The next day, this huge group continued their journey southward. They had no danger along the way. Some nomads saw this huge army, but because there were too many people, no one dared to rob them. When these Hu scouts went back to gather people and prepare to make a big move, the military commander ordered everyone to march quickly, even running day and night to get rid of pursuit, and not giving the nomadic army any chance to gather. However, this also caused countless refugees to faint from hunger and fatigue during the rapid march, and hundreds of refugees fell all over the ground. Looking back, their bodies looked like a piece of flesh and blood silk spread on the grassland, stretching to the end of the vision. Many Han soldiers looked reluctant. Even the centaurs and orcs felt that Jun Hou was going too far. The worst that could happen was that we could fight with the invading nomadic troops. At least we could get military merit. How could you passively kill civilians? But the leading military officer did nothing about it. My mission is to relocate the noble families back home. As for those refugees? Even if only one person can make it back to Yanmen alive, I will make a profit, because it is impossible for them to become slaves of the Hu people in Dingxiang and work for the Hu people. Even if they all die on the way, I will not lose anything. Liu Zhuang was a little overwhelmed by such a high-intensity march. Fortunately, he had a Xianbei horse. Lu Bu also sent him fodder from time to time to help him feed the horse, and gave him some pancakes. Only then could Liu Zhuang ride the horse and follow the nobles and soldiers on the chariots and horses to make rapid maneuvers. In the end, every time a refugee fell, the people nearby would rush forward and eat his body raw to restore their strength. Only then did the team dangerously enter the Han territory and enter a county town protected by towering city walls. Two big characters on the city gate were very conspicuous in the sun: Mayi. It only took three days to walk this entire journey. The village they passed through was closer to the Han area than they had imagined, only fifty kilometers away from Mayi. However, it was this short journey that resulted in the death of only half of the huge refugee group. Faced with this small wave of refugees of more than 400 people, the magistrate of Mayi County immediately came up with a solution. First, the granaries were opened to release grain, so that each person could have two bowls of porridge every day. Then cotton-padded clothes and houses were arranged for the refugees to spend this cold winter. Finally, land was arranged. The court would choose some wasteland in Yanmen County and give it to the refugees to cultivate. At the same time, it would be lent to them to grow grain. They would sow in the spring of next year and repay the money in three years without interest.
As for the tax rate, the tax rate is one tenth of what is grown, which is much better than the Xianbei's seven tenth tax rate. These words sounded nice, but apart from two bowls of bland porridge every day, the refugees got nothing. Liu Zhuang was dumbfounded by the inaction of the officials in Mayi. Not to mention the land for farming, after arriving in Mayi, he didn't even have a house to live in, and had to sleep on the street with everyone else - did the Xianbei know to give slaves a house? ! The days passed from late autumn to winter. After giving himself some pancakes and horse feed, Lu Bu took his men to sell the spoils, so that he could first understand the migration and settlement policy. He was away for several days. Many people survived the death march on the grassland, but died of starvation and freezing in the streets of Mayi. After a rare October snowfall, a large number of the 400 refugees who had gone through hardships died again. All of them had pale skin and blue lips from the cold. The cold corpses mixed with the white snow covered the streets of Mayi. Liu Zhuang woke up trembling among the dead bodies every day and went back to sleep among the dead bodies. Less than 300 of the 400 refugees died of hunger and cold overnight. After another day, the magistrate of Mayi County was even unable to supply the refugees with two bowls of porridge a day, and reduced it from two bowls to one bowl. The promised land and houses were as illusory as bubbles. Liu Zhuang hugged his stolen horse to keep warm every day. If Lu Bu had not given him a bag of pancakes, he might have starved to death on the land of the Han Dynasty. The absurd reality made him shiver all over. After another day, the refugees couldn't even get a bowl of porridge. Just when the refugees were at a loss in the cold and hunger, some scholars dressed in silk and satin, inlaid with gold and jade, appeared among the refugee group. They specifically picked tall and healthy men and beautiful women to talk to. An elegant scholar also stopped in front of Liu Zhuang, looked at his tall stature and dragon-like double pupils in amazement, and bowed to Liu Zhuang politely to greet him. "Hello, my friend from Dingxiang County. I am a member of the Huang family of Yanmen. How about you become a servant of our family? Our family has lived in Mayi for generations. Our ancestors helped Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty to pacify Yanmen, so they were exempted from taxes. Half of the land in Mayi is private property of our family. I will give you land to cultivate and a warm place to live. I can even marry you a concubine of the Huang family. From now on, we will be a family that shares