"Master Wang hasn't come back yet. [Read the full text]" Zhang Yingchen secretly wondered, why did Zhuang Bi suddenly remember that he wanted to see Master Wang? Wang Ruixiang only met him a few times and did not have a deep relationship with each other - judging from the cautious attitude of the bankers, they were not willing to have any deep relationship with this colonist who had transported a large number of refugees but whose origins were unclear.
Seeing that he looked impatient, as if he had something important to do, he immediately said: "Although Mr. Wang has not come back yet, he has been here for a few days. If the matter is not important, let's talk to Pindao first."
"This matter is related to the Taoist priest." Mr. Zhuang said hurriedly, "Yesterday, I sent a servant to the county to report that a large number of refugees entered the country from the north, with a total number of tens of thousands... "
During famine years and major disasters, the most fearful thing is the entry of refugees from outside the country, which puts great pressure on the government and the local gentry who are responsible for disaster relief. However, beggar-thy-neighbor behavior can be seen in many places. Some counties or governments are incompetent or have no intention of providing disaster relief, or large households are unwilling to provide food. They often use food in neighboring counties as bait to trick victims into fleeing. Of course, if disaster victims never receive local relief, they will eventually have no choice but to emigrate.
Although the outflow of refugees begs along the way, once they reach such a large scale, they will inevitably become a destructive force. It's easy to take advantage of a wealthy family. If someone incites you to riot and loot along the way, or even rebel.
Therefore, in disaster years, various county government offices and large households often send a number of "detectives" to station within the county, so that they can report if a large number of refugees enter the country, so that the county can make early preparations.
Because the four wealthy families in Yizhou, headed by the bankers, came forward to provide relief, and the Taoist priest and Wang Ruixiang continued to transport refugees, the pressure on refugees in Yizhou has been relatively small, and the lives of the people have become easier. As a result, it is not easy to go to Yizhou. News of a way out spread like wildfire across southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu. Refugees from all over the country are coming in like a tide.
The current news is a good thing for the three people in Yizhou - they want refugees. In the past, the roads were impassable and foreign transportation was blocked. Now that the roads are open, the more people come, the better.
"It doesn't matter - as long as the road to Longkou is smooth, it won't be a problem no matter how many refugees come." Zhang Yingchen didn't care.
"The refugees this time came in a bad way." Zhuang Ben lowered his voice, "There are many disciples of cults among them."
The Taoist priest was not surprised. It was not surprising that there were believers of folk religions among the refugees, but they rarely expressed their religious feelings during their escape - "eating" was their only belief when they were about to starve to death.
"Appreciate further details!"
Zhuang Bi said that this group of refugees came very strangely. There were many strong men in shabby clothes, but they were very energetic. The refugees seemed to be organized into groups, with flags as their names, one thousand people per group, one thousand people per group. The march is orderly. Before entering the county, they were just on their way. Once they entered Yizhou, all kinds of weird flags were raised, and people who were neither monks nor Taoists chanted sutras and mantras loudly. It was very lively.
In this way, there is no doubt that this group of refugees is organized by a private religious sect. But why did they come to Yizhou so openly?
After the White Lotus Sect broke out in Shandong, the government suppressed the private sect very strictly. Unless they are planning to start a formal uprising, it is difficult to imagine that such a folk sect would be so public.
"I asked the heroes to inquire and got some information." Zhuang Bi said, "I heard that this group of refugees seems to be coming for you, Taoist Priest."
Zhang Yingchen was shocked, thinking that what was supposed to come would eventually come! He took away the territory of the Nanwuliang Sect in Yizhou and killed many senior members of the rebel sect. How could the Nanwuliang Sect just let it go? These days, he has been asking Min Zhanlian to keep an eye on Ma Weisan. Rather than fearing that he would cause harm, he estimated that he was worried about Nan Wuliang's counterattack. If the Nanwuliang Sect wants to fight back, the remaining powerful factions like Ma Weisan must be the ones they fight for.
Unexpectedly, they took the opportunity of the famine year to flood the ground with refugees and came directly towards him!
It sounds like this is indeed a great opportunity. Right now, refugees are everywhere and small-scale riots and riots are happening. The Nanwuliang Sect can incite thousands of refugees to attack his small missionary base without much cost.
Zhang Yingchen was making nervous calculations when he heard Mr. Zhuang say that there was a rumor among the refugees that there was a "Black Water Demon" in Yizhou, and he collected spirits in order to practice the method. Therefore, there have been floods in Shandong in the past two years. It's all like this The demon man, that is, Zhang Yingchen, is making water in order to collect millions of living beings to refine the demon pill and so on. Not only did it kill countless people, but it also prevented the dead from being reincarnated and fell into eternal damnation...
In short, the central idea of the other party in inciting refugees is that as long as the evil atmosphere is "purified", floods and famines can be stopped, and the souls of the dead people can be transcended and ascended to heaven.
