Outside the north city gate, the mountains rise and fall.
In early spring, new buds sprout green and wild flowers bloom.
An official road winds northward.
The official road that was deserted in the past is now crowded with carriages, horses and people.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards received double salaries, plus high bonuses, and maintained order on the official roads.
"The shack on the left is free. The cement house on the right costs one hundred coins a month. If you want to live in the cement house, go to the right."
"Can't tell left from right? Which hand do you use to eat? The hand you eat with is your right hand, remember?"
"If you can't afford to spend money, go to the shack on the left. It can also shelter you from the wind and rain, and the court will provide you with two meals a day. If you want to eat three meals a day, you have to pay for it yourself."
"Don't get stuck in traffic. There are so many people behind you. If you get stuck here, everything behind you will be in chaos."
"Hurry up, hurry up. See that table covered with red cloth in front? Go there and report. You can ask them any questions you have."
"Why the red cloth? Of course it's for attention. With so many people here, how can you find a place without some eye-catching colors?"
"Just because you can read and find the place doesn't mean everyone else can. Okay, okay, stop rambling. I'm not mocking anyone by spreading the red cloth; it's purely for everyone's convenience."
"You're all alone, separated from your family along the way? How many months pregnant are you? Six months already? And you haven't seen a single person you know? Lao Wang, Lao Wang, there's a pregnant woman here who's been separated from her family. Take her to register and see if you can find her family."
"There are three children here who have also been separated from their families. Bring them all over."
"Can you read? See that wall in front? It's called the Family Search Wall. There's a list of missing relatives on it. Go and look for anyone you know. The resettlement site is huge, with tens of thousands of people living there. It would take forever to search for everyone one by one. We have limited manpower, so if you need to find someone, go to the Family Search Wall."
The Embroidered Uniform Guards were so exhausted from talking that their mouths were dry and their throats were smoking. But for the sake of the double salary and high bonus, they endured it.
I didn't get a break until the shift change at noon.
I quickly went to the public housing behind the registration desk to rest, drink water and eat.
After taking two bites, someone rushed into the lounge and shouted, "Go call the doctor! There's a pregnant woman about to give birth."
"All the doctors were sent out, and not one has returned."
"Then call one back. Hurry up. It's said to be a difficult birth. A midwife alone won't be enough without a doctor."
"I'll go and call."
Hu San stood up.
He is a native of the capital, following in his father's footsteps, and has been a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for seven or eight years.
Hu San, like his father, is a silent and dull person.
It is not their turn to get promoted or make money, but they have to do the hard work.
The superiors don't value them, but they can't do without them.
The superiors need people to flatter them, but they also need people to do the work.
Hu San is the one who does the work.
He put down his half-eaten meal, wiped his mouth, and went into the shack area.
Low huts are densely and neatly arranged on the hillside.
Rows and rows of them, standing on the top of the mountain and looking at them, are extremely spectacular.
Tens of thousands of refugees chose to live in slum areas.
The imperial court originally estimated that 40,000 to 50,000 refugees would flood into the capital, and Gu Jiu also agreed with this number. All budget plans were based on this number.
However, the actual number of people who fled to the capital was far higher than the court's estimate.
Other cities refused to accept refugees, the government did not care, and the locals drove them away.
Only in the capital did the imperial court organize personnel, demarcate areas, and set up special refugee resettlement sites.
The news spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and soon it spread throughout the entire northern region.
Refugees from all directions poured into the capital.
The shantytown was originally designed to accommodate approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the shantytown was filled with people.
Currently, the refugee resettlement site is organizing personnel, recruiting young and strong people is inevitable, and working overtime to expand the shack area. It needs to be expanded to at least twice its size.
Repair houses, dig ditches, dig wells, dig manure pits, dig garbage disposal pools, and ensure that no disease will occur.
Doctors in the capital were organized to take turns entering the slum areas to prevent the epidemic.
The shantytown is both large and small.
A small shack, about the size of a room, could house up to ten people.
With so many people crowded in such a small place, you can imagine that the taste is really sour and touching.
Hu San sniffed. After being busy at the resettlement site for so many days, he had become accustomed to the smell here.
He walked along the loess road, passed through one shack after another, and finally found the doctor.
The doctor is prescribing medicine for the elderly and children.
Hu San stepped forward and said, "Doctor Chang, there's a pregnant woman having a difficult labor. We need you to come over quickly."
"Wait a moment."
"We can't wait. If we're late, there will be two deaths."
Upon hearing that there was one body and two lives lost, Dr. Chang had to pack up his toolbox and prepare to leave.
Before leaving, they reminded the refugees, "Pay attention to hygiene and do not drink raw water. Water must be boiled before drinking."
Hu San couldn't wait any longer, so he simply pulled Doctor Chang and hurriedly left the shack area.
Doctor Chang was old and frail, and he almost died on the way.
Finally arrived.
The mother's condition was very critical, and Dr. Chang entered the delivery room without even having time to catch his breath.
