Chapter 46 Charcoal life

"It seems that this kind of family suicide is not the worst!" After listening to Huang Zongxi's narration, Fang Yizhi said.At this time, the group of them had already started on the road again, and the elm forest just now was also left by them for a long time. "Last winter, when I went south from Beijing, I passed by this place, and I met a friend from the commune, and I heard him talk about something, it was really shocking!" Fang Yizhi continued, and then frowned, just like people usually say something extremely He sighed heavily like a heart-wrenching thing that he didn’t want to mention again, “He meant last autumn and winter—the situation at that time was much worse than it is now, and the roads were full of people who died of starvation and freezing. Those half-dead, wandering around like wandering spirits all day long, you can’t avoid them wherever you go. Ah, I don’t know if you’ve seen them before? When a person is in that situation, the eyes are really frightening! When he When looking at you, for some reason, it will flash greedy and frenzied light, and you never know when, they will pounce on you, drag you to slaughter, and eat! Actually, cannibalism is everywhere at that time It is no longer uncommon for people to eat by changing their children and eating by grabbing people. There are people who openly tie up women and children and sell them in the market for slaughter like pigs and sheep. They are called "vegetable people" The friend didn't quite believe it at first. Once, he went to Jingcheng with a businessman surnamed Zhou. At noon, he went to a hotel to get sharp. The shopkeeper came over and said: "The meat has just been sold out, please stay longer For a moment." The friend thought to himself: I have traveled all the way, and it is very difficult to even find a meal of noodles. How can there be meat in this shop? Just as he was wondering, he saw a young man who brought in two women with their hands bound. , has been into the back kitchen. The shopkeeper called: "The guest officer has been waiting for a long time, you can get a hoof first!" His arm had been cut off shoulder-to-shoulder, and he fell to the ground struggling for his life. The other was so frightened that his face paled and trembled like chaff. When he saw someone coming in, he cried for help; the one on the ground only wanted to die quickly. The merchant surnamed Zhou couldn't bear it. They were all redeemed on the spot, and seeing that the one with the broken arm couldn't survive, he took the knife and stabbed it distractedly to save her from suffering; but he took the other one home and made it a side room. In this way, at that time, I don’t know how many people praised Zhou Keshang for accumulating evil virtues, and he will be rewarded well. Look, isn’t this a horrific monster transformation!”

While Fang Yizhi was narrating this creepy story, Huang Zongxi kept a gloomy face and kept silent.It was not until Fang Yizhi had finished speaking that he suddenly raised his head and asked in an angry, gnashing of teeth voice: "Is the government sitting by and watching such heinous atrocities happen in the local area?" "Care?" Fang Yizhi sneered, "The other generation can't move God to throw away countless cattle, sheep, millet and wheat to save the people from poverty, and they don't want to cut their own flesh to cure the people's hunger, so the only way is to 'don't care'." Already!"

"I mean 'three rates'!" Huang Zongxi said loudly, as if arguing, "if there were only locusts and droughts at one end, and there was no 'three rates', people's livelihood would not be so haggard. God's will is unpredictable, and natural disasters are irresistible. The blame lies with the guards and herdsmen in the world; the "three rates" are ordered by the imperial court, so the government will not report the disaster to the imperial court and ask the emperor to reduce it?" "I'm afraid that the disaster will be declared. As for begging the emperor to reduce the 'three pay', I'm afraid that twice as many people will starve to death, and the generation may not have the courage to do so!"

"Hmph, I'm afraid of death when I'm in love with a position, but I only know that Ah Cong Shangyi, the country's affairs go bad, it's in the hands of this generation of foolish and cowardly officials!" Fang Yizhi didn't answer immediately, he turned his head and glanced at Huang Zongxi: "Do you think that even if someone dares to ask for a reduction, the emperor will grant it?" "The lives of the people are in jeopardy. As for this extreme, the emperor regards the world's worries as his worries, how can he ignore them?" "The current emperor's worries are only in the bandits and the prisoners." Fang Yizhi remained unhurried, "Today, the three armies are still able to use their lives, and it really depends on the support of the 'three salaries'. There is a risk of immediate change! Brother, do you think that the emperor will take pity on the people of this side and allow the country to be overthrown?"

