Chapter 673: Fan Shangzheng Returns
Soon, Chen Yuanbo emerged to greet them.
He was now clad in the official robes of a seventh-rank county magistrate, a black gauze cap perched atop his head, making him appear every bit the refined scholar.
He had the city gates opened and stepped out, bowing deeply. "Your humble servant, Chen Yuanbo, apologizes for not having met you sooner. My sincerest apologies."
Let's skip the endless official pleasantries and cut straight to the chase.
Fan Shangzheng led his troops into Wenshui County town, only to discover that its apparent restoration was merely superficial. The city walls had been hastily patched together, but within, chaos still reigned.
More than half the buildings inside the city were charred black, and even from a distance, the acrid smell of burnt wood hung in the air. The common folk huddled together in the remaining dilapidated houses.
Beside these crumbling homes, a cluster of tents had been pitched. Curiously, these tents were brightly colored and vibrant, adding a strange beauty to the otherwise somber and ruined city.
Fan Shangzheng didn't have time to inquire about the multicolored tents. He swiftly asked, "Magistrate Chen, was repairing the city walls your first priority upon taking office in Wenshui County?"
"Indeed!" Chen Yuanbo nodded. "Bandits still plague the vicinity, and the siege of Huaqing Prefecture to the north remains unbroken. The bandits could return at any moment. Therefore, your humble servant immediately organized civilians to repair the city walls. Should the bandits return, having walls will ultimately make defense easier."
However, there was no need to voice such a thought and dampen the young official's initiative.
Fan Shangzheng looked around. Though Wenshui County town was in ruins, the expressions on the faces of its people weren't those of "despair," "helplessness," or "resignation to death."
On the contrary, the surviving townsfolk clearly exuded a sense of "diligence," "perseverance," "a will to live well," and "we can do this."
It was a vibrant, surging will to survive.
Fan Shangzheng felt a flicker of surprise: *Wenshui County suffered such a devastating blow, yet its people still possess such high spirits? They're even willing to help repair the city walls under the magistrate's organization? This is truly odd.*
This thought prompted him to ask: "Magistrate Chen, you've only just arrived, yet you've organized the people here quite remarkably. They're actually willing to put in work. I've passed through several other counties where the common folk were completely uncontrollable."
Chen Yuanbo smiled. "What the common folk truly seek is merely enough food to eat and a way to survive. Your humble servant provided them with sufficient provisions, and naturally, they found hope for survival. Since they wish to live, it's only natural they would put in effort to repair the city walls—it's for their own protection, after all."
Fan Shangzheng caught a crucial word: "Provisions!"
"There are still provisions in the county treasury?" Fan Shangzheng asked, surprised. "The West Camp Eight Great Kings burned this place to such an extent, how could any food possibly remain?"
Chen Yuanbo replied, "Of course there are no provisions in the county treasury. All the grain here was provided by Hero Xiao."
Fan Shangzheng suddenly realized, turning his head to look at Li Daoxuan.
Li Daoxuan chuckled wryly at him.
Fan Shangzheng hastily cupped his hands in greeting. "Hero Xiao truly has a compassionate heart. Mengjin County benefited from your assistance, and now Wenshui County also receives your aid. It seems wherever there are bandits, you rush to help. If our Great Ming had more people like Hero Xiao, why would we ever fear unrest in the realm?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled, offering no further unnecessary words.
But inwardly, he mused: *If the Great Ming had more transmigrators like me, this feudal imperial system would have been torn to shreds ages ago. One transmigrator would establish a theocracy, another would champion capitalism, a third would push for socialism, a fourth for communism, and then another for republicanism. Add in someone playing 'Civilization,' another playing 'Stellaris,' or even 'Mount & Blade'...*
*Each taking over a province to play around with!*
*What a mess the Great Ming would become then?*
Fan Shangzheng continued his observations. While ample provisions were indeed the greatest weapon, this Chen Yuanbo clearly possessed considerable administrative skill and excelled at organizing the populace. He had arranged the work of Wenshui County's surviving residents with impressive order.
The elderly, women, and children were tasked with cooking and miscellaneous chores. Able-bodied young men hauled stones and carried earth, steadily raising and reinforcing the city walls. Each work team was well-coordinated, ensuring no mutual interference or disruption.
Fan Shangzheng inquired, "Magistrate Chen, have you done this sort of work before?"
Chen Yuanbo replied, "Your humble servant previously served in Puzhou as the chief strategist for the Prefect. My appointment as magistrate here also came through the Prefect's recommendation."
Fan Shangzheng mused inwardly: *So that's it! Not a single official in the entire court was willing to come here, so they hoisted you into the position. Tsk tsk, the young man has a promising future—I just hope he doesn't die here.*
The thought of "dying here" pulled his attention back to strategic matters.
He furrowed his brow deeply.
Li Daoxuan leaned in from the side. "How are things at Huaqing Prefecture?"
Fan Shangzheng sighed. "Alas! Over two hundred thousand bandits have surrounded Huaqing Prefecture and are laying siege. I command only three thousand men—look, just these few behind me... We simply cannot save Huaqing Prefecture."
Chen Yuanbo asked curiously, "Didn't the Governor of Shanxi, Xu Dingchen, lead a large army in pursuit of the bandits all this time? Why is it that when the bandits reached Huaqing Prefecture, no government troops were still chasing them?"
Li Daoxuan said, "You forgot again—government troops cannot cross provincial borders."
Chen Yuanbo suddenly understood, a light dawning.
The moment bandits entered Henan, the Governor of Shanxi lost jurisdiction; only the Governor of Henan could manage them. Even if the bandits stood a mere step across the provincial border between Shanxi and Henan, sticking out their tongues and spitting at the Shanxi soldiers, the Shanxi troops could only watch, unable to give chase.
The situation was profoundly awkward.
Fan Shangzheng said, "Your humble servant has already submitted a memorial to the imperial court, requesting that they immediately dispatch reinforcements. Otherwise, how can I alone deal with these bandits? Alas."
As he spoke, the Henan troops had already entered the city.
These three thousand Henan soldiers were utterly exhausted and desperately needed rest, but with charred, ruined houses everywhere in the city, finding a place to recuperate wasn't easy.
In the distance, the patch of multicolored tents remained. Unsure of their origin or purpose, the soldiers dared not approach.
These Henan soldiers had low morale and insufficient pay. As they sat down to rest, they had little to eat. Some managed to pull out half a rice cake, while others, with nothing at all, could only click their tongues in hunger.
With a pained expression, Fan Shangzheng said, "Here, I can't even pay them their full wages. Alas, how can we suppress bandits when we can't even properly provision our own men?"
Chen Yuanbo glanced at Li Daoxuan, receiving an affirming nod. Only then did he turn back to Fan Shangzheng. "Hero Xiao provided an abundance of grain. Your humble servant will arrange for the soldiers to have a hearty meal."
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