The Land of the Moon is an agrarian society, just like other large countries with large populations.

Even if we count the dusty part of history lost in time, human civilization has been established for tens of thousands of years, but it can still be roughly summarized into several types: farming, fishing, hunting, and nomadism.

These words intuitively summarize the means by which a people depends for their livelihood. And if we want to summarize the law, any country that is strong enough must eventually focus on agriculture.

Fishermen, hunters, and nomads tend to be more aggressive and combative because of their characteristics, and it is not uncommon for them to invade agricultural civilizations during a period of prosperity. However, even they, after invading agricultural civilizations and seizing the country, are often eventually classified as assimilated and begin to develop agriculture.

The simplest reason is that nomadism, fishing and hunting alone cannot support a large population, and only hard sowing can ensure a stable food ration - which is why in countries like the Moon Country, there are often proverbs such as "the people eat for the sky".

Eating is never a trivial matter.

Most of the large empires with a population of more than 10 million have experienced famine due to natural and man-made disasters. When the population is only in the tens of millions, the reduction in crop production can be compensated by increasing fishing and hunting. But when thousands of acres of fields are gone, millions of mouths have to be fed, and everything that can be eaten in the mountains and forests will be exhausted in just a few days.

Farming is a big science, the temperature must be right, and the soil must be right. If the watering frequency is too low, the crops will die, and if it is too high, the roots will be soaked. Weeds should be removed at all times, and care must be taken to prevent insect infestations. If the fertility is not enough, the end result of a year's hard work may only be enough to fill the stomach – and that's a good situation.

Most of the bitter cold soils of the Northland are only suitable for growing potatoes, which are not nutritious enough to eat and often bloating. The high-quality white rice is owned by the aristocracy as we mentioned earlier, and the climate and soil environment in Zhangzhou are average, so it is very rare to be able to grow chestnut rice. The soil, climate and moisture are quite suitable, but even so, there are no less than 4 abandoned villages with empty buildings along the way, and they are in the busy agricultural season of midsummer, and the reason is obviously only man-made disasters.

The emperor was far away, and the magistrates had a certain amount of authority to make their own decisions.

This is a very ironic scene in the eyes of our knowledgeable Sage Gentleman.

The feudal lands of the Far North, even if they were bitterly cold and barren, had a certain standard of living. Because the royal family who was made a vassal king was responsible for their own territory, if the harvest of the domain was not good, they would not have any income.

As the major states directly under the sphere of influence of Xinjing, Taizhou has a lot of eyes on the border, and it is also a peaceful, prosperous and rich scene.

Therefore, to a certain extent, the chicken rib province of Zhangzhou, where the grandmother does not love the uncle and the uncle does not love, is the best entry point to observe the corruption of the bureaucratic system of the Moon Country.

The governors were high-ranking civil servants of the royal family, and the prosperity of the territory was not as direct as that of the vassal kings, and was not directly linked to personal income. Even if the operation is good, the bulk of the income goes to the national treasury, and whether there is a reward depends on the meaning of Xinjing.

However, as long as you are in a high position, there will always be people who stutter. Merchants who want to smuggle contraband, secretly develop all kinds of illegal criminals. Collusion between officials and businessmen has always been uncommon in history. So in the end, it becomes a test of the official's personal will and the firmness of his position – when you don't get too much reward for doing your best, but when you do something that seems to be a "petty evil", such as a lot of wealth that can be achieved by just turning a blind eye to certain situations, few people can really maintain integrity.

This kind of thing will eventually be directly reflected in people's livelihood.

The thugs who bullied and dominated the market got away with it, while the civilians who ran to complain were beaten with the official cane and called home. Eventually, the land was usurped, and people had to leave to find a living elsewhere in order to make a living. When the serious business is forced to go on, they can only fall into the grass.

Over time, the population was lost, and there were basically no normal peasants in the area, except for those who were responsible for the basic services and chores of the aristocracy.

