At this point, the group gained a new understanding of Ye Lang: he was a little absent-minded. Of course, they later realized that he wasn't just a little absent-minded, he was a complete scatterbrain.
However, this personality trait made these people support Ye Lang even more and prevent them from deceiving Ye Lang, because they felt that Ye Lang was easily fooled.
Although it was later proven that those who tried to take advantage of Ye Lang often ended up in trouble, being dragged into a predicament by Ye Lang didn't seem to be the type to play dumb to deceive others. It was more like an unexpected coincidence, which made people even more frustrated.
"Why are all these drivers like this? They take the money and run away. Next time, I'll only give a deposit and not the full amount. I'll pay them when we reach our destination!" Ye Lang had already been abandoned by the drivers twice, so he felt it was necessary to adjust his payment method.
Everyone fell silent. It seemed that this had nothing to do with whether or not you had paid a deposit. Even if you hadn't paid a single penny and only paid after you received the money, the outcome would still be the same.
"Young Master, can you walk?" the dark-skinned, thin man asked. He was afraid that Ye Lang and Xiao Rui, with their delicate bodies, might not have walked before, and now he was wondering where to find them a carriage.
"Okay, let's go! Lead the way!" Ye Lang nodded. He wasn't the kind of person who was arrogant and pampered. He had walked hundreds of miles, or even further, before, and Xiao Rui was no exception.
After Ye Lang answered, everyone immediately led Ye Lang toward the nearest town, where they surrounded him and talked to Ye Lang.
During the conversation, Ye Lang learned more about the situation and realized that these thousand or so people were only a small part of the total, and that at least 100,000 people had fled here.
The movement of these people seems to be placing a heavy burden on that Holy City, and at the same time, it will have a significant impact on the Aila Empire.
At the same time, Ye Lang also heard more about Gomera County, including its folk culture and the lord's despicable deeds.
Regarding the lord's situation, Ye Lang said, "You don't need to hate him anymore. He won't have a good life after losing you."
The dark-skinned, thin man was still by Ye Lang's side, and replied, "They can still continue to be happy. They'll be even happier without us. They've always thought of us as lowly people!"
"How can you be so stupid? Without you common people, how can he maintain his regime? Even if your emperor doesn't punish them, they will still die a terrible death," Ye Lang said. "If I were your emperor, I would make them stay there and never let them leave, nor would I send any reinforcements to them."
"Why?"
"Think about it, even if we lose 10,000 or 20,000 people, there will still be problems if none of you are engaged in production in Gomera County. Now, if we lose all of our people, and no new food is produced, even if they have stored grain, it will all run out! Hmm, I need to inform Seventh Brother, hehe..."
Ye Lang suddenly had an idea that would allow the Ye Clan to make money while also punishing the lord. In Gomera County now, most of those remaining are nobles and wealthy people, along with refugees who couldn't escape!
Now, all we need to do is send people to plunder the grain there and then sell it back to them at a high price. That would be even more profitable than robbing people. At the same time, we should send people to buy up the barren land there. It should be very cheap now. We can let the land rest for a few years until it's fertile before planting grain. Then we can plunder again. No, we should make money.
Of course, Ye Lang would also arrange for the civilians to watch over their land.
Originally, the plan might have only taken away a small portion, but unexpectedly it was so successful that the Ye Clan almost swept away the entire wealth of Gomera County and acquired thousands of acres of fertile land!
Besides the perfect cooperation of Seventh Brother, Third Brother, and others, the Emperor of the Aila Empire also helped out intentionally or unintentionally. Just as Ye Lang said, the Emperor of the Aila Empire did allow Gomera County to continue, but cut off all supplies to the county.
This way, the Ye Clan gained both wealth and people.
Perhaps this is divine retribution!
Along the way, because Ye Lang and Xiao Rui were surrounded, people outside thought they were just an ordinary group of refugees who could be seen at any time, so no one cared.
However, when some lone refugees see so many of their kind, they tend to huddle together, at least for mutual support. Of course, some others feel that they are more likely to survive on their own and do not follow the main group.
No one paid any attention to these people; their concern was for the starving refugees along the way. They gave them food and led them on their journey—that was the strength of the main force.
Although the people rescued by these thousand or so people represent only a very small fraction of those fleeing the disaster, and most of them were not saved, every one more person is a contribution, and it is not a problem to save too few.
And this credit seems to go to Ye Lang, because if it weren't for Ye Lang, these people wouldn't have saved anyone, as they were too busy taking care of themselves.
This has led some people to reflect that the conditions are the same whether Ye Lang is there or not. A little more food is not a big deal. They had more before, but they still didn't organize it like this.
Given the same conditions, why didn't you save others before, but can now? The reason is quite simple: you didn't think about it. You didn't think that you could save yourself or others; you were only concerned with your own survival.
Often, people are like this: they can do something, but they don't, and things just get worse!
Ye Lang's appearance changed things and made them better. I believe that they will be able to survive on their own and help others without the Holy City's aid.
This is an amazing change!!
"Go, you refugees, don't go into the city. Finish your porridge and continue on your way. We have already done more than enough for you!"
In the nearest small town, although the city gates were open, the refugees were not allowed to pass through. However, the town provided them with food so that they could continue to live and continue their journey toward their destination.
For a small town like this, it seems quite good. Some towns don't care about anything at all, they just turn people away and don't offer any help.
"Actually, we sympathize with you, but we simply can't afford to support so many people here!" These were the words of the person distributing porridge, and they reflected the true situation in this small town.