Chapter 273 Red Face and White Face

An Peilin was almost immediately grabbed from behind and dragged to Grandma Yinhua like a dog!

Sun Ping's face turned pale with anxiety, and he shouted, "General An!"

Gu Xiaonan turned away feeling somewhat reluctant.

Lu Shiwen's expression changed slightly. He never expected that this seemingly insignificant old woman could be so cruel and ruthless!

Lu Shiwen could only quickly say: "But! If you don't enter the city, we can leave the city!"

The crowd's emotions finally calmed down a bit. Granny Yinhua raised her head and said in a hoarse voice, "Young man, we killed the leader and betrayed the White Lotus Sect. There's no turning back. If we weren't desperate to survive, we would never have cut off our own path and trusted a stranger like this! I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. Today, the gates of Sanping County must be opened, whether you want to or not!"

Lu Shiwen was frightened by the old woman and his heart skipped a beat. He almost didn't dare to look at her directly.

This person's status in the White Lotus Sect is definitely not low!

Lu Shiwen immediately changed his strategy. "Grandma, please listen to me. I won't let you into the city because it would be a lose-lose situation for both of us. First, you might infect each other with smallpox, and second, Sanping County is a small town, barely big enough to accommodate 40,000 or 50,000 people! But I, Lu Shiwen, swear I will never give up on any of you!"

At this point, Lu Shiwen became a little excited, and his voice suddenly rose. "As long as you don't enter the city, and the medical students haven't left yet, I will immediately send them out of the city to vaccinate you with the cowpox vaccine! For those who are willing to stay, we will keep you fed on porridge and sweet potatoes every day, send teachers to teach you, and help you build shelters! What you want most is the cowpox vaccine, right? I have enough vaccine in the city to vaccinate thousands of people. As long as you don't enter the city, I will immediately send people to Jinzhou Prefecture to ask for support and ensure that all of you are vaccinated! I am willing to use myself as a hostage. As long as you don't enter the city, I will accompany you outside!"

An Peilin immediately shouted back, "I'm also willing to stay outside the city with everyone, just like County Magistrate Lu! We in Jinzhou Prefecture keep our word and never break it!"

Lu Fei, who was on the city wall, had a pale expression on his face and could not help but pound the wall fiercely. "Damn it, that kid Lu Shiwen... didn't even consult with me! We just lost An Peilin, and now we have lost the county magistrate! We are so afraid of the consequences, how can we fight them?"

But Lu Shiwen's words caused an uproar in the crowd!

"You won't let us in? Why?"

"That's right. We came all this way here, and you won't let us into the city?"

"He also said that the cowpox vaccine was only enough for a few thousand people, but we have so many people here! There are still tens of thousands more to come!"

"Keeping us outside is like waiting to die. I think it's better to leave those with smallpox outside and let those of us who are still strong and healthy go into the city!"

"That's right! There are so many patients here, what if they get infected?"

"Open the city gate! If you don't open the city gate, we will break in!"

Suddenly, a thunderous sound of drums pierced the sky, and the soldiers on the city wall shouted slogans in unison, which was deafening. The drums beat so hard that it made people panic.

At that moment, hundreds of archers on the city wall immediately drew their bows and aimed their cold rays at the believers who were coming to seek refuge below.

Lu Shiwen had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Lu Fei was standing on a high place. He was born mighty and majestic, and a year of military training made him even more like a mountain. Standing on the city wall, he had an imposing manner that one man could block a thousand men's way!

Lu Fei's voice was almost like a roar, which made the eardrums of the people below tremble.

"Damn it! I told you not to let them into the city! Magistrate Lu, we brothers have been rubbing our hands and eager to fight! Don't stop us from making meritorious deeds! What terms are we negotiating with them? Anyway, the city lord didn't tell us that these people are all sick and contagious! It's better to kill them all here than to let them come into the city and rob everywhere! Spread the disease everywhere! An Peilin, I'm sorry, after you die, I will definitely write to the city lord and ask for the title of martyr for you, so you can die in peace!"

These words immediately made everyone's face change drastically, and almost at the same time they hurriedly retreated! As if they were afraid that the black-faced general on the city wall would actually give the order to shoot arrows!

In an instant, the team that had just been united became like a pile of loose sand!

