January 6, the twenty-seventh year of the Republic of China!
Due to the imminence of the Japanese troops from the north and the south, the Northeast Army, Northwest Army, Yunnan Army, Sichuan Army, Guangxi Army, Central Army, and hundreds of thousands of troops dispatched by the Ministry of Military Affairs are gathering around Xuzhou, and in Xuzhou City, which is the center of the long-brewing battle
, the troops ordered to guard the city have begun to set up defenses. A large number of trenches have been dug outside the city to deploy barbed wire. Machine gun fire points and various anti-artillery fortifications have also begun to be built in various important defense areas in the city. Soldiers can be seen everywhere standing guard, and it has become like a castle.
Big military camp.
In addition to the infantry corps originally stationed in the city, many infantry corps headquarters have set up liaison offices in Xuzhou City to facilitate their coming to the Fifth Theater Command to receive supplies.
Therefore, except for some residents who have not left the city, the number of soldiers who are constantly walking on the street accounts for one third.
However, when you stand on the street and look up, you see more refugees huddled in the streets and alleys, dressed in ragged clothes, waiting for a bowl of porridge to be distributed every day to survive.
Most of them escaped from Jiangsu and Zhejiang during the Battle of Songhu. Ordinary people whose homes were destroyed by the war fled south to Jinling. Unexpectedly, the Japanese army followed, and they had to start their escape journey again.
Unexpectedly, leaving home was only the beginning of the disaster for these ordinary people. Because of the outbreak of the war, domestic inflation increased at an alarming rate. Before the war, a piece of silver could buy 16 kilograms of polished rice in a big city like Shanghai. In Xuzhou,
In such smaller cities, you can buy 20 kilograms, which is enough to feed an adult man for a month.
But with the outbreak of the war, prices began to skyrocket. In just half a year, prices more than doubled.
That also means that a piece of silver can only buy 8 to 10 kilograms of rice at most. For the millions of people who fled, what made it even worse was that before the war, many ordinary people responded to the government and exchanged silver for one to one.
Instead of the government-issued legal tender, I naturally chose to bring more portable banknotes before fleeing.
Originally, the purchasing power of legal currency was the same as that of silver, but some unscrupulous merchants actually lowered the purchasing power of legal currency without authorization. Although the government has laws prohibiting and cracking down on it, in times of war and chaos, merchants who dare to do so must have sufficient background support.
The refugees' only wealth was harvested little by little along the way. After escaping for more than a thousand miles, many people could only become impoverished.
Huddled on the streets of this city that was about to become a battlefield, it wasn't that they didn't want to escape, but that they really couldn't escape.
Anyway, here, the war zone will distribute a bowl of porridge and water every day. Even if the rice porridge is as clear as boiled water and the soaked rice grains can be counted with the naked eye, it can still allow you and your family to barely survive. If you leave this city, you can only
It could end up being starved to death...
Mingxin’s eyes are filled with anger!
He glared fiercely at the sinister grain shop owner in front of him.
This is already his third day entering Xuzhou City.
Ever since he bid farewell to his senior brother and came down the mountain that day, he had been sleeping rough all the way to the southeast.
Although Mingxin has no experience in the world, he has been a smart child since he was a child. Otherwise, he would not have been called the only disciple who can shine by his master, nor would he have become the most powerful person in the Taoist temple at such a young age.
He knew that if he wanted to slay demons, he had to go to the place closest to the battlefield, so he entered Xuzhou City on the third day.
Xuzhou city gates were inspected very strictly. Fortunately, he had a special certificate for Taoist disciples. When he went down the mountain, he went to the local township chief to get an identity certificate. The three-foot Qingfeng sword carried behind his back also well explained his identity as a Taoist priest.
When asked about the reason, I heard that the Taoist priest wanted to go to the battlefield to kill demons and join the army. It happened that the old mother of the captain and company commander who was guarding the city gate was also a Taoist believer, so they let him into Xuzhou City.
Originally, Mingxin planned to inquire carefully in Xuzhou City to find out which army was the most elite, so he would join that army and enter the battlefield to kill the enemy.
Mingxin has strong confidence in her three-foot green sword, even in the age of bullets and cannonballs.
But she never thought that before she heard the news, Mingxin witnessed with her own eyes the miserable situation of refugees huddled in groups everywhere in Xuzhou city.
Ming Xin may never forget the scene that happened in front of her three days ago. Because it was too crowded, a thin man who was shaking with hunger accidentally knocked over the porridge bowl he was holding carefully.
Without caring about anything else, the panic-stricken man actually licked food on the muddy ground and knocked over the porridge water. He didn't care that his mouth was full of mud. Then, he carefully put the mud stained with rice grains and porridge water into a bowl.
, not even a grain of rice was missed.
Staggering for two hundred meters, he arrived under the eaves of a roof that was less than a foot wide. He opened up a quilt full of holes and smelly, and took out a child who was only a few years old. He tremblingly held it in his arms.
Dip your fingers into the muddy rice grains and put them on the child's mouth.
