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

Chapter 80 News from a Benefactor

"Let's go."

After leaving Baicaotang, Chen Daolai had finished all his business in the city and left the county town with Chen Da and the others in a donkey cart.

Just as Chen Dao and the others were leaving the county town, outside the city gate, in a simple, drafty wooden house, a group of young men gathered, their expressions solemn, as if they were plotting something.

These young and strong men were all refugees gathered outside the city. In fact, most of the people who could reach the outskirts of Taiping County were young and strong, because the elderly simply could not withstand such a long distance and the harsh weather. Only young people with good enough health could cross the long distance to reach Taiping County. As for the elderly... they either died at home or on the road. Very few of them could successfully reach the city, and even if they did, there was a very high probability that they would starve to death outside the city.

As we all know, wherever there are many people, the beginnings of a group will often emerge. These groups may be called clubs or gangs, and whether they are clubs or gangs, there will always be a leader.

Sitting at the front of the crowd at this moment is Zhang He, a man with a square face. He is the leader elected by these refugees from outside the city!

Zhang He was originally just an ordinary farmer's son from Nanhe County, Liangzhou, but he didn't like doing farm work. Instead, he longed for the world outside the village.

Since becoming an adult, Zhang He has enjoyed leaving the village with his friends of the same age to work and earn money in the county town. While doing so, he has also seen the outside world. Because of his loyalty, he has always been in a leadership or elder brother position among his many friends.

Zhang He's life was supposed to continue like this. With the money he earned from working hard in the county town, he wouldn't become rich, but he could support his family. He might even be lucky enough to marry a girl from the city and live a happy and fulfilling life.

Zhang He was very satisfied with his life, and he thought that his life would continue to be peaceful and fulfilling until... the cold disaster struck.

Four years ago, a cold wave swept across the entire Liangzhou region. Although Liangzhou did not suffer a complete crop failure, the harvest in the fields was reduced by at least 70%!

Such a large-scale crop failure affects not only farmers, but also young adults like Zhang He who work in the city.

Before the cold disaster, Zhang He could earn 50 copper coins a day by doing odd jobs. After eating, he could save about 20 of those coins.

However, with the arrival of the cold disaster, not only did the wages earned from odd jobs decrease significantly, but the price of grain also soared day by day. Zhang He could not even earn 20 copper coins a day by working hard, which was not enough to support himself, let alone his family.

Even Zhang He's parents, who could originally make a living on their few acres of land, saw their land completely lose its yield as the cold disaster swept through the area.

In just two short years, Zhang He's savings from working were completely wiped out by the high grain prices. What made him even more desperate was that... when his money was gone, the government still wanted to increase taxes!

At this time, Zhang Helian couldn't even get enough to eat, so where would he get the money to pay taxes?

Those who couldn't pay their taxes would be sent by the government to the Great Wall in the far north as soldiers...

To be honest, Zhang He could accept being sent to the army; at least as a common soldier, he would have enough to eat. But being sent to the Great Wall to serve in the army was something Zhang He could not accept.

Because the vast majority of those sent to the Great Wall to serve in the army did not die on the Great Wall battlefield, but rather on the way!

When Zhang He was a child, many young men were conscripted by the government to be sent to the Great Wall to serve in the army. After that conscription, Zhang He never heard any news about those young men again, not even the letters they sent back.

Zhang He heard from some experienced elders in the village that most of the young and strong men died on the way to the Great Wall. This was because Nanhe County, where Zhang He lived, was located at the southernmost part of Liangzhou, a thousand miles away from the northernmost Great Wall. In that era, traveling such a long distance on foot without sufficient supplies was almost certain death.

It was precisely because Zhang He knew about this that he was extremely resistant to being sent to the army. Even Zhang He's parents were terrified of this, fearing that something might happen to their only son.

So, after discussing it, the family made a major decision: to flee Nanhe County and head towards Qingzhou!

After making the decision, the family did not hesitate any longer. They packed up all the valuables in the house and set off for Qingzhou.

however……

Zhang He's family had high hopes; they believed that once they arrived in Taiping County, Qingzhou, the government would provide disaster relief, and they would have enough to eat. But in reality...

Before they could even reach Taiping County or Chengdu, Zhang He's parents died on the way to escape.

As for the causes of death, they are quite simple: one is cold, and the other is hunger.

Liangzhou was bitterly cold, and Taiping County, which was adjacent to Liangzhou, was not much worse. Braving the cold wind and eating the simplest dry rations, Zhang He's elderly parents obviously could not bear it. They had only gone halfway when they became cold all over and collapsed on the official road.

Zhang He hastily buried his parents in the woods beside the official road, and then, with a determined look in his eyes, continued on his way to Taiping County.

Fortunately, Zhang He had a good physique because he had worked as a manual laborer in the city for many years, and he managed to reach Taiping County.

Unfortunately, upon arriving in the county town, what awaited him was not the government's disaster relief, but... the same hunger as always.

When we first arrived in Taiping County, things were alright. The government would at least provide some porridge. But recently... even thin porridge has run out. Many refugees gathered outside the city can only eat tree bark and dig up clay to eat. Of course, occasionally some kind-hearted people from the city will come out to provide porridge, but there is not enough porridge for everyone. The porridge is simply not enough for the refugees outside the city.

In short, the refugees outside the city were constantly hungry, and some even ate human flesh... When they were starving, they didn't mind taking a bite.

In this situation, the first refugees to die will become food for the others.

Zhang He had never eaten human flesh. Because of his strong physique and loyalty, he became the leader of this group of refugees. As the leader, although he inevitably went hungry, he was always able to get a bite to eat.

The reason everyone is gathered here is to discuss an important matter.

"Skinny monkey."

Zhang He looked at a skinny, monkey-like man on his right and asked, "Has the important person in the city sent word?"

"coming!"

The man named Skinny Monkey nodded and said in a deep voice, "A nobleman from the city just sent word that as long as we help him get things done, he will keep his promise and give us enough food, money, and status, and even bestow upon us medicine and give us a chance to become martial artists!"