Yi Song

Chapter 109 The shocking camp of victims

"How is it?" Liu Guozhang asked.

Zhou Juan and Yue Fei looked at each other, and the older and more stable Zhou Juan spoke.

"Brother Erlang, there are 60,000 to 70,000 victims in the Wanlong Ridge camp. They are divided into households. Pengju and I visited in disguise, and there was an undercurrent inside."

"Oh, tell me about the situation."

"We entered the camp, and it was like a hell on earth. Starving people could be seen everywhere, and emaciated corpses were randomly buried in the wasteland on the hillside not far away. A group of wild dogs and jackals gathered there, looking at people with fearful eyes. The bones were dug up It's everywhere.

The camp was lifeless, and the people were not fully clothed. Families often huddled together to keep each other warm. Broken earthen pots and rotten porcelain pots were used as pots to cook unknown things.

Ren Yazi walks through it. A bushel of millet can be exchanged for a big girl, and a sack of old rice can be used to hire a young man as a livestock. I heard that there were too many victims of the disaster this year. People in the Gyeonggi area were desperately trying to buy people, draining their wealth and they really couldn’t afford it.

We can only wait until spring, when people from other places come to see if they can buy some back. But I don’t know that these disaster victims are still waiting for the beginning of spring. "

Liu Guozhang's face was heavy, "Is the situation so serious?"

"Yes. Brother Erlang, not only that, we also saw strong men forming gangs and gangs of bandits in the camp, bullying weak old women and children wantonly. I heard that every time the government provides relief, or good people donate clothes and porridge, these people will hold strong They took the food and clothes and resold them for money, or used them to blackmail the victims."

"You bastards! How dare they do such an unscrupulous thing and end their descendants!"

"Brother Erlang, we also saw some people leading the victims to burn incense and open altars mysteriously. It seems to be some kind of evil cult."

"Mostly the Vegetarian Demon Cult and the Ming Cult." Liu Guozhang replied solemnly.

"Ah, what kind of teaching is this? Is there any difference?"

"They all come from Manichaeism, which came from the Western Regions in the Tang Dynasty and later spread to various places. In Huainan, it is called Erzhuzi, in western Zhejiang and northern Zhejiang, it is called Muniism, in Jiangdong it is called Siguohui, and in Jiangxi it is called Jingang Chan. In eastern Zhejiang, Fujian, it is called Mingjiao.

Erzhuzi and the Munich sect are also called the Vegetable-eating Devil sect. They have completely inherited the violent and lustful evil of Manichaeism. They use killing to prove the Tao and are not afraid of death. He advocates achieving great righteousness through fighting and killing people.

The Four Fruits Association and Vajra Zen are basically branches of Mingjiao. Mingjiao eliminates the violent and adulterous elements in Manichaean teachings, integrates Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, values ​​harmony, cultivates the mind, and is completely localized. "

Yue Fei said with admiration: "Brother knows so much."

Ever since he received his last words from his eldest brother and later guessed Fang Tianbao's true identity, he had to inquire and research in secret before he knew it so clearly.

Zhou Juan was only thinking about giving away clothes and porridge later, "Brother Erlang, there are so many victims, they are hungry and cold, and there are evil people secretly gathering inside. I'm worried that something might happen."

"I'm worried about that too."

"big eyes!"

"exist!"

"You immediately go back to the city, find Yang Liulang, mobilize five hundred flower men, and ask Brother Wang and Master Chen to bring them over. Remember to bear the banner of Suzaku Guard."

"Yes."

"Get rid of the disease, Brother Fei,"

"exist!"

"When you see something is wrong later, follow my orders to protect the palace master's ox cart and the courtyard master's mount to fight out. No matter who it is, anyone who dares to block your way will be killed by me!"

"Yes."

"Here's the order. If we get separated, everyone will gather at the bridge in the north of Guojia Town."

"Yes."

The team walked slowly to the vicinity of Wanlong Ridge and saw densely packed shacks erected on the hillside wilderness. Use wooden boards, branches, turf, leaves, and various materials, as long as they can protect you from wind and rain.

Thousands of victims were moving in and out, like worms and ants. Seeing a line of carriages and horses approaching, they gathered around them one after another. There was an official in a green robe, and he took two to three hundred people with him to build a shed, set up pots, and set up many wooden stands to serve as horses and deer.

