“Have you all lost your minds? Anyone who dares to raise a hand against the government troops will be executed without mercy!”
The commander of the city guards stood atop the city wall, bellowing in a rage. He was beside himself with anger.
How dare a crowd of common folk dare to raise their hands against them? Did they truly think the soldiers were pushovers?
On the wall, the archers were already in position. The instant these refugees dared to move, he would immediately order them to shoot to kill.
If peace could only be restored through bloodshed, he wouldn’t mind taking action.
The refugees’ eyes grew redder and redder, the fury in their hearts climbing steadily.
On what grounds?
Every year, they paid so much in land taxes and grain taxes, yet after a natural disaster, the imperial court turned a blind eye! Were their lives not considered lives?
Separated by mere city walls, why should the people inside the city get to eat and drink their fill while they could only suffer?
Their anger reached its peak, their fists clenched tightly as though they were about to strike the very next second.
Both sides were at daggers drawn, on the verge of drawing swords against one another.
At this critical juncture, the tightly shut city gate suddenly creaked and swung open. Everyone looked over in a daze, and even the city guard soldiers turned around in surprise.
Hadn’t the County Magistrate ordered that the main gate must not be fully opened, and that only the side gate could be used?
Behind the main gate, people were likewise packed shoulder-to-shoulder.
It was the first time the refugees saw the current state of the city’s commoners. They too were sallow and emaciated. Though slightly better off than themselves, there was little difference.
The envy and sense of injustice in the refugees’ hearts slowly dissolved.
And when the commoners inside the city saw the pitiable refugees at the gate, they too fell silent.
Everyone felt a wave of sorrow in their hearts.
They had relatives outside as well, and currently had no idea how they were faring.
Meanwhile, Lin Wenbin stood atop a grain cart, feeling nervous yet somewhat excited. Su Nianyuan sat by his feet, fiddling with a crude horn-like loudspeaker before handing it to him.
In passing, she gave him an encouraging look.
Lin Wenbin swallowed hard. To tell the truth, in his two years as an official, this was his first time managing such a monumental affair. Yet among the four of them, his identity was the most suitable.
He let out a breath. Though his legs were still trembling, his hand holding the speaker remained steady.
Amid the crowd of refugees, Qu Hu squeezed his way inside. When he saw the carts of grain and Su Nianyuan sitting atop them, his eyelids twitched violently.
He recognized Lin Wenbin. How had the Little Village Chief gotten involved with the county yamen’s people after entering the city for just two hours?
He certainly didn’t believe that five taels of silver could buy this much grain.
The refugees, the commoners, and the official troops were all silent at this moment, quietly staring at Lin Wenbin. Every one of them recognized Registrar Lin.
Lin Wenbin’s voice resonated loudly, ensuring that every single one of the thousands present could hear him clearly:
“Fellow villagers! I am Lin Wenbin, Registrar of the county yamen! I boldly ask you all to hear me out!”
“This sudden natural disaster has brought calamity upon all living beings. Though it appears to be the cruelty of fate, in truth, the heavens have willed it!
Our County Magistrate, Lord Zhou, is no ordinary mortal official; he is an envoy instructed by the heavens to descend to the mortal world and save the people! When disaster struck from above, Lord Zhou spent sleepless nights searching for a way to secure a path to survival for the common folk! The grain beneath my feet is disaster relief grain donated by Lord Zhou in cooperation with the Li Family Grain Shop!
Furthermore, Lord Zhou has paid out of his own pocket! Any city resident willing to rush to the disaster-stricken villages to participate in reconstruction will receive a daily wage of twenty copper coins, with room, board, and rations provided!”
Along the way, Su Nianyuan had already taught this grand praise of a speech to Lin Wenbin.
They only wanted to do practical work and cared nothing for reputation. By giving all the glory to Zhou Qiyuan, they believed it wouldn’t be long before word reached the ears of that person.
Listening to Lin Wenbin’s words, no matter how much the refugees had despised Zhou Qiyuan before, they were moved to tears at this moment.
