"Phew-"

Almost at the same time, when Zhu Ciran and they went deep into Zhejiang, a group of people who climbed Zhangjiakou Tiger Mountain also attracted the attention of the heavenly goshawk.

The goshawk circled several times, its eyes fixed on the few dwarf children in the crowd.

"Bang-"

Just as it was about to pounce, but when it heard a gunshot, the goshawk instantly screamed and fell, and at the same time, Zhu Youzhen also threw the rifle in his hand to Lu Yuangao next to him.

"Animals devour people, you have to weigh ......"

Zhu Youzhen turned around and continued to climb up, while Lu Yuangao kept his head down and didn't dare to say anything.

He escorted Zhu Youzhen's family to climb the mountain, as the main peak got closer and closer, when Zhu Youzhen completely climbed to the top and walked under a tree to look into the distance, the scene that appeared in front of him was not so good.

In the first month, with the arrival of spring, this should be the most vibrant season of the year, but what Zhu Youzhen saw when he stood on the top of Tiger Mountain was a lifeless patch.

The cracked field is like an old man after weather, and his face is full of wrinkles, which is very clear and helpless.

The sun hanging overhead bakes the earth like a large ball of fire, making everyone feel like they are in a fire cage.

Zhu Cihong and the others' little faces were reddened by the sun, and their faces were full of salt crystals after sweat had dried.

At this moment, they are holding water bladders and gulping down water.

It's just that people still have water to drink, but the earth doesn't have so much water to use.

Under the drought and scorching heat, the Qingshui River and the Yanghe River in the Zhangjiakou territory have also become weaker.

The Yanghe River, which was once hundreds of paces wide, has almost disappeared, and it only exists in the center of the original riverbed, like a gossamer, becoming a thin stream.

It flowed slowly in the direction of the capital, hoping to continue its hopeless life.

Not far away, the reservoir built by Zhangjiakou officials has also dried up, and the crystal clear reservoir has revealed its hideous face, and the drought of these years has also made Zhangjiakou, a place with green mountains and clear waters and pleasant scenery, become like hell.

Looking down from the top of the mountain, the Yanghe River and the Qingshui River, which are already as small as streams, have become the source of life for the people of Zhangjiakou.

On either side of the riverbed, a long line of people formed near the town of Zhangjiakou, each pushing a trolley with wooden barrels on it.

Zhu Youzhen watched with a clairvoyant mirror, and the dense crowd of people fetching water made him not know how to speak, and after a long time he sighed:

"Although the scenery of the northern country is majestic, it has not rained so far this year."

"Right now, I'm looking at this hill, and I can only helpless the people's livelihood and suffering......"

While Zhu Youzhen said this, he also turned his head to the mayor of Zhangjiakou, who had just climbed to the top of the mountain and was out of breath, and asked:

"How many people still live here in Zhangjiakou Town, and how much of the cultivated land in the town can be productive?"

"Back to ...... Return...... Back to His Highness...... "The mayor of the town was very tired, and said intermittently:

"There are still more than 3,000 people in this town, and forty percent of the cultivated land cannot be cultivated, and the rest of the watered fields can still be cultivated by relying on the Yanghe River and the Baishui River."

"If the imperial court can send a few pumps to come, it will be much easier for the people to water."

Pumping machine, this is a use of the steam engine, and the mayor's proposal is indeed for the consideration of the people of the town, but Zhu Youzhen can't agree to this.

"It's easy to transfer pumps, but if Zhangjiakou Town uses pumps, there may not be water in the downstream market towns......"

Zhu Youzhen told the truth, and the mayor knew it, so he didn't force it anymore, he just wanted to try it.

"More than 3,000 people......"

Zhu Youzhen looked at the people crowded on the riverbed to draw water and shook his head.

"The imperial court will issue tractors to the East China Sea, Modong, and Mobei this year, and the people of Shanxi still say that if they can move, move as soon as possible, this drought will last for five or six years."

For the first time, Zhu Youzhen issued an order in the form of prophecy, which made the official in charge of recording the content of the order stunned, and after hesitating for a moment, he still wrote it.