"The county lieutenant (Note 1) of Yangwu County, Chu Linxuan, respectfully welcomes Emperor Kangfu, Emperor Shuming and the governor."

"Captain of Chu County, no courtesy!" Liu Guozhang acted as the representative, dismounted from his horse and stepped forward with his hands in his hands, "This time the two empresses are giving me clothes and porridge, so I'm sorry for the trouble of Lieutenant of Chu County."

"Oh, it should be. There are so many victims in Yangwu County, and they are in so much trouble. I feel heartbroken when I see them, but I am helpless. The two empresses are kind-hearted and can save some. All of them are human lives."

Chu Linxuan was less than thirty years old, with a sad look on his face.

"You look very experienced?" Liu Guozhang pointed at the horse-rejecting mulu and said.

"Alas, these victims are starving. Every time they give clothes and porridge, it is very chaotic. In addition, there are many gangsters inside who bully the weak and rob the weak of clothing and food. It is very tragic and dozens of lives have been lost. Add These horse-repelling wood deer can be of some use."

Chu Linxuan looked at the hundreds of cavalry guards behind Liu Guozhang wearing red robes and wearing the banner of the Suzaku Guard, as well as one or two hundred civilians unloading goods.

"Liu Erlang's reputation is far and wide, and he should be able to suppress those bad guys with impure thoughts."

Liu Guozhang couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

Clothes and food were all taken off the oxcart and stacked on the ground in piles. Bag after bag of old rice was poured into the boiling pot. After a while, the aroma of porridge wafted up, and countless victims began to pour over.

Liu Guozhang signaled to Yue Fei, and he jumped up to a high place, holding a large trumpet made of iron sheet, and shouted loudly.

"Today is Houde Palace and Lingguang Academy. They are giving food and clothes to everyone. Please come in line. Don't jump in line, don't grab, don't make trouble, otherwise, military law will be used and you will be severely punished!"

I shouted three times in a row, but the victims seemed to hear me, but they didn't seem to hear me. They just walked forward numbly, unkempt and naked, like zombies.

When the first batch of victims took the hot porridge in the wooden bowl and poured it into their mouths regardless of how hot it was, it was like a fire setting off an ant nest, and the crowd was instantly in chaos.

People, regardless of gender, old or young, squeezed forward with red eyes and all their strength. They were like hungry ghosts crawling out of hell, with ferocious faces, and they rushed towards the pots of porridge without any care.

At this time, they only have food in their eyes and nothing else. Family ties, human relations, and shame are all forgotten by them.

Zhao Wuniang, Li Shishi, Xu Xiniang, and Xiang Zhuer were so frightened that their faces turned pale. When they saw the groups of victims, their eyes were red. Apart from the desire to survive, they could no longer see any trace of humanity.

They bent over like wild beasts emerging from the mountains and forests, with ferocious looks in their eyes, eager to eat the porridge and people together.

"What happened to these people?" Xiang Zhuer was so frightened that she hid in Master Li's arms and cried.

Zhao Wuniang and Xu Xiniang hugged each other, shivering with fear. Murong Shisan's face was livid, and he held the hilt of the Qingfeng Sword tightly, his knuckles turning white.

The people who were making porridge retreated in fright. The Chu County Lieutenant led the people, waving sticks and desperately driving the crowd forward.

The head-broken crowd stagnated, and the turbulent momentum temporarily stopped.

Suddenly, two to three hundred men, young and strong, emerged from nowhere. They pushed forward and backward in the crowd, rushing left and right, causing chaos in the crowd.

He was still yelling in the middle: "After this round, it will be gone. If you don't want to starve to death, hurry up and grab it!"

They stepped on the heads and bodies of countless old, weak, women and children, rushed to the front, and loaded porridge in various containers, eager to take away the pots.

Seeing this, the people went crazy again, even crazier than before. They pushed forward with all their strength, foaming at the mouth and looking like ghosts.

Chu Linxuan and Minzhuang desperately resisted Juma Mulu, and beat the victims with sticks with their eyes closed as they tried to get over.

The sticks hit them with a dull sound.

It hurt, but it couldn't wake them from their madness. With the help of those two to three hundred strong men, the victims rushed over like a wave and were about to overwhelm Juma Mulu.

Note 1: The county magistrates in the Song Dynasty were first established by Zhao Da in order to compete with the local magistrates for power. Later, he gradually became the deputy of the county magistrate, responsible for public security, land tax collection and other tasks.

(End of this chapter)