weal and woe." Liu Zhuang raised his head and looked at the scholar in front of him. He looked gentle and elegant in appearance, and behaved politely, but he revealed boundless arrogance and meanness in his bones. The eyes looking at him were cold and without a trace of emotion. It was as if he was not looking at a person, but at a product or evaluating an animal. "Well, your Xianbei horse is also a good one. It can't even get enough food with you, and it's losing weight because of hunger. From today on, you and your horse will be supported by my family. I will enlist you in our family's cavalry and train you, a pack horse, into a military horse. How do you think?" Liu Zhuang did not reply. At this moment, with his extraordinary ears and hearing, he could also hear the voices of other scholars a hundred meters away recruiting other refugees. "You refugees from Dingxiang, do you want to starve to death here? Or do you want to come to our Yanmen Huang family to be a servant? Food and accommodation are provided, and there is some bonus every month. Of course, all the food you grow will belong to our family. After all, you are cultivating our family's land." "Hey, brother, are you still alive? Madam, you don't want your husband to starve to death, do you? I see you are quite pretty, why don't you become my maid and serve me day and night? Then I will be willing to save your husband's life." "My dear, look at how hungry your daughter is. She is such a lovely and beautiful girl. Don't you feel bad for her? What? Are you willing to be my slave just to give your daughter a bite to eat? No, no, no, you are too thin, as thin as a bamboo pole. My sheep are not as pale as you. I don't want such a weak slave. If you insist on being my slave, it's not impossible. If you want your daughter to be my concubine, I will accept you with reluctance." "What? You guys from Dingxiang don't want to be my slaves? Ha! If you don't want to, there are plenty of refugees who are willing to do it!" Liu Zhuang frowned, his eyes unchanged, feeling chilled as he watched these scholars wantonly selecting their slaves. His eyes even crossed the entire street and landed on a magnificent restaurant three hundred meters away, where two meat eaters dressed in silk and satin were toasting each other and discussing the life and death of hundreds of people. "Then, we have a deal. Our family will help you, the county magistrate, to deal with and assimilate these refugees. During this period, you and the Mayi army should not interfere with anything that happens. As long as we deal with these refugees, all the money allocated by the court for disaster relief will belong to you. You see, you not only got the relief money and filled your pockets, but also solved the refugee problem, showing your political achievements in front of the governor and the emperor, and our family also gained more slaves. The cooperation between the two sides is a win-win situation. This is called collecting and providing relief, and solving the dilemma by itself. " "Ah? You can't say that. The current emperor doesn't know the hardships of developing land in Mayi. I am just giving these refugees a better way out on behalf of the emperor, so that they can live and work in peace and contentment in your warm and suitable farmland. I am also praising the emperor's virtues and seeking benefits for the people."
In a dark corner, two scholars were also making secret plans, and their voices reached Liu Zhuang's ears over the roars of the men, the crying of the women, and the laughter of the local scholars. "These refugees are just small dishes. The families that escaped from Dingxiang are the real fat meat. These Dingxiang families have lost all their land and property, and they can no longer buy land from us to live on. They have lost the ability to support their own slaves, and their connections with Dingxiang officials have been completely cut off. They are unfamiliar with Yanmen County, and are left with only carts full of treasures and books, like children walking in a busy city with gold in their arms." "Yes, if it weren't for helping the county magistrate to achieve political achievements, who would be willing to care about these refugees? After we have dealt with the county magistrate's problem, we will go and bleed those families from Dingxiang, and then join forces to wipe them out." "Okay, I think the little girl from Dingxiang Liu is pretty, she belongs to me." "Okay, okay, then I'll get a bigger share of their property." Liu Zhuang felt cold and trembling as he listened to these words. How come these Han noble families were even more murderous than the Xianbei people? ! "Why are you in a daze? Are you hungry? I have some food here." The scholar who invited Liu Zhuang to join bent down, ordered his men to bring a piece of hot meat pie, and handed it to Liu Zhuang personally. Only then was he brought back to reality from all the horrible noises by the fragrant hot steam, and he stared at the young man in front of him. He smiled, showed all the etiquette of aristocratic family, gave himself enough face, acted courteously, and even served the meal himself. Every move was so impeccable. But the look in his eyes was so creepy. He looked at himself as if he saw a satisfactory commodity, not an equal person. "You've made a very good request." Liu Zhuang led the horse and brushed off the dust on his body. His body made the young man praise him endlessly, and he wanted to take him as his slave immediately. "But, I refuse." After Liu Zhuang finished speaking, he turned around and left without