Chapter 384 Fleeing Famine Refugees
Chen Rongyan left his confidant to wait on him, and Zhu Biao also sat down straight away. Nearly 50,000 shi of grain was by no means a small amount, and there were a lot of livestock needed to transport it, and it was even more troublesome to organize and load it.
Zhu Biao drank tea for more than an hour before Chen Rongyan came back sweating profusely and reported that 70% of the food had been loaded into the truck, and the rest would be finished tomorrow.
After all, some grains were not in place yet, and even if they wanted to load them, they were out of stock. Even though Han Zheng ordered to transport all the grains from the store granaries under the names of corrupt officials and their cronies, some of them were scattered in Huaiqing after all. Among the counties.
Zhu Biao didn't intend to stay in Fucheng too long, so he changed into light clothes, and then got into the carriage with the Chen family mark, and went straight out of the city gate. Except for a few miles away from the city gate, he saw cars like running water and donkeys like dragons.
Of course, there are also cows and horses, but Zhu Biao saw that there were more donkeys, and even saw sheep. He didn't know whether they were carrying heavy burdens or serving as food reserves.
More of them are naturally guards, but it makes sense, after all, we are going to a drought-stricken area where there are crowds of victims. If there are fewer guards, let alone selling food, I am afraid that they will be robbed before they reach the disaster area. Words of wisdom.
After setting foot on the official road, because the road was narrow and the team was quite long, Zhu Biao's car drove in the front section, which was also the place guarded by the government's army and guards. Although armored firearms and strong bows and crossbows, which are forbidden by the people to be hijacked, could not be taken out. But knives, guns and sticks can still be carried in the hand.
Firearms, strong bows and some light leather armor are hidden in the food and the bottom of the frame. If something unexpected happens, some people will desperately cover it, and the rest can take out their equipment to restore their combat effectiveness.
What's more, I have never broken contact with Wang Shijian in front of me. The soldiers guarding Wang Shijian are essentially protecting Zhu Biao, and they will return immediately to help if there is any situation.
After the two sides kept a safe distance, the boring march began again. Except for the absolute confidant, the people on Chen Rongyan's side thought that Zhu Biao was the son of the master's family, but he came from a bad background, so he wanted to come to experience for the future. Take over the family business.
As for the hundreds of guards who are prohibited by the order, it seems that they are from the army. After all, they know the level of the guards cultivated by the family. Zhu Biao also knows that this cannot be concealed. After all, they have to get along day and night. Silly, everyone is clever.
So let Chen Rongyan leak a little bit of information, saying that this is the guard of the noble family, and that the sudden extra food belongs to the noble, and the Chen family is just helping to sell it, and there is no explanation for the rest.
But these are enough, the city is so big, since the emperor Lao Tzu came, they have seen the downfall of those high-ranking officials, and naturally they also know that this is the grain in the grain store under their name, but now it is suddenly handed over to They sell it, and the way to do it is easy to understand.
What's more, they know exactly who the master's family is messing with, and they usually brag when they drink. .
Thinking about how they all look like You Rongyan, their spirits are different. Before they set off, they were worried that the imperial court would prohibit merchants from selling grain at high prices in the disaster area, and they would punish them severely if they were caught, but now they are not afraid at all. Looking at other secretive grain caravans on the road is like looking at dog shit.
After walking for a few days, they approached Pingyang Mansion, and the number of victims on the official road increased. Old and young, old and young, led the sallow and emaciated children with their heavy belongings, and walked on the road step by step against the sun, looking at the food team with longing eyes.
Naturally, there are those who kneel on the side of the road begging for food when the mountains and rivers are exhausted, and there are also those who know that they can't stand it and hope that the caravan can accept their children. Even if they serve as slaves in the future, it is better than starving to death by the roadside.
Some caravan shopkeepers will really choose carefully. It’s okay to look outstanding, but you can’t be selected if you are crooked.
There are even caravans specially selected for such children, who are going to take them back to Jiangnan and other places and sell them directly to big brothels. They even choose more handsome boys than girls, after all, sexism is prevalent.
Zhu Biao and Han Zheng rode horses and looked at the faces of all beings on both sides of the road. Before reaching the disaster area, Zhu Biao saw more than a hundred dead bodies along the way.
The villages along the way are also behind closed doors. Young and strong people gather together and hold hoes to drive away refugees. Even if they feel unbearable, they will not be allowed to enter the village to beg for food. How many are there.
It's all for a morsel of food, and it's all about life. No one dares to soften their hearts. The government will not take too much care of the refugees who were killed for stealing food. After all, the government's order is that the victims of the disaster should not leave the place without authorization and wait for the government to provide relief.
At the beginning, Zhu Biao didn’t order some food to be given to the refugees who couldn’t survive.
In the end, Zhu Biao still had the heart to ask the guards to disperse them. More than 40,000 shi of food sounds like a lot, but if it is divided like this, it may be consumed before reaching the disaster area.
Naturally, it doesn’t matter if the food runs out. Zhu Biao is not really pointing at this to make money. It’s just that these food are the keys he uses to break into the group of corrupt and law-breaking officials. In the end, there will only be more people who will die if they delay time.
There are people dying in front of you, but there are definitely more people dying in the disaster area. Zhu Biao's complexion is a little ugly. Even if he read it a hundred times in the newspaper, he is not as shocked as he is now after seeing it with his own eyes.
Zhu Biao knew more and more why his father and emperor hated corrupt officials so decisively. It was because they had no humanity and did not treat the common people as the same kind at all.
Beasts still have the sorrow of rabbits and foxes, and the animals hurt their hearts. Seeing this, corrupt officials only want to enrich their own pockets and take advantage of the chaos and disorder of people's livelihood to make a fortune in national disasters.
Zhu Biao carefully calculated the disaster relief food allocated by the imperial court last night. Even if 20% or 30% of it was corrupted, it would be enough for disaster relief. It is impossible to feed the victims, but it is more than enough to maintain their minimum living needs.
After all, droughts are foreshadowed. Droughts and floods have occurred frequently in the past few decades in the late Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Biao even dialed more than the local officials requested, just thinking that he could live more people.
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(end of this chapter)