Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 1 Braving the wind and rain, fleeing south in panic

It was raining heavily, like pillars, with lightning and thunder.

On the road from the capital to the south, a group of ragged people marched in the rain.Among them were noblemen in fancy clothes, scholars in Taoist clothes, and even more refugees in plain clothes.The muddy road made their clothes lose their original appearance, no matter how rich or poor they were, they all became the color of mud.

The entire north has been in drought for several months, with thousands of miles of barren land, and the first heavy rain this year did not bring any joy to passers-by.The woods beside the road either died of drought, or were eaten by hungry people and peeled off the bark, so that the people on the road didn't even have a place to hide.

Drought every year, epidemics and diseases rampant, coupled with the scourge of slaves and bandits taking turns, the entire land of Hebei is empty, and there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles.Most of the villages passing by along the road were also burned down, unable to shelter passers-by from wind and rain.

The road ahead was boundless, and the icy rain in April made Wang Yan feel desperate.

In March, the emperor left behind the edict "When I die, I will see my ancestors in the ground without a face. I will take off the crown to cover my face. Let the thieves split my corpse, and don't hurt one of the people." The family of twelve members of my mentor Liu Lishun voted for him. It has been more than a month since Wang Yan escaped from the capital, but he is still confused and can't see the direction.

If it wasn't for a voice in his mind telling him "Escape! Escape to the south! Even escape from Daming!" Wang Yan might have collapsed on the road long ago.

"Brother Shiheng!" An anxious call pulled Wang Yan back from his grief.He stopped, stood in the mud, followed his reputation, he was indeed the only court official in the team, Wai Xu Zhi, a member of the official staff.

For this Master Xu, Wang Yan was not happy in his heart. In his opinion, the situation in Ming Dynasty had deteriorated so much that the courtiers had an unshirkable responsibility.Now that the emperor has died for his country, as a minister, it is really hard for people to feel awe if he does not die for the king.But along the way, thanks to Master Xu's care, he still turned around and said, "Master Xu, what's the matter calling Wansheng?"

"Shi Heng doesn't need to be too polite." Xu Zhi's carriage drove up to Wang Yan. He waved the curtain with one hand and raised it slightly with the other. He looked at the drenched crowd and said, "It's raining heavily, and I don't know when it will be over." Hugh. If it's too long, I'm afraid that typhoid fever will recur, Shi Heng should tell everyone to avoid it quickly."

"My lord is right, but there is no shelter around here." In April, the northern land was already cold, and now everyone was drenched by the torrential rain. After a long time, they would inevitably be unable to escape a serious illness.Wang Yan was also anxious in his heart, but the land of Hebei was too dilapidated, and he, a scholar who had no strength to restrain a chicken, was also powerless.

"Ah! Last year, the typhoid epidemic in Henan broke out, sweeping across several prefectures, and the imperial army also went to seven or eight, resulting in the defeat of Sun Dudu. After this heavy rain, how many people in my group can survive?" Xu Zhi couldn't help feeling a little sad, he sighed, and hurriedly said to Wang Yan, "Shi Heng is weak, hurry up and get in the car to hide!"

"My lord's kindness, Wansheng appreciates it, but how can Wansheng ride in the same car with your lord and miss? It's absolutely impossible." Hearing this, Wang Yan was slightly taken aback, and when he thought of Xu Zhi's only daughter sitting in the car, he hesitated. He frantically refused.

"I have a friendship with a gentleman, Shi Heng, and there is no need to respect that customary etiquette." But Xu Zhi didn't listen to his words, and wanted to pull him into the car as soon as he stretched out his hand.

Wang Yan was standing by the car, and happened to be caught straight, but men and women, even though they were invited by their father, who can read sage books, how can they not stain the reputation of other young ladies.For a moment, his poverty was evident, and he could only keep saying "No! No!"

The two of them were pulling each other, which made Wang Yan very embarrassed.Just when he didn't know what to do, there was a sudden commotion in the front team, and then there was a cheer, "Look! There is a village ahead."

The two were slightly taken aback when they heard the words, and then they both looked happy.Xu Zhi let go of his hand in embarrassment, looked at Wang Yandao, "Shi Heng can quickly arrange for everyone to enter the village for shelter."

In fact, there was no need to command at all, the team had instinctively left the post road and rushed towards the village.In this era, if one gets sick or suffers from a cold, it is basically ten deaths and no life.Under the heavy rain, having a temporary shelter would undoubtedly increase the possibility of everyone surviving several times.

On the post road, the official army, the bandit army, and Jiannu turned over the soldiers. Most of the villages on both sides of the road were destroyed.

The village that Wang Yan and the others found was naturally deserted long ago. Fortunately, it was not burned down, and it can barely shelter from the wind and rain.He and his colleagues cleared up the bones of the village and chased away a few wild dogs with green eyes. Then he ordered people to watch and stewed some ginger soup to settle down.

After all the people have been arranged and some food has been eaten, it will be dark.

At this time, Xu Zhi had someone prepare clothes for him again, and after boiling hot water, Wang Yan took a comfortable bath.After more than a month of ordeal, when Wang Yan changed his Taoist uniform, took off the net towel, and put on a clean bunt, he still looked like a half-fine son, and clearly looked like a real tenant, mixed among the refugees, no one would know , he is a man of great talent.

In this era, ordinary people have a natural reverence for scholars and officials. Many people even deify them, thinking that they are gods descending from the earth, reincarnated from the stars in the sky.

This kind of thinking made Wang Yan a very high status among the refugees, and it was also the reason why he fled all the way, from being alone, to slowly gathering two hundred people.

