Disaster Victims, Donate Grain!
"Man-made disaster?" Liang Qu frowned. "Explain in detail."
"I don't know either, I've only heard about it, just heard about it." Lin Songbao lowered his voice, "Do you know about that Mountain Ghost from last time? In the town and water village where they live, suddenly a lot of those ghostly things appeared, and a lot of people died!"
The Ghost Mother Sect! Liang Qu connects the causes and consequences.
Those bastards really didn't just raise Great Danes in Ping Yang Town!
Liang Qu and his fellow disciples had long suspected that the Ghost Mother Sect's resurgence would not be limited to one place, but rather would involve simultaneous operations in multiple locations.
They reported the news early on, but it seems they didn't have time to do so.
The Blood Sacrifice in Ping Yang Town was such a big deal that it couldn't be kept secret.
Huang Zejun chose to act ahead of time, clearly believing that even if the news got out, other places wouldn't have time to react.
Da Shun had no telephones and covered a vast area. Even using carrier pigeons to send messages was still slow, not to mention the need to verify the authenticity of the messages.
Huang Zejun is stupid, stupid because he has never been exposed to society since childhood, his mind is not sharp, and he is easily fooled, but he does have basic logic in doing things.
The more people there are, the slower the travel speed becomes, especially when there is a large proportion of elderly people living alone.
They have only just arrived at the scene of their escape, but they may have set off five or six days ago, trekking through mountains and rivers.
"In a large township, nearly 30% of the people died! Most of them were strong men. The rest dared not stay any longer and all fled! With so many people, the local county magistrate did not dare to keep them for fear that things would get even worse, so he released them all and had them led to the surrounding townships."
I've asked around, and people from all over are here— Hua Zhu County, Feng Bu County, it seems like everything around here has been affected. Only our Chao River County seems okay. Water Bro, do you think something might happen to us too?
"Don't worry, everything here has been resolved."
Liang Qu patted Lin Songbao on the shoulder.
Lin Songbao looked completely bewildered.
"Resolved? When did that happen?"
Liang Qu left the Fishing Wharf and walked down the street.
A foul odor permeated the air.
The number of refugees was enormous; nearly two hundred people had already arrived in Yi Xing City alone, bringing their families with them, and more were still arriving.
The minor official stood in the crowd, trying his best to maintain order and prevent the procession from becoming chaotic.
Several disheveled men, acting erratically, were shouting about ghosts. When the ghosts came, the minor official whipped them, knocking them to the ground, and they stopped shouting.
A mortality rate of 30% is an extremely alarming proportion, enough to cause the collapse of social order.
They were disemboweled and laid eggs by the Mountain Ghost spirits, and no one dared to live in the original place. They would rather risk being punished than stay in the ghost realm.
Once the first refugee took the lead, the rest followed suit, migrating as a whole village.
The crowds were so large that the County Magistrate dared not stop them.
If we don't stop them, it's just that the rebels are causing trouble, and even the Duke Xu couldn't completely eliminate the rebels from the previous dynasty.
If Duke Xu couldn't accomplish this, it's understandable that I, a mere County Magistrate, am even less capable. At most, I'll be stripped of my title.
But if you go too far and incite a popular uprising, you won't just lose your hat, you'll lose your head.
Instead of blocking, it's better to guide. Reporting to the state government and listing them as disaster victims, then relocating them to nearby towns and counties for temporary relief is the best approach.
Liang Qu walked to one side of the procession, looking at the disaster victims, who in turn looked at him.
People speculated that Liang Qu was the son of some powerful family in town, and several women even tried to flirt with him, but it was all in vain.
"Water Bro, Water Bro, I've finally found you!" Chen Tongmin ran up to Liang Qu, holding his waist and panting. "My grandfather told me to go to Ping Yang Town to find you, but I couldn't find you. I finally found you here. Come with me to the Council Hall."
"What does Elder Chen want with me?"
"It's related to the disaster victims," Chen Tongmin said in a low voice. "The Village Elder want every household in our village to donate grain, which will then be distributed to the disaster victims!"
"Village heads, I have been ordered by the County Magistrate to collect grain from you to provide relief to the disaster victims who have fled from neighboring counties. This is the County Magistrate's order, representing the imperial decree, and I hope you will cooperate actively."
A lean, middle-aged man dressed in a long official robe sat at the head of the Council Hall, bowing to the assembled Village Elder.
Chen Zhaoan exchanged glances with the other old men and said helplessly, "I wonder how much grain Patrol Inspector Bian intends to collect this time?"
"One strong, middle-aged man's head is worth one peck of rice."
"A peck of rice? Isn't that too much?" Chen Zhaoan frowned. "It's the dead of winter right now. Not only are the farmers in the village without income, but the fishermen are too."
"The fish I catch each day don't even sell for ten coins. I've checked the grain prices too; because of the disaster, they've risen to twenty-six coins per pound, more than tripling. A peck of rice costs four or five qian of silver."
"I had no choice; it was all an order from the County Magistrate." Patrol Inspector Bian spread his hands. "As you all know, several nearby counties were affected by the disaster this time, and a large number of the victims flocked to Chao River County."
Elder Chen had never been to the county seat; there were even more disaster victims there, and the grain reserves were completely insufficient. Calling on wealthy households wasn't enough either, so this was the only option he could resort to.
The Patrol Inspector were now officials, no longer clerks. Like the Magistrate, they were all officials appointed by the imperial court, registered in the Ministry of Personnel, and wore official robes and hats.
Their primary responsibility was to lead their soldiers in maintaining local security and investigating and punishing crimes such as theft and adultery.
