The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 21 Anse
Just as Chongzhen was preparing to cause trouble for Jiang Han, Jiang Han and his entourage had already bypassed Yanshui Pass and entered Shaanxi territory.

After arriving in Shaanxi, Jiang Han first went to Mizhi, hoping to find the famous rebel leader Chuang Wang and see if he could bring him under his command.

As a result, the locals told him that Li Hongji was not in the village, but was busy traveling between various post stations to deliver military intelligence and had not returned to the village for a long time.

(According to the records of Yansui Town and Yan'an Prefecture, Li Zicheng was still in Mizhi at this time. The claim in the records of Mingji Beilue and Suikou Jilue that Li Zicheng went to join the army at this time is not true.)
Upon hearing this news, Jiang Han was puzzled. Shouldn't Li Zicheng have been dismissed? Why was he still working as a courier?
In reality, the Ming Dynasty's so-called "abolition of post stations" simply meant canceling the staffing and ceasing to pay salaries.

But the couriers still had to continue their duties of delivering military intelligence and official documents.

If you don't pay wages but still expect people to work hard, where does the money come from?

There was no other way; national affairs were of utmost importance, so they had to make things difficult for these lowly couriers.

The expenses for repairing the post station and maintaining the horses had to be covered by the post station staff themselves.

This is how Li Zicheng incurred his debt: a post horse died at a post station, and the government demanded that the postmen compensate him for the loss.

But the post station workers were really broke, so Li Zicheng went to borrow money from his fellow townsman, Ai, who was a scholar.

Later, a severe drought struck, the crops failed, and they were unable to repay their debts. They were then severely beaten by Ai Juren and the government, which led them to rebel.

Unable to meet the famous rebel leader, Jiang Han left Mizhi with some disappointment. The group traveled south, stopping and starting along the way, exchanging their silver for grain, cloth, and other necessities.

In the years that followed, silver became the least useful thing in Shaanxi; only these things were considered hard currency.

Along the way, those who were unwilling to rebel gradually left the group.

"Chief Qi, Wang Wu and the others..."

Hei Zi looked at another group of brothers who came to say goodbye, but hesitated to speak.

Jiang Han waved his hand and tossed two bolts of homespun cloth to two soldiers dressed in thin clothes:
"Remember, if you can't survive, come find me in Ansai."

Wang Wu knelt on the ground, clutching the cloth, and kowtowed repeatedly. The snow melted into a puddle of mud on his forehead.

He didn't want to leave either, but he had an elderly mother and a wife and children at home, and he couldn't bear to leave them behind.

Jiang Han's great kindness can only be repaid in the next life.

In winter, the Loess Plateau is swept by a biting wind carrying heavy snow, making people shiver with cold.

Jiang Han led the remaining thousand or so men and finally entered the territory of Yan'an Prefecture before February. Anse was right in front of them.

Braving the biting wind, Dong Erzhu rode at the head of the group, looking back at Jiang Han with excitement:
"Second Brother Han, we're finally home!"

Jiang Han sighed, his expression complex:

"There's no one at home anymore; it's just a place to stay."

Shao Yong, who was standing nearby, rode over and asked curiously:

"Lord Jiang, I've always heard Zhu Zi call you Second Brother. So you have an older brother?"

Jiang Han shook his head and replied:
“There’s no one left. My family used to have five members, but we suffered a disaster during the Tianqi era. My father starved to death, and my brother died on the way to perform corvée labor.”

"My four-year-old brother was kidnapped from the village by migrants, who cooked and ate him; my mother couldn't bear it and hanged herself."

Jiang Han sighed, his tone tinged with bitterness:
"Later, I was left all alone and couldn't survive, so I joined the army with Zhuzi to barely make ends meet."

Shao Yong fell silent, tightening his grip on the reins slightly. He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to offer words of comfort.

Jiang Han, on the other hand, smiled calmly and patted Shao Yong on the shoulder:

"Let's not talk about that anymore. We'll be at Baijiagou soon; once we pass through Majiagou, we'll be able to see it right away."

Jiang Han's home is in Baijiagou, Ansai County, right next to Majiagou.

Baijiagou was just an inconspicuous little place, but the neighboring Majiagou produced a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) named Ma Maocai. Jiang Han was no stranger to Ma Maocai; it seemed that he was the one who wrote the "Memorial on Preparing for the Great Famine".

