Chapter 97 It's time to form a militia...
If Huang Dong, who was working hard at the shipyard by the sea, knew this, he would have already lost his temper.
But he was far away in Lingnan, sweating profusely, and had no idea that the next day the prince and his friend were like two young boys going on a spring outing, without anyone else with them, just carrying small bamboo baskets around their waists, rolling up their trousers, and happily going to the river to catch snails.
"Keep a close eye on things! If His Highness is in danger, go and rescue him immediately!" The stern-faced Youzi reprimanded the small groups of people in front of him.
The people guarding the prince this time were special. Since the prince was preparing to go into the water, these subordinates who didn't get close were all people in the prince's mansion who knew a little about water... Unfortunately, there weren't many in the Imperial Guard, so most of the men who came were miners who had been brought before—some of them were now working in factories, some were helping the craftsmen, and some had become guards of the prince's mansion.
"Understood," the men replied hushedly.
The five or six of them standing there in the suburbs were conspicuous. But Youzi was quick-witted. He saw a tea stall set up next to a pavilion in the suburbs and whispered a few words to his two brothers. Before long, they returned with some bamboo. The two of them split the bamboo into strips on the spot and began to weave bamboo. They spread a cloth on the ground to set up their stall.
The others understood and immediately found work on the spot. One performed a trick of playing a tune with a blade of grass, another sculpted little figures with clay, and yet another bought a bag of mustard greens and started selling them on the spot. The last one, who knew nothing, looked around and simply sat down at a tea stall and ordered a pot of tea.
The other people glaring at him: "..."
A sudden, loud wail interrupted their eye contact.
Even Qi Chengming, who was just rolling up his sleeves and wading into the river not far away, was startled and looked in that direction with Bai Xuan: "What's going on?"
The river they found was quite a distance from Liuzhou city, surrounded by desolate wilderness, with only a small pavilion as a landmark. Normally, it might be deserted, but now, during the Qingming Festival, the perfect season for snail gathering, people of all ages flocked to both sides of the river, creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere. In contrast, the newly paved cement road was nearly deserted.
The people who suddenly cried out were the officials on the official road.
"Old sister... I never thought we'd meet again." A travel-worn, weathered woman choked with sobs, tears of joy streaming down her face. In her arms were two very young, drab children, their dazed and timid appearance like that of refugees fleeing famine.
The woman embracing the older woman was dressed in local attire, also with her sleeves rolled up and carrying a basket to collect snails. However, she looked much younger and more energetic than the woman who had come from afar, and her old clothes were more presentable, at least without patches. She was filled with mixed emotions of sorrow, joy, and surprise: "Back then, I married far away from the village. I really didn't expect... Hong'er, come quickly! Come quickly to see your aunt."
"No, no, we've run away from here. We can't accept being called 'Auntie'." The woman looked up and saw a refined young man with fair skin and gentle manners, who didn't look like a child who had rolled in the mud. She was so frightened that she quickly waved her hands.
Qi Chengming squatted by the river and winked at Bai Xuan.
Bai Xuan returned the look with a wink: 'Something's not right.'
The two men stopped collecting snails and, taking advantage of their proximity, squatted on a rock by the river, intently eavesdropping—they were completely open about it; what do you call that? That's gossip everyone loves to hear. Didn't you notice that the people collecting snails on this side of the river also slowed down, their loud laughter and chatter unconsciously lowered, and everyone's attention shifted?
It's often said that people in impoverished and dull places enjoy listening to mundane gossip to pass the time, but that doesn't seem to be the case now. Liuzhou is changing rapidly these days, with endless new things to talk about every day, but even that can't compare to the quiet breathing and curiosity of these people.
The two women, embracing each other, hadn't seen each other for years and were so overwhelmed with emotion that they didn't bother to find a different place to talk. Besides, ordinary people like them didn't have that kind of awareness. The woman called "older sister" looked at the two children with concern, her gaze lingering for a moment on their chapped lips, before pulling them to sit down at the tea stall and quickly ordering a pot of tea.
"Youngest sister of the Ma family, what's going on here...?"
The two children didn't need to be fed; they hugged the porcelain bowls and gulped down the water—they were extremely thirsty.
“These are my two grandsons. After I married Zhang Nianzi from the next county, I had a daughter who suffered a lot. Last year, our area was hit by a flood, and we lost everything. Later, an official came and led the reconstruction of the area, but…”
Mrs. Ma licked her lips as well, but only wiped the child's chin, which was wet with sweat. Her voice was filled with sorrow as she spoke.
"...I'm the only one left with them. I heard that things are different here in Liuzhou now, and they're accepting refugees again. Many people want to escape here, so I asked someone I know for help and came over too."
"Is it Yulin Prefecture?" Hu Hong frowned and couldn't help but ask.
When the professors at the academy taught policy essays, they would also incorporate current events. The most recent example was last year's hurricane and flood disaster. They not only talked about local events, but also about how the imperial edicts were issued, how the various departments responded, and what the imperial envoys who came to provide disaster relief did.
Therefore, Hu Hong was deeply impressed by Yulin Prefecture, a place that had suffered severe flooding.
“Aunt, if I remember correctly, Yulin Prefecture is very far from here, you—” Hu Hong had only finished speaking when his mother secretly gave him a hard elbow, almost knocking him out of his wits, and he wisely stopped.
But he was genuinely puzzled.