They wield a wide range of power and are considered officials with real authority; they cannot be easily offended, or they will face legal trouble.
Chen Zhaoan had no choice but to go out and gather the villagers to pay their taxes.
"Patrol Inspector, the township is willing to provide grain to relieve the disaster victims. Why don't we try a different approach? We don't need to go through the county to distribute the grain. It's such a long way, and it's too much trouble to go back and forth. We can set up soup kitchens directly in the township to help the disaster victims. This will save you trouble and be faster."
A rather young male voice came from outside the Council Hall.
Patrol Inspector Bian frowned as he listened.
How can it be done without going through the County Government Office?
What did he and his men eat and drink? Just as he was about to sternly question who was disregarding the law, he caught a glimpse of the delighted expressions on the faces of several Village Elder and immediately swallowed his words.
Something's wrong!
"What does Patrol Inspector Bian think?"
Liang Qu stepped across the threshold and entered the Council Hall, his voice calm.
The boy was exceptionally tall, with a belt embroidered with cloud and thunder patterns around his waist. He had long arms and a slender waist, and was as fierce as a leopard.
Although his clothes were a little damp, he didn't feel cold at all, and even opened half of his shirt to expose his right arm to cool down.
The exposed right arm had clear lines and was exceptionally strong. The well-defined fingers rested on the dagger hanging at the waist, seemingly ready to draw the knife at any moment.
Martial Artist! Martial Artist of considerable rank! Patrol Inspector Bian immediately sensed the aura emanating from Liang Qu. Besides, what ordinary family's son would have such a tall and imposing figure? Realizing his extraordinary nature, he turned to look at Chen Zhaoan beside him. "Elder Chen, who is this?"
Chen Zhaoan smiled and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Liang Qu, the ninth Personal Disciple of Master Yang of Ping Yang Town, a talented man from Yi Xing City."
Who else could it be but Master Yang from Ping Yang Town?
Yang Dongxiong! With so many people watching, how could a group of Village Elder dare to deceive government officials, especially with such easily verifiable information?
Patrol Inspector Bian's eyes changed, and he changed the subject. "Truly, heroes emerge from among the young. Ever since the surrounding counties were hit by disasters, the county has been short-handed and busy. I haven't been home to sleep for three days."
Upon careful consideration, Young Master Liang's words make perfect sense. However, isn't this task, which should be handled by the Prefectural Office, too much trouble? I feel truly ashamed; perhaps we should have our clerks do it."
Liang Qu shook his head, his fingers moving in and out as if unconsciously. "It's no trouble. The villagers have no work to do in the winter, and the county is short-handed. It's time for us to do our part to help."
Patrol Inspector Bian's lips twitched. The cold glint of the blade was almost hitting his face. He dared not insist any longer. "Young Master Liang's method is excellent. Then we will trouble the villagers."
"It's nothing, it's nothing, Patrol Inspector Bian is too kind."
Chen Zhaoan and the others waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that this was what they should do. They were all citizens of Da Shun and should unite and help each other.
Patrol Inspector Bian was displeased, but he had no choice but to admit it, as he had personally witnessed how Yang Dongxiong had displayed his power and influence before the New Year.
It was later learned that the Ghost Mother Sect had deliberately misled them. As Former Dynasty Remnants, they had to avoid Great Martial Master, which shows their importance. Even the County Magistrate had to show them deference.
Although Liang Qu was only a disciple, he was just a minor Patrol Inspector and not County Magistrate, so he couldn't be offended.
"It's getting late, and I need to get to other towns and cities to settle the disaster victims before sunset, so I won't stay any longer."
Having gotten nowhere and gained nothing, Patrol Inspector Bian lost interest and, ignoring the Village Elder ' requests to stay for a meal, left with a single sentence before departing.
The Village Elder quickly stood up and grasped Liang Qu's hand.
"A Shui, you've been a great help A Shui."
A peck of rice is not a big problem for the Village Elder.
But the elders of the village, the oldest in the village, must know which seat they are on.
Doing whatever the higher-ups say will eventually alienate the villagers, and then even a bushel of rice will become a problem.
"It's nothing, Village Elder, you don't need to be so polite."
Liang Qu bowed respectfully, refusing to claim credit.
With so many officials and clerks in the county town, a task that could be accomplished with half a peck of rice becomes a task requiring a peck of rice.
In the end, what was delivered was only half a bushel of unpolished rice.
Avoiding this ordeal would benefit both the villagers and the disaster victims.
"Since we're not going to let the County Government Office handle this, we still need to make sure the disaster victims are settled properly, otherwise it will be awkward for both sides."
"Of course, A Shui, don't worry about it. I have experience in handling this kind of thing."
Chen Zhaoan patted his chest and guaranteed it.
He Live Seven years old. He was young when the Da Shun Dynasty was founded, and during that time he encountered countless natural and man-made disasters.
He had experienced war, plague, and floods, and knew best how to settle refugees; he was very experienced.
Management talent is hard to come by, and not all Village Elder are just old-fashioned fools; at least some of them have real skills.
"Elder Chen opinionated, so I won't get involved." Liang Qu nodded, knowing Chen Zhaoan's capabilities.
The sound of horses' hooves echoed on the bluestone slabs, growing louder as they approached.
Are they warhorses? Liang Qu walked out of the Council Hall.
The sound of a warhorse running is completely different from that of a nag; he had only ever heard such a powerful hoofbeat from a few horses in the Yang Residence.
The silhouette of a black horse approached rapidly along the Azure Stone Street, its hooves kicking up dust as it leaped into the center of Yi Xing City.
Where is Liang Qu in Yi Xing City?