The midsummer sun was shining, and the weather was so hot that it made people dizzy. There had been a few light rains in the past few days, but it stopped in the blink of an eye. There was only a thin layer on the streets, and the withering wheat in the fields was slightly relieved, but the spring drought had a serious impact on farming.
The damage was extremely severe, and less than half of it survived until now. It is a foregone conclusion that this year's autumn harvest will be poor.
But Luoyang City has a very solid foundation, accumulated over four hundred years, and has the qualifications for a true king.
Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, people have attached great importance to the economy. Although the imperial treasury was empty and even rats were unwilling to visit Changpingcang, there were many wealthy households in Luoyang. Although the people's food reserves were scarce, they could still support themselves for a while. The key was the inheritance passed down from the pre-Qin period.
There are many deep wells, which guarantee domestic water and some agricultural water. Farming in the fields outside the city can barely sustain itself, and not many people starve to death.
A hundred meters away from a government office, in a hotel, the owner and a few waiters were serving wine to the guests with their breasts exposed. However, the popular spirits in the past few years have finally faded away. Dong Taishi's Mansion, where there was a banquet on New Year's Eve,
Ordinary people still can't afford the luxury, and it's hard to drink even light water wine, so most of them drink rice milk with a cool and slightly sour taste.
A black-covered ox cart with ordinary decoration drove through the streets in the south of the city. The hardwood wheels had been used for several years and the rims were somewhat worn. It looked like the owner's family was of average wealth. This kind of ox cart was very inconspicuous in a dense market.
And no one bothered to pay attention to these small details. At the beginning of the month, the Xiliang army set off to conquer the people of Luoyang's suburban counties and went to Chang'an. Because they had to transport a large amount of property Dong Zhuo had stolen from the imperial mausoleum, the first batch of 50,000 people moved away.
On the road, he died of exhaustion, thirst, and starvation... nearly half of him fell down. The incident spread back to Luoyang and caused an uproar, and people all over the city were panic-stricken.
"Dong Zhuo is afraid that if we resist, he will kill us bit by bit..."
In normal times, there is no way. People's hearts cannot resist the power, and no matter how angry they are, it is difficult to turn into resistance. Or a few come forward, only to be suppressed by Dong Zhuo. They even pour oil on them and light sky lanterns cruelly. Using this naked display of cruelty to create terror is undoubtedly
It is a powerful weapon that has always been used to suppress people's hearts. It was enough to suppress everything before Dong Zhuo's military power collapsed.
This has always been the case in history. The road to moving the capital became a bloody road, with half of the people dying on the road.
However, in the past two days, there were rumors that the coalition forces protesting against Dong had gathered outside Hulao Pass. This kind of terrorist suppression had problems. A glimmer of light leaked out of the dark clouds overhead, allowing people to see a "choice."
There was a spark that was ignited and spread uncontrollably among the people in Luoyang.
Especially at the lowest level where Dong Zhuo cannot penetrate, everything is available. It is impossible to catch and kill.
Half a month ago, the earliest prophecy of Chi Xiao's destiny appeared, and it quickly spread among the markets in Luoyang. Not only the brothels and taverns where the news gathered, but also the traders and footmen in remote alleys could vividly tell the story of Chi Xiao's flight to the sky.
, spreading as fast as a wildfire starting a prairie fire.
"Dong Zhuo is in chaos, Chi Xiao escapes, this is destiny, the Xiliang army is going to be finished..." In the hotel, someone lags behind in information and mysteriously said the original version: "This is the White Snake Sword. I heard the alchemist say
,Dong Zhuo is not from the West..."
"Ignorant, listen carefully, the Xiliang army is generally black, and this is to use Han to conquer Qin." Some people have heard it before, and they take advantage of this to show their cleverness.
But some people don't care about the details and just ask: "In short, Han's virtue is not exhausted, but he doesn't know where the sword fell?"
"Among the heroes of Guandong, no one is better than Dong Hei..."
The world is a place where people and things gather together. The city of Luoyang is so big and there are so many 500,000 people, but the black-roofed ox cart drives by, and there are always similar discussions in different places.
At this time, someone would "happen" to refute: "It is Liu Shijun who issued a petition against Dong, Queen Mother Fengjia visited Xuchang, and there are also the two emperors' edicts."
"Shh..."
"What are you afraid of? I have a cousin who is on duty at Hulao Pass. I heard that Liu Shijun was about to attack, but I didn't see that the faces of the Qiang soldiers in Dong's army were getting uglier day by day..."
A clear stance can break through the barriers of social class, or just curse Dong Zhuo at this time, and it can immediately resonate between two strangers.
What they heard along the way seemed to confirm this, causing the people in the oxcart to fall into deep thought and estimate.
The sounds outside the car gradually became quieter. As soon as we turned to the main street, there were groups of soldiers patrolling. There would be no such objection. The people were very realistic. No one wanted to die if they could no longer survive.
In addition, ordinary people have relatively little information. Even if there are people behind it, the information circulating is not the latest.
"This point must be considered carefully. When excited..." Someone in the oxcart whispered, and then the maid asked in confusion: "Master?"
"nothing……"
Luoyang South Street is wide. Ox carts drive through the Kaiyang Gate in the southeast of the city. There are queues for inspections entering and exiting the city. The guard captain roughly lifted the curtain and glanced at the young scholar in the middle.
Among the incense from the Western Regions commonly used by Luoyang aristocrats, I saw this male scholar sitting upright, wearing simple red clothes with a straight skirt, giving off a royal look. He looked to be no more than 18 or 19 years old, but his face was handsome but elegant, with a hint of elegance.
pressure.
The inspecting guard leader couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He didn't dare to look more, and then he turned to the pretty maid behind him, his eyes flashing with greed.