The almost motionless child miraculously opened his mouth and swallowed the extremely dirty rice grains bit by bit. Time and time again, half a bowl of rice porridge with mud was eaten up by the child.
The child glanced at the man with his big, dull eyes. The man with a haggard face grinned and smiled.
Yes, he laughed, because the child ate the small half bowl of rice porridge, even if most of it was mud, but it didn't matter, it meant that the child who was about to starve to death could live a little longer.
How can a father be dissatisfied with joy?
At that moment, Mingxin, who was watching all this from a distance, felt a soreness at the end of his nose. If he hadn't had amazing concentration since he was young, he would have burst into tears long ago.
This place has not yet become a battlefield, but the people are already suffering so much. So what should the Chinese people in the battlefield be like?
The little Taoist priest with amazing concentration suppressed the sadness in his heart, but he didn't know that his cheeks were already cold.
She watched quietly as the smiling man licked the bowl in his hand. After a while, Mingxin walked over and bowed with one hand, "Xiao Dao Mingxin, I have learned medical skills from my teacher since I was a child. Just now I saw that the child was unable to move.
Can I check the condition and get medication based on the symptoms?"
The man raised his head feebly and looked at Mingxin, who had a solemn look on his face, with a sad look on his face. He wanted to say something, but in the end he only uttered two words: "Hungry disease!"
Ming Xin was stunned and looked around, all of them were refugees lying down and huddled on the spot after drinking porridge.
He finally understood that the reason why those refugees were huddled under the eaves during this daylight hour was not that they did not want to move, but that they did not dare to move.
Activity means consumption, consuming the bowl of rice porridge they just scooped up after frantically grabbing at a soup kitchen. Then they will not be able to survive another day and night until the next soup soup, a long and cold winter night.
Use up the only calories brought by the porridge water.
If you want to save them, you don't need any medicine, just food.
But, how should he save them? Touching the only piece of silver in his chest lining, he knew clearly that even if he used this piece of silver to buy a few kilograms of food, it would not be enough to feed the nearly a hundred refugees here.
But other than that, he only has a green Taoist robe, and the only valuable thing is the Qingfeng sword passed down by his ancestor on his back, but it is a sharp weapon for him to slay demons in the future and must not be lost easily.
But maybe, there is another way.
"Do you want to have food to eat?" Mingxin asked the man and the refugees huddled around him.
Although no one spoke, the longing in their eyes revealed their thoughts.
"Okay, I'll hire you and others at half a catty of rice per person per day. You don't need to do anything for me. You just need to help me gain popularity. Just give me a few shouts at critical times." Ming Xin offered the conditions and took the
He took out the only piece of silver he had and threw it to the man. "This is the deposit. Go buy ten kilograms of rice and cook a pot of porridge so that everyone has the strength to follow."
Not to mention half a catty of rice per person per day as payment, just because they can cook porridge to satisfy their hunger now, hundreds of refugees are not flocking here.
As a Taoist priest, he paid his dues and found a shop to borrow some gongs, and Mingxin Xiaodao had an idea and the performing arts venue was born.
Yes, what Mingxin thinks of is his good martial arts skills.
Although the Grandmaster has a legacy: Do not use force to violate the forbidden, and do not show off your martial arts! But now he is trying to save the common people, not to show off himself, so the Grandmaster will be lenient to him!
Xuzhou is a large city with a radius of hundreds of kilometers. According to the census in the 25th year of the Republic of China, it has a permanent population of more than 160,000. Although many people escaped from the war and went to the farther south, there are now an unknown number of people.
The floating population, plus the garrisoned army, means the population is only much larger than before.
The Chinese are also a very peculiar existence. Regardless of the era, even at this moment of night, there is never a shortage of people watching the excitement.
Hundreds of refugees gathered in a circle. There was no need to beat the gong. They stood on several floors inside and outside. There were soldiers and civilians. Standing in the middle of the field was a little Taoist priest with an immortal spirit, which undoubtedly increased people's curiosity.
.
However, the little Taoist priest didn't have any props, he was just standing there alone, which made him look even more mysterious.
After waiting for a long time, someone finally got impatient and shouted in the crowd: "Little Taoist priest, what do you want to do? If you have any work, show it to the men!"
"Yes! If you don't have a job, don't come out and embarrass yourself!"
"Don't tell me, this looks pretty good. If you put on makeup in a theater, you can probably sing Tsing Yi."
Of course, those who made sarcastic remarks and rude jokes outside the field could only be those soldiers who were allowed to go shopping on leave. They were under great pressure due to the coming war. They finally came out to relax but did not see what they wanted to see. Most of them were from peasant backgrounds.
It's strange that the tone is good.
"This poor Taoist performs for no other reason than to raise donations for the victims on the street, and please ask the fellow villagers to donate generously!" Mingxin was unmoved, and made a Taoist salute with one hand, and said sincerely.
"Money is easy to say, so little Taoist priest, you must have the ability to make men happy. If you can only show off your skills and tricks, don't blame the men for ruining your place." A soldier's rough voice sounded.
