I want to be emperor

Chapter 1 The People Are Pirates

In the seventh year of Chongzhen, there was a severe drought in Henan.

Lu Weiqi, the former Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing who lives in Luoyang, wrote to the imperial court: For several years, the township has never suffered from barrenness, soldiers, and defeat...There is no grass in the wild, ten rooms and nine empties, and no dogs barking in the village. Still knocking on the door of reminders.

There are singing cuckoos in the trees, and the blood of the whip is sprinkled; the yellow soil is red, and the villages are almost deserted; the bones are green, and the ghosts cry every night.

If you want to prevent the poor from turning into robbers, you can't get it!
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In the wilderness, a group of hungry people are wandering in the wilderness. Most of them are yellow and thin, with dull eyes, and only occasionally when they look up into the distance will they show a look of hope.

That is the direction of Luoyang. I heard that there are officials and gentry setting up porridge factories to provide relief.

At this time, a skinny woman in the crowd suddenly fell down. She wanted to use her dry and black hands to stand up again, but after struggling a few times, she didn't move anymore.

Someone went over to take a look, and soon shook his head and left, leaving only a five or six-year-old boy who was also skinny and hungry, crying and calling for his mother...

Rhodes, who was not far away, sighed lightly when he saw this scene.

He's seen the same scene many times along the way, and it's even happened to his family a few times.

Since his hometown has been hit by drought for several consecutive years, and even the bark has been eaten up, he has to take his family on the road of escape like everyone else.

However, if you don't escape, you will die, and if you escape, you will die!

A month ago, his old father died of illness on the road.

Half a month ago, his first wife died after being starved to the skin and bones.

Eight days ago, the eldest son, who was smart since he was a child and was expected to get a job, found some wild vegetables, but he was looted by other hungry people. During the fight, someone stabbed him in the abdomen with a sharp spear and died.

In the next few days, they couldn't find food for several days in a row. Only the five-year-old girl also starved to death. On that day, he hugged the girl's body and howled for a long time...

And now, Rhodes looked at the last remaining family member by his side: the second son Luo Zhixue.

Now his second son's situation is also not optimistic. Like himself, he is already hungry and skinny. If he doesn't eat, he will really starve to death in a few days.

"Don't worry, Xueer, we will be able to go to Luoyang soon, there is a porridge factory there, as long as we get there, we can survive!"

Luo Zhixue, already 15 years old, nodded: "I know."

At this moment, Rhodes looked back at the crying boy lying on the dead woman, hesitated a little and walked over.

Rhodes just dragged the deceased woman into a shallow pit, and simply pulled some soil to bury it.

After a simple burial, Rhodes looked at the sallow and thin boy in front of him, sighed and said, "Follow us father and son!"

The whole family of this boy is dead. If no one protects him, he might not survive tomorrow!

Not starving to death, but another more desperate way to die!
The boy raised his head, showing his dirty and thin face. He looked at Rhodes before he said anything. After a while, he nodded and followed behind Rhodes and his son.

The hungry people wandered forward slowly, and they ate up all the edible or inedible things they encountered on the road, whether it was wild vegetables, grasses, leaves or bark.

From time to time, some people fell down in the crowd. Some of these fallen people could be buried hastily, but more were left directly on the road!

The hungry people fled all the way, starved to the bones all the way, and lost all the tragedies in the world as far as they could see!

Rhodes brought his second son, Luo Zhixue, and the boy slowly forward with the crowd.

Rhodes had just asked the boy's name, surnamed Lin, no real name, only a family member's nickname 'Ah Fish'.

Rhodes and the others were quite lucky. In the evening, after leaving the crowd with his second son and boy Lin Ahyu, they found some wild vegetables in the forest on the side of the road, found a bird's nest and took out five bird eggs.

Rhodes asked his second son Luo Zhixue to eat three of the eggs raw on the spot, so as not to attract other people's prying eyes.

