A drizzle fell. Three tents had been erected at the entrance to the government office, with a large jar beneath them, used to distribute relief grain. Soldiers, armed with broadswords, stood guard around the perimeter, their eyes fierce, forbidding anyone from causing trouble or stealing grain.
Jiang Yue and his friend were brave enough to act as the "vanguard" and went there with their household registration.
"Are you two a family?"
"Yes, my lord."
The clerk's expression was not very friendly, but he did not make things difficult for her. He completed the registration in a very methodical manner and then weighed the grain for her.
This is how you have to do it, keep a straight face and don't say anything so that no one will try to take advantage of you.
It turned out that the city wasn't completely empty; there were still quite a few people hiding in the shadows. On the morning of the first day, besides the two of them, only seven or eight elderly, weak, women, and children lined up.
Holding the food tightly in their arms, they knelt on the ground crying and kowtowed to express their gratitude to the officials and soldiers. The scene was extremely emotional at one point.
After taking the food, Jiang Yue said a few words of thanks: It seems that we were too indifferent, and the play was not sincere enough. What a mistake...
Seeing that the government was really distributing grain and did not make things difficult for people, in the afternoon, more than a dozen young and middle-aged men came out from various parts of the city.
The officer in charge of door-to-door registration said: "I've been knocking on the door until my hands are swollen, but no one is answering. Where did all these people come from?" It's true that no matter how much we talk, it's not as effective as luring them out with food.
The people were trembling with fear, but when they saw that those who had lost their household registration could still receive food as long as they registered, and the officials did not make things difficult for them, they felt relieved.
A tall, thin man opened and closed his mouth several times before he stepped forward and asked, "Sir, we heard that we can work to earn food?"
The officer tried to be gentle, fearing he might scare them away again. "Yes. You want to earn some food?"
They nodded.
The officer asked, "Who among you knows how to build a house?"
"Sir, I don't know what building a house means. We don't make a living like craftsmen."
The officer thought for a moment and said, "Those who have built pig pens, chicken coops, and cow sheds for their own families will be considered."
Someone breathed a sigh of relief, and then five people raised their hands.
The official wrote their names down and said, "Tomorrow at the beginning of the morning hour, you will be counted at the yamen gate. You will be responsible for building houses in the city. If you work until the end of the evening hour, each of you will receive an additional half a liter of grain per day, and the bill will be settled on the same day."
He then asked, “Who knows how to farm?”
This time everyone raised their hands.
It’s not surprising that there are officials there. As long as you are willing to work hard, farming is not difficult.
"It's the same time for you, but you'll be counting heads at the city gate."
"Yes, yes, yes! We must arrive on time!"
The next day, the people who had registered arrived early. After the officials counted the numbers and assigned them tasks, they worked desperately for fear of not getting any food.
Fortunately, the official kept his promise. After seeing the work they had done, he expressed his satisfaction and paid the bill promptly.
A few people were afraid of being robbed, so they stuffed the bag into their arms and ran home. However, they saw many police patrols on the road, which made them feel relieved.
On the third day, more than a dozen people came out to sign up for the work.
The registration officers were all convinced.
General Liang smiled and said, "That's understandable. If life isn't going well, no one will dare to trust us. As long as we keep doing this every day, after a while, maybe someone will come out from somewhere."
The spring rain was heavy, but not as strong as the summer rain, and it was not unpleasant when it hit people. In just three days, the city streets were cleared, and many people were lying on the eaves of their houses repairing tiles.
Dozens of acres of farmland were set aside outside the city, surrounded by wooden fences. Without cattle, the land had to be tilled manually.
The officials found some old farm tools in some shops and government offices in the city and used them as a makeshift. Fortunately, it had rained a lot, and the soil was moist, so turning the soil was not difficult.
The elderly, the weak, women and children who were unable to do heavy work were responsible for making compost and picking up garbage and stones in the fields.
When they first found human bones in the fields, they screamed in fear and called the officials to deal with them. But after a few days, they could throw the bones into the pit and bury them without any expression, making them into nameless graves.
A few thatched huts were built outside the city, providing temporary resting places for patrol officers and those suppressing bandits, as well as for night watchmen. After the fields were plowed, they had to arrange for officers to guard the fields day and night when the seedlings were planted.
Hundreds of people were plowing the soil and farming here, making it very lively. When the news spread, some people nearby who heard the news came over quietly.
There were guards at the city gate. When they saw a dozen or so people wearing worn-out shoes and looking timidly at people working outside, they walked over and asked, "Are you trying to get into the city?"
The head man asked quietly, "We are from the neighboring prefecture. We heard that there is a food distribution here?"
The guard nodded and said, "Yes, we will distribute food, but you have to stay and work." He explained the general's rules to everyone and let them decide for themselves.
The four families murmured to each other and turned around to discuss.
"Should we move in? What if..."
"After the disaster is over, we can divide the land! If we plant crops now, we won't have to worry about having food to eat next time!"
The government in the neighboring prefecture was overthrown, but the grain was all gone in just three days. Everyone knew other families had grain, so no one cared about the theft or robbery, and even if they did, they couldn't stop it. Even if someone planted the land and watched it day and night, there was no guarantee it would grow long enough for a harvest.
They say that happiness is shared, and we are all common people, so who can obey whose orders? The city was quiet for a few days before it gradually became chaotic again. That's why they heard the news and rushed here with their families.
But here it was different. The old man looked at the turned-over fields, which were surrounded by officials and guarded by generals. Regardless of the future, he always had hope by working every day to earn food.
He gritted his teeth and made a decision, "Let's move! It can't get any worse, we have to fight!"
Then a dozen more people came into the city and each family was given a house. Although it was not big, it was a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
As General Liang's deputy general, Li Zhi also achieved remarkable results.
After seizing three small dens, they brought back over thirty bandits and over forty civilians, all of whom were registered and assigned to work to earn food. This method did not consume much food.
Now that his manpower is dispersed, General Liang does not want to start a war for the time being. He has not raised a large banner to openly oppose the court, but is quietly accumulating strength behind the scenes.
Li Zhi followed the instructions and did not attack other prefectures. He only "plundered people" on the road and took anyone he saw home.
He stuffed a mixed-flour bun in his mouth, squinted his eyes and looked ahead, then asked sideways, "Are there people fighting up ahead?"
The captain's eyesight was better than his, and he said, "It doesn't look like a fight, it looks like someone is being chased!"
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