Chapter 187: The highest-level disaster relief Team

The county office of Dingyuan County, grand and imposing, exuded an extraordinary aura.

Inside the three halls, County Magistrate Wu Caimao was admiring the silver ingots in his hands when suddenly the door was knocked. Angrily, Wu Caimao rebuked, “I’ve said before, don’t disturb during the rest hours. What’s going on?”

“Magistrate, refugees from Huaiyuan have come to Dingyuan city.”

“What?”

Wu Caimao shook his eight(八)-shaped beard, pushed open the door, and looked at Vice magistrate Zhou Zhong and Clerk Xie Gang, frowning. “Send someone to drive them away. They are not allowed to enter Dingyuan city! A bunch of beggars coming here, it won’t bring any good.”

Vice magistrate Zhou Zhong wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Magistrate, it’s not that simple.”

“How is it not simple?”

Wu Caimao stared at him sternly.

“These are rebellious people from Huaiyuan… If we anger them, with our limited manpower in the office, we may not be able to stop them…”

Zhou Zhong said with frustration.

Wu Caimao disdainfully said, “Dare they attack my Dingyuan county office? Well, they are just a group of peasants. Settle them to the west of the city, remember, not a single person is allowed to enter the city!”

“What about the food?”

Clerk Xie Gang anxiously looked at Wu Caimao.

Wu Caimao’s eyes brightened and said, “This is an opportunity. There is still food in the warehouse, right? Mix in some sand, give it to them as charity. If they don’t starve to death, that’s enough. After enduring these days, when the water recedes, they will have to return to Huaiyuan.”

“If that’s the case, hehe…”

Xie Gang’s face was filled with a smile.

“Yes, they’ve come, but they’ve helped us. Go, how to provide disaster relief, do you need me to teach you?”

Impatiently, Wu Caimao pushed the two of them away and returned to the room.

Vice Magistrate Zhou Zhong and Clerk Xie Gang exchanged glances, then took twenty constables and went to the west of the city.

When they saw the refugees, Zhou Zhong and Xie Gang were still taken aback.

This group of people seemed like wandering ghosts and wild spirits, with tattered clothes, covered in mud, and faces full of grime. Mud and leaves were stuck to their heads, and some didn’t even have shoes, walking barefoot. What was even more eerie was that despite being nearly three hundred people, they were silent like ghosts.

“Lord Clerk, why are they so eerie?”

Constable Hou Bing asked timidly.

Xie Gang gave Hou Bing rolled his eyes and shouted, “Listen, behind me is Dingyuan City, and the county magistrate is benevolent and has specially provided food for relief. Now, find a place to rest first. When the porridge is ready, we will call for you.”

Li Laosan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, seemingly catching his breath. He lowered his head to look at the sleeping infant in his arms, his eyes filled with sadness.

A few days ago, when he went to the city to rescue people, he saw a wooden basin floating in the water, and inside was this poor baby.

Whether her parents were alive or not, no one knew anymore.

“Li Jiu, arrange for everyone to rest outside the city. Find a few who can move and see if we can set up some makeshift grass huts or tents for women and children to stay in.”

Li Laosan sat leaning against a tree, carefully placing the baby on the ground. He looked up at the afternoon sun, and at that moment, it seemed like warmth returned to his body.

Li Jiu agreed and arranged for everyone to rest in the woods outside the city. Then, he took a dozen people, surrounded some trees, and tied moldy quilts and sheets to create a small area. Some people picked dried grass and leaves, piled them on the ground, serving as makeshift bedding.

“Old squad leader, my child at home is coughing severely. Can we go to the city to find a doctor?”

A woman, leading a seven or eight-year-old boy, asked Li Laosan.

Li Laosan, leaning against the tree trunk, took a few breaths and said, “Anyone who is sick or injured, bring them over. I will take them into the city.”

The woman thanked him and left her child behind, running to call others.

Before long, more than thirty people gathered in front of Li Laosan.

Li Laosan picked up the baby and handed her to his family, then led the group towards the city gate.

Vice magistrate Zhou Zhong, seeing this, quickly led a few constables to intercept Li Laosan, sternly saying, “What do you want to do?”