Yulin Prefecture and Liuzhou are practically two different prefectures. Even for a scholar like him traveling for study, a strong and healthy young man, it was necessary to travel in a group. This unfamiliar aunt sounded like an old acquaintance of his mother's from many years ago. With only two young children left, wouldn't it be better for her to stay in her hometown and find work than to risk going all the way to Liuzhou?
Moreover, without a travel permit, one cannot go out at will. They said they escaped. Does this mean they abandoned their original place of origin and would rather be nameless refugees than secretly travel through the mountains to escape to Liuzhou?
Hu Hong wasn't unaware that people in dire straits might muster the courage to stage a spectacular resistance. He was simply astonished and puzzled; were his aunt's family's circumstances in Yulin Prefecture really that difficult?
Bai Xuan, being a merchant and someone who had traveled back and forth along the rivers in this area many times, knew the surrounding environment intimately. He leaned closer to Qi Chengming and whispered something in his ear:
"Your Highness, they were incredibly lucky that they weren't carried off by wild beasts in the mountains or encountered any bandits along the way! Did they really have to take such a risk?"
“I do understand why others want to come to Liuzhou…” Qi Chengming replied in a low voice, with a slight hesitation.
Recently, Liuzhou has become a safe haven, attracting a large influx of people. Currently, those from other places who are flocking here to replenish the population are mostly businessmen, scholars, wealthy families, and others with resources or the ability to obtain travel permits. Now it seems that even some ordinary people who have been forced into a corner cannot resist.
Did they hear rumors and choose to flee to save their lives?
Qi Chengming recalled that Shen Shuzhi had been managing flood control in Yulin Prefecture last year, and had even brought Liu, the wet nurse, with him. Looking at the disheveled and haggard old woman, he felt no joy at the prospect of gaining more people; instead, he had a sense of foreboding.
This sounds too chaotic.
If Yulin Prefecture were to suffer a disaster, it would be in a similar predicament to Liuzhou. This year, however, taxes and military pay have increased, and prices are soaring. Families with able-bodied members are doing alright. Those with work are struggling to scrape together money, clinging to their last hope. But what about families like Ma's, where only the elderly and infirm remain? Wouldn't they be unable to survive?
After the flood, countless families were torn apart; no wonder they fled.
If this continues, the government, once they realize what's happening, won't be so lenient with the local people.
The old woman, surnamed Ma, was unwilling to complain. She simply gave a brief account of her situation and then, with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, pressed her older sister about the most important matter:
"...Now that we've arrived in Liuzhou, elder sister, I've heard that rice and grain are still easy to buy here? And there are plenty of jobs that women and children can do. Is that true?"
Her clear, black-and-white eyes held the last vestige of fragile and weary hope.
Her appearance was clearly like someone desperately grasping at a last straw; if the woman shook her head now, it would be tantamount to sending her to her death.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law!" Finally, a young woman by the river couldn't stand it anymore and blurted out. She pointed to herself.
"From what I know—the dried fruit shops, oil shops, beverage shops, inns, braised food shops, cloth shops… on our street are all hiring! There's a shortage of people everywhere right now!"
Tickets are now a precious commodity.
Lately, I've been seeing a lot of people from out of town with unfamiliar accents coming over, doing business everywhere. The prince is also throwing out jobs like they don't care about money. Today the prince's mansion sends out notices from Hujie Street saying they're going to set up a factory, and tomorrow two new shops will open... People in Liuzhou are used to it.
If it weren't for this woman who came and seemed unable to do heavy work, I could have easily found work, let alone gone to farm! We also have a house, thanks to round after round of government incentive policies.
It can be said that as long as they are not lazy, the poor people living in Liuzhou nowadays can all afford to eat and can work with the hope of saving some money.
“Come on, stay at my house tonight.” The old woman from the Hu family nodded in agreement, not worried at all about her old friend’s survival. She held the other’s hand with concern.
Tears welled up in Madam Ma's weathered eyes: "Good...good...!"
A radiance finally returned to her face.
"Let me carry them." Hu Hong put down the tea money and saw that the two children were barefoot and dirty, and it was hard to tell how many injuries they had. He didn't mind at all and carefully picked them up.
The two families walked away together, chatting intimately.
Qi Chengming quickly glanced at the traveler pretending to watch the tea stall.
As expected of a former scout, Youzi was quick-witted and resourceful. With a single glance to his men, he quietly followed behind.
"Let's keep an eye on what happens next..." Qi Chengming explained to Bai Xuan in a low voice.
He was very concerned about Ma's situation.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps he had stumbled upon a microcosm of the current situation of a group of people.
Bai Xuan straightened up, eased the soreness from bending over and eavesdropping for too long, stretched to loosen his muscles, and asked thoughtfully, "Your Highness... what if more and more refugees come in the future?"
Qi Chengming did not answer immediately.
After thinking it over for a long time, he realized that he didn't really have any solutions, nor was there any need to stop it.
—If they can travel thousands of miles from other places to escape to Liuzhou, a place where they could easily lose their lives, what else can they do?
Besides, doesn't Liuzhou have a shortage of people?
Liuzhou, as a recognized place of exile, could not do without resettling unregistered persons, criminals, and vagrants. Could Qi Chengming refuse?
With a thousand words on his lips, Qi Chengming could only come up with one complex conclusion: "...It's time to form a militia."
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