"In my brother's opinion, if there is no concern for the survival of the country, the troubles of the four directions and the haggardness of the people's livelihood are nothing but scabies and minor diseases, which are not worth paying attention to?" "Don't dare! What I want to know is how to deal with it if you order your subordinates to take charge of the government?" Huang Zongxi fell silent.Because he found that he was facing a fact: on the one hand, he needed food and salaries to fight against Jianlu and rogue bandits;If the tax collection is relaxed, the already battered army will be even more unable to persist in fighting, and there is a danger of subjugation.If people continue to expropriate regardless of their lives, they will either be forced to die just like what happened in the elm grove just now; It will also hasten the downfall of the country.This is where the difficulty of state affairs lies.This is a hopeless situation. "Oh, could it be that Daming really has no way out other than subjugation?" This terrible idea flashed in Huang Zongxi's mind, but he immediately denied it. "No, no, not at all! There is still a way out, yes!" He said to himself angrily, and then he remembered the letter he was preparing. "In any case, the people are the foundation of the state. If the people don't think about chaos, the source of the disaster will disappear, and the country can be settled. The first priority right now is to restore the system of the well field as soon as possible. This time, it depends on whether the court is willing or not. Willing to adopt it, can it be implemented..."

"Brother Taichong..." Fang Yizhi's calm voice sounded.He obviously wanted to explain something. Huang Zongxi gave him a cold look. "The state affairs are like this, thanks to you being the leader of Fushe, the editor of the Imperial Academy, you are so calm!" He thought, suddenly put a whip on the horse's buttocks, and ran forward without a sound. The inexplicable Fang Yizhi was left behind. At noon, the group of them arrived at Han Zhuang, finished the sharpening, fed the horses, took a short rest, and continued their journey, intending to arrive at Tao Zhuang before dark.

Now it has gradually penetrated into the territory of Shandong, and the further you go, the more barren and dilapidated the surrounding scene becomes.Although it was early summer, the fields beside the road were still deserted, and occasionally a few disheveled farmers were seen working with their heads down.The piles of white bones on the side of the road are still unattended. There are piles here and there, and they can be seen everywhere.Sometimes a village appears with dilapidated houses and few people.Only vultures hovered low in the sky, and wild dogs roamed the streets.These skinny wild dogs, obviously relying on their fierceness and cleverness, were able to survive the famine and war.As soon as they saw pedestrians coming, they quickly retreated to a place where they could escape at any time, and then barked wildly.Then the beggars who were hiding under the ruined walls were alarmed again, each of them showed their unkempt beards and puffy faces, and looked here from afar...

Fang Yizhi seemed to have thought of something. He pointed at a village by the road with his horsewhip, and turned around to ask the old postman: "A few months ago, I passed by this place and saw that the village was fine. Why did it become so dilapidated?" Unbearable?" The old postman was blind in one eye, his hair and beard were gray, his expression was dull, and his behavior was dull.After listening to Fang Yizhi's question, he didn't respond. It wasn't until Fang Li repeated it loudly on behalf of his master that he said "ah" and lowered his head to report: "Responding to my lord's words, last month the village yelled loudly. The horse is washed!"

Fang Yizhi was taken aback: "Could it be Li Qingshan's remnant party?" "Returning to my lord, it's not Li Qingshan, but the King of Nine Mountains." "What Nine Mountain King?" "It's the King of Nine Mountains." Fang Yizhi said "oh", and he remembered: the last time he passed by here, he heard people say that although Li Qingshan, the leader of the bandits in Liangshanpo, had surrendered to the imperial court and was beheaded, but in the area of ​​Huapanshan and Baodugu, there are still There was another gang of thieves, led by a gangster called Wang Jun, who claimed to be the King of Nine Mountains and had thousands of troops under him, but they refused to surrender.I didn't expect it to come here now.

