Crossing the famine, I am a poor fish, and my descendants have to work hard

"Don't worry, brother, I will definitely listen to you."

As long as the opinion is consistent with yours, you will listen to your elder brother. When it is inconsistent, you can talk later.

"Okay, then pack up and leave."

"I've packed everything and can leave anytime."

Zhao Yuanzhen brought a servant with him and drove a horse-drawn carriage. The journey was long, and having a carriage would make the journey more comfortable. Secondly, the carriage had a large space and could hold a lot of things, so he would have a cover for whatever he took out.

I packed some miscellaneous things and put the rest into the space.

The servant's belongings were also packed up and placed on a rack at the back of the carriage.

"Zhang Yu, I don't know how long I will be back. Please take good care of the ferry. If anything is missing, ask the transport team to deliver it. When the river freezes, ask half of the boatmen to burn charcoal here, and the rest to go back to the village. Zhang Shang will make arrangements for them when the time comes."

Zhao Yuanzhen had already written a letter to Zhang Shang, asking the people back to make various types of potato flour, sweet potato flour, rice flour, rice noodles, etc.

All of Zhuangzi's workshops were also handed over to him.

"Yes, ma'am. Don't worry."

"Yes. If I'm not back by the time of the New Year, you can take a holiday on the 26th and then go back to Beijing to celebrate the New Year. But remember to leave someone to watch over the place. The guards will be paid extra, just like this year. We will also be open on the th."

"Yes, ma'am."

After thinking about it, I don’t have anything else to say. If it really doesn’t work, I can still write to you later.

"There's nothing else to do. If you have anything to say, just write a letter. I've already told my eldest brother that the military messengers will come over in the future. If you have anything to say, just let them take the letter."

"Yes, ma'am, I understand."

"Ah."

Later, Zhao Yuanzhen also crossed the river. After the army had completely crossed the river, they set off directly without stopping. The border was in an emergency and should not be taken lightly.

Although we were traveling very fast, there were so many people and the line was so long that we didn't move much faster.

The temperature is getting lower and lower, it is already below zero now, and it is even below 10 degrees Celsius at night.

Fortunately, the army had tents, and Zhao Yuanzhen found a tent for the servant to sleep in.

She was fine sleeping in the carriage by herself.

After about three days, they arrived at Xiangzhou Prefecture. When the army set out, they brought a complete set of items, basically all the food and fodder for the journey, so there was no need to go into the city for supplies.

The route they took was still the same as the one they took to escape famine. They passed through Xingzhou Prefecture along the way, and then entered the mountainous area where they had taken shelter from the rain. They passed through one prefecture after another, and by the time they arrived at Yanshan Prefecture, it was already November.

Everyone was very tired after the long journey. Zhao Yuanlan led his men directly to the border station and ordered everyone to set up camp and rest for a day before starting the action again the day after tomorrow.

The news was good, but no one had the energy to cheer. Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who felt very tired from riding in the carriage, was the same.

Zhao Yuanlan was worried about her, so he asked her to come over and set up camp and rest here, and then go back after finding the tomb and moving it.

It also saves Zhao Yuanzhen from having to find an excuse to go to the border. She was going to rob the rich and help the poor.

There has been no action in the past few days, and Zhao Yuanlan has arranged various patrol and training tasks for the army.

Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen resting lazily in the tent.

"Little sister, I'll go with you."

Over the years, he has never visited his parents' graves or burned incense, so this time he insisted on going to see his parents first.

"Okay, big brother, then change your clothes and I'll take you there."

"Okay, wait for me for a moment. I'll change my clothes and come out, and then we'll set off."

Zhao Yuanlan wore armor in the military camp, so he had to change into casual clothes.

"Ok, I will wait for you."

Zhao Yuanzhen went outside the tent to wait for him.

Zhao Yuanlan changed very quickly and came out after a while.

"Little sister, let's go."

"it is good."

The two of them went there on horseback, which was faster.

The border was half a day's journey away from their previous county town, and if they moved quickly, they could return at night.

The two men didn't say much and started off on horseback.

When they arrived at the county town, it was already noon. The two thought about having lunch first and then buying some incense, paper, etc.

The last time Zhao Yuanlan came back to the county town where he was born and raised was more than ten years ago.

Now looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar county town, I feel an unspeakable sense of desolation.

"These bastards have destroyed the entire county into this state."

Although the county town before fleeing famine was not as prosperous as the capital, it was still quite lively.

There was a constant stream of pedestrians coming and going on the streets, and there were rows of shops on both sides of the road, with a dazzling array of goods. The vendors were shouting at the top of their lungs, and the sounds were endless.

Looking at it now, the city seems to have lost its former vitality and vigor, and is exceptionally quiet.

