The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

In August and mid-autumn, the sky has turned cold, and the river is going up, and the scenery along the way is beautiful.

Julu, Changshan, and Zhaoguo are surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the forests are lush, which is why Julu County got its name. The fields on both sides of the river are fertile and the trees are lush. Looking westward, the Cangshan Mountains can be seen faintly. This mountain is 800 li Taihang.

Fang won a great victory, and he was in a good mood.

Because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, peasants were rarely seen in the fertile fields, and the townships and villages they passed by were sparsely populated. There are thirteen cities in Changshan, with nearly 100,000 households and more than 600,000 people, far more than Zhao State. Xun Zhen witnessed this post-war withered scene, and sighed without realizing it, and said, "Changshan is a large county in Jizhou. Before the Yellow Turbans, there were 600,000 people, but now there are ten rooms and five empty places. Many of the pavilions, pavilions, and li are empty, only the old and the weak, but not the young and strong, and some don’t even have a single figure, only the weeds grow rooms, foxes and rabbits are infested. Alas, Changshan is like this, I don’t know what is going on in the state of Zhao. ?"

Before the uprising of the Yellow Turbans, Zhao Guo had a population of less than 200,000 people.

Xun You sighed: "Not counting the innocent people who died in the chaos, only in the two battles of Guangzong and Xiaquyang, nearly 300,000 Yellow Turbans were killed, wounded, and captured. Changshan was near Julu and suffered a lot from thieves. After this chaos, How can people not die?"

After walking forty or fifty miles along the river, at dusk, Xun Zhen and others found a nearby pavilion to sleep in.

This pavilion should be a large pavilion. The pavilion is not small and covers a wide area, but there are only two people in the pavilion, the pavilion chief and the pavilion father. Chief Ting was a short man, about forty years old, and Father Ting was an old man with gray hair, in his fifties if he was not sixty.

This time Xun Zhen was considered a "private visit", so she did not take out the seal, but said she was going to visit friends in Zhending.

The pavilion chief saw that although their clothes were simple, they were all wearing armor and swords, and they had good horses under their crotch. I personally took them to the backyard and arranged to live there.

Since the promotion of Fanyang Pavilion Chief, Xun Zhen has rarely stayed in the pavilion. Although this pavilion is not the other pavilion, the architectural patterns of pavilions in the world are similar, so once entering the pavilion, it is quite A little bit of revisiting the old place, I feel that everything is very cordial. The horses and the sacrificial things were taken care of and placed by Yuan Zhongqing, Zuo Bohou, etc. He took off his armor and came out of the room. Seeing that the pavilion chief was still waiting in the courtyard, he waved to him and asked with a smile: " Can you tell me your surname, Gao?"

"The villain's surname is Wen, and the mean name is Fei."

"I see that your pavilion is quite large. Why are there only two of you in the pavilion? Are you asking for theft? Are there no other pavilions?"

"You don't know, this pavilion is called Ge Ting, which is the largest pavilion in Zhoujin. It has jurisdiction over nine li and a population of more than 1,000 people. Therefore, the pavilion occupies a slightly wider area. In addition to the villain and patriarch, there are other One person begged to steal, and six Ting soldiers, but now only the villain and Ting father are left."

"Oh? What about the thief and the pawn?"

"At the beginning of the year, the thieves of the Yellow Turbans were in chaos. Li, a begging thief from Ben Ting, believed in the Yellow Turbans and brought three pavilion soldiers to the thieves. First, he followed a local Yellow Turban Commander to lay down the flat thorns. Then he heard that he went to Julu again, and he cast into the thieves. Under Zhang Jiao's command, General Huangfu attacked Guangzong a month ago, and it is rumored that he won a million yuan, but this Li and the three Ting soldiers have not seen their return, and they all lost their lives in the battle."

Xun Zhen said in his heart, "But it turned out to be the yellow scarf."

He heard footsteps, turned his face to see Xun You, Xin Ai, and Dian Wei approaching. Xun You heard his conversation with the patriarch named Wen Fei, and said with a smile, "Where did you get a million? If you get a million, I'm afraid Jizhou will be empty."

