The blazing sun shines on the earth, exuding its supreme power unbridled, as if it is going to burn everything in the world.
The trees are scorched, their branches are sparse, and there is no trace of life.
The grass and rocks were withered and yellow, lifeless, and the whole world was extremely dark.
Above the official road, there are piles of rocks and a desolate and dilapidated scene.
From the first year of Chongzhen to the eighth year of Chongzhen, eight years.
First there were droughts, frosts, and then droughts, which never stopped in the past eight years. The disasters in Shaanxi became more and more serious every year.
There is a severe drought in the world, and there is no harvest, but the taxes and benefits are heavy.
In Shaanxi, the victims and soldiers did not wait for relief from the imperial court. Instead, they waited for Jiapai and Caiyi.
One disaster after another and heavy burdens were placed on Shaanxi.
Eight years of natural and man-made disasters have left Shaanxi in a state of disrepair and the people are in dire straits.
The once wide and smooth official roads in Shaanxi have long been in dilapidated condition.
The dilapidated official roads were extremely empty, and everything they saw was burnt yellow.
In the wilderness in the distance, several skinny wild dogs with red eyes wandered aimlessly.
These skinny wild dogs are the only living creatures in this vast area.
As if it had noticed something, the leading wild dog suddenly stopped. It raised its head and looked behind it. The heads of the other two wild dogs looked in the same direction almost at the same time.
Being able to survive in such a place, if you are not alert enough, you have already become food on the desk.
At the end of the official road, a faint red line was slowly creeping towards it.
The moment they discovered the red line, several wild dogs were already running quickly in the opposite direction with their tails between their legs.
The air was filled with strong blood energy.
Above the official road, a group of soldiers wearing commoners and red hats, carrying spears and firecrackers on their shoulders, were silently marching southward along the official road.
The messenger cavalry carrying the order flag drove the horses under them to gallop quickly on both sides of the road, conveying military orders.
They were all Ming troops, traveling all the way south from Datong Town, Shanxi Province, to put down the rebellious Ming troops.
According to the military regulations of the Ming Dynasty, any person whose ranks are not in order, who walks disorderly, who leaves the group without authorization, who is congested on the road, or who speaks loudly will be subject to military law.
Today, the military system of the garrison has collapsed, and most of the military regulations and regulations are in name only, but the military regulations still have a lot of binding force in recruiting soldiers.
Apart from the dull and chaotic footsteps and the rapid sound of horse hooves, there were no other unnecessary sounds in the Ming army's queue above the official road.
Chasing the bandits all the way, they have traveled thousands of miles and still can't see the end.
They had not rested long after arriving in Guanzhong. They were ordered to go north again to Ningzhou in Qingyang Prefecture to quell the rebellion.
Chen Wang's expression was extremely gloomy as he led the war horse and walked in the queue.
The atmosphere in the team was terribly dull, and the looks on their faces were the same as Chen Wang's, full of exhaustion.
Their military uniforms were covered with dust and were old and dilapidated. Their eyes were full of indifference, like walking zombies, just moving forward silently.
From the fourth year of Chongzhen to the present, in this four-year period, the war has never stopped for a moment.
Along the way, they fought bloody battles, killing countless bandits, defeating countless thieves, and dying in danger.
They defeated one enemy after another for the country and put down one rebellion after another.
They don't understand why the war has not subsided until now, but is getting worse.
Chen Wang raised his head and looked at the end of the road ahead, feeling cold in his heart.
The reason why he looked gloomy was not because he was like other soldiers, but because of the endless war and the increasingly worse situation.
Only Chen Wang knew that the road under his feet was a real road of no return, a road leading to hell.
Tens of thousands of bandits were waiting in front, waiting for them to fall into the trap.
His soul does not actually belong to this era, so he knows what will happen.
Just over two months ago, he was still studying in the university library, but got stuck halfway and lay down on the table to take a nap.
When he opened his eyes again, he had come to this damn completely strange world.
He took over another person's body and gained all the memories of the original owner of the body.
He traveled through more than three hundred years and came to the eighth year of Chongzhen and the last years of the Ming Dynasty.
The original owner of the body he occupied was a Ming soldier, born in Liaodong, now twenty-five years old, also named Chen Wang.
He is not a noble general, just an ordinary soldier.
