I am a pirate in Ming Dynasty

The stars were embedded in the night one by one, shining brightly.

The birds that could be seen occasionally flying under the stars on weekdays were nowhere to be seen. The whole grove was quiet. If it weren't for the occasional low breathing of people, I might have thought that there were no living creatures in the grove.

"Cuckoo!"

The roar of his empty stomach was particularly harsh in the night sky.

Immediately afterwards, it was like firecrackers were lit, and the sounds of "coo-coo" rose and fell with each other in the forest.

Qin Shang opened his eyes, not feeling sleepy at all. In order to prevent him from escaping, the other party had tied his hands behind his back with long strips torn from his clothes. And he couldn't fall asleep. He felt uncomfortable whether he was lying on his side or lying on his stomach. While leaning against the tree, his head was extremely clear.

Scenes since my rebirth kept flashing before my eyes, and I always felt like there was something missing in these scenes.

what is it then? Qin Shang took a nap after thinking about it.

It wasn't until the next morning that dew fell, and the warm air was finally mixed with coolness.

Everyone who got up felt a sense of coldness, so they lit a fire with the unextinguished coals. The dark hanging pot was steaming. There was no food at all, and a few pieces of wild vegetables dug from nowhere were floating on the boiling water.

The children nearby were already hungry, and they were staring eagerly at the vegetable leaves.

It wasn't until Boss Liu picked up the iron spoon that everyone took action. Boss Liu first served several bowls of soup mixed with a vegetable leaf to several elderly people.

Then each woman and child were given a small, pitiful vegetable leaf.

When there was only one bowl of soup left, Boss Liu hesitated and came to Qin Shang with the soup.

Qin Shang felt his wrist loosen, and the control of his arm returned to him instantly. However, the other party obviously had nothing to communicate with him, so he directly put a bowl of clear water soup in his hand before turning and leaving.

"Brother, why did you share your soup with this kid?" Ma Laosan immediately said angrily.

"There is no food in the first place. Brother, you have been carrying it for several days. How can it continue like this?"

……

"Okay, you eat what you have. When I force this kid to exchange for food in the afternoon, we will be full." Boss Liu spoke with an unquestionable look, and the others immediately stopped.

Qin Shang looked at Boss Liu, and Boss Liu looked at him. There was no eye contact between the two, and they moved away as soon as they touched each other.

Qin Shang couldn't figure it out. He was just a meat ticket in the opponent's hand. Why would the opponent now rather starve himself than give him a bite to eat?

Are people in this era really good people? Qin Shang couldn't figure it out. The taste in his mouth was not good, it was bitter and a bit choking, but it felt warm in his stomach after drinking it.

Yancheng County is now in chaos. Before the city gates are opened in the early morning, a large number of refugees have gathered outside the city. The low twilight energy is coming in force, overwhelming the city.

The officer in charge of the city gate did not dare to open the door and reported the matter directly to the county magistrate Liu Zhenghe.

The county magistrate Liu Zhenghe was just a bookworm with no ideas. He had been studying for more than forty years before he became a Jinshi. He was already over fifty years old. He had never experienced such a battle before. All the officials and historians were summoned.

Among the county officials, the chief clerk is the oldest and the only one who has experienced the famine in the fifteen years of Hongzhi.

"More and more refugees are gathering outside. If this continues, the situation may become uncontrollable." Liu Zhenghe looked anxious, unable to calm down at all.

The county magistrate has a beard under his chin, and he is considered young among a group of old men. However, he has only been in the county government for a short period of time, and Liu Zhenghe does not let him interfere with daily affairs. Now it is no better than a decoration.

"Your Majesty the County Magistrate," the chief registrar bowed before saying slowly, "There are too many hungry people, and there is almost no food left in the treasury. We will definitely not be able to let the refugees into the city for the time being. Once they enter the city, they will inevitably cause large-scale casualties."

"But if we are not allowed to enter the city and everyone gathers outside the city, will there be a mutiny? Once we forcefully attack the city, our yamen, with dozens of people, will definitely not be able to defend it." Liu Zhenghe's head was in confusion, and he directly put the last The bad results came out.

The county magistrate frowned slightly. The dignified magistrate had no courage at all and deserved to be a coward for the rest of his life.

The chief secretary cursed in his heart, but remained unmoved on his face. He still suggested: "That's the only way to go. Once the refugees enter the city, the residents in the city will definitely be affected. Once those refugees can't get food, it's hard to say what will happen. We won’t break down houses to grab food. What’s more, as the number of residents in the city increases and refugees mix, it’s hard to guarantee that there won’t be a plague among them.”

"In the fifteenth year of Hongzhi's reign, there was a famine that year just like this year. The county magistrate at that time was kind-hearted and let some refugees into the city, but the result was a disaster."

"Refugees are all wolves. They cannot become good citizens. They cannot get food. They can do anything. Kill people? Fire prevention? Or cannibalism?"

