Lin County, Henan Province, Lin County is the Lin County where the famous Red Flag Canal is located in later generations. Lin County suffers from water shortages.
Due to the unique geographical structure and environment, Lin County is extremely short of water, experiencing droughts nine times out of ten years, and severe droughts year after year. The droughts in Lin County are far from comparable to those in other places.
In other places, when droughts hit the sky, there is no harvest, and farmers have no harvests. But here in Lin County, when there is a drought, even drinking water for people and animals becomes a problem. Rivers dry up and wells dry up, and you often have to go dozens of miles to carry water.
outside.
Lin County is very poor. The whole county has undulating mountains, criss-crossed ravines, thin soil and thick rocks, and has experienced droughts for nine out of ten years. The mountains are bare and the mountains are scarce, and water is as expensive as oil. The wealthy families are forced to rent and pay debts, and the poor are worried day and night. The entire Lin County is in a state of hunger and drought.
Pass in moderation.
During severe droughts, it is very common for people to lose their lives because of a load of water.
At this moment, on the pipeline leading from Lin County to the outside, thousands of Lin County people are dragging their families and moving out, preparing to immigrate to Liaodong, the Western Regions, Nanyang and other regions.
Anyway, you can go anywhere, as long as you leave Lin County.
Since the imperial court began to organize immigration, people in Lin County who had immigrated outside in the early stage have gradually sent back the news, and the entire Lin County has begun to set off a wave of immigration.
Especially this time, with the imperial court issuing documents to immigrate millions of people to the Western Regions, almost all the people in Lin County are living in empty houses. Regardless of whether there is a quota or not, almost everyone is ready to immigrate abroad.
On the official road leaving Lin County, groups of people from Lin County were migrating. Some were pushing carts, some were carrying burdens, and some were carrying packages, thinking about the outside world.
"Country folks, please don't believe what those people say. There is no place like your hometown in the outside world."
"This Western Region is thousands of miles away. It is said that they are all desert areas, even drier than our Lin County. Where else can there be a large number of Tatars, and those Tatars are murderous without blinking an eye."
"Liaodong has been a land of bitter cold since ancient times. I heard it's so cold that you'll freeze to death wherever you go. What's a good place?"
"And there is Nanyang, which is a barbarian land, full of miasma. Mosquitoes are big enough to eat people, and there are so many that they can even suck cows dry."
"Everyone should calm down first. A kennel of gold and silver is not as good as a kennel at home. No matter how good it is outside, it is not our hometown. No matter how bad Lin County is, it is still our hometown."
"Don't be deceived easily. It's better to calm down first. This year, as long as you rent my family's land for farming, I will only charge 30% of the rent. 30%, just 30%!"
Mr. Cai Lin, the landlord, stood beside the road, looking at the groups of people dragging their families and moving out, and he felt very anxious.
There are really too many people who have moved out this year. Almost nine out of ten households are empty. People from nine out of ten households are migrating and immigrating outside.
Originally, at first Mr. Lin felt that their life and death had nothing to do with him, so he could just move out if they moved out. After they moved out, he took the opportunity to seize some people's fields.
Some people also moved out and sold their fields cheaply, which Mr. Lin took advantage of. He occupied a lot of fields at once, and he even prepared to increase the rent this year.
After all, a large amount of silver flows into the Ming Dynasty every year, which causes the price of goods in the Ming Dynasty to start to rise. Silver is no longer as valuable as before. If the rent does not increase, the standard of living will decline.
However, Mr. Lin soon became dumbfounded.
Because there were so many people migrating out, almost all the tenants who had rented Mr. Lin's land for farming for generations decided to emigrate.
It looked like spring plowing was about to begin, but no one came to rent land from him. If it had been in the past, needless to say, these people themselves would have come to their homes and begged him to rent more land for them to plant.
No one rents their own fields, so you can’t cultivate them yourself, right?
Mr. Lin panicked and began to persuade these people with earnest words not to immigrate. Not only did he not increase the rent, but he also lowered the rent.
But still no one paid attention to Mr. Lin. Everyone knew the news. As long as they were willing to emigrate, not only would they have enough water to drink, but they would also have a lot of fields, and they would still have their own fields. Who would be willing to stay in this poor place like Lin County?
"Wang Laogen, you are already old, you still want to immigrate?"
Master Lin saw an old man and hurriedly walked over and said.
This man named Wang Laogen is already fifty years old. He has been farming for the Lin family since Mr. and Mrs. Lin. He has been farming for the Lin family for almost his whole life.
"Yes, even if I die, I will die outside, in my own field."
