Chapter Ninety-One, The Great Migration of Ten Thousand Miles (Middle)

Around the camp, surrounded by a barbed wire fence full of spikes, to Guan's brother, a soldier from a peasant family, this thing was obviously very hideous and wasteful—there was so much steel, why not use it for farm tools or swords?

However, these hideous barbed wires, swords and spears, and the wolves (wolfdogs or huskies transported through the gate of time and space) carried by the patrolling soldiers did cause a lot of psychological pressure on all the displaced people, and made them settle down a lot.

Even if the short-haired soldiers brought from the south by the Huangshi Marshal in the refugee camp (many of the homeless people thought they were monks and soldiers, and called them masters), began to build fires and pots and cook food, the frightened homeless people did not dare to rush over and fight, but watched with drooling eyes--most of these homeless people who had escaped the scourge of the rebels and bandits and had escaped to the Dengzhou military area had been tormented by hunger. Everyone is a picture of weakness and drowsiness, and only the aroma of food can make their godless eyes shine.

The first meal provided to the refugees was very simple, that is, the hard dry food cakes brought by the southerners, boiled with water to make a paste - this thing is also called "grain bricks", which is made of sweet potato flour and bean dregs, the large one weighs five pounds, and the small one is about enough for one person to eat, but the taste is too bad to swallow. Brother Guan once tried to gnaw on a small one, but it was really hard as a brick, and he almost broke his teeth. It is said that this thing is so hard that even insects can't gnaw on it, so the short-haired people in the south build large grain bricks into walls and dig them out to fill their stomachs in disaster years...... After learning of this rumor, in addition to scolding the southerners for their extravagance and waste, the people in Dengzhou Town couldn't help but think about it, and wanted to hoard some of these things at home: after all, the world is really bad now, who knows when their own family will suffer, and they need to rely on this thing to save the emergency?

In the beginning, in order to save trouble, the soldiers in the refugee camp directly distributed "food bricks" to the displaced people, so that they could fill their stomachs with cold water -- they had already become homeless people, so where was they qualified to care that the rations were too hard? Who knows, many people died at once! The frightened people hurriedly changed their way of working, and did not bother to boil these compressed rations into a paste, and deliberately added more water to make them thinner, before they dared to give them to these starving ghosts.

After the homeless people have drunk the hot paste with the wooden bowls provided by the army, the real test begins - the soldiers with large sticks are in place, and the violently drive the homeless people to "purify": first shaved their heads, then bathed, then issued new clothes, then medical examinations, insecticides, and, if possible, vaccinations...... Newcomers are often very disobedient, and when they hear that their heads are going to be shaved, many of them will subconsciously resist physically. It wasn't until he was beaten honestly with sticks by the soldiers that he was willing to accept the purification procedure obediently......

After finally shaving their heads, bathing and purifying, these frightened refugees got a gift, each of them changed into a blue cloth robe like a face pocket, tied a hemp rope around their waists, and had a pair of brand-new straw sandals on their feet, so they slowly calmed down: according to the experience of the troops stationed in the refugee camp, although when shaving the heads of refugees, they often cause very strict resistance, but when they really shave their heads, no one will look for death or life. The guy who is so fragile has already died on the way to escape the famine. The vast majority of poor people know very well that in order to ensure their survival, inferior people like themselves must not pay attention to any face, let alone dignity and human rights! As long as you can let your family eat an extra bite of food, you can cope with it and survive, no matter what you do, you can do anything.

Next, the soldiers gave the refugees blankets to sleep on, wooden cups for drinking water, and a series of other daily necessities, and reprimanded them for camping on the spot - it was still a hot day, and it would not be too uncomfortable to sleep in the dark...... At this point, basically every refugee has settled down, thinking that the main family has sent so many things to him, and he will definitely not let himself starve to death and freeze to death again, so he is more obedient.

Depending on the situation, the refugees will either undergo several days of discipline training in the camps or will be escorted directly to the rear, where they will be re-educated on the way. And these shelters ahead will also be flooded with a new batch of displaced people, and so on and so on, as if it never ends......