hesitation, leading his horse. I fled from Dingxiang because I couldn't kneel down and didn't want to be a slave to the Xianbei people. By the way, I found the Han army and slaughtered and captured all those people. Why do I have to be a domestic slave in the Han land? Then I came back for nothing??? Liu Zhuang left the young man behind. After a long time, he heard a disdainful snort from the other party. "Send someone to keep a close eye on him. Mayi County has already stopped providing disaster relief. I want to see how many days he will starve before he surrenders to me." Liu Zhuang's face was gloomy. He originally thought that he would be completely safe once he arrived in the Han area, but he did not expect that he would be forced into a desperate situation! No wonder the Bingzhou Army was laid off on a large scale and couldn't pay salaries. The Huang family in Mayi County alone occupied half of the county's land. Add in several other families, how much land was left in Mayi to pay taxes to the court? How much land was left in the world to pay taxes to the emperor? Emperor Ling of Han's ability to manage the grassroots can only be described as tragic - looking at the refugees in Mayi, one can get a glimpse of the whole picture. His grassroots governance collapsed completely, with land annexation, powerful people fighting for power, and collusion between local landlords and officials... Since the emperor could not collect taxes, he would make the people suffer by reducing the military, shrinking the defense line, and abandoning poor borders. The common people had no choice but to give up everything and be forced to become slaves for the powerful. The lands owned by those wealthy families did not need to pay taxes to the court, or paid very little taxes. A large population and all the land were eaten up by this group of people. How many free people were left who could pay taxes normally? Since the emperor could not collect taxes, he could only continue to use various methods to make the people suffer... This phenomenon had become a death spiral that was too thick to be resolved by the end of the Han Dynasty. Now it seems that the collapse of the Han Dynasty is only a matter of time. Chapter 9: The Fire of Ambition (10,000 words, 4 updates, please give me a monthly ticket!) "Hey! Liu Zhuang! We are back from selling horses! Let's divide the money among the brothers first, and then I will go find that [blasphemous sacrifice]." Suddenly, a familiar voice came into Liu Zhuang's ears. Lu Bu, accompanied by Tuoba Yun and dozens of cavalrymen, returned to Mayi happily and threw a huge cloth bag to him. “In this battle, Tuoba Yun led his men to launch a surprise attack without any casualties and captured 20 to 30 men and horses. This is the first merit, and she will be rewarded with the largest share. You led us to avoid all scouts' detection without anyone noticing, killed two men, and helped me capture the leader. You are awarded the second-class merit. This money is your reward. Keep it!" Lu Bu threw a heavy bag into Liu Zhuang's hand, then looked around in confusion.
"Why are all these refugees sleeping on the street? What are these children from noble families doing? Hey, you don't look well. What's wrong?" Facing Lv Bu's question, Liu Zhuang didn't know how to answer for a moment. After thinking about it, he only asked the most important question. "You said that the Bingzhou Army has been unable to pay salaries for years, so how did you solve the problem of military pay for the brothers?" Lu Bu looked around nervously, making sure there were no strangers nearby. Then he hugged Liu Zhuang in his arms and whispered. "Don't worry, those generals only dare to withhold the money and food sent by the higher-ups. They don't have the guts to snatch food from us. All the weapons, equipment, and war horses we won in the war are distributed among the brothers according to their merits. Don't worry, you won't lose out by being a scout for me. Come, open your bag and see how much money you can make by being a scout for me." Liu Zhuang looked at the money in the purse. It was extremely heavy. Countless five-zhu coins were strung together into eighty strings with ropes. One string of money in the Eastern Han Dynasty was equal to one thousand Wuzhu coins. This type of copper coin, which was round on the outside and square on the inside, was the basic currency of the Han Dynasty. One coin weighed Wuzhu, or grams. One string weighed about 600 grams. Eighty strings of money equaled eighty thousand coins. It was a big bag weighing forty-eight kilograms, and it was difficult for Liu Zhuang to carry it. The current prices in Mayi are not excessive. A bucket of good wine costs fifty coins, a pound of meat costs about twenty coins, and a simple meal in a hotel costs about thirty coins. The price of an ordinary horse fluctuates around fifteen thousand coins, and sixty horses cost about nine hundred thousand coins. These sixty horses are the bulk of the spoils. If other treasures are not counted, twenty riders share sixty horses, and I got five horses, which is one-twelfth of the reward - you guys have made some money by serving in the army and making meritorious contributions. Lu Bu looked at Liu Zhuang happily, hoping to use the huge profits made by the Han army fighting for their lives to recruit him to voluntarily become his eyes and scouts. Unexpectedly, after seeing the scenes in Mayi, Liu Zhuang had completely given up on integrating into the system of the Han Dynasty's doomsday. In such an extremely depressing environment, it would be impossible for