Ming Xin Dao was determined and naturally he would not get angry because of these words. He smiled slightly and said, "I have been practicing martial arts with my master since I was a child for fifteen years, but I don't look down on such tricks."
"The little Taoist priest is quite crazy. Then show it to me. If you perform well, I will donate this piece of gold." The soldier who spoke before squeezed out of the crowd, took out a piece of silver from his pocket and put it in the palm of his hand.
Throw it up and down.
"Okay, with these words from Master Jun, Xiaodao is determined." Mingxin was full of confidence in performing for the first time in her life, and glanced around. "Get the props!"
Several refugees immediately stood up and stood up a few wooden sticks as thick as goose eggs that were placed under their feet.
The tops of the 3-meter-high wooden sticks are nailed to a wooden board no wider than a finger. Each wooden board has a copper bell on the top. The four wooden sticks are arranged in a semi-arc shape in front of Mingxin. With Mingxin as the center, the radius is about seven meters.
About eight meters.
"What is this going on?" The soldier with the rank of sergeant was slightly startled.
Ming Xin's hand moved slightly, and a small willow leaf dart slipped out of the special pouch in his sleeve and fell into the palm of his hand. This is the hidden sword he has practiced for more than ten years. Because the dart is secretive, it is difficult to guard against it. Its essence is
The technique of taking darts and the accuracy of flying and hitting them are one of the unique skills in Guanzhong.
But I didn't expect that today it would become a game of performing arts for the people to watch. I just hope that the ancestors will not be weird, Mingxin thought in his heart, and while the sergeant was still staring at the willow leaf dart in his palm, he suddenly waved his arm.
There was a crisp sound of "Grab!"
The vibrated copper bell also made a clear sound.
A flying knife that was no more than ten centimeters long accurately hit a wooden sign six or seven meters away.
The wooden sign was only one meter away from the sergeant.
Only then did the people squatting or standing around realize that this man was actually doing a knife-throwing stunt.
This dart was like a blind cat hitting a dead mouse, but what about the next dart? What if it missed? Everyone's expressions changed greatly and they dispersed one after another.
"Master Jun is so courageous, Xiaodao admires him!" Mingxin made a Taoist bow with one hand.
"Good guy! This knife is worth this ocean!" The sergeant looked sideways at the wooden sign not far from him. He was stunned at first, and then he couldn't help laughing when he looked at the panicked people around the wooden stick.
He should be regarded as the person closest to the wooden sign, but he did not move. After the little Taoist said this, does that also prove his military courage?
With these words, he also had to leave this ocean behind.
Perhaps only he knew it, but in his heart he scolded this ignorant little Taoist priest. Te Liang's knife was really scary. If he messed up, his life would be over.
If you die on the battlefield, you will still get a pension. If you die here, where can you find reason? Killing the little Taoist priest ten times is not worth it!
No matter what, we need to find this place back.
"Come, come, little Taoist priest, show your ability to the fullest. There are two pieces of ocean waiting for you to get it." The Army sergeant calmed down and wanted to see how accurate Ming Xin could be.
Another two pieces of ocean! Ming Xin, why don't you work hard? With a slight movement of your palm, another willow dart slipped between your fingers, and you raised your arm between your fingers. Within three seconds, there were three more knives, and the knives hit the wooden sign.
The sergeant couldn't help but be stunned.
One hit with one sword might be called luck, but with such a fast speed and three consecutive hits, it can only be attributed to strength.
"good!"
"Wonderful!"
The refugees immediately shouted, and the people followed, but it attracted more people to watch.
But for this sergeant, one piece of ocean was already painful, but two more pieces would cost half his life.
"Your sword is definitely accurate, but it's worth an ocean, but it's not worth my two dollars, unless you have something better than this one." The sergeant shook his head.
"Then, Master, take this stick!" Mingxin remained calm. "You can shake it up and down or left and right!"
The sergeant's face is a little white!
I deeply regret it in my heart. This is all because I want to die! I'm still swinging up and down. You think I'm stupid!
But the bravery of the soldier did not allow him to back down. He gritted his back molars and raised the wooden stick, shaking it from side to side with a heroic demeanor, "Is this okay?"
The copper bell made a crisp ringing sound!
The people around him collectively retreated, leaving a large open space.
"No! No matter what, Xiaodao has to earn two pieces of silver from the military master!" Ming Xin had a slight smile on her face.
Then he took out a piece of white cloth from his Taoist robe, folded it, wrapped it around his eyes, and tied it behind his head: "Master Jun, you can move your steps and body!"
The sergeant's legs trembled involuntarily. Only then did he realize what the copper bell on the top of the board was for.
He didn't dare to move, but it wasn't enough to move.
The little Taoist priest who cannot see clearly relies on the sound of the bell to identify his direction...
ps: Today is still two chapters in one. The girl was not injured yesterday, but it was extremely troublesome to go to the traffic police station to issue a certificate or something. I ran all morning to finish it, and I had a social event in the evening, so I started coding when I came back at noon.
I have finished writing it now, so I will update it soon.
