Chapter 91, The Great Immigration (Part 2)
The refugee camp is surrounded by a circle of barbed wire. To Guan Dadi, a soldier from Dengzhou Town who came from a peasant family, this thing is obviously very ferocious and very wasteful - there is so much steel. , why not use it to make farm tools or swords?
However, these ferocious barbed wire fences, bright swords and spears, coupled with the wolves (wolfdogs or huskies transported through the time and space gate) held by patrolling soldiers, these scenes have indeed caused great distress to all the refugees. The psychological pressure made them feel more at ease.
Even when the short-haired soldiers in the refugee camp brought by Marshal Huangshi from the south (many refugees thought they were monk soldiers and called them masters) began to light fires, set up pots, and cook food, the frightened refugees did not dare to make a fuss. They rushed over to fight for it, but watched with drooling eyes - most of the refugees who had escaped the scourge of the rebels and bandits and escaped to the Dengzhou military area had been tortured out of shape by hunger. Everyone looked weak and drowsy. Only the aroma of food could make their dull eyes shine.
The first meal provided to the refugees was very simple. It was the hard dry grain cakes brought by the southerners, which were boiled into a paste after adding water. This thing was also called a "grain brick", which contained sweet potato flour and bean dregs. It was a large piece. Weighing five kilograms, a small piece is probably enough for one person to eat, but the taste is too bad to be swallowed. Guan Dadi once tried to chew on a small piece. It was as hard as a brick and almost broke his tooth. It is said that this thing is so hard that even insects can't chew it, so the short-haired people in the south built large grain bricks into walls, and then dug them out to fill their stomachs in times of disaster... After learning this rumor, all the people in Dengzhou Town except In addition to scolding the southerners for their extravagance and waste, I couldn't help but think about hoarding some of these things at home: after all, the world is really bad today. Who knows when my family will be in trouble and need to rely on these things. Are you here to help me?
In the beginning, in order to save trouble, the soldiers in the refugee camp directly distributed "food bricks" to the refugees and asked them to fill their stomachs with cold water - they were already destitute refugees, so how could they care about the hard food rations? Unexpectedly, many people were strangled to death in one fell swoop! The frightened people quickly changed their working methods and took the trouble to boil the compressed rations into a paste. They also deliberately added more water to make them thinner before they dared to feed them to these starving ghosts.
After the refugees took the wooden bowls provided by the army and drank the hot paste, the real test began - the soldiers with big sticks took up their positions and ferociously drove the refugees forward for "purification": first, shave their heads, Then take a shower, then be given new clothes, then have a physical examination, take deworming medicine, and get vaccinated if possible... Newly arrived refugees are often very disobedient. As soon as they hear that they need to shave their heads, many people will subconsciously do it. Physical resistance. It wasn’t until the soldiers beat him with sticks that he was willing to accept the purification process obediently...
After finally shaving their heads, bathing and purifying, these terrified refugees received a gift. Each of them put on a blue cloth robe that looked like a pocket, with a hemp rope tied around the waist, and a pair of shoes on their feet. Brand new straw sandals, so everyone slowly calmed down: According to the experience of the garrison in the refugee camp, although shaving the heads of refugees often causes serious resistance, after the heads are actually shaved, few people will seek death and survival - their psychological quality is so fragile. Guys of this level would have already died on the way to escape. The vast majority of poor people know very well that in order to ensure survival, low-class people like themselves must not pay attention to face, let alone dignity and human rights! As long as it allows your family to eat more food and survive, no matter what you do, you can do it.
Next, the soldiers distributed a series of daily necessities to the refugees such as sleeping blankets, wooden cups for drinking water, etc., and scolded them to camp on the spot - it was still a hot day, so sleeping under the sky would not be too uncomfortable. ...At this point, basically every refugee has settled down, thinking that the host family has given them so many things, and they will definitely not let themselves starve and freeze to death again, so they are more obedient.
Then, depending on the situation, these refugees will either undergo several days of disciplinary training in the camp, or be escorted directly to the rear for re-education on the way. And these shelters ahead will also be flooded with a new batch of refugees from other places, and the cycle goes back and forth, as if it never ends...
