Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 622 A Day in the Life of Lin Fengxiang

"People only start thinking after they've had their fill of food."

When you're hungry, there's only one thought in your mind.

"eat!"

The mountains of Guangxi, the waters of Guangxi.

The scenery is breathtaking, especially after the rain.

But if it gets too close, especially in areas with dense human activity, it's a different story.

At the foot of the barren mountain, bones are hidden among the weeds.

Phosphorescent flames flickered on the mass grave.

Along the dilapidated roadside, one often sees corpses lying on the ground, starving.

What I saw and heard along the way pushed aside the poetic and picturesque scenery of the distant mountains and rivers, revealing the truly cruel reality.

Having undergone reorganization in Wuzhou and established goals in Cangwu to unite the army, the Taiping Army had completed its initial transformation.

From a group of refugees, it gradually transformed into an army driven by the goal of achieving its objectives.

They had the most abundant supplies, far surpassing all other armies of the time, including the Lobster Soldiers.

Because they were well-fed, they could look at the literacy boards carried on the backs of those in front of them while marching and think about every word the leader had said.

Why are we farmers, who toil in the fields, so poor?

'I've spent my whole life growing crops, so why did I never get to eat a full meal before I died?'

Why do landlords eat rice and steamed buns every day, while peasants have to eat sweet potatoes and wild vegetables?

Why do we have to pay taxes that never seem to end, and still endure the government's extortionate exploitation?

With their bellies full, the Taiping soldiers began to seriously consider these issues.

Through continuous reflection and mutual exploration, everyone gradually reached a consensus.

It's not that we're ungrateful, but those who exploit us are all wicked!

A change in mindset has a profound impact on a person.

The overall discipline of the Taiping Army improved significantly.

There were even scenes of them offering food to people whose faces were deathly pale and whose bodies were as thin as skeletons when they passed through villages and towns along the way.

Lin Dao never instructed or hinted that they should do this.

These were all spontaneous actions by the Taiping Army soldiers.

Regular soldiers in the Taiping Army received very high salaries.

In addition to the three meals a day, there were extra field rations.

It mainly consists of luncheon meat and compressed biscuits.

I can't bear to give away the luncheon meat; it's meat, after all!
I would be willing to give compressed biscuits to poor people.

Lin Fengxiang was a Zhuang person who, unable to endure the Qing dynasty's exploitation, joined the Taiping Army.

In the eyes of the Qing colonists, whether they were Zhuang, Yao, Han, or even Mongol, they were essentially no different; they were all slaves.

When it comes to exploitation, everyone is treated equally.

This led to almost everyone in the world opposing them.

When they first arrived, they were so thin and emaciated that they were almost unrecognizable from hunger, and their companions were worried that they would be turned away.

Unexpectedly, after a simple inquiry and registration, I was quickly accepted.

He will never forget that the first thing he did upon entering the camp was to eat.

The rice porridge had a salty taste.

There was even a hard-boiled egg in the porridge!
Lin Fengxiang will always remember that meal; the taste of his tears was even more bitter than the salt in the rice porridge.

Get a haircut, take a shower, change clothes, maintain personal hygiene, and participate in simple training.

After resting for a while, Lin Fengxiang's digestive system gradually adapted, and he began to eat real rice and steamed buns.

In the past, even landlords and rich peasants wouldn't dare to eat these things every day.

But the Taiping Army had it almost every meal.

Lin Fengxiang was very grateful to the Taiping Army and to Lin, the leader of the Taiping Army.

He believed that it was Lin Huiyin and the Taiping Army who gave him and his brothers a new life.

Therefore, when fighting against officers and soldiers, he fought bravely and recklessly, and was even promoted to a regular soldier as a result.

Once you become a regular soldier, you eat even better.

The daily meat meal made Lin Fengxiang feel like he was in a dream.

I wouldn't even dare to dream of it!

At that time, his only thought was to serve Chief Lin and sell his life to him, so that he would be worthy of the meat and chicken that Chief Lin gave him.

After mobilizing Cangwu, setting clear goals, and rallying morale, Lin Fengxiang's thoughts began to change once again.

He wants to do things for all the poor people in the world!
"Take it and eat it."

While passing through a village and taking a short break, Lin Fengxiang handed the compressed biscuits he had been given to a skinny child who was hiding behind a haystack not far away and peeking in their direction.

The child's eyes were full of curiosity and fear, but he dared not come closer.

Lin Fengxiang already had experience with this.

He laughed as he tore open the wrapper, broke off a piece, and threw it into his mouth to chew.

The rich aroma finally attracted the children.

There wasn't just one, but several; several children were hiding behind the haystack.

Even as winter approaches, the children, both boys and girls, still go shirtless, their skin turning black.

Although Guangxi isn't as cold as the north in winter, it's still not cold enough to withstand without going shirtless.

The reason why life expectancy is so low these days is largely due to the high child mortality rate.

Lin Fengxiang broke the compressed biscuits in half and gave one piece to each child.

"Wait."

A companion standing nearby spoke up to stop them, saying, "They can't eat it."

“I didn’t waste any food.” Lin Fengxiang said with dissatisfaction, “What’s wrong with giving the children something to eat? Didn’t the leader say that we should make sure that all the poor people in the world can have enough to eat?”

“I mean,” said Li Kaifang, walking over, “there’s oil in these cookies.”

"For people who suffer from chronic malnutrition, this is recommended!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Fengxiang realized what was happening and hurriedly tried to stop him.

