Provoke Rebellion

The crowd erupted in an inevitable roar.

They had been fleeing for days, passing through countless counties and cities, yet no one would take them in, nor even allow them to enter the county gates. To any county or city, such a massive swarm of refugees was a crushing burden.

Moreover, the drought was so widespread that these regions were already suffering themselves; they could barely manage their own people, let alone care for these refugees.

At most, they would offer porridge for two or three days before sending troops to drive them away, forcing them to keep moving.

But these refugees had reached the end of their rope, exhausted and destitute; to continue on meant certain death.

They had finally received reliable news in Yanping City that the imperial disaster relief grain had arrived, right here in True Martial County.

They had come with hearts full of hope, only to be told now that True Martial County would not let them in?

How could they not be in an uproar?

"Move! We go together and see if these officials will manage us or not! If they truly won't, then let's stop talking and just revolt! We only want to survive, what have we done wrong?!"

"Right! If they won't give us food, then we revolt!"

"Revolt!!!"

In an instant, the crowd was incited to a frenzy.

The long-standing pressure of life and death finally exploded in this moment.

This group of refugees, starved to the absolute limit, had been pushed to the brink of rebellion.

Under the laws of Great Yu, rebellion meant the execution of one's nine generations.

But never mind nine generations... what of ten?

They were starving to death anyway!

Why care about that?

Qin Fang followed among the refugees, his gaze heavy and silent, trailing behind them.

True Martial County was a rather obscure county in Funan Prefecture.

Though not famous, it was nestled between mountains and rivers, boasting beautiful scenery.

The city was built against the mountains with high walls. At this moment, the gates were bolted shut, and a line of armored elite soldiers stood in formation atop the walls. It was a posture of full defense against a siege, with bows and crossbows ready, their gazes sharp and vigilant.

Outside the city, a vast sea of ragged refugees had gathered—at least tens of thousands, and the number was still growing. Even these armored soldiers felt the crushing pressure, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.

"Open the gate! Open the gate! Let us in!"

"We are also subjects of Great Yu, by what right do you bar us from entering?!"

"Open the gate! Open the gate!"

"We want food! We want to live!!!"

The refugees screamed in shrill, desperate voices.

Inside the city, though the night was not yet deep, every household had bolted their doors and windows, though some peered through the lattices, watching constantly.

"What are we to do? I heard the refugees have surrounded the city. Once they break through the gates... then, then what will happen?!"

The citizens within the city were also filled with anxiety.

As the saying goes, refugees are like bandits!

Facing such a massive influx, if not controlled properly, it would be a catastrophe of epic proportions.

The entire True Martial County would suffer!

While the people inside and outside the walls worried, Yang Zhenwu, the Magistrate of True Martial County clad in scarlet robes, paced the city wall in a rage. Hearing the growing clamor outside, and even the treasonous cries of "revolt," sweat beaded more rapidly on his forehead.

He stopped abruptly and shouted in a fury, "Have they not arrived yet?!"

Lai Lang, the legal advisor, wiped the sweat from his own brow and hurriedly replied, "I have already sent men, there should be news soon..."

"Damn it, send more men to urge them! I don't care what method they use, they must get me a shipment of grain today! Otherwise, if True Martial County is breached, do they think they can save their own skins?!"

Yang Zhenwu slammed his hand down in anger; with a thunderous boom, a piece of the stone battlement beside him was shattered by the sheer force of his blow!

Everyone present was as silent as cicadas in autumn, not daring to utter a word.

Yang Zhenwu knew his career as an official had reached its end.

If things went poorly, he might even lose his life in the process.

The reason lay in...

The disaster relief grain.

True Martial County was nestled between mountains and rivers, and that river was the Chuan River.

Because of its developed waterways and convenient transport, the imperial court had chosen this location as the site for disaster relief.

Three days ago, one hundred thousand piculs of imperial relief grain had been transported via the Chuan River and arrived in True Martial County.

Originally, he only needed to wait here for the refugees to arrive, then open the granaries to distribute the food, and slowly settle the refugees...

Those who could be sent back to their ancestral homes would be sent back, and those who could be settled locally would be settled...

Although it was sure to be troublesome, if handled properly, this would be a monumental contribution; once the matter was concluded, a promotion might well be in order.

But the unexpected occurred two days ago...

A sudden fire in the night swept through the granary storing the disaster relief grain without warning; the soldiers guarding the granary were all killed, and all the grain was doused in kerosene.

There were also men in black who took advantage of the night to kill and interfere with the firefighting efforts...

The blaze burned for a full day and night.

One hundred thousand shi of relief grain were reduced to ashes.

Yang Zhenwu had not closed his eyes since the night before last.

He knew he was finished.

One hundred thousand shi of disaster relief grain—was that merely grain?