But strictly speaking, he was not ordinary, because he was a servant soldier and a servant of Cao Wenzhao, the chief military officer of the reinforcement and suppression force. Cao Wenzhao was known as the best general of the Ming Dynasty.
In July of the third year of Chongzhen, there was a major civil upheaval in Shaanxi. Cao Wenzhao was named the deputy commander-in-chief of the Yansui East Road and led the Guanning Army into the pass for conquest. He also followed Cao Wenzhao all the way south.
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the guard system collapsed and the recruitment system began to weaken. Basically, the generals of the Ming army would select elite soldiers as their servants to serve as personal soldiers. This was also a tacit approval.
The so-called servants are actually the private soldiers of the generals. The servants only take orders from the generals themselves.
When generals are transferred, servants will also be allowed to follow them.
As the general's servants, they eat the best food, receive adequate military pay, and are equipped with the best weapons and armor, and their families will also be properly taken care of.
And they need to repay the general with their loyalty and lives, and use it to trap the enemy whenever they encounter a big enemy.
As servants, all are skilled in bow and horse, excellent in martial arts, and capable of conquering those who are good at fighting.
Chen Wang obtained all the memories of the original owner of the body, and also obtained all his skills.
Whether it is spears, clubs, swords, or bows and arrows, he is extremely good at it, and these skills are engraved in his bones and blood.
In the past two months alone, the Ming army and the peasant army had fought several battles and engaged in more than ten battles.
Chen Wang has already killed more enemies than he can count on both hands, all relying on these memories imprinted in his bones and blood.
In my memory, there are even more people who fell under the sword of the original body. It is not an exaggeration to describe them as murderous.
As a servant of the Ming army, or as the backbone of the force, he has the duty to charge into battle, and there is no room for mercy on the battlefield.
Chen Wang's eyes were cold as he stared at the undulating crowd in front of him.
The torrent of the times carries the fate of individuals.
The fate of being trapped by the times can only rise and fall with the times.
Living is the simplest thing, but it is also the most difficult thing.
He had no way to change his identity. He once thought about being a deserter.
But it is so difficult to escape from the military camp. If a deserter in the army is captured, he will die.
Chen Wang watched with his own eyes as seven deserters were captured and killed on the spot. Their heads were hung on the camp gate in public display.
Even if he successfully escaped from the military camp, where could he go?
Without a way to prove your identity, you can't even enter the city.
Nowadays, except for Jiangnan, which is still peaceful, the rest of the places are in the flames of war, and there are so many thieves and bandits.
But Jiangnan is more than a thousand miles away from Shaanxi. Even in peacetime, it is difficult to travel to Jiangnan, let alone now.
This was a catastrophe that swept across China. Tens of millions of people were affected and died in this catastrophe. It was not easy to escape this catastrophe.
Continuing to stay in the military is actually the best choice.
In this troubled world where human life is like a piece of grass, holding a steel knife in your hand means you don't have to be afraid of jackals, tigers and leopards.
"Da da da----"
The rapid sound of horse hooves interrupted Chen Wang's thoughts.
Chen Wang raised his head and looked forward. Cao Wenzhao, who was wearing a light armor and an open-shoulder robe, was less than five steps in front of him, standing under a flaming red banner.
Just a moment later, several commanding cavalry galloped out of the queue, holding commanding flags and loudly conveying the victory news.
Enemies were encountered in Qiutou Town ahead. The enemy troops had been routed by the vanguard, and five hundred of them had been beheaded. The cavalry of the vanguard were pursuing them.
The news of the good news relieved the depressed atmosphere in the army a little.
But Chen Wang's expression became increasingly gloomy.
Chen Wang tightened his grip on the horse's reins, feeling ice-cold in his heart.
He heard clearly the name of the place ahead - Qiutou Town.
If there is anything different after time travel, it is that his memory is much better than before. He is a history major and has some understanding of the late Ming Dynasty.
Chen Wang remembers the last paragraph of Cao Wenzhao particularly clearly in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
"History of the Ming Dynasty" records: "Wen Zhao sent three thousand people from Ningzhou and met the bandit Zhenning in Qiutou Town. Bianjiao got there first and beheaded five hundred people, chasing them for thirty miles."
"Wen Zhao led the infantry to follow. The thieves ambush tens of thousands of horses and surrounded them, and the hedgehogs gathered..."
