Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 29

After going out of Nanxun Gate and heading south, after passing Chicang Town, the more you go, the more desolate you feel.Since the Jin Army came south, some people were killed, some people died of starvation, and some people escaped. The Central Plains, which was once the most prosperous place in the world, was almost a ghost land.

Wang Xiaohun rode on his horse, looked around, and said to Cao Zhiyan who was beside him, "I didn't expect it to be the same in the south of Kaifeng."

Cao Zhiyan said: "Last year, the Jinmen attacked Xiangyang all the way, and Caizhou in the south was not spared, but that's not the case. Fortunately, although Caizhou was also breached, Zhizhou handled it properly and suffered little damage. Coupled with the convenience of water transportation, grain The price is not high.”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "Yes, Jingxizhou County, Caizhou has the lowest food price right now."

After staying in Kaifeng for nearly ten days, Wang Xiaohun slowly learned about the surrounding situation.The prefectures in the western part of Beijing were smashed by the Jin army, and their population was plundered. Now they are in a difficult situation.Jingdong is slightly better, but Zhao Gou has always been in that area, and most of the materials have been requisitioned.Now near Kaifeng House, only Caizhou has the lowest food price because of less damage and continuous river transportation.

After weighing it, Wang Xiaohun decided to go to Caizhou to buy food in person.When this matter spread, almost all the leaders in the capital felt that Wang Xiaohun was whimsical.However, Zong Ze did not stop him, and gave Wang Xiaohun an official document, asking the Caizhou government to help.

Wang Xiaohun asked Wang Yan and Yue Fei to help him take care of the troops in the capital.He himself took Cao Zhiyan and a hundred soldiers to Caizhou.

This is a very strange thing. The leaders of the capital all think that Wang Xiaohun is a strange person.At this time, there were many states and counties without officials around Kaifeng House.The army is short of food, so go grab some.Is it crazy to run hundreds of miles away and spend money?The gold and silver in the army are exchanged by the leaders for their lives, how can they be spent like this?
Thinking of this, Wang Xiaohun could only shake his head.

The so-called Rebels of Kaifeng House, like Wang Xiaohun, evolved from the division of King Qin.Most are thieves.To call these people gang thieves is not to slander them, they are.Because of Zongze, these people temporarily united and gathered in Kaifeng Mansion.It's just that although they follow Zongze's orders, they go their separate ways and are responsible for the logistics themselves.

Wang Xiaohun was naturally different from them.He wants to save the world and usher in a new era.

On the fourth day, we have passed Shangcai County.Wang Xiaohun asked the guide about the distance, and ordered the entire army to camp on the spot and arrive in Caizhou tomorrow.

This area is an endless plain, fertile and wild.Only after the chaos, the population was sparse, and many villages were deserted.There was such a small village where Wang Xiaohun's army camped.Fifty or sixty families, not a single person.

In the village, there are chickens and dogs raised by the original farmers. They are unattended and run around everywhere.Wang Xiaohun sent a few people to catch them, and they were able to improve the food at night.During the day, his body became numb immediately, so he took Cao Zhiyan and strolled around.

Before I knew it, I came to the back of the village, a small soil slope, overgrown with miscellaneous trees.There is a small stream next to the slope, and the clear stream bottoms out.

Wang Xiao hunted: "I don't know if there are any fish in this stream. If there are big ones, I will catch two and eat them."

Cao Zhiyan said, "Where can there be any big fish in this kind of water? Small fish have no flesh and are thorny, so they waste fuelwood in vain."

Wang Xiaohun smiled and didn't mention it again.In this era, there are many fish in the rivers and lakes in various places, not big fish, and no one eats them.It's not like the later generations, as long as there are wild rivers, no matter how small the fish are caught and eaten, they think it is delicious.

Turning around Xiaotupo, Cao Zhiyan suddenly said: "Xiaosheren, look there, what are the two people doing?"

Wang Xiaochae followed the direction Cao Zhiyan pointed.I saw two little figures lying on the ground, looking at themselves curiously.

With a tightness in his heart, Wang Xiaohun raised his waist knife and walked forward with Cao Zhiyan.When I got to the front, I saw that they were two children, one looked like eight or nine years old, and the other was only five or six years old.

Putting his mind at ease, Wang Xiaohun asked, "Are you from this village? Why are you here? Where are the others?"

The young child said: "We are from the village in front of us, and we grew up here since we were young."

Wang Xiaohun smiled and said, "You're not too old now. What about the rest of the village? What are you doing here?"

The boy said, "Last winter, there were people from Jin who passed by here, and most of the villagers were killed. Those who didn't kill were detained by them. I heard they were going to the Northland. I don't know where the Northland is. Far."

When Wang Xiaohun heard this, his relaxed mood suddenly became heavier.Along the way, this is a problem I don't want to face.

