The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 328 Heading North

Dust was flying above the official road, and the dull and chaotic footsteps were accompanied by the flying dust, drifting away into the distance.

Chen Wang led the bay-red horse under his seat, walking not far from the side of the marching column, surrounded by a group of armored cavalry.

Looking up, there is a field full of wild grass.

The grass and trees are withered and yellow, and the branches are sparse. It is obviously the season of early spring, but there is not a trace of vitality, not even half of the lushness, only a bleak and dilapidated scene like autumn and winter.

Many of the residential villages lying in the distance have long been turned into ruins, without any human habitation.

On both sides of the official road are acres and acres of fields, but not a single farmer is working on them.

Withered and yellow weeds are scattered on the fields, and most of the fields are covered with soil and water, and there are cracks everywhere caused by drought.

Spider-web-like cracks stretched all the way toward the distant sky.

Everything in front of him made Chen Wang couldn't help but have the illusion that he had returned to Shaanxi in the eighth year of Chongzhen. Some blurry scenes in the past became clear again at this moment.

Along the way, there were refugees lying on the ground dead of hunger and freezing to death, and many of the corpses were even mostly rotten.

It's obviously the human world, but it's like being in purgatory.

The death state of people who starve to death is extremely horrific. When they die, it seems that even their flesh and blood have dried up.

Under that thin skin, there was almost no flesh and blood...

On the side of the official road, there was another group of hundreds of refugees walking south along the official road.

These people came from the north, hungry people fleeing famine.

When encountering the army, they did not dare to block the army's advance. They could only leave the official road and walk not far away.

They didn't dare to run away. How could a two-legged man outrun a four-legged war horse? They could only walk sideways and continue walking cautiously, for fear that if something went wrong, they would be killed.

Chen Wang's face was gloomy. Along the way north, they didn't know how many hungry people they had encountered who were fleeing south.

Refugees fleeing the famine gather in groups and huddle together for warmth. Countless events along the way can bring them threats.

Cold weather, harsh living environment, elusive horse bandits, rogue bandits everywhere, and extreme shortage of food...

Chang Guoan's death is still of great value to Chen Wang.

Although Chang Guoan's behavior as a chess piece was not up to standard, with the help of Chang Guoan, Chen Wang obtained a detailed map of the Yunxiang Mountain District.

With the help of the newly established inspection station, it has been connected with many gathering places of mountain people in these places.

In these mountainous areas, the mountain people gather together in the valleys between the mountains and are self-sufficient.

Then as time went by, coupled with the need to avoid the government and the need to protect themselves, they finally gathered together to form a large-scale gathering place, basically living together in the form of the original region.

Large-scale gathering places are naturally organized, and the organizational structure of each large-scale mountain people gathering place is different.

However, the same thing is that the organization is relatively loose. Although there is a leader to manage, there is no food or tax collection. All the people are soldiers. When encountering foreign enemies, everyone will take up arms to fight against them. The folk customs are extremely tough.

These gathering points for mountain people are recognized by the government, and they need to pay a certain amount of taxes on time every year. However, compared with the outside world, the taxes are not heavy.

Everything is a product of compromise.

Chen Wang contacted these mountain people and used the simplest way to improve the relationship.

They sell things that are not found in the mountains and things that are hard to find, such as salt, and then buy precious items such as animal skins and herbs from the mountains.

Not only can you keep in touch and maintain relationships with the mountain people, but you can also earn the price difference and make a lot of money.

There is a newly opened commercial bank called "Tongxinxing" in Yunyang Prefecture. Except for the grassroots personnel except Lifu, all the management personnel of the commercial bank are officers from the Supervision Office.

The trading bank is specifically responsible for transactions with the gathering places of mountain residents in the Yunyang Mountain area.

It turns out that there were many trading houses doing the same business, but since the bandits came, the market has been cut off.

Then after Chang Guoan came, because Chen Wang also gave orders, most of the caravans trading with the mountain people were looted by him, so there was a short window period.

Chen Wang had already thought of this aspect when he got on the line with Yunyang Guard Commander Kang Ruiwu in Yunyang Fucheng.

After the military took over a lot of areas, Chen Wang used the troops and horses in his hands to take charge of the Yunyang Mansion.

As well as Kang Ruiwu, a local snake, with the help of detailed maps, Chen Wang has actually monopolized all business dealings with the mountain people.

The profits brought by trade are undoubtedly huge. The Yunxiang Mountain Area is extremely vast. Just from trading with the mountain people in Yunyang Prefecture, the annual silver earned has exceeded 100,000 taels.

As subsequent transactions deepen, this number will only increase.