Not long ago, his eldest son was killed just because he found some wild vegetables, not to mention these bird eggs!
A few bird eggs at this time is a chance to survive!
Luo Zhixue wanted to refuse, and wanted to let his father eat it, but Rhodes just gave him a look and stared back: "The book is all read on the dog's stomach? The elder dare not say it!"

Luo Zhixue still wanted to refute: "Boy..."

But Rhodes snorted coldly, and Luo Zhixue ate the three little bird eggs while weeping.

Rhodes thought about the remaining two eggs and gave one of them to the boy Lin Ahyu.

Although Lin Ahyu looked at the bird's egg and swallowed, but he didn't pick it up immediately. It was Rhodes who stuffed it directly and then ate it.

By digging wild vegetables all the way, eating leaves and even bark, Rhodes finally brought his second son Luo Zhixue and Lin Ahyu to the outside of Luoyang city.

Sure enough, there were officials and gentry setting up factories outside Luoyang City to serve porridge.

But when I went there, I found out that although there were officials and gentry giving porridge outside Luoyang City, the number was extremely limited.

There were thousands of hungry people outside Luoyang City, but the daily porridge was only a thousand people, which was a drop in the bucket, and the gates of the city were closed tightly, and the hungry people were not allowed to enter the city to seek a way out.

The hungry people outside the city often fight for the porridge, and the officers and soldiers on the side don't care. As long as the hungry people don't directly loot the porridge factory, they have no intention of intervening in the fights of the hungry people outside the city, and sometimes they even watch the hungry people They laughed loudly in order to snatch the porridge and water.

Rhodes tried to line up to get the porridge a few times but failed, which made Rhodes unable to bear the grief and indignation: What the hell is going on?
On the third day after arriving in Luoyang, Rhodes took his second son and Lin Ahyu to line up early to wait for the porridge before dawn.

But after the officers and soldiers came out of the city, they rushed to the city one by one after serving the porridge for a while.

Looking into the distance, I saw a group of more than a hundred cavalrymen. These people were dressed in a mess, and they all held spears, knives and bows.

"The thief army is coming, run away!"

The arrival of the thieves outside the city immediately caused the crowd in the porridge factory to panic, and many people fled in all directions.

But after Rhodes looked around, instead of running, he quickly walked towards the porridge factory not far ahead.

There was also the porridge that the officers and soldiers moved out before and had not had time to distribute.

Bandits are scary, but starving to death is equally scary!
And there are many people who have the same idea as him, so although many people are fleeing at this time, there are also many people who are pushing towards the porridge factory, trying to snatch the remaining porridge.

Rhodes did not go directly to the wooden barrels that were still full of porridge like the others. There were so many people that he couldn't get in. He went to a wooden barrel that was kicked by someone and there was only a little porridge left. bucket.

There wasn't much porridge left in the porridge pot, and there was a circle of people around, so Rhodes took out a chipped clay pot and went straight into the porridge pot.

After hastily picking up half a can of porridge water, Rhodes quickly walked out protecting the clay pot with both hands.

At this time, several people who failed to grab the porridge saw Luo Cai, and one of them rushed over directly: "Give me the porridge, my mother is starving to death..."

Rhodes naturally guarded the wrinkled clay pot tightly. This is the life-saving porridge that was finally snatched in the chaos, so how could he let it be given to others.

The man became anxious when he couldn't grab it, he took out a pair of rusty scissors and pierced Rhodes, and at the same time yelled: "Give me the porridge, give me, that's my porridge..."

Rhode couldn't dodge enough to get a big hole in his neck.

In an instant, blood gushed out from his neck, and some even sprayed into the clay pot he was clinging to tightly.

The man also ignored Luo Luocai who was staggering and was about to fall, he grabbed the clay pot and poured it into his mouth, ignoring several people around him who came up to punch and kick him.

The blood-red porridge flowed down the corner of his mouth, so that his chest was dyed red.

Someone shouted while beating: "Please, give me the porridge. I haven't eaten for several days."

Some people continued to rush up: "Let me put it all down, I am waiting for the porridge to save my son's life, get out of the way, otherwise I will kill someone..."

