Chapter 43
Chapter 43
That day, the final wave of refugees from central and southern Yizhou finally reached Jiangdu County.
With that, all thirty thousand refugees from Yizhou had assembled.
They raised tired, lifeless eyes and gazed at the tightly shut gates in the distance. Fear and unease filled their hearts as they prayed that Jiangdu County truly had enough relief grain.
If Jiangdu County had no grain either, it meant they would lose most of their chance to survive. They would have no choice but to drag their exhausted, starving bodies back onto the road and flee to the nearest prefectural capital in search of aid.
It might have been all right if there were only a handful of refugees. But when the last arrivals saw the dark mass of people pleading for grain outside the gate, they sank into near despair.
What prefectural capital would willingly accept so many outsiders?
Their County Magistrates had deceived them. They never should have come to Jiangdu County. If they had headed south or gone to one of the counties in the east, perhaps they might still have had a sliver of hope…
Many refugees who understood their situation sank to their knees. Grief twisted their faces, yet they dared not cry aloud. Making noise would make them hungry; shedding tears would make them thirsty – and they had no food left to eat.
“Please, Heaven, give us a way to live…”
“The rocks swept down by the mountain flood broke the old man’s legs, and we’ve finished all our grain. Can I even make it to the next county…?”
“My child is still so young. She was only just born. She barely escaped the flood, but her mother drowned saving her…”
Some clasped their hands together and kowtowed toward the sealed gate. They stared at the empty walls, the prefectural soldiers and yamen runners standing guard, and the rows of barricades blocking the road. Clinging to one faint shred of hope, they prayed that the Prefect would take pity on them and find some way through this famine.
But perhaps only an immortal could overcome a natural disaster like this.
“Look! Someone’s coming!”
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
Countless refugees jerked their heads up, only to wince as the blazing noon light stabbed their eyes. When their vision cleared, they saw a tall, slender figure in dark red slowly approaching the edge of the wall.
The fierce midday sun hung above Him. As though Heaven itself favored Him, torrents of dazzling golden light poured over His body, gilding Him in a brilliance so intense that no one could make out His face or expression.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, they knew He had to be beautiful, like a merciful bodhisattva robed in golden radiance, a figure that drew their very souls toward Him.
Those closest could even see Him lower His long lashes. Lips red as lifeblood parted slightly, and His clear, ethereal voice rang in their ears like sacred music – like a stream spilling from a cliff after the spring thaw, like tender green grass struggling free of the earth and reaching toward the sun –
“Open the gates!”
Those three brief words were the final straw of salvation. The entire crowd erupted in excitement, and tears spilled uncontrollably from their eyes.
Jiangdu County had actually decided to take them in!
“Merciful bodhisattva…” Someone knelt once more, tears in their eyes and palms pressed together in prayer toward the holy figure clothed in golden light. “Thank you, merciful bodhisattva…”
The gates creaked open. Their sound remained ponderous, but this time they bore the weight of life itself. More and more refugees prostrated themselves, tearfully thanking the merciful bodhisattva for sparing lowly people like them and granting them one more path to survival.
Atop the wall, Xie Chengze silently backed up a step as he watched them kneel.
What were they doing? Why were so many people kneeling? Were they trying to shave years off his life?
Still, all thirty thousand refugees had finally arrived. His plan to seal off the city could now be fully launched!
This time, he, Xie Chengze, would lock all thirty thousand refugees outside Jiangdu’s walls and prevent the incident in the original novel where they looted the grain carts!
What? Had he misspoken? Shouldn’t they be sealed inside Jiangdu instead?
What a joke!
Wherever the grain carts stood was where Xie Chengze stood.
And wherever Xie Chengze stood was the true inside of the city!
Refugees! You are now completely surrounded by me, Xie Chengze! Set your brains aside and follow orders, and you can get rich on the spot and attain enlightenment where you stand!
Inside the gates, the villagers who had long since memorized their lines hoisted sacks of steamed buns and converged from every direction. Eyes shining, they cracked their knuckles and advanced on the refugees.