Zhang Yingchen thought to himself that this rhetoric was so vicious! Not only did the ignorant refugees think that he was the culprit of the flood, but it also caused great fear for the souls of relatives who died in the disaster.
The other party did not need to give the refugees anything substantial, but only used illusory threats to incite a large number of refugees to fight against them.
"There are also rumors that Yunsheng Temple has tens of thousands of stones of grain stored in it." Mr. Zhuang continued.
His hands and feet were cold. Tens of thousands of organized refugees were incited by the cult. Even if they ran to Yizhou City, the government would not dare to do anything. However, they closed the city and defended themselves. As for the big and powerful people along the way, if they formed a joint guarantee, they could still They can barely protect the country and the people, otherwise even Zhuangzi will not be able to protect it. What can I do with a hundred village warriors in my earthen siege?
Although there are currently no tens of thousands of stones of food in Tuweizi, there are indeed daily relief rations for 100,000 people recently shipped by Wang Ruixiang. In years of famine, many people would risk their lives just for this food, not to mention these terrible rumors that encourage the "justice" of the refugees.
"I originally thought Mr. Wang was here, so I came here to report it," Mr. Zhuang said. "I saw some brave and good warriors around him, as well as ships. If something unexpected happens, I can save the real person and get away first." .”
The so-called brave and good warriors are Ye Mengyan's squad. In order to avoid suspicion, Zhang Yingchen counted this squad under Wang Ruixiang's name.
Hearing this, Zhang Yingchen already understood: The banker had prepared for the worst--obviously, the banker did not think that this strength of theirs could fight against the tens of thousands of refugees instigated by the Nanwuliang Sect, and they had no intention of putting all the refugees in order to protect themselves. The store was in ruins. It was false to call Mr. Wang, but it was true to tell him that the situation was critical and to avoid him early.
Zhang Yingchen closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then asked: "How many days have the refugees been without food?"
"According to Tuan Yong's report, the road was in a mess along the way, so he must have run out of food."
"Is there any food replenishment along the way?"
"Looting along the road, forcing big households to 'donate grain'. Big households along the way have joint protection, and the villagers are able to resist effectively. It seems that they have no intention of spending time attacking, and they just go all the way south and come here. They don't get much food." He suddenly whispered, "I heard that some of the hungry people are already eating human flesh!"
Zhang Yingchen's heart trembled. He had heard many stories of cannibalism in the past year, both true and false. Every time I hear it, I feel chilly and the hairs stand on end all over my body.
But since the other party is already in a state of food shortage, it is just a virtual fire that supports it. The main threat is the key elements of the Nanwuliang Sect who are mixed in. It is under their constant driving that this group of refugees keeps moving forward like unconscious zombies.
Zhang Yingchen thought about it for a long time and already had an idea in his mind - Yunshengguan, a stronghold, must not be lost, not to mention the tens of thousands of refugees and a large amount of food gathered here. As long as he leaves, his reputation as a "god" will be fatally damaged. With such a blow, the foundation of the new Taoism he established here in Yizhou will be uprooted. If I come back in the future, I won’t be able to “sell” this set of things.
Fortunately, although there are many refugees instigated by the Nanwuliang Sect, they have been without food for many days. It doesn't matter what the other party incites, the key is food! As long as you provide food to the refugees, no matter you are human or demon, they will treat you as a living Bodhisattva of Pudu Cihang.
I have 100,000 relief rations in my hands, and several hundred dan of grain raised by the local wealthy gentry, so I can give it a try. It’s just that these foods can only last for a short time. It depends on how much relief food can be transported from Qimu Island in a short period of time. It is currently the distribution center and transshipment center for refugees and relief food from the entire northern region. There is a large amount of relief rations stored there. Potatoes from Jeju Island have recently been added. The food stock is very rich. It should not be a problem to ask them to transport some.
Thinking of this, a confident smile appeared on his face: "It doesn't matter. They are all poor people who have been deceived by heretics. Let them come here to be saved."
He had already calculated in his mind that his confidence was always between 50 and 50. In the event of failure, although Wang Ruixiang took away some of the special investigation team members, Ye Mengyan and other team members were still there. At the worst, it would not be possible to escape with his own life. questionable.
If he succeeds, his reputation in Yizhou and even Shandong will be even higher.
Zhuang Bi saw that he seemed a little panicked at first, but suddenly calmed down again and seemed to be confident. I was quite surprised. Just as the Taoist priest had guessed, he came here specifically to advise him to hide, lest Yunshengguan be destroyed. After all, this Taoist priest also saved his brother's life, treated many people in Zhuangzi, and saved countless lives without taking any money. The silver rice he donated was also used to relieve refugees - not to mention whether he really deserved it. "Immortal", with his medical skills and ethics, is also a rare kind person. It would be unbearable to let him stay here and die in vain.
"Isn't Taoist Master staying here and leaving?" he asked, "The situation is critical, please make contingency measures."
"It doesn't matter." Zhang Yingchen smiled calmly, shook his sleeves, and said with an extraordinary air, "There is no need to talk about evil heretics!"
