Seeing Prefect Huang's anxious expression, Zhao Xian spoke up:
"Prefect Huang, there is no need to worry. I will return to Narcissus Village tomorrow and gather another batch of disaster relief supplies to alleviate the immediate crisis."
Upon hearing this, Prefect Huang immediately stood up and bowed to Zhao Xian.
"Thank you, Lord Shaoqing, for saving the people of Dezhou from this terrible disaster."
Next, the two talked about the disaster relief efforts of the soldiers from Shuixian Village in various disaster areas. Prefect Huang told Zhao Xian that the disaster relief efforts in various places had basically ended and the soldiers would return to Shuixian Village the next day.
As dusk approached, a yamen runner suddenly came to report.
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, Wang Lizheng from Shuixian Village has arrived in Dezhou with six merchant ships, all loaded with disaster relief supplies. Wang Lizheng said that these supplies were donated by the villagers of Shuixian Village."
Upon hearing this, Prefect Huang stood up happily and said:
"Come with me to the dock quickly, I want to see the disaster relief supplies sent by Narcissus Village."
Zhao Xian was also very happy. He did not expect Wang Lizheng to act so quickly, raising so many disaster relief supplies in a short period of time and sending them to Dezhou. These disaster relief supplies arrived very timely.
Prefect Huang, accompanied by officials of all ranks from Dezhou Prefecture, arrived at the Dezhou Wharf with Zhao Xian.
The dock was crowded with people, most of whom were disaster victims. They were very happy to hear that Shuixian Village had sent a lot of relief supplies, and they would not have to go hungry this time. They all came to see what was happening.
Wang Lizheng stood on the dock, waiting for officials from the Dezhou government to come and hand over the disaster relief supplies to the local authorities.
Before long, Wang Lizheng saw many officials coming this way, including Zhao Xian.
The village head thought Zhao Xian had already returned to Shuixian Village, but he was still in Dezhou, probably participating in the rescue efforts here.
He immediately went to greet Zhao Xian, took his hand, and said:
"Lord Shaoqing, after you left, I launched a donation drive in the village. The villagers donated three million catties of sweet potatoes and more than five thousand taels of silver in two or three days."
I knew Texas urgently needed these relief supplies, so I rushed to deliver them.
Zhao Xian nodded and said, "Uncle Village Head, you've worked hard. This batch of supplies has arrived just in time."
Next, Zhao Xian introduced Wang Lizheng to everyone.
Prefect Huang immediately stepped forward and bowed to Wang, the village head.
This startled Wang, the village head. The man was the prefect, and he couldn't possibly accept such a grand gesture. So he quickly returned the greeting.
Next, Zhao Xian asked Prefect Huang to arrange for people to unload the goods overnight, while he prepared to return with the merchant ship the next day, and then collect another batch of supplies to send over, in order to get the disaster relief supplies from the imperial court and help the disaster victims get through the crisis.
Prefect Huang was very grateful to Zhao Xian and Wang Lizheng. If it weren't for the help of the soldiers and civilians of Shuixian Village, who knows how many more people would have died in this earthquake.
Three million catties of sweet potatoes is no small amount. Prefect Huang arranged for a large number of people to unload the goods. After a busy night, the disaster relief supplies on the six cargo ships were finally unloaded.
Early the next morning, Zhao Xian bid farewell to Prefect Huang and prepared to board a merchant ship to return to Shuixian Village.
Prefect Huang led his officials to escort Zhao Xian to the dock. Unexpectedly, the dock was full of disaster victims. When they saw Prefect Huang and Zhao Xian approaching, they all knelt down.
"What are you all doing? Get up," Prefect Huang said.
“Your Excellency, we are all local disaster victims and would like to say a few words to you, Lord Shaoqing,” said one of the disaster victims kneeling in front of the crowd.
Zhao Xian was taken aback. Could it be that these disaster victims knew he was going back and had come to see him off? So he spoke up.
"Fellow villagers, please stand up and speak. If you need anything, please let us know."
"Lord Shaoqing, we are all locals. This time, a huge disaster has occurred in Dezhou. Most people have died, and the survivors are short of food and clothing and have nowhere to go."
Winter has now arrived, and we disaster victims will face even greater difficulties. Even with help from the imperial court and the people, most of us will find it hard to survive this winter.
We know that Lord Shaoqing's business is very large. We are all hardworking and don't want to freeload. We only hope that Lord Shaoqing can show us a way to make a living.
So that's what happened. The disaster victims were telling the truth. The entire Texas area is now a wasteland, and most people are penniless and unable to support themselves.
In the following months, they will need to rely on relief to survive. If another emergency occurs, such as heavy snow blocking the roads, relief food may not be able to get in, and many disaster victims may starve to death.
Generally speaking, a major disaster is followed by a major epidemic. However, since the temperature is very low at this time, the possibility of a large-scale epidemic is not high, but it cannot be ruled out.
The disaster victims' requests were very simple; they just wanted to find something to do to support themselves.
It's a good thing that the disaster victims have this idea. The government should not only provide them with relief but also comfort them and prevent them from becoming vagrants, otherwise they will cause certain harm to society.
So what should we do now? How can we solve this problem? We need to develop our own industry. We do need manpower in our workshops and factories, but we can't use that many people all at once.
In ancient times, the most effective way to solve the refugee problem was through work relief. Should we also adopt this method to help the disaster victims find something to do and get through their difficulties?
Suddenly, Zhao Xian remembered something and said:
“Fellow villagers, the person who brought the disaster relief supplies this time is the village head of Shuixian Village. I’ll discuss with him whether we can help you find some things to do.”
Upon hearing this, the disaster victims cheered immediately. Shuixian Village was now quite remarkable; its development had already surpassed that of a typical town. It shouldn't be a problem for the village head to help them find some work.
In fact, Wang Lizheng was right next to him. He had heard all the disaster victims' requests. When Zhao Xian came to him to find something for the disaster victims to do, he was at a loss.
Helping dozens or hundreds of people find something to do is not difficult for Wang Lizheng, but there are tens of thousands of refugees here, and he simply does not have the ability to do so.
Upon seeing Zhao Xian approaching, the village head immediately looked troubled.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian smiled and said:
"Uncle Lizheng, Shuixian Village is developing very rapidly and is approaching the scale of Dawan Town and Yingkou Town. The only thing restricting the further development of Shuixian Village is transportation."
Yingkou Town has developed so rapidly in recent years, mainly because it has a wharf. Should we consider building a wharf in Shuixian Village as well?
Zhao Xian's words greatly surprised the village head, who asked in bewilderment:
"Yingkou Town has a wharf because there is a large river in Yingkou Town, which is an important waterway, but our Shuixian Village does not."
Narcissus Village only has a small river; it can handle a few small boats, but definitely not merchant ships.
"That's not necessarily true. The village's small waterways played a huge role in bringing so many disaster relief supplies. Without these waterways, it would be extremely difficult to transport these supplies by vehicle."
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