Granny Yinhua immediately yelled, "What are you afraid of? Don't retreat! We killed the leader, and our crime is unforgivable. Retreating will lead to our own death!"

"Old man, if you want to come in, then attack the city! This is a great opportunity for me to try out Jinzhou Prefecture's new weapon! Have you heard of black gunpowder? It's the size of a fist and can flip over like a dragon, blowing someone away more than ten meters! I've been wanting to try this thing for a long time, and now that you're here, it's enough to blow your whole family to pieces!"

Lu Shiwen shouted quickly, "General Lu! Stop causing trouble! They are just a bunch of helpless civilians! They are also miserable people!"

"Bah, they're suffering? They're still thinking about conquering cities! They're not the people of Jinzhou Prefecture! Tens of thousands of people have entered Sanping County. What will they eat, live in, or drink? They'll definitely commit murder, looting, and petty theft! Lu Shiwen, don't forget, you're an official of Jinzhou Prefecture, you're the magistrate of Sanping County! You're responsible for the more than 10,000 people behind you! At worst, you'll fight to the death. A real man should die on the battlefield. Even if my head chops off, I won't blink an eye!"

"Enough!" Granny Yinhua yelled, her eyes trembling as she fiercely swept back and forth between the two of them. Finally, she bit her lip helplessly, "Alright, we agree to your terms! We won't enter the city! But the county magistrate must come down, and you have to keep your word! Otherwise, we'll all have no way out and can only fight for our lives!"

Lu Fei was still shouting, "Bullshit! Lu Shiwen is the county magistrate of our Jinzhou Prefecture. He knows the situation in Sanping County best! If you send him to your side, who will take care of the more than 10,000 people in the city? Who will go to the nearby county to get you the cowpox vaccine? Who will organize the manpower to help you snatch doctors and herbs? Who will organize to build you houses for the winter? You just need to detain An Peilin! Why are you detaining so many people? Will they even feed them? If you detain Lu Shiwen, who will work for you?"

Lu Fei's complaints made Lu Shiwen's eyelids jump, and then he looked at the man meaningfully.

But the man secretly winked at him, with a very proud and cocky expression.

Lu Shiwen was speechless.

So this guy was just pretending?

That's quite perceptive.

The two of them, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, calmed the situation down in an instant. Lu Shiwen had to admit that if Lu Fei hadn't instigated the fight, the two sides might have already started fighting.

This guy, you wouldn't have guessed, has some quick wits.

The people below immediately became excited. "What? They're going to repair our house? And they're going to arrange vaccines? What...what...does this mean?"

Even Grandma Yinhua was a little excited.

She originally thought that these thousands of vaccines would have to be fought over by everyone, but why did it sound like she had to go to Jinzhou Prefecture to get the vaccines?

Does that mean that everyone can get the vaccine?

And... buy some herbs? See a doctor?

Have the people in Sanping County been kicked in the head by a donkey?

Spending so much money and effort on these people... is simply unbelievable!

Have they forgotten that the two sides are enemies?

Lu Fei continued to act, shaking his beard and cursing loudly: "What kind of nonsense are you asking?! If you don't build houses, where will you live? Just lie on the ground! It's winter, and there's already a plague among you. It won't break out completely? If you don't build houses, how can you separate the sick from the healthy? How can you see a doctor without calling a doctor? If you ask these stupid questions again, I'll twist your heads off——"

Rough and straightforward.

But for some reason, after being scolded by Lu Fei, the group of people below were so moved that they couldn't help crying!

When they were in Gongzhou, many of them slept on the floor. The leader always said that people had to suffer in this life to atone for their sins so that they could be reborn into a good family in the next life.

They are also used to suffering. Only if they suffer enough in this life can they be reborn into a better life in the next.

But they also want to live a good life——

Immediately, someone shouted, "We're not asking anymore! We're not asking anymore! We're not going into town! We don't need the house, so get us the vaccine!"

Granny Yinhua stared at the tearful crowd, frowning slightly. Then she sneered at An Peilin and said, "You people in Jinzhou Prefecture are truly treacherous! You actually play the good cop and the bad cop, and you've made these people obey you with just a few words!"

An Peilin smiled helplessly and said, "Anyway, this is also our ability."

