Chapter 113 Family Dinner
Overnight, rumors spread.
It was said that the county officials embezzled all the rice from the county's granary, leaving not even a grain of rice, and only used hay as substitute.
It was also said that the county magistrate did not report the disaster at all in order to prevent being investigated for embezzlement, so there would be no relief from the court.
There are also claims that the county magistrate and the city god were transformed from demons, and therefore caused the flood in order to kill people.
All the rumors have been verified. One is that they were told by ancestors in dreams, and the other is that they were spread by supernatural beings.
There is evidence and proof.
Especially in the case of floods, before the floods come, there are reports from ancestors and warnings from gods and ghosts, all of which accuse the City God of killing people and bringing disasters.
This rumor spread very widely at the time, and many people experienced it personally.
Those who heeded the warning, either moved to live with relatives or bought rice to stock up on food, have now luckily escaped with their lives.
Those who did not listen or simply had no ability to escape became part of the refugees today.
It was originally a private discussion, but as more and more people knew about it, it became a consensus.
When it is spread again, it becomes so convincing that it seems as if one has seen it with one’s own eyes or heard it with one’s own ears.
In particular, these rumors are not false at all, but are well-founded. They may be slightly distorted when they are spread, but overall, they have ripped the window paper apart, making people believe them.
The City God started a great fire, burning away all the county magistrate's fig leaf.
After such provocation, within half a day, the crowd was already excited and ready to storm the county government office.
All pirates, bandits, landlords and wealthy people were forced to do this, leaving no room for negotiation.
Zeng Fan was one of the most outstanding among them. His reputation did not come from power or financial resources, but from what the refugees had seen with their own eyes and knew him inside and out.
Compared to those bandits and pirates who don't seem to have a good background, or those wealthy landlords who are not from the same class as them, Zeng Fan is undoubtedly more trustworthy.
Therefore, in this attack on the county government office, Zeng Fan became the leader.
Zeng Fan was a smart man and got some advice.
He did not think that he could control the situation just because of such trust. He knew that if he allowed the angry public sentiment to burn wildly, the entire Wuning County would be burned to ashes.
Whether ordinary people or refugees, no one will have a good ending in the end.
Therefore, before taking people out, they put forward the slogan: provide disaster relief and food, and offer sacrifices to heaven to pray for clear weather.
We must release grain from the granaries, report the disaster and request relief, offer sacrifices to the gods and heaven, and quell the flood.
Only reasonable and logical demands can avoid completely separating the refugees from other people in the county.
Otherwise, other people in the county would be threatened and turn against the refugees, where they would be surrounded by enemies and would have no way to survive.
The huge number of refugees were pressing forward step by step, and the roadblocks set up by the officers and soldiers were simply unable to resist them.
Zeng Fan led the refugees and shouted urgently, "Provide disaster relief and food! Offer sacrifices to the heavens and pray for clear skies!"
"Distribute food to provide disaster relief! Offer sacrifices to the heavens to pray for clear skies!"
The refugees made such a huge noise that their voices shook the heavens, like thunder, echoing throughout the county.
The officers and soldiers were shocked by the unified sound and took a few steps back. Looking at the refugees approaching one by one, they felt fear in their hearts.
There is a world of difference between being organized and being unorganized, being disciplined and being undisciplined, having ideas and being unthinking.
There has never been such a large-scale street fighting in the dark, but even though they didn't attack directly now, this situation is no longer something these hundreds of officers and soldiers can withstand.
Liu Sheng and Zeng Fan stared at each other across the roadblock and shouted, "What are you going to do?"
Zeng Fan said: "It's not that I want to do anything, it's that we can't survive."
"We ask the county magistrate to open the granaries and release the grain, and to offer sacrifices to the gods to quell the flood."
"Some say the county granaries are out of food, and the disaster hasn't been reported to the court, so we can't expect relief. To reassure us, please open the Changping granary and let us take a look."
Although Liu Sheng was brave, how could he stop these refugees?
He couldn't stop it last night, and he was even less able to stop it today.
"We won't hurt anyone or rob anyone. We just ask the officials to find a way to give us a way out."
"As long as we can shelter from the rain and have a meal, then everyone can live in peace."
He didn't say anything else, but Liu Sheng understood.
If not, no one can control these refugees.
The refugees had already started to dismantle the roadblocks, and Liu Sheng could only watch. He could not stop them, nor did he dare to stop them.
The refugees advanced step by step, and they retreated step by step.
"Distribute food to provide disaster relief! Offer sacrifices to the heavens to pray for clear skies!"
A huge shout echoed throughout the county town. The people in the county watched and observed these refugees moving, forcing the officers and soldiers to retreat step by step until they retreated to the county government office.
The county magistrate had no time to escape as the entire county government office was blocked.
In this situation, there is no escape.
The county magistrate was sweating profusely. "Liu Sheng, County Lieutenant Liu! These unruly people dared to attack the county government office. Why don't we arrest them all?"
Liu Sheng remained silent and said, "Does the County Magistrate really want me to take action? If a civil uprising were to occur, could you bear the consequences?"
The county magistrate wiped the sweat from his forehead, anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
The county officials were so scared that they didn't dare to say a word. The county magistrate pointed at their noses and cursed, "When you first reached out, you were all quicker than anyone else. How come you don't have any ideas now?"
But no matter how much he scolded, he couldn't get a single word out of her.
"boom!"
The gate of the county government office was kicked open, and refugees poured in. The officers and soldiers drew their swords and blocked the refugees' way.
"Please, sir, open the granaries and release the grain, and offer sacrifices to the heavens to pray for clear skies!"
The huge noise shook the county magistrate so much that he lost his mind. Liu Sheng took a deep breath and said, "Please bring out the rules, sir."
"In my opinion, it would be better to open the granaries and release the grain to calm the people and prevent a mutiny."
The county magistrate could no longer hold on and revealed a look of despair: "Food? Where is the food left in the Changping warehouse?"
Even though Liu Sheng had a premonition in his heart, his fingers felt cold at this moment, "No food at all?"
"There's no more food left," said the granary clerk, his legs swaying. "There's not even a ray of hay in the barn."
Liu Sheng grabbed the county magistrate by the collar, his facial muscles twitching, and he gritted out a sound through his teeth: "You are so brave!"
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