From the first year of Chongzhen to the sixth year of Chongzhen, there have been constant natural disasters in Shaanxi.
The scope of natural disasters has also continued to expand, gradually spreading from northern Shaanxi to the entire Shaanxi.
Years of natural disasters, the court's inaction, additional posts, cuts in post offices, and lack of pay made the civil unrest intensify.
The wars are endless, the wars are endless, the sky is full of smoke, and everything is devastated.
After so many years of natural disasters, banditry, and military famine, Shaanxi has been in dilapidated condition.
None of the common people who are still alive today have not suffered hardships, but are just struggling to survive at the bottom.
There have been no large-scale natural disasters in the past two years, and enough rain has finally fallen from the sky. It seems that we can survive again.
But...the bandits are here again...
During the Tianqi years, the usual price of rice in Shaanxi was only about one tael per stone, but now, it has more than tripled or four times increased, and it is still expensive but not marketable.
In times of famine, grain merchants hoarded goods, and wealthy families took the opportunity to annex land and buy slaves and maidservants.
The best fertile farmland can be sold for less money during disaster years than the ordinary farmland. Two or three bushels of rice can buy a living person.
Anjia was given seven buckets of rice, enough to last for many days. Some people in the crowd were breathing heavily and feeling a little moved.
Chen Gong led his horse to the left and right, scanning the people around him. He was observing their expressions and movements.
"When you become a camp soldier, you will be paid two taels of silver per month, which is absolutely sufficient and will not be deducted. Food and drink will be provided by the army, and all the salary can be saved."
"There is a silver reward for killing thieves. After fighting for several years, it will not be a problem to buy dozens of acres of fertile land."
Chen Gong patted the Yan Ling Dao on his waist, his tone full of bewitchment.
What he said was actually true, but it was actually wrong.
Even though there is a lot of pay and reward money, one still needs the life to spend it.
The war is coming, and these newly recruited refugees will not be able to train for long before they may have to fight against the bandits.
When the time comes to fight together, they will definitely be the front army, and there will be people from the middle and rear armies to supervise the battle. After a few battles, there will probably be 70% to 80% casualties, and it is even difficult to survive.
Those few buckets of rice as settlement expenses are money to buy your life...
The commotion among the crowd began to gradually increase, but still no one came forward, and many people were still worried.
A refugee with a slightly stooped back looked hesitant and raised his hand, attracting everyone's attention.
"This military master, when you become a soldier, you have to fight. We are not afraid of fighting. What if we get injured, disabled or killed in the battle, what will we do?"
The refugee spoke a Shaanxi dialect, which was a bit jerky and difficult to understand. However, Chen Gong also followed Cao Wenzhao to Shaanxi to quell the chaos for a period of time, and he could also speak some Shaanxi dialect.
"We, the generals, are the second-rank officials of the current imperial court, and the commander-in-chief of Datong, Cao Wenzhao. You must have heard of it, right?"
After Chen Gong's words fell, ripples were once again set off among the surrounding crowd, and buzzing voices suddenly sounded everywhere.
Many people in Liaodong may not know who Cao Wenzhao is, but in Shaanxi, especially Guanzhong, almost everyone has heard of Cao Wenzhao's name.
Cao Wenzhao led his army through dozens of battles in Shaanxi, captured and killed dozens of bandit leaders, beheaded more than 36,600 people, and injured the bandits unsuspectingly. His reputation was enough to stop children crying at night.
"Those thieves can't even run away when they see me, so how can they dare to fight?"
"It's a real confrontation with real swords and guns. If you are injured or disabled, you will still receive a pension of Shirogane, a pension of ten taels."
"If there are children, the court will be responsible for feeding them until they are fourteen years old."
Chen Gong raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.
"Let me tell you first, we are only recruiting 370 people, and we won't accept them when we fill them up."
"Right now, there are bandits everywhere, and the bandits are running around everywhere. If you stay outside the city, you might kill them with one blow. If you don't kill them, the fields will be gone, or there will be a severe drought for a few years, and there will be no food. You will have to suffer. Hungry."
Chen Gong cupped his hands and continued to encourage.
"Wouldn't it be great to join a camp and serve as a soldier, with a knife in your hand and food in your belly? You can grit your teeth to gain a future for him, gain him a wife and a son, and return home rich and wealthy, wouldn't it?"
"As long as you become a camp soldier, Lord Zhizhou has given permission, and your mother-in-law and baby can live in the city first, and the city will also provide porridge."
Chen Gong's last words successfully made the crowd commotion.
"If you want to serve as a soldier and eat meat, come here and line up, and leave your name and registration one by one."
Chen Gong raised his riding whip and pointed at the square table that had just been set up beside him.
Chen Wang had already dismounted and sat behind the square table. Paper and pens were spread out on the table, and someone had already started grinding them.
The characters used in the Ming Dynasty were not much different from the traditional Chinese characters of later generations, and the original person knew a lot of characters. The Chen family in Liaodong was not small in number, and it was considered to have a small amount of land.
Therefore, Chen Wang did not come out with the documents, but prepared to register himself. He wanted to recruit this batch of soldiers himself.
"If you want to drink porridge, eat meat and join the army, just line up, right here."
"If you don't have this idea, let's leave. Don't disturb me while I wait to recruit soldiers."
Chen Gong raised the riding whip in his hand and swung it suddenly. The riding whip made a soft sound in the air, frightening everyone to step back.
When Chen Wang saw that Chen Gong had taken control of the situation, he raised his hand and pressed lightly. After receiving the order, the several cavalrymen behind him all drove their horses, waving their whips and began to drive away the people who came around.
Then, a captain carrying a small flag led a group of soldiers to disperse and roughly drew a passage.
All the refugees around him backed away in fear, not daring to gather around the cauldron anymore.
Chen Gong rode back and returned behind Chen Wang.
Chen Wang sat behind the square table and looked at the crowd around him.
Soon, the first person to apply appeared.
A refugee walked out of the crowd. He bowed slightly. Although there was fear on his face and he walked slowly, he did not stop and walked up to Chen Wang.
Chen Wang glanced up and down at the person in front of him. The person who applied for the job had an ordinary appearance, dark complexion, and a thin build. However, he had a rather large frame and was not short in height.
The man's eyes were looking at the big pot in the center most of the time. He was obviously very hungry.
Walking in front of him, the refugee hunched his waist, lowered his head, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and asked anxiously.
"Master Jun, I want to give it a try. See if I can be a soldier."
"May I have your name?"
"Zhou Changshou"
"Is there anyone else at home?"
"No, there is no one else in the family, and I am the only one left. There were disasters a few years ago, and my mother-in-law and children all starved to death."
Chen Wang knocked on the table in front of him.
"Reach out your hands and place them on the table, palms up."
Zhou Changshou didn't know why, but he still extended his hand.
Chen Wang glanced at Zhou Changshou's hand, then withdrew his gaze, and raised his pen to write Zhou Changshou's name on the paper and a wooden sign on the table.
"Just remember one thing. When Shangguan asks questions from now on, just say whatever you ask. Don't say any unnecessary words."
Chen Wang said as he wrote. Although Chen Wang was as gentle as possible, he was still so scared that Zhou Changshou didn't dare to speak. He just kept nodding.
Chen Wang picked up the wooden sign with the name just written on it and moved it forward a little to Zhou Changshou's hand.
"You passed. Take your soldier card and go have some porridge. Don't rub out the words."
