The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Henan Prefecture was severely affected by the drought. Millions of people were displaced by drought locusts, and banditry spread like a prairie fire.

However, this time, because of the lessons learned from the previous Shaanxi Civil War, the Ming court immediately dispatched a large number of troops into Henan.

It was precisely for this reason that Zheng Chongjian, the governor of the three sides, led his troops into Henan. The few established bandits in Henan were wiped out as a result.

Henan is not as good as Shaanxi. Because it is inland, there are not many horses in Henan Province, and the terrain is not as complex as Shaanxi. In addition, the Ming army spared no effort to strangle, so there have never been large-scale rogue bandits.

However, this situation soon changed.

As the situation in Shaanxi became increasingly urgent, Zheng Chongjian, who was fighting the rebellion in Henan, was ordered to leave Henan and led the Qin army through Tongguan and into Xi'an Prefecture in Shaanxi Province.

The withdrawal of the Qin army did not cause much disturbance. Most of the cities in Henan Province still followed the same trajectory as before.

Although the influence of drought locusts caused thieves to swarm, but those thieves were either completely defeated by the attack of the officers and soldiers, or they huddled in the mountains and valleys and lingered.

The long period of calm and isolation prevented them from paying attention to external threats.

Both officials and gentry in Henan felt that the remaining bandits could not make any waves or cause much trouble.

And this kind of contempt also caused their subsequent bitter consequences.

Thousands of lights are shining in the spring breeze, and the bright moon is shining brightly for ten miles.

In the twelfth year of Chongzhen, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was the Lantern Festival.

During the Lantern Festival, lantern festivals are held for reading.

During the Lantern Festival in the Ming Dynasty, the lanterns are lit on the eighth day of the lunar month and are not turned off until the night of the seventeenth day of the first lunar month.

The city is bustling during the day, and the lanterns are lit at night, making it a spectacular sight.

Kaifeng Prefecture, Qixian County.

In the market, there are lanterns, pedestrians and traffic.

The hustle and bustle in the city and the dead silence outside the city formed a sharp contrast.

Separated by a wall, there are two worlds.

While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone.

The prison in Qixian County was dark and damp.

The orange lights were almost inaudible in the darkness. During the Lantern Festival holiday, only two jailers were left on duty in the prison.

It is better to say that it is on duty than to have fun.

On the table were the food and wine sent by the restaurant, and the two jailers were drinking and eating food slowly, laughing and talking about their recent harvest.

Other than that, the interior of the prison was completely silent.

Li Xin lay on the cold ground, staring at the dark ceiling.

In the cold winter, how can the thin prison clothes protect me from the cold?

But the coldness in his body was not half as cold as Li Xinxin's.

"Why……"

There was darkness in front of him, and Li Xin's eyes were lifeless, like a deep and quiet pool.

Li Xin couldn't understand why the world was so desperate.

The locusts are constantly infestation, and no crops are harvested, but the tax revenue is huge.

Thousands of miles of bare land, people dying of hunger everywhere, but no one to take care of them.

Those eunuchs and dignitaries who in the past considered themselves to be the parents of the common people are now arrogant and extravagant.

Those gentry and country nobles who usually talk about benevolence, justice and morality are now pretending to benefit the public and enjoy happiness for themselves.

Outside the city, people died of hunger all over the place. Countless people had nothing to eat and were suffering from hunger and cold. Even a bowl of gruel was a luxury.

But the Lantern Festival is being held in this city.

The princes and grandsons were shouting in front of and behind them, surrounded by warblers and swallows.

In the high courtyard of the restaurant, guests come and go, changing glasses and changing glasses, and everywhere they look is singing and dancing.

Li Xin slowly closed his eyes, feeling desperate in his heart.

The whip marks he received during the day were still aching faintly, but no matter how painful it was, it couldn't compare to the pain in his heart.

Li Xin couldn't understand.

All the books written by sages guide people to do good, and all of them lead people to cultivate themselves.

County magistrates and prefects from various places are all on the gold list and are well-read in poetry and books.

Those gentry and country nobles all came from poetry and calligraphy families, had private schools, and studied since childhood.

But why do we turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people and the turmoil of the country, and even continue to drink and have fun?

The people were starving and impoverished, but even so, the county magistrate of Qi County still continued to collect money and food. Countless people sold their sons and daughters, and destroyed their families.

Those gentry and country nobles hoarded grain, raised the price of rice, and took the opportunity to buy fertile land and slaves at low prices.

The daily food relief was only some scattered rice porridge, and many people died because of it.

