Chapter 756 I’m here to take you to beg for work
Jinyang in late July has already ushered in post-disaster reconstruction.
In fact, there is nothing left to rebuild. Wubao is fine. The thatched houses built in the fields were washed away by the water - of course, the food was also washed away.
Fortunately, the high fields were drained in time, and some harvests were still possible. It was a blessing in misfortune.
Before regaining Bingzhou, Liu Yao took down Taiyuan and vigorously resettled the refugees. According to the household registration he determined, there were about 24,000 households and more than 130,000 people, which was much more than when Liu Kun was in power - this It's all book population.
Last year’s war caused Taiyuan to lose a large number of household registrations. This time there was another flood. The losses were incalculable, but we don’t know how much is left.
As far as Shao Xun is concerned, many small gentry families in Taiyuan, such as Tang, Wu, Fan, etc., only have more than a thousand villagers left.
Some local tycoons with smaller business scales have already become "bankrupt" in the flood and have become refugees.
Shao Guang, the prefect of Taiyuan, was a military commander in the field. He had no other option and simply re-divided the land, just like he had gathered and resettled the field army.
This kind of thing that seizes people's land and even their lives would definitely trigger a backlash in the past. But maybe this year's power of heaven and earth made people scared, and their spirits were gone. In the end, except for some complaints, there was no big rebound. Everything was stumbling, and everything was implemented slowly.
Shao Xun only stayed in Jinyang for two or three days. In addition to handing over tasks, he also took the opportunity to accompany Liu Yena.
She is pregnant.
Calculating the time, it should be the evening in Mengmenjin. He saw the big flag with the word "stone" on the other side, and suddenly he became very interested...
That was a meeting with someone from Shao Since it was first opened, it has always been a hearty and high-quality dish.
This kind of enjoyment is something that can only be encountered but cannot be sought. It is much more comfortable than paying public food for official business.
Besides Liu Ye, there is another pregnant woman in Pingyang, and that is Shao Xun's mistress Pei Lingyan.
She was conceived in Wenxi and should give birth at the end of the twelfth lunar month or the beginning of the first lunar month.
After instructing Mrs. Guo to take good care of her aunt, Shao Xun took the pro-army and a part of the rebel army eastward, stopping briefly at Guoleping.
There are also many rivers in the five counties of Leping, and the county as a whole is dominated by mountainous and hilly terrain. It was obviously hit hard this time.
Guo Rong, the prefect, burst into tears when he talked about the affairs of the county.
When he sneaked back to Leping, the two local tycoon Wubao that entertained him had been overrun. One of them had casualties and most of the personnel were lost, and the other was slightly better. After learning that there was no food in the army, all the soldiers, led by Commander Wubao, went south to join the party. He just ate and became a refugee.
This place had a small population, and it was also the focus of the war between Hebei and Bingzhou. Countless people died, injured and fled. After being hit hard by floods, Guo Rong burst into tears and said that the number of people in the county might be less than 10,000.
Shao Xun was speechless after hearing this.
"When the next batch of food arrives, I will dispatch a group of people to you as appropriate." Shao Xun said.
“Where did the people come from?” Guo Rong was in a daze.
"Forget it, the people and food set out at the same time, and Leping is still a choke point after all." Shao Xun said: "The Luyang Tuntian Army has become more and more prosperous in recent years, with more than 11,000 households and nearly two dozen households. Seventy thousand men, women, and children. They have fought for me for many years. They should be given some benefits and settled as citizens. I will give you half of them. You send people to search everywhere, prepare houses, divide fields, and find some unowned people. Farm tools and livestock, if you can, try to plant winter wheat in September. If you can’t, let’s wait until next spring.”
“Yes,” Guo Rong was overjoyed.
Without the common people, there would be no point in being a prefect.
The Luyang field army was well-organized, had fought in battles, and had a lot of elites - there were more than 20,000 people in more than 10,000 households. It was obvious that the population structure was mainly young and strong, and there were even many singles.
With these people here, Leping is much more stable. Once there is a change in Hebei, we can suppress it immediately. At least we can defend Jingxing Pass and prevent the rebels from rushing into Leping.
