Chapter 595 You can't even handle three dogs?

When Xie Shang and his group arrived at Zhushan Town, they found that there was not a single person in sight. The withered yellow leaves on the trees had all fallen, the tree trunks were cracked, and the bark was peeling off.

Some villagers heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar and then they peeked out. They saw a group of people appear in front of them, with seven or eight people guarding the town entrance and stopping their carriages to beg for food.

Lin Feng led his men forward to stop them, all of them holding swords, which prevented the people from advancing any further.

Lin Feng rode his horse to the people again, asked about the situation, and then returned to the carriage. "The whole of Qingzhou is in trouble now. After months of drought, a locust plague broke out. Along the way, there are people waiting for passersby to give them food. The situation is the same as what the people fleeing the disaster told us. It is now the autumn harvest season, but Qingzhou has no harvest this year because of the locust plague. The severe cold is coming, and some people have already fled to find food."

They came to Qingzhou because they were going to Ran Heng's hometown, and that's when they realized how difficult life was for the people there.

Xie Shang had already received the news that the imperial court was trying to find a way to overcome the difficulties. Due to the severe drought, the crops in the fields had been affected this year. Unexpectedly, a locust plague suddenly struck, making the already impoverished Qingzhou even worse off.

Jiang Fenghua said, "Let's go take a look! Since a disaster has occurred so early, the imperial court should provide some assistance to the people!"

When they were in the South, they didn't realize how difficult things were for the Great Zhou Kingdom, because the South was by the sea, and even in the hottest weather, they didn't lack water. But Qingzhou was different; the land was barren, water storage was low, and this year the weather was hot...

Xie Shang said, "The imperial court has already allocated funds for disaster relief in Qingzhou. No matter how difficult the situation is, the people should not be deprived of food."

"That's strange," Jiang Fenghua said, puzzled.

Xie Shang explained, "The drought caused by the weather is nationwide. The imperial court can't just focus on Qingzhou; there are other places as well. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so difficult. Let's investigate secretly and see what the situation is before making a decision."

Xie Shang received information that although other places also experienced the scorching summer heat, it was not as severe as in Qingzhou, and only Qingzhou was experiencing a locust plague.

Xie Shang called Lin Feng over: "Go and find out how to get to the local government office."

After inquiring, Lin Feng said, "This place is called Zhushan Town. If you want to find the government office, you have to go to the county, which is more than 20 miles away. There is a town mayor here, surnamed Sun."

"Let's go find Mayor Sun to get some information first," he said.

Lin Feng traveled with his guards, who carried swords. The people knew they were not to be trifled with and dared not actually approach them to ask for food.

Unexpectedly, they walked in front, while the people followed far behind.

Jiang Fenghua lifted the carriage curtain and saw an old woman leading a five or six-year-old child. They were filthy and emaciated. "No matter how poor Grandma Mao's family is, Xiao Tang and A Xian have no worries about food and clothing. Look at them, you are a prince, you have power and money, please help them!"

Xie Shang lowered the carriage curtain. "Of course we should help, but not now. The dry rations we have in the carriage can't solve their problems. I think the people here are not only from Zhushan Town, but also from nearby villages."

He then lifted the other curtain, saying, "Look at those people over there, do you see anything different about them?"

Jiang Fenghua said, "They were all men, and they were carrying hoes, shovels, sticks, and the like."

She instantly understood that if they dared to flaunt their wealth or food, they would immediately rush forward to demand food as well, and if there wasn't enough to go around, it would trigger a riot.

They were prepared to seize it at any time.

However, guarding the village entrance were a group of elderly, weak, women and children. They were on guard because Lin Feng had a sword in his hand, so the villagers did not dare to go forward.

When they arrived at the mayor's house, they saw the words "Sun Mansion" written on the plaque above the door. The door was tightly closed. Lin Feng went up and knocked on the door, but only heard the barking of dogs. No one came to open the door.

Xie Shang's voice came from inside the carriage, "Since we can't knock it open, we'll just climb over the wall."

Lin Feng didn't avoid the crowd; he used his lightness skill to reach the top of the wall. His actions terrified the people. "Such a high wall, and he ran up it in no time! That's amazing!"

Lin Feng's actions made the Sun family's dogs bark louder and louder, and three wolfhounds ran into the yard and howled at him.

He didn't dare go down when he saw the three tall and fierce wolfhounds, no wonder the people didn't dare to venture in, he was a little scared.

So he climbed down from the wall again. "The Sun family should all be hiding in the house. There are three big wolfhounds inside."

Xie Shang's voice came from inside the car again: "You can't even handle three dogs."

Lin Feng muttered, "If you're not afraid, why don't you go and do it yourself!"

The next moment, he said respectfully, "I didn't see how big those three dogs were. If the man surnamed Sun can afford to keep three big dogs, it seems he's not short of food and drink!"

“Even if I can use light-footed skills, I am still just a mortal. In my opinion, they came because they smelled meat. Why don’t we find a piece of meat to lure them out first?”

"At this point, where would we find any meat?" Xie Shang said.

At this moment, the people on the street saw that people had come to the front of Mayor Sun's house and they all rushed over to surround him.

Someone said, "Mayor Sun's house hasn't been open for several days. If anyone dares to go near, they'll unleash their dogs. Those dogs are as tall as a person, so it's really dangerous."

Lin Feng asked, "Are you people from Zhushan Town? Why are all the doors and windows closed on the street, even the shops are shut down?"

An old man explained, “The villagers have all come to the streets to beg for food. They have no money, so who would dare to open a business in town? They have all fled. Our Zhushan Town used to be very lively, but since the locust plague, everyone has been suffering.”

"Is there no one at Mayor Sun's house either?" Lin Feng asked.

“Why is no one here? If no one is here, there will be dogs barking inside. They are afraid that people will come to their house to beg for food, so they don’t open the door.” The old man continued, “Their dogs have food, but we ordinary people can’t even get a hot soup. Only officials and powerful people can survive the winter. We ordinary people can only stand at the door and ask Mayor Sun to think of a way for us.”

Jiang Fenghua also jumped off the carriage. "If Mayor Sun really had a way, he wouldn't be keeping three big wolfhounds guarding the yard and not showing his face. He's clearly intentionally avoiding us."

The old man said, "That's exactly what I mean."

Xie Shang followed her out of the car, his eyes filled with coldness. "Have someone break down the door."

Seeing that the people who got out of the car had an extraordinary demeanor, the old man quickly said, "Who are you? You dare not smash the mayor's door. If you do, you will not only face imprisonment, but you may also unleash your wolves and dogs that could bite people. You are just passing by, so you should leave as soon as possible. Mayor Sun is not someone to be trifled with."

The old gentleman was the only teacher in the town. Children from several villages around Zhushan Town would come to his private school to study, but only the children of the poor would come; the children of the rich would be sent to the county.

Jiang Fenghua asked, "Has there ever been an incident where Mayor Sun's vicious dog injured someone before?"

"Of course there are. When the locust plague first broke out, the village chief of Guyu Village came to report the news and was bitten. The locusts bit off his leg, and afterwards no one dared to come to his door easily."