"Well, that Jiu...that bandit, does he often come here to harass?" he asked. "What?" The old postman couldn't understand. "My lord, I ask you, do those bandits often come here to kill people and rob things!" "Oh, oh! Speaking of my lord, I don't come here very often, but he comes whenever he says he wants to, and I can't figure it out either!" Fang Yizhi couldn't help frowning, and exchanged worried glances with Huang Zongxi.He was about to ask again, when suddenly there was a shout in front of him.Everyone was taken aback, and looked up, and saw a group of people and horses running out from behind the woods at the corner of the road. A group of people in ragged clothes ran in front, and there were cavalrymen with swords and guns behind them.Everyone was stunned by this sudden sight.Fang Yizhi yelled: "Oops, run!" He wanted to turn his horse's head and run away, but was stopped by the old postman.

"My lord, don't panic, that's the official army!" "Ah, the officers and soldiers?" Everyone looked back again, and then they saw clearly: the five cavalry in the back were indeed dressed as officers and soldiers, and those who ran ahead were tied together with ropes behind their backs.The five officers and soldiers were laughing and joking, driving them forward with whips.In order to prevent this long line of prisoners, men, women, old and young, who were exhausted from running, from catching each other and falling due to their different speeds, one officer deliberately ran to the front and loudly used passwords to control the speed.However, when they were about to run to the place where Fang Yizhi and the others were standing, someone finally couldn't support them and fell to the ground suddenly.As a result, the rest of the people were also involved and fell a lot.When the officers and soldiers saw this, they immediately became angry. They yelled and cursed in the wildest and most obscene terms, and whipped the whips at the people who were lying on the ground. Then there was another groan and cry... Fang Yizhi has calmed down now that he has figured out that it is not a thieves.He frowned, staring intently at the scene in front of him, thinking about how to stop this disgusting atrocity. However, Huang Zongxi obviously couldn't bear it anymore.He shouted: "Stop!" Then he urged his horse forward to meet the nearest officer. The officer raised his whip aggressively, and was about to whip a woman who was struggling on the ground, when he suddenly found a scholar with angry eyes in front of him, he was stunned, and the whip stopped in mid-air. "You, you can't beat people like this! Do you know?" Huang Zongxi pointed at the officer and said.His voice was trembling because of his anxiety and anger, "You are a human being, and she is also a human being. Why are you beating her like this? You will kill her if you beat her like this! Do you know that?" The officer couldn't figure out who he was, and was frightened by his reckless appearance, so he flinched, turned his head at a loss, and looked at his companion, as if asking: What's going on here? ?Who is he?why? The rest of the officers and soldiers also noticed what happened here, and obviously thought their companion's embarrassed appearance was funny.They exchanged winks and laughed happily, but they didn't come to help him out. "As a country, you receive the grace of the country and feed the people. You should treat the enemy like a tiger and treat the people like a father and brother. These people have suffered from famine and war, and they are emaciated. Even if they are guilty, you should tie them up. It's enough to be bound and escorted, so why bother to tease them like this and abuse them? An old saying goes, 'Everyone has a heart of compassion'. Could it be that you don't?" Huang Zongxi continued to reprimand plausibly. "Ah, put your mother's fart!" The officer and soldier who was ridiculed by his companions suddenly roared in embarrassment and anger.He must have come to his senses and realized that Huang Zongxi was just an ordinary scholar passing by, "I don't understand! Get out of here, or I won't recognize anyone with a whip!" "What? How dare you!" Huang Zongxi's face was distorted by this public insult.He yelled angrily, and approached the officer recklessly. The officer roared and raised his whip violently.Fang Yizhi who was standing behind was taken aback, and quickly shouted: "Don't be presumptuous!" Several servants also rushed forward to rescue.However, it was too late.The whip was pulled down with the