Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 966 Yizhou
The flood has receded, and the muddy ground emits wisps of water vapor under the sun.Everywhere was black mud and twigs, weeds and driftwood.The crops that had been washed away by the flood were rotting in the muddy water, and the carcasses of rotting animals: chickens, dogs, pigs, sheep, and occasionally people, were scattered in the mud, with bulging stomachs and a disgusting stench.

The blowfly arrived at the first time, and the flies were flying around, and there were several human and animal corpses there.

In the villages and towns that have been hit by floods, the houses that did not collapse when the floods hit will collapse as the water recedes, but the owners of the houses no longer need them-either dead or fled.

This is the flood in Yizhou in 1631.The flood once again swept across the land that had been barren due to frequent natural disasters and man-made disasters, sweeping away the people who were barely struggling to survive here——From the Year of the Apocalypse, Yizhou and nearby Lunan, southern and northern counties Floods occur almost every two or three years.

Groups of hungry people staggered forward on the road, leaving corpses constantly along the way, and they blindly headed towards the county seat, prefectural capital or any city in any place-the victims of the disaster knew that only in the city would there be a chance of survival.Otherwise, even if you don't starve to death, there will be a great plague after the catastrophe, and the god of plague will reap the souls more ferociously than the flood.If the local city cannot accommodate them, they have to leave their homes and flee to states and counties that have not been hit by disasters.

Driven by hunger and forced to survive, the refugee stream slowly squirmed across the continents in southern Shandong. People died every day, and people joined them every day.Everything it walks eats up—no bark, grass, roots, or even animal carcasses survive.

The big households in the villages and towns along the way have all fled - they either entered the provincial capital or went further to the more stable Jiangnan. Since the White Lotus Sect broke out in southern Lunan, this place has become very dangerous. People fled to the provincial capital or Jiangnan one after another, "fleeing the hustle and bustle".

In some villages and towns, walled villages have been built and village courage has been practiced. The hands holding the hoe handles are now tightly holding whistle sticks and wooden guns. The victims of the disaster all have the awareness of "die before you are full".The little food accumulated in the villages and towns has to be fed to my family!People's hearts are as cold and hard as iron.The landlord who did not "run away from the clamor" brought his servants and long-term workers to stand on the wall of the village, holding a bow and arrow and a big knife. He supervised Xiangyong, and he also seemed to be "leading the way"-after all, the richest person in the village It's him.The body that was originally dressed in silk and satin is now wrapped in hastily made padded armor.It's summer now, but they don't have a single drop of sweat on their bodies. What they see in their eyes is a mass of refugees, and what they think of is the news from the past few days: which village or village has been eaten up by the refugees, who's who? They were robbed, so-and-so's family was killed by refugees—the horror of the White Lotus Sect ten years ago seemed to reappear before their eyes.The head of the family looked at the township warriors shrinking their necks and frowning one by one, stomped their feet and yelled:

"Take care of everything! Eat at night as a reward, and eat whatever you want in the pork vegetable box!"

Then there was a burst of "Thank you, master!" roaring chaotically, like singing an opera.Then someone roared in a tone of voice:
"Hold on your knives and guns!"

"Hold on tight!"

"Hold the stockade firmly!"

"Hold on tight!"

……

Such scenes are repeated several times almost every day.On weekdays, not to mention giving it to long-term workers and farmers, even the big households themselves are reluctant to eat white noodles and pork. These days, they use them as rewards to buy people's hearts.

But while they feel distressed, fearful and worried, they are secretly happy.The flood destroyed the land boundaries, washed away the title deeds, and left many lands without owners-even those lands that still had owners, the owners had to sell them in disaster years to survive.For some people, it is a good opportunity to expand their industries. As for the farmers who cultivate the land, they will not die. After the water recedes, those who are not starved to death will always come back in the next spring.

The premise is that they have not been "eaten by the big family" by the refugees before that, and they have not been killed in the riots.

Regardless of whether it is a county or a prefectural city, the officials and gentlemen who show their power on weekdays are unwilling to interfere with the actions of the refugees. The refugees have not rebelled, have not besieged the county, and killed a few wealthy landlords and killed a few people, which is not a big deal.Big households want to protect their own lives and properties, and only they can lead the team.

In Zhoucheng County, although the city gates have not been closed to prevent refugees from entering the city, bravery training has been held in the city.A few heads hanged at the gate of the city to make a warning to a hundred people—they are always bloody and fresh. Outside the city, there are sloppy sheds built with trees, and pots of clear and musty "grain porridge" are boiled.It's just such gruel. Not all the refugees who gather nearby can eat it. There is a certain amount of "chips" given out every day. Those who don't get their turn can only starve.