He took out the remaining food at home, but hundreds of stones of food were just a drop in the bucket for Qixian County, let alone the entire Kaifeng Prefecture.

He went around to encourage people to provide relief, but all he got in exchange was blank stares and closed doors.

It is said that good will be rewarded with good and evil will be punished with evil, but in the end, those gentry and country nobles who watched indifferently and made a lot of money were sitting back and relax, and they were full of sensuality.

But now he was accused of colluding with bandits and was sentenced to prison, which even affected his family and destroyed his family.

Li Xin felt painful in his heart. He thought about it for countless days and nights, but he couldn't understand these things.

The dance music in the market lingered in Li Xin's ears like a magic sound, torturing Li Xin's spirit.

Li Xin's eyes became more and more distracted, and his mind drifted to the sky with the faint sound of dance music. He knew that he was destined to never get out of this prison.

The squires regarded him as an alien, and the government officials regarded him as a traitor, and they all wanted to kill him and then be quick.

A sad smile appeared on the corner of Li Xin's mouth. In the final analysis, he was still too childish and too ridiculous.

He actually still believes in justice and morality.

It's ridiculous...

only……

If you give him another chance.

He will still stick to the moral principles in his heart, but he will definitely not repeat the same mistakes as before.

Unfortunately……

There are not so many ifs in this world...

The lights in the prison were dim, and the orange-red lights seemed to be blown out in a flash. Looking at it, Li Xin felt that he was just like this weak light, and there was thick darkness in all directions.

Outside the dungeon, the wind howled, blowing into the prison through the narrow vent, bringing with it terrifying wind roars.

The night was deep, and usually at this time, the noise outside the prison should stop, but I don't know why the noise outside the prison not only didn't stop, but got louder and louder.

The unusual situation also caused quite a commotion among the prisoners in the prison.

Li Xin's eyes moved slightly and he subconsciously looked towards the narrow window. His intuition told him that something big was happening in Qixian County at this time.

The noise is getting louder and louder, and all kinds of sounds are coming together. Because the separate sounds are far away, it is hard to hear clearly, but it is definitely not the kind of noise in the market...

Li Xin slowly stood up and sat on the cold, damp wall of the prison, staring at the dark cell door in front of him.

At this time, many prisoners in the prison had also woken up from their sleep.

"Why is it so noisy outside?"

All the prisoners in the prison were puzzled.

"The jailer is missing?!"

Someone in the cell near the prison door noticed something was wrong.

No matter what, one or two people should be left on duty in this prison, but the jailer who was originally on duty is now missing. I don’t know when and when he left the prison.

And the most important thing is that the dishes placed on the table have not been finished yet, so they are leaving in a hurry. Faced with the sudden disappearance of the jailer, there was an obviously unusual noise outside the prison.

All the prisoners in the cell were in a state of mind and wandering with their thoughts.

But all this soon calmed down again.

A burst of rapid hoofbeats came from far to near, accompanied by the neighing of war horses, reaching everyone's ears.

The noise of horses neighing outside the prison grew louder and louder, and soon someone entered the cell. From the sound of footsteps, it was judged that there were at least ten or twenty people coming.

Li Xin turned to look in the direction of the source of the sound. He could not see the scene at the cell door through the cell wall, but this did not affect the ups and downs of his thoughts.

The next moment, the very familiar voice sounded in the prison.

"Search cell after cell for me, and search them carefully!"

Li Xin's mind was shaken, and his dim eyes gradually brightened at this moment.

The sound of footsteps came from far away, and the dazzling lights shone into the dark cells, illuminating the entire cells as bright as day.

"Master Li, it's Mr. Li!"

Li Xin was tortured for many days. He did not eat or drink for several days, and he did not have the strength to stand up at all.

Li Xin has a handsome appearance and a face like a crown jewel. He is a handsome and noble prince.

But now, his face was pale, he was almost naked, his body was covered with bloodstains, and his prison clothes were even dyed red.

"Master Li..."

When everyone saw Li Xin in such miserable condition, they all burst into tears and choked with words.

Li Xin was helped out of the cell by everyone.

The originally dark cell was now as bright as day, and the darkness was no longer the same in all directions.

In the field of vision, standing at the door of the prison, a heroic female general in red robe stood with her sword in hand, surrounded by a group of armored soldiers at the front.

The red-robed female general was named Hong Niangzi. She was originally a prodigy who showed off her martial arts. Later, due to drought and locusts, they became bandits and gathered many refugees in the mountains and forests not far from Qixian County.

