Approaching the end of the year, there was another heavy snowfall near Gyeonggi, and this rare heavy snow made many experienced old people not only not have a little joy of the Ruixue Trillion Year, but became even more sad. According to the old saying, there is a certain amount of rain in the world, and if there is more rain in winter, then there will be much less in spring and summer, which means that the next year, at least at the beginning of spring, will be another great drought.

Especially this winter is extremely cold, even a cold-resistant sparrow, are shrunk under the eaves of others, chirping do not want to come out, which makes people more worried, Beijing is so cold, so the farther north it is, the colder it becomes, the people in Shaanxi and Shanxi in the north are more difficult, and the life of the Tatars in the north is even more difficult, and the Tatars solve the difficulties of life in a simple and rough way - such as the Central Plains robbery. Last year, the Mongolian Tartars who threshed grass all hit the city of Yansui, if it weren't for the desperate resistance of Li Hongliang, the deputy chief soldier of Yansui in the imperial court, it would have been impossible to say that people would have hit Xi'an.

And the situation is just as everyone expected, on the streets of the capital, from time to time, you can see the anxious soldiers with red flags on their backs, riding thin and weak post horses with embarrassed expressions, carrying thin and broken post guards, shouting in hoarse voices, running in the direction of the imperial city where the yamen gathered, and every post horse running by, adding a sense of worry to the brows of those officials who are still leisurely shopping in Beijing.

"This is a stagecoach from Shaanxi, which shows that there are displaced people in Shaanxi." On the side of the street leading to the Imperial City, there is a private room next to the street of a restaurant, a few exquisite side dishes, a pot of fragrant wine, and at the same time, on the table, there is a stack of tall brocade boxes, at a glance, you can know that there are definitely some exquisite and valuable gifts. And in the middle of the ground, the fine charcoal emitted infinite heat, but it still made the two officials in the private room feel the coldness emanating from Chong's heart, and through the small Xuan window that emitted charcoal, they looked outside the window at an official dressed like a bear, and another official who was also wearing a fine fur muttered quietly.

The official on the opposite side stretched out his hand and pulled the fur fur on his body, and a biting cold wind rushed in from the small Xuan window, but he couldn't stop it, he couldn't help but shrink his neck, glanced at the charcoal fire plate that was almost a furnishing, and shivered: "Yes, I heard that Shaanxi has been in drought for two years, and there are displaced people everywhere, and the poles are rampant, and this winter, it is so cold in Beijing, but I can imagine what kind of situation it is in the north." Speaking of this, he wrapped the robe on his body again, and his heart was already full of unhappiness: "If it weren't for the huge benefits of the same year opposite, I would never have run out of the warm concubine's room at this time and suffer here." Is it so easy to walk the way of Grandpa Wei? Don't you see, outside the private residence of Grandpa Wei in the distance, even on such a cold day, there is a long queue of officials waiting to be summoned? "But complaining is complaining, things still have to be helped, just with that rich meeting gift, you can't give up this fat sheep, Jingguan is bitter.

The official from Shaanxi who came to beg for relocation looked at the distance again, the long queue in front of the gate of Gonggong Wei's mansion, and his loyal servant who was queuing up in the cold wind, frowned, retracted his gaze, and leaned forward: "What Brother Nian said is very true, don't hide it from Brother Nian, I really can't stay in Shaanxi, so I ask you, who walked around the door in the same year, and wanted to leave that hell on earth, as you said, the current Shaanxi, with thousands of miles of red land is already the limit of description, in fact, the situation is worse than this, the county seat I am guarding is quite good, Everyone still has grass roots, at least Guanyin soil to eat, and in Mizhi Yan'an, cannibalism has become the norm, walking on the road, all you see along the way are dead people-like people, all of them are expressionless, but their eyes are all blood-red, which is caused by eating human flesh and eating too much. ”

The Jingguan was full of cleverness, thinking about that scene, it was a burst of nausea, and he almost poured out all the wine and food he had just eaten. swallowed the nausea in his stomach for a while, and then asked in a low voice: "Brother, is it really so miserable?" It's not a good way to go on like this. ”

