I

  Chapter 6 006 [Breaking the sky]

  The ointment is quite effective, but it is a bit expensive, three renminbi a spoonful.

  Apply on the affected area, it feels cool and looks like Ma Yinglong.

   It is estimated that there is also a bactericidal effect, and the swelling will disappear in half a day. It's a pity that Zhao Han was always constipated, and the wound burst when he tried hard. After several days of tossing around, it was enough to send a tael or two to the pharmacy.

   One-tenth of the money robbed from Lord Hou’s house was spent at once.

   Well, no matter what, we are also considered staunch men.

  The price of grain in Tianjin is getting more and more expensive. Take buns as an example. The price has increased by 30% in a few days.

  Zhao Han didn't save money. He bought meat stuffed buns and vegetable buns in rotation every day.

   Money can be earned again, but the body must be well maintained.

  The brothers and sisters look much better, they can run and jump, and they no longer feel tired after walking for a while.

   It's a pity that two malnourished young children did not get sick after being exposed to heavy rain. This is a blessing in misfortune.

  Zhao Han is very careful, every time he buys food, he is not in the same shop. But he was still being targeted because he was a child and paid a small amount of money in the pharmacy for several days in a row.

   "Go!"

  Zhao Han took the little girl's hand, at the corner of the street, suddenly quickened his pace, and then ran into another street.

  A gangster followed up, but found that the target was missing, and was so angry that he stomped and cursed.

  The brothers and sisters went straight to the southeast of the city, where there were Tianjin Wei School and Gongyuan, where Tianjin students studied and took exams.

  No matter how bad the world is, scholars still have to show their face, and hooligans dare not act wild near Wei Xue.

   Opposite Wei School is a bookstore.

  The brothers and sisters squatted under the eaves to eat, and the bookstore owner didn’t drive them away, but just kept them away from the door.

  Several health students came together, picked in the store for a while, and left with their newly purchased books.

  Zhao Han took a peek and saw that the students were full of novels.

  He immediately figured out that maybe he could make money by telling stories, and he could just make up stories like fairy tales and martial arts.

   That night, I slept under the eaves of the bookstore.

   "Second brother, I'm cold."

  In the middle of the night, the younger sister was shivering in his arms, hugging Zhao Han tightly to keep warm.

  Zhao Han also woke up from the cold, and couldn't help cursing: "This terrible weather doesn't leave a way for the poor to survive!"

  It was only the beginning of August in the lunar calendar, and a cold wave suddenly hit.

  Zhao Han never dared to take out the two children's silk clothes snatched from Lord Hou's house. At this moment, he didn't care too much, and hurriedly asked the younger sister to wear clothes to keep out the cold.

  It's still cold!

  The two brothers and sisters had to hug each other and curl up under the eaves until dawn.

  Tianjin can’t stay any longer. The temperature difference between day and night is huge.

  Disregarding the plan of making money from storytelling, Zhao Han immediately prepared food.

  Bought some dry food, bought a few catties of miscellaneous grains, and bought a little low-quality salt, and the brother and sister went out of the city together the next day.

  …

  Tianjin North Wharf is located in the northeast of the city.

   In the southeast of Tianjin City, there is also a South Wharf.

  Although the south wharf is not as prosperous as the north wharf, it has a "Ji Chong level" (the highest level) post station - Yang Qingshui post.

  Decades ago, Yangqing Water Station was located in Yangliuqing Town further south, and was maintained by the financial appropriation of Jinghai County.

  There are too many officials passing by the post station. Regardless of whether they are on official business or not, they all show their official cards to eat and live for free, and they have to be served with good wine and food.

  It’s just a post station, but it has become the largest fixed financial expenditure in Jinghai County.

  Thus, Jinghai County dropped the pick and quit, but the Jichong-level post station could not be abolished, so the court had to move Yang Qingshui post station to Tianjin.

   Tianjin is rich and prosperous, and a post station can still afford it.

  Zhao Han intends to take the South Wharf and go south along the canal.

  Unexpectedly, after crossing the moat, it was discovered that there were soldiers stationed everywhere from Yangqingshuiyi, to the South Wharf, and then to the residential areas outside the city.

  After several days of heavy rain, the water level of the canal has recovered, and the temporary wooden bridge has been dismantled. The hungry people outside the canal had difficulty crossing the river, and they all dispersed one after another.

