bestfiction Chapter 905 No Rooster Crows
Chapter 905 No Rooster Crows
Bones lie exposed in the wilderness, for miles there is not a rooster's crow, for miles there is no human habitation.
This statement might be a slight exaggeration to describe Minnesota today, but it's not far off.
The prolonged war left this land devastated, agricultural production was severely damaged, and commerce was virtually nonexistent...
The people living on this land either starved to death or fled to other places.
Those who remained were either forcibly conscripted, women were brutally abused, or children and the elderly starved to death because they had nothing to eat.
Compared to the people of Qingzhou, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the people of Mingzhou lived in hell.
Fortunately, the rebels in Mingzhou have now been wiped out by the Yang family army, and the person who rules this land has changed from the inhuman Mingzhou rebel leader to Yang Zheng, giving the people of Mingzhou a little breathing space.
"Mingzhou, sigh!"
Yang Zheng sighed. Neither Qingzhou nor Youzhou, which he had conquered before, had given him such a headache as Mingzhou.
Although the people of Qingzhou and Youzhou were also very poor, the two states were still orderly because of the rule of the King of Qing and the Lu family. After Yang Zheng occupied these two places, they quickly settled down and the people were able to recuperate.
The situation in Minnesota was completely different. Under the rule of the local rebels, Minnesota was completely chaotic and disorderly. Beggars, bandits, highwaymen and so on were everywhere. Even now, there are still many mountain kings who occupy the mountains and specialize in robbing caravans and passers-by.
These mountain bandits alone are enough to give Yang Zheng a headache, not to mention that the problems facing Mingzhou now go far beyond these mountain bandits.
Of course, these local tyrants were just a minor nuisance to Yang Zheng; what truly gave him a headache was...
Minnesota is too poor now.
The money and grain held by the people of Mingzhou had already been looted by the local rebels, who then used it either for their own enjoyment or for the war effort…
In short, Yang Zheng, who quelled the local rebels in Mingzhou, did not capture much money or grain.
This resulted in Yang Zheng having no food to help the starving people of Mingzhou.
Most of the grain he had seized from the Lu family had been used to relieve the people of Youzhou, and a small portion was kept for military use. Yang Zheng couldn't possibly use all the grain his army was eating to relieve the people of Mingzhou, could he?
This is obviously impossible. Even if Yang Zheng were willing to provide military rations to help the people of Mingzhou, it would be a drop in the ocean and would not be able to alleviate the widespread famine in Mingzhou at all.
Therefore, Yang Zheng can only watch helplessly as one Mingzhou citizen after another dies of hunger. All he can do is try his best to maintain order in the various cities.
As for the people of Mingzhou... they can only rely on themselves.
"Your Highness, the state of Mingzhou is truly in a terrible state now!"
Yang Erlang couldn't help but say, "I thought the scene after entering the city would be better, but I didn't expect... After entering the city, I saw beggars in tattered clothes, children with sallow and thin faces, and old people who were skin and bones. I couldn't see a single person who looked like a human being. Even a rough man like me couldn't help but feel compassion for them!"
"Ah."
Yang Zheng responded, his expression somewhat heavy. If Yang Erlang, who had just arrived in Mingzhou, had noticed this situation, how could he not have noticed it as well?
He's just powerless to change it for the time being, but...
Yang Zheng patted Yang Erlang on the shoulder and laughed, "Erlang, don't worry, I will never sit idly by and let this situation continue. After the autumn harvest, Liangzhou and Qingzhou will have a bumper harvest, and the difficult situation in Mingzhou will definitely be improved."
"Ah."
Yang Erlang nodded emphatically. He knew that Qingzhou and Liangzhou were planting the "Wealthy Wheat". If the Wealthy Wheat really had the high yield that Chenjia Village said... no, even if it only had half the yield per mu as Chenjia Village said, Yang's army could still get a lot of grain and fodder.
At that time, these provisions will not only supply the needs of the Yang family army, but also be used to help the impoverished Mingzhou, freeing the people of Mingzhou from hunger and allowing this land to regain its vitality.
…………
…………
Time flies, and July is here in the blink of an eye.
In the past few months, the Nine Provinces have remained in turmoil. In the south, the White Lotus Sect launched an attack from Qiongzhou, intending to take Haizhou in one fell swoop. However, due to the fierce resistance of the local forces in Haizhou, the White Lotus Sect's ambitions failed, and a stalemate ensued.
Meanwhile, Yuzhou, the only unclaimed territory in Kyushu, continued to consolidate its power over the next few months. Under pressure from Yang Zheng, the various rebel groups in Yuzhou united under external forces and elected Yuan Zhao, the most powerful rebel leader, as their leader, bestowing upon him the title of King of Yuzhou, or simply King Yu.
At this point, the situation in the Nine Provinces was largely clear: Jingzhou remained under the control of the Xia Dynasty, while Yuzhou was occupied by Yuan Zhao.
The lands of Qiongzhou and Yuezhou were owned by the White Lotus sect.
Although Haizhou, sandwiched between Yuan Zhao and the White Lotus Sect, had local forces stubbornly resisting the White Lotus Sect's offensive, the White Lotus Sect, backed by the powerful families of Yuezhou and Qiongzhou, was clearly stronger. It continuously occupied one city after another within Haizhou, forcing the local forces of Haizhou into a series of defeats.
In addition, Yuan Zhao also took the opportunity to send troops to attack Haizhou. While the local forces in Haizhou were fighting against the White Lotus Sect, he continued to conquer cities and seize territory within Haizhou. The local forces in Haizhou, caught in a pincer movement, suffered defeat after defeat. It is likely that in a few months, the land of Haizhou will be completely divided up by Yuan Zhao and the White Lotus Sect.
Apart from the five states of Jingzhou, Yuezhou, Qiongzhou, Haizhou, and Yuzhou, the remaining four states all belonged to Yang Zheng.
Yang Zheng, who controlled four provinces, was undoubtedly the most powerful of the rebel forces in the Nine Provinces, but...
Unlike the White Lotus Sect and other forces that were eager to expand, Yang Zheng and his Yang Family Army became unusually quiet after taking over Mingzhou. This puzzled many people in Kyushu, who even wondered if Yang Zheng was satisfied with the status quo and had no intention of unifying Kyushu.
This is naturally impossible!
Yang Zheng stopped because he was never satisfied with the status quo. His ideal was to unify the Nine Provinces and enable all the people of the Nine Provinces to live a life free from hunger and cold. He could not stand still.
The real reason Yang Zheng stopped was that in the past year or so, Yang's army had conquered too much territory and had reached the limit of expansion.
He needs to calm down and manage these territories well, so that they can become an asset in his struggle for the world!
Yang Zheng was not a member of the White Lotus Sect. He could not disregard the lives of his people and expand his power by plundering them, and then use the plundered money and grain to recruit soldiers and horses.
Every time Yang Zheng conquered a territory, he would do his best to govern it, striving to improve the lives of the people under his rule and encouraging them to give back to the Yang Family Army.