The expected famine did not occur, and in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, the drought that had lasted for a period after the cold spring had ended. In June, it rained, and the Zhou people and the vassal states seized the time to sow and planted a large area of grain.

It is conservatively estimated that even if it does not rain again in the second half of the year, this year's grain harvest will be more or less abundant. This made everyone's panic dissipate at once, and people's lives returned to normal.

However, the prohibition was not lifted, but several rules were added to the merchants, for example, merchants were not allowed to wear silk and satin, they were not allowed to ride in horse-drawn carriages, they were not allowed to eat meat at meals, they were not allowed to live together with other scholars, farmers, and workers, they were not allowed to marry with other people, they were not allowed to buy land, they were not allowed to eat at the same table with other people, they were not allowed to keep slaves and maids, they were not allowed to enter the official career, and they were not allowed to enter the official career.

One of the most unbearable is that all merchants must write their names on their foreheads and wear white shoes and black shoes on one foot when buying and selling goods, as a sign of their despicable status and a reminder to the world not to approach them.

The harm caused to the descendants of the merchants by this measure was so serious that after hundreds of years and thousands of years, the status of the merchants deteriorated, and finally they were listed as the seven heinous crimes along with the criminal officials, murderers, sons-in-law of the inverted door, registered merchants, former merchants, parents who were merchants, and grandparents who were merchants.

Guo Yang listened to this decree of the Zhou people, locked himself in the depths of the underground palace for many days, and when he came out, his face was pale, his hair was scattered, and his eye sockets were deep, and he seemed to have experienced an extremely difficult choice.

"Keep our caravans in normal operation, but we need a more stealthy way of doing business, and it is better to unite with those vassal states, infiltrate them, and pull some tiger skins as our banners, so that we can get some protection. In addition, with the Southern Yan Kingdom as the foundation, we will form an army of our own, and kill those who want to bully us at all costs. ”

Guo Yang quickly conveyed seven or eight orders, and all the orders were effectively implemented, which made Guo Yang, who was preoccupied, slightly stretch his brows.

……

That's when something worse came.

The Zhou people did not know what method they adopted, only the rain fell within the area under their control, and the grain harvest was abundant, and the vassal states and tribes in those remote places had a large-scale famine.

First, seven or eight months of drought left the land without a harvest, followed by an overwhelming wave of locusts that swept away the green on the ground.

The famine broke out on a large scale without any suspense, and those in the distance were crazy with hunger and began to pour like a tide into the areas and vassal states controlled by the Zhou people. Those people were all divided on the spot, and the young and middle-aged became slaves of the Zhou nobles, and the women were sent to the yamen in various places for one exciting auction after another, and finally became slaves.

As for those old people and children, their final destination became the biggest secret of the year, and they were completely hidden by the Zhou royal family, and no one knew where they went.

The combined army of the Zhou people was dispatched, just as Ji Ke, the prince of Yan State, had done, driving away the wolves and devouring the tigers, letting those hungry and glittering outcasts and terrible plagues open the way in front, conquering one city after another, pulling out one disobedient dog's tooth after another, and occupying one piece of other people's land one after another.

Dongyi, Beirong, Guifang, Liaodong, Northwest Diqiang, South all the way to the Jianghuai Valley, there are wars everywhere, and there are one-sided conquests and slaughters everywhere.

Large quantities of grain were sent to the front, and a large number of unemployed and displaced descendants of merchants were organized to build bronze weapons and siege equipment day and night, and before those bronze weapons could completely cool down, they were transported to the front.

The twelve Zhou royal divisions stationed near Luoyi City, like twelve fierce swords, fought in the east and west, and in less than a year, they swept away more than 200 vassal states and countless tribes in the distance.

There were too many captives, and the Zhou nobles began to pick and choose to buy those former warriors, brand them with a permanent mark, cut off the two thumbs of their hands, put heavy shackles, and completely became slaves.

These people were largely deposed, without their thumbs, and their hands could only hold hoes, sickles, and dustpans, and they could no longer draw bows and shoot arrows, nor could they hold knives and swords tightly.

