The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

There are many smart people in Yuezhou City, especially those in the government office, who are all shrewd. It’s not that they don’t want to leave, but they don’t know where to go. They have no idea where there is a place safer than Yuezhou City.

Going further south, you will reach Guangxi and Guangdong.

Wang Jingzhi shook his head whenever he mentioned these two places. He said, "They're both barbarian lands. Only those exiled to Lingnan from the Central Plains go there. There are many local chieftains, and most of the people there are uncivilized, poor, and tyrannical. They practice a system of combined rule by chieftains and exiled officials. Going there is just asking for trouble. It's better to die in Yuezhou."

Everyone is waiting for a suitable time to leave Yuezhou.

The time will soon come.

In the north, a ruffian named Bai Chao emerged. He joined forces with other ethnic groups and annexed Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and other places in one fell swoop.

For some unknown reason, this man had an extreme hatred for the aristocratic families. After entering the city, without saying a word, the first thing he did was to massacre the aristocratic families, regardless of gender, age or young, leaving no one alive. He was extremely cruel!

When Henan General Shi Huaiyi fought against the imperial court before, unless there were special circumstances, both sides generally would not massacre civilians on a large scale. After all, these were resources.

No matter which side wins in the end, they can't just take over an empty city and make a mess of the situation, and then they have to clean it up themselves in the end!

Both sides have the idea of ​​sustainable development.

Therefore, compared with the current wars, the previous ones are nothing.

In addition to allowing his men to plunder the city with other ethnic groups, Bai Chao also massacred the city at will.

It is said that when Huo County was captured, because the county magistrate organized the people to put up a tenacious resistance, this man massacred everyone in the city after the city was captured and set a fire, destroying the entire county in flames overnight.

Their brutality was on par with that of other races, and the common people were terrified when they talked about them. Because their men wore white scarves around their necks, they were called the White Scarf Army by the common people. Their names were so numerous that they could stop children from crying at night!

He didn't care about the future, nor did he have any intention of winning over the bureaucratic forces from all sides. He proclaimed himself the White King, and his motto was "Those who obey me will prosper, and those who defy me will perish!"

Now the aristocratic families in Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and other places can no longer sit still. This man is a madman and does not play by the rules at all. For thousands of years, the imperial power and the literati have ruled the world together. There is even a saying that "a dynasty lasts for a hundred years, and an aristocratic family lasts for a thousand years."

This is because no matter how the imperial power changes, the support of the aristocratic families is always needed to stabilize the political situation as soon as possible, and those in power will generally try to win over the aristocratic families first.

This also gave the aristocratic families the confidence to be calm!

But if they really encountered someone who did not play by the rules, there was nothing they could do. Seeing that the situation was not good, each family took their gold, silver and valuables and took a boat across the river to flee to Lin'an.

After all, Lin'an was separated by the natural barrier of the Cangwu River and had a large number of troops stationed there, so it was very safe. The young emperor also established the Southern Dynasty there with some court officials.

The situation was stronger than people, and the political attitudes of the aristocratic families suddenly became very clear. They recognized the orthodoxy of the Southern Dynasty, supported the Southern Dynasty in expelling the Tartars and recovering their homeland, and were willing to provide full financial support.

It is known in history as the migration of the elite to the south!

Most of the princes who had previously sat on the sidelines and watched the fire from the other side have died, and the remaining few are now showing a tendency to form an alliance.

Otherwise, if Bai Chao and the Tatars were allowed to fight their way to the Cangwu River, there would be no hope. Ordinary people might be able to survive, but those who proclaimed themselves kings would of course be sacrificed!

"According to the information you received, the safest place now is Lin'an," Zhang Ping'an concluded.

Wang Jingzhi nodded: "Yes, now everyone wants to flee to Lin'an. Lin'an is not only safe but also prosperous. It's only a matter of time before Yuezhou falls. By then, those refugees will eat us alive!"

After speaking, he looked around and continued in a low voice: "My cousin said that people outside the city have started eating each other. They haven't had any food for two or three months. The bark of the trees has been stripped off. They refuse to go anywhere else, so they have no choice but to eat each other. My goodness, their eyes are glowing red, and the corners of their mouths are covered with sores. It's scary to look at them!"

Zhang Pingan believed this. Life in the city was so difficult, how could he survive outside the city?

What’s more, the autumn harvest is poor and the food prices remain high. It is so difficult to have a bite of decent white rice!

"Can you still buy food from your cousin?" Zhang Pingan asked in a low voice.

Wang Jingzhi shook his head: "West Market was closed yesterday. There's no food or vegetables. What's the point of opening it? My cousin is ready to run away!"

"I'm planning to run away too," Zhang Ping'an did not hide it. At this time, everyone had similar thoughts, so there was no need to hide it.

"When?" Wang Jingzhi asked quietly.

"It will be soon. I'll go back and discuss it with my family," Zhang Pingan did not say the specific time.

Wang Jingzhi sighed softly, "Everyone is going to run away, and I am going to run away too. Take care of yourselves!"

After finishing his shift, Zhang Ping'an walked and thought to himself, this time they are really fleeing from famine. The journey eastward to Lin'an is really not short, and they don't have fast horses. It's going to be difficult!

We have to find a way to get a few cars, and we also have to prepare some food, herbs, and weapons!

Apart from some grain at home, Zhang Ping'an thought about it and decided that the remaining few things could only be taken from the government office. He was going to run away anyway, so why bother!