Xu Yi rushed to the top of the city wall and looked up. He could indeed see a group of people walking towards them.

According to previous information, these refugees came from the areas most severely affected by the natural disaster. They traveled in groups of three to five and would enter nearby towns in batches.

The number ranges from a few dozen to over a hundred, ensuring that each region has sufficient capacity to accommodate and assist these refugees.

However, the group not far away numbered at least a thousand.

"Sir, are these people just passing through our town? Should we leave some behind and the rest continue on their way?" the guard next to him said.

Xu Yi shook his head. "Our Yunzhen is not close to the south, and it's even further away. Even if these people are just trying to escape disaster, they can go to a relatively safe place. Any further away would be too far."

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After all, once the disaster situation in the south eases, these people will return to their hometowns.

Yunzhen is located between the north and the south. There are many towns in the south, so even if these people are fleeing, there is no need for them to flee to the north.

Xu Yi felt that these people had come specifically for Yun Town.

"Close the city gates! Close the city gates quickly! Don't let these refugees in!" A commotion suddenly arose below the city wall. Before Xu Yi could go down to investigate, someone ran up to him.

It is the county magistrate.

He rushed over in a panic upon hearing the news of the refugees' arrival, not even properly putting on his official hat.

"These bastards!" The county magistrate cursed, leaning against the city wall. "They really don't want our Yunzhen to have a good time."

Xu Yi thought he was scolding the refugees, "Sir, natural disasters are not what they want either."

The county magistrate took a few breaths before explaining, "I wasn't cursing them, I was cursing the county magistrates of the towns ahead."

It turns out that the reason so many refugees were heading towards Yun Town was because someone had done it on purpose.

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The county magistrates of the preceding towns sent men to guard the official road. When they encountered refugees, they would give them some food to fill their stomachs and then lead them toward Yunzhen.

They say Yunzhen is prosperous and has a large area; if they go there, they're guaranteed to have food and lodging.

“Some of the refugees were starving, and as soon as they entered the city, they started looting and robbing for food and drink. Those bastards didn’t want to deal with it, so they pushed people into our town. Isn’t that just killing people?”

The county magistrate slapped his hand in anger. If he hadn't been keeping a close eye on the refugees, this large group of refugees would have already entered the city.

"The people don't know about this yet. If they did, the city would be in complete chaos."

At that point, not only will the refugees be unable to be settled, but the townspeople themselves will also be out of control.

Xu Yi looked at the approaching refugees and said, "But keeping them outside the city would be dereliction of duty, and these are human lives at stake."

"Furthermore, even if we close the city gates now, it will only stop them temporarily; we can't keep the city gates closed indefinitely."

The county magistrate understood what he was saying, and everyone was aware of the stakes involved. However, any decision he made at this point would please neither side.

Allowing refugees into the city will inevitably cause some disruption and chaos to life in the city, and the city's manpower may not be able to manage so many refugees.

First published on: Tower > Read Novels

However, preventing them from entering would only incite greater public anger, and they would ultimately be punished by the imperial court.

The county magistrate looked up at the city gate and saw that the refugees were only a few steps away from it. They also noticed that the gate was tightly closed.

Someone ran a few steps and pushed the city gate hard, but the sturdy gate did not budge.

"The city gates are closed, we can't get in." The person who pushed the gate back shouted, and the refugees who were walking all jogged over.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the city gate. The refugees stared in disbelief at the tightly closed gate, their faces filled with confusion and helplessness.

"What should we do? The city gates are closed and we can't get in."

"Open the door, we want to go in."

"Open the door quickly, open the door quickly."

The sound of banging on the door, mixed with the shouts of refugees, rang out. The county magistrate on the city wall peeked out, then quickly withdrew.

"Xu Yi, what should we do?" The county magistrate looked to Xu Yi for help, as if Xu Yi was the one who could make the decision.

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The refugees at the city gate had already gathered together, and they had also noticed the people standing on the city wall.

Some of the older men began to plead, "Sir, please, open the city gate! My little grandson hasn't eaten for two or three days."

"Sir, please have mercy and give us a way to live."

Xu Yi looked at the people below, feeling a mix of emotions. They were all dressed in rags, their backs hunched and their faces sallow and dark from days of hardship. Their once dull eyes were now filled with pleading.

Some people were still sick, and would occasionally clutch their stomachs and cough.

The pleas from below continued, making the county magistrate even more anxious. He kept asking, "Xu Yi, what should we do?"

Xu Yi glanced back at him. This county magistrate had been in Yunzhen for many years. He was mediocre and had not accomplished anything great, but he had also not made any mistakes. He was just a law-abiding person.