ordinary people to climb up in the Han system. Lu Bu was almost the best general in the Beidi Camp, but she was still a small village chief and was controlled and suppressed by her superiors. How could she, a commoner, rise to become a true flying general six years later? The only possibility was that she might have lost all hope in the future and wanted to make progress so much that she became the adopted daughter of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo and barely broke free from the shackles of her humble birth. If she really became a scout of Lu Bu, she might really be controlled by others for the rest of her life and have no future. If she wants to make a name for herself in this doomsday, she must have her own men, her own territory, her own power, and even give her a brand new choice before Lu Bu recognizes Ding Yuan as his godfather. I don't want to be Lu Bu's eyes, on the contrary, I want Lu Bu to be my spear. At this moment, the only two places where he could gather troops were the refugees in Mayi and the villagers who had previously escaped from the rule of the Dugu tribe! Liu Zhuang's eyes rolled, and a crazy plan had already begun to emerge in his mind. "How many weapons and food supplies do you have that you can sell?" After Liu Zhuang made up his mind, he looked around and confirmed that there were no strangers around. Then he propped up the cloth bag in his hand and spoke in a decisive tone. “I’ll buy as many as I can.” Lu Bu looked at Liu Zhuang in astonishment, not knowing what he was going to do. However, the people nearby, upon hearing that there was money to be made, couldn't wait to come over and started to offer prices very skillfully. "One stone of millet costs 220 coins, an infantry spear costs 200 coins, a battle spear costs 300 coins, and a halberd, because of the craftsmanship and the iron used, also costs 300 coins. However, a short weapon, a hand halberd, which is only three feet long, only costs 200 coins. A ring-handled sword consumes much more iron than a spear, so it is much more expensive. The most common one costs 600 coins, and a good quality one costs over a thousand. Various bows start at 10 to 300 coins, and the higher the pulling force, the more expensive it is. Each arrow costs coins, and the price of two arrows is equivalent to a pound of meat, which is very expensive. A shield is more expensive due to material and craftsmanship issues, and costs coins. You got a second-class merit for lying down, and you made so much money. How many weapons can you buy? The military pay will be less if it passes through the hands of an upper-class person. It's so annoying. Brothers and sisters rely on this to make extra money!" "Liu Zhuang, what are you doing? Privately raising soldiers and civilian armed forces is not a big deal, but if I were to accuse you, I could say you were plotting a rebellion! I'll kill you right now!!!" Lu Bu grabbed Liu Zhuang's armpits and lifted the man up from the ground like catching a kitten. He spoke ferociously. Although his words were harsh, his brows were filled with deep worry and uneasiness. "I just want to survive this winter with my people. I swear to heaven that I have absolutely no intention of betraying the Han people." Liu Zhuang struggled for a few times, but seeing that he could not break free from Lu Bu's grip, he simply looked into her eyes with a serious face. "You can go and ask what happened in Mayi during the days you sold the horse, and how many refugees died. Tell me this again. I have been here for seven days and cannot wait any longer. Who knows if there are other people and horses who have come to my village, my hometown, during this period." Lu Bu gritted his teeth. He watched the conversation between the noble families and the refugees around him. He could vaguely guess what these people were doing. Although it was rare, it was not the first time he had seen such a scene.
"I am very happy to fight alongside you and be your scout and your eyes, but in this situation, I can only postpone it for now. You know where my village is. As long as you can sell me this batch of weapons and food, I will go through fire and water in the future without hesitation." Liu Zhuang was emotionally entangled. Maybe I am worried about the villagers who have lived with me for a long time? Perhaps, he knew that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was about to break out, and in order to survive, he had to win over the people? Create his own power? Maybe, both. Lu Bu gritted his teeth. At this moment, she was not the ungrateful and fickle girl in history. Last week, she was a passionate village chief who would rather disobey military orders and rescue her compatriots at night. Faced with this situation, she naturally would not refuse and gave the final offer. "Okay, okay, okay, I can sell you weapons and food, but the Hu people will plunder the Han people to make a fortune in the autumn when their horses are fat and their strength is at its strongest. And we Han soldiers will enter the grasslands in the early spring when the cattle and sheep are fattening and giving birth and the nomadic strength is at its weakest, to plunder the Hu people to make money. Your village must serve as an outpost and supply point for me. If you want to continue to make money, you can be my scout and join me in plundering the Hu people. How about that?" "Glad to serve, but I also need an officer to help me train the villagers. We are no longer under the protection of the Han army. It is too dangerous." "Okay, I'll send some people to you. I still have this