That was the lives of tens of thousands of refugees!

And those tens of thousands of refugees were an unstable factor capable of overturning an entire prefecture!

Once they truly rebelled.

Then he, the magistrate who "drove good people to revolt," would be the first to bear the brunt!

It was quite possible that the first act of suppressing the rebellion would be to execute him in front of the disaster victims to appease their anger!

Never mind that the situation was currently a tangled mess and he had yet to uncover who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Even if he did find out... he would not be able to escape the charge of dereliction of duty.

Dereliction of duty resulting in such grave consequences... the most merciful end for him would be a blade at the autumn execution!

Therefore, for Yang Zhenwu, there was only one thing that mattered now...

Control the situation!

No matter what, he could not let these refugees actually revolt.

As long as the refugees did not revolt, there was still a glimmer of hope.

Otherwise...

Thinking of his family, Yang Zhenwu's face grew even paler, his fists clenching until they cracked!

...If he found out who was behind this, he would risk his life to tear them limb from limb!

In the midst of his rage, a burst of hurried footsteps approached, and a voice full of pleasant surprise rang out: "My Lord, the grain has arrived!"

Yang Zhenwu's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked a few steps to the side of the city gate. Looking out, he saw a vast, mighty convoy of grain carts, torches lit, being transported from the county town toward the gate.

The men transporting the grain were sturdy fellows, and the grain carts bore different flags, clearly belonging to various factions.

"Master Yang, True Martial Fist Hall has arrived to deliver grain as ordered!"

A man in his thirties smiled and cupped his hands, calling out to Yang Zhenwu on the city wall.

"Spring Return Hall has arrived to deliver grain as ordered."

A lean, elderly man in his sixties cupped his hands and spoke.

"Four Seasons Boxing Hall, here to deliver grain!"

"True Martial Hall, here to deliver grain!"

"Long Family, here to deliver grain..."

One voice after another rang out.

Seeing this scene, Yang Zhenwu let out a long sigh of relief. His expression lifted, and he cupped his hands, saying earnestly: "On behalf of the people outside the city, I thank you all for your righteous assistance! I will say no more for now; we shall speak again later."

Having said this, he turned and issued the order: "Open the gates, distribute the grain!"

When Qin Fang arrived at the city gate with the agitated crowd of refugees, what he saw were rows of thousands of armored elites, fully equipped with bows and crossbows, standing on both sides of the gate.

A multitude of torches illuminated the wide gate area as clearly as day.

Dozens of bonfires had been lit, and dozens of large pots were boiling, the scent of rice wafting through the air.

Grain carts were being brought out from the city and piled up at the gate.

"There is enough for everyone, but you must maintain order! Do not crowd! Whoever crowds will be driven away immediately!"

Soldiers shouted loudly to maintain order.

"After you have eaten, go to the city gate to report your situation, and the Magistrate will make arrangements!"

The refugees, their eyes green with hunger, smelled the rice and swallowed their saliva incessantly; some even couldn't help but rush forward.

As a result, a soldier slammed his scabbard hard against the man's head.

The man didn't even groan before collapsing to the ground, blood streaming out instantly!

The refugees behind him retreated in terror.

The soldier in charge of maintaining order looked cold: "Line up and follow the rules! Otherwise, no one gets to eat! Whoever breaks the rules, don't blame us for being heartless! Drag him away!"

After speaking, he gave a signal, and two soldiers dragged away the refugee, whose head had been smashed bloody and who now lay unconscious, life or death unknown.

In troubled times, use heavy codes.

This was exactly the time to use heavy codes.

That single blow had established authority; the other refugees obediently quieted down, swallowing hard, but no matter how unbearable their hunger, they dared not act out again.

Before, when no grain was being distributed, they had no way to survive, so naturally, their blood ran hot and they clamored for rebellion—that was the desperation of being backed into a corner.

But now that the grain was being distributed, they saw a path to survival.

Furthermore, the government soldiers were standing right there with real blades and spears, eyeing them like tigers—that blow from just a moment ago had smashed away the reckless courage of the majority.

After all, they still understood the age-old principle that the common people should not fight against the officials.

If there is a way to live, who would go out of their way to rebel?

Seeing this scene, Qin Fang was stunned for a moment... wasn't it said that no grain would be distributed?

But he soon had no time to dwell on it and hurriedly lined up at the back of the queue. Smelling the long-lost fragrance of rice, his stomach growled even louder, becoming even more painful.

However, among the refugees, this stomach growling was not particularly noticeable.

Everyone's bellies were rumbling frantically.

They were waiting in agonizing hunger.

"What is going on? Where did this grain come from?"

A questioning voice faintly drifted into his ears.

Qin Fang instinctively turned his head to look.