In the first year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Ma Maocai passed through Shaanxi and saw that his hometown had suffered a disaster. So he wrote "A Memorial on the Great Famine" and presented it to the emperor.

After the petition was submitted, the imperial court did indeed allocate some relief funds.

Logically speaking, many villagers had benefited from his kindness, but these had nothing to do with Jiang Han's family anymore.

At that time, Jiang Han had already gone to Yansui Town to join the army.

Jiang Han's home was just across from Majia Gou, separated only by the Yan River. Crossing the dry riverbed, Jiang Han rode his horse and surveyed the small village that had once given birth to him.

This is a typical rural area in Shaanxi, mainly consisting of earthen cave dwellings, with the rest being dilapidated mud houses.

Upon entering the village, Jiang Han found it to be in a state of utter ruin, with the villagers either dead or having fled, leaving only one in ten alive.

Many of the empty houses were dilapidated, with snow piled up to half a foot deep in the yards, overgrown with weeds, making them look particularly desolate.

Jiang Han beckoned Dong Erzhu over and instructed him:

"Zhu Zi, break up the soldiers below into groups of five. Take them to find some empty houses and have them move in in batches."

"Anyway, there's hardly anyone left in the village, so we'll just stay here from now on."

Since the early years of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the entire northern Shaanxi region had been a picture of hell, according to the "Continued Records of Hannan Prefecture":
"In the first year of the Chongzhen reign, the sky over Shaanxi turned blood red. Five years later, there was a great famine; six years later, a great flood; and seven years later, locusts in autumn."

Tens of thousands of displaced people, unable to survive, swarmed like locusts, stripping tree bark and digging up grass roots, devouring everything, whether edible or not.

Those who are alone are always at risk of becoming prey for the refugees; many will disappear silently one night and then fill the stomachs of the refugees.

Jiang Han and Dong Erzhu worked for most of the day before finally managing to settle their soldiers in batches.

The entire village was filled with empty houses, yet even so, some soldiers still had nowhere to live.

With no other option, Jiang Han had to ask them to find a sheltered spot and set up a tent for marching, which would serve as their temporary shelter. He would figure out a better solution later.

After finishing all this, it was almost dark. Jiang Han then led Zhu Zi, Hei Zi, and Shao Yong back to their old cave dwelling.

As Zhu Zi rode on his horse, he excitedly introduced Baijiagou to everyone:
"My brother Han and I live in cave dwellings just ahead. We are neighbors. Since our families are from different families, we have always stuck together for warmth."

He pointed to the wasteland not far away and continued:
"This is where we herded cattle for the landlord when we were kids. This whole area belonged to his family."

Just as Zhu Zi was excitedly introducing Baijiagou, Shao Yong, who was standing to the side, seemed to have heard something and raised his hand to interrupt Zhu Zi:
"Zhu Zi, don't speak yet, there seems to be a sound ahead."

Dong Erzhu, clearly displeased at being interrupted, pouted.
"What sound? People in the village are either dead or have fled. There's no one left. Don't make a fuss all the time!"

But Jiang Han knew how sharp Shao Yong's ears were. He glared at Zhu Zi, then dismounted, drew his goose-feather knife, and slowly crept forward.

Seeing this, the men on horseback dared not be careless. They immediately dismounted, drew their swords, and quietly followed Jiang Han.

The group quietly approached the wall of Jiang Han's house, holding their breath as they cautiously moved closer to the gate.

Jiang Han leaned close to the drafty courtyard gate and peered through the crack into the courtyard. He saw a bonfire burning in the courtyard, and several figures sitting around the fire, talking in hushed tones.

Jiang Han turned around and winked at Shao Yong. Shao Yong immediately understood, quietly took two steps back, drew his bow and arrow, pointing it straight into the courtyard, ready to strike at any moment.

Jiang Han nodded, then suddenly kicked open the courtyard gate, rushed in with his goose-feather saber in hand, and shouted sharply:
"who!?"

The people around the campfire were startled by the sound of the door being kicked open and jumped up from the ground.

One of the bolder ones caught sight of Jiang Han and his group. Instead of being afraid, he drew a short knife from his waist and charged at Jiang Han.

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(End of this chapter)