Guo Yang and Anu mingled among the businessmen who watched the excitement, with two nonsensical names written on their foreheads, one white and one black on their feet, and their hair was disheveled, making them look like two homeless wild dogs.

They witnessed this unprecedented victory of the Zhou people, and finally saw the majesty of those brightly armored and vigorous cavalry teams.

This kind of well-trained cavalry team, a small group of five people, a small squad of ten people, a squadron of 100 people, a brigade of 1,000 people, a division of 10,000 people, a spear in each hand, and a bow and arrow on his back, even if he did not open his posture and charge into battle, it was enough to make the earthquake tremble, make the sky change color, and make Guo Yang and Anu these uninformed miscellaneous people tremble, and they were silent.

And what made Guo Yang and Anu completely extinguish the heart of confrontation was the chariot powerhouse of the Zhou people. The kind of chariot group that was pulled by two or four horses, a cart of five people, a train of ten, a hundred columns, and a brigade of a hundred formations made Guo Yang stunned.

Anu had dealt with the Zhou people when he was young, and had killed many Zhou people, but this was the first time he had seen this kind of large-scale chariot formation.

On each chariot, two soldiers were responsible for harnessing and holding shields, one for archery, and two for spear attacks. The head and chest of each horse are wrapped in strong cowhide armor, leaving only two large eyes, which look very strange.

The chariot was designed to be extremely sturdy, with two long axles horizontal, and a thick layer of copper covering the protruding hubs (gu) and claws, which looked like a villain with teeth and claws, and was specially used by the Zhou people against cavalry and infantry.

Guo Yang imagined for a moment that in a flat land, if these chariots attacked in a formation, even if the opponent had thousands of troops, they would not be able to resist the rampage of these chariots.

"The world has changed, Anu, our knives don't work before they start." On the way back, Guo Yang was depressed, and he made the Zhou army's army look stupid.

"No, young master, those so-called kings' powerhouses, in Anu's opinion, are just decorations." Anu also recovered from the shock, but he was more optimistic.

"Tell me a reason, convince me." Guo Yang said disheartenedly.

"Quite simply, no matter how powerful it is, it can't destroy people's hearts. Don't look at their cavalry and the majesty of the battlefield, but they can't conquer me, a lowly Diren slave, and they won't conquer your heart, young master. Anu said lightly.

"Anu, maybe you're right, but at the moment, we are still too weak, they are too strong." Guo Yang was still a little frustrated.

"None of this has anything to do with you, young master." Anu said.

"Why doesn't it matter? The life and death of my caravan, the descendants of millions of our merchants, has too much to do with it. Guo Yang frowned and said.

"Young master, you haven't woken up yet. Those people have become your baggage, and you have to give them up like you have to give up your extra baggage. Anu said.

"It's my responsibility." Guo Yang said.

"No, haven't you noticed that the Zhou people's demand for merchants still exists, but they strictly control all this in an ingenious way. You are allowed to exist, but you will never be allowed to grow so much that you end up threatening the safety of others. This is the so-called royal road, there are very powerful characters in the Zhou people, but these have nothing to do with you and me. Those merchants too, they have become ants, can you get them back on their feet and become an iron-clad man? ”

Anu rarely said so many words in one breath, obviously, he was also holding his breath, but compared to Guo Yang, he was much calmer.

Guo Yang was silent.

In fact, he has thought about these things repeatedly. His fate is not tied to these relict people, but his wishful thinking to do something, so, for so many years, he has been jumping, struggling, and trying, but in the end he is still powerless.

The great business has long been a thing of the past, the miracles created by the ancestors have become legends, and the business world sounds very beautiful, but it is always impossible to resist the wheel of history.

The world has changed, and people have to change, this is what Guo Yang himself said. It was impossible for him to carry a knife and fight to the end against the behemoth-like Zhou world in front of him.

What's more, in his heart, he hates fighting and killing all day long, intrigue, and deceit. He wanted to be a sheep, quiet, docile, auspicious and rich!

But this is just a childish idea, and it doesn't match the bloody bastard world in front of you at all.

"Well, listen to you, Anu. Let's pack up and go north, I need to find my mother. Guo Yang said with some sadness.