Chapter 309 A Great Righteousness in Dahe Village

Dahe Village.

Winter is bleak, and now that it's December, the weather is even colder.

Cheng Wanwan stood in the backyard, watching the progress of digging the pond, and couldn't help but sigh deeply. Even with more than thirty people working together, it was still too slow.

Two hundred acres of land, more than 100,000 square meters, and digging to a depth of 1.5 meters—it would be much easier with an excavator, but in ancient times, it could only be done by manpower. It would take thirty people several months to dig. Digging was one thing, but transporting the excavated soil away was also a huge project.

We need to add at least two hundred more people to complete the project within a month.

Just as she was worrying, the village head brought news from the county: "It is said that the county magistrate intends to resettle the refugees on the spot. There are more than 1,700 refugees assigned to Ping'an County. With so many people, I don't know how the magistrate will settle them. Just thinking about having more than a thousand refugees living next to us makes me a little panicked."

Grandma Zhao patted her chest and said, "That's right. These refugees will go crazy when they're starving. I'm really afraid something bad will happen to them."

Cheng Wanwan calculated in her mind that more than 1,700 people, if divided equally among the villages, would amount to about fifty people per village. Fifty people was not a lot, but it was not a small number either. If someone really wanted to cause trouble, they could indeed pull off some mischief, since not every village had a patrol team.

“Sending the refugees back to their hometowns would be even riskier,” Master Yu said slowly. “Settling them on the spot is the best solution for both the country and its people.”

The village head also understood this principle, and muttered, "The current 125 people are quite good. They are obedient, hardworking, and very diligent. I would be quite willing to take them in."

Cheng Wanwan chuckled and said, "There are thirty-six villages in Ping'an County. Our village should recruit about sixty people, and some of these people will have to go out to work."

"Oh dear, this won't do! Who will do the work if they're all taken away?" the village headman exclaimed anxiously. "There's so much work to do! The ditch on the mountain isn't finished yet, the mulberry trees at the Cao family's house aren't planted, the houses haven't even started construction, and not even a tenth of the pond has been dug..."

Just now, he complained that there were too many refugees, but now he's hoping for more labor.

As they were casually discussing this, Magistrate Shen's carriage slowly came to a stop at the village entrance.

The village headman immediately realized: "They must be here to settle the refugees. Aunt Dashan, come with me."

Cheng Wanwan nodded and went to greet them.

As soon as the group left, the refugees nearby gathered together and started chatting.

"I think I just heard that they're going to give us refugees a place to live?"

"After fleeing famine for three or four months, can we really settle down?"

“If I really want to settle down here, Dahe Village is a good choice. The village head is kind and honest, and Mrs. Sui is generous. I am willing to stay here and help with the work.”

“My wife and children are still in a dilapidated temple in Ping’an County. If I can settle down here, I will bring my wife and children here immediately.”

“But Madam Sui just said that a village can only accept fifty or sixty refugees, and there are so many of us…”

The group of refugees looked at each other, then immediately threw down their tools and rushed toward Magistrate Shen.

Zhao Sanniu was watching them dig the pond when he saw the group suddenly go berserk. He shouted, "Why are you running? Are you all out of your minds? If you alarm the magistrate, you'll be charged with murder..."

The refugees were immediately terrified; in those days, no one was unafraid of the government.

So, dozens of people knelt on the ground and crawled on their hands and feet toward Magistrate Shen.

Magistrate Shen had just stepped off the carriage when he witnessed this miraculous scene.

"Your Excellency, we have been in Dahe Village for many days. If we wish to settle down here, we would like to stay!"

"I beg Your Excellency to grant my request!"

A group of refugees knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

The village head then cupped his hands and said, "Dahe Village has four thousand acres of wasteland, which is sufficient to accommodate refugees. I am willing to share your burden, Your Excellency."

Magistrate Shen stroked his beard.

When everyone else avoids refugees like the plague, Dahe Village takes the initiative to offer to keep them, a village that always exceeds his expectations.

"Zhao Lizheng, you have a great sense of righteousness."

