Chapter 24: You Are Not In Exile You Are Clearly Traveling!
Chapter 24: The Terrifying Southern Barbarians
Chen Yuan also chatted with Zhou Yu. The two of them were just missing a pot of wine and a plate of peanuts. They could have talked for even longer.
Even Zhou Yu reluctantly left, repeatedly stating that they could still come to him if they needed anything in the future.
"Dad, what did you say to him to make him so eager?" Chen Xue was curious.
"Oh, nothing much," Chen Yuan replied with some dissatisfaction. "I just hinted subtly that we still have opportunities ahead, and people like him who want to climb up naturally will take the bait..."
In fact, it was indeed the case.
Having served as a bailiff for several years, Zhou Yu was well aware that although these officials had been exiled, who knew if they would be reinstated the next day? This was not an uncommon occurrence.
In fact, he had seen it happen many times.
Even current prime ministers had been exiled multiple times, only to be reinstated by the emperor the following year.
Only those with no foresight would dare to look down on these exiled officials. People with some insight knew that as long as they were alive, these high-ranking officials had the potential to rise again. So, it was best not to offend them, and if possible, to build good relationships with them.
Furthermore, Xu Tian, a bailiff with a background, often whispered in their ears to take good care of Chen's father and the like. After hearing it many times, they remembered it.
After some interaction, they were also willing to help, and Chen's father was generous. Although he didn't know where the rumor came from that he was penniless, Zhou Yu felt that it was somewhat unfounded.
Chen Yuan was obviously very wealthy. Where did the rumor of being penniless come from?
"Therefore, besides using both kindness and power, there are many other means..." Chen Yuan imparted some of his experiences in officialdom to Chen Xue. Although his daughter wasn't going to become an official, it wouldn't hurt for her to learn a little more.
Boom!
Thunder rumbled overhead, and everyone's faces changed instantly.
"Pick up the pace!"
"Snap!"
"If you don't want to end up soaked, hurry up and move!"
"The inn is not far ahead. Once we get there, we can rest."
The bailiffs looked at the darkening sky and felt the gusty wind, urging everyone on by waving their whips.
The prisoners also grew anxious. If they didn't find shelter from the rain soon, they would all get drenched.
Getting wet was one thing; if they fell ill, the bailiffs wouldn't kindly fetch a doctor for them.
The Chen family also quickened their pace. Although they had a carriage to shelter from the rain, their servants didn't. If the servants fell ill, it would be troublesome.
Boom!
Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes.
Despite everyone hastening their pace, they still couldn't reach the inn before the rain. Helplessly, the officials had to retreat to the carriage to seek shelter from the rain, while the prisoners had to take cover in the woods.
Splash!
The raindrops, as big as beans, fell from the sky, pounding the ground. Soon after, the wind roared, swirling up sand and leaves, howling at the people.
The prisoners huddled under the trees, trying to minimize the area exposed to the rain, even shielding the elderly and children among them.
The pouring rain soon enveloped the entire world. The prisoners shivered under the trees like a circle of quails.
Boom!
Lightning flashed, and the loud thunder scared countless children into screams.
Luckily, there were no lightning strikes.
"A rainy autumn brings the cold!" Chen Yuan looked at the rain outside, unable to help but sigh. After this rain, the weather would turn cooler.
Because of the heavy rain, the officials had sought shelter, so there was no need to rush anymore. The Chen family huddled in their carriage.
"Today is the second day of exile. Although it's still early, we need to consider our plans after being exiled to the Southern Wilderness..." Chen Yuan had never been to the Southern Wilderness, but he had heard some things. "The environment there is extremely harsh, filled with miasma, snakes, rats, ants, and so on..."
In short, in the Southern Wilderness, poverty and harsh conditions awaited. Those exiled there would generally not survive for more than a few years.
Although Chen Xue had never been there, she could refer to the harsh conditions of the ancient southern regions from her previous life, which were similar to the Southern Wilderness here.
The Southern Wilderness was extremely humid and inhospitable, not to mention various dangers like miasma, snakes, rats, ants, and occasional harassment by the Southern Barbarians.
These exiled people were sent to the Southern Wilderness not only to develop it to make it suitable for living but also to defend against the Southern Barbarians.
Of course, they weren't sent there to fight the Southern Barbarians; after all, they couldn't stop them even if they went. They were sent for logistical support.
These exiled criminals would be arranged in exile towns and villages to cultivate the land, grow crops, and provide food for the soldiers stationed there.
The soldiers were busy with training on ordinary days and had no time for farming. Moreover, the area was remote, and they couldn't purchase food, so they needed these exiled people.
"So, I asked Xu Tian..." Chen Yuan looked at his wife and daughter. "Our destination for exile is Xinxiang Village, which was established just last year. The last group of exiles is living there..."
"Xinxiang's environment is extremely harsh. It's said that three hundred people were exiled there last year, and this year, there are less than fifty left..."
"Hiss~" The crowd couldn't help but gasp. Less than fifty left out of three hundred people - what did that high mortality rate indicate? It indicated that the place was truly harsh.
"Although I don't want to scare you, the reality may be even more severe..." Chen Yuan sighed. The border guards would probably report false information to save face and secure their official positions.
So, it was possible that even fewer people had survived in Xinxiang.
"Why is the death rate so high... Dad, have you found out the reasons?" Chen Xue was nervous. She thought the journey of exile was terrifying enough, only to find out that it was just the appetizer.
"Food, diseases, Southern Barbarian invasions... these are all issues!" Chen Yuan sighed. "Especially food... after we arrive there, we won't be provided with food. At most, they will provide some seeds, but seeds can't be eaten. If next year's harvest doesn't meet the requirements, we will be driven out and left to starve in the mountains..."
Chen Xue now understood the situation there. After they arrived, they would be arranged in the village, and the bailiffs would only provide seeds. They had to figure out the food themselves.
Just after being exiled, where would they get food? They could only forage in the wilderness, but what kind of environment was the Southern Wilderness? It was full of forests, snakes, rats, ants, tigers, leopards, and wolves, all in large numbers.
Many people either starved to death or were eaten by tigers, leopards, and wolves, or bitten by snakes, rats, ants, leading to death.
In short, in that place, even nine lives wouldn't be enough.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry!" Just as everyone felt heavy-hearted, Chen Xue spoke up. "I have thousands of kilograms of food stored in my space, so we don't need to worry about food..."
"Not just food." Chen Yuan thought ahead. "Miasma is also a big problem. The reason for such severe casualties is probably because of the miasma..."
"Furthermore, snakes, rats, ants... these are also problems. The creatures there are not like those here; they are wild and bloodthirsty..."
Without solving these problems, it would be extremely difficult for them to survive in the Southern Wilderness.
Chen Xue also felt a headache, but suddenly she thought of something and her eyes lit up. She had an exchange system in her space!
As long as she had money, nothing was a problem.
For miasma, she could exchange for detoxification pills and so on.
For snakes, rats, ants, she could exchange for realgar, insecticides, and so on.
As long as she had money, she could achieve anything, and moreover, the Southern Wilderness had hardly been developed, full of various medicinal herbs, simply a treasure trove.
As long as she picked medicinal herbs and let the system recycle them, she could gain contribution points, and then use the contribution points to exchange for insecticides and other items, thus forming a cycle...
Without spending her own money, she could live comfortably in the Southern Wilderness.
PS: Made it to Qingyun, happy ^_^, very grateful for Sister Tang's support, of course, also grateful for the support of all the readers, Happy New Year··*
Comments
Post a Comment