Last year, the Jin Army traversed thousands of miles and broke through dozens of states in the west of Beijing, causing astonishing damage.The more prosperous and convenient the transportation is, the more serious the damage will be.Most of the villages were burned and looted.Occasionally someone was lucky enough to escape, but few.

The village is on the side of the road.When I wanted to come to the Jin Army to attack Caizhou, I passed by here and grabbed it by the way.The young and old slaughtered, and the young and middle-aged men and women robbed them and returned to the north as slaves.These two children should be lucky to escape and become the only remaining population in the village.

After calming down for a while, Wang Xiaohun asked, "What are your names? What are you doing here? We are court officials, you don't have to be afraid. The golden man has gone far and won't come back for a while."

The younger child said, "My name is Sun Wulang, and this brother's name is Qingtou—"

Wang Xiaohun looked at the older child with a big birthmark on his face, thinking it was the origin of his name.

Sun Wulang continued: "After Jin Bing left, there are only two of us left in the village. We can find something to eat every day and stay at my house. If people from the village come back one day, don't find them."

Wang Xiaohun sighed secretly.The people in this village, I'm afraid they won't be able to come back.The Jin army invaded southward, and the population loss caused to the Song Dynasty was far more than half in many places.In this catastrophe, unless God favors, those who can be sent to the north as slaves are lucky.

Without thinking about this, Wang Xiaohun asked, "What are you two doing here? We are the official army, so you don't have to be afraid. Just go back to the village."

Sun Wulang said: "We are not afraid. The cats here are the children of the old cats in the village. We feed them every day. It's just that the little feces have disappeared in the past two days, and the two of us are looking for it every day. "

Wang Xiaohun looked around, but did not see the shadow of the cat.Thinking about it, he was afraid of strangers, so he hid.

Seeing Wang Xiaohun's appearance, Sun Wulang clapped his hands and jumped into the ditch next to him, holding two cats in his arms.put it on the ground.Pointing to a raccoon cat, he said, "This is General Tan, this is just black charcoal. The one I didn't see had eye mucus in its eyes when I was a child and couldn't wipe it clean, so we named it the small eye mucus. The small eye mucus is the most well-behaved. , it's not timid, and we like it the most."

Wang Xiaohun looked at the two cats on the ground, lying there, watching his eyes full of vigilance.For a moment, I didn't know what to say.In this village, after the disaster, only two children and these two cats were left.

Children are innocent and there are many things they don't understand yet.They've seen the burn, they've gone through the fear, it's just that time flies for the kids, and a few months later it's like another world thing.Children who grew up in the war will have many mental health problems, but more people will choose to forget.Forget all of this and start their lives anew.

Looking at the two children, Wang Xiaohun didn't know how to comfort them.There are many such stories in the Central Plains.This era is a time for heroes to ride the battlefield, but to survive first.

After a lot of silence, Wang Xiaohun said: "In this chaotic world, life is impermanent, what can I do? You two children, it is not easy to survive. Let's leave here and follow me in the army. Although there is no glory or wealth, good or bad can Live safely."

Qingtou, who had been silent for a while, said, "If we leave with the officials, won't the people in the village find them when they come back?"

Wang Xiaohun smiled wryly.When the people from the village come back, they want God to help them a lot.Said: "If you are interested, come back in a few days and see if anyone comes back, won't it be fine?"

Qing Tou tilted his head and thought for a while, then nodded heavily: "What the official said is."

Wang Xiaohun said to Cao Zhiyan, "These two children, go back and let Wang Zhong take care of them. You should watch them along the way."

After he finished speaking, he pointed at Cao Zhiyan and said to the two of them, "This is the master in Qingliang Temple in the west. When the country was in trouble, he joined the WTO to take a knife and defend the country. You should follow him for the past few days, and then think of a solution when you return to Kaifeng. "

The two children didn't know what Wang Xiaohun was talking about, they just looked at Cao Zhiyan curiously.Qingliang Temple is not far from here. It is a famous large temple. The master in that temple must be very powerful.

Cao Zhiyan took the two children, and when he was about to leave, Sun Wulang suddenly turned his head and said to the ridge on one side: "Sanhua, the little eye shit is gone, you should live in its house. Wait for the little eye shit to come back, You have to give it back."

With the voice, a cat's head stuck out behind the ridge.It looks like a three-colored cat.

Wang Xiaohun didn't want to ask the story of the two children and the cats, but felt that his heart was blocked and he wanted to cry.

The sun has gone down, and the world has become misty.All kinds of flowers on the roadside are in full bloom and colorful.The surrounding flat farmland was overgrown with weeds, and no one could be seen.

The cool wind blew from somewhere and brushed people's faces.It blew on the mound next to it, and it made a rattling sound.

(End of this chapter)