Emperor Ming Fengyunlu

Volume III: The Turbulent Central Plains

Chapter 2 The Crisis of Gathering Hungry People Begins

Section 1 The Ruined Central Plains

In the middle of September in the forty-seventh year of Wanli (the fourth year of the Later Jin Heavenly Mandate).

Liu Yunwei led the soldiers of the Hanwei battalion all the way, successively passing through Tongxu, Weishi and other places, and finally arrived near Xinzheng.

This time through Henan, the soldiers of the Hanwei battalion all came to the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty for the first time, and they all came to the legendary Central Plains for the first time. However, what the soldiers saw along the way did not have the slightest shadow of the rumored prosperous Central Plains, and everywhere everyone saw was the withering people's livelihood and a depression.

Everywhere the army passed, whether it was a big city or a small county, it was all impoverished, and everywhere you could see scenes of selling children and daughters; A child might as well have a full meal! Due to the unusually dry weather, most of the rivers that the army passed through were cut off, and the news dried up directly, and almost all the fields had turned yellow, and everywhere there was a smell of hunger and death; With the passage of time, these refugees are inevitably full of despair for their future life after they can't find food, and the government relief is unfavorable, these refugees have become homeless, desperate people looking for food everywhere!

Everywhere they went, they began to scavenge for everything they could eat, food, livestock, seeds, even tree bark, grass roots, and dirt. In the end, after all the food can be eaten, I am afraid that in the eyes of the homeless people, there are only people who can eat!

Under the madness of the homeless, whether it is a city, a manor or a village, it has become a target in the eyes of the homeless. Some well-defended cities or garrisoned by officers and soldiers can be said to say that once the villages and manors outside the city encounter the displaced people, they will instantly become a ruin, and almost instantly will be plundered by the locust crossing the country. The people in the villages were even more miserable, the young and strong women were either killed by the outcasts who had lost their minds due to hunger and despair, or they were coerced into new outcasts, and they followed the crowd in despair to the next place of plunder, while the old people and children could only stay in the ruins in despair, waiting for death to come.

Liu Yunwei has seen too many human tragedies along the way, from shock and anger at the beginning, to numbness and despair now. Liu Yunwei looked at the gray sky and the dusty dry ground everywhere, as if he was dripping blood in his heart!

"This is the Central Plains! For thousands of years, the Central Plains has been the granary and foundation of China, and since ancient times, those who have won the Central Plains have won the world. However, why has the Central Plains become like this now? The land of the Central Plains, which had nurtured China for thousands of years, turned into a red land of thousands of miles! Is it really my Ming Dynasty's catastrophe? ”

Liu Yunwei looked at the scene in front of him with red eyes, and his heart was very sad. And the soldiers who were marching were also solemn, and everyone knew very well what the scene in front of them meant.

At this moment, Wen Poyu rode his horse to Liu Yunwei's side and said, "Big brother, I won't take it back at night." ”

"What's the news?"

Wen Poyu said angrily: "Almost all parts of Henan are like this: the acres of land are not harvested, the poor people have become homeless, and the government is not good for relief. According to my estimates, there are no less than 100,000 displaced people in Henan! Now Henan Mansion is a place full of dry firewood, as long as it is stained with a little spark, it will cause a prairie fire, and the entire Henan Mansion will be burned if you are not careful. However, the governments in various parts of Henan did not focus on helping the displaced people and stabilizing the localities, but vigorously collected Liao salaries and took the opportunity to fill their pockets! ”

When Liu Yunwei heard this, his face suddenly became gloomy and terrifying, and he asked in a deep voice, "Do you have any evidence for what you said?" ”

Wen Poyu said angrily: "What more credentials do you need here? Now there are almost no porridge shacks in various places to help the homeless, but the officials and gentry who collect taxes are swaggering and passing away! ”

"How can it be!" Liu Yunwei was so angry that he even trembled a little, and said: "There are such officials in the national dynasty, how can state affairs not decay!" Is the same situation in Xinzheng? ”

"It's all pretty much the same." Wen Poyu said: "But the situation is still under the control of the government, and it will not work in Dengfeng in front, there are hungry homeless people everywhere, and martial law has begun in Dengfeng." ”

Liu Yunwei groaned when he heard this, and Wen Poyu asked softly when he saw this: "Big brother, are we still going forward?" ”

Liu Yunwei said categorically: "Go!" Follow the original route and stay the same! ”

"Then what if we are unlucky and catch up with the homeless riots?" Wen Poyu asked with some concern.

Liu Yunwei sneered and said, "That's fine, let's just lead the troops to quell the chaos and make another meritorious feat!" ”

Wen Poyu was right when he thought about it, so he asked, "Big brother, then we can't enter Xinzheng yet?" ”

Liu Yunwei said: "Don't enter the city, you will send someone to ask for grain and grass in a while, and we will camp outside the city tonight, and we will start tomorrow after the grain and grass are delivered." ”

That night, the soldiers of the Hanwei Battalion set up camp in the south of Xinzheng City. Before nightfall, President Qian of Xinzheng City had already sent the grain and grass needed by the Hanwei camp.

After dinner, Liu Yunwei inspected the camp as usual, and went to the baggage center to take a look at the four big Buddha cannons that he had asked for from Zhang Yuxing.

