The two monks came and left without even entering the refugee camp. They just made the porridge thicker in the past few days.
It has been proved in disguise that the refugee camp is a dark place where even the light of Buddha does not want to shine. I am afraid that if the people here die, they will not be able to go to the Paradise of Paradise in the West. Most of them will wallow in hell and suffer from their poverty.
Atonement.
Li Po, who had been quiet for several days, finally set his sights on the nearby market.
There is nothing that can be done about this. There are not many choices before Li Po.
The so-called human market is similar to vegetable market, horse market, meat market and so on.
It’s just that the goods here are living people.
Li Po didn't know much about the market, but it was enough.
In winter, the market in Mayi North City is very sluggish. However, contrary to other market places, the more it is like this, the cheaper the prices of goods in the market are.
There, slaves could be sold blatantly, and the slave trade was also legal in Mayi. The edict to free serfs during the Kaihuang period could not completely change the social structure of the Sui Dynasty.
All kinds of slaves are still an indispensable supplement to various wealthy families in the Sui Dynasty.
For a long time, Mayi, as a large frontier city, was the main trading place for slaves in Jin Dynasty.
Most of the slaves came from prisoners of war.
But now, due to the truce between the Sui Dynasty and the Turks for many years, the main body of slaves has changed. Landless farmers, poor families in Mayi City, etc. will all appear in the market.
Of course, the slave trade was only one of the functions of Mayi City.
This is also the main labor market in Mayi, where men and women can register their names and expertise for people to be selected and hired to do various jobs.
In Li Po's view, the human market and the refugee camp are very similar, and they are both the darkest corners of Mayi City.
People are dying constantly in the refugee camps, and in the city, people are actually dying.
The difference is that the people who died in the refugee camp were refugees, but the people who died there were slaves.
However, whether they are refugees or slaves, they will be thrown into mass graves after death and will have no other place to go.
The refugee camp is very close to the city. Although the refugees are not allowed to enter the city, they are allowed to enter and leave the city on their own. This hint goes without saying.
The human market must also be a place where three religions and nine streams gather.
Li Po did not enter easily. He just walked around the market and someone stared at him with malicious eyes. He did not come to ask directly. He probably saw the short knife on his waist.
However, this also gave Li Po a preliminary impression of the market.
As he had guessed, there must be a lot of human traffickers here, and their subordinates must also have a lot of idle men, or they must be more advanced, and they must support some swordsmen and the like.
It can be concluded that this is a rudimentary underworld group, rooted at the bottom, but able to connect with the government. Otherwise, such a business would not be able to continue.
Unlike before, Li Po didn't have many plans now.
Obviously, finding a way to survive in the human market is not as simple as selling fish before.
If you don't understand the market and act rashly, you won't get any benefits, and you may even risk your life.
Of course, if there were other ways, Li Po would never come to Renshi to try his luck...
After two days of wandering around, the fire in the refugee camp gradually died out, and the shadow of death once again shrouded the refugee camp.
After a light snowfall, a child and a woman died.
By this time, the elderly and very young children were no longer visible in the refugee camps.
Just as Li Po thought, when he saw the two corpses being transported out of the camp, even Li Po himself felt that the weather was a little colder, not to mention the others.
There are many people in the world who take death lightly, and Li Po is one of them.
However, there has never been a person in the world who looked down upon death.
When people around you die one after another, the impact on those who are still alive is unparalleled.
Just like in an area where an epidemic breaks out, people who get sick later generally die much faster than those before. This is the reason why their spirits have actually gradually collapsed, and naturally they die faster.
On this day, dozens of people died in the southern refugee camp in one day, which proved this point.
Li Po touched his sunken cheek. He knew that if he continued like this, he wouldn't be able to hold on.
Therefore, he braved the cold and squatted beside the refugee camp for two days, and finally waited for the person he was waiting for.
Two men carrying firewood staggered into the city gate.
Habitually looking at the base of the city gate, the two of them seemed to be relieved at the same time, and even their steps became much lighter.
However, they were not happy for a long time when a hateful voice came from beside them, "The two brothers are here again, please let me wait."
The two people stopped helplessly and tried their best to act angry. One of them was spitting out white air like a cow, "Li Dalang, we don't want to fight with you anymore. Don't block the road. We have to go into the city."
You can tell by looking at them that the two of them have been having a very difficult time recently, and even going to the city to sell firewood has a psychological shadow.
Li Po pretended not to see them, and leaned in front of the two of them, smiling as if they were blooming.
"My little brother has been waiting here for a few days..."
"We can't give you any firewood."
"I would like to ask my two brothers to do a little favor."
"We can't give you any firewood."
He couldn't explain clearly, and Li Po immediately changed his face, shook his fist, and said fiercely: "Come with me, or else, I will drag you two brothers into the camp, strip off your clothes and throw them out of the city."
The two men were brothers. The son inherited his father's business and made a living in the mountains and forests.
Like many northern men, they are very strong and rough, with obvious Hu people ancestry.
Their brains are not very good, but they can be said to be good warriors.
The power of the Great Sui Dynasty also originated from these ordinary but powerful warriors from the North.
The two brothers' surname is Shi, one of the major surnames in Mayi.
It was also the surname left behind when General Shi Wansui led his troops to resist the Turks in Mayi.
Two brothers, one named Shi Da and the other Shi Er.
At this time, both brothers were very angry, but also fearful.
After being beaten twice in succession, both of them knew that they were no match for Li Po.
What Li Po said was so vicious that it made people feel chilly. Shi Da became a little angry and couldn't help but hold down the handle of the knife at his waist.
Shi Er calmed down and grabbed his brother, "What can you do for me? We brothers can't give you the firewood. If we lose the firewood again, we won't be able to see anyone when we go back."
Accepting it as soon as he saw it, Li Po smiled again, "I don't want your firewood. The two brothers only need to go to the market with the younger brother and sell the firewood by the way."
"Well, your leader has said it. We are going to be friends from now on. We will not rob friends of their things."