The Silent Reforms of Eldridge Chapter 69

We learned that the rebels did not arrive at the Ox King Camp and the house was not destroyed. The bandits walked to Twelve Lituo, eight miles away from my home, and ordered a vegetable vendor to lead the way in search of Zhuangzi, where I lived. Jianci treated the poor people very kindly in the countryside. The hawker, grateful for my mother's kindness, pretended to lead the way and escaped on the way. As a result, the bandits got lost and could not find my village. Those who killed Zhang Ba were local bandits seeking revenge, not Chang Mao.

On the 26th and 27th, there were fires in all the villages, and the Ba Temple was burned down. Bandits and long hairs harm each other. I hired twelve bearers in advance, and each of them was paid two hundred cash per day, and they were provided with breakfast and dinner, no matter where they were traveling or staying. Xiejiaji is only four or five miles away from Tieba, and traces of bandits have been found. It seems that Tieba is not stable either.

On the evening of the 28th, the village was buzzing with gongs and people. I closed the village gate tightly, and I, along with about fifty or sixty tenant servants and bearers, lay down at the edge of the village and lit the rope on fire. We have four pistols. I ordered Meng Tie and others to load enough bullets. Whenever they see the rebels entering the village, they will shoot and bombard them and make loud noises. In the dark night, the bandit army does not know our true and false intentions, so they must not dare to show off their power. Later, we heard the shouting gradually calming down, so we gathered up and returned.

Iron Dam is hard to sleep on, and there is no other place to go. There was a handyman named Wu Rong who had left, who was from the Xie family. He said that he had a sister who lived in Yuxingji Township and could stay there. I had no other option at that time, so I sent him to settle the matter. On the second day of junior high school, we moved from Tiebatou one after another. I went to the village to observe the situation and found that the village was close to the main road. There were as many people as ants leading the way, and the place in front of the village was full of people - it was not a safe place. Walking into the house, someone said to the homeowner: "How can we let this person live here? This person has a good reputation and will bring disaster to our village." It turned out that they thought that I had been a local magistrate in too many places and were worried about attracting people. The gangsters entered the village to spy, causing the village neighbors to be affected. I told them: "Don't worry, I only have a few clothes with me, so the gangsters won't be tempted by the money."

When I got up on the morning of the third day of the lunar new year, I personally surveyed the path in front and back of the house and saw a big stone. I asked Xiao Yu to climb on it and see what was behind the mountain. If it was tight, when the thieves arrived, I could carry my mother over the mountain first. Others can still walk. Unfortunately, there is also a road behind the mountain, and there is an endless stream of people fleeing - which makes it even more dangerous.