Even with the perspective of Guan Dadi, a low-level soldier, he felt that there were too many refugees being sent to Dengzhou, and he couldn't help but feel a little melancholy.
"...Brother, what are you worried about? Aren't you saying that these refugees will not settle in Dengzhou and compete with us for food and land, but will be sent to the south to reclaim wasteland by Marshal Huang?" a soldier asked with some confusion.
"... That's what I say, but the road from Shandong to the south is so long. Don't they need to eat and drink while waiting for the ship in Dengzhou?"
Guan Dadi rolled his eyes at him, "...I hope those big ships can bring more food from other places, otherwise we will have to provide them with food! In that case, our villages in Wendeng and Weihai will The castle is not very well-off, I am afraid that I will be eaten alive..."
——In fact, the above-mentioned worries of Dengzhou Town soldier Guan Dadi are completely unfounded from a certain perspective...
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Weihaiwei, Liugong Island
In another time and space, this island, which can be seen from the streets of Weihai and is only separated by a narrow sea area from the city of Weihai, will become the headquarters of the Beiyang Navy in the late Qing Dynasty and a famous patriotic education center in the 21st century. Base, but at the end of the Ming Dynasty, apart from a few simple shacks of fishermen and a ruined temple that had been abandoned for many years, there was only a piece of original temperate natural vegetation on Liugong Island...
It wasn't until the three crocodile-class landing ships of the Global Chinese Travelers Alliance that this deserted island with lush vegetation had so many traces of civilization.
——The original fishermen on the island were immediately forcibly removed and packed into the military camp in Dengzhou Town. Three trestles used to park large ships were repaired in just a few days. Then, a large-scale "purification camp" appeared on the flat land near the mainland in the south of the island. There were rows of color steel simple houses and military tents everywhere, as well as ditches and small reservoirs that provided domestic water for the purification camp. , also appeared one after another on the island.
Refugees from all over the Central Plains put on blue cloth robes at various reception stations on the border of the control area of Dengzhou Town, and were escorted to Weihaiwei one by one. Then they boarded the warships of the Dengzhou Navy and were picked up one by one. Ship after ship was transported to Liugong Island. This ancient and desolate island suddenly became bustling and bustling with people... However, these refugees did not stay on the island for long. Instead, after gathering a certain number, they were stuffed into the three In a big iron ship as tall as a mountain, it was said that they were going to be transported "overseas" to reclaim wasteland.
This news undoubtedly caused a certain degree of panic, but the refugees soon discovered that each time these large iron ships were filled with people and went to sea, it usually took only one or two days, sometimes even only half a day, to return... From this point of view, no matter how fast these large iron ships are, if they can make a round trip in such a short time, then the so-called "overseas" place where they will settle down is probably not too far away!
As a result, the refugees in Liugong Island's purification camp gradually calmed down. Although the Chinese have resettled since ancient times, they also know that ensuring their own survival is the top priority. In the situation where disasters have been rampant in their hometown for many years and the people have no way to survive. Since they were willing to leave their hometowns and flee to other places to escape famine in order to make a living, they naturally will not mind running a little further in order to make a living now.
——These refugees never dreamed that their new home in the future would be far away on the other side of the earth...
In the purification camp on Liugong Island, Liu Ergou was packing his few luggage and preparing to board the ship with the large group of people.
Liu Ergou is a tenant farmer in the countryside of Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan. Since the third year of Chongzhen, Henan has suffered from severe drought for three consecutive years. Although Kaifeng Prefecture is close to the Yellow River, the irrigation canals have long been abandoned, and even if there is river water, the land cannot be irrigated. Liu Ergou's family had no income. He could not afford to pay the rent to his employer, and he had no food rations to survive. He was even dragged by the government officials to punch boards to collect taxes. As a last resort, he and several young men from the same village had to defect to the bandits on the mountain.
However, the world was going from bad to worse, and Liu Ergou soon discovered that there was gradually no food in the bandits' den! In desperation, he had to sneak down the mountain again and join the ranks of homeless people wandering and begging in other provinces. After wandering for more than a year, relying on his flexible mind and strong body, he withstood the plundering of bandits and the expelling of officers and soldiers from various places. Fortunately, he survived and came to the surface of Shandong.