If you have soldiers and power, you will have money. Chen Wang has also begun to take over the private salt business and mining business in Yunyang Mansion.

As the distance continued to get closer, the group of refugees fleeing the famine became clearer and clearer in Chen Wang's field of vision.

They used tattered straw ropes as belts and tied their bellies tightly, as if this could reduce some of the hunger in their bellies.

He was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket that was covered with patches. It was said to be a cotton-padded jacket, but it wasn’t actually very thick, and he didn’t know how much cotton was inside.

Everyone in the team was unkempt and looked like they hadn't taken a shower for a long time.

The men had hunched backs, carrying some pots and pans, and the only things they had at home.

Some crudely made carts were being dragged forward with some black and torn quilts placed on them.

In this day and age, even the bark of the grass and trees has been eaten by people, so how could there be any animals to help pull the cart? Women, either holding children or carrying baggage, followed the cart and tried their best to help push the cart.

It's just that most of them are thin and don't actually have much strength.

All the people were hunched, with their heads lowered, without any energy at all, as if they were walking corpses.

Scenes like this have appeared countless times along the way.

When Chen Wang first led troops from Yunyang Prefecture into Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province, he would also use part of the military rations to distribute to these refugees, guiding them to flee in the direction of Yunyang Prefecture.

But now, as it goes deeper and deeper into Henan, the army's food and grass have gradually begun to be unable to be guaranteed.

The original grain and grass could also be transported from Yunyang Prefecture and Xiangyang Prefecture.

There is also food and grass in the southern part of Nanyang Mansion that can be supported.

But after entering the north, problems with food and grass began.

The prefectures and counties passing through could not provide much food at all. If there was food in the official warehouse, how could there be so many hungry people in Henan Province?

As for the landowners and gentry, they only care about their own family situation, so how can they be willing to donate food.

It is difficult to supply food to the army, so how can we distribute precious food to these refugees?

There was a sudden commotion among the refugee team, and the team that was originally advancing slowly stopped.

Zhao Huailiang's expression shivered slightly, he pulled out the Yan Fei Dao from his waist, and drove his horse in front of Chen Wang. All the armored knights guarding Chen Wang grasped their weapons.

The riders wandering between the fields on both sides of the official road also came a little closer to the team at this moment.

Chen Wang raised his hand to stop the commotion of the armored knight beside him.

The commotion in the refugee team occurred because a person fell to the ground.

The cries of children came from the ranks of refugees.

The person who fell down seemed to be a woman, because right beside her, two children, one large and one small, were sitting on the ground.

"Auntie..."

The crying sound in the team came from the position of the two children.

Chen Wang stared at the movements of the crowd. Someone stepped forward, knelt on the ground, checked, and then probed the breath of the woman who fell to the ground. The final response was a long sigh and a shake of the head.

it is more than words……

Life, separation and death are all too common in today's world.

Someone stepped forward and picked up the smaller child, while the other slightly older child was pulled to stand up.

Not long after, the fleeing team began to move forward again.

The difference was that this time there was a sound of crying lingering among the team.

But the crying could not stop their footsteps, nor did it make the team stop again.

This woman was not the only one who fell on the way to escape.

The dead are gone, so are the living.

For those who are still alive, they still need to continue to escape, continue to move forward strongly, and continue to try their best to survive.

The body of the dead woman lay quietly on the ground, with no one burying it or disposing of it.

Everyone is hungry and their physical strength is limited, so how can they waste it on these things.

"Headquarters..."

Zhao Huailiang, who was following Chen Wang, had red eyes and a trembling voice.

He wanted to say something, but he knew he shouldn't say it.

Zhao Huailiang did not finish his next words. He tightened the reins in his hands and turned his head hard not to look at the refugees fleeing the famine.

No one spoke, everyone fell into silence, and everyone looked away.

Whether it was the armored cavalry following Chen Wang or the infantry marching on the official road.

The tragic situation of these refugees reminded them of their miserable past.

They were once one of the refugees. In order to have food and a way to survive, they did not hesitate to sell their children, leave their homes, wander around, and even be drafted into the army by bandits and wander around.

They have all experienced the pain of being separated from their wives and children, and the feeling of hunger.

It is precisely because they have experienced the same pain and suffered the same suffering that what they see in front of them makes them feel more sympathetic.

The crying sound became smaller and smaller, and further and further away, until finally it disappeared completely.

The last thing left on the official road was the sound of people and horses marching on the ground.

　There is only one chapter for the time being. There was an unexpected situation today and a lot of things have been modified. Two chapters will be updated tomorrow.

　　(End of this chapter)