Daming One Piece

Chapter 159 Refugees everywhere (first update, please subscribe, please support)
A group of people walked along the spacious official road, all the way north.

When he was about to approach the capital, the scene ahead caught Shi Yiwen's attention.On the official road, more than a dozen ragged civilians, dragging their children and children with wooden sticks in their hands, walked in the direction of the capital in a daze.And under the willow trees on the side of the road, there are still a few people with yellow, emaciated and ragged clothes.

This is Shi Yiwen's first time seeing refugees.

Although he has seen refugees in Liaodong, refugees are different from refugees.

The legendary "refugees of the late Ming Dynasty" were the main forces that destroyed the Ming Dynasty. Now, these refugees have not yet evolved into rogues.

"Hey, I don't know where the disaster happened again."

Li Wanqing sighed softly,
"Mr. Li, look at the drought here, where is there no disaster this year?"

"They're poor people."

Li Wanqing's brows were full of pity. After thinking about it, she even took the initiative to ride her horse to give some copper coins to those refugees.

Shi Yiwen asked a little bit, and sure enough, as she said, these refugees were all people who were forced to come out to beg for a living because of the severe drought at home.

The original group of them were all riding horses and carrying knives. It looked like they were either rich or expensive. Naturally, the refugees did not dare to approach them. But when they saw Shi Yiwen and the others rein in their horses, they even offered to give money. Immediately, a group of ragged refugees surrounded them. go.

"Master, have pity on me..."

Amid the begging sounds of the refugees, Shi Yiwen said one after another.

"Bring some copper coins, and some grain to share with them."

At this moment, a woman pushed the little girl in front of her and bowed repeatedly.

"My lord, you can see that she is a good person. My daughter is only eight years old. She is very sensible and well-behaved. If you follow me, you will starve to death. I only save you to show kindness and buy her home to be used as firewood." Call the maid in the room, and give her a way to survive..."

The little girl who was pushed in front of her by the woman had panic flashing in her big eyes, her small black hand tightly grasped the woman's hand, looked back at her nervously, and said timidly: .

"mother……"

As soon as the girl opened her mouth timidly, tears flowed from both mother and father.

"Girl, don't blame your mother for being cruel, otherwise, our mothers will starve to death..."

The scene in front of him made Shi Yiwen's heart tighten, and even his eyes felt sore.

Selling children and daughters!

Once upon a time, he just read the words "selling children and prostitution" in books.

He had never thought about how miserable it was, but when this scene appeared in front of his eyes, it seemed like a knife was stabbing his heart.

How desperate do people have to be to sell their sons and daughters?

Seeing that the adult did not speak, the woman made a "plop", and pulled her daughter to kneel down and kowtow to him:
"My lord, why don't you buy my daughter? She is young, eats little, and does her work quickly. I just beg your lord to be merciful and give our mothers a way to survive..."

Seeing the woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed in prayer, his heart was touched for a while, and he let out a long sigh.

"Get up, get up quickly, Gui Qi, and bring some silver."

When Shi Yiwen ordered Li Guiqi to take the money, he inadvertently saw the flash of greed in the eyes of the nearby refugees.

My heart couldn't help but tighten.

Even if the money is given to this woman, her orphans and widows may not be able to keep it.

What if someone robbed it?He might even lose his life.

This person was not rescued, but instead killed him.

After pondering for a moment, Shi Yiwen said.

"Both of you, get up. My family is not in the capital, but my boat is in Zhangjiawan, only a dozen miles away. If you want, you can get on the boat and go home with me. At least I can guarantee you The mothers have no worries about food and clothing, are you willing to go?"

I just thought that the other party was a house slave woman who would refuse.

"Willing, willing, thank you, sir, thank you for your great kindness."

When the woman thanked her, Shi Yiwen looked at the refugees around and said.

"If you want to survive, you can also go there. When you get on the boat, I can give you a bite to eat first. When you arrive at my house later, I will give you some land to plant. No matter what, you won't starve to death."

For this, many of those refugees were naturally grateful and kowtowed to express their gratitude. These days, if they can meet such a wealthy family who is willing to accept slaves, it is also because they have met a great benevolent person.

Of course, not everyone will go to Zhangjiawan because of someone else's words, and not everyone is willing to sell themselves as domestic slaves.At the fork in the road, these refugees separated, went all the way to the capital to beg for food, and followed Li Guiqi all the way to Zhangjiawan.

Looking at the refugees walking towards Zhangjiawan, Li Wanqing said.

"My lord, they said that in my hometown in Henan, it hasn't rained since the beginning of the first lunar month, and I don't know how many people will be forced to sell their children and daughters. It means that these few people are lucky to meet you, otherwise they will still be hungry in the end." dying in the street..."

Li Wanqing lamented, and Shi Yiwen fell silent immediately.

It is now six years since Apocalypse.

The current Ming Dynasty is already in the Little Ice Age, and next year will be the beginning of the "Chongzhen Great Drought" in history. That severe drought will sweep the whole country, and even the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River will not be spared.In this season of relying on the sky for food, the severe drought that lasted for several years is undoubtedly almost devastating to ordinary people.How many people will starve to death by then?How many people have become refugees.

Yes, maybe next year there will be no more Chongzhen, but severe drought is inevitable.

Maybe the "Apocalyptic Drought" will be written in the history books, tens of millions of people will also become refugees, and finally become bandits, and then the Ming Dynasty may still go to that inevitable end-Meishan, as long as It's just another emperor.

Is it all inevitable?
Along the way, everyone was silent, perhaps because those refugees affected everyone's mood, because everyone knew that there was nothing they could do in the face of more and more refugees. It's just a steamed bun.

Suddenly, Xu Wentao laughed.

"My lord, I guess not many people will starve to death this time."

"How to say?"

"Think about it, my lord. In the past, the court had no money, but how much money we have stolen these days. If there is a severe drought in this place, the government will definitely report it to the court. If the court has money, it will definitely give out money to relieve disasters. With money, The government will be able to open a porridge market, although it may not be enough to eat, but it will not starve to death, right."

"Porridge place?"

Shi Yiwen was taken aback for a moment, and then said rather helplessly.

"hope so."

If the imperial court has money, it will allocate it for disaster relief, and the local government will definitely open a porridge market, but in reality?The money for disaster relief has always been Tang monk meat, and those officials don't want to eat a bite.In the end, how much money can be really used on the people?
In the final analysis, it still cannot fundamentally solve the problem!

Shi Yiwen sighed helplessly, there are some things he really can't do.

What should I do?
Thinking of him looking up into the distance, he could vaguely see the city wall of the capital...

(End of this chapter)