roccoschili Chapter 65 Oppressive Government is More Fierce than a Tiger
Chapter 65 Oppressive Government is More Fierce than a Tiger
Wu Dalang was somewhat bewildered after being scolded by a little girl.
After hesitating for a moment, he actually turned around and left, and returned a short while later with the water bag.
Now he knows Zhong Mei's identity. She, like Hu Changyong and his group, is a bandit who failed in an internal conflict in the mountains. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be so obedient.
Seeing that Zhong Mei was always by Li Chong's side, and Li Chong didn't say anything else, Wu Dalang decisively lowered his head and admitted defeat.
Who knows what Li Chong is thinking? To be on the safe side, it's better to listen to her.
These days, everyone knows how powerful pillow talk can be.
"Sir, water."
Li Chong was in no mood to talk at the moment; the sudden high-intensity exercise had left him with some chest pain.
He reached out and took the water bag, then gulped it down.
Zhongmei raised her hand and patted his back gently, saying, "Drink slowly, don't rush."
Li Chong, who had always acted so assertively in front of her, was now showing such a vulnerable side, which made Zhong Mei feel a little amused.
While she found it amusing, she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
A pampered scholar, in order to suppress bandits, followed these people deep into the mountains and forests. This courage and boldness was something Zhong Mei had never seen in any other official before.
Although on the surface, Zhong Mei and his group looked down on the government, how could they not be affected by the realities of this era?
Almost everyone held a sense of awe for Li Chong, who had become a county magistrate at a young age.
This is the inertia of China's official-centric ideology that has lasted for thousands of years. Zhong Mei subconsciously felt that Li Chong was different from people like herself.
But it's not surprising that Li Chong, who should have been high and mighty in her eyes, is now working among the common people for their well-being. She has become much kinder and gentler because of this.
"ha!"
After drinking heavily, Li Chong breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a bit better.
Li Chong took the dry rations from Wu Dalang's hand and said in a low voice, "You should go and rest too. You don't need to serve me here anymore."
Wu Dalang glanced at Zhong Mei and immediately stood up: "I am at your service at any time."
After saying that, he retreated to a nearby spot and sat down to rest.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh." Li Chong forced a smile at Zhong Mei. "It's been a long time since I've exercised, and this sudden long journey is really making me feel a bit uncomfortable."
Zhong Mei sat down next to Li Chong, leaning against a tree: "You're just living too well. You officials eat delicacies every day and travel in carriages. How can your bodies not be weak? Look at me, I've traveled so far and I'm still fine."
Li Chong took a bite of the dry biscuit in his hand, and his brows furrowed unconsciously.
He raised his hand to take a sip of water before finally swallowing the food in his mouth with difficulty.
"Delicacies from land and sea?" Li Chong shook his head. "You've been staying at the county government office these past few days. Don't you know what I've been eating every day? How could that be considered delicacies from land and sea?"
Zhong Mei remained unchanged, saying calmly, "What you eat may seem like nothing to you, but in the mountains, it's the best of the best. Some people might not even get to eat it once a year."
......
Li Chong fell silent.
He has been in the Northern Song Dynasty for more than a month now. Although he became a county magistrate by cheating and deceiving, his understanding of the real Northern Song Dynasty is still extremely limited.
Hearing Zhongmei say this, he couldn't help but be a little lost in thought.
After a moment, Li Chong spoke up: "Could you tell me about life in the mountains?"
Zhong Mei glanced at him, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Actually, there's not much to say, but if you're curious, I won't mind saying a few more words."
As Zhongmei recounted her story, Li Chong gradually came to understand that gathering in the mountains and forests wasn't all that wonderful.
Forget about drinking from large bowls, eating meat in large chunks, or dividing gold by the scale. In fact, life in the mountains is not much different from life outside the mountains.
They still had to work the fields and weave, and their livelihood depended on the weather.
If the harvest was bad, they would lead men down the mountain to rob people on the road and use the stolen money to support the rest of the villagers.
"Back then, I always begged my father to take me down the mountain with him, but he always refused. I was resentful, so I secretly followed him. One time, my father found out and gave me a good scolding."
"After that, he never let me go down the mountain again, so I could only run all over the mountains with Zhang Tianfu and the others. That's how I developed my skills in walking on mountain paths. Back then, we said we were just playing, but we were mostly just craving something. If we could catch a pheasant or a rabbit, we could have a meal of meat, and we would crave it for days afterward."
Hearing this, Li Chong already knew the answer, but he still asked.
"Since you farm in the mountains, why don't you come down? Staying in the mountains is like being an outlaw, and you risk being wiped out by the government."
Zhong Mei lowered her head, took a sip of water, and swallowed the dry food that was difficult to swallow.
"I had never thought about this before, but I understood it after my father died and I escaped from the mountains. If we went down the mountain, at least half of the people in the village would not survive."
"Endless taxes and inexplicable forced labor; if there's even the slightest mishap in life, the whole family will become someone else's tenant farmers, never to rise again. Compared to all that, at least in the mountains we can eat our fill, which is a life that others can hardly dream of."
Sure enough.
Li Chong remained unmoved, ultimately echoing the same sentiment: oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger.
The complete collapse of the Northern Song Dynasty, seemingly due to the rise of the Jin Dynasty, was actually foreshadowed from the moment Zhao Ji ascended the throne.
The Chinese people have always been the most docile; as long as they have food to eat, they will willingly bow their heads and serve like oxen and horses.
But the Chinese people are also the most resilient; when they see no way out, they can unleash a power strong enough to overturn everything.
From Chen Sheng and Wu Guang to the Yellow Turban Rebellion and then to the various rebel kings at the end of the Sui Dynasty, all the peasant uprisings are proving one thing.
Ordinary peasant uprisings may not have the ability to establish a new dynasty in the short term, but they can definitely sweep a dying dynasty into the dustbin of history.
The countless uprisings at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty were the clarion call for the demise of the Zhao family dynasty.
The southward advance of the Jin dynasty unexpectedly interrupted this process, allowing Wanyan to form the greatest common denominator in resisting the Jin army's southward advance, which enabled the Southern Song dynasty to be established.
"Perhaps I can change that?"
Li Chong had a vague ambition in his heart. Although he didn't know how to do it for the time being, he already had this idea in his mind.
"Xiao Mei," Li Chong called out to Zhong Mei after a moment's thought, "Go and inform the others that the weather is a bit muggy, so I've decided to postpone our journey. Everyone should go to sleep and we'll continue our journey at night, which will be more discreet."
Zhong Mei muttered as she stood up, "Don't call me that."
Even so, she still followed Li Chong's instructions and relayed his orders to the others.