The refugees who had been furious just moments ago now knelt down one after another, weeping.
“May Lord Zhou enjoy endless blessings and peace!” the refugees shouted at the top of their lungs.
Listening to this, the corners of Su Nianyuan’s lips couldn’t help but curl up.
Endless blessings and peace, huh? She wondered if Lord Zhou actually had the capability to enjoy them.
The commoners inside the city were also thrilled. Someone asked excitedly, “Twenty copper coins a day—are the wages paid daily?”
Lin Wenbin nodded.
“Correct! The refugees will first register their disaster-stricken villages, and relief teams will be dispatched based on the situation. Each village’s relief team will select a team leader, whose wages will be doubled! If the distance is far, an extra five copper coins will be added for every twenty kilometers!”
Many people began calculating right away. If they went to a village a hundred kilometers away, that would be forty-five copper coins a day. And if they became a team leader, it would be ninety copper coins a day!
With room and board included, working for a month would yield nearly a whole tael of silver at the very least!
On top of that, going out to work would save rations for their families at home—killing two birds with one stone.
The commoners raised their hands one after another: “Me, me, me! I want to sign up!”
“I want to sign up too!”
As everyone began crowding forward, Lin Wenbin saw that a stampede was about to occur and immediately shouted, “Silence, everyone! Commander Zhao, quickly help me keep control!”
When it came to doing real work, Lin Wenbin was still very capable. With the commander of the city guards joining in to assist, the scene quickly became highly orderly.
Qu Hu was tall and broad, squeezing to the very front of the line.
Lin Wenbin was somewhat surprised to see him. He knew Qu Hu. Glancing at Su Nianyuan, Lin Wenbin said nothing extra, but picked up his writing brush and said, “Name, village, situation.”
Qu Hu cast a glance at the little girl still sitting on the grain cart before withdrawing his gaze: “Qu Hu, Qingzhu Village.
A mudslide caused the entire village to fall. One hundred and eighty people died, and only fifty-eight villagers remain. The road at the entrance of the village needs to be cleared, and houses need to be rebuilt.”
Qu Hu’s voice was deeply sorrowful. One hundred and eighty people.
Those were all living, vibrant human lives.
Lin Wenbin’s grip on the brush tightened, and he took a deep look at Qu Hu, his heart feeling immensely heavy.
He let out a breath. After finishing the record, he said, “Wait off to the side first. I will begin assignments after completing the registration.”
“Alright.”
Without any extra words, Qu Hu directly stepped off to the side.
The next person in line stepped forward. Before uttering a word, tears had already begun to fall.
Lin Wenbin took a deep breath to keep himself from crying as well. He was the person in charge now and could not afford to be overly emotional.
“Name, village, situation.”
“Ding Shitou, Guangfa Village. A mudslide caused part of the houses to collapse. The current death toll exceeds sixty, and many corpses have not even been dug out!”
…
“Wang Xiang, Linan Village. Half of the houses were submerged in water, and the death toll is around forty to fifty people. All the fields have been destroyed! Registrar Lin, they are waiting for me to bring grain back!”
…
“Chen An, Chenjia Village. Death toll: one hundred and twenty people!”
“Shen Jia, Xiashen Village. Death toll: ten people, but all the houses were destroyed.”
From the beginning, when people around were still chatting about how much money they could earn this time, to when the death tolls of village after village were reported, everyone’s hearts sank bit by bit.
Compared to them, what did having no food or water count for?
Even the soldiers who had been somewhat impatient at the start now wore heavy expressions on their faces.
They were human beings; how could they not have hearts? It was merely that humans were inherently selfish—as long as they could live well themselves, and in the absence of orders, they could completely pretend not to see.
Ma now, number after number entered their ears with stark clarity.
The village with the fewest deaths was Xiashen Village, because their village chief reacted quickly, leading everyone to high, flat ground to take shelter, which kept the death toll lower.
Yet when several dozen villages were combined together, the death toll reached an astounding three thousand people!
Three thousand!
Lin Wenbin’s hands were trembling. How could so many people have died!