After leaving Nanxunmen and heading south, after passing Akacang Town, I felt more and more desolate as I walked. Since the Jin army came south, some people were killed, some died of cold and hunger, and some fled. The Central Plains, which was once the most prosperous place in the world, has almost become a ghost land.
Wang Xiaolie was riding on his horse, looking around, and said to Cao Zhiyan beside him: "I didn't expect that the same is true south of Kaifeng."
Cao Zhiyan said: "Last year, the Jin people attacked all the way to Xiangyang. Caizhou in the south was not spared either, but that's not the case. Fortunately, although Caizhou was also attacked, the magistrate handled it well and the damage was not much. In addition, the water transportation is convenient, and the grain supply The price is not high.”
Du Zhongxiao nodded: "Yes, in Western Jingzhou County, Caizhou has the lowest food prices now."
After staying in Kaifeng for nearly ten days, Wang Xiaolie slowly understood the surrounding situation. The prefectures west of Beijing were defeated by the Jin army and their populations were plundered. They are now in a difficult situation. Jingdong is slightly better, but Zhao Gou has been in that area and most of the supplies have been requisitioned. Near Kaifeng Prefecture, only Caizhou has suffered less damage and has constant river transportation, so food prices are the lowest.
After weighing the situation, Wang Xiaolie decided to go to Caizhou to buy grain in person. When news of this incident spread, almost all the leaders in the capital felt that Wang Xiaolie was out of his mind. However, Zongze did not stop him and gave Wang Xiaolie an official document asking the Caizhou government to help.
Wang Xiaolie asked Wang Yan and Yue Fei to help him take care of the troops in the capital. He took Cao Zhiyan and a hundred soldiers to Caizhou.
This is a very strange thing. The leaders in the capital all think that Wang Xiaolie is a weirdo. At this time, there were many states and counties without officials around Kaifeng Prefecture. The army is short of food, so just grab some. Isn’t it crazy to travel hundreds of miles and spend money? The gold and silver in the army were obtained by the leaders at the cost of their lives. How could they be spent like this?
Thinking of this, Wang Xiaolie could only shake his head.
Part of the so-called rebel army in Kaifeng Prefecture evolved from King Qin's division just like Wang Xiaolie. Most of them are gang thieves. Calling these people bandits is not a slur, they are just that. Because of Zongze, these people temporarily united and gathered in Kaifeng Mansion. It's just that although they followed Zongze's orders, they worked independently and were responsible for their own logistics.
Wang Xiaolie is naturally different from them. He wants to save the world and create a new era.
On the fourth day of the trip, we had passed Shangcai County. Wang Xiaolie asked the guide about the route and ordered the entire army to camp on the spot and arrive in Caizhou tomorrow.
This area is an endless plain, fertile and wild for thousands of miles. However, after the Li Rebellion, the population was sparse and many villages were deserted. There was such a small village where Wang Xiaolie's army was camped. Fifty or sixty households, no one was seen.
In the village, there are chickens and dogs that were originally raised by farmers, and they are running around without anyone looking after them. Wang Xiaolie sent a few people to catch him, and after he was caught, he was given food for the night. During the day, my body immediately became numb, so I took Cao Zhiyan with me for a stroll.
Unknowingly, we arrived at the back of the village, a small soil slope covered with miscellaneous trees. There is a small stream next to the soil slope, and the clear flow reaches the bottom.
Wang Xiaoxing said: "I don't know if there are any fish in this stream. If there are big ones, I will catch two to eat."
Cao Zhiyan said: "Where can there be any big fish in this kind of water? Small fish have no meat and are spiny. They are a waste of firewood."
Wang Xiaolie smiled and didn't mention the matter again. In this era, there are a lot of fish in rivers and lakes everywhere, but they are not big fish and no one eats them. It's not like in later generations, where people caught and ate fish no matter how small they were in wild rivers, and thought they were delicious.
Turning around the small slope, Cao Zhiyan suddenly said: "Xiaoshe people, look over there, what are those two people doing?"
Wang Xiaolie looked along where Cao Zhiyan pointed. I saw two small figures lying on the ground, looking at me curiously.
With his heart tightening, Wang Xiaolie raised his sword and stepped forward with Cao Zhiyan. When I got there, I saw clearly that they were two children, one was eight or nine years old, and the other was only five or six years old.
Feeling relieved, Wang Xiaolie asked, "Are you from this village? Why are you here? Where are the others?"
The younger child said: "We are from the village ahead and grew up here."
Wang Xiaolie smiled and said: "You are not that old now. Where are the other people in the village? What are you doing here?"
The child said: "Last winter, some Jin people passed by here, and most of the people in the village were killed. Those who were not killed were all taken into custody by them. I heard that they were going to be taken to the North. I don't know where the North is. It seems very strange. Far."
