The Mandate of Heaven is 425 years old, and even now, although the Mandate of Heaven is still there, it is already declining. At the same time, since the failure of the last law change, the people of the world have not spoken of changing the law.

After that, with the emergence of a family of scholars, there was no more enthusiastic scholar who made generous statements, regarded the world as his own responsibility, and asked for the people's lives.

Even the imperial court's system of inspecting the imperial history has already existed in name only, and has even become a tool for those scholarly families to fight.

Although the Daqian royal family controls the army, the army cannot govern the country, and the current Daqian has become an imperial power and does not go to the countryside. The few townships can only be controlled because of the peasant soldiers.

From the beginning of the tenth year of Jianhe, there was a great drought in the world, followed by a locust plague in the second year.

The imperial family issued an edict to reduce or reduce taxes, but this edict was not seriously implemented. The taxes of the great cadres are collected by the county, and after the collection, they are left for use by the government office, and the rest is handed over to the imperial court. The imperial court then used these taxes to distribute salaries and salaries.

If the imperial court reduces or exempts taxes, if it is implemented, the officials below will have no money to enjoy, and the government office will also have no money to work, and even the scribes, subordinate officials, and errand servants below will have no money.

Therefore, the royal family issued an edict to reduce taxes and reduce taxes, but it was not implemented below. Even because of the connivance of those officials, the taxes collected were not less than in previous years.

In the first year of the great drought, the people in various places still had some food in store and could barely survive it, but in the second year they had to go hungry. At that time, the imperial court ordered the allocation of grain and grass for disaster relief, but very few of them really fell into the hands of the people.

In order to survive, a large number of people had to sell their fields cheaply, and then sell themselves to the powerful, or help the old and the young to flee the famine.

The weather was hot, a large number of people who fled the famine were killed and injured, and bandits swarmed in various places, so it can be said that hunger was everywhere.

A group of young Taoists hurried away in straw sandals, and the Taoists led by them sighed in their hearts when they saw the people who died on the side of the road. Several disciples shook their heads after inspecting it.

"Master, there's another living one here!" At this moment, a young Taoist shouted with a skinny child in his arms.

The Taoist at the head hurriedly walked over to check.

"I'm hungry, get some water and dry food."

"Child, where's your father?"

"I was requisitioned to repair the river embankment and died of exhaustion."

"Bereavement?"

"What is a bereavement benefit?"

"The food sent by the imperial court? Didn't give it? ”

"I gave a few liters of millet and ate it."

"Where's your mother?"

"My mother is starving."

"Is there anyone else in your house?"

"I have a younger sister who was sold to Liu Dahu's family."

The child, who had just woken up, was as thin as a skeleton and was gulping down a bowl of corn porridge. After years of severe drought, the imperial court decreed that taxes were reduced and reduced, and food relief was given, but along the way, there was not enough food at all.

The imperial court reduced or exempted taxes, but the officials below still levied them, and the allocated grain and grass were transferred layer by layer, and when they reached the bottom, they couldn't even get two percent, how to feed those people?

What's more, those nobles and powerful families are waiting for those people to sell their fields and serve.

The royal family relied on embroidered clothes to punish some corrupt officials, but hundreds of counties in the world were governed, and the royal family could not control it by relying on embroidered clothes.

What's more, the world is tired, and the income of the royal family is getting smaller and smaller, and the maintenance of Yu Linwei and embroidered clothes has been stretched.

The face of the Taoist wearing a hundred clothes next to him darkened, this kind of thing, he has seen too much along the way, maybe everyone else has been numb, but he still can't accept it.

After the boy had drunk a bowl of porridge, he stopped eating it and carefully stuffed the cake into his bosom.

"Why don't you eat it?"

"My mother said, there should be one bite left over from the meal, and it will be left for the next meal."

The little child was not very sensible, and he remembered his mother's words. Every time there was something to eat, there would be some leftovers, but my mother starved to death.

Listening to her mother, starving to death is falling asleep, and if she falls asleep, she will not be hungry, if she starves to death, she will be able to see her father, let herself not worry, and then live well.

Originally, they were walking with a lot of people, but one day a person with a child about the same age as him said that he wanted to exchange, as for what to exchange, he didn't know, but his mother seemed to be very angry, and took him away that night.

Then one night, the mother never woke up. The mother who used to be able to walk on his back fell asleep, and when he fell asleep, he was small, and he realized at this time that his mother was not much older than him.

His mother fell asleep, and he left her in the earthen enclosure, and then covered it with a branch, and originally wanted to cover it with a layer of soil, but he was too hungry to have any strength.

He continued along the road until today, passing out on the side of the road.

The leader of the Daoist was silent for a moment, then rubbed the child's head and asked, "What's your name?" ”

The child replied, "Ah Niu." ”

"What's your last name?"

The child said, "There is no surname." ”

The Taoist was silent for a moment, he sighed slightly, and seemed to have made a decision.

"Master, our trip is dangerous, if we take him, with his body, most of them will not survive!" The Taoist next to him said.

"If we don't take him, how many days will they live after we leave?" The old Taoist priest at the head sighed.

Others are no longer discouraged.

The Taoist continued: "Ah Niu, from today onwards, you worship me as a teacher, will you follow me?" ”

"Good!" The boy agreed.

"You don't have a surname, so let's follow the teacher's surname Zhang! From today on, your name will be Zhang Aniu! ”

After a short break, the group set off again, only this time with an extra child in the crowd.

A great drought in the world was followed by a plague of locusts, because there were so many dead people that they could not bury them, which caused a plague. At this time, there were major epidemics in all counties in the world, Jizhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Jingzhou, and Jizhou was the most serious, and their group of Taoist priests wanted to go to Jizhou to treat the people.

These Taoists called themselves Taiping Dao, and they were born from Taoism, which is a religion derived from Taoism, Yinyangism, Huang Laozhixue, and the Five Star Doctrine.

Although Taoism has become less and less in the court, Taoism has grown stronger.

It's just that Taoism and Taoism have many differences, and there are fewer ideas of governing the country, but there are more kinds of healing medicines. There are even some immortal families and monks who are also integrated into it, wanting to pursue immortality and become gods after death.

The epidemic in Jizhou, the state and county officials did not dare to report, and the imperial court still knew about it from the embroidered clothes, Wang Heng severely punished the state and county officials, and sent officials and Tai Hospital to treat it, but the effect was still not good.

Zhang Jiao came here with his followers, brothers, and apprentices to cure the plague.

The officials who were sent in were also afraid of the plague, so they had to isolate them and seal off the areas, allowing them to enter but not to leave.

Officials rebuked Zhang Jiao's herbs and talisman seals as witchcraft and demagoguery, but only Zhang Jiao was willing to enter the epidemic area.

(End of chapter)