Chapter 46: Riot? A False Alarm.

The Ten-Li Pavilion Charity House began expanding its operations.

The local hero Liu Xuande was actively doing good deeds here, recruiting refugees to work.

Next to the charity house, the military banner of the Protector of the Wuhuan Commandery was raised. The officer in charge, Qian Zhao, was filling vacancies and selecting brave men.

Since this was an official army recruitment site, no disturbances occurred. Moreover, the Taiping Dao followers voluntarily helped maintain order, making this area quite orderly.

In fact, Gongsun Zan was also recruiting troops in Beixin City, which was adjacent to Zhongshan. Refugees from Zhongshan heading toward Zhuojun would definitely pass through Gongsun Zan’s area first.

However, the recruitment in Beixin City was far less effective than at Ten-Li Pavilion.

This was because the refugees were fleeing, not from natural disasters or war, and when leaving their homes, they carried their last provisions. Upon passing through Zhongshan to Beixin City, most were not yet destitute.

But after traveling another two or three hundred miles north to near Zhuoxian, they truly reached their limits.

Especially since Ten-Li Pavilion already had the Taiping Dao charity house, the number of refugees there was much greater than in Beixin City.

Gongsun Zan surely knew this, but he couldn’t recruit in Zhuoxian because his reputation there was terrible... The scandal involving County Magistrate Gongsun and a village girl still circulated, and the local gentry ignored him.

At this time, the Ten-Li Pavilion charity house had gathered several thousand people, with many more refugees hearing the news and hurrying over.

Previously, from Zhongshan, one out of every ten households was conscripted. Even if only half fled, that meant thousands of households, most escaping to Zhuojun.

Liu Bei estimated that tens of thousands of refugees would enter Zhuojun gradually, with the majority coming to Zhuoxian, as it was the most stable and prosperous.

“Brother Xuande, with so little grain, how can we accommodate over ten thousand refugees?” Qian Zhao looked increasingly anxious as more people gathered. In a low voice, he asked Liu Bei, “Didn’t Governor Liu say he’d send five thousand hu of grain? Is that miserly even for him?”

“Aren’t there several rooms filled with grain already? Isn’t that enough?” Zhang Fei, young and inexperienced in logistics, only knew that carts upon carts of grain were arriving, filling several rooms.

“With so many people, if we serve porridge, consumption will reach hundreds of hu daily,” Qian Zhao worriedly calculated. “We also have to reserve grain to feed the troops...”

“Don’t worry about the soldiers. Tell the cook to make dry millet cakes — as many as possible. We won’t serve porridge.”

Liu Bei was not worried in the least and even insisted on distributing dry rations to the refugees.

Qian Zhao’s worry deepened. “Brother, if we distribute dry rations, they’ll be gone in five or six days...”

“Hmm, give each person five days’ worth of dry rations, keep a hundred or so hu for our men to eat for a few days,” Liu Bei said, glancing around and lowering his voice, “I plan to take them to Shanggu to repair the border walls; that journey takes about five days.”

“Ah?”

Qian Zhao, a decent man, thought this idea was dangerous. “Brother, do you really intend to lead them to Shanggu? They won’t be settled there. Spring plowing is over now, and no one will care for them there. They’ll die...”

“Yes, Shanggu won’t settle them, so they’ll just become refugees from Shanggu... If refugees come from both Zhongshan and Shanggu, unrest could break out anytime. If Governor Liu doesn’t transport the grain he’s gathered, that’s his own fault... We can also reasonably demand weapons and equipment from him.”

“This... is very risky.”

Qian Zhao was uneasy. “Brother, aren’t you afraid of offending Governor Liu?”

“I’m not offending him; I’m helping him. This is all his political achievement... Zijing, nowadays if you want to get things done, you have to do it this way.”

Liu Bei sighed and shook his head. “Besides, you need to arm a force to avenge your father, and I need a force to protect my own life. You should know that Gongsun Boji cannot tolerate me.”

Qian Zhao sighed and nodded. “Brother, be careful.”

The next day, Liu Bei personally distributed dry rations to the refugees alongside the militia.

Those who received rations were organized by the distributing militia, about a hundred forming a group heading north.

The militia leader was the seasoned veteran Duan Jing.

Duan Jing had seen many refugees and bandits and was experienced in managing and restraining them. He could lead hungry soldiers; these people had five days’ dry rations.

Two days later, nearly all refugees around Ten-Li Pavilion had left. Only then did Liu Bei seek out Governor Liu Wei, asking him to dispatch officials to Shanggu’s Juyang to announce the “labor conscription for border wall repairs.”

He then took Zhang Fei as a bodyguard and led the last group of refugees along with the governor’s officials to Juyang.

Qian Zhao stayed at Ten-Li Pavilion to continue recruiting soldiers. Refugees still arrived, but no longer in large crowds, making them manageable.

...

A few days later.

Governor Liu Wei received a report from his officials.

The officials returned with bruised faces, looking miserable. “My lord! I and Liu Xuande had just entered Shanggu when we saw Shanggu’s troops chasing refugees! They not only drove back those sent by our commandery but also more refugees from Shanggu fled into our territory!”

“What?!”

Liu Wei tore out the few hairs left on his head and scratched furiously. “Where is Liu Xuande? Where is he?”

“If not for Liu Xuande persuading the refugees not to riot, I might not have made it back... Xuande is now near the south of Shanggu by the Juma River, trying to stop the refugees’ rebellion. But he’s out of grain and probably can’t hold them back...”

The official obviously appreciated Liu Bei. “When I returned, Liu Xuande asked me to tell your lord to promptly support Qian Zhao, the Protector of the Wuhuan’s officer, with weapons and equipment. If a rebellion breaks out, Qian Zhao is close by at Ten-Li Pavilion and can quickly suppress the rioters...”

It was indeed a matter of gratitude. Shanggu had no governor or colonel, and even the military staff officer had gone missing. After the officials took the “laborers,” they naturally did not manage them.

The militia, after leading the refugees near Juyang, scattered at night to regroup.

They reverted to their old trade and robbed a wealthy household outside Juyang...

Naturally, Juyang’s troops pursued them.

The militia rejoined the refugee group afterward. Seeing the large crowd, the troops assumed the bandits came from among the refugees — which was true.

But the refugees were too numerous for the troops to approach, so they only drove them away from a distance.

The refugees, fearing for their lives, panicked and fled back to Zhuojun in chaos.

Governor Liu Wei’s officials witnessed Shanggu troops “hunting” refugees and naturally assumed mass slaughter was occurring there.

These officials, accompanied by Liu Wei’s troops, were nearly killed by Duan Jing and the militia — or rather, almost slain by the “angry refugees.”

Fortunately, Liu Bei’s earnest persuasion made the “angry refugees” spare these officials out of respect for him.