Dian Wei did not remove his armor, but with a double iron halberd, he stood behind Xun Zhen and looked up and down Wen Fei. Wen Fei was short in stature, and looked up at Dian Wei, who was tall and majestic with a big shoulders and a round waist.

Dian Wei fought from Xunzhen and was always the vanguard in every battle, killing more than a hundred people.

Wen Fei sneered and said, "Yes, yes, the idiots in the countryside are ignorant, and the rumors can't help but exaggerate." He wanted to test the details of Xun Zhen and others, but the words came to his lips, but he couldn't get them out. Dian Wei had a murderous aura, and Xun Zhen also had a murderous aura. Although he was kind and pleasant when talking to this Wen Fei, Wen Fei felt that he was like a sharp sword in a sheath, as if it could be unsheathed and hurt someone at any time.

"You said that there were six pavilion pawns in the pavilion, and three followed the beggars and threw the yellow turban. What about the other three?"

"Alas, the chaos of the Yellow Turbans has caused unrest in the area. Not only are there Yellow Turbans, but there are also many thieves, causing unrest in the countryside. The villa's pavilion has been besieged by thieves three times, and two of the three pavilion soldiers died. Among the thieves, one runs away and quits."

"So that's the case.... You said that there are more than a thousand people in your pavilion. When I came, I saw no one on the road, few people on the road, and I didn't hear the sound of chickens and dogs, but it didn't seem like there were thousands of people. Yu Minkou looks like."

"There are really no more than a thousand people now. The county only issued an order the day before yesterday, ordering the village to count the people. The villain counted the existing people in Benting. The number of men, women, the old and the weak together is less than 500 people."

"Counting people" means the census population. Han system, counted in August. Census is carried out every August. Xun Zhen did this work in both Fanyangting and Xixiang. Now that Jizhou has been set for the first time, it is August, and the population census is going to be carried out.

"Less than five hundred? What about the rest? All perished in the chaos?"

Despite being mentally prepared, Xun Zhen was taken aback. There are only less than five hundred people in the population of more than a thousand, and there are not one in two. "Ten rooms and five empty spaces" is just an adjective. If the reality is really like this, I'm afraid no one will accept it.

"Not really. Some have left their hometowns and defected to their relatives in other places. Some were called by the county lord to the county and became a soldier. Some couldn't survive and sold themselves to big households in the county." The most miserable are the poor people, who have no food to eat, and are repeatedly plundered by yellow turbans, thieves, and even officers and soldiers. Apart from starvation, thieves or soldiers, they can only sell themselves to survive.

Not to mention ordinary people, it is the patriarch named Wen Fei and the patriarch, who are nominally officials of the imperial court. Hungry. Listening to Wenfei's words, sometimes I can't hear clearly, obviously because I am hungry and lack of breath. Xun Zhen shook her head, looked up at Mu Kong with her hands behind her back, and said to herself, "'The sky is dead, and the yellow sky should stand'. The original intention of Zhang Jiao's uprising was to establish a peaceful world, but it backfired. Half a year of military disasters, the people became more and more difficult. alive."

Under Dian Wei's gaze, Wen Fei timidly stayed in front of Xun Zhen, although he was afraid, he never said goodbye. Xun Zhen knew his purpose, sighed secretly, called Xuan Kang, and instructed: "Give some money to Wenjun, which will be used for my stay tonight."

Xuankang turned around and waited to get the money, but heard Wen Fei say: "The noble person is in the pavilion, how dare the villain accept the money?" His eyes wandered, and he looked at the horses such as Xun Zhen.

Xun Zhen smiled and said, "What do you want to say, Lord Wen? Please feel free to say it."

"Money, the villain is absolutely afraid to accept it. If the noble person really has pity on the villain, just ask for some rice."

"Rice grain? Isn't this autumn harvest just over? Why...?"

At the end of August, just after the autumn harvest, it was not a time when there was a shortage of food. At first, Xun Zhen saw that Wen Fei and Na Ting’s father were starving. I don't want money for rice grains, but it seems that I can't open the pot!