Hu San wiped the sweat from his forehead and returned to the lounge of the public housing. He ate the cold food in no time, not even a grain of rice was left.
After dinner, I drank a large cup of tea.
The tea brewed with Kuding tea has a strong taste but is particularly refreshing.
Hu San shook his head, took the killing stick and the sword, and went to patrol the slum area with his companions.
The population of the slum area is approaching 100,000.
It far exceeded the court's original expectations.
All the budgets made by Gu Jiu were overturned, from silver and money to food to quilts and cotton clothes, all were doubled.
Because of this matter, she has already had several verbal battles with the Shaofu and the Ministry of Revenue.
The storyteller, holding the "Da Zhou Life Show," explained information about refugees in the slum area, including the three elements of resettlement and the ten elements of safety...
The refugees gathered around the storyteller and listened with great interest.
This was one of the few moments of mental relaxation during the escape.
Newsboys organized refugee children, taught them mantras, and disseminated various safety tips.
The recruitment point is set up directly in the slum area.
Recruiting coolies, seamstresses, and laborers...
At the recruitment point, there were long queues in front of each table, divided by gender, that seemed to have no end in sight.
"Where are all these refugees coming from? There are more and more of them. There are still so many people pouring in on the official road."
Wang Xiaowu, who was in the same team as Hu Sanyi, frowned and looked very worried.
He couldn't explain what he was worried about, but when he saw so many people, he felt very worried.
Hu San hummed, "I heard that the Northwest Army has begun to mobilize and will soon drive out the Northern Rong Army."
Wang Xiaowu snorted, "You're stupid. The Northern Rong army has received supplies, so why would they stay where they are and wait for the Northwest Army to arrive? This battle is worth fighting. I tell you, the number of refugees will only increase. In many places, people started fleeing before the Northern Rong army even conquered them.
Look at the family in front, they're all dressed neatly, and they must have brought all their valuables with them. They're clearly wealthy, but they're reluctant to spend the extra money to rent a concrete house, instead choosing to squeeze into the shantytown. This place smells terrible, the shanties are low and dark, and in the summer, there are so many mosquitoes, rats, and ants. I wonder how they could even think of living in the shantytown.
"Maybe I don't have money." Hu San was very straightforward.
Wang Xiaowu repeatedly denied it. "That family could rent a cement house just by pawning two pieces of clothing. Do they look like they're broke? Hey, no urinating or defecating anywhere! Damn it! Didn't they hear the three essentials of a resettlement site?"
Wang Xiaowu picked up the killing stick and hit a young man in the corner.
He was furious. "There are so many people living here, and you're shitting everywhere. Aren't you afraid of getting sick? If you get sick, will you be responsible? Clean it up for me, or I'll kill you."
Hu San was guarding the intersection, holding a killing stick in one hand and a knife handle in the other, watching the refugees around him vigilantly to prevent anyone from causing trouble.
As more and more people gathered around, he had to remind Wang Xiaowu, "Hurry up. We still have to patrol the next area."
Wang Xiaowu shouted, "I'm making sure he cleans the floor. When you guys moved in, the resettlement workers repeatedly told you not to poop or pee anywhere. It was all for your own good. Are you all deaf? The toilet is only a few steps away, and you refuse to go there."
"There's no toilet space left." Someone in the crowd protested quietly.
Wang Xiaowu roared, "You don't know how to queue up outside when there's no room? Damn it, don't you understand what I'm saying? Don't you understand what queuing means? Do I have to arrest you and lock you up in Zhaoyi before you learn to queue?"
"The queue is so long. People have three urgent needs, and waiting is not an option." Protests were heard again from the crowd.
"Who's talking? Come out here!" Wang Xiaowu's face was fierce, and his eyes swept over everyone's face. "I tell you, if there is an epidemic in the shantytown one day, it will be all your fault. If you don't obey the hygiene regulations, you will kill yourselves sooner or later."
"Are you cursing us?"
"I don't have time to curse you. They're promoting health and safety tips every day, and they've even sent doctors to explain the rules of life to you. Didn't you hear a single one of them? Do you think the court is making a fuss about nothing? You bunch of idiots, do you understand, or do the officials and doctors understand? If you don't listen to the officials and doctors, what are you doing here but courting death? Are you really asking for trouble? Are you really hurting yourself by spending money and labor to dig pits for you?"
Wang Xiaowu, who has a bad temper, directly confronted the refugees.
Seeing that the refugees were very emotional and were about to cause trouble if they had a disagreement, Hu San made a quick decision and pulled Wang Xiaowu away quickly.
Wang Xiaowu was still furious, and even after walking a long way, he was still complaining, "Why did you pull me here? Those idiots just need to be taught a lesson."
Hu San said solemnly: "There are only two of us, and they have dozens or even hundreds of people."
Wang Xiaowu snorted coldly, "I don't believe they dare to do it."
Hu San frowned. "It's better to be careful. After the shift change, report the situation here and see if the higher-ups will handle it."
"It's just a trivial matter. Why report it? Are we going to be laughed at by others? Let's go and continue patrolling."
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