  However, the number of hungry people in the west and south of the city seems to be increasing, and there is only a moat blocking it.

  After the rain, many hungry people actually chose to return to their hometowns, borrowing usury to buy seeds and replant food. But when they returned to the place of household registration, what they encountered was the government's urging of grain, forcing them to pay taxes quickly, so they had to choose to go back to Tianjin to avoid the grain collection officials.

  The summer grain and land tax must be settled before September. The officials in Beizhili are in a hurry, and the prefectural and county officials can only bite the bullet and collect it.

   In the south and west of Tianjin City, more than 50,000 hungry people have now gathered, and the Tianjin officials are frightened to send troops to build a defense line.

  No one was allowed in or out, and the brothers and sisters were temporarily blocked.

   After a few more days, the hungry people could not cross the line of defense and began to disperse in groups.

  Part of them chose to leave and went to Siye Village to beg for food.

  Some of them choose to carry it to death. As long as it is delayed until September, after the summer grain collection period, they will not be afraid of the government after returning to their hometowns, and the tax arrears will also become "book taxes." In two or three years, in order to facilitate the collection of new taxes in the coming year, the emperor will decree to "eradicate the Fu".

  The last part of the victims was really too hungry to move, lying flat outside Tianjin city waiting to die.

  Gradually, the vigilance began to relax. You can't come in from the outside, but you can go out from the inside.

  Zhao Han stood by the moat, looked at the situation of the victims on the opposite side, and felt that they should be able to pass smoothly.

  The victims were unorganized. They set up a tent in the east and a shack in the west. Most of them lived in the open air. If you are in danger, you only need to kill one or two, and the rest will choose to give in.

  Zhao Han took off the rags that wrapped the spear tip, held the spear in one hand, and carried his sister in the other, and crossed the bridge with his bags on his back.

  About hundreds of steps forward, seeing that Zhao Han was carrying items, and his luggage was still bulging, dozens of hungry people surrounded him one after another.

   "Little sister, take the second brother's clothes and follow behind not to go far." Zhao Han urged.

  Zhao Zhenfang was a little scared, she quickly grabbed the hem of her clothes, and followed suit.

  Zhao Han advances with his spear straightened out, ready to kill at any time, this troubled world cannot tolerate the slightest bit of benevolence from women.

  With the experience of the previous days, Zhao Han has already adapted.

  This is the end of the Ming Dynasty, not the peaceful China of the 21st century!

  The brother and sister walked through the hungry people everywhere, and countless numb or greedy eyes cast them, and he responded with fierce eyes.

  It's a pity that no matter how fierce the children are, they still have no adults to protect them.

  A hungry man who was a little stronger walked up to them first, and asked maliciously: "You came out of the city, do you have anything to eat?"

   "No." Zhao Han replied blankly.

  The hungry man said: "I don't believe it, open the bag and have a look."

  Zhao Han sneered: "Come closer, I'll show you."

  The hungry man stepped forward immediately, not taking Zhao Han seriously at all.

   A bamboo pole is tied with half a pair of scissors, and it is held in the hands of a child. What kind of threat can there be?

  As they got closer to each other, Zhao Han suddenly thrust out his spear.

  Zhao Han has never practiced traditional martial arts, so he doesn't know how to use a spear, but he is very good at bayonet skills.

  At this moment, the other party didn't react, and was accurately pierced into the throat by the scissors at the front of the bamboo spear.

  Blood gushed out, and the target crashed to the ground, his eyes full of disbelief.

   After eating and recuperating for more than half a month, although his strength is still weak, Zhao Han's speed is faster than before.

   All around screamed, the starving people quickly avoided Zhao Han, the little plague god.

  The two brothers and sisters stepped forward, and no one dared to stop them.

  Zhao Zhenfang lowered her head to look at the wound of the deceased. She was terrified by the dripping blood, and walked forward holding her second brother's clothes tightly with her small hands.

   As they walked, three more hungry people blocked their way.

   Zhao Han sneered and showed his weapon. The scissors at the front of the bamboo spear were still dripping blood, forming a confrontation with the three of them.

   "Brother, the idea is tough, there is no need to work hard." A hungry man advised.

  The hungry man called "Big Brother" bared his teeth and grinned at Zhao Han, but finally got out of the way.

  It is like tigers and leopards preying on prey, but whenever there is a possibility of injury, they will choose to change targets.