power." Lu Bu and Liu Zhuang nodded and agreed to each other's conditions. After studying together on [Profane Priest], the two of them shook hands again and swore an oath, reaching a second agreement. After some bargaining, Liu Zhuang and Lu Bu discussed the specific details of the transaction: they would buy a large amount of weapons outside the city early tomorrow morning, but today he went back to the military camp with Lu Bu, spent 500 coins, and asked the soldiers to buy a big pot and two stone of millet. Liu Zhuang looked at the sky and waited near the military camp until evening. He guessed that the wealthy families had all returned home, so he let the Xianbei horses carry more than 40 kilograms of food and fodder and more than 40 kilograms of five-zhu coins, step by step, back to the refugee group. Along the way, Liu Zhuang was thinking about a question. Lu Bu looks like a nice guy. What happened to him to make him look like that? All the refugees gathered in the streets and in the squares, sitting around fires to keep warm. After a whole day of selection by local clans, many familiar faces disappeared. Many people were starving and cold, and had no choice but to sell themselves into slavery. The only ones left were the elderly, the weak, the sick, fathers who were unwilling to sell their wives and children, and those who were as unwilling to be slaves as himself. Their number had been reduced to two hundred. Hunger, cold, fear, and resentment spread among the refugees like a plague. Everyone looked solemn and fearful. Even if we refused to be slaves of the Mayi clan today, what would happen? The government has stopped issuing relief food, let alone land, and even cotton clothes and shelter for the winter have not been implemented! Even if we sold all our money, we would not be able to survive this cold winter. No one collected the bodies of the refugees who froze to death on the streets before. At a time of chaos, Liu Zhuang first built a fire, put a large pot he had just bought on it, and cooked rice porridge with snow and grain. The sweet smell instantly attracted everyone's attention. The refugees twitched their noses, sniffing the aroma of millet in the air. They were surprised at first, and then suspicious, thinking that this was another trick of the local nobles. Until they found that the person cooking the porridge was Liu Zhuang, who had slept on the streets with them these days, they dispelled their doubts and gathered over in groups of three or five. "Where do you get the food?" A refugee swallowed and approached cautiously. Although Liu Zhuang was very silent among the group, his figure, weapons all over his body, and dragon-shaped double pupils were enough to impress any refugee. "Everyone come and eat! If it's not enough, I have more here and can cook several more pots." Liu Zhuang did not answer, but waved his hand, inviting everyone to have a meal under the cover of night. When people heard that the tallest and strongest refugee, who carried a horse all day, was inviting everyone to dinner, they immediately flocked to the restaurant from all the streets. Some even scooped the porridge into the beggar's bowl and gobbled it up voraciously without waiting for it to be cooked. Forty kilograms of millet mixed with a large amount of snow water was cooked into porridge. In a short while, it was eaten up by two hundred refugees sleeping on the streets. Although the food was a lot, it was just enough to fill the hungry stomachs of two hundred people. “Brother Liu Zhuang, you were also there this morning when those wealthy families wanted to buy us as slaves. The chaos and fear at that time were as unforgettable to you as they are to us. Today, you are willing to spend such a huge amount of money to treat us to this meal. Tell me! Do you have any plan? We are all in a desperate situation like you. If it is reliable, I will definitely do it with you! " A man with a sickly thin body and a very old and weathered face, holding a bowl of rice in one hand and his eight-year-old daughter in the other, looked at Liu Zhuang with gratitude. The eyes of both father and daughter were full of sorrow and despair. This morning, the young man from aristocratic family rejected the middle-aged man's request for slavery and even threatened to buy his eight-year-old daughter as a concubine with food. Liu Zhuang looked at the child in his arms. Under the soft silver hair like a waterfall, half of the face was covered with a stunning beauty. The pink and cute face was as delicate and beautiful as a porcelain doll. The pair of scarlet eyes were as bright and beautiful as rubies. The upturned corners of the eyes made her look coquettish at such a young age. The tender and lovely appearance, the sexy and charming temperament, are perfectly integrated in this little Lolita, which particularly attracts the attention of others. Her thin figure is so fragile, like a delicate willow in spring, which will fall down with just a gust of wind. Her pitiful posture makes people feel extremely distressed. Liu Zhuang thought he liked the sexy and charming type, but when he looked at this silver-haired, red-eyed, tender and cute loli, he couldn't help but feel his heart beating fast - no wonder that noble family insisted on taking a child who hadn't even fully grown her hair as a concubine in the morning. Countless golden threads weaved strange attributes on this naturally charming loli.
【Diao Chan】(Fox Demon) Level 1 (Level 1 Monster) Health 7, Mana 4 Hit 2, Defense 2 Strength 8, Agility 14, Constitution 8 Intelligence 10, Wisdom 10, Charisma 18