Even with the vision of Brother Guan, a low-level soldier, he felt that there were too many refugees sent to Dengzhou, and he couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

“…… Big brother, what are you worried about? It's not that these displaced people will not settle down in Dengzhou and grab food and land with us, but will be sent to the south by that Huang Dashuai to reclaim the wasteland? Another soldier asked, puzzled.

“…… That being said, but the road from Shandong to the south is so far, don't they have to eat and drink when they are waiting for the ship in Dengzhou? ”

Senior Brother Guan gave him a blank look, "...... I hope those big ships can bring more food from other places, or we will have to feed them! In that case, our forts in Wendeng and Weihai are not very rich, and I am afraid that we will be eaten alive......"

-- As a matter of fact, the above-mentioned worries of the soldier Guan Da Di in Dengzhou Town are, from a certain point of view, completely groundless......

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Weihaiwei, Liugong Island

In another time and space, this island, which can be seen from the streets of Weihai and is only separated from the city of Weihai by a narrow sea area, will become the general headquarters of the Beiyang Naval Division in the late Qing Dynasty and a famous patriotic education base in the 21st century, but at this time in the late Ming Dynasty, there is only a piece of original temperate natural vegetation on Liugong Island, except for the simple shacks of a few fishermen and a ruined temple that has been abandoned for many years......

It wasn't until the three crocodile-class landing ships of the Global Chinese Traveler Alliance that there were more traces of civilization on this lush desert island.

-- The original fishermen on the island were immediately forcibly relocated and stuffed into the military camp in Dengzhou Town. The three trestle bridges, which were used to moor large ships, were repaired in just a few days. Then, on the flat land in the south of the island near the mainland, a large-scale "purification camp" appeared, full of rows of simple houses and military tents, as well as ditches and small reservoirs that provided domestic water for the purification camp, which also appeared on the island one after another.

The displaced people from all over the Central Plains changed into blue cloth robes at various shelters on the border of Dengzhou Zhenkong Zhì District, and were escorted to Weihaiwei one by one, and then boarded the warships of the Dengzhou Navy Division, and transported to Liugong Island one by one. made this ancient and desolate island become bustling and full of people for a while...... However, these displaced people did not stay on the island for long, but after they had gathered a certain number, they were stuffed into the three towering iron ships, saying that they were going to be transferred "overseas" to reclaim the wasteland.

The news undoubtedly caused some panic, but the refugees soon discovered that the large iron boats were usually filled with people and returned in a day or two, and sometimes even half a day...... In this way, even if the speed of these big iron ships is fast, as long as they can go back and forth in such a short time, then the so-called "overseas" place where they are about to settle down is probably not too far away!

As a result, these displaced people in the Liugong Island purification camp gradually calmed down - although the Chinese have relocated since ancient times, they also know that ensuring their survival is the top priority. In the case that disasters have been rampant in their hometown for many years and the common people have no way to live, since they did not hesitate to leave their hometown and go into exile to escape the famine in order to get a bite to eat, they naturally don't mind running a little farther in order to make a living.

-- These homeless people never dreamed that their future home would be on the other side of the world......

In the purification camp on Liugong Island, Liu Ergou was packing his few pieces of luggage, preparing to board the boat with the team.

Liu Ergou is a tenant farmer in the countryside of Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Province, since the third year of Chongzhen, Henan has been in drought for three consecutive years, although Kaifeng Mansion is close to the Yellow River, but the irrigation canal has long been abandoned, even if there is river water, it cannot irrigate the land. Liu Ergou's family had no income, he couldn't pay the rent of the owner, and he didn't have the rations to live, and he was dragged by the government to play the board to urge taxes. As a last resort, he had to defect to the bandits in the mountains with a few young men from the same village.

However, the world is really getting worse, and Liu Ergou soon found that he gradually ran out of food in the bandits' den! In desperation, he had to sneak down the mountain again and join the ranks of homeless beggars from other provinces. After wandering for more than a year, relying on his flexible brain and strong physique, he withstood the looting of bandits from all walks of life and the drive of officials and soldiers from all over the country, survived very luckily, and came to the ground in Shandong.

