Ang Lee did not discriminate against anyone, especially the poor. However, in the huge group of poor people, there were always some people who wanted to reap without sowing. These people daydreamed all day long and were very dangerous. When they could not get something smoothly, they would choose to steal and rob, and even do illegal things for a little profit. There were also some people who worked very hard, but because of their own conditions, they could not earn enough money to spend. Their families were burdened, and no matter how much money they earned, it was not enough to cover their families' burden. In desperation, they were likely to do very crazy things, which was the so-called crazy poverty. Such people were also very dangerous, and there was a certain proportion of them in the crowd.
There were even more terrible perverts. These people were born to be proud of breaking the law. They had no humanity and did not respect life at all. In their eyes, other people's lives were insignificant. In order to meet their own requirements, they could take other people's lives at will. Moreover, they did not have the slightest sense of guilt in their hearts. In their eyes, other people were ants. It was very common to casually step on a few ants to death, and it was not worth mentioning at all.
In short, in this chaotic society, there were always some unpredictable dangers. These uncertain dangers could take people's lives at any time. Therefore, they had to pay attention to their own safety at all times. Don't do dangerous things. Don't go to dangerous places without absolute certainty. Don't go to dangerous places and meet dangerous people alone, lest you lose your life accidentally.
Tang Er was still young, and he was very curious about this prosperous world. In his eyes, everyone was good, and no one was bad. He did not have the consciousness to protect himself, so he must be protected by Ang Lee. Ang Lee naturally did not want Tang Er to go to crowded places, because these places were the most chaotic places, and also the places where the most violations of the law occurred. Many thieves and traffickers liked to get into the dense crowd, so that they could succeed when people were unprepared.
Ang Lee was not worried about petty theft, because Ang Lee had enough money and did not care about some insignificant losses. However, Ang Lee was quite angry about traffickers, because traffickers would sell children. If their children were trafficked, the loss would be too heavy, and it would make people have the idea of killing the traffickers.
When a person was a child, it was very easy to be abducted because the child's vigilance was too weak, and they were easily tempted by criminals. If someone gave them a piece of candy, they would think that the other person was a good person, and it was possible for them to follow the other person, or after being taken away by force, they would have no ability to resist. They could only be slaughtered and wait for other people's arrangements.
All the weak people were likely to be abducted, including children and women who had no strength. In all the cases of abduction, children and women accounted for almost all the numbers, and there were almost no cases of adult strong men being abducted. Of course, there were some cases, but the number was very small because it was too difficult to control. If these strong men resisted on the way of abduction, the situation was likely to be out of control, resulting in unpredictable consequences. Women and children were different. Women and children were too weak and did not have much ability to resist. Once someone resisted, it was easy to control them, which made it convenient for them to obtain benefits.
In addition, this was also linked to demand. In many areas, there would be people who could not find a wife, or couples who could not have children. People who could not find a wife naturally wanted to spend money to buy a wife, and parents who could not have children naturally needed to buy a child. There were also some families who only had girls and could not have boys, and they also hoped to buy a boy back to raise. Therefore, the demand for women and children was very high, and the market was very good, which caused the high incidence of abduction cases.
As for adult men, they were mainly bought to do manual labor. For example, there were many manual laborers in the famous black coal mines. These laborers could only eat very little food every day, but they had to work very hard. After a long time, they slowly became stupid and did not know anything. But overall, there were relatively few men imprisoned in these black coal mines. Compared with the abducted children and women, the proportion of adult men who were abducted was too small.
These situations were very common in the news of later generations. In the Tang Dynasty, such things also happened, and the situation was much more serious than later generations. After all, in an era like the Tang Dynasty, there was not much high-tech, and the control of the imperial court could only reach the county level. The vast areas below the county level were autonomous by the villagers, and there were often some violations of law and discipline. The imperial court simply did not have enough energy to manage these areas. Moreover, throughout the ancient times, it was possible to keep slaves, which were the so-called servants. It was very common to spend money to buy a servant. As for how this person became a commodity, it was not easy to determine. Some became slaves because their family made a big mistake, and some became slaves voluntarily because they were poor, and many were abducted and even robbed.
For example, many Kunlun slaves on the streets of the Tang Dynasty were robbed by some people from Africa and Southeast Asia. After these people were enslaved, they became commodities for merchants to make profits. They were captured in their hometown and then sold to merchants. After the merchants bought these slaves, they would undergo simple forced training, and then sell these slaves to the capital of the Tang Dynasty, so that the nobles of the Tang Dynasty could own Kunlun slaves.
Throughout the Tang Dynasty, Kunlun slaves represented the highest level of slaves, and were almost the most expensive slaves in the Tang Empire. The reason was naturally because Kunlun slaves came from faraway Africa and Southeast Asia. It took a long journey to transport them to the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and the transportation cost was very high. In addition, according to historical records, Kunlun slaves were very hardworking. They worked much harder than ordinary people, and their bodies were also stronger. To be able to own Kunlun slaves was a very honorable thing for the nobles of the Tang Dynasty.
In the news of later generations, it was always emphasized that Africans were lazy and slow at work, but according to historical records, it was the opposite. In the history books of the Tang Dynasty, Kunlun slaves were very hardworking, and later, in the era of the Great Voyage, many black slaves were sold to America and had to work 18 hours a day. They were very hardworking.
Of course, whether it was the Kunlun slaves or the black slaves later, they could only do this under the command of the whip. Without the whip, perhaps they would be different.
