In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 667 Observations (5)

Every time they breached a county town, the laborers would slaughter a large number of government officials to appease public anger. Then they would open the granaries and use the grain inside to attract more farmers who were dissatisfied with the government's policies or who could not survive to join them.

In this way, the forces of these rebellious laborers grew larger and larger like a snowball, and the commotion they caused became increasingly significant.

Following their example, many farmers in Yuzhou who could no longer survive, as well as ambitious individuals, began to follow their example and raise the flag of rebellion. In just half a month, dozens of large and small rebel groups emerged in the Yuzhou region, and these groups were growing rapidly. By the time the imperial court reacted, the situation in Yuzhou was already out of control.

A single rebel force might not be able to withstand the suppression of the Yuzhou Army, but dozens of rebel forces were simply too much for the Yuzhou Army to handle. Often, just as one rebel force was eliminated, more rebel forces would immediately emerge...

Under these circumstances, the Yuzhou army could only run around in circles, and its manpower was constantly being depleted, gradually losing ground in the confrontation with various rebel forces.

According to news from Li Mingyuan's disciples in Yuzhou, the Qingzhou army, which originally numbered in the hundreds of thousands but actually only fifty thousand, has lost more than half its personnel in less than three months. Now it can only huddle in the big city and rely on the strong walls to survive, and is no longer able to go out of the city to quell the rebellion.

The entire Yuzhou had long since become a paradise for various rebel armies, who constantly attacked and plundered cities, occupying one city after another and continuously strengthening their power.

When these rebel forces grew strong enough, the Yuzhou army had nowhere to go.

"When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer too!"

Li Mingyuan sighed softly. He had foreseen the fate of the Xia Kingdom many years ago; otherwise, he would not have been willing to offend so many powerful families to carry out reforms when he served as prime minister.

Unfortunately... his abilities were limited, and in the end he was unable to revitalize the already corrupt Xia Kingdom. This was Li Mingyuan's biggest regret in his life, and also the suffering of the people of Xia Kingdom.

War is cruel to ordinary people, and now that the world is in chaos, it is the people at the bottom of society who suffer the most.

Since the outbreak of war in various parts of the Xia Kingdom, countless people have been displaced by the war, and countless people have died violently. Countless women have lost their chastity or even their lives because of the war...

Whenever he thought of these things, Li Mingyuan felt a deep pang of heartache. The people of Xia were the best people; they were hardworking, kind, and simple...

But whether in times of peace or chaos, it is always these lovely ordinary people who suffer...

Li Mingyuan shook his head, no longer thinking about these things that made him sad. He was no longer the Li Mingyuan who was the head of all officials, but a criminal with a guilty conscience. Even if he sympathized with the people, he could hardly help them.

"Let's go!"

Li Mingyuan got up, and together with Zheng Qiuyan and Li Qiao, retrieved the carriage parked by the roadside and set off again for Chenjia Village.

After crossing the paved road, the rest of the journey became the original dirt road, and the carriage began to bump around again, which made Li Mingyuan miss the previous paved road.

Compared to the muddy roads that become impassable after rain and are often riddled with potholes due to lack of maintenance, brick and stone roads have far more advantages. At least they are not like dirt roads, which are full of potholes and where the wheels can easily get stuck, requiring a lot of effort to pull the carriage out.

"This official road is in terrible condition."

Li Qiao, who was driving, couldn't help but curse. After driving on the smooth brick road, driving on this bumpy dirt road was simply torture.

Fortunately... about fifteen minutes later, another section of brick road appeared ahead, and at the same time, workers like Liu Wenqiang appeared in their field of vision.

A large number of workers gathered at the front, doing the same work as Liu Wenqiang and others; clearly, they were also repairing the road.

"The idea of ​​Chenjia Village is not bad."

Looking out the car window at the scene ahead, Li Mingyuan nodded and said, "Building the road from both ends simultaneously and then connecting them in the middle would save a lot of time."

The carriage soon drove onto the brick road. This time, Li Mingyuan did not get out of the carriage to chat with the workers, but directly signaled Li Qiao to continue on the way.

"arrive!"

About fifteen minutes later, Zheng Qiuyan reminded them, "This is Chenjia Village."

Upon hearing this, a hint of anticipation flashed in Li Mingyuan's eyes. With Zheng Qiuyan's help, he stepped out of the carriage and stood on the ground, gazing at the scenery on both sides.

Which way is Chenjia Village?

Li Mingyuan asked in confusion.

At this moment, the left side of the road looked like the entrance to a village, while the right side... was a forest under development. Although it didn't look like a village, many people were busy chopping down trees, which made Li Mingyuan unable to determine which side was Chenjia Village.

"left."

Zheng Qiuyan first pointed to the left, then looked at the busy workers on the right, and frowned, saying, "As for the right... I don't know where that is!"

Having not visited Chenjia Village for some time, Zheng Qiuyan found herself somewhat unfamiliar with the place. In her memory, the area opposite the entrance to Chenjia Village had always been a lush forest, but now…

A large number of trees have been felled, and a clearing has been cleared at the location closest to the entrance of Chenjia Village. A large number of workers are cutting wood or felling trees on the clearing, creating a bustling scene.

"It must be an expansion of the village."

Seeing Zheng Qiuyan, Li Mingyuan guessed.

At this moment, Chen Si and Chen Jiang, who were guarding the village entrance, noticed the arrival of the three and hurriedly stepped forward to Zheng Qiuyan, saying, "Miss Zheng, are you here to see Daoge'er?"

"Correct!"

Zheng Qiuyan nodded slightly: "I have urgent news to inform Young Master Chen. May I go in directly?"

"Miss Zheng, of course, has no problem entering the village."

Chen Jiang nodded. Zheng Qiuyan was an old acquaintance of Chenjia Village, so there was no problem for her to enter the village.

"but……"

Chen Jiang looked at Li Mingyuan and Li Qiao, and hesitated before asking, "Who are these two?"

As soldiers on duty in Chenjia Village today, Chen Si and Chen Jiang have a responsibility to check the identity of everyone entering the village. They are especially cautious when facing unfamiliar faces, fearing that someone might sneak in and cause harm to the village.

"This is Mr. Li Mingyuan, and Uncle Li Qiao; they are like family to me."

Zheng Qiuyan knew that the two had responsibilities, so she did not make things difficult for them. She first revealed the names of Li Mingyuan and the other man, and then continued, "Their identities are somewhat complicated, but don't worry, they will never do anything to harm the village. I can guarantee that with my life."