Zhao Xin finished speaking, Liu Sheng added: "We welcome anyone who is doing business honestly and working to make money. If you dare to be a spy of the Manchu Qing and come to us to cause damage, then don't blame us for being rude!"

After Liu Sheng finished speaking, he slapped his hand on the table, making Saimar sit down on the ground in fright.

"Don't dare! Don't dare!" Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng were both trying to win over each other, while the other was trying to be a bad person. They were half trying to win over each other, half beating them up, which made Saimar both shocked and frightened.

Zhao Xin still had a smile on his face. "That's it. Serdan will take you to visit the prisoner camp tomorrow morning."

After the others were taken away by Serdan, Liu Sheng asked Zhao Xin: "He Shen is in Ninggu Pagoda, should we deal with him?"

Zhao Xin rolled his eyes and said, "Why do we deal with him? If you deal with him, who will pay the ransom? Who dares to negotiate with us again?"

Liu Shengdao: "He is the most corrupt official in history!"

"He is not greedy for us. Qianlong is not in a hurry. Why are you so anxious? This man is actually a capable official, but he is not used in the right place."

Early the next morning, Saimar and two of his men, led by Serdan, arrived at the area where Qing prisoners of war were held five miles north of Jurgen City.

As the old saying goes, if there are tens of thousands of people, there is no limit. This large-scale Qing army prisoner-of-war camp had so many people that most of Beihai Town's troops in Fuldan City were sent to guard the prisoners.

The entire prisoner-of-war camp was divided into twenty-one areas, with each area holding about a thousand prisoners of war; the wounded were divided into two areas and held separately. All prisoner-of-war camps were surrounded by wooden fences and barbed wire, with four corners.

There were sentries and wireless cameras were set up. The residences of the Qing prisoners of war in the camp were just underground cellars.

It is said that cave dwelling was a common way of living for the Jurchens before the Jin Dynasty, and it has continued to be lived in until the 21st century. The so-called "houseless house, surrounded by mountains and rivers, with raised beams on top, covered with soil."

There was no other way to build a cellar. When the battle with the Qing army ended, it was already late August. In order to resettle the prisoners as soon as possible, Chen Qingsong proposed to dig a cellar. This was much less troublesome than building a wooden house and also saved money.

A large amount of wood. Don’t look at it as just a cellar, but once it’s built, it’s no worse than a wood carving.

When it comes to the construction of prisoner camps, Chen Qingsong is thinking very long-term. Because once the Qing prisoners of war are gone, the refugees from Henan and Shandong who will come next year will also have to arrange accommodation first. Cleaning the vacated underground cellars can temporarily

Several families live here.

The cellars where the prisoners of war lived were facing south and facing north, with thirty people living in each cell. When digging, a rectangular four-foot-deep pit was first dug, and then rough trimmed logs were used to erect the middle height and two sides of the pit.

Several rows of short house pillars, and purlins are laid on the pillars; the outer edge of the purlins should be resting on the ground beside the pit. The purlins on the roof should be tied with thick withered grass and branches, and finally covered with half a foot of black soil and compacted

.In addition to the doorway on the south, a light-transmitting window must be left in the southeast corner, and the remaining parts between the roof and the ground should be sealed with earth walls.

Outside the cellar, a half-meter-high earthen wall is also built around the house to prevent people from stepping on it. If the earthen wall is not erected, the roof will collapse if people walk on it.

After this thing is built, it looks like half above ground and half underground from the outside. The height of the indoor space is about two meters. As soon as you enter the house, you will see a large inverted U-shaped shop with a two-meter-wide aisle in the middle.

.

The entire bed is made of wooden frames, about half a meter high from the ground. The wooden planks are covered with thick urala grass. Although the cellar is warm in winter and cool in summer, it is impossible to stay in without a fire. So in the middle of the corridor is

There were several heating stoves made of large gasoline barrels, and the heating fuel was also wood. The stoves converted from gasoline barrels surprised all the prisoners. In this era, a large iron pot was usually placed on the fire to keep warm.

The bunks of the prisoners in the underground cellar are also ranked according to seniority. The ones with the highest status are those facing the north. The generals who garrisoned the Eight Banners in various places and the Eight Banners in Beijing usually sleep here. Those with the lower status sleep on the east and west sides, and those with the lowest status are closest to the highest.

Cold door.

The prisoners' food consisted of cornmeal and pickles. Each person's daily ration was half a pound of cornmeal (eight taels) and two taels of salty pickled radish. Whether they were making porridge, steaming steamed buns, or making pancakes, the prisoners in each house made them themselves.

Rice, cornmeal and pickles are distributed once a day. If you miss the time to receive them, the thirty people in the room will go hungry.

When it comes to the life of the banner people in the mid-Qing Dynasty, it was actually not that extravagant and luxurious. Individual princes and nobles cannot represent the whole population. Although those banner people who were officials had salary and gifts from the court, they still lived in simple clothes and struggled to make a living.

In life, once you resign or are dismissed from office, your family's livelihood is often stretched thin. If you encounter a shortage of grain or a famine year, your life will be equally miserable.

During the Qianlong period, many bannermen stationed in the Eight Banners had to make a living on their own, living frugally, working, teaching, or doing business to solve the temporary problem of food and clothing. However, such self-reliant bannermen accounted for only a small part, and they were absolutely

Most of the banner people are still idle and rely on government relief. Once they are in trouble, they live on the streets and beg for food.

In a cellar in Camp No. 5, a soldier Buddha statue with a white flag from the Jingying Firearms Camp was carefully cooking cornmeal porridge over the fire. When the porridge was almost ready, he took a wooden bowl and scooped out the thick rice porridge.

He took two big spoons and slowly walked to the bunk at the north end and placed them on the edge of the Kang. He respectfully said to a man in his forties sitting on it: "Sir, the porridge is ready. Please use it."
To be continued...