Chapter 397: Driving Out Refugees

riot?

It was fine during the day, why did it suddenly become noisy?

Zheng Qinghe quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, not caring about the slight sound the bowl made against the tabletop. He stood up and was about to leave. But then he remembered Gu Jiayue who was still beside him, so he stopped and said patiently, "Jiayue, you continue eating. I'll go check on you."

Gu Jiayue also stood up, her eyes solemn. "Let's go together."

She always felt that it was her suggestion that brought about the disaster tonight, and she would really feel uneasy if she didn't go and take a look.

Zheng Qinghe originally wanted to refuse, fearing that the rioting refugees would hurt him.

But when she saw Hu Zi staying by her side all the time, she felt relieved.

Jiayue was not a weak woman, she was a rose that had experienced the wind and rain. She had seen bigger skies and would not be afraid of these rioting refugees.

Besides, even if something happens, he can protect her in time.

"Okay, then you must follow me closely and don't run around."

The two men hurried to the city gate, and the troublemakers had already been forcibly separated by the yamen runners who had arrived.

There were a few broken pieces of firewood scattered on the ground, as well as an overturned empty porridge bowl, with fragments scattered everywhere.

Everyone had bruises on their faces. Some had broken corners of their mouths, bleeding; some had red and swollen foreheads covered in dirt.

Some people squatted on the ground in pain, covering their wounds with their hands and screaming, their voices full of pain and grievance.

Zheng Qinghe looked at the messy scene in front of him and his face darkened.

This was a rare moment of anger. "What the hell is going on?"

The voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of majesty, instantly reducing the surrounding noise.

A yamen runner stepped forward and bowed. "Sir, I just learned something! These refugees here are unhappy that the registered refugees are living in caves, so they're stirring up trouble and threatening the cave dwellers to give up their spaces. They're using harsh words and even physical violence, which is why the people here are fighting them."

The refugees were divided into two groups: one group was led by Wang Mazi, who were unwilling to work, and the other group was willing to work and had been given caves.

"Dissatisfied? What's your dissatisfaction?" Zheng Qinghe's gaze swept over the rioting refugees, his tone a bit colder, "Everything is based on voluntary participation. You are unwilling to participate in labor, and unwilling to learn to read and write, so naturally you are not qualified to live in the cave!"

Wang Ermaizi's face was covered in blood, his left cheek was swollen, and blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.

The arrogance he had shown when he was making trouble was like a punctured skin, which instantly deflated when he saw Zheng Qinghe's serious expression. He avoided his gaze and dared not look directly at him.

But someone in the crowd wasn't as timid as he was. A tall, thin man took a half step forward, stiffened his neck, and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Sir, we're both refugees, why do they have caves to shelter from the sun, while we have to rest in the open air?"

Zheng Qinghe frowned, staring at the man with dissatisfaction, his brows twisted into a knot. "I think I've made it clear just now. They can live in the cave because they signed up to study and reclaim land, working for Annan County. What about you? What contributions have you made to Annan County? Besides eating the county's porridge and using the county's water every day, what else have you done?"

The man choked at the question, but still refused to give in, his neck stiffening even more! "Then... then don't I give all my daily shit to you guys in Annan County?"

There were many people outside the city, and to prevent them from defecating and urinating anywhere, polluting the environment at the city gate, and also because Gu Jiayue had previously mentioned the use of farmyard manure for fertilizing the soil, Zheng Qinghe ordered these people to defecate in designated areas! He then arranged for special people to push wheelbarrows to transport the feces to the farm for fermentation, so that it could be used to fertilize the soil when planting rice.

"You...you...you are making excuses!" Zheng Qinghe didn't expect him to say such words, and his fingers trembled with anger.

He had never met such a scoundrel in his life!

"Sir, just tell me whether I gave my feces to Annan County!" The man raised his chin proudly, as if he had grasped something. "So, in this matter, Annan County is not at a disadvantage! Then why can't we live in a cave?"

"Yes, why can't we live in a cave!"

"If you don't let us live here, give us back our shit!"

"Yes, give it back to us, give it back to us!"

Seeing this, several refugees who were making trouble nearby also joined in the commotion, their voices getting louder and louder, with provocation in their eyes, as if they thought that this would give them the upper hand.

Seeing this, the yamen runners surrounding Zheng Qinghe quickly drew the sharp knives from their waists.

The scabbards rubbed against each other, making a "clang" sound. They protected Zheng Qinghe in the middle and stared vigilantly at the refugees who were making trouble, fearing that they would get excited and do something bad to Zheng Qinghe!

Zheng Qinghe looked at these people who were difficult to feed, his face as dark as if it was splashed with ink, just like the moonlight covered by dark clouds tonight.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said in a deep voice: "Come here, beat these troublemakers with thirty sticks, throw them out of Annan County's jurisdiction, and ban them from entering Annan County for life!"

"Yes!" The yamen runners answered in unison, their voices filled with unquestionable determination.

I've long disliked these refugees.

You have to know that the water they drink is the water that the residents of the county town spent a month laboriously digging and storing in the reservoir.

They were already struggling, and these people came and ate and used things for free, not only were they not grateful, they even wanted to take back their own shit.

I'm speechless! These people should be killed and their bodies left on the fertile land!

You want their shit back? They are shit! They should stay with the shit!

They took the order and stepped forward, effortlessly pinning the troublemaking refugees to the ground and making them kneel on the ground!

