Niu Yuan walked closer and paced beside him: "Just tell the messenger, 'The imperial government's national policy has been set and cannot be changed quickly. Although the people have suffered a little, they are still a bunch of mediocre people. Even if they are killed or injured, A few people are nothing to mention. As for the civil uprising, it is expected that cunning officials exaggerated the facts, or they did not understand the national policy and acted arbitrarily and provoked the change. Both types of people are a scourge to the country and should be governed according to the law. No excesses are allowed. "It's too light to be too heavy, it's not fair."
"Young man, take your orders. Go and answer him now."
Hong Lizhen waited patiently for several days, but only received such a perfunctory reply from Niu Yuan, which made him extremely depressed. It seemed that there was no hope for the imperial court. He could only give repeated orders to local officials, explaining that the province had no intention of intervening and that they would make their own decisions in everything. Seeing that he was evasive and still unwilling to take responsibility, the two governors left with despair.
Fortunately, the people under their control had not yet reached the point of rebellion, and were frightened by the additional teams of officers and soldiers sent in. Some of the rioting prefectures and counties immediately calmed down a lot, reluctantly bowed their heads to the government's orders, and were collectively suppressed. Migrated to the coast to farm.
Although the journey was not very long, after arriving at the destination, officials counted them one by one and discovered that the losses in the team had been very heavy. Most of these people are poor, with few acres of farmland to begin with, and in the autumn season, there is not much surplus food. The government does not allocate even a cent, so they starve and suffer from cold. Even if they contract a minor illness, it is very harmful to them. It is said to be an incurable disease. However, in order to cope with the severe punishment of the superiors, the officers and soldiers were unwilling to show a trace of mercy and urged them to march with all their strength, allowing a terrifying wailing sound to permeate the entire team. As a result, more and more people fell beside the rugged and muddy road. Whether they were unconscious or dead, they rolled down the slope and lay down in the grass, splashing muddy water in front of everyone's horrified eyes.
Under the cold mist-shrouded sky, the night was also full of strange colors, and no one could sleep peacefully. The unpleasant stench could be smelled everywhere. The officers and soldiers couldn't bear it. They got up from their tents in the middle of the night, set up torches in the wilderness, and prepared to dig a pit to bury the corpses for miles around. They used shovels and worked hard to dig into the wet and hard soil, but they were too sleepy and had no strength. Their eyes only opened a line and looked at the ground drowsily. But none of them could sleep. After all, there were not only the buzzing of flies, but also the cries of women in the camp, the heart-rending screams of patients, and the non-stop dry coughs. Countless chaotic sounds were everywhere. His ears were shaking. But the child's cry was not heard very much. When a soldier was tired from working and returned to the camp to rest, he saw an old woman who looked like a skeleton staring at a baby on the straw mat with her blood-red eyes open. The baby looked He didn't even weigh four pounds. He was yellow all over, his mouth was open, and he didn't speak. After a closer look, he realized that it was a dead baby.
"You...you..." The old woman turned around and grabbed the corners of his clothes with a pair of thin hands, "Please..."
"Old man...what do you want from me?" The soldier panted heavily and asked, holding her hand.
"Look at my grandson," the old woman pointed to the dead baby, as if she had thick phlegm in her mouth as she spoke, "He also starved to death...I don't ask you what, after all, staying in my hometown is death, and it is the same here. Death... I just hope you can bury him alive and not leave his body in the wilderness."
The soldier looked at the child, his eyes flushed, and said, "Okay, I'll bury him for you. Where is your son's family?"
"He was sick and lying inside. My daughter-in-law...has died of illness."
"Alas..." The soldier tightened his grip on her arm, "Old man, we are digging a big pit and preparing to bury all the corpses in it and burn it. But seeing that you are so miserable, I will take your grandson with you. The daughter-in-law restrained herself and built an earthen tomb so that the mother and son could pass away in peace."
"Thank you, thank you..." The old woman clasped her hands together and kowtowed twice on the ground.
The soldiers immediately wrapped the mother and son tightly in straw mats and dug a small grave for them to rest in peace. When he had just finished repairing the tomb, he suddenly heard the sound of cannons in the distance, which made his hands tremble. He stood up and looked into the distance, 'It should be coming soon,' he thought, 'What a nightmare day...'
The fog was about to lift, but he still stood in front of the grave in a daze, recalling what his superior had said to them. They always talk about the 'national justice' and the Prime Minister's policies for the country, but standing in the glorious court hall, they will never know what kind of disaster is hidden thousands of miles away. Even if they knew it, they just nodded, sighed, and continued to indulge in the peaceful and prosperous age and the achievements of thousands of generations. They recounted this endlessly, as if only eloquent words could cover up all the speechlessness.
The New Deal has finally been implemented. Relying on the people who migrated from the south, the government not only ordered them to build fortifications, but also urged them to cultivate land. Coupled with the artillery brought from the north, after several months of busy work, the island's defense was already impregnable. , Niu Yuan's strategy was actually very effective. Not only did the sea area go smoothly for several months, but good news was reported repeatedly, and several ships were even intercepted. It is difficult to list all the other achievements. These documents were kept by Niu Yuan in Zhongshu Province. He had to read them several times a day to feel comfortable. However, he did not announce them to the outside world and only waited for the negotiation with Lian Chongyi to be successful.
"I heard that a fat boy was born in Chen Shilang's family?" Lu Zhixian, the Minister of Rites, walked into the main hall. After bowing to many ministers coming and going, he came to Chen Tongpao.
"Oh, Lu Shangshu!" Chen Tongpao also faced him with a festive smile. He picked up the teapot with one hand and poured a bowl for him. "Please go first. Yes, I have given birth to a boy in the side room of the lower official, which is enough." It weighs seven pounds and looks very pleasant."
"Fang has been married for more than a year and has a child. This is really a blessing for your Chen family! I don't know what the name will be, have you thought about it?" Lu Zhixian said with a smile.
"I asked Zhuo Jing first. She gave me a good name, Zhi Li, but I think it's a bit too common and simple. I haven't decided yet." Chen Tongpao said again with a cold face.
"Well, this name can really reflect the teachings of my Holy Dynasty, so what if it is simpler? Mrs. Zhuo is really knowledgeable."
Chen Tongpao said: "That's an honor. I am a peasant girl, but I don't know how to teach. This needs to be decided again..."
"Niu Fengxiang is here!"
The eunuch outside screamed, and the two of them raised their heads and watched Niu Yuan walk from the door to the chair before looking back.
"Today's meeting, it seems that he is 100% sure." Chen Tongpao said to Lu Zhixian.