Wen Fei frowned and said: "The autumn harvest has just passed, but there is not much food at all. The Yellow Turbans have been in chaos since February, and the chaos has continued to the present, delaying the spring planting, and the county and township have been plagued by the Yellow Turbans. , the attack of thieves, almost all the grain left in the county and the people's homes in previous years was looted. With great difficulty, General Huangfu beheaded Zhang Jiao, and the yellow turbans and thieves fled after hearing the wind, and our county was able to organize people to harvest autumn grain. , but also gained very little, I am not afraid of the jokes of the nobles, the villain has been hungry for two days."

The people have no food to make ends meet, and the county lacks food to pay for it.

Since joining the army, in order to avoid disturbing the people, Xun Zhen seldom entered the city except when necessary, and seldom went to the villages. He was silent for a moment and said, "Uncle Ye, go get some rice."

Xuankang agreed, went to the horse's side, took some rice grains from the dry food bag he had just taken off the horse, put it in a small bag, and handed it to Wenfei. Wen Fei thanked him so much, he just had to kneel and kowtow, carefully holding this bag of rice grains, as if holding some priceless jewelry, and happily said goodbye and went back to the front yard.

Geting is on the north bank of the Xianshui River. After crossing the Xianshui River and heading to the southwest, twenty or thirty kilometers away is Yuanshi County, the capital of Changshan. Xun Zhen said in his heart: "In the year of great turmoil, the history books often record 'Yizi eats each other'. I just hope that this kind of human tragedy will not happen too early." In the beginning, the tragedy of cannibalism would happen sooner or later, and Xun Zhen couldn't do anything about it, and could only hope that such a tragedy would appear later.

That night, Xun Zhen and others stayed at Geting for the night, and then rushed to Zhending the next morning.

After walking for dozens of miles, they arrived outside Zhending City in the evening.

At the beginning of Jizhou, although the large yellow turbans disappeared, were wiped out, or fled westward, there were still a lot of small thieves and bandits, who often robbed people and hurt people, or appeared around the city, waiting for an opportunity to enter the city and loot . It was for this reason that Xun Zhen and others hurried on the road wearing armor and swords, and because of this, the gates of the city that were really set closed very early. Before the sun went down, the city gates closed early.

Xun Zhen was reluctant to reveal her identity, and seeing that the city gate was closed, she simply found another nearby pavilion to stay for the night.

Probably because of the proximity to the county seat, the pavilion chief, the thief, the patriarch, and the patriarch in this pavilion are complete. Ask for rice. Xun Zhen was in a hurry to see Zhao Yun. The next day, Mengmengliang got up and washed with the well water in the pavilion. Without even eating, she took Xun You, Xin Ai and others out of the pavilion.

As soon as she walked out of the door of the pavilion, Xun Zhen was taken aback.

Dozens of people, men and women, old and young, gathered under the walls on both sides of the pavilion.

In August, the weather was cool in the morning and evening. It was early in the morning. When the morning wind blew, Xun Zhen felt cold in her clothes and armor. Most of these people squatting outside the wall had tattered clothes, many were barefoot, and some only wore tattered clothes. The calf-nosed shorts rustled in the wind with his arms in his arms.

Xuankang was young and had never tasted the taste of men and women, so he knew lust. When Mu Shaoai was taught by Confucianism, he knew to see no evil. After all, he couldn't match his nature, and his eyes involuntarily turned to the women in the crowd. Look. These women were unkempt and unkempt, and their appearances were nothing to admire, but they wore very little clothes, and they were barely covering their bodies, even their thighs and **** could not be covered.

Seeing Xun Zhen and the others coming out, the eyes of this group of people lit up, a riot broke out, and they swarmed up.

Dian Wei jumped in shock, hurriedly took the iron halberd in his hand, and shouted, "What!" in the middle. Xin Ai stood still, standing on the steps and frowning as the group of people gathered around, turned his head and shouted into the pavilion, "Where is the pavilion chief?" When he saw the scene in front of his eyes, his color changed immediately, he picked up a wooden stick from behind the door, and slammed it down, viciously breaking up the group of people.

Although there were many people in this group, none of them dared to fight back and fled with their heads under the stick. The pavilion chief was still waiting to chase, Xun Zhen frowned and said, "Stop!"

The pavilion chief threw down the stick and said to Xun Zhen flatteringly, "These savage farmers have no wink, and they dare to disturb the car of the nobles. They are really daring, don't take it as a surprise, Shang Qijun." He looked like, and said, "It's not bright yet, so you are going to enter the city? Why don't you wait for a while, and wait until the villain asks Father Ting to cook some food for you, and then you can leave soon after eating."

