It must be mentioned that compared to real refugees, the situation of these Jiangnan local tyrants who migrated north is much better. Their family property is basically preserved, food and clothing can be guaranteed, they are protected by official servants and are not harmed by bandits. Even if they have to pay for safety, People like them are prime targets for robbery.
For them, the future has become blurry since they embarked on the journey north, and their future is unpredictable and their safety is unpredictable. Under such circumstances, they are lucky to be able to reach Pizhou safely.
Of course, this journey of thousands of miles is not smooth, with many twists and turns, accompanied by illness, death, and escape...
There were a total of 156 households in this batch of relocations. Basically, the whole family was relocated, with the elderly and the young supported, and even many children and servants accompanying them. The queue stretched for nearly two miles, and there were quite a few people. Cars and horses occupied almost the entire road. Such a team was not easy to manage, but the officers had swords, whips, and sticks.
In fact, after traveling such a long way, they could still buy a car and borrow animal power, which shows that these people are really wealthy. At the end of the team, one of the brown-painted carriages slowly followed the team, making a harsh sound between the wheels and axles. It seemed like the journey was difficult. The groom's face and hands were red from the cold, and he held the reins tightly, with hot steam spurting out every time he breathed. The gaps in the carriage were tightly packed, but it was difficult to make them airtight.
The space in the carriage seemed very cramped, but it was filled with four people, two adults and two children, and a family, huddled among the bedding. Their mental state was extremely poor, and their bodies were even more tortured. They were used to the comfortable environment and climate in the south of the Yangtze River, and in the northwest. The dry and bitter cold is not something they can easily get used to, let alone the wind and dew.
"Mom, I'm cold!" The pleasant-looking little girl looked at her mother with a pair of innocent eyes and said aggrievedly.
Her flushed face was both cold and stuffy. The woman had the softness of a woman from a water town. Without saying much, she untied her clothes, pulled her daughter's breasts into her arms, pressed them against her abdomen, and then held her beloved daughter in her arms. .At this time, only relatives can hug each other for warmth.
On the other side, there was a middle-aged man and a young man, a father and son. The middle-aged man seemed to be somewhat well-educated, but he looked at his wife and daughter with a look of unbearability on his face, and his eyes revealed, It is a feeling of helplessness and melancholy.
Many problems and troubles cannot be solved with money. This was something he realized before and after he was ordered to move north. The young man beside him was leaning against the wall of the car, his body shaking with the bumps of the car, but his eyes were blind. God, his eyes were distracted, and when he came back to his senses occasionally, he showed a hint of resentment and ferocity.
"Dad, how long until we arrive?" Finally, the young man spoke, his voice seemed a bit dull.
The middle-aged man was silent for a moment and said comfortingly: "If what the officer said is true, it will be over soon!"
The young man said nothing and closed his eyes again. The father and son were named Yuan, their father was Yuan Zhen and their son was Yuan Ke. Along the way, as they were getting farther and farther away from home, and in the process of enduring hardships and distributing money, Yuan Ke kept asking for help. Father asked.
Why should we sell our property and leave our relatives and friends?
Why did the court do this?
Why not relocate those poor people and farmers?
Why can some people not be evicted?
Is it a sin to have money and land?
Will those who embezzled their property get retribution?
Why must we go to the northwest?
...
By the time he got to Guanzhong, the boy rarely asked those questions anymore. It was not that his father gave him clear and correct answers, but that the boy had gradually matured and knew that reality could not be changed and knew how to adapt to the environment.
However, when his consciousness was in a trance, he still couldn't help but recall the bustling manor in Jiangnan, the comfortable residence, the friends in the neighborhood, the groups of slaves, farmers, and the beautiful maid who took care of his daily life that he loved very much...
...
However, these can only be presented in memories and fantasies in dreams. Once he regains consciousness, he is still surrounded by severe cold and desolation during this arduous journey. And every time he thinks about this, young Yuan Ke's heart can't help but be filled with hatred.
It's just that I don't know how to vent it out.
Along the way, he thought about escaping and sneaking back to his hometown, but was severely warned by his father Yuan Zhen. At first, the young man did not understand the difficulties and consequences of escaping. Just like his long series of questions, his father could not explain them.
It was clear to me, but after seeing the fate of those "practitioners" later, I became decisive and honest.
That's right, not only the young Yuan Ke thought about escaping, but there were also people who took action. The result was that he was quickly discovered, hunted, and locked back. For southerners, as they were farther and farther away from the south of the Yangtze River, in the place of life.
It’s easy to escape from the unfamiliar north. Even if you don’t pass through the towns, even if you just go to the countryside, you can’t easily hide your traces. Or, you can avoid the mountains and forests, but almost become a savage. I’m afraid of the result.
