Chapter 238: After the riot is suppressed, how to save so many people?
As the night deepened, the snow became heavier and the road became dangerous and difficult to travel.
But at this time, there was no peace in the Northwest Camp.
The North City defender, who had braved the snow, entered the tent with boots filled with snow water. When he saw the people standing in the tent, he was stunned.
"Master Liu, what are you doing..."
The city guard of Yuancheng, known as Lord Liu, sighed with a wry smile, "Lord Zhao, why are you here? That's why we're here, too."
It wasn't just North City that was in turmoil.
The three cities, six counties, and eighteen towns in the northwest, along with the hundreds of villages and hamlets large and small under them, were all in turmoil.
Three city defenders and six county magistrates braved the hardship of traveling through the snow and gathered at the Northwest Camp after many days of travel. They all did the same thing: to ask Chen Nianhe to send troops to suppress the rebellion.
It's already a mess.
It is impossible to convince people by preaching at this time.
In order to put a stop to this turmoil in time, the best way is to send supporting troops from the Northwest Camp to suppress it by force.
By the way, borrow some grain from the Northwest Camp to alleviate the crisis.
Lord Liu took it easy and sighed, "The City Guard has only 300 men, and they can't possibly suppress the rioters who are looting rice and grain. But the Northwest Camp has over 100,000 troops stationed there. If General Chen can agree to send troops to support the suppression and loan us some grain from the camp, I think it will be enough to alleviate our immediate crisis."
"Even if the Northwest Camp sends troops, what happens after the repression?"
The magistrate, his official robes stained with countless snow and mud, looked extremely embarrassed. He rubbed his face, opened his bloodshot eyes wide, and said hoarsely, "If General Chen agrees to our request, he will send troops to help suppress the grain-grabbing riots that have occurred in cities, counties, and even villages."
"Even if I'm kind enough to lend you and me some of the food and fodder in the camp, how many people will be left alive in our territories after the situation calms down?"
Sending troops to suppress the rebellion will inevitably lead to conflicts with the people who are stealing food. No matter how big or small the conflict is, people will die.
The current situation is already bad enough. Even if there is no conflict, the fact that the people cannot eat enough and cannot afford to buy food will be enough to cause countless casualties. If there is another conflict with casualties, the situation will only become more difficult.
Everyone present understood what he said, but what else could they do?
Lord Zhao smiled bitterly and said, "I once ordered an attempt to control the price of rice in the city, hoping to bring the price back down to a level that the people could afford, but..."
"But the problem isn't just rising food prices."
Lord Liu closed his eyes with an indescribable sense of dejection, gritted his teeth and said, "If it were just a spike in grain prices, we could simply arrest a few scoundrels who hoarded grain and raised prices. Making an example of them is always a way to warn the rest. But the key now is that even if prices are high, there's still no grain to buy."
"I don't know what the situation is like in your jurisdiction right now, but in my jurisdiction, Yuancheng is in complete chaos. The grain shops have nothing to sell, and the rice jars in the people's homes are empty. Even with silver, there's nowhere to buy anything. The pigs, chickens, ducks, and other animals raised in the villages, regardless of size, have all been slaughtered to save their lives."
"Anything edible, whether it's cabbage or radishes stored in the cellar for the winter, sweet potatoes or potatoes, edible beans, or even the scraps of rice bran that can fill your stomach, has risen to an astonishing price I never dared to imagine."
There are too many people who are hungry.
The cold winter has arrived in the northwest, and the silvery white color under the heavy snow will not thaw until April of next year.
During this period, the mountains were covered with deep snow and everything was dry. The starving people left their empty rice jars at home and could not even dig out some wet grass roots or wild vegetables when they went out.
The second snowfall since the beginning of winter is showing no sign of abating. I wonder how many more people will starve to death overnight.
How to save so many people after the riots are suppressed?
What can be used to save?
The Northwest is vast but desolate and cold. When spring comes again next year, how many living people will still be able to stand on this land?
Such a great famine and turmoil subsequently caused instability among the people and chaos.
For those present, let alone seeking promotion in the future, once the court knew about the chaos in the northwest, every single one of them, including those wearing official hats, would be killed.
Thinking of the consequences, everyone's faces looked unhappy, but after waiting for a long time, Chen Nianhe still didn't show up.
Those who could still bear it forced themselves to wait anxiously, while those who were impatient had already stood up and kept looking outside.
"Why hasn't General Chen arrived yet? We've been here for several hours. Could it be that he doesn't want to see us?"
"Won't."
Lord Liu suppressed his uneasiness and said, "If you want to avoid seeing us, you can just keep us outside. Why let us in and wait? I'm only worried that..."
"What are you worried about?"
Perhaps sensing his uneasiness, someone said, "The Northwest Camp has over a hundred thousand troops stationed there, and the food and fodder reserves are definitely sufficient to support over a hundred thousand men. We don't ask for much, but we hope General Chen can offer a little help to tide us over. I'm sure General Chen won't refuse."
This is actually what most people here think.
Before troops move, food and fodder must be prepared first. Sufficient food and fodder are essential elements to stabilize military morale.
The Northwest Camp is stationed here to defend against enemies outside the pass and deter foreign races. It plays an extremely important role. I think if there is a shortage of rice anywhere, there should be no shortage here.
But this certainty gradually disappeared with the passage of time, and was replaced by an unspeakable panic.
Chen Nianhe did not show up all night.
The rising sun broke through the thick snow clouds, and the snow that had been falling for two days finally showed signs of stopping. The tent curtain that had been howling in the wind all night was lifted from the outside, and the person who strode in with blood on his body that had not yet dissipated was Chen Nianhe, who had been waiting for a whole night.
only……
A flash of horror flashed across Lord Zhao's eyes. Looking at the long sword in Chen Nianhe's hand, which was still dripping with blood, his heart trembled. After saluting, he hesitated and said, "General Chen, what are you doing?"
"Some people couldn't bear the hunger in their stomachs and had evil intentions. Last night I personally led people to chase them out, captured them, and killed them."
Chen Nianhe stated the facts calmly, then suppressed his anger, closed his eyes, and said solemnly, "You gentlemen have come here together. What do you want from me?"
Lord Liu and others had prepared a lot of speeches, just waiting to meet Chen Nianhe so that they could pour them out.
But the first thing they heard was about famine. They looked at each other and couldn't help feeling surprised.
Someone couldn't help but whisper, "The Northwest Camp is a strategically important military location. It shouldn't have any trouble. Otherwise, the situation outside the Great Wall will be unstable, and chaos could easily break out."
"But from what I heard from the general, it seems that there is also unrest inside the camp?"
At this critical juncture, no one has more grains of rice in their pot than the other, so there is really no need to cover up for useless face.
Chen Nianhe was exhausted by the constant troubles in the barracks caused by the lack of food. He pinched his brow hard and sneered, "You said it was a press, but who knew the world is so unreasonable?"
"My Lords, you may not know that the court's law stipulates that food and fodder for the Northwest Camp should be delivered every three months. Previously, it was relatively stable, but since six months ago, only half of the food and fodder has been delivered to the camp."
Seeing the faces of several people in the tent change instantly, Chen Nianhe suppressed his murderous intent and said, "The food and fodder that should have been delivered three months ago has not arrived yet. The camp was already short of food and fodder, and now we have missed the opportunity. We have long been unable to find a single grain of rice and the pots are empty."
"Why? You came here today because you heard about the food shortage in the camp and wanted to rush over to give some rice to the soldiers?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