The chief clerk's words pierced the county magistrate's heart every word, especially the last one about cannibalism, which scared him into a cold sweat. He had never heard of rumors of cannibalism, but when it actually happened around him, he felt horrified.

"Then we will isolate the refugees outside the city as the chief secretary said." The county magistrate no longer dared to object. His timidity made people laugh.

The officers below had received the order early and immediately went to various city gates to deliver the news. At the same time, they also strengthened the defenses of each city gate.

There was no answer to the discussion within the county government about the next step. The county magistrate drafted a memorial that day and sent it out of the city to Shanyang County to seek help from Yu Gui, the prefect of Huai'an Prefecture.

The other thing is to draft a notice to the people, mainly telling the residents in the city that the city gates are closed and no one is allowed to go out.

At the same time, in the Qin Mansion, Qin Li was furious: "What do you do for food? The young master was kidnapped, and you only came back to tell me today. Does that mean that if I die tomorrow, you will come back to report the funeral the day after tomorrow?"

Qin Fen looked guilty and knelt on the ground, lowering his head: "Young Master, it's all my fault, please punish me!"

In the empty courtyard, Qin Li was breathing heavily and walking back and forth in front of the table.

All kinds of emotions in my heart are gathered together, anxiety, worry, anger...

"Punish you? If you punish you, my brother will come back?" Qin Li yelled angrily.

"Master, there is a noble person outside who wants to see you!" Just when Qin Li was restless, the steward Qin Liu came in.

"No," Qin Li was irritated. How could he be in the mood to meet someone noble?

But the guests outside had already arrived uninvited. The visitor was wearing a large silk and satin dress, with a Chinese character face, and looked quite imposing. Beside him were a fat man and a thin old man.

When Qin Li saw the person coming, he couldn't help scolding: "Qin Liu, you are also an old man of the Qin family. Without my order, you dare to bring people home? Have you forgotten the rules of the Qin family?"

Before Qin Liu could reply, the middle-aged man who arrived clasped his fists and said, "Young master, there is no need to blame the servants in the house. The situation is really urgent and I cannot delay."

Qin Li returned the greeting and asked in confusion: "Why do you say this? I'm watching your next life. The Qin family and you should have no business contacts, so why should you say anything about it?"

The middle-aged man laughed twice and said: "A certain Gao Rongxuan family, this is Quanzi Gaocai. Yesterday Quanzi came home and told some things to a certain family..."

It wasn't until Gao Rongxuan finished speaking that Qin Li truly understood what he meant.

It turns out that the younger brother was kidnapped to save the fat man, and now the man named Gao came here to save him.

"I see, I was too abrupt." Qin Li bowed and apologized from a distance.

Gao Rongxuan waved his hand and said solemnly: "My brother's life safety should still be guaranteed now. From Quanzi's description, that group of people should be refugees fleeing. The people they arrested were very purposeful. Quanzi and My brother is both a merchant, so if the other party has no food, then this status will be a fatal temptation for them."

"As long as the food is still in our hands, the other party will definitely come looking for us again."

"However, when I came to your mansion early this morning, I saw a new notice posted by the county government on the road, saying that the city gate was closed and people were prohibited from leaving the city without permission."

After hearing what happened, Qin Li stood up immediately: "How is this possible? Shang'er's life and death are still unknown. If the city gate is closed, wouldn't it mean that the inside and outside cannot be connected?"

"That's it!" Gao Rongxuan also had a wry smile on his face, "Before coming, I had discussed it with my family. Using the financial resources of my Gao family, I can definitely help your mansion find Mr. Ling, but the city gate is closed, so I don't care. No matter how hard you try, there is nothing you can do.”

Qin Li's head was buzzing. He couldn't get out of the city. What should his brother do?

There are twenty-six guards of the Qin family. If all these guards are sent out and they bring enough food, can they get their younger brother back from the hands of a strong man?

Several different plans came to Qin Li's mind, and he was trapped in a choice.

For him, even if the entire Qin family pays for it, he can't let anything happen to his younger brother.

"Don't worry about Qin Shang!" A slightly aged voice suddenly sounded.

Attracting everyone's attention, the crazy Taoist priest was sitting by the window drinking a small drink.

Qin Li quickly said: "Master, now Li'er's life and death are unknown, how can we ignore it?"

"Hey!" The mad Taoist jumped into the living room, put the big gourd in his hand around his waist, and said, "If the poor Taoist says you don't need to worry about it, then you don't need to worry about it. It's God's will. Even if you send people out, you can get rid of those refugees." I have found traces of your brother in the search, and let Pindao tell me to stop here."

The mad Taoist priest's crazy words made everyone's jaws drop.

"Master, if I don't know my brother is in danger, how can I stay at ease?" Qin Li said with a wry smile.

"It would be troublesome to explain it to you mortals," the crazy Taoist priest slapped his head frantically, "Let's put it this way, when your brother went out, the poor Taoist thought that this would be a disaster in his life, so he didn't follow him. Go out, and if you send someone out now, his fate will be cut off. There is only one reincarnation of heaven, and the missed will will not come again."