Sun Jian estimated that if things continued to develop at this pace, it wouldn't be too difficult to gather more than 200,000 people here.

Fortunately, the locust plague had only just begun, and the people had not yet been driven to desperation. Otherwise, with such a large population gathered here, it would not have been possible to suppress them with just a few thousand troops.

Upon seeing Sun Jian riding up from outside the East Gate, officials such as Yao Tianzheng, Xiong Juzheng, Li You, and Li Mu quickly surrounded him.

At this moment, outside the East Gate were not only the officials and clerks of the Prime Minister's Office.

Among them were Fu Hui, Li Hengzhi, and many other officials in the imperial court.

Even General Lin Demou, whom we rarely see, is there!

The scene was comparable to that of officials at a small court assembly.

Their faces were filled with indescribable excitement. Everything was ready except for the final push. They were just waiting to see how Sun Jian would lead the people to deal with the locust plague that was spreading rapidly thirty kilometers away.

An hour ago, after the ministers in the Prime Minister's Office began to implement Sun Jian's orders, the entire court of Daqian also actively cooperated and responded.

No one was surprised that Yao Tianzheng was an imperial envoy; everyone was carrying out Sun Jian's orders!

All they knew was that Sun Jian must have had a plan in mind before making such an arrangement!

When Sun Jian arrived, he was also very shocked.

Leaving aside the common people, there were at least fifty or sixty court officials waiting for him at the gate.

Although most of these people held positions below the six ministerial levels, they were all considered high-ranking officials in the eyes of the common people!

Fortunately, Lin Xuanfu and Yi Youwei, those two old geezers who were at odds with Sun Jian and had been plotting against him, were not here.

——

"Sir, as per your request, no fewer than fifty relief stations have been set up at the East Gate, built according to the standard of one pavilion every five li and one camp every ten li."

"In addition, the money and food for each disaster relief station and disaster relief camp have been prepared properly."

Yao Tianzheng held the highest position and was the most senior among the officials. He was also the imperial envoy for this disaster relief mission, so he was the first to report to Sun Jian.

Sun Jian was inwardly shocked, but outwardly he maintained a calm and composed expression.

In just one hour, despite the urgent need for mobilization, so many tasks were completed so quickly. Sun Jian was quite impressed with Yao Tianzheng's abilities.

After Yao Tianzheng finished his report, Li You, Li Mu, and Xiong Juzheng also began to report on the current situation.

In short, apart from Mi Zhu, Xing Kang, and Mr. Zhuang being transferred to other places by Sun Jian, all arrangements have been made regarding matters outside the East Gate.

Sun Jian humbly praised everyone a few times, and then inquired about the situation of the people and the army.

The answer they received was similar to what Sun Jian had guessed.

Right now, not only the East Gate, but also the North Gate, West Gate, and South Gate—all four major city gates—are crowded with people.

The East Gate had the most people, and even now, many more people are still arriving one after another. Most of them were people who had fled long ago, and only a small number were summoned from within the capital city.

In about an hour, there will probably be enough people, around 200,000, to gather in the open fields outside the East Gate.

The other three city gates each housed approximately 70,000 to 80,000 people.

As for the other eight small city gates at the four corners, according to reports from the messengers, each small city gate had about 40,000 to 50,000 people.

Based on this calculation, the number of people surrounding the capital city of Chang'an was approximately 900,000.

"Sir, judging from the situation, these 900,000-plus people make up almost a third of the population of Kyoto."

After Yao Tianzheng finished speaking, Xiong Juzheng immediately followed up:

"Yes, judging from the current situation, this disaster has forced almost all the people of Kyoto to relocate their entire families."

"And these are just the people who are planning to flee today; they don't even include those who already fled with their families yesterday..."

"If even the capital city, which is in such a state, one can imagine how serious the situation must be in other counties and prefectures of the Jingzhao region!"

Xiong Juzheng was no longer the talkative man he used to be; instead, he looked worried.

Who among those present didn't understand what this meant?

The entire city of Chang'an, the capital, has a population of only three million. When the locust plague broke out yesterday, people began to flee one after another.

Even today, more than a million people still choose to flee.

This means that, apart from the imperial family, nobles, and their retainers, there are very few ordinary people left in Kyoto right now...

In the past, when natural disasters struck, people from various prefectures and counties would flee to the capital, hoping to seek the protection of the court and the imperial family. But this time, the capital region was plagued by locusts.

In the face of great disasters, the people don't care about the imperial court. They go wherever there is no disaster and wherever they can survive. Whether they starve to death on the way is another matter. Survival is the best policy.

Sun Jian let out a long breath, his gaze sharpening as he looked into the distance, responding to Xiong Juzheng's words: "Yes!"

"We still need these people to eradicate the locust plague. If everyone flees, there will be no one left in the Jingzhao region. Not only will the people starve to death everywhere, but the entire Dagan region will also be beyond saving under the rampant locust plague!"

"Right now, I just hope that the disaster relief stations and camps I've set up elsewhere can be completed as smoothly as they are now."

After listening to Sun Jian's words, Li You bowed and replied, "General, you don't need to worry. Minister Mi and Minister Xing sent people to the areas around Jingzhao an hour ago. They will make similar arrangements along the way and will certainly not let you down!"

"Besides, even if there are any problems, the messenger's communication system can relay the order within two hours."

After Li You finished his report, Sun Jian still had a furrowed brow.

His concern wasn't whether Mi Zhu and Xing Kang could complete the setup of the relief stations; he was worried that the large number of refugees fleeing in all directions, coupled with the limited troops Mi Zhu and Xing Kang had and the vast population, would lead to a mutiny before the relief stations were even built…

The consequences would be unimaginable!

Before he even reached the East Gate, Sun Jian hadn't considered this possibility.

But right now, 200,000 people will be pouring out of the East Gate alone, and there will probably be even more refugees along the way. With only the pitiful number of troops that Mi Zhu and Xing Kang have brought, it is really a stretch.

Kyoto was alright; at least people still had some reverence for it. But the desolate countryside was different. People couldn't survive there, and they were capable of anything when faced with money and food!

This is the same concept as urinating or defecating in broad daylight in front of a busy shopping mall, or acting like a hooligan in the middle of nowhere.

Yao Tianzheng seemed to have guessed Sun Jian's worries and immediately said, "Sir, don't worry. Half an hour ago, His Majesty also learned that you were about to make a big move and has already transferred an additional 5,000 Imperial Guards and 5,000 Imperial Bodyguards to assist you."