Zhao Xin took the hot water from Shino and took a sip without answering. He knew that Katsusaburo still had something to say.
Sure enough, Katsuzaburo took the water glass handed by Shino, but put it next to him without drinking. He waited for Zhao Xin to put down the water glass and continued: "I traveled all the way south from Omi. If it weren't for my property being stolen, I might have left Edo early.
But it is precisely because during the few months I stayed in Edo, I saw that after the disaster broke out, the big businessmen began to drive up the price of rice. Many people could not even afford a liter of rice for a day's wages. why is that? !
After I decided to come to Mutsu to help the victims, I saw along the way that the feudal lords, big and small, were still trying their best to squeeze the people of their lords, without caring about the lives of the farmers. Those farmers had gone bankrupt, but the officials were still forcing them to pay the full annual tribute.
I don't know what's going on in this world. Ever since I was saved by you, I can't stop thinking about this issue. "
Katsusaburo shook his head with pain on his face, and clenched his fists with both hands so hard that his joints made cracking sounds.
"The Book of Five Rings says, 'The way of the warrior consists in mastering the power of the weapon in his hand.'
But how can I dominate those big businessmen with the sword in my hand? How...how can I force those feudal lords and middlemen to open warehouses for relief! "
Zhao Xin has read "The Book of Five Wheels". The core of this work, which was later called "the three major art of war books in the world", is actually about the use of timing. With the flexibility of water, it can change into quality, attack like fire, and control the fighting spirit at will to defeat the opponent. The ultimate state is to be able to not be bound by the truth and enter the true way of nature. And all of this requires continuous exercise in daily life.
However, in Miyamoto Musashi's ideological system, he still believes that the ultimate meaning of a samurai practicing the art of war is to gain strength and fame for his lord through practice. Of course, this is also the only way for warriors to advance in this era.
Zhao Xin stared at Shengsaburo, trying to figure out what the guy opposite was thinking in his mind.
However, Shengsaburo didn't care about Zhao Xin's gaze. He picked up the water glass and drank some water, licked his dry lips, and continued: "So, even if I have a knife, I can't save these refugees with my ability. .And after this riot..."
Having said this, he pointed to the bandaged wound on his head with a wry smile.
"Miyamoto Musashi had a duel at Ichijoji Temple, where one man faced four hundred people and was able to fight his way out of the encirclement. But my martial arts couldn't even stop this small-scale riot.
What I want to ask you is, sir, what are your plans for the more than 100 people in the camp? What do you want to do next? "
Zhao Xin's expression gradually became serious, and he suddenly realized that these people in front of him were not NPCs in the game, but real people!
He looked at Katsusaburo and understood that the young man in front of him had lost confidence in the martial arts and knowledge he had learned since childhood and had doubts about the life goals he had previously set after experiencing many troubles and setbacks.
"Katsuzaburo, you have to understand that you can't even save yourself if you're against ten or one hundred enemies, but you can save the world only if you're against ten thousand enemies!"
Zhao Xin's casual words made Shengsaburo's eyes suddenly brighten. He knelt down in front of Zhao Xin and said, "Please teach me!"
Zhao Xin rubbed the back of his head a few times and thought, "Oh no, this is getting bigger and bigger. Why don't you get out of here right away?"
Although he thought so in his heart, Zhao Xin said: "Supposedly there are several places you can go to, but you need to take a boat to cross the sea."
"Take a boat? Cross the sea?"
Katsuzaburo was a little confused, this was beyond the scope of his thinking.
It is said that the great famine that occurred in the island country in history was called the "Tianming Famine" in history. This famine was also called the "Hell of Ice and Fire" in later generations!
Since AD 1782, that is, the second year of Tianming, disasters have occurred frequently in various parts of the island country due to climate abnormalities. In the early spring, the Kanto region has begun to experience rainy weather again. Even in early summer, most people are still wearing winter clothes. Cotton coat. The gray and cold sky and the muddy swamp-like land indicate that a dark era is coming.
This cold and wet northeasterly wind, known as the "Mountain Back", which occurred in the second year of Tianming, swept across the entire northeast of the island country, resulting in a freeze disaster that led to a large-scale freeze in food harvests.
A few years later, Confucian scholars of the Hachinohe Domain of Kai Kingdom recorded this true history as a survivor on the "Starved All Souls Support Tower" in Duizen-in: "On April 11, lightning and thunder thundered, and the mountains The heavy rains came from behind and continued until August. It started to clear up on September 1st, and the crops in floods and droughts were always as green as if they had just sprouted."
In the third year of Tianming, volcanoes erupted one after another on Mount Iwaki and Mount Asama, especially the volcanic eruption on Mount Asama. A huge amount of volcanic ash flew to the east and southeast on the westerly wind. Even Edo, which is far away, fell an inch thick dust.
Because volcanic ash was spewed into the stratosphere and blocked the sun, the sun was always dim that year. This is tantamount to adding to the frost disaster caused by the "mountain back". Therefore, many places in the northeastern region of the island country have experienced no harvest again after the previous year.
This famine would last for six years and millions of people would starve to death. The culmination of the disaster would be the "Edo Great Riot" four years later. The refugees who had left their homes and lived in the city had been oppressed, and once their dissatisfaction accumulated over the years erupted, it immediately ignited the entire citizen class, and a small dispute turned into a riot of beating, smashing, and looting involving countless urban residents.