However, although the disaster in Shandong is slightly lighter than that in Henan, it is also 50 steps and 100 steps, and it is difficult for local farmers to make a living.

In desperation, Liu Ergou even wanted to return to his old business, pull the pole and become a bandit to grab food, but he couldn't get any weapons to take advantage of, and if he only took sticks and stones, these hungry homeless people who walked fluttered obviously couldn't beat the homekeepers in the landlord's house.

At this time, there was also a war in Shandong, and the life of the displaced people was even more difficult, and they were often driven and killed by the official army, or let the Wenxiang sect members be coerced to fill the trenches and storm the city as cannon fodder, and the locals also became more and more vigilant against them, not to mention begging for food, it was difficult to even beg for saliva to drink...... Fortunately, God blessed, I met Liu Ergou, who was almost starving to death when Dengzhou Town recruited displaced people, and was finally rescued by a bowl of hot batter at the shelter.

Liu Ergou had also heard about the rebellion in Dengzhou Town, and he wondered if the rebels were going to recruit troops and buy horses - if it was an ordinary person, he might instinctively feel a little afraid of this kind of disorderly thing, but for Liu Ergou, who used to be a bandit, as long as he could mix a few full meals, even if he joined the rebels, it didn't seem to be a big deal, and he might be able to kill a fortune with a knife and a shot!

It's just that the rules of the Dengzhou Army are really strange, everyone drank a bowl of hot batter, and they were driven to shave their hair, and they were driven by those who were soldiers to strip off their clothes and squeeze next to the river beach to take a bath and rub mud...... Although they suffered a little, Liu Ergou and the group of homeless people were very excited about the new clothes that were distributed after being washed, and the dry and hard cakes, fragrant broth, and hot and thick white rice porridge that were served to everyone—how many years had passed! This is the first time I know what it feels like to be full! Just for this one, there is no loss with Dengzhou Chen Dashuai. If the owner can always treat himself like this, three meals a day, dry meals and soup, clothes and shoes and socks for the four seasons, it is better to have a decent house to live in. So even if Chen Dashuai is a thief who is rebelling against the court, it is worth selling this cheap life by himself.

Next, they were escorted to Weihaiwei, the old camp of the Chinese army of the Dengzhou Army, Liu Ergou originally thought about which battalion he would be assigned to, but he was told that the Dengzhou Army had no intention of recruiting new recruits from the displaced people for the time being, and they were brought over to let them go to open up wasteland and farm...... Some of them were slightly disappointed when they heard that they did not need to be soldiers, but most of them were still relieved -- although the homeless people did everything they could do when they were hungry, robbing houses, killing people, and setting fires, since they had no worries about food and clothing, they still felt more at ease in farming and living honestly.

Next, they were transported to a small island by the Dengzhou sailors, and lived in some extravagant houses made of iron sheets (color steel prefabricated houses) - because there were not enough houses, the latecomers had to live in tents, and everyone was given clean mats and quilts.

On the island, the daily food is very good, lunch and dinner are the worst there are corn and a small amount of rice boiled out of the "two rice", plus a bowl of vegetable broth and a salted fish per person, when you are lucky, you can also eat white flour steamed buns, eggs and candy from the top, Liu Ergou feels that even the life of those small landlords in his hometown is probably not so good. But those officers were also very rigorously trained, and the homeless people were called up before dawn to exercise long-distance running, and after breakfast, they had to go out to drill and kick the right steps, walk in line, and stand in a military posture...... By the time they returned to camp in the evening, they were all tired and dead dogs.

There were a few homeless people from military households who muttered all day long that even the family members of the commander of the guard post had not practiced so hard. Liu Ergou thought deeply about this, and thought about whether to escape, but three sumptuous meals with plenty of oil and water every day finally made him grit his teeth and survive.

-- In charge of the food full of oil and water, clean and tidy new clothes, neat and comfortable bedding, new and durable living utensils, in addition to the special rules, for Liu Ergou, a homeless person who has suffered enough, this place is really like the legendary Western Elysium. But these frightening rules still make them feel uncomfortable, especially the harsh hygiene regulations, which really make these sloppy homeless people complain - not to mention the daily bathing and gargling of their mouths, if they forget to wash their hands before eating, or defecate or litter, and make the toilet too dirty, they will be beaten with different numbers of sticks, and everyone will be beaten to death. In short, under the sticks and scolding of those military masters, the homeless people had to live a cleaner life than those who read in the county, and the latrines were cleaned until they were clean enough to sleep.