Granny Yinhua was slightly taken aback. Although she was reluctant, she had to admit, "Yes, you are right. The people from your Jinzhou Prefecture... are indeed as difficult to deal with as the rumors say."

"What are you making so much noise for!" Lu Fei excitedly snatched the loudspeaker from Lu Shiwen's hand. Lu Shiwen had no choice but to give up his seat. He had realized that sometimes you really can't just be gentle to the common people. For people like those coming from outside, you have to use both kindness and force to make them obey!

"Listen to me first!" It was the first time for Lu Fei to give a speech in front of so many people. When Xu Zhenying came to the military camp to give a speech before, he had imagined more than once what it would be like to stand up and give a speech.

Well, he now has the aura of a city lord!

I am quite satisfied.

"I'll give you these thousands of vaccines first. I'm warning you, the ones getting the shots are teenage medical students. They're just kids! Their parents are just like you, working the land to make a living! They learned to read and write on their own and got into medical school. They've never seen such a big show like you! Be polite to them when you see them later, or you'll scare them away. No one will do this! You'll just have to wait to die!"

When the people below heard this, they immediately patted their chests and promised to be polite to the doctor.

"Also, County Magistrate Lu won't go to your place. He has to go back quickly to write a document to ask for help from Jinzhou Prefecture. Jinzhou Prefecture has vaccines, doctors, medicines, and cotton clothes, and they are waiting to send people to deliver them to us! Don't worry, it will take at least ten days to go back and forth, and including the dispatch in the middle, it will take at least twenty days! This is already the fastest speed! Think about the Great Zhou Dynasty. It took several months to dispatch so many supplies. We in Jinzhou Prefecture are already very fast, so be patient. There is no point in being anxious. Can the supplies fly over if you are anxious?"

When the people below heard this, their expressions eased a little.

They are not afraid of not being able to enter Jinzhou Prefecture, but they are afraid of being abandoned by Jinzhou Prefecture.

Although the dark-faced strong general's tone was harsh and he seemed impatient, he spoke in great detail and explained the specific arrangements clearly, which undoubtedly put everyone at ease.

"So, for the first twenty days or so, you'll have to tighten your belt and live a hard life! Once the supplies arrive, they'll be distributed based on your individual performance!"

"What a personal performance!"

Lu Fei scratched his head. Seeing this, Lu Shiwen had no choice but to follow suit. He took the loudspeaker and continued, "When the time comes, we will divide you into two teams. The sick people will be in the downwind direction, and the healthy people will be in the upwind direction. We don't know how the plague spreads yet, but at least those in the upwind direction will be safer. Then we will divide you into teams of twenty people each. We will appoint team leaders, who will be responsible for the team leader system. Then everyone will be scored every day. Those who cause trouble, are disobedient, gossip, or do things shadily will have points deducted. The distribution of supplies will be determined based on everyone's scores!"

Lu Shiwen didn't expect the crowd to erupt in cheers. Someone excitedly shouted, "This is a good idea! This is a good idea! This is fair! It prevents some people from taking advantage of their power to get more goodies!"

"That's right! In the past, when we had good things, the leader would distribute them first. After the leader distributed them, the captain distributed them. After the captain distributed them, the stewards below distributed them. By the time it was our turn, there was basically nothing left! This method is good. It depends on how you all perform! Don't give any to those who like to cause trouble, gossip, or do things shady!"

Grandma Yinhua's face turned slightly darker.

These people relied on the fact that they were in the territory of Jinzhou Prefecture and had the support of the people of Jinzhou Prefecture, so they didn't take her, the branch leader, seriously. Their words were full of indirect criticism, and they were clearly pointing at her nose and scolding her!

However, the people under her command are now in a state of uncertainty. It is unlikely that Granny Yinhua will be able to continue to live the life of being worshipped and offered sacrifices by believers as before.

What White Lotus Sect, what believers, what doctrines? When it comes to the moment of life and death and you can see a glimmer of hope, who cares about these empty things!

"And!" Lu Shiwen continued, "We only received the cowpox vaccine this year. Its effectiveness and ability to prevent and treat smallpox haven't been truly tested yet! But our city lord has been vaccinated, and so have we. If you believe it, get vaccinated!"

Everyone below was in a state of confused fear.