sound of the wind, and it was about to fall on Huang Zongxi's head.Fortunately, he reacted quickly, dodged to the side, and finally avoided the blow, but the kerchief on his head was knocked off by the whip and fell into the dust. The officer still didn't give up, and raised his whip again.Huang An, Fang Li and a group of servants have already rushed over, shouting in unison, protecting Huang Zongxi. Seeing this, the other four officers and soldiers exchanged winks, drew their swords together, surrounded each other from different directions, stared silently at this group of meddling travelers, and seemed to be on the verge of breaking out. At this moment, the group of ordinary people who were being escorted had stopped crying and getting up one after another.They huddled together like a flock of frightened lambs, staring blankly at the scene in front of them, with uneasy and bewildered expressions on their faces. Since Fang Yizhi is an official of the imperial court, he has been very calm since the incident happened.However, seeing the dangerous situation in front of him, he couldn't help getting busy.Originally, for the safety of the journey, he planned not to reveal his identity as much as possible, but when things got to this point, he couldn't care less.So he turned back to the old postman and said: "You go and tell them, just say that the official is here, so that they can be unrestrained!" The old postman blinked his one-eyed eye, bowed his hands to accept the order, stepped forward, took out a number plate for the officers and soldiers to see, and said, "This is Mr. Hanlin Fang from Beijing, please avoid it quickly. Don't make trouble here, can you hear me?" Those officers and soldiers seemed quite surprised when they heard what he said, and they all cast suspicious glances at Fang Yizhi, and then discussed in a low voice.I only heard a fiery voice—it was the sergeant who had clashed with Huang Zongxi just now, saying loudly: "What kind of bird is it, I don't think it looks like it!" Fang Yizhi's face turned red.He was about to get angry, but when he saw several other officers and soldiers stop the man, he thought: "Just get rid of them quickly, why bother with such vulgar people!" So he held back again. At this time, an officer who looked like a small boss turned his bone-like face to him, cupped his fists and said, "Little Jun Zhang Ji, I didn't know you were here. I offended Che Jia, please forgive me!" The other four officers and soldiers also clasped their fists and bowed together, but none of them got off their horses to meet them.Fang Yizhi was even more dissatisfied: "This group of bastards are so rude!" He thought angrily, but he had no choice but to wave his hands and say, "Well, go!" Several officers and soldiers were about to leave, but Huang Zongxi, who had put on his scarves again, suddenly shouted: "Wait a minute!" He rushed forward angrily, pointed at the group of ordinary people, and asked Zhang Ji, "Say, What crime have they committed? You have insulted them like this?" Zhang Ji looked at him with cold eyes for a while, then suddenly turned his horse's head around and shouted to his companion: "What are you doing here? Let's go!" After the group of people were driven back on the road, he turned around and said mockingly: "Does the scholar want to know? It's okay to tell you, they violated the law of the king!" After finishing speaking, he clamped his legs, Urging the horse, he rushed to the side of the line of "prisoners", "cracked" the whip, and beat a young man who was walking at the end so that he staggered, and then laughed wildly with his companions. Huang Zongxi was so angry that his eye sockets almost burst open. He shook the reins, intending to rush forward, but was stopped by Fang Yizhi. "Tai Chong, forget it, why bother to have the same knowledge as these rascals, it's a loss to my generation!" "Hmph, do you really think that such injustice is also a small disease of scabies that has nothing to do with the country?" Huang Zongxi asked angrily. Fang Yizhi shook his head lightly, but did not answer.It wasn't until after walking a long way that he raised his face, looked at the distant twilight with a depressed expression, and groaned: The deep, miserable voice hovered and tangled around the small group of travelers who were walking silently, and then drifted away with the evening wind, drifting farther and farther, and finally disappeared in the empty and desolate wilderness.

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