But the children, who had been starving for so long, couldn't resist such temptation and readily stuffed the food into their mouths, chewed it, and swallowed it. Li Kaifang rolled her eyes. "Just wait until you get diarrhea."

"Sigh!" Lin Fengxiang stamped his foot. "I meant well but did something wrong. I forgot about it."

The children, still wanting more, stared at him longingly.

"It's not that we don't want to give it to you."

Lin Fengxiang kindly advised, "It's not suitable for you to eat these things right now."

"You need to drink porridge and eat eggs first to regulate your stomach and intestines, and only after your body gradually adapts can you... uh..."

Li Kaifang and the others standing nearby burst into laughter.

Lin Fengxiang himself came to his senses and could only manage a wry smile.

Congee, chicken eggs.

The days after joining the Taiping Army were so good that I almost forgot the hardships I had once endured.

These children are so poor that they can't even afford clothes, yet they want to drink porridge and eat eggs.
A commotion arose from nearby, with people shouting.

"The public trial has begun!"

Even during brief rest periods on the march, the Taiping army did not forget their work and responsibilities.

Wherever they went, they would arrest landlords and wealthy landowners, hold public trials, and let the local villagers make the decisions.

In addition, they would also inquire about the surrounding bandits and outlaws.

The Taiping army not only fought against the Qing dynasty, but also wiped out bandits and outlaws they encountered along the way.

Ancient mountain bandits and outlaws were extremely vicious.

Severe crackdown and elimination are absolutely the right thing to do.

At the public trial, one villager after another went up on stage, some indignant and some wailing and crying as they recounted the stories of how their families had been bullied and exploited.

Such stories happen to almost every ordinary person, and emotions are immediately stirred.

As the indictment concluded, the Taiping Army's military judges immediately declared the landlords and their henchmen, along with the village bullies and thugs, guilty of their crimes.

Next, the Taiping soldiers all stepped down from the makeshift platform.

The criminals, bound like rice dumplings, were left to the villagers to deal with.

Lin Fengxiang and others gathered together to watch the excitement.

They watched as the angry villagers surged forward, engulfing the once high and mighty officials and their henchmen in the fury of the people.

At first, they would scream and wail, and even curse and threaten.

But afterwards, all that was left was to beg for mercy.

In the end, even pleas for mercy were drowned out by endless rage.

Those so-called village bullies, building bullies, and unit bullies who used to swagger around, beat and scold the people at the drop of a hat, threaten your whole family, and shout in the streets that no one dared to mess with.

At this moment, it is more vulnerable than a newborn chick in the face of the people's raging anger.

Before they could even utter a word of pleading, they were torn to shreds by rage.

The so-called "Great Qing Code" that Manqing protects is actually these people.

Otherwise, given the actions of these village tyrants and landlords, they would have been overwhelmed by anger long ago.

"Lin Fengxiang".

A military judge found him.

Lin Fengxiang's heart suddenly tightened; he hadn't done anything to violate military discipline.

"There's a Tujia village next door, and the villagers are all Zhuang people."

The military judge wasn't there to enforce military discipline, but to ask him for help.

“You come from a Zhuang ethnic background, so you should be able to speak up over there. Come with us and help us advance the work.”

Lin Fengxiang, relieved, immediately nodded and said, "I accept the order!"

“I am also a Zhuang person.” Li Kaifang and others who were standing nearby quickly expressed their willingness to help.

By the time they returned from their business in the neighboring village, it was already getting dark.

The previous short rest turned into spending the night here.

When we finished eating, the area around the campsite was filled with villagers.

Men, women, young and old, all watched with longing as they devoured the food.

Especially the jarred meat, opened in boxes, with its rich aroma of meat, oil, and spices, filled the area around the campsite with a constant gurgling sound.

Lin Fengxiang and others already had experience with this.

I've seen far too many things like this on the way to Guilin.

By tomorrow morning, most of the villagers will follow the Taiping Army.

The elderly, women, and children would be placed in the old camps of various units.

The selected able-bodied men were placed in auxiliary military camps to recuperate and receive basic education and training.

Once they have recovered and understood the ideal of fighting for all the poor and needy in the world, they should be assigned to various units and gradually become regular soldiers through combat trials.

As expected, when the team ate breakfast again the next morning, many large pots had been set up outside the camp, and the local people were eating rice porridge and boiled eggs.

When they were all ready to set off, the group was followed by a whole bunch of people.

Under the rule of the Manqing, the lives of the poor were filled with despair, with no future in sight and only darkness as far as the eye could see.

The emergence of the Taiping Army gave them a glimmer of hope.

After experiencing the elimination of landlords and the baptism of eating rice porridge and chicken, the vast majority of the people were willing to follow.

A similar scene unfolded along almost every route taken by the massive Taiping army as they converged on Guilin.

As for the local land being abandoned, Lin Dao chose to endure it for the time being.

He did not want to become a group of refugees, dragging ordinary people into becoming refugees.

However, the intense conflict between the local people and the Hakka people in Guangxi, as well as the powerful clan forces in the region, must be addressed.

In this respect, we cannot deal with them as directly as we would with landlords and wealthy people.

He simply gathered the people together, dispersed and reorganized them, completely obscuring the influence of the local Hakka and clan forces.

Once the entire territory of Guangxi is liberated, land will be redistributed and population and resources will be re-allocated.

Those who remained cannot say that these conflicts have been completely eliminated, but at least they are not as tragic as they are now!

Everything will begin after Guilin is captured.

If there were a satellite, one could look down upon the massive, surging crowds of people, flowing from the beautiful landscapes of Guangxi, towards Guilin!

(End of this chapter)