Chapter 202 Nightmare Town (6)
"Sir, we can hold off on the silver for now, but we must provide enough corn. With so many people in this county, ten thousand dan won't last a month!"
The county magistrate sipped his tea leisurely and said nonchalantly, "If it can't last a month, then let's just hold on for half a month. Aren't you very capable? Can't you turn a poor county into a prosperous one? Don't you even have this little bit of talent?"
The old turtle begged earnestly for a long time, but finally the county magistrate became angry and said, "I am very busy with my affairs, and it is rare for me to spend half a day talking to you! It's only 10,000 shi. If you don't want it, just say so!"
After saying that, he turned his sleeves and left.
The old turtle had no choice. Although the amount he gave was little, it was at least 10,000 dan of corn, which could sustain the victims for a few days.
But when Lao Gui transported the 10,000 stones of corn back to the county and prepared to distribute it, he found that half of the corn was mixed with sand.
He was so angry that he ran to question the county magistrate and asked why he mixed sand into the rice.
The county magistrate slammed the table and shouted, "You saw the ten thousand grains of corn being weighed with your own eyes! How did sand get in there later? Who knows if one of your men stole the corn and then mixed in the sand to make up the number? Now you come to question me, how dare you?"
The old turtle fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face as he begged, "Sir, all that corn is for saving lives! Please, sir, have mercy and give us some more food! There are tens of thousands of people in this county, from octogenarians to infants, all desperately waiting to be saved, sir!"
The county magistrate sneered: "As long as there is food, we should be content! Can't survive? Don't have enough food? Can't we sell our children and daughters, or even our wives? We are just lowly people. There is always a way to survive."
"Are you speaking human language?"
The old turtle, having abandoned his usual cowardice, glared angrily at the governor. "You are the governor of a prefecture, and I am the head of a county. Aren't we both the people's parents? How can you watch your people face certain doom? How can you truly live up to the official robes you wear?"
"How dare you! A mere seventh-rank county magistrate born into a humble family actually dare to yell at me? Come on, beat him out!"
The old turtle was completely furious, and with a wave of his hand, he knocked all the dozen or so officers to the ground.
The county magistrate was startled and tried to run away, but the old turtle grabbed him by the neck.
The old turtle's eyes were red as he said, "This humble official did not dare to offend you, sir. For so many years, this humble official has always remembered his duty as a man and an official, and dared not do anything beyond the limit! But you...you are going too far!"
"It doesn't matter if you bully me, but I can't let my people be bullied by you!"
"Thirty thousand dan of corn may not be much to you, but it can save the lives of the people of our entire county!"
"You can embezzle as much as you want, and I know there are no corrupt officials in the world. But even if you are corrupt, you can't disregard human lives!"
"Give me food! I only want food... Just 30,000 shi! Give it to me! Give it to me!"
The county magistrate who had been so arrogant just now was now completely scared as his life was in danger.
He nodded repeatedly: "Give it to me, give it to me. I'll give you as much as you want. Don't kill me, or you'll be in big trouble!"
The old turtle didn't want to kill anyone at all.
He has been a human being for decades and has long regarded himself as a thorough human being.
If he hadn't been furious today, he wouldn't have attacked anyone.
After receiving the county magistrate's warrant, he bowed respectfully and said, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, but I was left with no other options and had to resort to this desperate measure."
After saying that, he took the warrant to the warehouse and took out 30,000 tons of brand new corn.
After transporting the corn back to the county, he plunged into the work of disaster relief and comfort.
He was determined to be a good official and kept in mind the teachings of his master.
He had no name, and even the name he used when taking exams and serving as an official was his master's name - Zhang Ping.
I thought that he had humanity and could be a good official, but I didn't know that not everyone is worthy of being called a human being!
After he had been busy for a whole month and had arranged all the disaster relief matters, the county magistrate suddenly surrounded the county government office with a group of people.
"Long County Magistrate Zhang Ping has committed treason by holding his superiors hostage, embezzling relief funds and enriching himself. County residents have also reported him for mixing sand with the millet, treating the lives of the people as a joke! Effective today, he is dismissed from his position as magistrate and imprisoned in the government jail! Criminal official Zhang Ping, why don't you surrender?"
At that time, Zhang Ping was accompanied by his subordinates and some common people from towns and villages who came to thank him.
Hearing this, everyone spoke up for him.
"How could Lord Zhang be corrupt? His official uniform is all patched up and has been worn for who knows how many years!"
"When our county was hit by the disaster, you high-ranking officials were nowhere to be seen. Now that Lord Zhang has finally helped us through this, you're out to frame good people again. This is outrageous!"
"Anyone in the world can be corrupt, except Lord Zhang! Stop talking nonsense here!"
"Get out! We only need Lord Zhang here. We don't need bad guys like you who are full of lies!"
The people were outraged, but they underestimated the power of the government.
The county magistrate came prepared this time and brought a thousand soldiers with him to blockade the county government office. He quickly took control of the more than one hundred people in the county government office.
The old turtle was originally able to protect himself, but the county magistrate arrested the people in the county government office and threatened them:
"Zhang Ping, I know you're incredibly skilled and no ordinary person! But if you dare leave today, I'll destroy your county magistrate. You can save your own life, but can you save the lives of these people? They respect you like their parents, providing them with food and clothing. Look, they've been arrested, and they're still speaking up for you. Can you really bear to see them die?"
Of course the old turtle couldn't bear it.
He has been an official here for more than ten years. He has never married and has devoted himself to his official duties. He has long regarded every citizen as his own child.
During the spring plowing season, he accompanied the villagers in sowing seeds.
He often went to school and encouraged every student to study hard.
After the disaster, he personally traveled throughout the county to survey the area, and when he encountered dilapidated houses, he led the yamen runners to repair them.
At this moment, he looked at those people who had been disarmed, beaten and pressed to the ground, but were still shouting for justice for him.
The old turtle burst into tears, dropped his weapon and said, "Don't harm my people. I will leave you to your own devices."
He then addressed the people, "After a flood, the most feared thing is the plague. After I leave, you must be extremely careful. If anyone is infected, report it immediately and implement isolation and disinfection measures. Remember this!"
"Master Zhang..."
"Don't cry. The court will send a new county magistrate in the future. You must cooperate well and govern the county better. The current situation has not come easily, so don't act rashly."
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