"Sir!" Lu Asan and Gao Er burst into tears. If they went to Haizhou to steal food, Li Haoran's life would surely be in danger.
This was a silent robbery. The victims silently organized a team and silently followed Li Haoran to Haizhou.
The sheer ruthlessness of the corrupt officials is evident in the fact that Liu Yu was the transport envoy for the disaster relief grain, responsible for transporting a total of 40,000 dan of grain. In addition to this 40,000 dan of disaster relief grain, Zhao Huan also issued an edict to Xuzhou and Chuzhou, the two states closest to Haizhou, to each allocate 7,000 dan of grain for delivery to Haizhou.
Han Tiexin, the governor of Haizhou, received the 7,000 dan of grain but was reluctant to distribute it. This forced Li Haoran to allow the people to seize the grain.
Li Haoran knew that there were troops stationed in Haizhou, so he had to be prepared for war. The victims he brought from Langya County were all selected by him as capable fighters.
The continuous influx of refugees from Haizhou also put Haizhou City under pressure, so the soldiers guarding the city received strict orders from Han Tiexin not to let the victims into the city, so the victims all gathered in Langya County.
Nearly 10,000 people, dressed in rags, arrived outside Haizhou City with sticks in their hands. They shouted and yelled, but the gates remained closed.
Ye Ren, the soldier defending the city, was an ambitious general, but he was suppressed by the prefect Han Tiexin, and he was always frustrated. Han Tiexin strictly ordered that no disaster victims could enter the city, and Ye Ren was helpless.
A man emerged from among the victims. It was none other than Li Haoran, the magistrate of Langya County. Standing at the foot of the city wall, Li Haoran clasped his fists and said, "General Ye, please open the city gates!"
Ye Ren said awkwardly, "So it's Magistrate Li. I'm sorry, but I can't obey your orders. Lord Han has issued a strict order that no one is allowed to let the disaster victims into the city, otherwise they will be dismissed on the spot."
Li Haoran said, "General Ye, please open the city gate and let me and my entourage through. I have something important to discuss with the prefect!"
Ye Ren, unaware of the trick, ordered his soldiers to open the city gates.
This wasn't a siege; the soldiers defending the city couldn't use their swords to kill anyone. As soon as the city gates opened, refugees poured in like a tide, and the soldiers defending the city were too late to stop them.
Ye Ren was shocked. When he rushed down the city wall, he saw Li Haoran clasping his fists towards him and saying, "Thank you very much!"
"Quick! Close the city gate!" Ye Ren ordered the soldiers.
Just as the soldiers defending the city were about to close the gate, they were immediately drowned in the sea of people rushing in. Ye Ren could only watch helplessly as countless refugees poured in.
Han Tiexin hosted a banquet at the Haizhou government office to entertain the merchant Tao Wenyuan. The prefect was servile to the businessman.
"Brother Tao, you are a big grain merchant. To be honest, for these 3,000 dan of grain, do you think you can raise the price a little bit?" Han Tiexin said with a smile.
Tao Wenyuan said with a big belly: "Master Han, you have to know that I don't have the final say in the Guangyuan grain store. The grain has to be under the control of the prince. The grain for disaster relief is all old grain and can't be sold at a good price."
Han Tiexin quickly stood up and filled his glass. "Yes, yes, I know all this. Lord Tao, please go back and tell the prince that I'm willing to lower the price by another 20%, all for the prince's sake. I just want Brother Tao to ship the 3,000 dan of grain from Haizhou as soon as possible. As for the price, we can negotiate that."
Tao Wenyuan frowned, "Right now, Haizhou City is full of disaster victims. If we leave the city under the pretext of being from the Guangyuan grain store, we're afraid we'll be robbed by these disaster victims before we even get out of the city gate."
Han Tiexin patted his chest and assured him, "Brother Tao, don't worry about that. I will send someone to escort it. We must not let the victims know that we are transporting food out of the city. As long as this relief food reaches Taizhou, Brother Tao can sell it for a good price."
