Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 205 Escape from the Famine
In Zhongshan Town, Xinyang Prefecture, Runing Prefecture, Henan Province, it is already mid-spring, and the fields should have been green as far as the eye can see, but now they are all yellow.The soil in the field has been hardened and cracked. Occasionally, a few farmers put down wooden buckets, scooped up water with a wooden ladle and poured it into the ground bit by bit, and then watched the turbid water disappear quickly with desperate eyes. , leaving only a little off-white trace under the wheat seedlings.

From the beginning of winter in the ninth year of Chongzhen to the present, there has been no rain or snow in the entire Xinyang Prefecture for nearly half a year. Although the winter wheat has been planted, judging from the current situation, it is a foregone conclusion that the summer grain production will be greatly reduced or the harvest will be completely wiped out.

Scattered people fleeing from famine have appeared on the official road, and their target is Xinyangzhou City, twenty miles away.

A group of fast horses came galloping from the east, and the dust raised up by the galloping horses floated in the air, and it took a long time to dissipate.

A family of five who fled hundreds of steps ahead of the horse team heard the sound of horse hooves, and hurriedly hid on the side of the road and huddled together, looking at more than ten war horses running behind with terrified eyes.

After seeing the family, the knight on the front horse began to tighten the reins slightly, and the horse slowed down slowly. The ten or so riders behind him also slowed down, and when they approached the family At that time, the horse team had changed from running to walking in small steps.

This team of knights is Jingshi Jinyiwei who was ordered to come to Runing Mansion to inspect. The hundred households leading the team are Wang Ancheng who took in Daniel and Niuniu in the streets of Jixian County, Weihui Mansion in the eighth year of Chongzhen.

In more than two years, Wang Ancheng traveled among various prefectures and counties in Henan Province, gathering more than 1 women and children in total, and ranked No. [-] among all Jinyiwei school lieutenants who participated in the operation, so he was promoted to [-] households for his meritorious service.

This time Jinyiwei went out of Beijing to inspect the severe drought in Shanshan, Henan, and Shandong counties separately, focusing on the implementation of local government's implementation of measures such as digging wells and repairing canals, and garrisoning fields to calm the people.Because Wang Ancheng was familiar with the conditions of various prefectures in Henan, he was appointed to lead a team to inspect the various prefectures and counties in Runing Prefecture.

Wang Ancheng divided his subordinates into several small teams, led by deputy hundred households and several general banners, to carry out inspections separately, and finally returned to Ruyang to meet up, and then reported the situation after their respective investigations were summarized.

Just after completing the investigation and visit mission in Luoshan County, Wang Ancheng led the team to Xinyang Prefecture, preparing to complete the inspection of the last prefecture and county of his team.

Wang Ancheng reined in his mount a few steps away from the family, then dismounted and walked towards the family.

Before Wang Ancheng approached, the three adults in the family had already knelt down, only the two children about seven or eight years old were standing, looking at Wang Ancheng who was approaching with curious eyes.

The young woman who was obviously a mother hurriedly stretched out her hand and dragged the standing child to the ground, then lowered her head and shrank on the ground like a quail.

Wang Ancheng came to the front, and said in a gentle tone: "Several fellow villagers, get up, some are from the government, I have something to ask you and wait!"

The young man in the family kowtowed, and replied in a low voice: "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, we will answer on your knees!"

Wang Ancheng sighed inwardly, and his gentle tone suddenly became severe: "Since you know that XX is the elder, then XX will order you to get up now! Get up quickly!"

Hearing the angry voice of the old man in front of him, the young man stood up slowly, then stretched out his hand to help the old woman beside him. The young woman also pulled the two children to stand up. Several adults Still did not dare to look up at Wang Ancheng in front of him.

"Someone asked you, what's your name? Where do you live? Why did you bring your family out? Where are you going?"

Wang Ancheng asked with a stern expression.

In the past few years, he has dealt with all kinds of people and knows how to deal with the people in front of him.

Hearing Wang Ancheng's question, the man was so frightened that his legs gave way and he wanted to kneel down. Wang Ancheng immediately shouted: "Tell me!"

"Small... The villain's name is Wang Shuanzhu, from Zhongshan Town, Xinyang Prefecture...Ren's family, due to the drought in the fields, the harvest was lost last year, and there was no food left at home, so he took his family to Zhoucheng to find a bowl of rice. Otherwise, the old lady and the baby will starve to death!"