Magistrate Shen's brief comment made the village head feel somewhat guilty.

He was simply worried about finding people to do the work. Hiring villagers or people from neighboring villages to plant trees would cost at least thirty or forty coins a day, but these migrant workers only needed two meals of porridge a day. A handful of rice could make two bowls of porridge. Such cheap labor was too good to pass up...

“Sir, let these hundred-plus people stay in Dahe Village,” the village head said with righteous indignation. “The village will distribute land to the refugees, help them build houses, and help them get through this winter safely.”

Many people in their village are now working at Da Shan Niang's house. Once the Cao family's silkworm breeding and weaving workshop is built, it will take away a lot of labor. This means that the villagers will no longer have to spare labor to cultivate the fields, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will no longer buy wasteland.

It's such a waste to leave thousands of acres of wasteland lying there. It would be better to distribute it to displaced people to cultivate, and the village could collect rent from it.

No matter how you look at it, this is a worthwhile deal.

Magistrate Shen nodded: "Then it shall be as you say."

After saying that, he looked sternly at the people kneeling on the ground, "Dahe Village is the most stable place to live in Ping'an County. It is a blessing that you can stay here. If you dare to cause trouble again, you will be severely punished!"

More than 120 refugees, plus their families, made up about 300 people, enough to form a small village.

Large crowds can easily lead to chaos, and we can't rely on patrol teams to keep an eye on things all the time.

Therefore, these displaced people must be made aware of the consequences of causing trouble.

"Sir, have you forgotten something?" Cheng Wanwan asked with a smile. "There are still ten people locked in the pigsty."

Magistrate Shen nodded: "That's exactly why I came."

Resettling displaced people is no easy task. For the future peace and tranquility of the county town and villages, for the seamless integration of locals and displaced people, and for the prosperity of Ping'an County, the first thing he had to do was to make an example of them.

At the village head's command, Wang Yongcheng and his patrol team brought the ten most heinous criminals to the village.

The ten men saw the county magistrate as if they had seen their second parents.

"Your Honor, please save us! This Dahe Village treats human life like dirt!"

"They actually locked us in a pigsty, and we can only fight with the pigs for scraps every day! Waaah!"

Magistrate Shen's brows furrowed: "You heinous criminals are still eating chaff? Do you know how precious that is!"

He raised his foot and kicked hard.

Of the ten men, four were the first to charge and were pierced in the abdomen by barricades. After they were wounded that day, the village head only applied some wood ash to their wounds and gave them a little medicine. They didn't die, but their appearance was so miserable that it was unbearable to look at.

"Treat you, that would be a waste of medicinal herbs!" Magistrate Shen said coldly. "These four, execute them on the spot!"

The four men, who had thought their saviors had arrived, were so frightened by these words that they jumped up from the ground.

"Sir, we're innocent!"

"We are law-abiding citizens, please spare our lives, sir!"

Magistrate Shen coldly said, "Do you really think I'm a fool? Before coming to Dahe Village, I had already investigated the backgrounds of all ten of you. Each and every one of you has committed crimes and your hands are stained with blood. The fact that you've been allowed to live until now is a sign of the benevolence of the magistrate of Dahe Village! I am no benevolent person! What are you all standing there for? Execute you on the spot!"

The constables behind him brandished their long swords, and with each stroke, the four men perished.

The refugees kneeling on the ground screamed in terror.

Magistrate Shen, his face full of authority, said: "Village Head Zhao, this blood-stained longsword is yours. If these refugees cause trouble in Dahe Village, you have the right to execute them first and report later!"

The village head knelt down: "Yes, sir!"

The other six heinous criminals standing nearby were also terrified. After recovering from their shock, they immediately begged for mercy: "Sir, we were wrong. We will never do it again. Please spare our lives..."

Magistrate Shen gave the yamen runners a look: "Tie them up tight, there are going to be some big shows later."

Cheng Wanwan knew that this beheading spectacle would be staged several more times, so that all the refugees would know that the magistrate of Ping'an County was not a soft-hearted person.

In this way, the refugees who originally had some ulterior motives would naturally become obedient and compliant.