"Then the cowpox vaccine may not be effective?"

"Then why did we come all this way?!"

Lu Fei was impatient and immediately snatched the loudspeaker from Lu Shiwen's hand. He even glared at Lu Shiwen with dissatisfaction, as if blaming him for being too gentle!

Lu Shiwen smiled bitterly and had to give up his seat to him.

"It's not that it's ineffective. It was effective for the first few dozen people we vaccinated! But everyone is different, so the cowpox vaccine can't be said to be effective for everyone. Furthermore, during the initial cowpox experiment, two people died after being vaccinated! So you have to think carefully! Vaccination isn't a foolproof method. There's still a small risk of infection and other diseases. Think carefully!"

Seeing someone about to object, Lu Fei shouted directly: "We didn't beg you to get vaccinated! You insisted on coming here, and you only came here because you heard that there was a vaccine in Jinzhou Prefecture. Don't you know anything else?! Anyway, I have told you the risks, it's up to you whether to get vaccinated or not! Don't let someone die or become disabled because of the cowpox vaccine and come to us to settle the score! I tell you, we won't admit it! Who means well but does bad things, right!"

However, someone asked, “What if you deliberately give us a bad vaccine?”

"That's right! What if it's poison? Wouldn't you just die without fighting?"

"Bullshit!" Lu Fei was really angry this time. "Your mother didn't give you a brain when she gave birth to you, right? You don't know how expensive poison is, right? Why would I poison you? I could just close the city gates and leave you all to die of smallpox. Wouldn't it be better?"

Lu Fei's voice was so deafening that his saliva almost sprayed down at the people below. The people below were silent for a moment, and then someone said, "That's right! If they really wanted us to die, couldn't they just close the city gates? Anyway, I'm afraid many people in our team have contracted smallpox and are doomed to die. Why would they send us doctors and food? Besides, we begged for the vaccination, so we have to bear the risk ourselves!"

Gu Xiaonan also said, "That's right! The people in Jinzhou Prefecture also received the same vaccine, so why haven't we heard of anyone dying among them? The general also said that it depends on the individual's constitution. Some people are in poor health and naturally can't make it, so you can't blame others!"

"Right, right, right! Whether it works or not, let's get vaccinated first and see! We're all here anyway, we can either wait to get smallpox and die, or get vaccinated and try our luck! We agreed that you should decide whether to get the vaccine or not, so that you don't blame others if something goes wrong!"

Seeing that most people agreed, Lu Shiwen gave Lu Fei a thumbs-up. "General Lu, we still have to rely on you to suppress this!"

Lu Fei said proudly, "Of course! Back in the camp, I put a lot of effort into my academic studies! Don't think that we soldiers can only wield guns and sticks!"

Lu Shiwen smiled and said, "How dare I! Everyone knows that the city lord's soldiers are both civil and military. If you were to take the civil service examination, we might not even pass!"

Lu Fei was still a little unhappy, "Hey, I wanted to have a real fight!"

"When attacking a city, conquering its heart is paramount, not the city itself! General Lu's soldiers resolved the crisis in Gongzhou without a single casualty, a truly remarkable achievement! The city lord will surely reward you greatly!"

Lu Fei, however, smiled slyly, "You're talking as if you won't get a promotion or a raise! County Magistrate Lu, just wait and see. With your achievements, you might even be promoted to prefect!"

"Prefect? ​​I dare not even think about it!"

"Why not? You may not know this yet, but the City Lord sent a battle report yesterday. Jiang Yongkang has conquered three prefecture cities in a month. Now our City Lord controls six prefecture cities! You must be one of them for the position of Lord of the Prefecture!"

Lu Shiwen's eyelids twitched, "Really?"

Lu Fei, however, looked excited, "Hey, Instructor Liu and Miss Qiu Chan are coming!"

"The city lord sent us reinforcements?!"

"They urgently dispatched 10,000 troops from Jinzhou Prefecture to reinforce our Sanping County!"

Lu Shiwen was extremely anxious. "Oh, we need to rush them over 800 miles and ask them to bring the supplies over!"

After saying this, Lu Shiwen ran down the city wall, urging his civil servants to hurry up.

Lu Fei scratched his head and said, "Oh, we've already settled the war here, why are there so many people here? Are we going to fight again?"