“Official, they are all sick. I’m taking them to the city to find a doctor. Look at this child; she has been coughing, and his face has turned somewhat blue.”

Li Laosan hurriedly explained.

“All of you cannot enter Dingyuan City if you are sick! If you bring any plague and spread it to the people of Dingyuan, won’t everyone in the city end up like you? The county office can provide you with food; it’s already generous. Still, you want to enter the city? I advise you to take your people away and spare yourselves the trouble.”

Zhou Zhong covered his nose, showing a disgusted expression.

“What kind of talk is that? We were sent here to take refuge by the Prefect of Fengyang…”

A limping man behind Li Laosan shouted angrily.

“Using the Prefect of Fengyang to press me? Do you know that this is Dingyuan County, not Fengyang? If you have the ability, bring the Prefect here to show me.”

Zhou Zhong drew a line on the ground with the water-fire stick in his hand, saying, “Anyone who dares to cross this line, don’t blame me for being ruthless with this stick.”

Li Laosan opened his arms, blocking the crowd that wanted to cause trouble, looking at Zhou Zhong, and pleading, “The children are not at fault. They need a doctor.”

“Don’t give me these excuses! All I know is that you shouldn’t have come here!”

Zhou Zhong coldly refused.

Li Laosan sighed, realizing that the world would always be the same.

“Cough, cough.”

The boy couldn’t stop coughing.

Days of heavy rain and rushing on the road made some people fall on the way. They could see the city gate ahead, but they couldn’t enter!

Did they have to watch the children die from illness at the city gate?

Li Laosan looked at Zhou Zhong and the others, taking a step forward.

“What do you want to do?”

Zhou Zhong tightened the stick in his hand.

Li Laosan’s cheek twitched, and he knelt down with a thump, shouting, “I beg the official to show mercy and let them enter the city for treatment.”

“Old squad leader…”

Someone behind him couldn’t help but shout.

“Kneel!”

Li Laosan pulled the boy, who stood stubbornly but was ultimately too weak, down to kneel. Seeing this, others also knelt.

Seeing this, Hou Bing whispered to Zhou Zhong, “Vice magistrate, why not let them in? It’s pitiful…”

Zhou Zhong swung his hand, slapped Hou Bing, then marched forward towards Li Laosan, delivering a kick while shouting, “You bunch of troublemakers, still want to cause chaos in the city? Get the hell out of here!”

Let them enter the city?

Not to mention how filthy they are or whether they are truly sick, even if they enter the city, it would lead to unrest among the people.

The most crucial issue is that the rebels from Huaiyuan killed the county magistrate, a widely known fact. If they were to enter the city and not seek medical attention but instead head to the county office, they might end up killing the county magistrate again.

Only strong intimidation can make them timid and retreat. If they show any signs of fear, there’s a risk they might charge at the city gates.

South of Dingyuan City, dozens of horses slowed down.

“Shouldn’t the refugees from Huaiyuan have arrived by now?”

Grand Secretariat’s Yu Xin, looked at the distant gate of Huaiyuan City and asked the person beside him.

Huang Zicheng, Minister of Revenue, sighed and said, “Riding horses is really suffering. I feel like a refugee myself now. Calculating the time, the refugees from Huaiyuan should have reached Dingyuan today.”

“Minister, you are not the only one who’s uncomfortable.”

Yu Xin pointed to his thigh.

Maotaiheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, frowned in pain and said, “There is no way. The Emperor was so angry that he almost found the corpse of the Huaiyuan county magistrate Wei Bacao to whip it.”

Yu Xin recalled the scene at that time, feeling a chill down his spine.

Since Emperor Jianwen ascended to the throne, Zhu Yunwen had always been gentle and kind in court, occasionally getting angry. Still, it was always reasonable, and after arguing with officials, he would get angry, accusing them of not being wholehearted.

But after Fengyang Prefecture issued that deadly document, the Ming Dynasty created an unprecedented existence:

Night Court!

Traditionally, the court only had the morning court, at most with the Emperor being diligent, holding a noon court. However, Zhu Yunwen not only held a night court but a whole night of it!

