Chapter 189 The Ming Dynasty Murong Hai

As soon as the words escaped from the man who was carrying his child, the Taoist priest and I were immediately stunned. Redeem your children?! "What do you mean?" The puzzled Taoist priest sputtered, and the man began disclosing the truth. War was ravaging the lands and the hundreds of thousands of Ming soldiers who were powerless to repel the Northern barbarians and rebels had instead taken to torturing the common people. The wretched armies, instead of protecting the people, had come to rob and plunder and had taken the children of Wu Zhong County with them when they retreated to Fengrun District. Then they delivered letters of demand to the parents of the children, demanding ransom. Worse, the children would be slaughtered if the parents were late in delivering the ransom. Those that I saw leaving the city with sullen looks on their faces were those who were on their way to Fengrun to redeem their children. Those whom I saw on their way back, but with empty wagons or baskets, were those who had failed to amass enough money or those whose children had been brutally slain because of being late. It was pitiful that these poor peasants had to give up and scrounge for every ounce of gold and silver that they could to reclaim their offsprings.