plumnovel Chapter 108 Work-for-Relief
Chapter 108 Work-for-Relief
"Elders and fellow villagers, please rise quickly. Everything will be alright once we reach the territory of Xiapi County."
Li Sheng gave his subordinate a wink, signaling him to help the old man up, and then urged his horse to continue on its way.
He knew in his heart that these refugees were only the first batch.
With Que Xuan occupying several counties in the south, more people will inevitably flee.
There might be malicious individuals hiding among the refugees, attempting a "white-clad crossing of the river." If Li Feng is not careful, Xiapi might be in danger.
"Pass down the order: the army must speed up; Xiapi County is not far away."
"promise!"
Messengers rode on horseback, relaying orders throughout the army, which increased the army's speed.
After another half-day's journey, we finally returned to Xiapi County in the evening.
From afar, Li Sheng could see the Taiping Army flags fluttering on the city wall and the bustling crowd at the city gate.
Li Feng was waiting at the city gate early in the morning, looking haggard, clearly having not slept well these past few days.
"General, you're finally back."
He let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Li Sheng dismounted and strode towards the county government office.
"Where is Que Xuan's letter?"
"Inside the county government office."
"Let's talk as we walk. Besides delivering the message, what other actions did he take?"
Li Feng followed behind Li Sheng, reporting as they walked.
"Not for now. His troops are still active in the Qulu and Suiling areas, and there is no sign of them heading north. But the number of refugees is increasing. Several thousand people have poured in in the past few days. Although there is enough food in the city, it is not a long-term solution."
"How exactly did Que Xuan handle things on Qu Lu's side?"
Li Feng lowered his voice.
"According to the people who escaped, Que Xuan claimed to be an envoy sent down by the gods to save the people on behalf of the will of the Yellow Heaven. He knew some tricks and could 'summon wind and rain' and 'cure the sick and save people.' Many people were fooled by him and willingly followed him."
Li Sheng sneered.
Commanding the wind and rain? It's just a charade, a trick of deception.
The two entered the county government office, and Li Feng took out a silk scroll from the table and handed it to Li Sheng with both hands.
The silk manuscript is of good quality, clearly made of fine silk, and the handwriting is neat and powerful, unlike that of a rough and unrefined person.
Li Sheng unfolded the silk scroll and read it from beginning to end.
The content is not complicated.
Que Xuan first flattered Li Sheng for "conquering three counties in succession and shaking Xuzhou with his might," then claimed to be a messenger of the gods, acting on divine authority, and proposed to meet with Li Sheng at Suiling to discuss the grand plan of overthrowing the tyrannical Han and establishing a new dynasty.
At the end of the letter, there was also a bright red seal that looked quite professional.
Li Sheng smiled slightly after reading the letter.
A major event to be discussed?
Are they trying to recruit him, or are they testing his abilities?
Seeing that Li Sheng remained silent, Li Feng couldn't help but ask.
"General, should we reply?"
Li Sheng folded the silk scroll neatly, tucked it into his sleeve, and looked deep in thought.
"Of course I will reply."
Li Feng was taken aback.
"Does the general truly intend to form an alliance with Que Xuan?"
"Of course, since he invited me, wouldn't it be out of fear of him to refuse?"
Li Feng looked at Li Sheng with concern.
"Now that the general has made his decision, how should we reply to him?"
Li Sheng thought for a moment, then walked to the desk, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write with great flourish.
The letter was short, but its meaning was clear: the Taiping and Yellow Turban tribes shared the same belief in the Yellow Heaven and were determined to join forces to fight against corrupt officials and soldiers.
After writing, he put down his pen and handed the silk scroll to Li Feng.
"Send someone to deliver it. Also, send Anju Hou to the south to find out Que Xuan's background."
"promise!"
Li Feng took the silk scroll and carefully put it away.
Li Sheng stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders.
"The main army is still waiting outside the city, more than two thousand men. Make arrangements to let the veteran soldiers of Xiapi enter the city to rest, and the new recruits will temporarily camp outside the city."
"promise."
Li Sheng nodded, then suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, what did you do with those refugees who went north?"
Li Feng's expression immediately turned somewhat troubled.
"General, this... I was just about to report to you. At least three thousand refugees have poured in these past few days, and the number is increasing daily. Although we have transported a considerable amount of grain back from Xiaxiang and Siwu, the army needs to eat, and the people in the city also need to eat. It's really... a tight situation."
He paused, his voice lowering slightly.
"At present, I can only set up a few soup kitchens outside the city, providing two meals of soup a day. The soup is a bit thin, but it's enough to keep them alive. As for resettlement... I really don't have the manpower or space, so I can only let them live scattered outside the city, building some shacks to temporarily shelter from the wind and rain."
Li Sheng frowned.
"Let them roam freely? Let no one supervise them?"
Li Feng smiled wryly.
"General, I would like to take care of it too, but I am simply too busy. I am already overwhelmed with the city's affairs, and the county government is busy running around to the villages. All the manpower I can spare has been taken away. Although most of the refugees are kind-hearted, there are quite a few scoundrels mixed in with them, occasionally stealing chickens and dogs and causing minor trouble. I can only send out a few more patrol teams to maintain a general order."
Li Sheng remained silent for a moment, then paced back and forth in the hall.
He stopped and turned to look at Li Feng.
"The number of refugees is increasing. If we let them roam freely, firstly, it will easily cause chaos, and secondly, Que Xuan will send people to infiltrate. We need to organize them and find them work."
Li Feng looked completely bewildered.
"What does the general mean...?"
"Tomorrow, post notices saying that Xiapi is going to build water conservancy projects, dredge ditches, and reinforce dikes. We will recruit laborers and provide them with food every day. Refugees will be given priority; anyone willing to come will be accepted."
Li Feng's eyes widened, his mouth opened and closed, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence.
"General, our grain... has only just been stored away. The grain that Xiang and Siwu brought back, plus what we already had, is barely enough to feed us. If we were to use it to feed these refugees and repair the irrigation system, this..."
His voice was clearly filled with heartache.
"General, if I may be so bold as to ask, could we wait until after the autumn harvest? Once the new grain is harvested, the granaries will be full, and there will be plenty of manpower available during the off-season. Wouldn't it be perfect to repair the irrigation system then?"
Li Sheng shook his head, his gaze calm and resolute.
"We won't be able to wait for the autumn harvest."
Why?
Li Feng was puzzled.
Li Sheng did not answer directly, but walked to the window and pushed open the window.
The city of Xiapi was shrouded in a dim, yellowish glow at dusk, with wisps of smoke rising from distant chimneys, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.
But he knew that this peace wouldn't last long.
"Do you remember what I told you when I went to Huangtian?"
Li Feng was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed slightly.
"The general is referring to... 'The Yellow Turban Rebellion caused a great drought, leaving the land parched and people resorting to cannibalism'?"
He remembered that sentence.
When Li Sheng returned from Huangtian, he had recited this nursery rhyme. He took it to heart at the time, but now he was too busy with other matters to remember it.
At that moment, Li Sheng suddenly brought it up, and his heart sank.
"Does the general mean... a severe drought is coming?"
Li Sheng turned around and looked into Li Feng's eyes.
"It's not that it's coming, it's that it's already here."