The honorable master in the whole team did not want to have contact with civilians, so he reluctantly became a temporary team leader.

After washing away the dust all over his body, his tired body immediately felt much refreshed. Holding a borrowed broken umbrella, Wang Yan walked around the place where everyone was resting.After he was sure everything was safe, he felt relieved and walked back alone.

The place where he rests is very large. It can be seen that he used to live in a wealthy family. Although it is deserted now, it can still accommodate more than a hundred people. Straight father and daughter, Wang Yan, and several nobles and family members who fled south.

Back in the courtyard, Wang Yan found that there was already someone waiting in front of the house, but it was Miss Xu, who was dressed in Xiaosi's attire, standing on tiptoe and looking out of the courtyard.When she found Wang Yan who came in, she couldn't help but blushed, she saluted slightly, and whispered shyly: "My lord, it's getting cold, daddy asked me to give you a blanket."

This Miss Xu is only 13 years old this year, but she is already very good-looking, and she was born in a family of officials, so she naturally has a touch of elegance and beauty.

Such a woman should have grown up in the boudoir, learned the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, married into a wealthy family, or made a good story about being a gifted scholar and beautiful woman, but the change of dynasty made her go into exile with her father.

An ill-fitting men's suit was put on her petite and exquisite body. It looked a little funny, and it also made Wang Yan feel a little palpitated. He walked up to Miss Xu, bowed quickly, then took the blanket in her hand and said, "Miss Xu will send it to you personally." Come, please be sure to thank Mr. Xu on behalf of Wansheng."

"Prince Wang, you don't need to be too polite. Daddy said that you should support each other all the way down the road!" Xu Yanyan was still very curious about the young prince in front of her.

When she was still in the capital, she had heard of Wang Yan's talent, and the song "Liang Zhu" made her even more amazed.

In ancient times, when a woman married at fifteen, the age of thirteen was the age when a girl Huaichun was full of fantasy and longing for the future.

It's just that she is different from ordinary girls. She has been educated and sensible since she was a child, so she is not easy to take the initiative to approach, but she has observed the prince a lot along the way, but now that the two are so close, she dare not read.

Wang Yan didn't know what was going on in her mind. Looking at her shy appearance, he thought she was a little girl with a thin skin. He smiled and said, "Since that's the case, I won't be polite when I was born that night. I have to hurry tomorrow, Miss Xu, please hurry up." have a rest!"

Although Xu Yanyan still wanted to stay for a while, and wanted to know more about the kind of person who can write such a poignant story and melody like Liang Zhu, but after hearing Wang Yan's words, and it was getting late at this time, she could only slightly A salute, and then receded gracefully.

It was night, Wang Yan rolled the blanket and fell asleep on the wooden board.In his sleep, a series of bizarre scenes reappeared in his dreams.

In the dream, he was in a wonderful world, grotesque, every detail was inconceivable, which made him incomprehensible, but it was so real, like the real world, which made him lost and terrified, as if he had become a person who could see the future Saint!
He was wandering in his dream, when suddenly the screen turned, the background of the whole dream turned blood red, like Abi Hell, countless wailing sounds and terrifying scenes filled his dream, he wanted to wake up, but he couldn't wake up no matter what.He struggled and his whole body trembled on the board, sweat oozed from his forehead, and his clothes were drenched in a moment.

"What? Daming is dead!"

"Li Chuang failed to become a leader, and became a slave to rule the Central Plains!"

"Shave your hair and make it easy to wear, and those who don't follow will be cut off!"

On the moonlit night of the 24 bridge, the fireworks go down to Yangzhou in March.The prosperous land in the south of the Yangtze River has been massacred countless times, the Yangtze River has been stained red with blood, corpses are piled up like a mountain, those who survived were sent to the left, and Huaxia no longer exists!

Wang Yan woke up suddenly. On a cold night in April, he was so frightened by the scene in his dream that he broke into a cold sweat.

But Jian slaves are only 20, how could they live in the Central Plains?News came from the north that Ping Xibo had surrendered Li Chuang.With Shanhaiguan, Guan Ning's iron cavalry, and Li Chuang's 50 million horses, how could Jiannu enter the customs?Wang Yan couldn't understand it!Maybe this is just a nightmare!

At this time, the heavy rain had stopped, but it was not yet dawn, but Wang Yan didn't feel sleepy at all.He put on a blanket and prepared to go for a walk in the courtyard, thinking about the doubts brought by his dream, but at this moment, he suddenly felt the ground shake. He had seen the imperial court before and knew that only cavalry had such power.

Now that there are no officers and soldiers in Beizhili, they can only be intruders or horse thieves.

For a moment, Wang Yan was shocked, but it was impossible to escape.On the plains, no one can outrun the cavalry, but now they have to rely on danger to defend, maybe there is still a glimmer of life.

"There is a horse thief! Everyone, get up quickly and retreat to the hospital!"

Fleeing away, everyone was not sound asleep, but Wang Yan's urgent cry woke up many people.

At this time, the two young men who were sentry at the entrance of the village also ran back in a panic, crying: "Wuuuuuuuuuuuuu, it's not good, we are surrounded!"

The peaceful village immediately exploded, causing bursts of chaos. Some people followed Wang Yan's words and retreated into the compound, while others ran around like headless chickens. What's more, they even fled to the village regardless of their families. outside.

Standing on the courtyard wall, Wang Yan could see clearly. In the darkness, more than a dozen black shadows rode horses with iron hooves rolling towards him. He immediately shouted anxiously: "Whoever wants to live, retreat in!"

(In history, Xu Zhi committed suicide by throwing himself into the water after the capital was destroyed. There are some changes here in the novel.)
(End of this chapter)