But the magistrate of Qi County, who was sitting in the county government office of Qi County, was kneeling on the ground and trembling like a bereaved dog.

Li Xin opened his mouth, his throat surged, and he wanted to speak, but in the end no words came out.

He didn't know what he could say or what he should say.

"Noburo..."

The air of silence was finally broken by the red-robed female general.

Seeing Li Xin's miserable appearance, the red lady's eyes turned red for a moment.

"Dog officer!"

The red lady kicked the kneeling magistrate of Qixian County to the ground and ordered angrily.

"Drag him down, give him a hundred lashes, pick off his head, and hang it on the city gate."

"I'll kill them all, including the young and old, not even one of them!"

The magistrate of Qixian County trembled all over, with a frightened look on his face. He no longer had the slightest bit of arrogance as he used to do while sitting in the high hall, and said in a trembling voice.

"You, you, you...how can you not respect your promise..."

Before the magistrate of Qixian County had finished speaking, two soldiers had already walked up and punched and kicked him until he was speechless.

A trace of intolerance flashed in Li Xin's eyes, but in the next moment, the trace of intolerance in his eyes had dissipated and he became determined.

After the red-robed female general finished giving the order, she looked at Li Xin again, then a trace of hesitation flashed across her face, and she wanted to give the order again.

Because she remembered that Li Xin was kind and had never liked her for being too murderous and abusing her power.

"You did the right thing."

Just when she was about to give another order, saying that the county magistrate's child should be spared, Li Xin's words confirmed her previous order.

The red lady's eyes moved slightly, and she had already seen the emotions in Li Xin's eyes.

"I was wrong before..."

Li Xin looked at the red lady in front of him, and he understood what he had never understood before.

Li Xin didn't have any complaints in his heart about this woman who kidnapped him and forcibly wanted to get married.

Even though it was precisely because of this reason that he was identified as a gangster, imprisoned, and his family was even destroyed because of it.

Li Xin knew very well that the real reason for all the suffering he was suffering now was not this. Hooking up with the bandits was just a hook and an excuse.

If this thing hadn't happened, the gentry, the nobles, the officials and the government would still be looking for other excuses and reasons.

"Noburo..."

The red lady stepped forward to support Li Xin. She stroked the scar on Li Xin's arm, and tears flowed down in an instant.

"I hurt you..."

"It's not because of you."

Li Xin shook his head, his voice was extremely weak, but extremely firm.

"They can always find a crime and they can always find an excuse."

They always have a reason and they always have an excuse.

In the past, they could put Yue Fei to death on "unfounded" charges.

What's the difficulty in killing Li Xin, a mere country squire?

Li Xin has completely given up all illusions.

The red lady stared at Li Xin's cheek. Li Xin's expression was resolute and his eyes were as deep as a well. Compared with before, he had an indescribable temperament.

Li Xin and Lady Hong stepped out of the prison surrounded by everyone.

Everyone outside the prison cheered involuntarily when they saw Li Xin, and asked to see him one after another.

In the past, Li Xin almost spent all his family wealth to provide relief to the victims, and his reputation inside and outside Qixian County was extremely high.

"Madam, are you willing to believe me?"

Li Xin held the red lady's hand tightly, his eyes were determined, making people want to be convinced.

The red lady's body trembled slightly. She had been waiting for such a long time and finally waited for this sentence.

"Tell me what your next plan is."

"plan?"

The red lady's eyes were puzzled, and she replied after pondering for a moment.

"I was wholeheartedly focused on saving Xinlang. I didn't think about what would happen next."

In fact, Li Xin had already known the red lady's answer, and the reason why he asked was just to pave the way for the follow-up.

"If Qixian County is defeated, it will be a shocking event. Officers and soldiers will definitely flock in. It is impossible for the lady to return to her old place and continue to be stable..."

"We have reached a point of no return."

The red lady was shocked at first, and then quickly calmed down.

In this era where men are superior to women, as a woman, she can survive in troubled times and even become the leader of a force. This has proven her extraordinary ability.

"Does Noburo have a plan?"

The bright moon is as bright as a jade plate, cold and cold.

Li Xin did not answer the red lady's words. He looked up at the bright moon in the night sky and made up his mind completely.

"From now on, I will no longer be called Li Xin. There is only Li Yan in this world, and there is no longer Li Xin."

He wants to be a rock, a rock that will stand firm no matter how hard it is.

There will be a chapter later, I guess the update is stuck. If it’s too late, book friends can wait until tomorrow to read it.