Looking at the black and shiny artillery, Liu Yunwei secretly said in his heart: "Since the imperial court has now expanded the formation of the Hanwei battalion, then after Dengfeng, I should also find an opportunity to expand the soldiers and horses of the various departments." After this period of training, the three thousand serfs have basically been able to obey orders and form a whole formation, and the rest is to train more strictly in the future; This reorganization will bring these 3,000 serfs into it. ”

Liu Yunwei was thinking about the reorganization, when suddenly there was a strange noise outside the camp, and then someone shouted: "Displaced people! Refugee! Countless homeless people have robbed the camp! ”

Liu Yunwei was suddenly shocked when he heard this, and then shouted loudly: "Beat the war drums!" Get ready for war! ”

Almost at the same time, the Hanwei battalion resounded with the fierce war drums, and all the officers and men of the headquarters were in danger and entered the defensive position under the leadership of their respective superiors. And Master Chen also hurriedly commanded his soldiers to protect the grain and grass, and mobilized the three thousand serfs to assemble in place and stand by.

Liu Yunwei hurriedly returned to the big tent, didn't even bother to put on the armor, picked up the armor-breaking point steel gun and rushed out. As soon as he arrived outside the tent, he saw Lu Ying and Wen Poyu, and Liu Yunwei hurriedly asked, "How many homeless people are there?" ”

Wen Poyu said: "About one or two thousand people. ”

"In which direction are the displaced people coming from?"

Lu Ying said in a deep voice: "Dengfeng direction!" ”

Liu Yunwei thought for a moment and said: "Maybe something happened in Dengfeng, the homeless people have all run to Xinzheng's side, God knows how many homeless people are still in Dengfeng!" ”

"Big brother, the soldiers are ready."

Liu Yunwei looked at the chaotic crowd outside the camp and said: "Pass the order, all the headquarters soldiers stick to the camp, and anyone who attacks the camp will be killed!" ”

Lu Ying answered and went to give the order.

Then, Liu Yunwei said to Wen Poyu: "Poyu, immediately send Ye Buhui to investigate in the direction of Dengfeng to see if something happened." ”

Wen Poyu also hurriedly went to arrange for the night not to be closed.

After that, Liu Yunwei shouted: "Long Xiang assemble!" ”

As soon as the words fell, the five hundred soldiers of the Longxiang Department roared in unison: "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! "I saw that the five hundred iron horsemen were ready to go, the war horses of the gods, the sharp spears, and the sturdy armor, this iron horse seemed to be a heavenly soldier, which was daunting!

Liu Yunwei also stepped on the war horse, at this time Liu Yunwei did not put on armor, but just ran up on the horse in a civilian suit, and roared loudly: "All the soldiers will attack with me!" ”

The five hundred iron horsemen were immediately activated, and in an instant they rushed out of the gate and into the darkness of the night. Before the homeless people near the Hanwei camp could react, they were suddenly staggered by the rapid arrival of the iron cavalry soldiers, and many of them were directly knocked out; And most of the homeless people have not yet come to their senses, and they ushered in the cold blades of the soldiers of the Long Xiang Division.

Liu Yunwei rushed to the front and shouted: "Speed up!" Hasten! Defeat them! ”

The dragon cavalry immediately accelerated, like a swimming dragon, attacking back and forth among the nearly 2,000 displaced people, as if entering a no-man's land! And those outcasts are only equipped with some weapons such as broadswords and axes, and many more even hold sticks and farm tools, and there is no armor and armor, how can they be the opponents of the elite iron cavalry? In less than a stick of incense, these nearly 2,000 homeless people were scattered under the sharp attack of the Longxiang Iron Cavalry, and none of the Iron Cavalry soldiers were killed or wounded!

Seeing this, Liu Yunwei did not take advantage of the victory to pursue, but ordered to stop the attack and let the displaced people escape. At the same time, Liu Yunwei ordered the soldiers in the battalion to come out to clean up the battlefield and collect the prisoners and wounded.

At this time, Gao Hongguang said on the side: "Big brother, why don't we chase it, these homeless people are besieging the officers and soldiers with weapons, this is a rebellion!" ”

Liu Yunwei sighed, looked at the direction in which the fleeing homeless people disappeared and said: "Forget it, it's just some homeless people who can't eat enough, if they can eat and clothe, who will come to die desperately!" ”

Gao Hongguang said again: "These displaced people are pitiful, but how can they not abide by the laws of the country? As long as it is a rebellion, it should be exterminated. ”

Liu Yunwei shook his head and said, "If they surrender, I will definitely not kill them all, I will give them a chance, a chance to live!" Of course, if they are obsessed, I will not be kind to the soldiers and put them in danger. ”

"Why does Big Brother think that? I thought that the eldest brother had always been iron-blooded in his treatment of the enemy. ”

"These homeless people are also Han Chinese, to exterminate the homeless people can not rely on killing alone, but to use both prisoners, to let these homeless people see the hope of survival! Otherwise, the exiles will only be more and more suppressed, have you forgotten the Yellow Turban Rebellion during the Han Dynasty? Besides, I really can't bear to kill these hungry and skinny homeless, kill Jiannu, I feel like a hero, but killing homeless, I feel like a butcher! ”