activa-t Chapter 37 The Upright Official
Chapter 37 The Upright Official
"Those are... soldiers?"
Someone in the crowd pointed in terror at the other side and said, "What if they kill us?"
In their minds, government officials and soldiers were even more terrifying than bandits.
Bandits only robbed grain, but government troops not only robbed grain, they also conscripted able-bodied men, and even killed innocent people to claim credit.
Just as everyone was hesitating, a loud shout suddenly came from the other side of the river.
"Fellow villagers on the other side! I am a captain under Prefect Li of Pingyuan! Our Prefect said that Qingzhou is our home! As long as you come, you will have hot porridge to drink, cotton clothes to wear, and land to cultivate!"
"Don't be afraid! We won't kill you! We're here to take you home!"
The sound came through a specially made tin horn, and it was exceptionally clear in the cold wind.
Immediately afterwards, the lids of the large pots were lifted. A rich aroma of rice porridge, mixed with the scent of meat, wafted over on the breeze.
The aroma was an irresistible temptation for the starving refugees.
The crowd instantly stirred.
"It's rice porridge! It tastes like meat!"
"They really gave us food!"
"I'm going! I'll die of starvation anyway, might as well die well-fed!"
A burly man could no longer resist and led the way onto the ice. He cautiously probed the surface, inching his way step by step toward the other side.
All eyes were on him.
When the burly man finally set foot on the soil of Qingzhou, he was not met with swords and spears as he had imagined. Two soldiers immediately came forward, not to arrest him, but to help him up.
"Brother, you've suffered." A soldier pulled a steaming hot multigrain pancake from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand. "Have something to eat first. There's hot porridge ahead."
The burly man stared at the flatbread in his hand for a moment, then stuffed it into his mouth like a madman, wolfing it down. Tears streamed down his face as he ate.
This scene completely shattered the psychological defenses of the refugees on the other side of the river.
"I want to go too!"
"Wait for me!"
The crowd surged toward the ice like a flood bursting its banks.
The soldiers from Qingzhou immediately sprang into action. They did not obstruct the movement; instead, some maintained order while others laid wooden planks on the ice to prevent it from cracking.
The old man, carrying his grandson, mingled with the crowd and crossed the river.
When he tremblingly accepted the bowl of steaming, thick meat porridge that was so thick that chopsticks could not be stuck in it, he could no longer hold back. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times heavily in the direction of Linzi.
"What a living bodhisattva! Magistrate Li is truly a living bodhisattva!"
On this day, the dozen or so soup kitchens on the border of Qingzhou acted like giant magnets, attracting a continuous stream of refugees from surrounding prefectures and counties.
In just half a month, more than 200,000 refugees poured into Qingzhou!
This was undoubtedly a huge blow to Cao Cao in Yan Province and Yuan Shao in Ji Province. Population is a resource, and population loss means a weakening of national strength.
……
Yanzhou, Juancheng, Sikong Mansion.
Cao Cao listened to his subordinates' report with a livid face.
"Minister, in the past two weeks, there has been a severe exodus of people from Dongjun, Jiyin and other places. A rough estimate is that more than 100,000 people have fled to Qingzhou."
"Damn it! What are you all good for? You can't even keep an eye on a bunch of common people!" Cao Cao was furious and kicked over the table in front of him.
He's already worried about food supplies, and now Li Zhao is poaching his own people. It's like rubbing salt into his wounds.
"Minister Sikong, please calm down," Cheng Yu stepped forward and said. "Li Zhao has set up soup kitchens on the border to lure people with profits. The people are starving and freezing, so naturally they flock there. Our army is currently short of food and supplies, and we are simply unable to compete with him."
"So we're just going to watch him take them all away?" Cao Cao said through gritted teeth. "Issue my order! Command Xiahou Yuan to lead five thousand elite cavalry to the border to intercept the refugees! Anyone who dares to cross the border without permission will be killed on sight!"
"Lord Sikong, you mustn't!" Xun Yu hurriedly dissuaded him. "The people are fleeing in search of a way to survive. If we use force to suppress them now, it will surely incite a popular uprising. Then Yanzhou will be in chaos, and our army's foundation will be in jeopardy!"
"What does Wenruo suggest we should do?" Cao Cao asked impatiently.
Xun Yu sighed: "The only solution now is to strengthen border control and at the same time try to procure food and supplies to relieve the disaster victims. As long as the people have food to eat, they will naturally not leave their homes."
Cao Cao understood the logic, but where would the food come from? He was now struggling to even supply his army with rations.
"Enough, enough!" Cao Cao sighed. "Let Miao Cai go. He must not kill anyone indiscriminately, but only drive him back."
……
On an official road at the border of Yanzhou and Qingzhou.
Xiahou Yuan led five thousand elite cavalry, galloping across the snow like a black iron torrent. His mission was to intercept a caravan of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing towards Qingzhou.
"Hurry! All of you, hurry up! Don't let them get away!" Xiahou Yuan waved his whip and urged loudly.
He felt no sympathy whatsoever for the fleeing civilians. In his eyes, these people were traitors, criminals against Cao Cao.
Soon, the cavalry caught up with the tail of the refugee caravan.
Upon seeing the menacing cavalry behind them, the refugees immediately fell into chaos. Cries and screams filled the air.
"Halt! Don't move! If you run again, I'll fire arrows!" Xiahou Yuan reined in his horse and shouted sternly.
The cavalrymen drew their bows and aimed their arrows at the unarmed civilians.
The refugees were terrified and stopped in their tracks, staring in horror at the fierce-looking soldiers.
Just as Xiahou Yuan was about to order the people to return to Yanzhou, a cloud of dust suddenly rose up on the official road ahead.
A well-equipped cavalry force galloped from the direction of Qingzhou and blocked the path between the refugees and Xiahou Yuan.
The leading general had a leopard's head and round eyes, a swallow's chin and a tiger's beard, and held an eighteen-foot-long spear, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.
It was Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide.
"Hey! Listen up, Cao Cao's army over there! I am Zhang Yide, a general under Li Shijun, the Prefect of Pingyuan! This road is mine, these trees are mine! If you want to pass, leave your way..."
Before Zhang Fei could finish shouting, he was pulled back by a lieutenant next to him.
"General, we are not bandits, be mindful of your identity," the lieutenant whispered a reminder.
"Oh, right, right, right." Zhang Fei scratched his head, cleared his throat, and shouted again.
"Listen up, Cao Cao's troops! These people are innocent civilians who have come to join my lord! If you dare to harm a single hair on their heads, my spear will not stand for it!"
Xiahou Yuan frowned immediately upon seeing Zhang Fei. He had heard of this dark-faced man's reputation; he was a fierce general capable of taking on ten thousand men.
"Zhang Yide! These people are citizens of Yanzhou. They have crossed the border without permission, which is a violation of the law! I have been ordered by the Minister of Works to arrest them. Don't meddle in my business!" Xiahou Yuan said coldly.
"Bah! What kind of bullshit law is this!" Zhang Fei spat. "My elder brother said, wherever the people have food to eat, that's home! That scoundrel Cao Cao can't even feed the people himself, yet he forbids them from finding other ways to survive? What kind of logic is that!"
"You..." Xiahou Yuan was speechless.
The two sides were on the verge of a fight.
Just then, Zhang Fei suddenly shoved his spear into the ground and chuckled.