This kind of thing is prophecy, once it is moved out, it will become particularly terrifying, and in the case of human-to-human transmission, I am afraid that the north will not be peaceful......

"The number of mouths in Shanxi is still the same as before, down to four acres of paddy fields per capita, so it can be stopped."

Zhu Youzhen gave the criteria for migration, which is particularly harsh.

There are more than 16 million mu of paddy fields in Shanxi, and according to Zhu Youzhen's theory of four mu per capita, that is, only 4 million people can be left, and Shanxi will have to relocate more than 1 million people.

After this migration, the population of the six northern provinces is likely to fall below 35 million.

"Let's go down the mountain." Looking at the bare mountain, Zhu Youzhen explained, and then walked down the mountain with Zhu Cihong, who had been exhausted and collapsed.

When they returned to Zhangjiakou, they did not go to the town yamen, but went to the town's homes under the leadership of Zhu Youzhen.

Seven years after the Apocalypse, officials were dispatched to the market town, which was also the first time that the feudal dynasty sent imperial power to the market town.

For the management of the market town, Zhu Youzhen matched it according to the configuration of one town mayor, two deputy town mayors, and ten street village officials, so when they went to each street, they were introduced by village officials.

Zhangjiakou Town is very prosperous, after all, it is a mutual market location for trade inside and outside the Guan.

Even though Mongolia is moving westward now, with the departure of the Mongols and the continuous construction of cities outside the pass by the Ming Dynasty, Zhangjiakou has a better environment, economy and people's livelihood than before after completely eliminating the hidden danger of war.

If there is no drought, maybe the people here will live well, but ......

"Zhang Laohan! Come out, come out! King Qi has come to see your house! ”

"Huh?!"

When Zhu Youzhen and them walked into Zhangjiakou Town, the people of Zhangjiakou used the environment they lived in to tell Zhu Youzhen what the "prosperity" in the north looked like in this era.

The houses of a street are all made of yellow rammed earth, and although their roofs are gray tiles, the tiles are covered with dried moss and some plants.

The so-called courtyard wall is just a one-foot-high yellow rammed earth inserted into a three-foot-high strip of dead wood, for a five-foot-nine-inch person like Zhu Youzhen, he can easily see the situation in the courtyard.

In the yard, two seven or eight-year-old children have just returned home carrying pigweed, and are now cutting pigweed for the pigs.

They were covered in ashes, their clothes were patched, their hair seemed to have not been washed for a long time, and their faces were covered with dust.

They looked at the village officials shouting excitedly at the gate of the courtyard for some reason, and the next second their father, a person called Zhang Laohan, was on crutches, limping, and "jumped" out with excitement on his face.

"King Qi! King Qi is really here?! ”

Zhang Laohan and the village official seemed to be very familiar with each other, he shouted excitedly, and the village official also saluted Zhu Youzhen: "This is King Qi!" ”

Zhang Laohan jumped to the door, looked up, and was stunned, not knowing what to say.

After a second, he suddenly reacted, hurriedly dropped his crutches, knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "King Qi Chitose Chitose Chitose Chitose Chitose ......"

"Get up."

Zhu Youzhen squatted down and tried to support him, but the village officials and the mayor around him helped the old man up in advance, and they seemed to be afraid that Zhang Laohan would dirty Zhu Youzhen's hands.

This move made Zhu Youzhen not know what to say, so he could only walk into the courtyard door with his head down, and stood in the courtyard and looked at the courtyard.

An ordinary stone mill, as well as a large and a small gray tile house with yellow rammed earth, this is Zhang Laohan's home.

"Why don't you see the ploughing ox?" Zhu Youzhen frowned and looked at Zhang Laohan, looking at him dressed in tatters, unkempt hair and missing a leg, and he also had a bad premonition in his heart.

"Back to Your Highness, my family shares a cow with the Liu family next door, the cow lives in his house, and my family is too small to live."

Zhang Laohan got up with a cane, and led Zhu Youzhen to the main house to sit.

Zhu Youzhen did not go to the main house with him, but first went to see the ear room next to him.

"It stinks......"

Before he could enter the chamber, the stench of the room came out.