He was ordered by the Grand Master to search for a woman codenamed Yin Yue, which made the people below him pretend to be powerful. From time to time, they would use this opportunity to rob beautiful girls they saw.
It can be seen that the owner of the car is so noble, he is probably an imperial student who skipped classes, and he is not sure what kind of base he is - you know, if Dong Hei doesn't want to see the officials of the original court, these officials have the energy to crush one with just a finger.
The captain of the guard team.
In the end, it was a small person like the corps commander who suffered the biggest loss. In the end, this person did not dare to rape the pretty maid, but only gave her twenty copper coins and let her go.
As he gritted his teeth and watched the oxcart leave the city, the corps commander recalled the beauty of the maid and muttered bitterly: "In a few days, we will all move to the capital, and there will be chaos. Whether you are a maid of a nobleman or a noble daughter of a noble family, we will not be able to play with you however we want."
How to play..."
In the bullock cart, the young scholar frowned slightly and twirled his long fingers.
"Whoosh——" An ice crystal silver needle flashed instantly and pierced into the heart of the team leader ten meters away.
The corps commander was licking his lips and smacking his tongue, secretly feeling proud. He suddenly felt a pain in his heart and felt a little uncomfortable. When the guards on the left and right saw him, they quickly asked: "Commander, this is the hottest time. It's so cool inside. Please come in and rest."
Come on, we’ll get it if we work.”
"No need." The team leader smiled gloomily and said, "The copper coins charged for each cart vary. I'm a little worried about giving it to you."
Just as he was talking, he saw another car approaching. He felt that the slight pain subsided, so he didn't think it was strange and continued to move forward.
The two guards flattered the horse and slapped it on the leg. They couldn't help but look at each other, secretly spat, and had no choice but to continue to follow with an apologetic smile.
"Master... just now?" In the carriage, the maid saw the action and asked.
"Hmph, my ice crystal silver needle can kill people invisible. This person is fine for the time being. When this person comes home from work, he will suddenly die of angina. If he dies at home, no one will care."
"However, Dong Hei is surrounded by judges who are secretly protecting him, so these little tricks of mine are useless."
At this point, the ox cart had already gone five miles from the city gate and slowed down in front of a large open building.
Not far from Kaiyang Gate are many official ceremonial buildings, all built along the Luoshui River from west to east.
First is the most western Lingtai. This huge building complex covering an area of 60 acres is the National Astronomical Observatory for stargazing. It was founded by Emperor Guangwu 200 years ago. It observes cloud objects, observes Fuli, and anticipates disasters. Zhang Heng served as Taishi twice.
During this period, he presided over astronomical observations and astronomical research on the central high platform. He invented a seismometer that senses the direction of earthquakes and still placed it under the platform, which became famous throughout the country.
Further east on the riverside is the larger "Mingtang Piyong". It was a building inherited from ancient times for clan members to discuss politics. It also served as an auditorium for pilgrims, sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth, and various state affairs for ancestors. It was also called Piyong.
To serve as a university education auditorium...
The main body of this multi-functional building is a tall and spectacular square house, each side is forty meters long, surrounded by clear water canals, with twenty-eight columns reaching the sky, symbolizing the twenty-eight constellations, or Yuntai II.
Eighteen generals, if Ye Qing were stunned here - could it be the Great Hall of the People?
But these are not the reasons why the car stopped, but the large-scale building complex with an area of 200 acres further ahead - Taixue, the highest institution of learning in the empire built by Emperor Guangwu, in which there are many pavilions, continuous monasteries, and green buildings.
It is shaded and has 30,000 students.
Just like when Ye Qing first came here, everyone had to drive slower here because of the traffic jam.
At dusk, when school was over, tens of thousands of Taixue students poured out from the various gates of Taixue. The flow of people was chaotic. Some walked together, some drove themselves, and some servants came to pick them up. For a while, the flow of people, cars and horses occupied the field of vision. Their clothes were like clouds, and they were sweating like rain.
Blocking the nearby hundred-foot-wide street in this sunset.
The Tai students called their friends, shouted loudly, talked loudly, and were very unrestrained. They just talked about what they had learned. Some Tai students even criticized mulberry trees and locust trees in the street, and discussed government affairs, without fear of being arrested by Dong Zhuo to pour oil on the sky lanterns.
In fact, those who dared to do this were all deep-rooted, either from a noble family or a famous teacher or disciple. They embodies the spirit of righteousness in the late Han Dynasty, and they were not afraid of tigers as newborn calves. They were really unafraid of Dong Zhuo's tyranny.
The Xiliang army guards at Kaiyang Gate not far away could all hear it. Regardless of whether they understood or not, they could always guess a little bit and just pretended not to hear.
Or you can choose to report them, but the power of the clan is rising vigorously, and the overall power is so terrifying that even Dong Zhuo can only comfort him. After the incident has come back, they, the little people, will be crushed to death. When will they be tricked by a group of imperial students?
He was dragged into an alley with a cloth bag and beaten to death without even knowing it.
After several such precedents, no one dared to step forward, and the Qiang soldiers did not understand Chinese, allowing such bizarre and counter-insurgent situations to happen again and again at the gate of Luoyang.
Thinking of the unpleasant extortion incident just now in the black-capped ox cart, he listened to the maid's complaint: "When you see the power of a car, you dare to bully me, but when you see the power of thousands of people, you shrink back, and the military trumpet of Xiliang is
A jackal is actually a timid rat..."
The kind of master he has will influence the kind of maidservant he is. This venting of anger was too formal, causing a chuckle in the car. It was the voice of the young master, who then whispered and became quiet.
Although the master and servant were both well-educated, they knew that they were just pretending and were not real students, so there was no need to imitate the angry youth and get into trouble.