On Dongtang Street, someone soon started shouting loudly.
"Have you heard? The Dongting Chamber of Commerce announced that it will not sell a single grain of rice to us in Kunshan!"
"Why? We didn't provoke them." County residents queuing outside the store asked.
"Because they have a grudge against the new Magistrate Zhao! Magistrate Zhao has screwed them over badly, and they want revenge."
"No way?" The common people were incredulous. It was just a personal grudge, was it necessary to starve an entire county to death?
"Why not? If you don't believe me, look under the bridge. Are there any grain ships arriving today?"
"Oh my god, it's really gone!"
The common people turned their heads to look, but saw nothing under the bridge. Where were the grain ships arriving one after another as they remembered?
"Now you believe it, right? Yesterday, the rice merchants went to Suzhou to buy rice, but they all came back empty-handed." The troublemakers pointed at the grain price sign hanging high in front of the grain store and said:
"Why else would they sell it at such a high price? Isn't it because they know they can no longer get food?"
"Is that so..." The county residents were easily fooled to begin with, and were already in a state of panic. After being provoked by those few people, they completely believed it.
The county residents who had been able to queue up somehow suddenly got into chaos and tried their best to squeeze in!
The rice shop was already crowded with people, and now the situation was getting even more out of control.
~~
"Don't grab, don't grab!"
"Come one by one!"
"Still pushing it, I won't sell it to you!"
Inside Wanji Rice Shop, the shop assistants tried their best to maintain order, but they could not stop more and more county residents from trying to squeeze in.
There was no room to move one's feet inside the store, and the hardwood counter was creaking from the squeeze.
Seeing the crowd suddenly double in size, the rice shop owner behind the counter was also stunned. He had been in this business for half his life and had never seen such a scene.
Even during the great famine more than a decade ago, there weren't so many people crowding into the store as if they were possessed.
"What's going on? Are you all crazy?" The boss couldn't help but shrink his body and asked the shopkeeper next to him.
"I don't know, it just happened all of a sudden." The shopkeeper's face turned pale, and he whispered to the boss, "Boss, I think something bad will happen if this continues, let's close the shop."
"Yeah." Looking at the crowded counter, the boss nodded. "Closed. We'll sell again tomorrow."
The guys were relieved and quickly put up a 'Sold Out' sign on the counter.
The crowd was stunned by this, and suddenly someone shouted, "They are deliberately holding back on selling, and they want to raise the price!"
"That's right, just now I said there are plenty..."
The crowd went wild, and no one knew who started it, but they all overturned the counter. Then they roughly pushed aside the terrified rice shop owner and his men, and rushed into the warehouse to loot.
The big hemp sacks were torn open, and the snow-white rice flowed all over the ground like water.
"You still say there's no rice, you profiteer!"
"No more money, just take it away!"
"That's right, he's made enough money, it's time to give us a discount!"
The people began to hold the rice and scramble to put it into their pockets.
"Is there still any law?" The rice shop owner stamped his feet and cried, "Isn't it forbidden to loot supplies?"
"Article one of the prohibition prohibits price gouging!" The mob responded confidently, glaring at him and saying, "If you keep talking, I'll beat you to death, you son of a bitch!"
"Wow, what a sin..." The rice shop owner hugged the pillar and cried.
~~
On Dongtang Street, seeing the looting taking place at Wanji Rice Shop, the people outside the other shops also began to get excited.
"What are you afraid of? The law cannot hold everyone responsible!" A few mice who were looking for trouble tried their best to incite.
"..." After a moment of hesitation, the good citizens of the previous moment turned into a mob and followed suit and squeezed into several other grain stores.
'Toot!'
“Beep!”
Suddenly, a sharp bamboo whistle sounded on the bridge.
The squadron's gunners in khaki uniforms rushed over from the bridge carrying jujube wood poles.
"No robbery, stop it!"
"Those who rob in the street will be killed without mercy!"
"Er Gou, are you crazy? Get out of here!"
A team of hundreds of gunmen rushed to the store door and started beating with sticks.
Seeing that they could not gain any benefits, the county residents who had not yet squeezed into the store dispersed.
People tend to follow the crowd, especially in chaos. Seeing the people outside running away, the people in the store also followed suit and soon everyone ran away.
At this time, Jin Ke, surrounded by several constables wearing red vests, green ribbons, and carrying iron rulers and chains, quickly appeared at the bridgehead.
Zhao Hao entrusted the security of the entire county to him.
Jin Ke didn't expect that he almost got into big trouble on the first day after the young master left.
Fortunately, he had just paid the Gunners' salaries today and promised that as long as they obeyed orders and trained well, he would pay them all the wages owed by the end of the month.
The sluggish Gunners team were suddenly energized and were so excited that they didn't know what to do.
This is why Jin Ke was able to command his men to rush over at a single command after receiving the constable's request for help.
If this had happened yesterday, no one would have listened to his orders.
~~
The Kunshan gunmen demonstrated the good qualities of doing things for money and fair trade.
They arrived at the scene twice as fast as usual and finally suppressed the situation before the riot escalated.
Except for Wan Ji which was already unable to stop, the other grain stores were managed to be saved.
Looking at the rioters who were still looting in Wanji, Jin Ke shouted, "Catch them all, don't let any of them escape!"
"Yes, sir!" The gunmen shouted and rushed into the store, swinging bars and beating anyone they saw.
"Gang" is a relatively thick stick.
The jujube wood pole is thick and hard, who can bear it? If you hit it on the leg, it will break with a snap.
After a series of bangs and collisions, the rioters who were looting food were knocked to the ground.
The mob finally got scared and tried to escape, carrying their rice bags.
However, the constable guarding the door knocked him to the ground with an iron bar and immediately locked him up.
When Jin Ke stepped over the kicked-in threshold and walked into the messy grain store, he saw that no one could stand except the gunner in khaki uniform.
"Where is the store owner?" Jin Ke looked around.
"I'm here, I want to sue the authorities..." The rice shop owner who was being trampled on the ground raised his hands weakly.
"Sorry, accidental injury." The gunman who was stepping on him quickly withdrew his foot.
~~
Outside the signing room of the county government, Xu Wei was leaning on the kang, holding a small purple clay teapot in one hand and flipping through the files of the workshop.
A man from Caijia Lane suddenly rushed in, panting and reporting: "It's bad, it's bad, the people are snatching food..."
"What?!" Wu Chengen, who was busy in the inner room, put down his pen and walked out quickly. "Tell the truth!"
"Oh, yes..." The man quickly calmed down and reported what happened in Dongtang Street to the two lawyers.
Before the young master left, he had instructed that when he and his father were not around, these two would have the final say in the county government.
"Hey, what do I think?" Xu Wei leaned back to the side after hearing this. "You're so shocked."
ps. First update. Actually, I could have updated earlier last night, but my naughty kid (3 years old) actually used my phone to buy a bunch of stuff at the Apple Store. Now it's a mess. As a result, I have to update again today... I'm going to write the next chapter now.