Zhu Cihong and several other children hurriedly covered their mouths and noses and stopped in disgust, but Zhu Youzhen opened the door and looked.

In the ear room, a two-year-old black pig of about 20 pounds is sleeping, and a firewood rack stacked with firewood has been set up above its head, and next to it is a dry toilet, which is not only dirty, but also emits a foul smell.

It's just that Zhu Youzhen looked at this for a long time without any expression, and then walked to the main house with Zhang Laohan.

The situation in the main house is not very good, on the left is the stacking of farm tools and sleeping places, and the sleeping bed is an adobe ondol, which is only enough for three adults to lie down.

As for the kitchen on the right, there is only one bottom of the rice bowl in the kitchen, and the rice probably doesn't add up to thirty catties, and the oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea next to it is also similar to the rice bowl, with only one bowl bottom.

"Your Highness, this is coarse tea, I hope you don't mind."

Zhang Laohan did not feel sorry for the tea, but took all the tea to entertain Zhu Youzhen and them.

Putting tea leaves in a clay bowl with a missing mouth and pouring a pot of boiling water became his richest hospitality.

"It's not going to be easy, why don't you take your children to Kanwai?"

After Zhu Youzhen took his seat, he motioned for Zhang Laohan to sit down with him, and asked him about it.

In this regard, Zhang Laohan's words are also very straightforward: "I also want to go, but my mother-in-law is sick and died, and I and my two children are left." ”

"I am missing a leg, and the two dolls are too small to summon the ploughing oxen, and I can't reclaim the land outside the customs."

"I can only be here, with the help of my neighbors, to plant the twenty acres of land issued by the imperial court, and then move when the two children are older."

Zhang Laohan's voice was a little lower, and Zhu Youzhen also took the opportunity to look around.

There were no tablets on the bare walls except for a few tablets, and there was only a low table and five or six low wooden benches in the room.

Such an environment is too far-fetched to say that the four walls of the family are scattered.

"What's the matter with the legs?" Zhu Youzhen looked at Zhang Laohan's empty trouser leg.

"Unlucky, Wanli lost his leg outside the side wall in the forty-third year of the war." Speaking of his legs, Zhang Laohan was very relieved, but Zhu Youzhen was a little nervous.

"Didn't the court give a pension...... Five years after the apocalypse. ”

Zhu Youzhen added a sentence five years after the Apocalypse, because he knew that before that, most of the Ming army had not been compensated.

"I gave a pension of ten taels of silver, but in the past few years of drought, except for ten acres of watered land and a harvest, other fields cannot be planted."

"My mother-in-law borrowed some silver the year she died, and she could pay it off when she sold the pig this year."

"Hehe......" Zhang Laohan smiled honestly, and Zhu Youzhen didn't know what to say when he heard it.

There were too many disabled soldiers during the Wanli period, and he set a living person back then, and each person was given a pension of ten taels of silver.

Ten taels of pension silver is already a lot, but compared with the plight of the old soldiers after they are disabled, it seems that there are not so much.

"Are there many veterans like you?" Zhu Youzhen asked patiently, but Zhang Laohan shook his head:

"There are very few, most of them died in the Wanli year, and only a few survived to the Apocalypse year."

Speaking of this, Zhang Laohan also said excitedly: "If it weren't for the King of Qi who gave us a group of mud legs, I'm afraid we wouldn't be alive now." ”

As he spoke, Zhang Laohan was about to kneel down again, but this time he was supported by Zhu Youzhen:

"I don't like to bow down, you just do it, the court should give the people land."

"These years are just the beginning, and more land will be divided in the future, but only if you are willing to move."

Zhu Youzhen turned his head to look at the door, because unconsciously, the people of Zhangjiakou Town heard the news of the appearance of King Qi, and rushed here one after another, making the rush here impassable.

"Your Highness! Is there an official school outside the Kansai? I don't want to go to Kanwai and have no books to read! ”

A twelve or thirteen-year-old child shouted loudly, but was immediately dragged by the parent next to him.

