Chapter 362: Refugees and Bandits (Part 1) [Taking a break]

Looking at the low office desk she had smashed, Shen Tang, already burning with anger, had veins throbbing on her forehead and felt a pang of heartache. This desk was made of the finest sandalwood; she had sifted through several stores' inventory and it was her favorite desk lately.

But I can't say it out loud.

Take a deep breath——

She reminded herself to learn to control her temper, as the bad habit of ruining furniture at the drop of a hat was unacceptable. She wasn't that wealthy; she wouldn't have to pay out of her own pocket to replace a broken table.

The blame lies entirely with those incompetent brothers, Zheng Qiao and his brother!

Xu Jie was unaware of her true feelings.

Just by looking at the regret and heartache in her eyes, one could guess the gist of it—Shen Jun must be regretting not controlling his temper and heartbroken for the more than 200,000 innocent people who were driven to their deaths—to be honest, he also felt heartache, but he could only protect himself.

This isn't 20,000!

That's a full two hundred thousand!

Two hundred thousand ordinary people were forced to become outlaws, homeless, and forced to leave their homes! They had no land, no food, only countless people and hungry stomachs.

They are now like locusts.

Wherever it goes, nothing grows!

Individually, none of them are anything special.

Individual strength is insignificant and cannot make much of a splash.

Even if they were to be taken into their own territory, there was no need to worry about them causing destruction. But if two hundred thousand starving people gathered together, looting and plundering, even a rank twenty marquis would feel a chill run down his spine and temporarily avoid their attacks.

Even their own lord was powerless to help.

One wrong move and everything will be turned upside down.

All they could do was manage their own little plot of land to prevent bandits from sneaking over to rob and kill them.

Xu Jielai told Shen Tang all this in order to remind Shen Jun that this year's harvest was not good. While everyone else's harvest was average, Heyin County had a small bumper year.

Each household had paid their full land tax and still had enough food left for a year; the granaries of the local government offices even had some left over…

Who wouldn't be envious?

Xu Jie was worried that those bandits would flee to He Yin.

Preparing in advance is never a bad idea.

Shen Tang naturally understood as well.

Sympathy for these commoners is one thing, but as the Prefect of He Yin, Shen Tang couldn't possibly be foolish enough to take them in just because of sympathy. Did she have enough grain to feed them all? Did she have enough manpower to keep over 200,000 bandits from causing trouble and to keep them peacefully farming? Did she have enough land for over 200,000 commoners to cultivate?

Shen Tang even had to worry about her own safety.

Stockpile grain, not guns; your home becomes a granary. Stockpile guns, not grain; everywhere becomes a granary.

The jokes he made about Xu Jie have backfired on him.

Her family had grain, but not enough guns.

Shen Tang secretly took a deep breath to calm herself down: "Does Wen Zhu know where they are?"

"We received word that they have been driven out of Ganzhou."

"How long will it take to reach Heyin?"

"Based on the journey, there's still more than a month to go."

Shen Tang murmured, "More than a month..."

A rough map of the surrounding area immediately appeared in my mind.

The Geng Kingdom and the former Xin Kingdom were considered the first tier in the Northwest, together comprising four provinces. These included Ling Province, Gan Province, and Yan Province, which were originally within the Xin Kingdom's territory, as well as Kun Province, which was seized during the rebellion of the two Zhi Kings, and two counties that were taken from smaller states after they were destroyed.

Zheng Qiao's current power only extends to Ganzhou and most of Yanzhou. Lingzhou and the rest of Yanzhou are controlled by various forces, and the Zhi King's territory is also not very peaceful. Although his territory is not as large as Zheng Qiao's, the latter has abundant food supplies.

Aside from lacking the Imperial Seal, the two Kings of Zhi are quite powerful.

Zheng Qiao's troops drove away the rebellious commoners and headed towards Kunzhou, the stronghold of the King of Zhi's forces. Along the way, they came very close to He Yin, where Shen Tang was located. The autumn harvest had just ended, and the granaries were full.

Why didn't that gang of starving bandits come to plunder?

Is that possible?

Xu Jie sighed: "Is Mr. Shen confident?"

Shen Tang gave a bitter smile.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Wen Zhu's high expectations."

More than 200,000...

Even if your head is hard, you can't hit it.

Xu Jie was clearly aware of Shen Tang's difficulties: "...They may not necessarily rob the River Governor, and may even detour along the way...but to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Lord Shen should prepare in advance. If Lord Shen encounters any difficulties, my lord will certainly not refuse."

This wasn't something Xu Jie made on his own initiative.

His own lord had personally made it clear to him.

Tianhai is willing to give their entire fortune to support them!

The two families have such a good relationship, they're practically family.

Xu Jie naturally wanted to convey this meaning clearly.

Shen Tang could only manage a forced smile and offer her thanks.

My heart was completely unmoved.

Wu Xian is the head of a faction, and his every move is driven by self-interest rather than by emotion. Joking about the close relationship between the two families is fine, but whoever takes it seriously loses.

He Yin is right next to Tianhai.

Rather than letting the bandits plunder Heyin and then attack Tianhai, it would be better to place the battlefield in Heyin. How could Wu Xian stand by and watch Shentang's side be ruined? He would send troops to help for his own sake.

As the one who was rescued, Shen Tang also had to provide food and supplies.

She said, "I will discuss this matter with Wu Hui and the others."

Xu Jie did not urge him.

Those refugees and bandits were not fast travelers.

The vanguard will take a while to reach Heyin.

We discussed it slowly and made thorough preparations.

Shen Tang was extremely worried, and the joy brought by the bountiful autumn harvest vanished. After seeing Xu Jie off, she immediately sent messages to Qi Shan and the others via Bluebird messenger. As night fell, the urgently summoned people arrived at the government office one after another and began a meeting by lighting lamps.