When the Zhao Han brothers and sisters left, the "big brother" became more and more aggrieved, and said, "I can't live through this day, not to mention being bullied by officers and soldiers, and now I'm being bullied by a child. We have no money to pay summer food when we return home. I’m going to starve to death here, so I’ll just gang up and do something big!”

   "Just the three of us?"

   "Where are there only three? Thousands!"

  …

   Another day passes.

  Tianjin city came out with one master and one servant.

  The owner is a scholar named Fei Yinghuan, about forty years old. Dressed in a Confucian shirt, with a clear and beautiful beard, holding a folding fan and a long sword hanging from his waist.

  The servant is quite strong, his real name is unknown, and his pseudonym is Wei Jianxiong. Big shoulders, round waist, beard, carrying a bookcase, and a wrought iron rod across his waist.

  The two walked across the moat, and the moment they crossed the bridge, they immediately became serious.

  Fei Yinghuan put away his folding fan, pulled out his scribe sword, and continued walking leisurely.

  Wei Jianxiong picked up the wrought iron rod and scanned the hungry people around him. Wherever he looked, those with ulterior motives bowed their heads.

  Fei Yinghuan finally put his sword back into its sheath after passing through the starving area, turned around and looked back at the starved people everywhere, and sighed compassionately: "Xing, the people are suffering; death, the people are suffering. Alas, the ancients did not deceive me."

Although Wei Jianxiong was a servant, he was blunt and reminded: "My lord, now is not the time to be sympathetic. We have run out of money, so we have to go to Jinghai County to visit friends to borrow money, otherwise we will have to beg for food and go back to Qianshan Mountain. It’s not peaceful, it’s better to be careful in everything.”

   "I know, it's really bad luck!" Fei Yinghuan looked helpless.

   Originally, he went to Beijing for a test, but who knew that he not only lost his name, but also stayed stranded in Tianjin when he returned to his hometown. He also suffered from a serious illness for no reason, and spent all his money on seeking medical treatment, so that now he doesn't even have money to hire a boat.

   After Fei Yinghuan's famous family, he is not as rich in funds as Zhao Han.

  Two robust victims stared at their retreating figures and began to whisper:

   "Brother, just let people go there like this? They must have money on them."

   "It's important to do big things! Brother Zhang, Brother Zhao, Brother Chen, are they ready?"

   "It's all ready."

   "Remember, you are not allowed to call out your real name and surname in the future, so as not to be dug up by the court one day. My name is Ta Po Tian!"

   "I know, I will be called Zhenshanxiang from now on."

"After the incident, Beizhili can't stay. Let's kill all the way to Shandong. First grab Yangliuqing Town, let everyone have enough to eat, and then go to Jinghai County. Fight if you can, and leave if you can't. Beizhi University Drought, there is not much food, and there is more food in Shandong.”

   "I heard that Shandong was also hit by a disaster last year."

   "Then go to Henan."

   "Drought in Henan the year before last, floods in the year before last, many victims went to our village to beg for food."

   "Shut up, what nonsense, anyway, it will have a place to go!"

   "..."

  Two miles away from the south moat, several large vats have already been set up, and someone shouted among the hungry crowd: "You have broken your natural meat, go eat meat!"

  Famine for many days, what meat can there be?

  The hungry people have already guessed the truth, but they are on the verge of starving to death, so they don't care so much. There are even many hungry people who eat meat secretly, but they don't show it publicly.

  After half a day, the meat soup is over.

  Tap through the sky to select 3,000 strong men, and bring hundreds of strong men's families, and march to the south in a mighty manner.

  The so-called strong men are just those who can still pick up sticks and fight hard. The rest of the hungry people have long been too hungry to walk. They hold all kinds of "weapons" in their hands, which are used for combat and robbery at critical times, and can be used as crutches during the march.

   Without crutches, these people have difficulty even walking.

  Zhao Han has already flapped his butterfly wings. In Beizhili in the first year of Chongzhen, there was an extra bandit leader named Ta Potian.

   (Crying, I was overwhelmed by the penguin boss, and I was flattered to reward a silver alliance.)

(In addition, I also saw Ding Boyue and other old friends, and I also thank Feng Shengshuiqi, Dao Yuan Futu, Lord of Mysteries, Shu Yisu 12 and other friends for their rewards, the names are not listed, there are many rewards , everyone is too enthusiastic.)

  (end of this chapter)