Firmament

Look at the first step.

- Gelao proverb

The rebellion in Rivers State had a direct impact on Mu and Mai's business.

There is no way to continue the business for the time being. He went home and sat down quietly, thinking about something he hadn't been concerned about before. It didn't matter if he lost a little financially, the most important thing was that his mind was greatly impacted.

Why did the common people rise up one after another to rebel? What is the problem?

Mu and Mai worked hard to find answers to their questions. The answer to his convincing heart could not be found, and the rebel team was driven out of Hezhou City by the government's troops.

Mu Hemai usually hated corrupt officials who were arrogant and insatiable, but now that he heard that the rebel team was in some trouble, he took out some money and secretly financed the rebel team to tide over the difficulties. Because of this, Mu and Mai had direct contact with the rebel team.

The first person he came into contact with was also a Saerta Niu Saliha, who also had the same surname as Niu. They talked enthusiastically for a while, and only then did they know that the ancestors of the two were still a family.

As Mu Hemai gained a deeper understanding of the rebel team, he had a certain understanding of the reasons for their rebellion, and became more and more enthusiastic about their affairs. Later, he personally intervened many times to organize the merchants in the city to raise money and food and send them to the rebel camps stationed outside the city.

Ma Duoshan didn't know where he heard that Mu Hemai had dealings with the rebel team, so he came to Mu Hemai's house again and again and kindly dissuaded him not to participate in the rebellion.

Mu and Mai did not take Ma Duoshan's persuasion seriously.

Once, he thought that Ma Duoshan's words were a little excessive, so he unconsciously lowered his face and argued loudly with Ma Duoshan. The good friends I've made over the years almost hurt my peace because of this.

Mu Hemai thought to himself that making money was to feed his family and live a good life. What is the use of the government's current practice of not caring about the lives of the common people, no matter how much money it makes? When the last resort comes, I, Mu and Mai, will also stand up and make our own contributions to the livelihood of the common people and social justice.

Ma Duoshan didn't expect that his kindness touched his nose, and his face was really a little unbearable. He returned to the east wing, gritted his teeth and took out some silver, bought a large mansion in Nanguan, and moved with his family to move over.

Since then, although the two families are still in contact with each other like relatives, their hearts and feelings have been distanced.

Soon, the rebel team was surrounded and suppressed by a large number of government troops outside the city, and the losses were very heavy. Mu and Mai were very anxious after hearing the news.

At this moment, Ma Duoshan came to Mu and Mai's house again.

He said triumphantly to Mu Hemai: "I have said a long time ago, eggs can't touch stone eggs, and pheasants can't fight golden phoenixes." You can see this, right?"

Mu Hemai said unhappily: "We Sarta people have a proverb that says well, yaks must have bull spirit, and warriors must have courage. The proverb of the southerners also says well, it is better to be a chicken head than a phoenix tail. Brother, you're going from south to north, I'm afraid you already know, right?"

Ma Duoshan sighed helplessly, and said unwillingly: "How can you not know? Besides, remember that you Sartars said that no matter how loud the rooster crows, it ends up in the oil pot. Today, the rooster with a loud cry has been slaughtered and fried by the master. The phoenix tail is warped in the plate, waiting for the master's family to eat it. "

Mu Hemai didn't want to reason with the bloodless Ma Duoshan anymore, so he couldn't help but slap the small kang table with his palm. The tea bowl on the kang table shook and jumped.

Mu Hemai said angrily to Ma Duoshan: "You go and make your phoenix tail." I want to find your relative Ma Qiqi and resolutely fight the government to the end!"

Ma Duoshan hurriedly shouted: "Brother, you have to be calmer. Now I don't know which Yulao (northwest dialect, corner) Ma Apocalypse is hiding!".

Mu and Mai no longer paid attention to Madoshan.

Ma Duoshan left Mu and Mai's home in a boring way.

The wars in Longyuan Province have come and gone, year after year. The town is in ruins. Life is difficult for ordinary people. All kinds of disasters and famines followed, poisoning living beings. Jincheng, Hezhou and other places have experienced extremely severe droughts.

By the spring of the following year, the grain was scarce. The price of a bucket of millet in the market rose to 40 taels of silver. Ordinary people are stretched thin and cannot afford to buy high-priced grain.

In order to fill their stomachs, the common people had to dig wild vegetables and cut tree bark. Many people starved to death on the way to dig wild vegetables. Even in the provincial city of Jincheng, the family is hungry and cold, and suicide by jumping into the river together often occurs. The number of people starving to death in the province is too great to count. It is estimated that less than 20 per cent of the total population survived the disaster.

Hunger makes people lose their minds and become insane. They no longer care about ethics and morality, and just to fill their stomachs, there is a tragic phenomenon of cannibalism. At first, some hungry people cut flesh from dead people to devour. Later, even the dead were eaten. The people were so hungry that they had to kill the living to satisfy their hunger. Even the parents of the two families exchanged their children with each other as food to fill their stomachs. Not only did the common people not have enough to eat, but even the local armed pacesetters in the Longyuan provincial capital often starved and were forced to rise up and mutiny.

The king had no time to pay attention to the lives of the common people, and concentrated on studying how to eliminate the surging rebellions in various places and try to maintain his dominance.

One day, Mu and Mai settled down with the men, women and children in the family, changed into cotton plain clothes, took two young men, drove a few mules carrying goods, and swaggered out of Hezhou City.

They passed through Fuhan, Biezang and Chuimatan, came to Dahejia on the bank of the big river, crossed the big river moat, entered the Lazhi Valley, and then passed through Caotanba, Bayan, Pingrongyi and Xiaoxia to Pingxi City on the plateau.

Mu Hemai arrived at Pingxi City on the front foot, and an unfortunate news came from the back foot: Niu Saliha was unwilling to follow the commander of the rebel team to surrender to the government, so he led the team to break away from the main force and fight all the way out of Hezhou City to attack the provincial capital Jincheng.

Niu Saliha led the army to take a shortcut, and when he arrived at Tangwangchuan in Dongxiang, he was surrounded and suppressed by a large number of government troops on the bank of the Tao River. Seeing that the enemy was numerous and well-armed, and that he was few in number, with only broadswords and spears, he knew that the rebel army was exhausted.

Niu Saliha was undaunted, and led his soldiers to fight to the death, and finally all of them died heroically. Their blood stained the land of Tang Wangchuan and the surging river red.