"what!"

"I fought with you guys!"

"I snatched that, woohoo, that's porridge for my mother, you can't snatch it... woohoo, I'll fight with you..."

Screams, screams, groans, and cries began to ring out around the porridge factory one after another, and together they played the most shocking symphony of the troubled times in the late Ming Dynasty!

When the song ended, more than a dozen bandit cavalry in short robes rode forward, their horseshoes stepping on the gaps between the corpses and moving forward slowly.

The unsheathed waist knife gleamed coldly in the sun!

Surrounded by fleeing hungry people, on the ground are more than a dozen corpses and dozens of wounded who killed each other for porridge and water.

Finally, a leader of the cavalry set his sights on Luo Zhixue who was lying on Luo Zhixue's body and crying bitterly.

He looked repeatedly at Luo Zhixue, and then said: "You wear a long gown, can you read?"

Luo Zhixue looked up at the bandit cavalry, and nodded numbly!

Immediately, the bandit cavalry took out a book from his pocket and threw it out: "Read!"

Luo Zhixue didn't move at first, but the cavalryman said again: "If you don't read it, you will die!"

Only then did Luo Zhixue go up to pick up the book on the ground, open it and read in a low voice: "The fate is called nature, and the will is called Tao..."

After Luo Zhixue read for a while, the cavalryman showed joy: "You are indeed a scholar, well, now you are my clerk!"

Luo Zhixue was young and had just experienced the pain of losing his father. Hearing this, he couldn't bear to argue: "I won't be a thief..."

The cavalry leader stared at him, his expression gradually becoming indifferent, and the steel knife in his hand gleamed coldly in the sun: "Are you sure?"

After hearing this, Luo Zhixue looked up at the indifferent expression of the cavalry, and couldn't help but tremble: "I..."

But I spent a long time without saying a second word.

The cavalry leader looked at Luo Zhixue's appearance, and immediately expressed satisfaction and said: "It seems that you agree!"

After finishing speaking, the leader of the cavalry looked at Luo Zhixue's sallow and thin body, frowned slightly, and took out a steamed bun from his bag: "Eat, then come with us!"

After speaking, he looked at Lin Ahyu who was hiding behind Luo Zhixue, and then took out a steamed bun: "Your brother? You can also take it with us and go with us."

Looking at the two steamed buns in the hands of the cavalry leader, Luo Zhixue couldn't help swallowing, and Lin Ahyu behind him also had bright eyes.

In the end, Luo Zhixue, who still couldn't resist the temptation of the two steamed buns, took two steps forward. After taking the steamed buns, Luo Zhixue said, "Thank you!"

The cavalry leader chuckled and didn't care!

After Luo Zhixue handed one of the steamed buns to Lin Ahyu, he took the steamed bun and ate it himself.

But maybe it was because he hadn't eaten seriously for a long time, Luo Zhixue ate in a hurry, and he ate it with big mouthfuls, and he was choked for a while.

After being choked, Luo Zhixue couldn't breathe immediately, and soon knelt down on his knees, covering his neck with his hands, his face flushed red.

Lin Ahyu on the side didn't bother to eat, and hurried forward, but he had no choice but to cry, "Brother Xue...Brother Xue..."

The cavalry leader looked at this scene with a look of surprise, apparently not expecting this to happen.

"Damn it, a starved ghost was reincarnated, this damn can choke on it."

The leader of the cavalry, who was cursing, dismounted directly, and called a few of his subordinate cavalry to come over.

"I managed to find a scholar, so don't choke to death."

Several people tossed and tossed for a long time, but there was no effect. After a while, Luo Zhixue rolled his eyes and passed out.

Seeing this, the cavalry leader became ruthless, and directly punched Luo Zhixue's upper abdomen hard. After a heavy punch, a ball of steamed bread dregs spewed out of Luo Zhixue's mouth.

After waiting for another half day, Luo Zhixue woke up leisurely, but his first words were a bit strange: "Who are you? Where am I?"

(End of this chapter)