At the end, Wang Shuanzhu's eyes were filled with tears.His son and daughter huddled behind their mother, clutching the corners of their mother's clothes, secretly looking at Wang Ancheng and the others.

Wang Ancheng also felt miserable when he heard the words, although he was used to many similar scenes, but every time he saw it, he always felt extremely uncomfortable.

He turned his head to say hello, and a school lieutenant jumped off the horse, took out a few pieces of white flour steamed cakes, a small bag of pickled vegetables, and a skin bag full of water from the horse's pocket, and handed them to Wang Ancheng.

Wang Ancheng handed the food and water to the young woman, and said gently: "Give the children and the elderly a little first, don't eat too much, be careful not to digest it!"

The woman stared at what was in front of her and looked up. The gentle expression on Wang Ancheng's face made her feel a little at ease.

Wang Ancheng passed the food and water forward again, and the woman quickly reached out to take it, knelt down on the ground and kowtowed: "Thank you for saving my life! Thank you for saving my life!"

Wang Shuanzhu and his mother also fell to their knees and kowtowed heavily to thank them.

Their family has not eaten for a day, and these few steamed cakes can feed their family for several days.

Wang Ancheng said softly: "Get up! I will rush to Zhoucheng after I finish my questioning, and I will definitely find a place to live with Ye's family!"

Among the more than [-] women and children he recruited, the ones who impressed him the most were Daniu and Niuniu.

Back then on the streets of Jixian County, the scene of Daniel hugging his sick sister and crying loudly, he will always remember it in his heart.

Every time he returned to the capital from other places, Wang Ancheng would buy gifts and take his five-year-old daughter to visit the siblings. Daniel and Niuniu are now his adopted sons and daughters.

After Wang Shuanzhu's family calmed down a little, Wang Ancheng continued to ask: "I came to ask you, are there many families in Zhongshan Town who are in the same situation as yours? Has the government opened a warehouse for relief? Has anyone sent people to dig wells in the villages and towns? He? Did the big households in the town release surplus food to help the people?"

Wang Shuanzhu's heart was relieved by Wang Ancheng's behavior of donating food, and his speech became smoother: "Returning to the old man, there are many people in our town who are in the same situation as me, and there are many people who have fled famine; I haven't seen them." The government and the big households released grain, and they didn’t see people digging wells and repairing canals. If the well water comes out, my family’s several acres of fields will have some harvest, and I will mix some wild vegetables and fruits, so I don’t have to flee famine. My father will not die of hunger and disease!"

Listening to Wang Shuanzhu's words, Wang Ancheng became increasingly angry.

The prefectures and counties inspected by his team are all in the southeast of Runing, including Gwangju, Guangshan County, Xixian County, Luoshan County, Xinyang Prefecture and other places.

He has already visited the previous four states and counties. Although the drought is severe and the situation is not optimistic, the local state and county governments still have something to do.In addition to using the grain from the official warehouses for relief, the magistrates of the prefectures and counties encouraged the local officials and gentry to take out the grain hoarded at home and set up porridge sheds for disaster relief, and used the money allocated by the emperor to organize manpower to dig wells and repair canals, divert river water to irrigate farmland, and strive to alleviate the drought. the consequences.Except for a few people fleeing famine, most of the people are stable in the local area.

The governor's yamen and the chief envoy's yamen in Henan also arranged for officials and soldiers to transport the grain in the official warehouses to Runing, Nanyang, and Guide, the most drought-affected prefectures, to support the local government and relieve the people under their rule.

From Wang Shuanzhu's words, we know that the Xinyang Prefecture government did nothing in the face of the disaster, and did not send people to appease the people, but just let the victims fend for themselves.

If this is the case only in Zhongshan Town, that's all. If the inspection continues and most other villages and towns are like this, then this Zhizhou deserves death.

Thinking of this, Wang Ancheng turned around and strode towards his mount, and ordered loudly: "Ma Bao! Take eight people to visit the nearby villages and towns separately, and then rush to Zhoucheng to meet someone! The rest follow me! Let's go to Zhoucheng !Leave them a bag of food and water!"

　At the end of the Ming Dynasty, people were as cheap as dogs. Under wars and famines, people exchanged children for food, and relatives could eat each other. Unfortunately, I am not talented enough to describe, and I do not want to describe, such human tragedies.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)