Daming kill

Chapter 82 Hungry City
Whether it is to abandon the city or sacrifice the city, Zhang Qing thinks it is absolutely impossible. His first feeling is that the thin monkey is thinking too much.

All the officials in Kaifeng were full of fighting spirit, the general Chen Yongfu was a famous general, even the King of Zhou was generous with money, generously funded the army and generously rewarded the warriors, and Li Guangbi of the head office took the lead. Xiaoxiao wears the loophole.

And abandoning the city is even more impossible.

Not to mention the loss of land, but the loss of such an important pass and giant city.Even if they can escape, how can so many princes, big and small, protect them all? Aren't these officials waiting to be beheaded by the emperor!

Seeing that the thin monkey was silent for a moment, Zhang Qing didn't ask further questions.

In the past few months, they have long been numb, but no matter how numb they are, there will be occasional struggles. After all, they were all born by their parents, and they are all flesh and blood.

Kaifeng had already run out of food. In July, the officers and soldiers began to search for food from door to door with command arrows, sometimes even seven times a day, but they got very little. Later, even exhaustive searches were nothing.

The people in the city either pick green trees, buy Chinese medicinal bait, scrape the bark for worms, goug out grass and food, or remove maggots from dung, water plants, leather, clay, cotton, old paper, etc., to delay the day and night. .

Only in August, Kaifeng has no birds, no squirrels.Individual streets and alleys are even ten rooms and ten empty, and the streets are full of rot.Afterwards, the rancid smell disappeared, because the dead were eaten up.Afterwards, there were endless traps and murders throughout the city.

Although Zhang Qing and Shouhou'er were used to being devastated, they still couldn't face today's tragedy.

It's already mid-September, how can it go on like this?He was even more confused.

Because they live in the south of the city, is it too early to go back to where they live?Everyone also needs to calm down their emotions.The two of them didn't speak, but walked slowly while holding the knife hanging on their waists.

As the core of Kaifeng City in the Ming Dynasty, Zhouwang Mansion is located in the north of the whole city. It has two walls, the Xiao Wall and the Forbidden City. It is marked by the east and west streets outside the south wall of the Xiao Wall, dividing Kaifeng into two parts, the south and the north. , to the south is the residential area and commercial area, and to the north is the Wangfu District.

After a while, the thin monkey looked straight ahead and said, "Brother, guess what I saw today?"

"What?" Zhang Qing frowned and asked.

"When it wasn't raining, I was sent to deliver a message to the officials. I just walked along the wall not far from Caomen, and when I was about to enter an alley, I saw two people knocking dead bones and sucking marrow. He's so disgusting." The thin monkey said expressionlessly.

"That's it?" Zhang Qing was a little puzzled.

The thin monkey didn't give a shit, he continued: "Because I was disgusted, I shrank back and planned to change the road. At this time, I heard human voices again, but I saw Huang Tuiguan from Kaifeng mansion riding a horse with a few people just in time. Coming from the other side of the alley, I took a second look to see if I could help.

As a result, after they glanced at the two of them, they turned around and left.Did nothing, said nothing.

They are officials, but they did nothing!Just go, just go. "While speaking, the thin monkey's voice became heavier and heavier.

"How are you sure it's Huang Tuiguan? Don't talk nonsense." Zhang Qing turned his head and stared at the thin monkey and said, while stopping in his tracks.

"That's right, I often run errands among various officials, and I have seen Officer Huang Tui several times! And today he is still wearing an official uniform, not worse." The thin monkey said firmly.

Zhang Qing was also stunned for a moment.

"The strong take people to their backs, kill them, cut them up and share them with food, and the people sue the government. The government can't handle it, and it's not easy to solve the case. I can understand it. But this is right in front of you! In broad daylight, don't care about it." I think the officials don't care about the life and death of the people in this city, but it's ridiculous that we are still working for them..." Looking at Zhang Qing in a daze, the thin monkey continued.

After a long sigh, Zhang Qing interrupted the thin monkey with a sullen face and said: "Skinny monkey, be cautious. You must not say these words to others, and don't say them when you get home. It's over when you come to me." It's over." After finishing speaking, he lowered his head and walked forward.