"Ugh." The county magistrate from Shaanxi who came to Beijing to seek his relocation frowned and responded, did not speak, and sighed first: "Brother Ren said that, isn't it?" If people have no food to eat, to the point of eating people, everything can be done, now, the displaced people from all over the country form a rogue Kou, rolling out, for the disaster of the place, before I came, that is, on the fifteenth day of February in the seventh year of the Apocalypse, Chengcheng Liukou rebelled, rushed in from the West Gate, straight into the county office, and killed Zhang Douyao, the county commander who was urging this year's tax in the lobby. ”

Hearing this, the Jingguan brother turned pale at the time, "This killing official is a rebellion, can it be that the guards everywhere can't watch it?" ”

"What about the official military guards, not to mention that the guards have been eroded to the extent of nothingness, even the border army has not paid money and food for several years, and what's worse is that the last time the border army went out to fight, the result was a big defeat and loss, and the result was a three-way rout, but the defeated soldiers did not dare to return to the building, so there was a leader named Shen Kuiyi, and he also went up the mountain as a pole, just like that, who do you expect to go?"

"Unpaid? No, Father-in-law Wei has been making money everywhere all these years, and most of them are paying for the border army, I am from the household department, but I know that no matter how difficult it is every year, the salary must be paid some. ”

The Shaanxi county magistrate couldn't help but snort, took a bite of the already cold dish, and said sarcastically: "I don't know if the money on it can't be paid, but I know that the border soldiers have not had a penny of silver for three years, and a grain of grain has been used to support their families, and it is good to be able to mix a gruel a day in the barracks." Looking at this person who didn't believe it in the same year, he smiled and said: "I said that you can not believe it, but Lord Yanhu, the governor of Shaanxi, once wrote that Lingongbian's salary is short for five or six years, and it is more than 200,000; Jinglu Border Fort is missing for two years and three years; From the 47th year of Wanli to the 6th year of the Apocalypse, Guzhen Jingyun owed a total of more than 159,000 taels of silver. At the beginning, the armies still sold arrows, and now they have wives; At first, he begged along the street, but now he has left the army and absconded; At first, it was an occasional whisper in the sand, and now it is openly shouting. Lord Lu Xiangsheng also once said that the more he is paid today, the more he is hungry and cold. borrowed money to make bows, arrows, guns and knives, and still sold them. Many soldiers lined up in the martial arts, the golden wind was like an arrow, and the sick and stiff servants were told one after another. Every point of a soldier, there are single clothes, there are no hakama, there are few shoes and socks, the ministers see it and burst into tears. Is this nonsense? Speaking of this, the county commander, who still had some conscience, couldn't help but say sadly and angrily: "You let this people starve to death, how can you and the soldiers who have already starved to death suppress those rogues?" Ha. Turning to a mocking tone, he said, "It's not bad for these soldiers to raid places with poles." ”

The official of the capital was speechless for a while, and the two of them silently watched another red flag rush away, and for a long time, the official in Shaanxi who begged for a transfer asked in a worry-free whisper: "Brother, our Shaanxi has become a mess of porridge, and Shanxi and Henan have also been affected, but why don't you see the imperial court to help the people and rectify the army?" After pondering for a while, he muttered carefully: "Even if it is to reduce some taxes and food, let the people of Shaanxi take a breath, and give even a little bit of food to those soldiers of the guard who are already dying of cold and starvation." ”

Hearing this old man mutter, the official in the capital looked at this Shaanxi official like a demon: "Exempt the money and grain from Shanxi, Shaanxi? Forget it, now the country's tax area is this north, if it is reduced, then what will you pay for my expenses? What to give money and food to the border army that really fought against the Tartars outside the Guanwai? Now, it's good not to increase income. ”

"The south is ripe and commercially developed, so it should be a place of great wealth, but how can it be the barren Hebei (here it refers to the north of the Yellow River)? Isn't that the opposite of the opposite? Isn't this forcing the already raging people in the north to rebel? Speaking of this, he couldn't help but say worriedly: "And once the soldiers of the border guard post have no way to live and go to plunder the place, then the world will be in chaos." ”

"My brother, where do we have the most officials and gentry in the Ming Dynasty?" The Beijing official didn't answer Brother Nian's words, but asked contemptuously.