This may be the first major problem he has encountered in his official career.

Xu Yi knew him; although he was somewhat mediocre, he was still a good official, otherwise he wouldn't be so impatient.

"These refugees cannot be ignored," Xu Yi said in a deep voice. Whether they are officials or ordinary citizens, it would be incredibly cruel to let these living beings perish.

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"How can we manage this? If we let people in now, the city will probably descend into chaos." The commotion at the city gate has already attracted a large crowd of onlookers, and with so many people, the city's manpower and military force simply cannot control them.

Xu Yi already had a plan in mind. He needed to manage the situation, but he couldn't disrupt the city's order, otherwise things would become just as difficult.

Moreover, Xu Yi looked at the people below and thought about what Fu Man'er had told him when he came over: Beware of the plague.

This was Xu Yi's biggest worry. Many of the refugees had fallen ill, and he didn't know the extent of their illness or whether it was a plague. To be on the safe side, he decided to settle these refugees outside the city.

The county magistrate has already gathered his men and is preparing to set up camp not far from the city gate, so that these refugees will have a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

The supplies are ready, but now there's a problem: "As soon as the door opens, people will definitely rush in."

Just as they were preparing their things, Xu Yi had already spoken to the refugees outside the city, saying that he wouldn't abandon them, but that the city was too crowded and they could only settle them outside the city for the time being.

Even so, the refugees remained skeptical and refused to retreat from the city gate.

"Have people fill sacks with steamed buns and throw them down to either side of the city gate," Xu Yi ordered.

These refugees had been hungry for a long time, and now only food could distract them.

First published on: Tower > Read Novels

Several officials carrying sacks were already standing on the city wall, and a group of people were standing at the city gate, their mouths and noses covered, and carrying things on their backs and in their hands.

"Wait a minute." Just as Xu Yi was about to give the order, Fu Man'er rushed over, bringing a lot of things with her.

"I consulted several doctors and some of the most commonly used herbs."

These things are very important. Xu Yi originally planned to arrange for the doctors to go out slowly after he left, but now that Fu Man'er has brought people over, it saves a lot of trouble.

"I'm going out of the city with them. I won't go home until the doctor finishes examining the refugees," Xu Yi said in a low voice.

He was the leader of the guards, and he should have gone out with everyone else at this time.

"Then be careful in everything," Fu Man'er instructed, and then took out a few bottles of medicine from her bosom. "If there really is a plague, these medicines should come in handy."

This medicine was developed after a plague broke out in the south due to natural disasters, but it is unknown whether it is universally applicable.

Xu Yi took the medicine and agreed, "Okay, don't worry, just wait for me at home."

Xu Yi glanced at Fu Man'er, then turned and walked towards the door. The officials on the city wall threw steamed buns down, and the refugees immediately began to scramble for them.

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Taking advantage of the opening, the city gate opened a crack, and a group of people led by Xu Yi quickly slipped out of the city. Then the city gate was immediately closed again.

Fu Man'er was still standing there looking at the city gate. Shuangxi thought she was worried about Xu Yi's safety.

"Miss, shall we go up to the city wall and take a look?"

"I'm not going," Fu Man'er shook her head. "Let's go back and prepare some food, and bring it over later."

Shuangxi looked at Fuman'er with a hesitant expression, wondering if Miss was so worried that she didn't even dare to look at the young master.

"Miss, don't worry. Our young master is brave and strong, and he's very lucky. He'll definitely be able to settle the refugees outside smoothly."

Fu Man'er nodded in agreement, "I'm not worried. At most, they'll just have to work a little harder and exert more effort."

"So we need to hurry back and prepare food."

Shuangxi helped Fuman'er into the carriage and carefully observed her expression, discovering that she seemed genuinely unconcerned.

"Aren't you worried? Weren't you afraid of the plague at the beginning?" Otherwise, Fu Man'er wouldn't have been so eager to find medicine and a doctor.

First published on: Tower > Read Novels

“There is no plague. We are so far away from the south. The fact that they were able to get here means they have been traveling for quite a long time. The plague had not yet broken out at that time.”

Shuangxi listened with a mixture of understanding and confusion. If there was no plague, why was it necessary to prepare those medicines?

"But just in case, we should still make the necessary preparations, after all, the plague is no small matter."

Xu Yi's team quickly set up the tents outside and separated the sick people to a different area so that they wouldn't spread their illness to others.

It was almost dark when everything was finally settled, and the doctor had finished examining everyone.

I received some good news: "It's just a common cold, but it's been going on for a long time and has become a bit serious."