Chapter 144 The Disaster of Refugees
"If we continue to ride in luxurious carriages, we will become their main targets. I suggest that we all wear plain clothes, disguise ourselves as refugees, and blend in with the crowd. This will save us a lot of unnecessary trouble."
"How many refugees can there be? Is it so scary?" Hua Mingxuan had never seen such a scene before and raised the question in his mind.
There was a look of sadness in Lin Pianran's eyes.
“I guess there are tens of thousands!”
"It is said that the three northern cities have been suffering from drought for over eight months. The people have nothing to eat. The Guanyin soil, tree bark, and weeds have all been eaten up. They have been forced to migrate to escape."
"A large number of refugees have fled to the capital..."
“Once you are targeted by a large number of refugees, it will be very difficult to escape.”
"Besides, it's impossible to tell which are the real refugees and which are the fake ones. I'm worried that someone will take advantage of the refugee issue to cause chaos..."
After hearing this, Hua Guoxiong and the others fell into deep thought, somewhat undecided.
After all, they haven't heard any rumors yet and don't know whether this matter is true or not.
Finally, after a good discussion, they decided to return to Beijing with Lin Pianran.
As a second-rank official, Hua Guoxiong had to stay by the emperor's side at all times, never leaving his side and ready to be ordered at any time.
Only my aunt and two cousins accompanied Lin Pianran.
Like Lin Pianran, they all had ugly and dirty beggar makeup on their faces.
Lin Pianran's group consisted of forty or fifty people in total. They all abandoned their carriages and traveled light.
The princess pointed to five large boxes of valuables and said, "What should we do with all these valuables? They are so heavy."
Lin Pianran took a look and said, "Princess, don't worry about it. Just put them together. I will find a way to arrange them properly. Don't mention the fact that you have so many good things to anyone, so as not to arouse others' covetousness."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Since her royal brother asked her to listen to Lin Pianran in everything, she would just listen to him.
If you can't be a smart person with a quick mind, then be a follower who doesn't lag behind.
The eldest princess completely obeyed Lin Pianran's arrangements.
Finally, Lin Pianran quietly put the things into the space and helped her keep them.
After everything was ready, Lin Pianran set off with his men.
Among those who set out together, in addition to the eldest princess, Lin Pianran, and the people from the Minister of Revenue's family, there was also Shen Mubai from the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion. He was Shen Xuanzhi's biological brother and was specially arranged by Shen Xuanzhi. It was said that his kung fu was very good.
As Lin Pianran expected, at midnight, a large number of refugees began to besiege their group.
Fortunately, local officials arrived in time with more than 2,000 soldiers to help disperse the refugees, thus rescuing everyone.
But because there were so many refugees, chaos was inevitable amidst the tearing, arguing and pushing.
The team of officials returning to Beijing was still scattered. Many people's food and property were robbed and looted. Many people even lost contact with the team.
In order to stop the refugees from continuing to cause chaos, the imperial guards and local officials even resorted to force to suppress them, and finally drove away a large number of refugees.
However, during this siege, more than 300 people were lost, including masters and servants, and it was impossible to count them all at once.
They also lost a large amount of property and had no place to seek redress.
Many families are trapped in a vicious cycle of losing people, finding them, and losing them again...
When he heard the result, Emperor Wu of Qin almost fainted from anger.
Finally, Emperor Wu of Qin had no choice but to issue an order that no one was allowed to look for people privately, and that the government should be responsible for finding people.
Although he was protected by the Imperial Guards and local officers and soldiers of Pingcheng, Emperor Wu of Qin's carriage had to stop and go frequently to avoid refugees, and it was still in a very awkward situation. Several times, Emperor Wu of Qin's carriage was hit by stones thrown by refugees.
After being welcomed into the residence of the Pingcheng officials, Emperor Wu of Qin was filled with anger but had no place to vent it. He really didn't expect that there would be so many victims in the Qin Dynasty under his jurisdiction.
As soon as everything was settled, Emperor Wu of Qin summoned officials at all levels.
He was furious with the leader of the Imperial Guards and local officials.
"Why are there so many refugees? Shouldn't the great land under my rule be a thriving place? Where did these ragged, skinny refugees come from?"
Wu Yuanshou, the governor of Pingcheng, knelt before Emperor Wu of Qin and tremblingly replied, "These people also arrived recently."
"It hasn't rained in the three northern cities for eight consecutive months. The people there can't survive, so they beg for food and come here."
"At the beginning, there were only a few of them. The old minister felt really sorry for them and ordered people to help them, providing them with food and shelter, and letting them settle down."
"Who would have thought that the number of people would increase, and the old ministers could no longer cope with it, so they quickly wrote a memorial to the court."
"At present, there is still a steady stream of refugees pouring in here. Preliminary estimates suggest that the number has reached over 20,000."
"Although Pingcheng is closer to the capital and relatively wealthy, its resources are not inexhaustible!"
"When there are too many people, I can no longer take care of them. When they are hungry, they will do anything. Murder, arson, and robbery are common. I can't control them or catch them."
"For those refugees, since they are almost dead, what else can they not do?"
"Of course, there are still many honest refugees who are so thin that they are no longer human. They are really pitiful to look at!"
"Now Pingcheng has been surrounded by refugees."
"I have no choice but to find a way to drive them out of the city, to prevent them from acting recklessly and causing widespread resentment."
"But they would surround the city walls and rob merchants and pedestrians passing by. Once they caught someone, they wouldn't let them go. Sometimes they were even scarier than bandits, mainly because they had so many of them!"
"I wrote a memorial to the court more than half a month ago, but it never came to fruition. Later, I wrote two more memorials, but there was still no response."
Emperor Wu of Qin looked at Wu Yuanshou's dark, thin, tired, and withered face, slammed his hand on the table, and angrily asked, "I have not received your memorial, nor do I know about this matter. Are you fabricating this to shirk responsibility?"
Wu Yuanshou knelt on the ground, kowtowed, "What I said is not false at all. If there is even a single lie, I will offer my head as a sacrifice."
"Furthermore, why would I, an old minister, conceal such a major event? It wouldn't benefit me in the slightest! Your Majesty, I beg you to investigate! Every word I say is true!"
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