"Not only us, but the entire Central Plains, including the Qilu region, has had its houses destroyed. We can only flee to the higher ground in the north. Please, sir, give us a bite to eat!"
An old man cried out in anguish from the crowd, his words stirring up the tragic memories of the other refugees. Their houses were destroyed, their families were broken up, and their fertile fields were flooded. Even in Lu Tu's previous life, this would have been an extremely difficult natural disaster to deal with, let alone in this corrupt Great Yu Dynasty.
Looking at the pale-faced refugees, Lü Tu couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. The Yellow River, the mother river of the Chinese nation, had nurtured the entire Chinese people, but its temperament was not good.
The lower the productivity of an era, the more severe the erosion of soil and water upstream, and the more likely it is to cause rivers to change course. Each change of course will inevitably cause heavy losses.
In historical records, it is often described in just a few words such as "severe drought, people eat each other," but for the people who suffered, it was a heavy price to pay with their lives.
“Since you have come here to seek refuge, I, Lü Tu, cannot drive you away. But since you intend to stay, I will give you two options.”
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in the eyes of the refugees; for them, all they hoped for was a mouthful of food. "Please speak, sir."
Lu Tu said loudly, "First, from today onwards, you will all live obediently here. As long as you are 8 years old, you must participate in labor, regardless of gender!"
'Hiss!' The refugees gasped in shock. They weren't even sparing children!
Then he changed the subject: "However, I will provide you with food every day: one jin of millet for men, seven liang for women, and five liang for children!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was so moved that tears streamed down their faces. This was a whole pound of millet!
Even if there is only one strong laborer in the family, one pound of millet is enough for a family of three to survive, not to mention that women and children can also work, although it is less, it is still enough to eat.
For the starving and freezing refugees, this was undoubtedly a windfall.
"My lord, we are willing to stay!"
Lu Tu stretched out his hand: "Wait! The second rule is that you must completely abide by my rules here. You cannot go to Wuchuan or other villages at will. You must work every day. Anyone who shirks or cheats will be punished by having their grain deducted! If you cannot do this, or if you want to go elsewhere, I will respect your wishes. After you have a meal, you can set off!"
Although most of the refugees wanted to stay, there were still a few who were unwilling, after all, Lu Tu's demands were too domineering.
Without his orders, no one was allowed to leave the village, not even to go to the city to do business, especially since some of the refugees were former merchants.
But people with ulterior motives wouldn't be foolish enough to stand up and say they're leaving; they'd rather get that meal first.
They had hoped that after settling down in the six towns of the North, they could use their business acumen to earn back their former wealth, but Lu Tu's rule completely shattered that idea.
Lu Tu's gaze swept over everyone, taking in their expressions. He knew, of course, that some people didn't want to stay, and he wouldn't force them. After all, more and more people would come to him in the future, so he didn't need to care about these people at all.
He had a full three years of exemption from corvée labor and taxes, which was an invaluable blessing for the people of Dayu who were burdened with heavy taxes and levies.
Seeing that none of them stepped forward, Lü Tu said loudly, "I won't force you to make a choice quickly. Nie Yun, have someone send over 300 catties of millet for them to eat!"
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, Liu Yang led his men to bring many large pots and grain in an oxcart, and they set up a porridge maker outside Songshan Village.
Basically, everyone could get three ounces of millet, which, when boiled with water, was enough to fill their stomachs.
Just as the millet was cooked, a commotion broke out among the refugees. A woman holding a baby suddenly burst into tears, crying, "Liu Xiong, killing my husband wasn't enough for you. You bullied me and my child along the way, and now you want to steal my food?"
But the man named Liu Xiong slapped the woman across the face, causing the baby in her arms to fall to the ground. The surrounding refugees didn't even glance at him, and all rushed forward to squeeze towards the large pots.
Lu Tu gave Nie Yun a look, and Nie Yun understood. Cang Lang immediately drew his sword from his waist, and then the more than 300 soldiers around him also drew their long swords and pointed them at the refugees.
The gleaming blades, coupled with the killing intent emanating from the soldiers, instantly subdued the chaotic crowd of refugees, who trembled in fear.
Nie Yun shouted, "Everyone line up! Anyone who dares to cut in line or cause trouble will have their head chopped off!"
The refugees quickly did as instructed, and seeing that order had been restored to Nie Yun, they stepped forward and pointed at Liu Xiong and the woman, saying, "You two, come out here!"
The woman arrived, sobbing all the way, and knelt down first, pleading, "Please, Your Honor, do justice for me! My husband was a kind man who never quarreled with anyone, but he was killed by Liu Xiong under the cover of night on the road. Afterwards, he took possession of my body and even stole the food from the child in my arms!"
Liu Xiong roared, "Bullshit! When did I kill your man? If you dare to slander me again, I'll kill you!"
Among the refugees, someone stepped forward, speaking out in indignation: "Sir, what she said is all true. This Liu Xiong, relying on his numbers and his past as a yamen runner, has bullied us severely along the way. This guy is not human at all!"
"Yes, he bullies men and women, dragging whoever he fancys into the woods. When he gets hungry, he even snatches other people's children. He's a beast!"
At this moment, several men at the back of the crowd cursed, "You bastards dare to slander my brother? I think you don't want to live!"
Lu Tu asked curiously, "Then let me see how you make them unable to live."
The men were taken aback by his words, and quickly bowed to Lü Tu, saying, "Sir, we are strong men, and we are willing to join your ranks and serve you like cattle and horses!"
Lu Tu waved his hand dismissively: "No need. A piece of trash like you who only dares to bully the weak is not worthy of serving under me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Yun, Liu Hong, and the others led their soldiers forward and brought Liu Xiong and his companions to the front of the crowd, forcing them to kneel on the ground.
Liu Xiong was terrified. He had thought that in Wuchuan, the strong were respected and that everyone on his side was a master.
He quickly pleaded, "Sir, my brothers and I are all trained. If you keep us under your command, we'll be far more valuable than those women and old geezers!"
Lu Tu nodded and said, "You're right, but I don't like restless people like you."
As Lu Tu's hand fell, the heads of Liu Xiong and the others also fell to the ground. A burst of excited cries erupted from the crowd of refugees: "Thank you, Lord Xie, for eliminating the traitors. We are willing to stay here and work."
Lu Tu declared loudly, "Everyone must obey orders! Anyone who dares to disobey will be punished!"
He swept his gaze across the crowd's faces once more, and those who had hesitated earlier were now terrified, kneeling and kowtowing in fear and trembling.
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