This action can isolate the plague, but it is a heavy burden and will attract more people. Once there is not enough food and herbs, riots will inevitably occur.
The village at the edge of the Northern Wilderness is a place called Misty Village, named so because it is close to the Misty Forest.
Xie Wei led his soldiers to the Misty Forest, cut down trees locally and began to build houses. The noise was so loud that it naturally could not be concealed from the Misty Village on the other side of the official road.
Zhang Daoquan, the village chief of Misty Village, was busy at home when a villager ran directly into the yard.
He shouted loudly: "Village Chief, there are a lot of soldiers coming from the Misty Forest. They seem to be cutting down trees to build something. Why are they doing this here?"
Zhang Daoquan's family has been carpenters for generations. He was pushing the wood when he heard this. He looked up and asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Who did you say is coming?"
Zhang Daxing had no choice but to say it again, looking anxious: "Village Chief, do you think we should go and see what they are going to do?"
"...An order from Beihuang City?"
"Go ask the villagers to prepare some food and bring a few buckets of water. Push them on a cart and I'll go and see what they're doing here."
If it was from the imperial court, it would definitely not be a good thing, but if it was an order from Beihuang City, he would still be willing to believe it and contact them as soon as possible to see if there was anything he could do to help.
Half an hour later, several villagers pushed carts across the official road and headed towards the misty forest.
Xie Wei spotted the villagers approaching from afar, walked over quickly, and said with a smile, "You must be from Misty Village, right? My name is Xie Wei, and I've been ordered to come here to build a house."
Zhang Daoquan was speechless for a moment, but quickly recovered and said, "You have come from far away, so we can't offer you anything special, but we can still provide a meal."
"The water is all from mountain springs. If you need water, we can use bamboo to bring it here."
"Thank you, but no need. We can cook some food nearby. The Marquis has instructed us not to disturb the villagers."
Xie Wei seemed to understand what they were thinking. He took out the notice and said softly, "This is a notice from Beihuang City. They need to build houses here to accommodate the disaster victims who came to Beihuang City."
"Before that, we will send people to patrol Misty Village. We will not allow the victims to get close to you. Similarly, you should not get close to them."
"Those people may... have the plague. They need to be isolated for a period of time. Once they are confirmed to be safe, they can settle down in the Northern Wasteland and build houses into a village."
Zhang Daoquan's heart skipped a beat and his breathing unconsciously became lighter.
"General, what you mean is that there will be victims of the plague coming here, but why would they come to the Northern Wilderness? Even if they want to go, shouldn't they go to Jiangnan?"
Xie Wei twitched his lips and said helplessly, "It's the imperial court's intention. They said that the northern wilderness is vast and sparsely populated. If the victims come, it can help curb the plague and provide food."
"...have something to eat?"
This is definitely not a joke. The Northern Wilderness is so poor that people who have lived here for generations cannot even get enough food, let alone outsiders.
Zhang Daoquan didn't dare to say much after hearing this. Since it was the court's intention, it was indeed not up to the Marquis to decide. There was no other way but to accept it, but the village was too close.
If a plague breaks out, the whole village will...
His brows furrowed unconsciously: "General, if the plague breaks out, our village will be in danger. Can we keep the victims away from us?"
Xie Wei shook his head without getting angry. Who wouldn't be afraid of the plague? It was just human nature. He explained softly.
"This is already the edge of the Northern Wilderness, and it's also the first line of defense. If this place is not handled properly, it may cause more serious consequences. We can only build a house here."
"Don't worry. According to the Imperial Hospital, this plague is transmitted through contact. As long as you don't come into contact with the pus on the patient, you won't be infected, even if you accidentally touch it."
"It's just possible to be contagious, or there might be no reaction."
Zhang Daoquan rolled his eyes and asked tentatively, "General, if the victims are disobedient and go to Misty Village without permission, can I kill them on the spot?"
Xie Wei nodded. This was also what the eldest son meant. Beihuang wanted to save the people, but the prerequisite was that these people were worth saving.
If the plague spreads in the Northern Wilderness because of their disobedience, then in order to protect the people of the Northern Wilderness, sometimes some iron-blooded measures must be used.
"Of course. If anyone disobeys, archers will shoot them without the village chief telling them to. After all, protecting the people of the Northern Wilderness is our top priority."
After hearing this, Zhang Daoquan understood what Beihuangcheng meant. He felt relieved and a smile appeared on his face.
He said respectfully, "Thank you, General. If you need any help, just tell me. If you want to build a house, why not hire us? The wages are free."
Xie Wei laughed heartily and said seriously, "If you're willing, you can come and work for ten cents a day. You'll get two meals a day with meat and vegetables, and you'll be paid on the same day."
When the villagers heard this, their eyes lit up instantly and they all looked at the village chief. It was obvious in their eyes that they wanted to work.
I work not far from my home. Not only can I go home every day, but I also get ten cents a day and meat is provided for my meals. I can't find such a good job even in town.
Zhang Daoquan also had an idea and said softly, "General, please allow me to go back to the village to find some people and see how many people can come out."
Xie Wei nodded and pointed to the mahogany boxes.
"Don't worry, the Jiang family will never bully the common people, let alone take advantage of you. The copper coins are ready, and we will pay you back that day."
"Thank you, General."
When the men had gone a little further, the deputy general came over and whispered, "Xie General, do you think they will come to work?"
Xie Wei smiled and said firmly, "Why not come? You seem to be a little unaware of the Marquis's reputation among the people. You'll find out tomorrow."
"Well, I heard that the first batch of disaster victims will arrive in half a month. We will be very busy then."
"Hey, what exactly is the imperial court trying to do? They aren't the people of the Northern Wilderness. Why should they be forced to come to the Northern Wilderness? Disaster relief is the imperial court's responsibility. This is really too much."
"Hush, be careful with your mouth."
The deputy general was filled with indignation. This was clearly bullying. They were throwing the imperial court's work directly onto the marquis. The victims had to open their mouths to eat.
Whenever he thought about it, he felt a headache. Fortunately, the Marquis still had the mind to arrange these things. If it were him, he would have submitted the memorial long ago.
The next morning, twenty or thirty men from Misty Village came directly with tools.
Xie Wei glanced at the deputy general and silently said three words: "I win."
He strode over, arranged the work, and said with a smile, "Next, I'll have to trouble you all. Build the houses as quickly as possible, in rows like this."
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