Xun Zhen, Xun You, Xin Ai, and Dian Wei are all outstanding people. The pavilion chief of Geting can tell that they are "noble people", and this pavilion chief can also tell, and Xun Zhen gave him last night. A lot of money for food and lodging, so he was very respectful and courteous to Xun Zhen.

Xin Ai sneered when she saw that the pavilion chief was tyrannical to the people and flattering Xunzhen, and he didn't bother to pay attention to him. He took off the dry food bag next to the horse, and asked Yuan Zhongqing to deliver it to the group of people who had been dispersed. When the pavilion saw it, he quickly dissuaded him and said, "These people are useless!"

Xin Ai ignored him, and Xun Zhen asked, "Useless?"

"Yeah, these savages are either old or weak, or they are not beautiful, and no one wants them."

"No one wants it?"

"Yes."

"You mean these people are selling themselves?"

"Don't you know?"

Chief Ting was very surprised, so he told Xun Zhen about it in detail. However, it turned out that the pavilion is adjacent to the county seat. In recent days, servants from the families of powerful families in the county have come here to buy slave customers. Once they come and go, this place has become a "people's city". People who sold themselves as slaves gathered here, waiting for the selection of the rich and powerful in the county. As Ting Chang said, Shicai's group are either old or weak, or have no good looks. They are the "most useless" group among the people who sell themselves as slaves, and because they are the most useless, they are also the first group to come every day. People, but just now regarded Xun Zhen and others as people from the county who came to buy slaves, so they swarmed up.

Xin Ai hated the bullying and flattering face of the pavilion chief, and Xun Zhen was also disgusted. After listening to the pavilion chief's words, he nodded and instructed Zuo Bohou: "Get some more rice and give it to you. give them."

Chief Ting was astonished, puzzled by Xun Zhen's meaning, and persuaded himself, "This group of people is useless. Even if you want to buy it, you won't need so much rice, half of it is enough."

Xun Zhen glanced at him and said in her heart, "It's a pity that this person is not the pavilion chief of Zhao State." If this person is the pavilion chief of Zhao State, Xun Zhen can pass on the text of Zhao Prime Minister, please expel him. But this is the country of Changshan, but Xun Zhen can't control it~www.wuxiaspot.com~ He nodded at Dianwei, Dianwei knew what he wanted, put away the iron halberd, grabbed the front of Tingchang's coat with his left hand, and put him away. He lifted it up, clenched his fist in his right hand, and punched him in the face.

Before the pavilion could react, he received two or three punches in a row. How powerful is Dian Wei? Rao only used two points of force to beat the pavilion so that it was as if a paint shop had been opened on his face. The pavilion screamed in pain and struggled desperately, but he couldn't move.

Dian Wei punched a few more times before letting go and throwing him to the ground.

This pavilion had long hair in a messy bun, dark blue eyes, long nosebleeds, and several teeth were knocked out. He was dumbfounded and didn't understand why Dian Wei would suddenly hit him. He curled up on the ground and covered his mouth, watching in horror. Xun Zhen and the others didn't know what they were talking about.

Xun Zhen got on his horse, urged the horse to come to him, drew out his saber, pointed his nose, and said calmly, "If you tell me to see or hear you beating people again, be careful of your life, Xun Zhen's words are so eloquent. It was plain and did not mean to threaten, but when he heard it in Ting Chang's ears, it made him feel like he was immersed in ice.

In the last pavilion, the pavilion chief had no food to eat and was hungry for two days. Outside this pavilion, people gathered here early in the morning to sell themselves.

Xun Zhen was sullen in her chest, and looked at the people in tattered clothes again. After receiving food from Xun Zhen, and seeing Dian Wei beating the pavilion chief again, the dull eyes of these people became a little more flexible, and they knelt down not far away and kowtowed to Xun Zhen.

"Let's go." Xun Zhen hit the horse with a whip and left first. Xun You, Xin Ai and others mounted their horses one after another, urging them to keep up.

The morning breeze was cold and the scenery was still beautiful with fields, trees, and gurgling streams on both sides along the way.