So much so that later generations of historians believe that this riot was almost a dress rehearsal for the French Revolution in the Far East two years later!
This citizen riot was not quelled until four days later, leaving the Edo Castle Town devastated.
Since then, the island country has entered the Bakumatsu era.
Zhao Xin did not dare to tell Shengsaburo what would happen in the future. He could only say: "In my opinion, this famine will last for a long time, and it will take at least five years to slowly ease."
He paused hesitantly, and a slow and heavy voice filled the entire tent: "Millions of people will die."
"What?!" Katsusaburo was shocked. Rikichi, Shino, and Manzo's wife who were quietly listening to the conversation between the two were also shocked.
"Five years?!" Shino was shocked.
"You mean millions of people?! This, how is this possible..." Katsusaburo was shocked and shouted loudly.
"Yes, millions of people died, and the disaster may last for more than five years." Zhao Xin's tone was quite serious. He looked at several people and explained: "You have all seen what we have seen along the way. Katsusaburo, you I came from Edo, and I believe you have seen a lot. How many villages have been destroyed, how many people have starved to death, and how many people have fallen dead on the road? Many villages have begun to eat the dead. Sooner or later , I’m afraid they will even eat living people.
As for the various clans, oh, let’s just say the Hirosaki clan, according to what Rikichi said, relief has not been distributed for so long after the disaster. The Tsugaru family is small, but no matter how small it is, they can still provide some food, right? As for the Edo side, you should know more than me. "
Everyone in the camp saw Zhao Xin's "magic technique", and Katsusaburo even secretly saw Zhao Xin's "magic technique" disappearing out of thin air. Zhao Xin helped these victims and provided food, clothing, and medicine, which made Shengsaburo and others think that Lord Zhao Xin was the messenger of Buddha and Bodhisattva, and even the Bodhisattva descended to earth.
So he instinctively believed Zhao Xin's words.
"Are so many people going to die? There are too many..." The sad and angry Katsusaburo fell to the ground and cried bitterly. He hated that he could not do anything in this disaster, hated the lords, lieutenants, and shoguns for not saving anything, and hated the hoarding behavior of the big businessmen in Edo City.
But he was just an ordinary low-level warrior, unable to do anything.
If Zhao Xin hadn't appeared, Katsusaburo would have been nothing more than a nameless corpse turned into withered bones on the roadside.
In the tent, several people were in tears.
Wan Zao's son looked at the adults who suddenly started crying. He didn't know what happened, and then he started crying too.
Wan Zao's wife hugged her skinny son and buried him in her arms. The woman was sobbing, and her tears kept falling on the mat.
"The food harvest has been cut off! People in the village are dying and people are running away. How will we survive in the future?" Wan Zao's wife suddenly raised her head and cried.
A dull sob came from behind Zhao Xin. It was Wan Zao. He had been awakened by the previous voice and had been listening quietly. At this time, he buried his head in the quilt and cried softly.
What everyone is thinking about is these hard days. When will it end? Farmers, why are you so miserable?
In this era, although the Tokugawa shogunate shouted "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce", it seemed that farmers were ranked second after samurai, but that was only when farmers could produce and pay grain normally. Once farmers fled the countryside and went into exile due to famine or other reasons, they were no longer human beings in the eyes of the rulers.
Since the 20th year of Kanei (i.e. 1643 AD), the Tokugawa shogunate has ordered various severe restrictions on farmers several times to prevent land annexation and control farmers' ability to pay taxes.
For example, you are not allowed to eat rice casually; you are not allowed to buy wine, tea, drink alcohol or tea; you are not allowed to grow and consume tobacco. Women in peasant families must get divorced if they drink too much tea or like to travel.
In the Meiji Restoration era after the fall of the shogunate, the output of the fields could no longer sustain the country's industrial development, so the rulers sent many young women from farm families to Nanyang to work as prostitutes.
You love it to death, as long as you can send the money you earn back to China!
"Those feudal lords and generals don't care about our life or death at all!" Li Ji, who became increasingly angry, stopped crying, raised his arms to wipe his tears, and looked at Zhao Xin with great gratitude: "Fortunately, we met you, sir, otherwise... …”
"Leave! Stay far away!" Wan Zao, who was crying under the quilt, lifted the quilt, turned over and fell at Zhao Xin's feet, and let out a desperate cry for help in a hoarse voice: "Please, sir, please help us find a way to survive. !”
"Please, sir, please help us find a way to survive!!!"
Suddenly, a chorus of pleas sounded outside the tent.
Several people in the tent were startled, so Zhao Xin stood up and walked to the tent door. Katsuzaburo hurriedly opened the door curtain in front of Zhao Xin.
The ground outside the door was full of refugees from other tents. People who were awakened by Katsuzaburo's shouts pulled and hugged their children and knelt on the ground together. Many people were also crying softly.
"Please, sir, please help us find a way to survive!!!" Seeing that Zhao Xin didn't speak, the refugees continued to beg.
Zhao Xin is a little confused. Although he hates the island countries in later generations, these are just poor people in the eighteenth century. Of course he wants to return to the Qing Dynasty to rescue his own people, but now he has no identity and no helpers. How can he rebel with a kitchen knife and a simulated gun? This is too frustrating!
If these people in front of them don't help now, most of them will eventually fall down in the ditch and become a death number in the history books. When he thought of this, Zhao Xin couldn't bear it.
Forget it, help people to the end, send Buddha to the West. Take one step at a time!