After all, in the vast African continent, there was too much food. A person did not need to work very hard to obtain a large source of food. Therefore, there was naturally no motivation to work hard. If they were hungry, they would go hunting, go to the trees to pick wild fruits, and if they were thirsty, they would go to the baobab tree to find water to drink. Overall, life was very comfortable, and they really could not find a reason to continue to work hard.
But because hunting itself was also a very strong exercise for the body, the black people's bodies were very strong. A weak person could not hunt, and a strong body could burst out a strong labor force as long as there was a whip.
In the Tang Dynasty, there were many literati who did not have the physical strength to do farm work, even if they were whipped. But the Kunlun slaves were different. They hunted in the tropical rainforest all year round, and their bodies were very strong. As long as they were whipped, they could do a lot of work. Their ability to work was definitely better than many ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty. Compared with the farmers, hunters had a great fighting advantage.
Ang Lee did not let Tang Er go to crowded places because he was worried that he would encounter bad people who abducted and sold children. These bad people did not care who the child was, as long as they could abduct and sell the child. They were inhumane. Although Ang Lee had guards in his mansion, Tang Er was too young and very naughty. If he deliberately shook off the guards and ran away through the cracks, it was likely that unpredictable risks would occur. This kind of situation was not impossible. When Ang Lee was here, Tang Er would not dare to be presumptuous, so the probability of deliberately running away was not high. Therefore, Ang Lee was relatively relieved.
Despite Ang Lee's good intentions, Tang Er was a little unwilling. At his age, he was at the age to explore the world. He had a great interest in any new things, especially in crowded places. He was very eager to go and see the excitement there. In this way, he would feel very happy.
However, since Ang Lee said no, it was really no. No matter what Tang Er said, there was no room for negotiation. In the face of safety, everything else had to give way.
The largest children's racecourse in the southeast of Beijing had a very famous name, Xuri Racecourse. Xuri was the sun that just rose in the morning, which was the most appropriate word to describe children.
"Tang Er, do you see the Xuri Racecourse in front of us? It is a place where older children often go to play. Basically, the children who go there are ten, eleven, and twelve years old. Nine years old is the youngest, and they are all a few years older than you. So, let's not go there. Let's go to the tall building next to it and secretly watch them, okay?"
Ang Lee said.
"Secretly watch? Why do we have to secretly watch them?"
Tang Er pouted, looking a little unhappy.
"Well, because Tang Er and father are too handsome. If we go to the racecourse, others will feel inferior and unhappy when they see us. There are many wives in the racecourse. They are all here to accompany their children. Father is so handsome. It will be bad if these wives fall in love at first sight. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Tang Er nodded thoughtfully and said, "If they fall in love at first sight, Tang Er will have a few more wives."
"Does Tang Er want to have a few more wives?"
Ang Lee asked with a smile.
Tang Er shook his head and said, "No, Tang Er already has three wives. It's too many. It's tiring to call them every day. Father, you will be even more tired, won't you?"
"You are so mischievous. When have I ever been tired?"
Ang Lee asked curiously.
Tang Er stared at him and said, "How can I not be tired? When I came out of mother's house a few days ago, I said that I was exhausted to take care of you four sisters. Now you don't admit it and teach me not to lie."
"Father, you mean … Anyway …"
Ang Lee thought for a long time but didn't know how to explain it. It seemed that no matter how many words he used, he couldn't explain his words and deeds a few days ago. Then, he simply didn't explain. This kind of thing could only be understood by Tang Er when he grew up. Ang Lee couldn't teach him.
The tall building next to the Rising Sun Racecourse only had five or six floors. It was a sightseeing tower that had just been built. It was a project built by the imperial court for the benefit of the people. Because it had just been built and hadn't been renovated, there were almost no people inside. The craftsmen probably stopped work because of the rain yesterday, or the lack of funds.
This made it convenient for Ang Lee. He and Tang Er quickly climbed to the top floor and saw all kinds of scenery around. Of course, this included their destination, the Rising Sun Racecourse.
From this position, they could clearly see all kinds of situations in the Rising Sun Racecourse. Every movement in the racecourse couldn't escape Ang Lee's eyes. However, if they wanted to see the details clearly, they would need to use binoculars.
Because the distance wasn't very far, they naturally didn't need a high-magnification mirror. Four or five times would be enough. However, it was best to have a wide-angle mirror so that they could see a wider range.
With just the naked eye, Ang Lee could see the general situation clearly. In the entire Rising Sun Racecourse, there were thousands of horses of various colors, and more than a thousand people in the racecourse. Among them, there were less than a thousand children. However, there were many women and servants who came with the children. There were both male and female servants, but the division of labor was different. The male servants were responsible for entering the racecourse to protect the young masters, while the female servants were responsible for taking care of the women outside.
Of course, there were also men who brought their children to the racecourse, but the proportion was quite small. It seemed a little awkward. These women gathered together and chatted happily together. From time to time, they took out their jewelry to show off to the people around them. It seemed that they were showing off their wealth.
They didn't accompany their children to the racecourse, but it was true that they came out to compare their beauty and wealth. This was the nature of women. Women were born to be beautiful, and this was the case in any era.
And the reason why they were able to go out so smoothly was because the culture of the Great Tang was more civilized. Women could go out as they pleased and didn't need to stay at home all day. Women could even ride horses and play basketball to show their valiant and heroic side.
"Tang Er, what are you looking at? You are so serious. "
Seeing Tang Er holding binoculars and looking at everything in the distance motionlessly, Ang Lee smiled and asked.
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