After Wang Xiaolie heard this, his relaxed mood suddenly became heavy again. Along the way, this was a problem I didn’t want to face.
Last year, the Jin army stretched across thousands of miles and broke through dozens of states in the west of Beijing. The damage caused was staggering. The more prosperous and accessible the place, the more serious the damage will be. Most of the villages were burned, killed and robbed. Occasionally some people were lucky enough to escape, but they were very few.
This village is next to the road. I think I passed by here when the Jin army attacked Caizhou, and I grabbed it by the way. The old and young slaughtered them all, and the young and middle-aged men and women robbed them together and returned to the north to work as slaves. These two children must have escaped by luck and became the only remaining population in the village.
After calming his mind, Wang Xiaolie asked: "What are your names? What are you doing here? We are the imperial army, you don't have to be afraid. The Jin people have gone far and will not come back for a while."
The younger child said: "My name is Sun Wulang, and this brother's name is Qingtou——"
Wang Xiaolie saw that the older child had a big birthmark on his face, which probably was where his name came from.
Sun Wulang continued: "After Jin Bing left, there were only two of us left in the village. We usually find food to eat and live in my house. If the villagers come back one day, don't miss them."
Wang Xiaolie sighed secretly. The people in this village may never come back. The Jin army's southern invasion caused the Song Dynasty to lose far more than half of its population in many places. In this catastrophe, unless God provides for it, those who can be taken to the north to be slaves are lucky.
Without thinking about this, Wang Xiaolie asked: "What are you two doing here? We are officers and soldiers, you don't have to be afraid. Just go back to the village."
Sun Wulang said: "We are not afraid. The cats here are the children of old cats in the village, and we feed them every day. It's just that the little one has disappeared in the past two days, and the two of us are here looking for it every day. "
Wang Xiaolie looked around and saw no sign of the cat. I guess I hid because I was afraid of strangers.
Sun Wulang saw Wang Xiaolie's appearance, clapped his hands and jumped into the ditch next to him, holding two cats in his arms. put it on the floor. Pointing at a raccoon cat, he said: "This is General Raccoon. This one is just black charcoal. The missing one always had eye guano in its eyes when it was a child and couldn't wipe it clean, so we named it Little Eye guano. Little Eye guano is the most well-behaved." , but also timid, we like it the most.”
Wang Xiaolie looked at the two cats lying there on the ground, looking at his eyes with vigilance. For a moment, I didn't even know what to say. In this village, after the war, only two children and these two cats were left.
Children are innocent and do not understand many things yet. They had seen burnings and killings, and experienced fear, but time passed quickly for children, and a few months later it was like something in another world. Children who grow up in war will have many mental illnesses, but more people will choose to forget. Forget it all and start their lives over again.
Looking at the two children, Wang Xiaolie didn't know how to comfort them. There are many such stories in many places in the Central Plains. This era is the time for heroes to ride on the battlefield, but they must survive first.
After a long silence, Wang Xiaolie said: "In these troubled times, life is unpredictable. What can we do? It's not easy for you two children to survive. It's better to leave here and follow me in the army. Although there is no glory and wealth, good or bad can be Live safely."
Qingtou, who had been silent all this time, said: "If we follow the officials and leave, won't the people in the village not be able to find them when they come back?"
Wang Xiaolie smiled bitterly. When the people in the village come back, they need a lot of help from God. He said: "If you are interested, why don't you come back in a few days and see if anyone comes back?"
Qingtou tilted his head and thought for a while, then nodded heavily: "That's what the official said."
Wang Xiaolie said to Cao Zhiyan: "Go back and let Wang Zhong take care of these two children. You can watch them during this journey."
After finishing speaking, he pointed at Cao Zhiyan and said to the two of them: "This is the master from Qingliang Temple in the west. The country was in trouble, so he joined the world and picked up a sword to protect his family and country. You will follow him these days, and you can think of a solution after you return to Kaifeng. "
The two children didn't know what Wang Xiaolie was talking about, but they just looked at Cao Zhiyan curiously. Qingliang Temple is not far from here. It is a large temple famous far and wide. The masters in that temple must be very powerful.
Cao Zhiyan took the two children, and when he was about to leave, Sun Wulang suddenly turned around and said to the dirt bank on one side: "Sanhua, the little eye-gut has disappeared, so you can live in its house. When the little eye-gut comes back, You have to give it back."
Following the words, a cat head stuck out from behind the ridge. Apparently, it was a calico cat.
Wang Xiaolie didn't want to ask about the story of these two children and these cats. He just felt that his heart was filled with panic and he wanted to cry.
The sun has gone down, and the world has become misty. Various flowers on the roadside are in full bloom and colorful. The surrounding flat farmland is covered with grass, and no one can be seen.
The cool breeze blew from nowhere and touched people's faces. It blew onto the nearby hillock and made a roaring sound.
