Rebellion

Qin Fang had expected the Iron Tiger Gang to come looking for trouble the very next day, but the outcome was somewhat unexpected.

For several days in a row, it was as if Wang Long and his men had forgotten his existence entirely; they didn't even show their faces.

After a moment of stunned silence, Qin Fang realized what might be happening.

Could it be because of the refugee uprising?

Had the refugee uprising delayed them?

Qin Fang couldn't be sure.

But this was undoubtedly good news.

It allowed Qin Fang to relax and quietly recover from his injuries here.

Every night, Old Wu would come over to check his wounds and change the ointment.

The effect of Old Wu's ointment was astonishing; in just three or four days, the wounds on his waist and left shoulder had completely scabbed over. Although it would certainly be a long time before they were fully healed, at least they were no longer deteriorating.

With his wounds properly treated, Qin Fang no longer had a fever, and his spirits improved day by day.

Everything was looking up.

Except for one thing...

"The refugees have rebelled!"

It wasn't until a few days later that the more straightforward of the two youths who brought him food every day delivered this news.

The youth was named Zhang Hao, a simple-minded boy. At first, he had been full of disgust and wariness toward Qin Fang.

However, Qin Fang would deliberately strike up conversations with him whenever he came to deliver food. Over time, Zhang Hao slowly let go of his guard and aversion.

This guy is quite polite; he doesn't look like a bad person.

Gradually, he became willing to chat a bit more.

And then, from this youth, Qin Fang received news that made his heart skip a beat.

The refugees had rebelled.

Naturally, he immediately thought of the group of fake refugees he had encountered earlier.

It was highly likely that they were the ones behind the operation.

But it was strange; True Martial County had already opened its gates to let the refugees in. Under such circumstances, with a path to survival, why would the refugees still rebel?

Upon asking further, Qin Fang learned another piece of information.

"The disaster relief grain was actually burned a few days ago. Our Spring Return Hall even helped put out the fire. But at the same time, mysterious people were causing chaos and killing indiscriminately. We worked all night, but we couldn't save the grain; we just watched it burn to ashes."

"You were lucky to get in on the first day. Actually, the grain that day wasn't relief grain allocated by the imperial court, but grain the county magistrate begged from the major powers in True Martial County."

"But the major powers have limited grain, and refugees keep coming in an endless stream. I heard there are already over a hundred thousand of them. A hundred thousand! That's a hundred thousand mouths waiting to be fed! Even the major powers don't have that much stored grain... they have to eat too!"

"When there was no more grain to distribute, the refugees naturally wouldn't stand for it, so they rebelled."

Speaking of this, Zhang Hao gritted his teeth: "These refugees are truly ungrateful! It's not like we had it and wouldn't give it to them... we didn't have any ourselves! They just resort to looting if they don't get what they want? Truly a bunch of ingrates!"

Hearing this, Qin Fang finally understood the full picture.

The relief grain had been destroyed before they even arrived?

He recalled that question from that day...

Where did the grain come from?

At the time, he had found it strange why the other party would suddenly ask that.

Now he understood completely.

It must have been that group of people who burned the grain to force the refugees into rebellion.

That was why, upon learning that True Martial County had opened its gates to distribute porridge, they had blurted out, "Where did the grain come from?"

But since the other party continued their actions, it was clear they knew the grain in True Martial County couldn't solve the fundamental problem.

With a hundred thousand shi of relief grain burned, even if True Martial County wanted to provide relief, where could they conjure grain out of thin air?

As the refugees gathered in greater numbers, the grain shortage would only grow larger.

Seeing this, the major powers in True Martial County would certainly stop opening their granaries to distribute food.

Because this was a bottomless pit.

Moreover, these major powers might help out of a sense of duty to the government if it were within their means.

But if it meant sacrificing their entire livelihood...

Who would agree to that?

One doesn't become a saint of charity that way!

Qin Fang finally grasped the full scope of the situation, his expression flickering between light and shadow.

This matter clearly affected him as well... after all, he was, by definition, one of the refugees.

The refugees' assault on True Martial County caused massive destruction, so the people of True Martial County would surely harbor hatred toward them.

He had been caught in the crossfire.

However, it was not entirely without benefits...

The Iron Tiger Gang was clearly held back by this incident, allowing him to enjoy a few days of peace.

...Or perhaps, they had already died in the chaos of the refugee uprising?

If that were the case, it would have solved a huge problem for him.

"The refugee rebellion won't have any impact on the hall, will it?"

Qin Fang asked the question he cared about most.

Whether the refugees rebelled or not had nothing to do with him.

But the safety of Spring Return Hall was inextricably linked to his own!

Once the refugees breached Spring Return Hall, he didn't think they would spare him just because he was also a refugee.

...Refugees driven by extreme hunger are no longer human.

Those with eyes bloodshot from killing... cannot be considered human either.

He knew all too well, after this long journey of exile, just how much terrifying negative emotion was bottled up in the hearts of those refugees.

These emotions needed an outlet.

Once the string of reason snapped completely, it was impossible to imagine what those rebellious refugees might do.

"No need to worry about that. Most of the rebels are those who haven't entered the city yet. The group that caused chaos in the city a while ago has already been scattered; those who didn't die have fled, so the threat isn't great."

"The city gates are now tightly shut, and the True Martial Guard has blocked them outside. Those refugees have been officially labeled as rebels. They lack siege equipment and cannot get in; they will likely leave before long."

You can't kill them all. With tens of thousands of refugees, even if they stood still, it would take hours just to hack through them!

True Martial County isn't some major city protected by a massive army.

It only has one garrison, a mere five thousand men or so.

But five thousand armored elites—if they are only defending the city, then the number of refugees is irrelevant.

It is impossible for the city to be breached.

As long as they stall for a while, the refugees will naturally leave...

They won't stubbornly bite into a hard bone they can't crack.

After all, this isn't the only county; there are other county towns... and even villages and townships.

"It's just that once this refugee army strikes the villages, I fear it will be another catastrophe..."

When Zhang Hao said this, his expression was heavy, his teeth gritted.

The villages have no city gates to hold.

Once these refugees strike the villages, one can only imagine how tragic the scene will be...

Qin Fang remained silent.

But he was powerless to do anything about it.

He himself was one of the refugees, and his stability at Spring Return Hall was only temporary... he still didn't know what he would do later on...

Amidst such anxiety, several more days passed.

Zhang Hao brought more news.

"The refugees have indeed retreated."

He let out a long breath, his eyes filled with complex emotions—fear, shock, but also excitement and awe: "I heard they tried to storm the city several times, only to be beaten back by the True Martial Guard... I just went to the city gate to take a look, tsk tsk, it was miserable, bodies everywhere... They even tried to set fire to the city gates, but they were shot down before they could even reach them, and ended up burning a huge number of their own people to death instead..."

The brutality of a real battlefield shocked and awed the young man.

Yet, at the same time, he seemed to feel a strange kind of excitement.

Qin Fang didn't know what to say.

But the retreat of the refugees was expected... and for those currently in True Martial County, it was undoubtedly a massive piece of good news.

This naturally included him.

However, after exhaling softly, Qin Fang asked, "Brother Hao, do you know about the Iron Tiger Gang?"

Zhang Hao, still caught in his complex emotions, was stunned by the question and looked at Qin Fang in confusion, "The Iron Tiger Gang? Why would you suddenly think to ask about the Iron Tiger Gang out of the blue?"