It turned out that Han Tiexin wanted to resell the disaster relief grain. Xuzhou and Chuzhou each allocated 7,000 dan of grain, but Han Tiexin was reluctant to allocate it because he wanted to embezzle 5,000 dan of it and sell it for himself.
In fact, two thousand shi of the seven thousand shi of grain had already been transported out of Haizhou through Tao Wenyuan at a price one-third of the market price, but this also made Han Tiexin earn a lot of money.
Tao Wenyuan said, "Master Han, I'm not saying anything bad about you. Of the 7,000 dan of disaster relief grain, you should at least use some to help the victims in the city. I heard yesterday that thirty bodies were cleared out of Haizhou early this morning. I'm afraid if this continues, the victims will riot."
Han Tiexin smiled and nodded. "Brother Tao is right, but it's impossible for these disaster victims to rebel in Haizhou. The elite soldiers and generals under my command are not vegetarians."
"The prince also wants you to distribute some food to the victims. If what happened here is reported to the public and a big mess is caused, I'm afraid no one can bear the responsibility." Tao Wenyuan said.
"Brother Tao, don't worry. I've already set up a porridge stall at the gate of the government office. The victims still need relief. As the prefect, how can I watch the people starve to death? Don't you agree? Come on, come on, have a drink!"
A burst of fragrance filled the air, and the chef brought out a dish, which was a fish.
Han Tiexin was delighted: "Brother Tao, try it. This is my chef's specialty, braised carp."
The carp was a deep yellow in color, with a rich broth. The fish was carved with patterns and garnished with a touch of chopped green onions. The aroma could be smelled from afar, making it truly appetizing.
Tao Wenyuan remained silent, merely staring at the carp. Han Tiexin didn't dare offend the businessman because he was backed by a certain prince from the Song Dynasty, a figure so powerful that even a single stomp of his foot could send tremors through the capital.
Seeing the other party remain silent, Han Tiexin's expression changed in panic and he sighed, "Alas, the people of Haizhou are still suffering from the disaster. I am eating braised carp here. I feel guilty, guilty!" He waved his hand and said, "Come, take this fish away. Send it to the outside of the government office and say that I sympathize with the victims and specially ordered the chef to cook a fish for them to taste."
In terms of shamelessness, Han Tiexin was probably the most shameless throughout the entire Song Dynasty. Whether a carp was a mockery or a mockery to the starving victims was unclear. It truly was like the rich had rotten dogs, while the poor were starving on the streets.
The servant hurriedly tried to take the braised carp away, but Tao Wenyuan stopped him in his tracks: "Wait! Lord Han is truly a pillar of the Song Dynasty, deeply concerned about his country and its people. However, he still needs to eat. If he starves, how can Lord Han continue to work hard for the people? Come, come, come. Bring this carp over to me, and let's drink together."
It turns out that Tao Wenyuan is a delicious food. He was attracted by this dish of fish. For this kind of connoisseur, one can tell that this is a delicious dish as soon as he smells it.
Han Tiexin was overjoyed. This dish of braised carp was the specialty of the chefs in Haizhou Prefecture. He didn't know how many high-ranking officials he had won over with this dish. "Come on! Hurry up! Bring it here! How can these victims eat this? What if they get a fish bone stuck in their throats? Come on, bring it here!"
When the carp was placed in front of him, Tao Wenyuan couldn't wait to take a bite. When the fish entered his mouth, Tao Wenyuan opened his eyes wide, and Han Tiexin was shocked. Could it be that the chef didn't cook the fish well?
After swallowing it, Tao Wenyuan exclaimed, "Smells good! It smells really good!"
Han Tiexin finally felt relieved and was about to flatter him when Tao Wenyuan covered his throat, his face flushed and his neck thickened. "Fish, fishbone, it's stuck!"
"Bring some water quickly!" Han Tiexin hurriedly ordered his servants.
The servant hurriedly brought a glass of water, and Tao Wenyuan tilted his head back and drank it, finally removing the fishbone.
At this moment, a man ran in from outside: "Master, something bad has happened! The victims outside the city are attacking us!"
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