However, although the disaster in Shandong was slightly lighter than that in Henan, it was still the same as before. It was difficult for local farmers to make ends meet. Naturally, Liu Ergou and other refugees in Henan could not get anything, let alone find a decent job. After a long period of work, less than half of the people died of illness and starvation.
In desperation, Liu Ergou even wanted to return to his old career, pulling a pole and becoming a bandit to grab food, but he couldn't get any handy weapons. If he only had sticks and stones, these refugees who were so hungry that they were shaking when they walked would obviously They can't beat the landlord's housekeepers.
At this time, war broke out in Shandong, and the lives of the refugees became even more difficult. They were often driven to death by the army, or were forced to fill trenches and attack the city as cannon fodder by Wenxiang cult members. The locals also became more and more hostile to them. Be careful, let alone begging for food, it is difficult to even beg for water... Fortunately, God blessed me. When I met Dengzhou Town recruiting refugees, Liu Ergou, who almost starved to death, was finally saved by a bowl of hot batter at the shelter. return.
Regarding the rebellion in Dengzhou Town, Liu Ergou also heard about it, and he was wondering if the rebels were recruiting troops. If you were an ordinary person, you might instinctively feel a little afraid of this kind of rebellion, but For Liu Ergou, who had been a bandit, as long as he could earn a few meals, it wouldn't be a big deal even if he defected to the rebels. He might even be able to become rich with one knife and one shot!
It's just that the rules of the Dengzhou Army are really strange. After everyone drank a bowl of hot batter, they were forced to shave their heads. They were also driven by the soldiers to strip off their clothes and crowded into the river beach to take a bath and rub mud... Although I suffered a little, but I After washing, they distributed new clothes, as well as the dry biscuits, fragrant broth, and hot and thick white rice porridge that were provided to everyone, but Liu Ergou and this group of refugees were very excited - they were all How many years has it been! This is the first time I know what it means to feel full! Just for this reason, it would not be a loss to follow Marshal Chen in Dengzhou. If the owner can always treat me like this, with three meals a day of dry food and soup, clothes and shoes for all seasons, it is best to have a decent house to live in. So even if Marshal Chen is a thief who is rebelling against the imperial court, he is still worthy of selling his life.
Next, they were escorted to Weihaiwei, the old camp of the Chinese army of the Dengzhou Army. Liu Ergou originally thought about which battalion he would be assigned to, but unexpectedly he was told that the Dengzhou Army had not recruited new soldiers from the refugees for the time being. The plan is to gather them together and let them open up wasteland and cultivate land... I heard that Some of them were slightly disappointed that they didn't have to be soldiers, but most of them breathed a sigh of relief. Although the refugees were so hungry that they would do anything to rob, kill, and set fire to their homes, but since they had no food and clothing, Worry, everyone still feels that it is more peaceful to live an honest farming life.
Next, they were transported to a small island by the Dengzhou Navy and lived in some extremely luxurious houses (color steel prefabricated houses) made entirely of iron sheets - because the number of houses was not enough, the latecomers were We could only live in tents, and everyone was given clean mats and quilts.
On the island, the food every day is very good. For lunch and dinner, there is at least "two rice" cooked with corn and a small amount of rice, plus a bowl of vegetable broth and a piece of salted fish for each person. If you are lucky, you can still eat it. Serving white flour buns, eggs and candies as gifts from above, Liu Ergou felt that even the small landowners in his hometown might not have such an easy life. But those officers also conducted rigorous training. The refugees were called up before dawn to do long-distance running. After breakfast, they had to go out for exercise, walk in line, and stand in military posture... By the time they returned to the camp at night, they were all gone. I'm so exhausted.
Several refugees with military backgrounds murmured all day long that even the servants of the commander of the guard station did not train so hard. Liu Ergou was convinced of this, and even thought about running away, but three hearty meals a day with plenty of oil and water finally made him grit his teeth and hold on.
——In addition to the rich meals, clean and tidy new clothes, neat and comfortable quilts, and brand-new and durable daily utensils, this place is really a place for Liu Ergou, a refugee who has suffered enough. It already looks a lot like the legendary Western Paradise. But these frightening rules still made them feel uncomfortable, especially the strict hygiene regulations, which really made these sloppy refugees complain endlessly - not to mention having to bathe and rinse their mouth every day, if it was food If you forget to wash your hands, urinate or litter, or make the toilet too dirty, you will be beaten with different numbers of sticks until everyone is beaten to death. In short, under the sticks and scoldings of those military men, the refugees had to live a more clean life than the scholars in the county, and the toilets were even cleaned until they could sleep.