"The whole of Zhangzhou is a huge aristocratic mansion, full of nobles and their servants. ”

Such an assessment was made by the sage shortly after arriving here. It was filled with commoners of all kinds who lived to serve the nobility, as well as nobles who enjoyed their services. On the surface, it seems that drunken gold fans are prosperous, and there are many top-notch prostitutes and restaurants that can consume 10,000 taels overnight.

This society and economy is deformed, and it is heavily dependent on material support from other provinces of the Moon Nation. Once other territories fail to provide supplies in time, Zhangzhou will instantly fall into chaos.

The emperor is far away, and Xinjing can't control it. Even if an inspector is sent, even if corrupt officials are severely punished, the next one will still emerge.

Therefore, this village, which is actually not small in scale but has been emptied, is not the first, and it will not be the last.

When we reached the side of the village, the road began to get better. The sky was still bright, the view was wide, and the ground was flat, so the group sped up.

The roadside is full of traces of abandonment, and the once fertile fields are overgrown with weeds because no one takes care of them, and these vigorous weeds have even distorted the stone frame carved into the roadbed. In the humid climate, the roof tiles and thatched walls are covered with moss, and if you look closely, there are poisonous insects such as centipedes, which are thriving in the summer heat.

The direction of the well is often located in the center of the village's traffic, and the higher the status of the person, the closer it lives, and the map is a convenience. Continuing through the path that was still faintly recognizable, the sight of abandoned fields and villages on the side of the road made Yajiro frown and Old Joe became more and more silent, but as he approached the well, Mira suddenly grasped the handle of the knife and stopped.

"The smell of burning wood. Lulu recognized this before the Luoan girl, and it was clear that as a water source, it wasn't entirely empty.

If it's a commoner, it's okay, even if the identity of the Southern Barbarians and the Yi people is a little unique, with the two nobles of Yajiro and Lao Qiao, they don't dare to say anything when they move out and press them.

However, combined with the trees that have been cut down by humans in the previous mudslides, there is also the possibility that the bandits deliberately set up obstacles.

"Young Master and Old Joe, on the left, Kalewa Lulu, on the right. To be on the safe side, the Sage divided his team into three lanes before he officially approached the past, leaving him and Mira in the middle, while the other four were outflanked from the left and right.

The detour is close to the well, and if there is a conflict, the sage and the girl who are walking in the center will be attacked at the first time, and the left and right teams can take the opportunity to support from behind or from the side.

The number of opponents should not exceed theirs, because there is no one to be seen when looking down from the half-slope. Moreover, most of the houses in most of the village have been abandoned, and if it is a group of dozens of bandits, there will be some traces of life left no matter what.

The sound of Mitya's horses' hooves was heard from a long distance, and the unicorn weighing hundreds of kilograms could not be hidden, but that was exactly what the sage intended.

"Wow!" a jumble of voices sounded, and the fire-roasters, who sensed the movement, did emerge from nearby, but the moment she saw them, Mira frowned, and her hand holding the handle of the knife was slightly released.

"Head! there's a fish—" The middle-aged man who ran out as he shouted back was the poor acid bandit you would have imagined to be. In the middle of summer, wearing only underpants and a very flat shirt, his face was ragged and yellow-skinned, and his height was less than 1.5 meters as average as a civilian, and his elated face froze as if frozen the moment he caught a glimpse of Henry, Mira, and Mitya.

The nearly two-meter-tall sage stood there taller than the roof, and he was so frightened that he was speechless for a while, but when he saw that his companions behind him had come out, he beat his spirit again for the sake of face: "Tube, whether you are an evil ghost or a Hu person, you have to pass by from here and leave to buy road money!"

The sage shook his eyebrows, the bearded people are another name for the foreigners of the Moon Country, considering that most of the Rigal people have thick beards, perhaps this is the reason for this intuitive nickname.

"Yes, yes, leave the money!" the crowd was overwhelming, and the other five or six bandits who also came out also made a fuss. Many of them made hideous and threatening expressions with wooden knives and sticks in their hands, but combined with their yellow-skinned and lean and malnourished faces, Mira only sighed and let go of the hand holding the knife.