Wang Laogen nodded solemnly and clenched the wooden stick in his hand. His eyes were full of longing for the future life. The same was true for all of Wang Laogen's sons around him.
Hearing Wang Laogen's words, Mr. Lin said with some disbelief: "It's hard to leave this homeland. Fallen leaves return to their roots. Why are you doing this?"
"Your family has farmed the land for my family for several generations. As long as you don't go out, I will only charge you 20% of the rent this year?"
"Mr. Lin, our ancestors have been farming for your family for generations, but in the end we don't even have enough to eat. Now as long as we immigrate to the Western Regions and Liaodong, we can have our own fields. Who will farm the land for you?"
Wang Laogen's son smiled and shook his head. After that, he continued on the road. The road was still long, but they walked very firmly, with hope in their eyes. The road under their feet was not painful at all.
"Are you all crazy?"
"Is everything the court said true?"
"Who knows what the outside world will be like, what's wrong with Lin County."
Mr. Lin stared blankly at the Wang Laogen family walking forward step by step, and then looked at the huge team migrating on the pipeline. Although everyone was in ragged clothes, his eyes were full of hope.
"No, no~"
"If this continues, even if the entire land in Lin County belongs to me, no one will farm it for me."
Mr. Lin realized an extremely serious problem, so he hurried to the Lin County government office.
He was going to discuss this issue with the magistrate of Lin County. He must ask the magistrate to come forward and prohibit these people from migrating out. Otherwise, the entire Lin County would exist in name only, and such a large Lin County might not even have a few thousand people in the end.
Lin County Government Office, Mr. Lin came here in a hurry. When he arrived at Lin County, he discovered that a large number of gentry from Lin County had gathered in the entire Lin County Government Office. At this time, all of them were as anxious as Mr. Lin.
"Oh, all my tenants are gone. Spring is about to start, but no one comes to me to rent land for farming."
"No, it's the same in my family. Nine of the ten villages in my village are empty, and the remaining one is preparing to move out. There are no people left, and nine of the ten houses are empty. Who will farm the land for us in the future?
"
"Yes, yes, no one gives us land to farm, what do we eat and drink?"
"The government doesn't care about it and encourages immigrants. This is simply a policy that harms the country and the people. We gentry will all starve to death in the future."
Many gentry and landowners gathered together were discussing anxiously. The situation was really serious.
There are really too many people migrating here in Lin County.
The impoverished Lin County is considered the poorest place in Henan. It is also the place where immigrants are most active and thorough in Henan. Almost all the people in Lin County are moving out.
Many gentry and masters asked for an audience, and soon Li Rusong, the magistrate of Lin County, also hurriedly came out.
Seeing Li Rusong coming out, many landowners and gentry also hurriedly spoke out in a hurry. The core meaning was only one, that is, Li Rusong must step forward immediately to block the channels out of Lin County and strictly enforce it.
People from Lin County are prohibited from migrating out.
"Everyone, I know how you feel, and I understand your concerns."
"I am also worried about the future of Lin County. After all, only one person has everything. People in Lin County are migrating in large numbers, and the entire Lin County will exist in name only. I have also reported the situation of our Lin County to the state capital. I think it will be soon
There will be news."
"As for what everyone is talking about now, I'm afraid I have no way to deal with it, because the imperial court encourages immigration. The imperial court has repeatedly issued orders asking local governments to do a good job in immigration-related work and not to affect the development of immigration work."
Li Rusong looked at the landowners and gentry in Lin County in front of him and said quickly.
He knew the situation in Lin County very well. It was the poorest place in Henan. There was a serious drought and water shortage here, and it was reasonable for people to immigrate in large numbers.
The landowners and gentry in front of us are in a hurry. The sheep have all gone, and they, the wolves, have no sheep to eat. Even though they occupy a large amount of land, if there is no one to cultivate it for them, they can only drink from the northwest wind.
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"Master Li, this matter has become extremely urgent. If you don't take action, in a few days, our Lin County will be empty."
Mr. Lin said anxiously, there are too many people migrating out, it's impossible not to be anxious.
"I have reported the situation to the state capital. Now that everyone wants to leave, I have no choice. Firstly, this is an order from the court. Secondly, if people want to leave, even if they stay for a while, they will not stay for a lifetime."
Li Rusong said helplessly that he had already decided to leave Lin County. The Western Regions, Nanyang and other places needed a large number of officials, and he had already applied to the higher authorities.
Looking at the anxious expressions of the landowners and gentry in front of him, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He didn't expect that one day these landowners and gentry would worry about their fields being left uncultivated.