The streets were deserted with few pedestrians, and the whole city was filled with a bleak and lonely atmosphere.

The main street was fine, as many shops were open, but on other streets further away, there wasn't a single person to be seen for half a day.

"Yeah, they deserve to die."

Zhao Yuanlan secretly swore in his heart that he must guard this place well and never let the Jin people's iron hooves set foot here again.

They found a restaurant that looked busy and went in.

"Hello, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"

The waiter handed the menu to Zhao Yuanzhen and the others.

Zhao Yuanzhen took it and flipped through it. The menu only had two pages, and there were only about 30 dishes in total.

The two of them ordered a few dishes that were served quickly.

"Okay, wait a moment, sir. I'll make it for you right away."

The waiter went to the kitchen to place the order and then poured a pot of tea.

"My two guests, please have some tea."

"Little Brother, how many people have returned from the city?"

"Alas, less than one tenth."

The county magistrate had come here to conduct a census before, and it was said that less than one-tenth of the people came back.

"No wonder it looks so desolate."

It’s not that people don’t want to come back, it’s probably because most of them are gone.

Their village got the news in advance and ran away quickly. Later, those who did not get the news, or got the news late, were killed, burned and looted by the Jin people who broke through the pass, and many died.

On the way to escape famine, there were all kinds of natural disasters and man-made calamities, as well as rampant banditry, which killed many people. In the end, among those who fled to the capital, it seemed that only their village was resettled. The others had to continue heading south and seek shelter in various prefectures. Gradually, the flow of people was dispersed.

Those who are taken in and settled down will never come back. Not only is the journey long, but the possibility that the Jin army will break through the pass in the future is also a major hidden danger.

Therefore, even though the court issued many official documents and improved various benefits for those returning home, very few people returned.

"Yes, if it weren't for the fact that life in the mountains was so difficult, we wouldn't want to come back. It was really because the scene of the Jin people breaking through the pass, burning, killing and looting was too scary."

The waiter was also a villager before. His village knew the news the last, but he was lucky enough to escape because 90% of the people were killed.

However, without the protection of the village, the remaining people in their village were outnumbered and weak, and did not dare to flee. They had to find a big mountain to hide and live with the rest of the villagers.

Fortunately, there was a cave on the mountain, so they did not freeze to death. When it was almost New Year, the Jin people retreated for unknown reasons. People who went down the mountain to inquire for news said that the Jin people had left.

But they were frightened and did not dare to go down the mountain rashly, so they hid for some time.

Once again, someone came down the mountain to inquire about the news and was told that the imperial court had posted a notice offering many benefits.

The golden man has left.

When the remaining people heard the news, they all burst into tears and held their heads.

While they were glad that the Jin people finally left, they were also sad for the villagers who were killed.

After crying, everyone decided that they should go down the mountain as soon as possible, so they packed up and went down the mountain.

After coming down the mountain, the court's policies were indeed good. Each person was given 2 mu of free land, exempted from taxes for three years, and could also register for an unclaimed house.

Just like him, he used to be a farmer in the village, but because he arrived early and queued up early at the county government office, he chose a very good house.

Although the house is much smaller and in tatters, it is still a house in the county town and is definitely more comfortable than a cave.

He received the house and drank the porridge distributed by the county magistrate for a few days. Later, more and more merchants moved in, and he applied for the job of waiter.

"Have you been hiding in the mountains?"

This is also a solution. The Jin people should not waste too much manpower and resources searching the mountain.

"Yes, I hid in the mountains with the people in our village."

“How many people are there in your village?”

There shouldn't be too many people. If there were too many, it would not be safe in the mountains.

"There are not many left. If you count them all, there are only 41 of us. All the other villagers were killed. We were the only ones who managed to escape."

As the waiter spoke, his eyes began to redden again as he thought of his dead family members and villagers.

Zhao Yuanzhen didn't expect to cause him sadness and felt very embarrassed.

He took out a tael of silver from his pocket and handed it to him.

"Don't be sad. If you survive a disaster, you will have good fortune in the future. This is to celebrate your survival."

"This... Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

The waiter took the silver with some embarrassment. It turns out that if you survive a disaster, you will have good fortune in the future. Look, this blessing has come.

"Are the villages and lands around you still there?"

"They are still there. It was a severe drought and there were not many crops in the fields, so the fields were not damaged. But the villages and houses were burned down. There are only a few houses left."

"So where were you arranged to live?"

"You can go to the government office to register. After verification, the government will arrange housing for you. Because there are few people coming back, the houses distributed are basically in the county town."

Can this be done?

It seems that there are really not many people returning to their hometowns.

“Can the land and houses be bought and sold?”

"Yes, but not many people buy it. But it is said that it is sold very cheaply."

There are still houses distributed by the county government, and basically everyone goes there to collect them.