Chapter 155 Natural and Man-Made Disasters
Tongzhi County was in chaos.
Not long after the dam on the east broke, the dam on the west could no longer hold.
The flood quickly spread throughout the county, submerging countless fertile fields and low-lying houses.
In the middle of the night, the streets were filled with the shouts of people.
The soldiers in the city who were originally responsible for suppressing the chaos were nowhere to be seen.
A man in his twenties walked onto the street with his trouser legs rolled up, "Fellow villagers, the county magistrate has run away! The government doesn't care about us anymore!"
"What? The county magistrate ran away? What should we do? The water has flooded our fields!"
"Our house was also flooded, and all the food in the cellar was soaked and can no longer be eaten!"
"Last year, my income was not much, and I gave most of it to the court. Why should they ignore us?"
"Let's go to the county government office!"
A group of people ignored the turbulent water on the ground and rushed towards the county government office.
The county government was also in chaos at this time.
The new magistrate ran away and no one knew where he went.
The county magistrate also stopped moving.
When the soldiers learned that the county magistrate had fled, they all disobeyed orders. The chief clerk was unable to handle the whole task alone, so he took the remaining few people to protect the granary.
Fortunately, the granary was built relatively high and was not affected for the time being.
Otherwise, Tongzhi County would be really finished.
The common people came to the county government office.
There was a candlelight inside, but no one was seen.
They simply rushed into every house, but only saw the unconscious county magistrate.
The county magistrate was still attending to his personnel matters, and several people came forward to check on him.
It’s a pity that my body is cold.
"It seems that no one really cares about us."
"Oh, right, let's go find the granary. We have one in Tongzhi County!"
Several people hit it off immediately.
"We can't do it alone. Let's go find some more people and go to the granary together. No matter what, we have to grab the grain first. If the court doesn't care about us, we will take care of ourselves!"
"Yes, my son is only a few months old and is still waiting to be breastfed!"
"I'll go back and call my brother and my father. Let's go to the granary together!"
…
The night is dark.
Tongzhi County was brightly lit.
More and more people gathered, holding torches and walking towards the granary.
The chief clerk was still thinking of a solution when he heard a soldier come to report, "Master, something has happened. Many people are coming here. I'm afraid they are here to steal food!"
"What?" The chief clerk stood up suddenly. He was old and had not had much rest. He stood up in a hurry and his eyes went dark. He almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the soldier next to him was quick-witted and helped him up.
"Quick, go and stop them, and tell them that we are trying to repair the river bank, and when it is time to distribute grain, we will distribute it according to the population of each household."
The soldiers went to the mountain road to intercept.
Not long after, the people arrived and stopped in front of the soldiers.
"Master Zhubu said that the grain will be released when it is time. You all should go back first. We are already repairing the river bank. It won't take long for the flood to be under control."
The leading man didn't listen at all and shouted, "Come on! Don't think we don't know. The new county magistrate has run away, and the county magistrate is dead. We have all seen his body. How can you repair the river bank with just your people?"
"Our family's food has been flooded. If you don't give us food, we will starve to death!"
“Why didn’t you repair the riverbank before? Why do you only think of repairing it now that it’s breached?”
"You bunch of dog officials, you took our food but didn't do anything for us! Let's go up the mountain to grab food! If we don't grab it, we will all starve to death!"
With people constantly inciting the people, the people also got carried away and broke through the soldiers' defense and went straight to the granary.
The chief clerk's heart sank when he saw the crowds of people and torches, but in the end he let them break in.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to release grain, but there is simply not much grain.
If it cannot be distributed in an orderly manner according to the population, no one knows how many people will die in the county!
The chief clerk stood alone in front of the granary and said, "Fellow villagers, listen to me..."
"Listen to your bullshit, you dog official!"
"Let's go get some food!"
“Go!”
The chief clerk tried to stop them, but was pushed to the ground and slid down the hillside.
No one noticed his disappearance and rushed in like crazy to grab food.
Everyone wants to survive, and only by getting more food can they survive!
Soon, the granary was looted.
There were scattered grains of rice all over the ground.
That night, Tongzhi County was in complete chaos.
…
One day later.
The news reached the capital.
In the Xun Mansion, Cao picked up some food for Xun Mingzhi, "Master, I heard that the flood in Tongzhi County, Yujiang, was severe, and the magistrate ran away. Now it's a mess, and I don't know if it will affect the capital."
After all, it’s not far away. If the people over there start to make trouble, it might implicate the capital.
Xun Mingzhi paused and said, "You eat first."
"Master, you don't want to eat anymore?"
Xun Mingzhi ignored him, quickly went to the study, picked up a book and left.
The west of the capital city is inhabited by ordinary people and poor families in the capital, with a group of people crowded in one courtyard.
Xun Mingzhi covered his mouth and nose, walked all the way to the yard at the corner, raised his hand and knocked on the door three times.
Soon, the door opened and he flashed in, speaking impatiently, "I have already done what you said and sent that idiot to Tongzhi. Now something has happened over there, why don't you release Zhiyuan right away!"
A woman's gentle voice came from inside the room, "Don't worry, Master Xun. I have some good tea here. Why don't you taste it?"
Xun Mingzhi didn't have the leisure time. He walked in and glared at the woman in red sitting in the hall. "I don't want to drink tea. I just want to see Zhiyuan now!"
The woman in red was plump and beautiful, and her every move was full of charm. Her eyes looked like hooks when she looked at people. "Master Xun, you are such a good father. It's touching."
Xun Mingzhi said nothing, but just looked at her coldly, "If you don't release Zhiyuan, I will go to see the emperor now and tell him what the Zhenguo Mansion is up to..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the woman in red, "Master Xun, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. We, the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion, have been loyal to the emperor from beginning to end and have never had any second thoughts. Your son Zhiyuan is just a guest here."
She stood up, walked barefoot to Xun Mingzhi, raised her hand and gently stroked Xun Mingzhi's chest, "Master Xun, don't worry, we will release him when the emperor punishes him. Concubine Zhao gave birth to a prince and made a great contribution. You will definitely not be worried about your life. As long as our people capture a prince, your son will be safe and sound. We will also give him a big gift and wish him a smooth career."
"I don't want to waste my time talking to you. The Emperor is working hard to govern the country. If he learns about the incident in Tongzhi County, he will soon find out about me. I will be punished in two days. If I don't see Zhiyuan when I go home that day, I will fight you to the death!"
Xun Mingzhi's eyes were fierce. "I have been an official for decades. Although I am only a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, I have many cards. You'd better not go too far!"
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