"We're just here to get some water, please get out of the way if you can. Henry spoke in a steady tone, but he didn't budge. Those who fall into the trap often have their own miserable reasons, but even so, sympathizing with them and allowing them to ask for and threaten to comply, will only fuel their viciousness. At present, these people are just some people who are weak in combat and most of them were farmers not long ago, but if they are tolerated and compromised, they will give the possibility of developing and growing, and eventually become a bandit group that will harm one party.

The saddest thing is the reality that even though he is a man of almost infinite knowledge, he knows the plight of these people, but there are not many better ways to help.

All the methods that Henry could give were only palliative, not curative. Even if they are given rations, because the fields are still not able to be cultivated effectively, they still have to return to this life after eating, and even if they are given money to go to the big cities to earn a living, how many farmers who have only known how to farm all their lives will be able to learn a new food from scratch.

It is the current situation in Zhangzhou that is forced to fall into the grass, as long as this point does not change, any help is just half-hearted kindness or charity like a show.

So he doesn't give an inch, looking ruthless and determined.

“....... The well is also ours, and if you want water, you pay for it. You don't look like you're short of money!" said one of the slightly calmer bandits in a loud voice, while the others immediately began to echo their voices.

"Teacher, go on your own, I'm afraid I won't be able to control it. "At this point, there is only one ending. The girl sighed, then whistled and led Mitya a little further back.

"The woman ran away. "The bandits are obviously mistaken.

"If the soft one doesn't work, come to the hard one, go together, don't be afraid, even if he is tall, he is just a mortal!"

"Yes, there are a lot of people on our side!" huddles gave them false confidence, and the next second, Henry, who was standing in place, shot directly without mercy.

Three steps across the distance.

The layman who was still shouting didn't react at all.

"Bang!" punched right in the face, reining in force, but still enough to cause a concussion.

"Ahem—" The yellowed front teeth snapped off at the root, but before he could feel the pain, he rolled his eyes and fainted.

"Mom-" One fell to the ground, and morale plummeted. The other was also a little ferocious, wielding the wooden knife with great movements, making the surrounding companions scream "Wow" and began to dodge, and Henry easily waited for him to swing in a disorderly manner, and after losing the center of gravity of the lower plate, he easily grabbed the wooden knife and fell to the ground with a flick of his foot.

"Knock-" The bandit, who was only half the size of a sage, was beaten by him, and from the perspective of a Roan girl's bystanders, it looked like an adult was bullying a child with his physique, which was a scene that made her want to make a "bad" comment. And it is true, fighting hungry people like this is really not a glorious battle. Among the other four people who heard the movement and came out from the left and right, the eyebrows on Yajiro's face became tighter and tighter.

"Smack-" turned his hand and slapped down a person, the bandits' team instantly decreased by more than half, and the hands of the person holding the wooden knife trembled, and he unconsciously retreated several steps back from some point on.

Seeing that the time was almost up, the sage glanced at Old Qiao and Lulu behind them. Then, in front of the bandits, he raised the wooden knife made of hardwood and shook it hard.

"Bang-click!" Instead of using arm strength but directly pinching and exploding with grip strength, the faces of the bandits who were familiar with how strong the wooden knife in their hands immediately lost color.

Immediately after that, Lulu threw out a stone with a sling, smashing it on the ground with a crisp "thump!" sound, and the also very tall Kaleva walked out next to her.

"Bold bandits!" Yajiro and Old Joe pulled out their waist knives with a loud shout and jumped out from the left side, and the scene was very good, and the last confidence of these people was scared at once.

"Damn!" the one who roared the loudest before ran the fastest, but it was the middle-aged man who was the first to come out and tremble, and then hesitated to pull his companion back and carry away the person who had been knocked unconscious by Henry.

The remaining bonfire was still burning in the next room, and the fleeing men disappeared at the end of the road on the other side of the road in a few moments.

"......." The little young master and old Qiao silently put away their waist knives, while Mira carried the water gear with Mitya.

"Let's go back early. ”

Some mixed emotions silenced everyone.

The only thing left next to the well was the noise of doing things.