lcionline Chapter 398 Attacking the Soup Shed
Chapter 398 Attacking the Soup Shed
As the governor of Shandong, Zhu Dadian naturally did not want to see this happen. Liu Ye offered to transport the starving people away to maintain stability in Shandong, which Zhu Dadian was happy to accept. He entrusted the task of providing relief to the starving people to Liu Ye and, at Liu Ye's request, sent Lin Tianming to assist in the task.
Taking in starving people requires two things: food and money. Money has never been a concern for Liu Ye, especially since he made a fortune after seizing the rebel fleet's wealth, so it's even less of a problem. As for food, it's not a big issue either. Dengzhou was originally a central hub for grain supplies in the northern border region, with ample reserves. In addition, Li Jiucheng transported all the grain he plundered from various parts of Shandong back to Dengzhou to consolidate this rear base. The rebels couldn't take it all with them when they fled in haste, so allocating some to settle the starving people wouldn't be a big problem.
For starving people, having a decent place to go and a bowl of hot porridge to fill their stomachs was a blessing. Under Zhu Dadian's impetus and Lin Tianming's personal supervision, various prefectures and counties in Shandong spread the word in the name of the government, guiding refugees to Dengzhou. The fewer starving people there were, the better for the local officials, so they naturally spared no effort.
Lin Shiyue suggested to Liu Ye that soup kitchens be set up along the official roads from Qingzhou, Laizhou, and Dengzhou to ensure that starving people would not lack the strength to make it to Dengzhou alive. Liu Ye and Lin Tianming adopted this suggestion. As a result, soldiers from the Qiongzhou camp, together with officials from Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Qingzhou, set up soup kitchens along the official roads in various parts of the three prefectures to replenish the strength of starving people traveling through the area.
On a gloomy afternoon, near Huang County, dust filled the air as a large group of starving people slowly made their way forward.
This group of starving people numbered about six or seven hundred, including men, women, and children. The procession was large and mixed, appearing loose and chaotic, but it was actually somewhat organized. They were largely centered around their own village or clan, forming groups within groups. The able-bodied men walked on the outer perimeter, while the elderly, women, and children moved in the middle, interspersed with wheelbarrows loaded with broken belongings and grain. Sometimes, those who were too weak to walk or unable to walk could ride on the wheelbarrows for a while.
Some people were marginalized and completely excluded from the crowd, unable to get rest or help. Except for the particularly strong, they gradually fell behind and became corpses by the roadside.
Although the group of starving people was organized around clans and villages, one particularly sturdy man stood out. Several elderly men, who seemed to be able to give orders to the starving people, surrounded him and asked for his opinion from time to time whether to stop and rest or continue on.
"Brother Ma, we're not far from Huang County. The villagers have been walking all day. Should we beg the magistrate to let us go into the county town to rest?"
"Yes, the rebels have all been wiped out, and I heard that Huang County has also been recaptured. Shouldn't they let us into the city?"
The man was gazing ahead, seemingly searching for something. Compared to the ragged, dusty, and starving people around him, his robust and strong physique stood out. Despite his continuous travels, he had not become as pale and emaciated as the starving people around him.
Hearing the questions from the elderly around him, he shook his head: "Although Huang County has been recovered by the imperial court, it's impossible for so many of us to enter the county town. The officials are afraid that too many people gathering will cause a popular uprising. They told the villagers to grit their teeth and persevere, and to keep moving forward. I heard that the new Shandong governor and inspector have set up soup kitchens in Qingzhou and Laizhou. We had soup in Laizhou, and now that we're in Dengzhou, there should be more."
Although they didn't know if there were any more soup kitchens like this in Dengzhou, or how far it was to get there, the old men didn't dare to say anything more after hearing what he said, and instead relayed the message to the surrounding crowd.
Some people in the crowd sighed, but no one disobeyed the strong man and continued on their way.
After walking two miles, they encountered another group of starving people. This group of refugees came from the direction of Pingdu Prefecture. They were slightly smaller than them, but there were obviously more young and strong people in them. It seemed that they were also heading to Dengzhou.
After the two groups met, they did not make contact, but secretly became more vigilant. In chaotic times, human life is as cheap as grass. In addition to worrying about attacks and looting by rebels, starving people would also attack each other, perhaps because the other had the food they needed or a wheelbarrow. The bottom line of human morality was repeatedly broken in the face of the desire to survive.
After traveling side by side for a while, several makeshift thatched huts appeared on the official road ahead. Inside the huts, more than a dozen large pots were set up, emitting a fragrant aroma. This was the aroma of porridge. Dengzhou, just like Laizhou and other places, had set up porridge huts to relieve refugees.
Having gone without a grain of rice for days and surviving on wild vegetables, how could the starving people resist the aroma? They rushed forward in a swarm, many of the women with small feet who couldn't run fast and fell to the ground halfway there.
If there were only one group of starving people, the clan elders might be able to maintain order. But now there are two groups, and neither wants to fall behind. If they are even a step behind, the porridge will be snatched away, and they will starve to death.
Soldiers from the Qiongzhou Camp, tasked with maintaining order in front of the soup kitchen, immediately drew their weapons and stood in front of the crowd upon seeing the scene. This wasn't the first time they'd dealt with such situations in the past few days, and they had gained experience. If they allowed the starving people to storm the soup kitchen, not only would they fail to provide relief, but they themselves would also be in danger.
The officer in charge of protecting the soup kitchen was Su Hongtu. He picked up his Patriot rifle and shouted, "Everyone, stop right there! If you storm the government soup kitchen, kill them on the spot!"
Hearing Su Hongtu's threats, some starving people hesitated and slowed down, but many more, unable to bear their hunger and believing that the law would not punish everyone, still flocked to the soup kitchen.
Seeing that words were ineffective, Su Hongtu gripped his rifle tightly and ordered, "Form ranks!"
Dozens of soldiers lined up in a horizontal row, blocking the soup kitchen and assuming a defensive posture. Su Hongtu knew that if these two groups of starving people got out of control, a single platoon of infantry would not be able to stop the surging crowds. If necessary, he would have to kill some people to establish his authority and intimidate them.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, the leader became anxious and shouted, "Everyone gets a share of the porridge, don't rush!"
But the two groups of starving people only had eyes for the steaming porridge, afraid that if they were a step too slow, it would be snatched away by the people next to them. Chaos had already broken out, and a few words could not stop them. The strong and able-bodied young men rushed to the front, followed by the elderly, women, and children. Nearly a thousand starving people kicked up clouds of dust as they ran towards the porridge stall, like an army attacking a city.
Su Hongtu raised his hand, signaling for battle. The soldiers leveled their rifles, the bayonets gleaming coldly in the sunlight—a signal for slaughter. But the starving civilians, nearly ten times their number, paid no heed to the few dozen infantrymen. In their eyes, the surging tide of people was enough to trample these soldiers into mincemeat.