"Leping is the Leping of Liang State, you have to make good use of it." Shao Xun warned: "After the flood, if any Wubao commander or manor owner returns to his hometown and wants to claim his land and recruit villagers, you can stop him. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Guo Rong's mood suddenly fell from the peak just now.
There is no doubt that he will be scolded miserably.
The King of Liang was obviously taking the opportunity to suppress the powerful forces in the five counties of Leping. He took advantage of the opportunity after the flood to re-clarify the land rights and household registrations and distribute them to the new arrivals.
None of the wealthy families who left their hometowns during the floods could come back. Or even if he comes back, his power will be greatly reduced, and he will probably be reorganized into a household - looking at what King Liang did in Henan, this is almost inevitable.
Actually, it’s not just Leping like this?
The same is true for Taiyuan, Xinxing County, and even Changshan, Zhongshan and other places in Hebei Province - Shangdang did not suffer much disaster, which is another matter.
For the King of Liang, this was not only disaster relief, but also a great opportunity to increase his dominance.
On the first day of August, Shao Xun left Bingzhou via Jingxing Pass.
When passing Jingxing Pass, there were many damages on the road.
Trees uprooted by floods can be seen everywhere, and one or two landslides have also been seen.
This was an era when the level of development was very low and the vegetation coverage rate was extremely high, but it still suffered such heavy damage.
This year’s great flood may be ranked high in history.
On the fifth day of August, Shao Xun arrived at Zhending, Changshan County.
******
Basically all the cities in Changshan were destroyed.
As far as the eye can see, there are trees everywhere, as well as the decaying corpses of humans and animals.
No one cleaned up, or there was no time to clean up.
Changshan and Zhongshan counties were almost completely paralyzed, with no officials left and the people displaced.
On a few highlands, there are either hundreds of people in one group, or groups of more than a thousand people, with ragged clothes and dull eyes.
After the "Prepare for Rain" was issued in May, no one cared about it at first, but when the rain became heavier and heavier, people gradually panicked.
Some people move their food to higher ground in advance and can barely survive. But most people don't have the conditions to do so. After the flood hits, they either run for their lives or are trapped by the water and wait to die.
Cannibalism has been going on for some time.
The disaster in Yecheng and other places was very mild, and the impact on grain harvests was limited. However, the problem is that it is difficult to transport grain.
Wei, Yangping, Bohai, Qinghe and other counties recruited a large number of slaves to first clear the trees in the rivers.
It can be dragged to the shore, or tied into rows, sent southward into the Yellow River, and then transported to Bianliang via the Bian River.
Every time a part of the river is cleared, the local area uses boats to transport food northward. However, this water transport route is as far as Boling, and so far only a dozen or so ships of grain have arrived. The efficiency of the government is too low, and the grain storage in the palace is not sufficient.
Changshan and Zhongshan seemed to have been abandoned.
The nearby counties of Fanyang, Gaoyang, Zhao, Julu and Anping were relatively lightly affected, but there were still a lot of people crying for food.
This year's major floods hit the northern part of Jizhou, some counties in Youzhou and the northern part of Bingzhou.
These places have never been rainy areas, and some are even transitional areas between agriculture and animal husbandry, but the floods of the century have broken out, which is incredible.
After Shao Xun entered Changshan, it was almost difficult to find supplies.
Feilongshan Town General Chen Wu was probably an official with more energy. On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, he led people through the yellow mud and delivered hundreds of cattle and sheep.
Shao Xun asked people to find a high ground and slaughter the cattle and sheep on the spot.
In fact, the war horses they brought were also hungry, and some even got sick. They were slaughtered all together, leaving only a few twenty horses.
The water is extremely turbid, dry firewood is hard to find, and cooking utensils are even scarce. Even with food, there are still many difficulties...
"How is Feilong Mountain?" Shao Xun asked.
"Heavy losses." Upon hearing this, Chen Wu sighed: "The fields at the foot of the mountain are all gone, and a lot of cattle and sheep grazing by the river have been washed away. Some people didn't have time to move. They’re all gone.”