Near the porridge shed is another feeding place for flies.People from Jinan Prefecture, even as far as Suncheon and Jiangnan, hid in sedan chairs and mule carts, carefully calculating how much "prey" they could get and how much benefit they would give to their local counterparts.Some people wandered among the crowd, looking for someone who could be bought.Boys and girls are their first targets, followed by young women.In this way, the people with grass marks are loaded onto mule carts continuously, and they are transported to Linqing and Xuzhou one by one, where they are replaced by ships and transported to various places for sale.

Zhang Yingchen walked through the crowd wearing a Taoist uniform designed by himself.From time to time, he bowed his head to the people around him - he practiced medicine and helped people here, and he already had the reputation of "living god".Not only the refugees, but also many government servants and village warriors who maintained order around the porridge field received his medical treatment and respected him like a god.

"Prince Fu, you gave my child the medicine, and it really stopped the diarrhea. You are a living god—" A ragged woman stopped his way, "Please show me again..."

"Oh? Since the diarrhea has been stopped, life will not be a problem." Zhang Yingchen said with a smile, "Pindao is going to see a patient now, and come back to show your child. You give him this pack of medicine first. "

He walked over amidst the woman's thousands of thanks, and he was almost overwhelmed with such things along the way.Even Dian Shi, who came to the porridge market from time to time, and the deputy head of the county, had to be courteous when they met him.

He knew that the officials and gentry in the city were very wary of him. The monks who appeared after the catastrophe were for the purpose of practicing medicine and preaching. has already accumulated enough experience in his rule.

There were also several so-called "Taoist priests" or "monks" who appeared in the congee market with Zhang Yingchen, and there were also so-called "divine witches" who did not have any religious attire, and they would soon attract the attention of the local government. These people didn't have "duty certificates", and their medicines were not as effective as Zhang Yingchen's, so they disappeared completely under the attack of the local government and gentry.

Zhang Yingchen was able to win the competition, firstly because of his excellent medical skills, and even better medicine; secondly, he had an official Taoist certificate and a famous card he made at a certain gentry's house in Hangzhou-these two things were necessary to protect his safety. play a big role.You must know that the government in this time and space has no concept of human rights. It is common practice for suspicious people to be arrested and tortured.What's more, now is an extraordinary period: many people were beheaded or tortured to death in the yamen just because of their suspicious words and deeds, and some died in prisons and in cages at the gate of the yamen.

He was very careful when treating diseases and practicing medicine. When treating diseases, he only said ordinary words such as doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, and did not preach too much teaching.Although he also said it to the refugees from time to time, it was all the contents of the official Taoism, and it was upright wherever he put it.

"I don't know how old Zhao is doing in Shandong?" He often thinks this way when he is busy with these things. With his current influence, it is easy to encourage refugees to go to Denglai to join Zhao Yingong.

He and Zhao Yingong left Hangzhou at the same time - but he didn't leave after arriving in Yizhou, but started to move around where he was.

In ancient Chinese society, after encountering natural disasters, it was often a great opportunity for cults to carry out propaganda.One of the main purposes of Zhang Yingchen's visit to Yizhou was to investigate the activities and instigation capabilities of local organizations such as the White Lotus Sect, the Luo Sect, and the Wenxiang Sect.

It now appears that these organizations are indeed active, but the government is paying close attention to this—after all, the White Lotus Rebellion has been less than ten years old, and local vigilance is still there.It is not so easy to use religious means to incite the people.

After he came back from inspection, he found that a few days ago he cured a boy who was bought by Jiangnan Lai De Ren Ya.Can't help but secretly regret.This young man is clever and handsome, he was originally the "Dao Sheng" seedling he had hoped for, but now he is being given priority.

This kind of thing has happened several times, and every time it makes him feel heartbroken—it is too heartbreaking to see good seedlings being lost in vain, but unable to do anything.

But he has already taken in two children as Taoist students, and he originally had Ming and Qing brought from Hangzhou by his side, so it would be too ostentatious to take in more boys by his side.

"I have to write to Lao Zhao as soon as possible, otherwise all the good resources will be taken away by this group of people." He thought to himself, and returned to a Taoist temple in Guanxiang.

It is said to be a Taoist temple, but in fact there are no Taoist priests, only a Huoju Taoist lives there, barely making ends meet.Zhao Yingong rented a house for a small amount of money as his base of activities in Yizhou.

(End of this chapter)