"Yes! There are not only government schools, but also government schools. Zhu Youzhen responded to the ragged people, and at the same time walked out of the house and came to the courtyard and said:

"This natural disaster is irresistible, and the imperial court has been transferring grain from outside to stabilize food prices, but the situation in various places is not much better than that in Shanxi."

"Because there is not so much food, the court wants you to live in a place where there is no drought."

"Tractor, you people here have seen it, as long as you go to the outside of the border, the court will send it to you, so that you can be self-sufficient."

"I've read all of Daming Daily, right? You've also seen the prince's "Journey to the South", right? ”

"I've seen it!"

Some literate people around responded to Zhu Youzhen, and Zhu Youzhen also said to them:

"When you see that those people in Sichuan and Yunnan can eat meat once a few days, don't you envy it?"

"I know that the current migration of the imperial court is not as strong as before, and the food distributed is less, which makes you feel uneasy."

"It's just that if you can trust me, long live your trust, then listen to me, after the autumn harvest is over this year, you will all go to the customs to farm, and the imperial court will be responsible for giving you ploughing cattle and machinery, so that you can live a better life than the people of Yunnan and Sichuan."

Zhu Youzhen's words were against his will, because he knew that it was impossible for Daming to take out so many tractors in one go to make it easy for every household to cultivate fifteen acres of cultivated land a year.

But he knew better in his heart that the villagers who stayed behind still had a long time to live.

Zhu Youzhen can prevent man-made disasters, but he can't prevent natural disasters.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youzhen turned to Zhang Laohan and comforted: "You are all people who have spilled blood outside the pass, whether it is the Wanli Dynasty or the Tianqi Dynasty, you are all soldiers of the Ming Dynasty." ”

"Starting from this year, the disabled veterans who are still alive will be given two taels of silver as a pension every year."

"Thank you, Your Highness Longen!

！ ”

"This ...... Your Highness ......"

As soon as Zhu Youzhen spoke, Zhang Laohan immediately knelt down, and Lu Yuangao, who was behind Zhu Youzhen, wanted to speak and stopped.

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have retired silver and retired fields, and now they have to give two taels of pension silver to the former disabled veterans every year, which is too much financial pressure on the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that what Zhu Youzhen wants to decide, others often can't stop it, and Zhu Youzhen didn't listen to Lu Yuangao into his ears.

Is two taels of silver too much? Maybe it's not much for someone with sound hands, but for many disabled veterans, the money is enough to save lives.

In such a catastrophic year, if Zhang Laohan had two taels of silver a year, he could have asked someone to cultivate the field for him, and then use the field to live a more nourishing life than now.

In other words, even if he didn't hire someone to farm the land, these two taels of silver were enough to buy three or four stone of rice, which could reduce the food rations of one person in his already poor family.

What's more, from the perspective of the entire Ming Dynasty, no matter how many disabled veterans there are, it is impossible to have hundreds of thousands, since there are none, or even only tens of thousands, then why can't they take out hundreds of thousands of taels to take care of them?

"Get up, and live a good life after paying off your debts."

Zhu Youzhen helped Zhang Laohan up, but only then did he realize that this man who lost a leg outside the gate was crying like a child at the moment.

His cry caused many people outside the courtyard to cry along.

Zhang Laohan's family owes debts, and their family is not.

The drought has developed in such a way that every year more than 20 acres of land are invested in silver, and only half of the seeds planted in more than 20 acres can grow grain.

None of this food is enough for one's own family, let alone the next year's planting.

It's not that the people of Shanxi don't want to move, but that most of them are in debt and can't leave if they want to.

This problem was only learned after Zhu Youzhen came to Zhangjiakou, so he was also ready to make a series of policy arrangements to the people.

"On the first day of the first month of March, the banks in all prefectures and counties will open interest-free immigration loans without interest, and you can borrow up to 100 taels of silver."

"If there is someone in your family who wants to move but can't do so because of debts, you can go to the bank with your household registration book."

As soon as Zhu Youzhen spoke, many people around the courtyard instantly stopped crying, some of them couldn't believe that the court borrowed money without interest, and some had already calculated the truth of the matter.

These words came from the mouth of King Qi, so naturally there would be no mistakes, and there was a high probability that they would be true.