"I understand. I just want to tell you that I feel depressed and uncomfortable." The thin monkey hurried to catch up with Zhang Qing, and said sullenly beside him.

So the two of them didn't speak for a long time, just walked in silence.

After a long time, after making several turns in an alley in the south of the city, the two finally knocked on the door of a courtyard.After a young man inside the gate reported his name, the rather large courtyard gate slowly opened.

When entering the yard, Zhang Qing habitually glanced to the right.In a side room with an open door, a middle-aged man was sitting in the middle looking at the door, holding a gleaming lancet in his arms.

After the two nodded to each other, Zhang Qing took a look at the sky which was almost invisible, and walked towards the main room, while the thin monkey took Zhang Qing's knife and ran towards the strong man's room.

"Mother, I'm back." Zhang Qing shouted as he entered the room, took off the big Ruo Li (a wide-brimmed bamboo hat woven with bamboo strips and Ruo leaves, which is equivalent to a rain hat) and put it in the corner, then twisted the drenched hat Clothes, and then sat down on the chair in the outhouse.

After a while, a beautiful woman came out from the inner room, Zhang Qing hurriedly got up and nodded and smiled.

After the beautiful woman also nodded her head and lowered her eyebrows, she hurriedly lit a half candle in front of the table with the torch she had already blown in her hand, and said to Zhang Qing, "Uncle, go and change into dry clothes quickly, don't catch a cold, I'll wash this body for you."

This beautiful woman is Zhang Qing's sister-in-law.

"Don't worry, talk to mother before going. You should put out the candle! You can see clearly." When Zhang Qing was talking, his eyes were already looking at the door of the inner room, a handsome cardamom girl (thirteen or fourteen years old) Just as he was helping a neatly dressed old woman out, Zhang Qing hurried to help her up.

The cardamom girl is Zhang Qing's sister, Zhang Ying; the old woman is Zhang Qing's mother.

In the dim candlelight, Zhang Qing's old lady complained as she walked: "I ordered the candle to be lighted. My son, why don't you wear an oil coat in this rainy day? Look at it's wet. You must be hungry."

The oil coat is a kind of ancient raincoat, probably made by applying tung oil on the coarse cloth (not strictly verified), and the coir raincoat woven with coir grass is mainly used in the south.

"I'm going to get some food now. It's raining today, and it's getting dark. I can't see the smoke clearly. It just happens to be hot." Zhang Qing's sister-in-law hurried out of the house after speaking.

"Mom, what are you talking about? I just heard that it's very lively inside." Zhang Qing glanced hesitantly at the sister-in-law who was going out, then helped his old lady to sit down and asked with a smile.

"Brother, there is Brother Skinny Monkey! Don't worry about it. Besides, if you are all here, even if someone sees it, who would dare to act wildly?" Zhang Ying said with a smile on the side. She noticed Zhang Qing A slightly worried look.

"Hey! What can I say, I don't go out every day in the house. In the daytime, let Brother Shun go to find something that can be burned nearby. He came back and taught us the situation outside. After listening to it, we almost A woman feels uncomfortable, so she talks nonsense." Zhang Qing's old lady sighed.

Brother Shun was the boy who opened the door. He was an orphan rescued by Zhang Qing's family a few years ago. He had been working as a clerk and errand runner in Zhang Qing's shop, and came to Kaifeng with them at the end of last year.

"Xiao Shunzi saw that there were many people scrambling to catch the little red worms in the stinky ditch, and I heard from them that the little red worms were fried with green onions and called goldfish roe. We thought about it for a long time. I don’t know how to say it.” Zhang Ying hurriedly said with an unbelievable expression.

Red worms are actually the kind of worms we use to feed goldfish today.Kaifeng has many puddles, shallow ditches, and extremely poor sanitation. It is an ideal breeding place for this kind of bug.

"Xiao Shunzi still listened to their discussion. Some people are selling horse meat, but the officers and soldiers are selling it. It's just that every catty of horse meat costs two silver coins. Isn't this a horse worth a thousand gold? The soldiers and horses are all starting to be killed, and the city is still alive." Can you hold it?" Zhang Qing's old lady took the words worriedly.

