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墨書 Inktalez
"Moreover, with the constant war in the North, these poor people have fled here, having brought very little food and even less money. Now that they have arrived, they have nothing left; their food is gone, and they can only beg on the streets to survive!"
"Although this Tokyo City is the most prosperous and peaceful city of the Great Song, it is a life for the wealthy. For those who have nothing, it only gets worse; everything is more expensive."
Liu Xian said with a smile, as if he were having a normal conversation, showing no concern for the lives of the fleeing civilians. He must have encountered such situations too often and become accustomed to them!
Qin Feng felt somewhat saddened. Seeing so many people displaced and begging on the streets made his heart uncomfortable. They are all citizens of my Song Dynasty; how can we allow them to suffer like this?
Indeed, Tokyo City only appears prosperous on the surface! In reality, the Song Dynasty has reached its limit. Even if there is no money, food should still be available for relief; at least they could build wooden shelters for them to sleep in.
But nothing was done; those people were left to perish like weeds.
He said, "Does the court really not use food to relieve them or arrange some shelter for them so they can live a bit warmer and not suffer in the cold winter?"
Liu Xian was somewhat surprised by these words; how could he say such things? He must have some understanding of the officialdom.
"Now disasters are continuous, and there are truly too many refugees. This is just a small part of it. Outside of Tokyo City, there are even more refugees, and things are even more chaotic. Moreover, we have to offer hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver to the Jin Kingdom every year, which really makes Great Song struggle even more; we truly have no money left."
"Those high officials only seek their own pleasures, indulging in endless singing and dancing. How could they use their own money to help these poor people? So Brother Qin, you should stop pretending to be compassionate. Giving them food will not change our situation."
He appeared very respectful, clearly pleading with him not to do so. The Imperial Guards certainly could do nothing about it since he was the ambassador for this negotiation.
Qin Feng truly felt sorrowful for those refugees on the streets. The Song Dynasty was really nearing its end.
Those high officials in the court only thought of themselves! While the common people were suffering immensely, they indulged in pleasure with beautiful women around them; they were truly treacherous ministers.
After thinking carefully, it seemed that the refugees were not his main concern; rather, he wanted to remind himself not to give any more food to these people, otherwise there wouldn't be enough food to reach Taiyuan!
Liu Xian still maintained a respectful demeanor, as Qin Feng was much older than him, so he needed to speak with respect.
Qin Feng said, "I understand what Brother Liu Xian means. It seems that there are indeed too many refugees, and this little bit of rations won't be of much use. Let's keep it for ourselves. I won't give them any more food, and it won't delay our progress."
Liu Xian clasped his hands together, appearing even more respectful. After praising him for considering the people's welfare and exchanging a few kind words, he rode ahead on his horse, truly impressed by him.
The gray-yellow curtain of the carriage was drawn up, and sitting in this comfortable carriage felt quite nice; however, there was an unsettling feeling in his heart.
He secretly made a resolution: I, Qin Feng, will never act so foolishly again. If I can survive and return, I will definitely work for the people! At the very least, I want those refugees to have a bowl of porridge to drink.
After more than four hours, the Escort Army had already traveled from Tokyo to Zhengzhou and was now in a town.
The speed of the cavalry in the Imperial Guard was incredibly fast; they could cover several dozen miles in just one hour. These horses were bought at a high price from the north and were even better than those in the military camp.
The Imperial Guards of Tokyo City were originally the elite forces of the Great Song dynasty, meant to defend the capital's safety, so their combat effectiveness was stronger. Naturally, these horses also ran faster and better.
After experiencing an hour of Tokyo's prosperity and encountering desolation along the way, they finally arrived at a busier town.
This was within Zhengzhou's territory; it was just a town and still some distance away from Zhengzhou's main city.
However, not far past the city gate, they heard a series of wailing sounds that seemed to be cries for help.
Two tall, burly men were forcefully dragging a young girl who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. She was quite delicate-looking, but her face still bore the signs of youth. Her clothing was thin and seemed to belong to a commoner.
There were also two other tall men who were dragging an elderly man in his fifties. His face and hands were covered in wrinkles, and much of his hair had turned white, making him appear very frail.
The old man was trying to push forward, attempting to pull his daughter back. She was his eldest daughter, and they had another daughter at home who could help with many household chores, including farming.
He pleaded, "Ding Landlord, please let my girl go! I promise to repay the grain I owe you next year, with interest. Please don’t take my daughter as a concubine! You already have several concubines."
"My daughter is only fifteen; she is still just a child. I beg you to release her! I will bow down and apologize."
As the two men continued to drag him, they pushed him down onto the dirty ground and began to beat him.
Some punches landed on his frail face, causing it to swell immediately with bruises. They kicked his bent body back and forth like a soccer ball, making him cry out in pain, yet they showed no signs of stopping.
The old man rolled on the ground in agony while still pleading with Ding Landlord to return his daughter.
Ding Landlord stood nearby, less than five feet tall but quite stout. His face was round and chubby as he watched the old man with a mocking smile.
He leered at the fifteen-year-old girl, finding her quite pretty—more so than his two concubines. If he didn’t take her as a concubine, wouldn’t that be a waste of his eyes?
"Old man, stop struggling! You can’t win against my two bodyguards; they will only beat you more severely. Your daughter will be mine from now on—my seventh concubine. I will treat her well; she won’t have to live with you in poverty anymore. You don’t need to repay me for the grain you owe; consider it all forgiven."
The old man lay on the ground as the two men finally stopped beating him, perhaps exhausted from their efforts. Blood streamed down his face, painting a truly tragic picture.
A hoarse and mournful scream was heard, and many people gathered around the surroundings, watching the spectacle. No one came to help this poor man, who even rented his land from the landlord.
He said, "Ding Landlord, you already have several concubines, so just return my daughter to me! She's just a girl. I promise that I will repay the five hundred catties of grain I owe you by next year."
Everyone knew this! The Ding Landlord was fat, resembling a pig, always bullying the farmers and often taking their daughters. If they failed to pay the land tax, he would seize their daughters and make them concubines for his own pleasure.
In the beginning, those days were carefree; they only had to lie in bed and let him play with them. However, once his interest waned, he would treat those concubines like servants, making them do the same hard labor without paying them a single coin.
The fifteen-year-old girl had a somewhat delicate face and was tall and thin, looking quite pitiful as she pleaded not to be taken away as a concubine. She promised she could farm and repay the debt.
She tried to escape from the two tall bodyguards but was caught by one of them by her arm and dragged over as if she were a chicken. Their strength was overwhelming; she truly was a beauty!
The Ding Landlord, being a fat pig himself, found it somewhat unusual to see her. When he smiled, his flesh jiggled.
He looked at the girl with delight; she was truly beautiful, even more so than his several concubines. He planned to turn them into servants when he got home to do hard labor for him while he enjoyed himself for a while.
With his flesh shaking, he said, "Beauty, you are so pretty and can farm as well. Don't stay with this poor old man anymore! Follow me, and I guarantee you will never worry about food or drink again; you'll live like a wealthy person."
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