Admittedly, this is very bad news.

"Including the troops under the Great Righteousness Banner, the total number is only five thousand. Five thousand against more than two hundred thousand refugees and bandits..." Let alone attacking, even defense is difficult. Allocating manpower for defense means that a series of plans will have to be put on hold. Shen Tang counted his resources on his fingers, wanting only to roar to the heavens...

Why is her life so miserable?

The hard-won improvement in people's livelihoods is about to come to a standstill again.

"Do any of you gentlemen have a good idea?"

Praying for good is indeed a "wicked scheme".

He immediately replied, "It's not that there isn't."

Shen Tang hurriedly pressed, "Yuanliang, tell me quickly!"

Qi Shan said calmly, "Shifting the blame!"

Wu Xian extended an olive branch as soon as he received the news, wasn't it because he regarded He Yin as a buffer line? The driven commoners and bandits would pass through various counties, and those counties wouldn't collapse so quickly, so they could take the opportunity to drive the people in other directions...

As long as you avoid He Yin, it will be fine.

"...Do we have that many people to do this?"

"If we ask Wu Zhaode for troops, he would probably be very willing."

Shen Tang: "..."

Wu Zhaode was naturally happy to agree.

Who made it so that the two families are now interdependent?

Not only Wu Xian, but also Gu Ren and Zhang He can borrow troops.

If one family suffers, the next family will follow.

If they didn't join a tour group now, they'd be doomed to die, but Shen Tang didn't want to do that. It was only a temporary solution, and besides letting these 200,000-plus people wreak havoc on other places, it wouldn't do any good and might even make the situation worse.

Shen Tang muttered, "Actually, these two hundred thousand people..."

Qi Shan immediately saw through Shen Tang's thoughts.

"Is my lord tempted?"

"That's over 200,000 laborers!"

Who wouldn't be tempted!

If she weren't so poor, lacking money and with a small territory, she would have loved to bring all 200,000 people back to her home.

Qi Shan scoffed, "You'd have to be alive to enjoy it."

Clearly, their lord's fate wasn't that strong.

Shen Tang: "..."

Seeing his lord looking pale, Kang Shi assumed she was hesitant and timid because of the large number of enemies. After a moment's thought, he said, "Xu Wenzhu's concerns are not unfounded, but my lord need not worry too much. These refugees and bandits are undisciplined and have no one to command or coordinate them, so it is impossible for them to be of one mind. When they flee to the vicinity of He Yin, there will be at most thirty to fifty thousand of them."

Some might hide in the deep mountains and forests and become bandits.

Some of them might occupy a county and then appoint themselves as prefects.

Some of them got separated from their families, starved to death, or died of disease.

They're like headless flies now, completely lost and have no idea where to go. If a few ambitious ones emerge and start their own businesses, it could divert some of their followers. The number of commoners and bandits who could truly pose a threat to the River Governor wouldn't be too many.

Two hundred thousand people came?

Where would you find such a unified and coordinated action?

If that were the case, Zheng Qiao would have been kicked off the throne long ago.

But for Shen Tang's meager resources, the 30,000 to 50,000 starving commoners were enough to give her a hard time.

These commoners have already taken up arms and become bandits, so it's hard for them to give up. Even if the lord is willing to accept them, the other commoners under his rule may not be willing—because the cultivated land within the territory of Heyin County has already been almost completely distributed.

How can we give it to outsiders?

Shen Tang sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

Chu Yao glanced at Kang Shi out of the corner of his eye.

Kang Jishou's words seem reasonable at first glance, but there is actually a flaw that is not easy to notice.

These bandits raided counties and prefectures, robbing the local people of their food and money, leaving them facing hunger. Since the local military forces were unable to protect them or solve their livelihood problems, these people continued to join the bandits.

In other words—

The bandits now number over 200,000.

If we cannot resist them and allow them to expand wildly, their scale will skyrocket, potentially reaching millions.

Kang Shi noticed his gaze and nodded slightly.

Chu Yao swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

He knew that Kang Shi was saying this to boost his own morale—if their leader lost confidence and passively resisted, how could his subordinates be motivated?

Chu Yao pulled out a simple map and pointed to several locations on it: "Xu Wenzhu said that these refugees were driven to Kunzhou, and it is speculated that they will follow this route and pass through these places..."

Shen Tang craned his neck to look over.

He said, "Previously, they were allies of the Allied Forces in Sibao County."

Chu Yao guessed, "We should receive a request for help soon."

If they can't hold out, they'll inevitably seek help everywhere. Our lord, as the most outstanding figure in that battle, is highly likely to receive such a plea. At that time, we'll join forces with Wu Xian and the other families to send troops.

How can I shoulder this kind of burden alone?

Naturally, they'd drag others down with them.

Try to keep the battlefield separate from your own territory.

Chu Yao and the others had the same idea as Wu Xian.

Of course, this is the ideal outcome.

They also need to prepare for the worst.

The first priority was to mobilize the common people within the territory to prepare for war, store up their food supplies, and remain vigilant. Simultaneously, soldiers were recruited and urgently trained to bolster their strength. Personnel were sent to several territories belonging to Gu Ren to explore the possibility of renewed cooperation.

The plea for help arrived earlier than expected.

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I was supposed to update more today, but my mom told me tonight that we have to get up early tomorrow to sweep my grandparents' graves, and the day after tomorrow to sweep my maternal grandmother's grave, so I can only go to bed early today _(:з」∠)_

PS: My royalties came out today, hehe, it's seven or eight thousand more than I estimated, I'm so happy ヽ(°▽°)ノ Let's update more after Qingming Festival, whoever doesn't keep their promise will gain ten pounds!

(End of this chapter)