In other words, as long as they were willing to move, the imperial court would lend them a sum of silver to pay off their debts, and at the same time distribute five stone of food for immigrants per person.

As soon as this news was announced, the people around began to sing the words of King Qi's Chitose, and Lu Yuangao also felt the appeal of King Qi for the first time.

Compared with the appeal of the word King Qi, the appeal of the emperor and the crown prince is almost equal to nothing.

In this case, what he wants to do is not the face of the emperor and the crown prince, but the face of the king of Qi.

】

Thinking of this, Lu Yuangao looked at Zhu Youzhen, and Zhu Youzhen also looked at him at the same time.

At the same time, Lu Yuangao quickly lowered his head, and Zhu Youzhen also visited the homes of the people in Zhangjiakou Lane 2 under the support of the people, and roughly understood their living conditions.

The environment of their home is actually similar to that of Zhang Laohan's house, but even so, it is already a "rich" place in Shanxi.

In this way, it can be called rich, but what about the rest of the place?

After understanding, the silent Zhu Youzhen took Zhu Cihong and they had a light meal in Zhang Laohanjia.

After half an hour of busyness, the last dish on the table was a plate of fried leeks with eggs, a bowl of fried cabbage, and boiled greens and stir-fried wild vegetables.

A meal with almost no too much oil and water was very untidy, which made Zhu Cihong and the others frown.

The youngest Zhu Cizhi even wanted to skip meals by sprinkling, but under Zhu Youzhen's frowning expression, Zhu Cizhi still ate the most unpalatable meal in his life.

Seeing that Zhu Cizhi had eaten this meal, Zhu Youzhen also said to Zhang Laohan, the mayor and others while eating:

"It's a little better than last year, but you still have to be prepared this year, this year's drought may be worse than last year, and after the autumn harvest, it's better to move as soon as possible."

His words made everyone nod their heads again and again, and Zhu Youzhen was also eating when he recalled Zhu Ciran's "Journey to the South".

Compared with last year, the life of the people of Zhangjiakou is slightly better than when Zhu Ciran toured the south, but this "some" is limited to eating two more mouthfuls of food.

If you want them to eat enough and eat meat and vegetables, Zhu Youzhen still has a long way to go......

With a sigh, Zhu Youzhen and Zhu Cihong finished the meal and rushed to the train station before dark, surrounded by more than 3,000 people in Zhangjiakou Town.

Due to the tight time, they did not have the possibility of staying too much, so part of the rest could only be solved in the car, and tonight they had to rush to Shuofang Mansion in Shaanxi Province outside the Great Wall.

"Your Highness, when will you come to see us again?!"

More than 3,000 people crowded the train station, and some people shouted at Zhu Youzhen, who was about to get on the train, and Zhu Youzhen also turned around and waved his hand when he heard this:

"In two years, when your life is better, I will go to see you outside the gate."

After speaking, Zhu Youzhen turned around and got on the train, but the more than 3,000 people in Zhangjiakou had no intention of leaving.

They stood outside the cordon formed by the Jinyi guards, watched Zhu Youzhen get into the car, walked to his position behind the glass and sat down.

Until here, they still did not leave.

"Woo-"

Finally, when the train whistle sounded, many people couldn't help but cry.

They themselves don't know why they're crying, maybe they think that if King Qi leaves, they're afraid they won't see him again.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands of people, the train started.

From inside the station to when the train leaves the station, Zhu Youzhen can still see the crowd on both sides of the railroad tracks outside the station.

He opened the window and beckoned to the people on both sides of the tracks, and Zhu Cihong did the same.

When some of the young people who had studied official education saw King Qi waving to them, they ran after the train, waving as they went, until the train was far away, and they could no longer see the person waving.

In this process, Lu Yuangao recorded everything with his own eyes.

At this moment, he was silent, looking at Zhu Youzhen, who was sitting in his position and looking out the window at the people, he didn't know how to describe it.

When he knew that the emperor was different from the image in the books, he once thought that the king of Qi was also like this.

However, at this moment, everything he experienced told him that the King of Qi in the books may not be as real as one-tenth of the King of Qi himself.