Yangzhou has been an important city of the imperial court and an important transportation thoroughfare since ancient times.
This is due to Yangzhou's special geographical location, because it is located on the north bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and is the intersection of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River.
The Huainan region where it is located stretches from Suzhou and Luzhou in the west to Yangzhou in the east. There are very few hilly areas and are basically vast plains. In addition, in the subtropical zone, there is sufficient rainfall, which is suitable for the growth of crops.
Therefore, no matter which dynasty or generation it is in, and no matter how its location changes, Yangzhou is still a "land of plenty" in the eyes of the people.
In addition, due to its convenient waterway transportation, Yangzhou also plays an extremely important role in the military.
Once any war or rebellion breaks out in the south, the central court can quickly cross the river from Yangzhou.
Especially in today's Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou can be said to be the administrative center of Huainan Road and one of the most prosperous cities in the south of the Yangtze River. It is known as "Yang Yi Yi Er", and its economic status is equivalent to Shanghai in the future.
After the Anshi Rebellion, Yangzhou became the most important economic lifeline of the central court.
Shipbuilding, coin making, tea making, and even the manufacturing of certain military supplies were all carried out with Yangzhou as the core.
It can be said that if there was even the slightest accident in Yangzhou, the entire Tang Dynasty was not far from being destroyed.
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"Is this... really close to the border of Yangzhou?"
Walking on the official road of Huainan Road, Pei Wende, who was wearing a monk's robe and holding a sword, could not hide the shock in his eyes.
Over the years, Pei Wende has seen countless refugees begging, bandits looting, and bones dying of starvation.
Pei Wende thought that the situation would be slightly better in Yangzhou, but what he never expected was that the situation here was not much better than what he had seen along the way.
Perhaps except that there are fewer dead bones on the roadside, there is not much difference between this place and other famine-stricken states and counties along the road.
Of course, this is also because the route Pei Wende took was all in areas of poverty and famine, so what he saw was naturally a scene of famine years with anger and resentment.
The only good thing is that since Tang Xuanzong came to power, various government orders and disaster relief materials have been continuously issued to all parts of the country.
Except for the route taken by Pei Wende, people in other places can be considered to be living and working in peace and contentment.
However, it was precisely this huge gap that made Pei Wende unable to believe that he was about to enter Yangzhou territory.
Yangzhou was the economic lifeline of the Tang Dynasty, and was renowned throughout the world as a land of plenty...
Once a problem occurs here, this short-lived "ZTE phenomenon" will not last long at all.
"Do you want to take action again?"
Quietly poking his head out of Pei Wende's monk's robe, Xiaoqing whispered softly while spitting out the snake letter.
Along the way, Pei Wende specifically chose routes where the earth's veins were chaotic and evil spirits gathered. Xiao Qing couldn't even remember how many monsters he killed and how many evil spirits he drove out along the way.
"I thought that the situation would be slightly better when we arrived at the border of Yangzhou."
Instead of answering Xiao Qing's question directly, Pei Wende just slowly drew out his sword and stared at the cavalry that was charging not far away with a vigilant look on his face.
“I didn’t expect that even in a land like Yangzhou, there would be hungry people everywhere and banditry.”
Pei Wende could clearly see that the leader of the cavalry was in ragged clothes and holding a machete, looking like a road bully robber.
Most of the people running behind him were refugees with sallow faces and thin muscles.
I saw these refugees with ferocious expressions on their faces. They were holding a wooden stick but seemed to be holding a sharp blade. It was clear at a glance that they had taken many lives on their hands.
"Haha, I didn't expect to meet a monk today!"
After a while, the leader of the cavalry arrived in front of Pei Wende and looked him up and down with a wild and wild look.
"Hey, monk, please hand over your valuables!"
"For the sake of Buddha, maybe I will let you go!"
When he said this, the leader of the cavalry rested his eyes on Pei Wende's sword for a long time.
While the leader of the cavalry was speaking, three or five more ruthless bandits on horseback came over and surrounded Pei Wende.
As for the refugees still running on the road?
Although their speed was slower than these horse-riding bandits, it didn't take them long to arrive.
"Amitabha, the way the donors dress up doesn't look like they mean what they say."
Holding a sword in one hand and performing Buddhist rituals in the other...
The corners of Pei Wende's mouth raised slightly, but his eyes showed undisguised murderous intent.
Because on the body of this horse team, Pei Wende saw the blood that had not yet dried up, and the resentment that had not dissipated for a long time.
Obviously, not long before they met Pei Wende, these gangsters had just committed murder, and even the blood on their bodies was still warm.
Especially the leader of the cavalry, the resentment in him is more terrifying than many monsters.
God knows how many people he killed before he could let the resentment of those dead linger for years, almost turning into evil spirits.
"Stop talking nonsense. If I ask you to hand over something, just hand it over honestly!"
Before the leader of the horse team could speak, a fierce bandit who was also riding a horse couldn't help but shouted sharply.
And with his loud shout, the horse under his crotch also neighed, causing the surrounding bandits to become restless.
"Amitabha!"
After reciting the Buddha's name in a low voice again, Pei Wende suppressed the murderous intention in his heart and asked.
"Dear donors, may I ask where this place is?"
"Aren't you afraid of the government's soldiers if you intercept and kill people like this?"
This was also the biggest question in Pei Wende's mind. He had indeed seen many robbers along the way, but there was only one group that dared to block the road and rob near the official road.
How bad are the government offices here that they can't even maintain the official ethics of the imperial court?
"Haha, those scum in the government have no time to care about us..."
"They can't even protect themselves now, let alone use the extra strength to arrest us!"
As if he was surprised by Pei Wende's performance, the leader of the gangsters stretched out his hand to stop the restlessness of his men, and said in an almost joking tone.
"If you are counting on those government lackeys to rescue you, then I advise you not to waste your efforts."
Pei Wende could tell that the gangster he led was not lying.
This made Pei Wende even more curious - what happened to the government offices here to make these gangsters so arrogant.
—Recommendation ticket—/—Monthly ticket—
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ps: I'm out of schedule for filing, and I've been feeling a little uncomfortable for the past two days, so I'm asking for a day off.
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