The sharp-eyed yamen runner did not return to the yamen to get the torture instruments, but went directly to the porridge stall where porridge was distributed during the day, and pulled out a piece of firewood as thick as his wrist from the pile of firewood, which still had some unburned charcoal on it.

He came back with firewood and punished these refugees on the spot!

"Snap! Snap! Snap!" The sound of firewood hitting flesh could be heard clearly.

Those refugees had not eaten enough and had little strength in their bodies, let alone thirty strokes of the stick. After just a few hits, they were in so much pain that they could hardly groan and their bodies kept shaking.

There are still many scars on the stick left by branches being cut off, and when it hits the body, it will look like a snow hole.

When the other refugees who had not yet been executed saw this, the arrogance on their faces instantly disappeared without a trace, and was replaced by deep fear.

They shrank their necks, their eyes filled with fear, and their bodies involuntarily shrank back as they looked at those being beaten.

They belatedly realized that no matter how gentle and tolerant Zheng Qinghe was, he was still the magistrate of a county. He held the power of life and death, and it would only take a word to kill them!

At this time, their faces were full of regret.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have joined Wang Er in causing trouble.

In fact, it is not difficult to live in a cave. You just need to go there and sign up for land reclamation and study.

But they just listened to Wang Er's words, thinking that as long as they took a tougher attitude, they could get benefits even without working. At that time, they could also rob the food of the elderly, the weak, women and children, so that they could eat their fill without working. Why not do it!

Because of their momentary greed, they took the wrong path!

"Sir, sir, we know we were wrong!"

"Sir, please forgive us, we won't dare to do it again!"

"Ah, stop hitting us! Sir, we are wrong, we are wrong! We are willing to study and open up new land. Please forgive us."

But no matter how much they cried and begged, Zheng Qinghe's expression didn't soften at all, and his eyes remained icy cold. "Shut them up! Don't scare the children!"

After receiving this order, the yamen runners were a little troubled.

There is nothing outside the city except bare land and a few dead trees. What can I use to stop you from talking?

A yamen runner rolled his eyes and immediately came up with a plan.

He quickly leaned over, took off the socks he had been wearing all day, and stuffed them into the mouth of the howling refugee without hesitation.

The socks had a strong smell of sweat. When the other yamen runners saw them, they were disgusted and followed suit.

Suddenly the entire area outside the city became much quieter, with only the sound of firewood whipping and the vague whimpering from someone with a gagged mouth.

Watching the bloodied and dazed refugees being dragged out of Annan City like dead dogs, the other refugees hunched their shoulders in fear and hid far away, not daring to breathe. Their eyes were filled with fear of Zheng Qinghe.

Zheng Qinghe's sharp gaze swept across the remaining refugees. His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "Everyone, you have seen it! If anyone causes trouble again and disobeys discipline, they will be your fate!"

No one spoke. The place was so quiet that one could only hear the rustling of dry branches swaying in the wind. No one dared to refute him. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

They knew in their hearts that Zheng Qinghe was the local emperor of Annan City. Whatever he said was the truth and no one dared to disobey his orders!

He lets you live and is willing to give you a mouthful of porridge and a bowl of water because he is kind-hearted; but this does not mean that he does not have the ability to kill you.

If you really make him angry, no one will survive.

Those who originally had the same idea as Wang Ermaizi, wanting to get something for nothing, now quickly suppressed their thoughts and forced a flattering smile on their faces.

They inched toward the registration desk, looked at the yamen runner still sitting at the desk, and said with a somewhat flattering smile, "Sir, can I still sign up now? I've suddenly become very interested in studying, and I'd like to contribute to the development of Annan City!"

The yamen runners were all shrewd people. How could they not see that he was frightened by the adults' previous actions and that was why he wanted to sign up?

But so what?

Anyway, the adults have told us that as long as someone is willing to sign up, they can register him.

As for whether he can persist in the future? Will he cheat again?

Humph, do you think their eyes are just for decoration?

If you fail to complete the task, you can be eliminated again. We in Annan County don't keep idle people! "Of course, tell me your name and original place of origin, and I will register you right away!"

The yamen runner picked up a pen and dipped it in ink on the paper. He listened quietly as those people spoke out their basic information and then registered it.

Seeing that they could still register, those who hadn't registered before, fearing they would be kicked out, immediately swarmed over and huddled together. "Sir, I want to register too!"

"Don't worry, I came here first, let me register first!"

"Get out of the way, get out of the way, who stepped on my foot!"

…

The scene was even more chaotic than in the morning. Everyone was rushing to squeeze forward, fearing that if they were late to register, Zheng Qinghe would not want them!

They knew clearly that under the current circumstances, they would not be able to survive if they left Annan County!

People who had just come from outside the city in the past two days had privately said that not only were people from other counties not allowed to enter the city, they were not even allowed to stay outside the city. If they stopped to catch their breath, they would be shot to death by the archers on the city wall!

So Zheng Qinghe was very lucky not to drive them away but to give them food. Now he even found work for them, which made him a good official serving the country and the people.

If they don't cherish this opportunity, they will be ungrateful.

When the time comes, he will be thrown out of Annan County and starve to death, but no one will pity him.

Although clearing the land is tiring and studying is painful, it is still better than starving to death, right?

Looking at the scene of people rushing to sign up, Zheng Qinghe's tense face showed a hint of relief. It seems that sometimes forceful suppression is necessary!