After calming everyone down, Captain Xiao began to introduce himself to Ning Zhiyuan and the others.
“Although our two places are not far apart, the news has not been able to pass between us until now, and we only found out about your existence now.” Captain Xiao leaned against the wall and chatted with Ning Zhiyuan and the others who had come out.
Ning Zhiyuan said, "From what I just heard about your situation, it's much better than what we have here. We were doing quite well during the earthquake and the freezing weather, and most of our population survived. That's why we refused entry to the refugees back then. But who knew? As the drought worsened, infighting started to break out, and no matter how hard we tried to quell it, we were powerless to do so."
Ning Zhiyuan and the others were filled with resentment when they talked about this. They never expected that T City would not be defeated by natural disasters, but instead suffer heavy losses due to internal strife.
Ning Zhiyuan looked at Captain Xiao seriously, "If possible, it would be best to let some people stay. We do have some fertile land available here, which should be enough to accommodate some people, so that everyone won't have to run back and forth."
"Is your safety guaranteed here? A small number of people want to stay, but they are worried that they will be ostracized if they stay." Captain Xiao relayed the thoughts of some people.
Ning Zhiyuan: "There's no need to worry about that. We have a huge population shortage here right now, and everyone knows how important the population is, so they're all welcoming you with open arms."
Captain Xiao knew there was a lot of exaggeration in his words. Even a village like Pinghe would ostracize the surrounding small villages, let alone a large city like T. What could Captain Ning possibly offer to guarantee this?
Si Cheng only glanced at the conversation between Captain Xiao and his group, not wanting to get involved. He took the opportunity to prepare the next batch of rations with the people in his village.
But he didn't want to get involved, yet Captain Xiao came knocking on his door.
"Do you think we could let them stay here?"
Si Cheng said, "This matter requires the consent of both parties; I dare not offer them advice."
"I wonder if it's as good as they say? Since we brought people here, we have to be responsible. Should we go and find out more?"
Captain Xiao implied that he was trying to link Si Cheng to him, hoping to get some advice from him.
Si Cheng glanced at the high city wall. "Who are you going to talk to? Can you make a decision based on just one meeting with them?"
Captain Xiao followed his gaze and asked, "What else can we do? Shall we stop and take a stroll inside? We're just the team leaders, we don't need to be responsible for everything, do we?"
Si Cheng said, "Although our population has decreased somewhat, there isn't enough surplus land to release fertile fields. With such a large population decline, who knows the reasons behind it?"
He didn't want to get involved, but considering some of the possibilities, he couldn't help but say, "You'd better analyze it with the people who want to stay here, and then let them make their own decision."
Si Cheng believes that although walking back to his hometown is arduous, being with so many people and building his own home with his own hands is much better than living under someone else's roof.
Moreover, in a place where the internal situation is unclear, there are countless possibilities. Why gamble?
Captain Xiao looked at him and asked, "Do you not approve of them being here?"
Si Cheng shook his head. "That depends on their own decision. We are only responsible for safety along the way, and we don't want to get involved in anything else."
It wasn't that Si Cheng was cold-blooded, but rather that he simply couldn't persuade everyone. He had already seen the intentions on some people's faces, and he wouldn't get any favors whether he spoke or not.
"Isn't this just asking for trouble? It seems we can't leave now, and the morale of the whole team is crumbling." Captain Xiao looked at the team and saw that some people were already talking to Ning Zhiyuan and the others, and the atmosphere seemed quite good.
Si Cheng didn't care. "If they can't leave, we'll arrange for them to rest and have time to think."
After Captain Xiao left, Yun Qi quietly asked, "With such a sudden reduction in population, there must be quite a few conflicts."
Si Cheng said, "It's not that the population is small, and the other party doesn't just stand on the roadside and stop people."
Yun Qi said, "In that case, let those who don't want to leave stay."
Si Cheng said, "Staying here is worse than going back to their hometowns, where everyone starts from the same point. Staying here will not only subject them to exclusion, but their safety is also not guaranteed."
Yunqi thought of the hidden dangers they had dealt with before they came out. Even in the mountainous area they had scoured several times, wild animals often appeared. This place would face the same problem.
Yunqi said, "Should we go and remind them?"
Si Cheng said, "I just reminded Captain Xiao that if he can figure it out, he'll understand it in one night."
Perhaps for safety reasons, Ning Zhiyuan and his group did not invite these people inside the wall to rest when it got dark. They simply stopped and rested temporarily by the wall.
Seeing the same indifferent treatment strengthened the resolve of those who had been wavering.
Some who didn't want to travel began to think about how to take advantage of the other party's urgent need for people to make more favorable terms for themselves.
Ning Zhiyuan and his group were also discussing this matter at a temporary office near the city wall.
“We can’t let so many people stay. Otherwise, they might form a faction, and we won’t be able to handle it,” Gao Duowei expressed his concern.
Nan Shulin tapped the table with his fingers. "It's better to have fewer people, but we can't afford to cause trouble later. We can't afford any more disruptions."
Gao Duowei said, "If all else fails, we can disperse them and put some people in each village. That way, they'll be easier to manage."
Ning Zhiyuan said, "But our people are scattered so far apart. If some animals come down from the mountain, we won't be able to resist them. The only way is to have more people to deter those animals. If that doesn't work, more people will be more helpers."
Gu Nian said, "Captain Ning is right. Even if we have weapons, we can't solve this problem with the few of us we have left."
Ning Zhiyuan said, "What we should be worried about now is whether we can keep the people here. As for the number of people who can stay, it will definitely not be many, and the situations you mentioned are unlikely to happen."
“We’ve already provided them with such good conditions here. It’s fertile land that they can cultivate without having to travel a long way back to their hometowns. Why would they be picky?” Gao Duowei said this with a completely indifferent expression. He felt that since these refugees were going to be sent back to their hometowns by the neighboring city anyway, they might as well stay here. It was much better than going back to their hometowns.
While they were discussing this, those outside who were also interested gathered together to discuss the conditions for staying.
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