After they had been educated with sticks and finally developed good discipline and hygiene, the day had come to leave the island.

Facing the rising sun, Liu Ergou carried a stick and followed the flow of people out of the barracks. He only picked out a small package on his stick, which contained the daily necessities distributed in the "purification camp", and the tatters of the exile had long since been completely lost...... The team slowly walked to the trestle and then boarded the huge iron ship along the gangway. Before Liu Ergou could take a closer look at the scenery on the deck, he was whipped a stick by the sailors.

“…… Hurry up and get in, don't be struggling! There are so many people in the back! ”

Then he stumbled through the hatch and followed the flow of people into a long narrow aisle, through one portal after another—a steel floor beneath his feet, steel walls on either side, and a few knick-knacks that he didn't know what they were for, and the dim electric lights flickering on and off overhead...... Liu Ergou instinctively felt afraid of these things that exceeded his understanding, but he could only continue to move forward under the push of the people behind him.

Before Liu Ergou knew it, when he passed through another portal, the steel floor under his feet became terrazzo floor tiles, the steel bulkheads on both sides also became thick stone walls, and the corridor became more and more spacious...... Then, Liu Ergou and his fellow homeless people walked out of a magnificent Greco-Roman pillar-style auditorium, staring in amazement at the blue sky and the bright sun overhead, as well as the bustling city in front of them with a completely different architectural style from Middle-earth, and a group of "barbarian soldiers" carrying firearms and hair colors......

――While making full use of Doraemon's black technology props, in order to avoid causing disturbances among the natives of the Ming Dynasty and to maintain secrecy, the relevant departments came up with a trick to install a [random door] in the cabin of the crocodile-class landing ship, and on the other side of the [random door] is the Capitol building in Manchester City (Manhattan Island), the capital of the Chinese American Republic...... The natives of the Ming Dynasty thought that the displaced people in the purification camp on Liugong Island were transported by three large iron boats, but in fact, when they boarded the ships from the docks, the migrants' journey across the halfway world had already been completed through the guò [random gate].

As for the frequent anchoring of the Crocodile-class landing ships, they are merely a cover -- they are merely carrying out routine patrols and intercepting smuggling merchant ships that are trying to smuggle themselves across the blockade line. Otherwise, if so many people disappear for no reason, I am afraid that some terrifying rumors such as "short-haired barbarians kill people and sacrifice gods to cultivate evil methods" and "Huang Dashuai accumulates cannibal demons to destroy the enemy" among the people of Dengzhou......

In front of the majestic Parliament building in the city of Manchester, the magnificent Houses of the American Republic, a marble square adorned with fountains and statues, was once a tourist attraction, but today it has been cleared under the pretext of "military exercises" and barricades have been erected on the streets leading to the square. At this time, in addition to the officers and soldiers of the Navy and Army of the Chinese American Republic who were in charge of the blockade and martial law, the Ming Dynasty refugees who arrived on Manhattan Island in North America with Liu Ergou through the guò [random door] - in the face of the drastic changes like the immortal art of "shrinking the land into inches", and the strange city that suddenly found themselves in it, these people were obviously shocked. Some people were already frightened and confused, and their mouths were full of Bodhisattva blessings. But there are also some brave guys, after being driven to the square to wait, they began to look around, curiously looking at the European-style houses with stone walls and red tiles, the flat and clean concrete floor, and the "unethical" off-the-shoulder goddess statue in the center of the fountain pool...... However, looking at the heavily armed soldiers around the square, even the most daring people did not dare to talk more than look around at the street scene of Manchester City.

After waiting silently for a while, when all the displaced people arrived, a man in a suit finally greeted him with a loudspeaker and a smile: "...... Dear compatriots from Daming! Welcome to the Americas! Here, you will have a wonderful new life...... "R1148