Unexpectedly, Zhang Duyun didn't even glance at him. Seeing that many more people were rushing down the mountain, he pushed aside the soldiers who were about to row towards the shore, grabbed the oar, and without paying any attention to Chen Tongzhi, rowed directly towards the center of the flood.
They stopped when their raft came to rest alongside Jiang Yimian and the others.
Seeing the raft getting further and further away from him, Chen Tongzhi was so angry that he shouted, "Supervisor Zhang, what are you doing? Why don't you pull me up? Are you crazy?"
"Lord Lu, Miss Jiang, save me, save me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and his raised head was once again submerged in the mud.
The villagers who rushed down the mountain then punched and kicked the person on the ground, cursing and swearing, clearly very angry.
"You're Chen Tongzhi, right? That's the one I'm going to beat up."
"You're from the government, aren't you? Today I'll finish you off."
For a moment, apart from the sound of the flowing water, the only sounds on the shore were Chen Tongzhi's screams and pleas for mercy.
"Stop, stop hitting me! I'm going to die! Stop hitting me!"
Zhang Duyun breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, saying with relief, "Luckily, I was quick-witted and nimble-fingered, otherwise I would have lost my life here."
After saying that, seeing the miserable state of Chen Tongzhi, he felt a little excited and secretly cheered. He had wanted to beat this bastard for a long time, since this bastard almost killed them this morning.
If he hadn't been lucky, he might have gotten injured like Liu'er and Lin Yan'an.
Thinking about it, he secretly swung his fist at the person on the ground a few times.
Jiang Yimian and Lu Cijian were also somewhat surprised, but neither of them spoke up to stop them, rather than watching the show.
It was only because the villagers who started the fight were afraid of causing a death that they stopped.
At this moment, Magistrate Chen felt like he was about to die. His entire face was covered in mud and water, and he couldn't even open his eyes, but he still kept cursing, "You, you bunch of unruly people, how dare you attack this official! You'll die..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone stepped on him and shoved him into the mud. His unfinished words were swallowed along with the mud and water.
The young man in the lead glanced at the people on the raft a few times before saying, "What do you want to do here again? Do you want to humiliate us with moldy grain, or do you want to drive us away?"
I'm telling you, even if we die, we'll drag you all down with us. Don't even think about surviving alone.
Over the past three years, they have gone from initially hoping for disaster relief from the imperial court to becoming numb to it all.
These people won't care about them at all; they'll just let them fend for themselves here.
Over the past three years, many people have died in the village; those who remain are survivors of the three floods.
Although this flood was more severe than in previous years, they had experienced it twice before and had gained some experience.
When they discovered that the river was rising, they gathered the villagers and went up the mountain, which prevented the large number of casualties that had occurred in previous years.
The situation is similar in the nearby villages, which are all located on this mountain. Except for Liu Fengzi and the mother and child who accidentally fell into the water and have not yet been found, they have basically pulled out all the others who accidentally fell into the water, whether they are dead or alive.
The problem is that there's not much food left on the mountain. Because of the annual floods, they don't have much food stored up. They've been on the mountain for more than half a month now, and their food supplies are all gone. Even the wild vegetables nearby are almost all gone.
They can only survive on tree leaves and bark to fill their stomachs.
Once they've eaten all the leaves and bark, they'll be left to die.
That day shouldn't be too far away.
Thinking this, Shanzi and the others made no attempt to hide their resentment and anger as they stared intently at the people on the raft.
If they weren't so far away, they would have rushed forward and fought to the death.
In the past, no matter what, they all wanted to survive, but with the floods every year, how long could they hold out? They might as well perish together with these corrupt officials.
Why should they suffer so much while those corrupt officials enjoy wealth and luxury?
Lu Cijian merely glanced at these people, seemingly oblivious to the anger in their eyes, and asked, "How many people are still on the mountain?"
Shanzi glanced at him suspiciously but didn't say anything, clearly unaware of his purpose in asking the question.
Seeing this, Jiang Yimian added, "We are here to provide disaster relief. We don't know if it will rain again. If you don't have a place to shelter from the rain, you will get sick."
If it eventually turns into an epidemic, everyone might die.
Shanzi was taken aback, while Da Niu beside him sneered, "Pah, stop pretending. You're just here to put on an act, aren't you? Everyone knows that. Get lost."
You will die before others die.
I'm telling you, there are over five hundred people on the mountain right now, including people from nearby villages. If you don't leave now, you'll end up like this man.
As he spoke, the man kicked the person on the ground hard again.
Chen Tongzhi was so dazed by the kick that he cried out and curled up on the ground in pain, unable to move for a while, feeling his eyelids were unusually heavy.
Upon hearing this, Lu Cijian didn't say anything more to the others, but only said to Zhang Duyun, "Go and give them the supplies we brought today."
Zhang Duyun responded and immediately rowed back the way he came.
Shanzi and the people around him were clearly stunned, unable to figure out what these people wanted to do, and even the anger in their eyes froze for a moment.
Jiang Yimian then inquired about the situation of the people on the mountain, asking, "Are any of you currently experiencing a fever or cough?"
Shanzi glanced at her, remained silent for a while, and then said, "There are a few people coughing, but I haven't seen any with fever yet."
Jiang Yimian nodded and said, "You'd better keep those coughing people away from the others, so that everyone doesn't catch a cold."
"Wait a few days until the shacks outside the city are built before you go down the mountain. In the meantime, someone from us will come every day. If anything happens on the mountain, please let us know immediately."
Before coming, Lu Cijian had already given instructions on building the shack, and it was estimated that it would be completed in a few days.
This hilltop is still barely habitable for now, but if it rains again in a few days, the slope will collapse even more severely, and the people on the mountain will be in danger.
Living in a shack outside the city would at least be safe from death, and it would also keep people apart, preventing everyone from getting infected when the disease broke out.
Shanzi and the others were clearly confused, their eyes filled with doubt and disbelief.
Da Niu glared fiercely at Jiang Yimian and the others, and said with dissatisfaction, "Don't talk nonsense. What happens to us on the mountain is none of your business."
You think you can trick us into coming down the mountain and eliminating us completely? Dream on! I'm not that stupid. I won't let you succeed.
Jiang Yimian just smiled and said, "You still have the energy to argue with people, so you should be alright. If anything happens, remember to tell the soldiers stationed nearby."
After saying that, he didn't say anything more.
Since these people don't want them to go up the mountain, it's best not to force them. As long as these people are alright, that's fine. As for trust, it will take time to build it up.
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