After they finally developed good discipline and hygiene habits through the education of sticks, the day came to leave the island.
Facing the rising sun, Liu Ergou carried a stick and followed the flow of people out of the barracks. He only picked a small package on his stick, which contained daily necessities distributed in the "purification camp". All the rags from his days as a refugee had been thrown away... The team slowly walked to the trestle. , and boarded the towering iron ship along the gangway. Before Liu Ergou took a closer look at the scenery on the deck, he was slapped with a stick by the sailor.
"...Hurry in, don't wait! There are so many people queuing behind you!"
Then, he stumbled into the cabin door, followed the flow of people into a long and narrow corridor, and passed through one door after another - there was a steel floor under his feet, steel walls on both sides, and some unknown... What kind of gadgets are there for, the dim electric light above his head flickering on and off... Liu Ergou instinctively felt afraid of these things that were beyond his understanding, but he could only continue to move forward under the push of the people behind him. Go forward.
Before Liu Ergou knew it, when he passed through another portal, the steel floor under his feet turned into terrazzo floor tiles, the steel bulkheads on both sides also turned into thick stone walls, and the corridor It also became more and more spacious... Then, Liu Ergou and his fellow refugees moved from an empty house to Walking out of the majestic Greco-Roman column-style auditorium, I stared dumbly at the blue sky and bright sun above my head, as well as the prosperous city in front of me with an architectural style completely different from that of Middle-earth, and the teams carrying firecrackers. "Barbarian soldiers" with different hair colors...
——While making full use of Doraemon's black technological props, in order to avoid causing commotion among the Ming Dynasty natives and to maintain confidentiality, the relevant departments came up with a cover-up method and installed a [random door] in the cabin of the Crocodile-class landing ship. ], and on the other side of [Random Door] is the Chinese and American Republic The Capitol Building in the capital city of Manchester (Manhattan Island)... The natives of the Ming Dynasty thought that the refugees in the Liugong Island purification camp were transported away by three large iron ships, but in fact, when they boarded the ship from the dock, The immigrants' journey across half the world has been completed through the [Random Door].
As for the frequent anchoring and going out to sea by the Crocodile-class landing ship, it is purely a cover-up - it is just conducting daily patrols and intercepting smuggling merchant ships trying to sneak across the blockade. Otherwise, if so many people disappear for no reason, I am afraid it will trigger some terrifying rumors among the people in Dengzhou, such as "short-haired barbarians kill people to worship gods and practice evil methods", and "Marshal Huang breeds man-eating evil spirits to destroy the enemy"...
In front of the magnificent Capitol Building in Manchester, there is a marble square decorated with fountains and statues. It was originally a scenic spot full of tourists, but today it was cleared under the pretext of a "military exercise" and is still there. Roadblocks were set up on the streets leading to the square. At this time, in addition to the officers and soldiers of the Chinese and American Republic's navy and army responsible for the blockade and martial law, in the square were the refugees from the Ming Dynasty who arrived in Manhattan Island in North America through the [Random Gate] with Liu Ergou - facing a situation that was like "shrinking the ground into an inch" These people were obviously shocked by the drastic changes like magic and the sudden exposure to this strange city. Some people were so frightened that they kept mumbling about Bodhisattva's blessings. But there were also some brave guys who, after being driven to the square to wait, began to look around, curiously looking at the European-style houses with stone walls and red tiles around the square, the flat and clean cement floors, and the "statue" in the center of the fountain pool. The bare-shouldered goddess statue that is "indecent and immoral"... However, looking at the soldiers with guns and live ammunition around the square, even the boldest people did not dare to say anything more besides looking around at the Manchester street scene in their field of vision. After waiting in silence for a while, when all the refugees arrived, a man in a suit finally came up with a loudspeaker and a big smile: "... Fellow compatriots from Ming Dynasty! Welcome to America! Here, you will usher in a wonderful new life..."