“Anyone who needs a doctor, come this way! If you can’t move, we have stretchers over here!”
“Men and women with strength left to work, come over here! Anyone who helps can claim another bowl of rice porridge!”
“Families with children under one year old, come this way! We have wet nurses here!”
“Friend! Starving, aren’t you? Come on, come on! Have a steamed bun over here!”
“Don’t eat his! Eat mine! I’ve even got pickled vegetables! They’ve only been pickling for a day, but they were just harvested from a rich family’s fields. Fresh as can be!”
“Hey, you shameless bastard! Stop stealing my people – ”
As the city gates slammed shut once more, a massive brainwashing – ptooey, labor recruitment campaign – was proceeding with fierce urgency.
…
At eleven that night, merchants from across the north arrived at Jiangdu County.
The merchants had already encountered one another at Yizhou’s passes, and they had learned then just how many others were bringing grain to sell in Yizhou. It was no great problem. Nearly half the counties in Yizhou had suffered from the disaster. Even with so many merchants coming, the worst that could happen was that the grain price might fall slightly below their estimates. They would still make a killing.
Yet now they stood outside the city gates, noses wrinkled and brows furrowed as they smelled the waste left behind by the refugees and stared at the sealed gates through which no one entered or exited. The northern merchants had no idea what was going on.
They had made this special journey to Jiangdu County because a certain Lord Shen had told them Prefect Liang had gathered every County Magistrate from the disaster-stricken counties there so he could confirm how much grain each county needed. The merchants would be brought inside, assigned to the various counties, and guaranteed buyers for every last measure of grain they had brought.
Why, after arriving, had they been shut outside the city instead?
One merchant went to question the prefectural soldiers guarding the gate, only to receive a single word in reply: “Wait.”
Very well. They would wait a little longer.
The merchants did not sit idle while they waited. They climbed down from their wagons and chatted with one another, probing for information as they prepared to secure the best possible price once Prefect Liang appeared.
But they waited all night, and he never came.
Not until noon the following day did the merchants from Lizhou and Yuzhou arrive with a mighty procession of grain carts that stretched beyond sight.
Upon reaching Jiangdu County and seeing the northern merchants already waiting, the merchants from Lizhou and Yuzhou looked equally puzzled.
Why were there other people here to sell grain?
Each side silently estimated the number of carts in the other’s convoy. Their hearts sank at once. This was bad.
There was… too much grain!
Liang Wanda had duped them!
As the saying went, rarity made a thing precious. In counties suffering famine, grain was scarce and therefore exorbitantly expensive. That was precisely why they had traveled thousands of miles to Yizhou, intending to drive up prices and rake in a fortune.
But now merchants from every region had come to sell. Grain was no longer scarce and might even exceed what Yizhou needed. Prices would naturally plummet, leaving them with little profit at all.
After traveling so far, none of them wished to see that happen.
If they still wanted to make a fortune, they had to leave Jiangdu County, rush to the other disaster-stricken counties, and beat everyone else to selling their grain to the wealthy gentry and refugees!
The two groups exchanged looks and saw the same thought reflected in one another’s eyes. Without further hesitation, they turned and climbed into their carriages. “Let’s go! Head for the other counties!”
Before the last word had faded, however, a ringing voice and hearty laughter sounded behind them. “Honored proprietors, please wait! Official business delayed me. Forgive me for coming so late! Hahahaha – ”
The merchants’ backs stiffened. They hurriedly pretended not to hear and ducked into their carriages, refusing to emerge.
Liang Wanda had been crouching at the corner of the wall and peeking out in secret until Shen Yuan hauled him down by one hand. After adjusting his loosened belt, Liang Wanda casually raised his right hand.
The prefectural soldiers behind him immediately advanced with their sabers and surrounded the merchants’ carriages. The hiss of steel leaving scabbards frightened the brown horses into stamping uneasily.
Liang Wanda stood before the carriages with a smile. The upturned curve of his lips looked both kindly and false, a strange yet perfectly harmonious combination. “Honored proprietors, why aren’t you getting out?”