The fate would be worse than being moved to the northwest.
And those who were captured were not simply educated, just scolded and ended. Because it delayed the trip and wasted time, the county captain in custody became furious and ordered whippings. They all came from the same place. The result was that they were merciless and the whippings were not flawless.
He spared no effort, beat until he was wailing, beat until his flesh and blood were bloody, and he refused to give up...
In the end, several fleeing people died one after another due to lack of medical treatment and fatigue as they continued on their way. From that time on, many people realized that although they were relocated by the imperial court, these people who were accompanying them
The official officers, called "guards", lead the way and escort them. In fact, in the eyes of these police officers, they are just property-rich prisoners. If they ruin their work and affect the mission, they will never show mercy, and because of their suspicion, they will
There is a hatred of the rich and a lot of making things difficult. Along the way, extortion and extortion have also happened frequently.
This group of people basically came from Jurong County. Yuan Zhen and his son were born and raised in the south of the Yangtze River, but strictly speaking, the Yuan family cannot be regarded as southerners. Their ancestral home is Caizhou, and Yuan Zhen’s grandfather was a native of the south of the Yangtze River as early as the late Tang Dynasty.
To avoid the war, the family moved south. His father joined the army and attended a military academy. However, he was seriously injured in the war with Wu and Yue, so he retired and returned to his home. However, he also accumulated a lot of family property.
By the time it was passed to Yuan Zhen, the Yuan family had integrated into Jurong and had established a firm foothold in the local area. They owned more than 40 hectares of land, which was incomparable to those wealthy people. However, they were still somewhat famous. How could they not be targeted?
?
Affected by the environment, Yuan Zhen was also a man of culture. He read poetry and books, practiced scriptures, and had some knowledge. He saw the collapse of the Jinling court, and did not seek a scientific examination or become an official. He just managed his own land and property.
, do this "field house man" quietly.
Moreover, although the family owns two to three thousand acres of farmland, unlike those powerful men who run rampant in the countryside, they rarely show off, have a strict family tradition, and often do good deeds, which makes them quite famous in Jurong.
However, Yuan Zhen, who claims to be an honest man, can hardly be called "innocent" under the great government of the imperial court. In the face of power, the so-called wealth and reputation have become false, and they are no longer worth an official document or an order from the government.
When Han Xizai took office and started the matter of relocating the wealthy people, many people panicked, ran around, contacted, wanted to escape, and even resisted. The reaction was the same as everyone else's. At first they didn't believe it, then they waited and watched, and then as
The situation continued to become tense, and I began to panic, and then I began to seek to avoid eviction. After all, it was impossible for the court to relocate all the powerful landowners in Jiangnan.
Yuan Zhen also made a lot of efforts, seeking connections and relying on connections, but the results were very poor. Many of the families he placed his hope on were unable to save themselves. As expected, the Yuan family also received an order to move, with a one-month deadline to prepare.
When people are pushed into a hurry, they will always resist. Although Yuan Zhen is a scholar, he has also tried his best. However, as news from various aspects came, he decisively gave in. In order to resist the relocation order, some wealthy families with strong attitudes decided to
Simply turning a blind eye, or even gathering clans, villagers, and tenants to occupy the manor and resist, is probably the most stupid approach. More than a dozen wealthy families who did this had their property confiscated and were sent into exile, which became a typical example.
Later, the local tycoons in the south of the Yangtze River discovered that the imperial court decided to relocate based on the amount of land, so some people had the idea to divide their land among clan members and tenants to dilute their own land.
Sure enough, it worked, and Yuan Zhen followed suit. Not long after, the government's order came, asking the people to go to the Yamen to register according to the existing land conditions, and collect the two taxes in the future. In this way, the government's
The intention is clear at a glance, just to divide their land. While angry, they are also relieved. In the eyes of many people, if they can save less land and avoid being relocated, it is worth it. As long as the foundation is still there, in the future
There is hope, and the days are still long.
However, the actual situation is that the imperial court's policy of relocating wealthy people is still going on under the leadership of Han Xizai. Yuan Zhen later received a very tough relocation order from Jurong County. At that time, he slowly realized that the imperial court was
Maybe it's not just a matter of land.
He paid a high price, but all his efforts were in vain. When he learned that relocation was inevitable, Yuan Zhen had no choice but to settle for the next best thing, hoping to move to Hunan. The result was obvious, everyone wanted to go to Hunan, and in the end
The competition is still about who has the upper hand and who has the connections.
As for those who belonged to the Yuan family, who had lost the opportunity and whose connections were not strong enough, they had no choice but to embark on the road of moving north together with more than a hundred families of powerful landowners from Jurong and Lishui.
