"What happened to the yellow sand in Longxi? Everything is fine, but why did the sand suddenly blow up? How much impact did the yellow sand have on the people? Why did Wang Zhiming and others not report the information and let the yellow sand spread?"
Shi Jianduo promised to explain everything, and Wang Ben immediately asked.
A series of questions made Shi Jianduo not sure which one to answer first!
"Old Wang, don't be too anxious. This guy only has one mouth, so let him speak slowly...!"
Zhang Han gave Shi Jianduo a kick on the ground, "Stop sitting paralyzed on the ground, get up and talk!"
"Thank you, Lord Shangshu!"
Shi Jiando was so frightened that he was weak. After struggling several times, he staggered up and sat down on a nearby chair.
"Hey! What a slap in the face. I asked you to get up and reply. It's already good, but you actually sat down!"
Zhang Han's nose was so angry that he was crooked. Just as he was about to stretch out his hand to pull him down, Wang Ben stopped him, "Okay, sit down, just sit down and explain the matter clearly so that we can go and reply the telegram to His Majesty!"
"Yeah! That's right...!"
Zhang Han nodded and rolled his eyes at him, "Hurry up and say it!"
"Our climate in Longxi is already dry, and the land is not fertile. Since Wang Zhiming took office, he has cut down many hills in the area all over the year. Without the trees, the land will become even more barren, and all the loess will leak out. Coupled with the lack of rain this year, there is not much grass growing on those barren lands, and a strong wind will directly cause the yellow sand to rage!"
"When the sandstorm suddenly broke out, only a few villages were affected. If it was dealt with in time, it could still be controlled! But after Wang Zhiming and others discussed it, they knew that His Majesty paid attention to environmental protection and had not mentioned indiscriminate deforestation for a long time. If it was reported, they would definitely find out what they were going to do. So we decided not to deal with the matter of cutting down the mountaintops, and only moved the affected people away!"
"Unexpectedly, the wind and sand became stronger and stronger, and the scope of the spread became wider and wider. Many counties under the jurisdiction were affected by the wind and sand. The county magistrates came to the city one after another, found the county guard, and asked to report to the government for treatment. However, Wang Zhiming reprimanded them and asked them to Go back and mind your own business!"
"I'm afraid that these county magistrates will write memorials and report them themselves, and then send people to threaten and bribe them, and finally appease these county magistrates!"
After saying so much in one breath, Shi Jiando seemed a little dry and licked his lips.
"Go! Get some clean water!"
In order to find out the truth of the matter faster, Zhang Han shouted towards the door.
The guard took the order and went to do it quickly.
After a while, a pot of freshly poured cold water was delivered.
Shi Jianduo took a look and didn't seem to want to drink it!
"What? I need to boil it for you and put some tea in it?"
Zhang Han understood as soon as he saw his posture that he disliked the fact that the water had not been boiled, and he immediately said angrily.
"It's good to have some to drink! It's common for soldiers to go without water for two or three days during the march! Not to mention such clean well water, at that time even the little muddy water in the horseshoe pits on the ground would be Hold it up and drink it!”
Wang Ben also kept rolling his eyes at him and scolding him for being pretentious.
"If you don't want to drink it, that's fine. The pot of tea on the table is ready, just bring it to you!"
Zhang Han turned around and moved the pot of poisoned tea to the small table next to Shi Jianduo, and said angrily.
"No, no, no! No need, I'll just drink cold water!"
He knows best what is in the water. Can he survive after drinking it?
Then you really won’t be able to see your parents, wife and children!
After saying that, he grabbed the water bottle and poured it into his mouth.
After drinking a lot of cold water, I felt quite awake.
"Since he has appeased all the county magistrates, why did Lueyang County still send a memorial to Xianyang?"
Wang Ben asked.
"I heard that the sandstorm in that county was the heaviest. The county magistrate wanted to protect himself and his family, so he reported it, but the county captain who took advantage of it reported him! Wang Zhiming made preparations and immediately went to Xianyang to settle the matter. Later, he turned back! After that, the county magistrate who reported the report disappeared, and the county captain took the position of county magistrate! "
"Then the wind and sand continued to intensify. Just a few days after the county captain was promoted, a strong wind suddenly broke out at night, and the entire county government office was buried in the yellow sand. It is estimated that he is also dead!"
Shi Jianduo told some more things he knew.
"As far as you know, how many of the 21 counties in Longxi have suffered from yellow sand?"
Zhang Han and Wang Ben were both angry and pitiful when they heard this.
What I am angry about is the inaction of the county guards and magistrates, and what I am angry about are the innocent people!
If it had been replaced by a responsible official, this tragedy would not have occurred!
"At least there are more than ten counties and more than a hundred villages! But the most serious ones are Lueyang, Didao, Xixian and Langan! The wind and sand have been blowing for so long, I guess that area has become a desert!"
There was also a trace of regret in Shi Jianduo's eyes.
"Damn it!"
Wang Ben cursed angrily.
This means that Wang Zhiming is not around. If he were, he would have to be torn to pieces on the spot!
"What about the victims? People won't just wait for the sand to come over, right? There must be someone who escapes. Where have these people gone?"
Zhang Han asked.
"When the yellow sand started to rise, the people thought that the blowing would be over in two days, and no one took it seriously. By the time they realized it, the yellow sand was already knee-deep, making it very difficult to escape, let alone some that they wanted to take home with them. It’s even more difficult for livestock to walk! Some fled to the next county, and some directly sank into the yellow sand and died on the way to escape!”
"Wang Zhiming learned that the people had begun to flee, and immediately sent troops to control them. They were all trapped in Dingxi and Tianshui counties, and they were prohibited from entering or exiting! He also ordered that whenever refugees are found in each county, they will be sent there immediately, and no escape is allowed!"
"Those people finally arrived at a place where there was no wind and sand and it was not too far from home. They thought they would stay here for a while and wait for the sand to pass before they could go home! Little did they know that the food provided by the county every day was pitiful. I didn’t even get enough porridge, so I realized I had been deceived, but now it’s too late to escape!”
Shi Jianduo revealed a lot of news in one breath.
"The bloody letter received by the reporting department was sent to Xianyang after these common people tried their best to escape!"
Zhang Han said with a heavy tone and a frown.
"Yes! Faced with numerous blockades, we don't know how the people arrived in Xianyang. We don't even know if they are alive now!"
Wang Ben's teeth itched with hatred when he thought of the obstacles he might encounter on the road.
"These people have no way to complain. They must have lost confidence in the court, so they don't dare to go directly to the Xianyang County government office to complain. Instead, they just hand over a blood letter to the reporting department!"
Zhang Han put himself in someone else's shoes and guessed the people's psychology during this time.
At first, I must have thought that the court would come up with corresponding policies, but unexpectedly, it locked them up, restricted their activities, and blocked their way to appeal.
How disappointed these people are with the imperial court!