No matter what officials, not a single one could avoid it.

Drunk and unconscious officials would immediately be forced to vomit.

Those strolling through brothels immediately pushed away the girls.

Those exercising on the bed swiftly transitioned to running exercise.

In short, no matter where or what they were doing, everyone was summoned to the palace.

The magnitude of this night court assembly shocked the entire capital, but what truly astounded everyone was the overwhelming wrath of Zhu Yunwen.

Fengyang Huaiyuan’s dike breach was considered a natural disaster, but the man-made calamity beneath the natural disaster was the most infuriating. Especially the actions of the Huaiyuan County magistrate, who not only neglected disaster relief efforts but also seized control of the mountain pass, allowing the common people to drown!

Zhu Yunwen not only vented his anger but also, for the first time, used the court beating, severely beating the censor Li Sen. However, this Li Sen’s health was not robust, and he died before reaching the jail.

The court beating punishment left all officials sleepless.

Li Sen deserved his fate, as he had returned from Huaiyuan just half a month before the dike breach. In his memorial, he even praised the Huaiyuan County magistrate for winning the hearts of the people and caring for them like a son.

Zhu Yunwen believes that since Wei Bacao, who supposedly won the hearts of the people and loved them like a son, ended up dead, then Li Sen, described with similar virtues, should face the same fate. How can he live up to these eight words if he doesn’t die?

A mere county magistrate causing havoc in the region is bad enough, but to think that even an imperial censor has been bribed!

If Li Sen had truthfully reported, Wei Bacao should have been removed before the dyke breach, and such a human tragedy would not have occurred.

Zhu Yunwen, furious beyond measure, not only punished Li Sen but also reprimanded supervising secretaries from the six ministries, the Censorate, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Grand Secretariat one by one. Even the unrelated Director of the Security Bureau was brought to the court and scolded for not supervising properly.

After the scolding, Zhu Yunwen intended to personally go to Huaiyuan for disaster relief, but he was vehemently dissuaded by the officials. In the end, under the strong persuasion of Xie Jin, Yao Guangxiao, and others, he reluctantly backed down.

However, the enormity of Zhu Yunwen’s anger and his deep distrust of the local authorities made everyone realize that a simple gesture, like sending a Ministry of Revenue official or a messenger to console, would not appease the emperor.

Therefore, there was a high-level disaster relief team consisting of dozens of officials, including Grand Secretariat’s Yuxin, Ministry of Revenue Huang Zicheng, Left Censor Jing Qing, Ministry of Rites Vice Minister Mao taiheng, Ministry of War Director Gu Pu, Security Bureau Xiong Wucheng, and Messenger Office’s Messenger Yan Xubo.

Jing Qing pointed towards the gate of Dingyuan city, saying, “Dingyuan city is a famous place. In the earlier Song Dynasty, there was a figure named Bao Zheng who served as a magistrate here. I assume that the current Dingyuan magistrate, Wu Caimao, must have inherited some of his moral integrity. It’s a good choice to conduct disaster relief here.”

“In previous years, during the Ministry of Personnel examinations, Wu Caimao only achieved a mediocre ranking. Although he made no significant achievements, he could still be considered a decent official.”

Mao Taiheng had an exceptional memory and shared his thoughts.

Security Bureau’s Xiong Wucheng frowned; these literati always liked to be indirect.

For Ming Dynasty, Dingyuan city was most famous not for Bao Zheng but for the founding hero Li Shanchang, and Lan Yu who eliminated the Northern Yuan!

This was their hometown.

However, they were all dead.

If one were to interpret Jing Qing’s words, could it mean that this Wu Maocai was tainted with the murky aura of Li Shanchang and Lan Yu, heading towards death?

“My Lord, the refugees from Huaiyuan have reached the west of the city but haven’t entered.”

A messenger on horseback arrived, announcing loudly.

Yuxin’s face turned cold, saying darkly, “Why haven’t they entered the city for resettlement? Refugees have endured hardships along the way, and the elderly and children must have illnesses or injuries. If they’re not settled within the city, how can they survive outside? Let’s go, we’ll head to the west of the city!”