Xicheng District in Beijing
This was originally a slum, where poor people and beggars lived. When the earthquake came, this place was the least affected.
The woman was wearing tattered clothes and was squatting on the ground washing clothes. The sound of horse hooves was heard, and the ground shook slightly.
Everyone stood up and looked vigilantly in the direction of the horse's hoofbeats.
The Jinyiwei, with swords at their waists, dismounted and came over aggressively. After reading the imperial edict, he looked coldly at the kneeling untouchables and said in a deep voice, "Leave here within three days."
"Everyone, go to East City District or leave the city. Anyone who disobeys this order...will be killed without mercy!"
The people knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling, suppressing the despair and anger in their hearts. Why were they treated like this? Why?
They had clearly lived in Xicheng District for generations. Why did the emperor occupy this place when he wanted to renovate the capital and drive them to Dongcheng District where there was no water at all?
This is killing them.
A ragged man came out, his face filled with anger: "No, this is our home, why do you want us to leave? We won't move..."
Everyone looked up at him, but before they could say anything, a silver light flashed, blood spurted out, and the head fell to the ground and rolled.
The angry expression on his face froze and soon he died down.
The leading guard had a black mole between his eyebrows. His face was handsome, but his eyes were filled with cruel murderous intent. He whispered, "It's just a worthless life. Do you really think you can resist?"
He glanced at them and smiled wickedly, "If anyone else is dissatisfied and doesn't want to go to East City, you can just leave the city and flee."
"Remember, it's three days. If you don't leave after three days, you will be fined."
"die!"
After saying this, he sheathed his sword, jumped on his horse, and rode away quickly.
When the sound of horse hooves faded away, the people of Xicheng District wailed. A woman rushed out, hugging the headless corpse and crying heart-wrenchingly.
The others looked towards the imperial city with sad and desperate eyes. The world was so big, but there was no place for them to stay. Why were they treated like this?
The village chief came with a cane. He said he was the village chief, but he was just a person who could read and write chosen by everyone. People who knew a lot were always smarter than them.
Everyone stared at the village chief with dull eyes, tears streaming down their faces. They choked and said, "Village chief, we just want to live. Why is it so difficult? Where can we go to survive?"
"...Alas, I feel that now that things have come to this, even if I go to Dongcheng District, there is no way out. I might as well burn my boats once and for all."
"Let's go to the Northern Wilderness and follow the General's Mansion. The Northern Wilderness was given to the General's Mansion by His Majesty. Although it is barren, it is a vast area. Even if we can't stay in the city."
"We can get out, find a place with water, and build a village ourselves. That way we can have a place to stay."
When everyone heard this, their dead eyes lit up. The General's Mansion had been providing relief by distributing porridge every winter when they were in the most difficult times.
If it weren't for those bowls of hot porridge, they would have died.
They are illiterate and do not understand so many big principles. They only believe in people who do practical things. The court always speaks in high-sounding words, but what they do is always chilling.
One by one, they raised their hands and said with a firm look in their eyes, "Village Chief, we listen to you. We'll go wherever you say."
Tears welled up in the old man's cloudy eyes. He wiped them away and looked at them seriously, saying, "Go, everyone, pack your things and help each other on the way."
"The journey is long, so we make the food into steamed buns for easy eating on the road. Water is also essential, so we use a donkey cart to pull it..."
Arranging things one by one and watching them move, the old man slowly exhaled a breath. Their lives were hard enough, and if they didn't unite, no one would survive.
Fortunately, the people here are united and obedient.
Little Wood looked at them and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa, can we really survive if we go to the Northern Wasteland?"
The old man sighed and said, "I don't know, but Grandpa feels that wherever the Jiang family can go, there will definitely be a place where they can survive. Grandpa doesn't believe in the court, he believes in the Jiang family."
"Think about it, even though military pay was often delayed, the Southern Xinjiang campaign was still won. What does this prove?"
"The Jiang family must have a way to survive, Grandpa believes it."
"At worst, we can go out and dig for food in the mountains. We won't starve to death. In this capital, we can't even find food. We can only wait to die of hunger and thirst."
A smile appeared on the skinny face of the little wood: "Okay, little wood, I will listen to Grandpa. Grandpa is powerful and he will definitely not be wrong."
The old man, Gu Qingshan, smiled bitterly. He didn’t know if it was right or wrong, but if he didn’t leave now, he would only face death. If he left, there might be a glimmer of hope.
Two days later, thousands of residents of Xicheng District packed up their belongings and left the city. The guards naturally did not make it difficult for them, as the residents did not have to hand over any of their belongings when leaving the city.
Merchants pay the tax so they can survive. If the people are forced to pay half of it, it will definitely cause riots and they will die.
Besides, there is nothing valuable on those untouchables, so there is no need to waste time on it.
He waved his hand and urged: "Let's go, hurry up and leave, it stinks."
The village chief has a donkey cart, driven by a small wooden man. The village chief is old, so it's okay for him to sit in the donkey cart.
"Grandpa, if you're tired, tell me and we can stop and rest."
"It's okay, no need to stop. We need to get to the Northern Wasteland as soon as possible. If it rains, it won't be a good thing."
Xiao Mu nodded and said nothing more.
They walked like this for a whole day, and early the next morning, they heard a rumbling sound. Everyone looked over and saw countless exquisite carriages slowly approaching.
"Grandpa, another carriage is coming north. Is it also going to the Northern Wasteland? Why don't they go to the south of the Yangtze River? Why do they have to go to the Northern Wasteland? It must be so hard."
The old man narrowed his eyes, feeling that the logo hanging on the carriage looked familiar. He didn't know what he was thinking about, but his eyes lit up instantly.
"Little Wood, go get closer and take a look. Is it the carriage of the Mu, Meng, Wei, and Mo families?"
The man beside him heard this and said, "Yes, the old village chief. I could read a little when I was a child, and I recognize the sign hanging on the carriage."
"...Those four families have also come out. I'm afraid the weather is going to change. We have to hurry up and get to the Northern Wasteland as soon as possible."
"Change of weather? What do you mean, Village Chief?"
The old man sighed and said, "Shh, don't talk nonsense. I was just saying it casually. We have to arrive early anyway. We still have to open up wasteland and farm by then. Survival is the most important thing."
"We need to find a good place before winter comes, otherwise we won't be able to survive. Dashanzi, come here and help me look after the wheels."
The gorgeous carriage slowly stopped and fetched some muddy water from the river. It was still okay to wash after it settled, but the masters naturally could not use dirty water.
As for the servants, it doesn’t matter, as long as they are alive.
The rich kids dressed in silk and satin contrast to the common people in Xicheng District who wear coarse linen clothes and have patches all over their bodies.
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