Chapter 596 Ticket
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The following June, the celestial phenomena changed dramatically. The sun blazed fiercely, and what should have been a time of abundant rivers and lakes was instead met with a drought of unprecedented severity.
In the Dalong Dynasty, from south to north, the land was cracked and parched, crops withered and dead, and corpses of the starved littered the fields.
The signs of chaos have descended once again.
To make matters worse, shocking news came from the capital—Emperor Liu Heng had suddenly passed away!
The official explanation given was that Liu Heng had fallen seriously ill and died suddenly.
However, according to rumors circulating in the palace, Liu Heng himself had taken too many elixirs and indulged in debauchery in the harem, which led to his death.
It doesn't matter how Liu Heng died.
The important thing is, the emperor is dead!
The struggle for the throne quickly intensified, with the third prince and the crown prince facing off against each other within the palace.
In the end, the third prince, with his more ruthless methods and the support of some of the Imperial Guards, won a Pyrrhic victory and ascended the blood-stained throne over the corpses of his brothers.
However, the crown prince's last-ditch counterattack was also extremely fatal.
The Crown Prince's assassins, who had been lying in ambush, severely injured the Third Prince with a vicious weapon!
Although it did not directly take the third prince's life, it completely destroyed his manhood and cut off his future possibility of having children.
The new emperor, the Third Prince, currently only has one young son, who is only three years old and frail!
The news was "misleading" and spread from the palace, and in less than half a year, it became known to almost everyone in the world!
An emperor who is infertile and has few offspring will have no authority whatsoever in a chaotic world.
The princes from various regions, who had long been eager to make their moves, began to bare their fangs. Liu Ke, the Prince of Beiliang in Youzhou, which was closest to the capital, was the first to raise the banner of "purging the emperor's inner circle" and prepare his troops, revealing his ambitions.
The Da Long Dynasty quickly disintegrated, falling into a chaotic situation of princes ruling their own territories and powerful clans vying for power.
War and natural disasters intertwined, leaving people destitute and their cries of sorrow echoing across the land.
The south is the hardest-hit area by the drought.
Countless displaced people, having lost their homes and hope, surged northward like a tide of despair.
Among them, many shrewd or well-connected people learned that Jian'an Prefecture, far to the northeast of Dalong, actually had surplus grain under the rule of the female general Li Shiyue! And she was even willing to take in refugees!
As a result, the road leading to Dongmu Port was crowded with emaciated refugees who had brought their families with them.
They longed to board a ship heading north to the legendary "path to survival".
Dongmu Port in Dengzhou Prefecture has now become a port where hope and despair are intertwined.
Li Shiyue had already paved the way through Haiyan, and had the Zhenhai Army set up soup kitchens and registration points near the port.
But the rules she set left all the refugees who had risked their lives to get here speechless, which in turn triggered countless disturbances, schemes, and tragedies.
On a newly erected platform by the port, Li Shiyue's proclamation was posted on a high frame. Next to it, soldiers with loud voices repeatedly read to the refugees who came here: "General Li's order: Jian'an is a small place with limited capacity. We need to take in useful people!"
Anyone wishing to travel north to Jian'an by official ship must comply with the following regulations:
1. Women and children under the age of fourteen do not need to pay the fare; they can register immediately and be issued tickets!
Second, any adult male wishing to board the ship must pay a fare of two taels of silver.
Alternatively, a female companion can act as guarantor for boarding to be free!
A woman can only vouch for one man!
3. Adult males without money or a woman to act as guarantor may register at the dock labor office and be arranged to work elsewhere for thirty days in lieu of wages. Only after passing the inspection can they board the ship!
IV. Upon arrival in Jian'an, all must obey arrangements and participate in land reclamation, city building, workshop work, or be selected for military service!
Anyone who disobeys will be sent to the mine!
These four rules, like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, stirred up a thousand waves!
"What? Women don't want money? Only men want money? And they need women to vouch for them?"
A burly man, incredulous, roared at the soldier standing on the high platform who was reading out Li Shiyue's four orders, "What kind of rule is this!"
"Am I, a man, not even as good as a woman?"
"My God! What... what is this female general trying to do?"
An old scholar stroked his beard, his face full of confusion and unease.
However, many more women, who were initially seen as a burden or even nearly abandoned on their journey into exile, suddenly had an unbelievable gleam in their eyes.
A young girl with her younger brother tightly gripped his hand as she looked at the notice, tears streaming down her face.
Along the way, the siblings endured the scorn of their clansmen and were almost separated by villains.
Now, this "money-losing daughter" has become her brother's hope for survival!
A middle-aged woman, supporting her son-in-law who was starving and on the verge of death, had a spark of hope rekindled in her previously despairing eyes.
She could use her status as a married woman to give her son-in-law a chance to survive!
The registration area next to the platform was bustling with noise, and the order was maintained by the Zhenhai Army, who were armed and had cold expressions.
The soldiers gripped their gleaming longswords tightly, their sharp eyes sweeping over each person in line.
"Name, place of origin, age, and any skills you possess?"
The clerk, as was his routine, looked up and asked, his brush ready to write in the register.
"This humble woman... Wang Xiaoying, from Hejian Prefecture, twenty-three years old, knows some cooking skills and also knows a little bit of basic martial arts..."
A woman who looked tall and strong, with a hint of resilience in her brows, answered in a low voice.
Behind her followed a thin, anxious man—her husband.
"Hmm." The registrar made a note of it. "According to the general's orders, you may bring one man aboard for free. Is this him?"
“Yes, this is my husband, Lu Song.” Wang Xiaoying nodded quickly.
After inquiring about Lu Song's situation and making a note of it, the official handed Wang a specially made wooden plaque and a boat ticket voucher: "Here you go, this is your boat ticket and your son-in-law's voucher for free boarding."
You're in luck; a ship will be sailing from Dongmu to Jian'an in a day.
Otherwise, you'll have to wait at least another half month to come.
Hold onto this wooden sign. Show it to the soldier when boarding, and he will be allowed to board.
"Come on, next one!"
There were also men who were alone and couldn't afford two taels of silver. They anxiously looked around, trying to find a stranger who was willing to "guarantee" them, and even offered to be their slaves or servants, but few responded.
Most women could barely protect themselves, so this precious "guarantor" spot was naturally reserved for their fathers, brothers, sons-in-law, or sons.
Most men, dejected, went to the labor registration office, registered their names, and were then assigned by the supervisor to work hard elsewhere, moving goods and repairing docks, exchanging thirty days of hard labor for a ship ticket.
They may harbor resentment, but faced with the prospect of survival, they have no choice but to bow their heads.
After all, the soldiers at Dongmu Port are not easy to talk to.
That gleaming longsword, it could strike without warning!
Whenever a challenger appears who thinks he is a man and wants a wooden sign, he will immediately be cut down by soldiers with long swords!
The bright red blood fell to the ground, and the distinctive smell of human blood wafted through the harbor, making those men who still wanted to use brute force think twice.
With this kind of scare tactic, few of the strong men dared to say anything anymore. They could only obediently pay for their boat tickets or register at the labor office.
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