allonlinenovel Chapter 171 Locusts crossing the border
Chapter 171 Locusts crossing the border
After a long journey of more than ten days, Xiao Jingyan finally arrived in the capital.
He hadn't been back to Beijing for almost a year, and revisiting the old place reminded him of his youth.
Recently, for some reason, a lot of people have come to Beijing.
Xiao Jingyan waited in line at the city gate for the whole morning, but it was not his turn.
Not only were there a lot of people, but each of them was listless, their clothes were disheveled, and their limbs were weak.
He looked like he hadn't eaten for several days.
Suddenly, he found an old lady fainted not far away.
When the people around saw this, they all watched coldly.
"Oh, another one fainted from hunger."
"In this year of famine, I'm afraid it will be difficult for everyone to survive!"
"The only way is to go to the capital. With the protection of the emperor and the court, maybe we can find a way to survive."
The voices of the people's discussions soon caught Xiao Jingyan's attention.
He frowned slightly, walked over, helped the unconscious old lady up, and took her pulse briefly. It was indeed a coma caused by hunger.
"Auntie, come, have some water first?"
Xiao Jingyan supported the old lady and fed her some water from his own kettle. Seeing that she had recovered her breath, he asked loudly to the crowd:
"Who are her relatives?"
"The old man has fainted, and you won't come forward to help him?"
"Where are her children?"
He shouted a few times, but still no one came out to take care of the old lady.
Xiao Jingyan frowned and stared at the crowd carefully, when he suddenly saw a young man whose eyes met his.
Although both he and the old lady looked unkempt, it was not difficult to tell from their basic skeletal outlines that they were mother and son.
"You, she is your mother, don't try to deny it."
Xiao Jingyan pointed at the young man and asked him to leave the team.
Under the pressure of his gaze, the young man was forced to admit:
"Yes, she is my mother, but now the locusts have come through and the crops have been wiped out. We have been starving for over a month and haven't had anything to eat."
"I have three children to feed at home, and I really don't have any extra food to share with my old mother!"
The young man felt aggrieved.
Xiao Jingyan became even more confused after hearing what he said.
The young man knelt before the old lady, kowtowed and cried:
"Mother, I am an unfilial son. With such a natural disaster, I really can't get any food."
"You've lived to such an old age, so please go ahead and leave the food at home to your grandchildren!"
Before he finished speaking, he kowtowed several times to the old lady.
It was not difficult for Xiao Jingyan to see from this angle that although the old lady had not died yet, tears had already flowed from the corners of her eyes.
Soon, bright red blood began to flow from the corners of her mouth.
Xiao Jingyan couldn't help it, so he stepped forward to take a look, and she actually died by biting her tongue!
He stared at the scene in front of him with wide eyes in disbelief.
"You forced your mother to death?!"
He asked the young man in front of him angrily.
The young man did not refute his words, but cried in agony.
If there was any way, he would never have said those hurtful words just now.
What made Xiao Jingyan feel even more indifferent was that countless people present were just watching the fun silently. No one came to comment on the matter, and no one blamed the young man for his actions.
Instead, someone came to persuade Xiao Jingyan:
"Young man, in this day and age, the people are starving. Don't try to persuade others to be kind without first experiencing their suffering. This young man is really at his wit's end."
A skinny old man came out and advised with a sigh.
Xiao Jingyan glanced at the people around him, and everyone had the same look as the old man, and some even looked down on the scene.
It felt like what they had experienced was far worse than the current scene.
"Old man, I'm from Lingyao City. I don't know what happened near the capital. Please let me know."
Xiao Jingyan wanted to find out the situation, so he could only bow politely.
"As you can see, there is famine!"
The old man only said this one sentence and turned away.
He was in a hurry to get on with his journey and did not carefully observe the people and scenery along the way. He did not expect that the famine would be so severe.
Fortunately, there is enough food and grass in Lingyao City!
However, if this famine could really expand across the country, it might be more helpful for him to realize his and Shi Xi's dream and unify the entire Dayong.
He could open the city gates and allow more people to come to him.
Little by little, he infiltrated his own power into the entire Dayong!
With this in mind, it was his turn to go into the city.
When the officer saw that his household registration document showed that he was from Lingyao City, his attitude towards him instantly turned sour.
Xiao Jingyan really didn't understand. As a prince, there was no need for him to understand the thoughts of a soldier guarding the city.
He walked into the city calmly. He first found an inn to stay in, then found a few beggars and sent a message to the Wang and Guo families, asking them to gather at the slums near the city gate tomorrow night.
Most of the refugees from outside the city and some ruffians gathered here.
This place is also the only one under the emperor's feet that is not strictly managed.
It would be more advantageous for them to gather here and escape from this side.
The inn that Xiao Jingyan complained about is also nearby.
That night.
Shi Xi sent him a goodnight note.
Seeing that it was still early, Xiao Jingyan recorded a video and told Shi Xi what he saw and heard today.
When Shi Xi received the news, he was more worried about the people.
Locusts have been a major threat since ancient times.
Thinking about this, Shi Xi also gave Xiao Jingyan some scientific knowledge. In their modern agricultural planting, various insect repellent pesticides are used.
Although these pesticides are harmful to your health, using them sparingly to prevent pests is a good option.
"Xixi, since this thing is so good, don't forget to send us some when we start planting in the spring."
Xiao Jingyan starts making reservations now.
The two chatted for a while, said good night to each other and went to bed.
the next night.
The families of the Wang and Guo families came to this alley as Xiao Jingyan said in the letter.
Seeing that they were all there, Xiao Jingyan hurriedly asked Shi Xi to send the RV over.
Shi Xi had already driven the RV back home in advance and it was now parked in her yard.
After receiving Xiao Jingyan's message, she immediately pasted the scroll on the RV. The huge RV instantly turned into stars and disappeared in the yard.
Fortunately, it was night time now and the aunts had already returned to the newly rented house.
The huge RV appeared in the alley, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the alley.
Xiao Jingyan called a few people and quickly got into the car.
But there are still some thugs who want to rob them for money, especially to find out what's inside this huge iron house.
Xiao Jingyan didn't indulge them at all.
These little hooligans are the parasites of this place, so it’s no pity to kill them.
"Hurry up and get in the car. I'll stop them."
As he spoke, the long sword was already unsheathed.
The Queen Mother was the oldest among them. She was supported by an old maid who was about the same age as her, and she walked with great difficulty.
By the time she got in the car, Xiao Jingyan had already killed three or five people.
These vicious criminals deserve to die.
But there were some smart ones among them who knew that they could not subdue the young man in front of them with their own abilities, so they simply reported to the authorities.
When Xiao Jingyan drove the RV and led everyone out of the alley, a large number of imperial guards and constables surrounded them.
"Listen up, everyone inside! Come down and surrender!"
The leading general could look at Xiao Jingyan through the windshield of the car.
Xiao Jingyan tugged at his collar slightly, removed the human skin mask from behind his ears, looked at the soldier who was blocking the way in front of him, and whispered:
"troublesome!"