Shao Xun frowned and asked, “Didn’t you receive the order?”
Chen Wu was a little embarrassed and said: "The grass beside the river beach is too lush. It's great. I always thought that it would be fine in a few days. Besides, there is not enough space on the mountain."
Shao Xun glared Looking at him, Xuan sighed again, what's the point of being harsh at this time? Disaster relief is important.
"Send people south to Anping and Yecheng, and inform Liu Wangqiao and Lu Zidao that I will be in Changshan to see if they want to starve me to death." Shao Xun ordered: "Every night Hundreds of people will starve to death. If this is not done well, don’t be a governor or a military commander. See if I can touch them!"
" Chen Wu called his son Chen Chi. Special, let him personally take people to do it.
The sound of wading in the water was heard not far away. Everyone looked up and saw a large group of people attracted by the smell of the broth. They used their last remaining energy and stumbled forward.
Shao Xun stood up and saw what appeared to be hundreds of people coming from another high ground.
Xu Shi stayed up for a long time, and finally ran out of food. Seeing that there were people here and there was food, he rushed over driven by the desire to survive.
There was also a dispute on the high ground.
A woman pushed several men around like crazy, took out two children from the cauldron, and rushed towards them while wailing.
She is thin and has a disheveled face, as if she could be knocked down by a gust of wind. But at this time, she seemed to have infinite strength, holding her child in her arms, and rushed towards this side step by step.
He fell into the yellow mud soup several times, and finally picked up the child in a hurry and walked unswervingly towards this side.
Shao Xun stepped out of the crowd and waded into the muddy water.
"Your Majesty." Yang Qin was anxious and rushed forward with his soldiers to guard against possible attacks by irrational mobs.
The woman rushed more than ten steps away, as if her life had been burned out and she would never get up again.
The two children fell into the mud and cried loudly.
Shao Xun stepped forward and picked up the child with one hand in each hand.
The woman looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I promise you, I will raise them up." Shao Xun looked at her and said.
The woman smiled and slowly closed her eyes.
"See if you can survive. If not, dig a hole and bury it." Shao Xun sighed and ordered, then turned and left.
On the high ground, the soldiers used their scabbards to beat the rioters to maintain order.
Chen Wu asked people to fetch wooden bowls and ladle soup for these people.
People who have been hungry for a long time don’t know if they are lucky enough to enjoy this broth. Just leave it to fate.
"This is a gift from the King of Liang himself. After drinking this bowl of soup, don't forget the king's favor." Chen Wu found more than ten people and said to the side.
The hungry people devoured their food without fear of being burned. They finished a bowl of broth in an instant. Only then did they come back to their senses, knelt on the ground and shouted: "King Liang, I will live for this life." It belongs to the king."
"Don't worry, drink some more soup, and I will take you to beg for a living." Shao Xun looked at the miserable victims and said, "Tian Wujue. It’s a human path, but if you follow me, there will always be people who stutter and eat.”
Everyone was doubtful after hearing this.
In fact, until now they don’t know what “King Liang” is.
No one knows whether he is the real king or the grass-headed king of troubled times. Maybe he is a self-proclaimed king.
However, looking at the smoky meat and the fragrant broth, let’s just believe him for a moment.
Shao Xun said no more.
Yang Qin collected a dozen Hu cakes from the soldiers, soaked them in warm water, and made them into a paste.
Shao Xun fed it to two children, a boy and a girl, in his arms.
They were also very hungry and gorged themselves on it.
As the sun sets, General Xubuyan of Puyangshan Town appears on the distant horizon with hundreds of draft animals and grain.
Everyone on the high ground watched and couldn't help but cheer.
Shao Xun also stood up and looked to the north.
He knew that if he hadn't come, neither Chen Wu nor Xu Buyan would have appeared here, and the hungry people in front of him would never have survived.
Lu Zhi must also be in a state of distress. His priority was to provide relief to the victims of the disaster in counties that were easy to transport by water. After all, Changshan and Zhongshan counties were not the only areas affected by the disaster, but it was the worst here.
Living in this world is far from simple.
(End of chapter)