"Of course it's the south, the world is in the south, this is the situation formed by the old man." The Shaanxi official replied naturally.

"Hmph." The Beijing official snorted in his nose, and then whispered to the same person beside him in a confidant attitude: "The problem is here, now, there are too many officials in the south, and many of them can already influence the decrees of the court." And behind that huge group is a clan that is not inextricably linked. "Look at the same year that has been stupid in that place in Shaanxi in the north," and the scholars do not pay money and grain, therefore, if you want to give more money to the south, the first is that those southern scholars and gentry resist together, and they can't do it if they want to, even if they are nine thousand years old like a thunderous figure, they can't do it, so they can only continue to collect taxes from the north where the clan and the gentry are weak, or which one can they add? ”

The official from Shaanxi was silent, took a sip of cold stuffy wine, and sighed: "Drink to quench your thirst." ”

Seeing that this benevolent brother showed a situation that was not commensurate with an official, Yun shook his hand lightly: "Come on, come on, worry about the affairs of the court, that is the business of the big people, it is true that you and I still arrange our own affairs in the same year." Looking at the gifts stacked high on the table, he said with a smile: "This time, with these gifts of filial piety to the nine thousand years old, it should be no problem to transfer to the south." ”

The county magistrate of Shaanxi arched his hand: "Then we still have to get rid of Brother Ren running in the middle, once the matter is successful, the younger brother will never forget Brother Ren's great kindness." ”

The Beijing official shook his hand generously: "I don't dare to be a benevolent brother, but I still have to say a word here." ”

"What does Brother Ren command? The younger brother listened attentively. The Shaanxi county commander hurriedly folded his spirits and listened carefully.

"Once Brother Ren is successfully transferred to the south, he must inquire about the local noble family connections, copy a talisman and collect it carefully, and don't offend those gentry."

"Thank you Brother Ren for reminding me, the little brother must follow carefully." The Shaanxi county magistrate once again carefully thanked him, thinking that he was about to leave the sea of bitterness and enter heaven, he was happy and sad, and couldn't help but ask tentatively again: "Could it be that the emperor has nothing to do about the situation in Shanxi, Shaanxi?" ”

The Jingguan took a sip of wine slowly, but it was not easy to speak.

At the time of embarrassment, there was a rush of footsteps on the stairs, and then the door of the private room was knocked gently, and then a very respectful voice sounded, it was the servant of the Beijing official: "Master, the number plate of the Shaanxi lord has come down, and it will be received by the nine-thousand-year-old deputy chief tonight, please prepare to deal with it earlier." ”

As soon as he heard such good news, the county magistrate of Shaanxi suddenly stood up, and his whole body couldn't help but tremble slightly, and the Beijing official also showed a relieved smile, and said to his own year: "Congratulations to Brother Nian, congratulations to Brother Nian." ”

The Shaanxi county commander hurriedly replied: "It's all the credit of Brother Nian, and I keep in mind Brother Nian's earnest teachings, I am toothless and unforgettable, I am grateful for my great kindness, look at my brother's performance in the future." ”

The Beijing official smiled and said nothing, but said in his heart: "It seems that this person will still be an official, but his heart has not been dark to a certain extent, just a sentence about the tragic situation in Shaanxi, why can't he go up to the heavens, that is, a short-sighted and naïve master, and the next love is heard by the heavens?" Not to mention whether the carpenter master is willing to listen to it, even if he wants to, he can't hear it, especially now that he is seriously ill, and it doesn't matter if he hears it, just by virtue of this, this young brother's official luck, I'm afraid it will end here. ”