"Now there is a shortage of food, and many soldiers guarding the city starve to death every day. The horses are killed by the superiors. They are all pack horses and wounded horses. Anyway, it is useless to defend the city. Don't worry about it. Listen to the superiors. , the emperor has sent a large army, and it will arrive in a few days, so let's keep going." Zhang Qing had no choice but to explain.

"You don't need to comfort me, mother understands." Zhang Qing's old mother smiled wryly.

"Really, mother. Don't worry! But don't let people go out in the future. If there is nothing to burn, I will find a way to bring some when I come back. It is not peaceful now. People will see that we still have food. I am afraid that someone will If everyone wants to live, someone will lose their conscience." Zhang Qingqiang said with a smile.

"If my brother insisted on exchanging most of the silver for food, we might have to eat gold caviar today." Zhang Yingxin's relatives interjected.

"Let's not talk about it, I'm going to change clothes, so don't think about it. I still have money on hand, and I will go to exchange for some horse meat tomorrow. With me here, I will definitely not starve you." Zhang Qing pretended to be relaxed. .

Standing in the dark courtyard, Zhang Qing looked at the hazy smoke rising from the roof of the miscellaneous room for a while, then at the busy figures in the room, and then at the completely dark sky, the rain had made everything even worse blurry.

They are a wealthy area, and the situation is always good.People in the wealthy areas always have a way to leave some food, and they always have some ways to survive.

Moreover, the small house they lived in was the private property of a certain county king, and so were the yards on the left and right sides, and they were all empty. They were entrusted to look after them here, otherwise they would have ruined their home.

In this situation, only the territory of the palace will not be hustled by officers and soldiers.

But even so, they still sneakily made food for many days at a time, and it was basically all pasta, just because they were afraid that people would know that there was food here and become the target of others' prying eyes.

But no matter how concealed it is, the face can't be hidden. Hunger and non-hungry can be seen at a glance. People who have no food in their stomachs are already skinny, which is why Zhang Qing doesn't let his family members go out.

Starving people are crazy, and human nature is fragile in the face of death, Zhang Qing knows this clearly.

But eating hard cold food every day, he can bear it, but what about the old lady and sister?It should be fine to be careful, and my sister-in-law has always been very steady.

It would be even more terrifying if there was no hope.

When he entered the side room, Zhang Qing found that Shouhou and Yuanye were also sitting in it. They were watching the movement in the miscellaneous room in the dark. Shouhou changed clothes very quickly.

When Zhang Qing was also changing clothes, the thin monkey's voice came with a little excitement: "Today I finally have hot cakes to eat and hot soup to drink."

Zhang Qing glanced at the thin monkey in the dark, remembered something, and immediately said: "Slender monkey, I still have some money, you can go and exchange some horse meat tomorrow."

"For horse meat? Brother, you're not mistaken, right! Let alone the price of horse meat, is it still mixed with human flesh?" The thin monkey said in a daze.

"I know, you are allowed to buy horse meat, but not human meat. Can't you tell what kind of meat is? There is still some meat for sale, and it will be mixed in a few days! The money is not spent, and it is kept in your hand and used for food. How different is the stone?" Zhang Qing said calmly.

After hearing the thin monkey's half-understanding "oh", Zhang Qing said again: "Yuanye, I told my mother that they will not go out in the future, so you should keep an eye on it."

"Brother, don't worry if you have me!" Yuanye replied in his slightly weird tone.

Yuanye was the medium-sized strong man Zhang Qing saw sitting in the side room with a knife when he first entered the door. He, Zhang Qing and Shouhou'er were sworn brothers.

Notes:

The tragedy of Kaifeng's siege cannot be described in words. No matter how it is rendered, the words are all plain, and it is not suitable to do more and more detailed descriptions here.Although this article is only descriptive and superficial, it is not fabricated. It is all based on various historical records (but not necessarily accurate), including the matter of promoting official Huang Shu, so it is not an exaggeration.

(End of this chapter)