Chapter 682: Royal Dignity Must Not Be Lost
The news that Wenshui County had withstood the assault of a massive rebel army quickly spread through the surrounding counties.
Huaiqing Prefecture and its environs remained in chaos, with hundreds of thousands of rebels amassed there. The common people had no idea where to find safety.
Upon hearing of Wenshui County's resilience, those who had lost their homes and families to the rebels, fearfully hiding and fleeing, began to converge on Wenshui County, their families in tow.
Once there, they were astonished to discover that the Governor of Henan, such a high-ranking official, was actually stationed within this small county town.
And this dilapidated county town was providing food and employment opportunities to all refugees.
At once, the populace felt they had come to exactly the right place.
They flooded into Wenshui County with even greater speed...
The population rapidly climbed to five thousand, six thousand, seven thousand... steadily increasing each day.
When the population was sparse, Chen Yuanbo couldn't accomplish anything substantial. But once the numbers swelled, Chen Yuanbo and the middle school students he brought with him could fully utilize their talents.
"The county government urgently needs to recruit skilled construction workers for post-disaster reconstruction. Wages will be paid at the standard for skilled workers: three taels of silver per month."
"The county government will soon establish a cement factory and requires many apprentices. Once you master cement manufacturing and can work independently, you'll enjoy the same benefits as a skilled worker!"
"The county government is recruiting cooks to provide meals for the workers. The elderly, weak, women, and children will be given priority."
A multitude of job opportunities were announced.
Skilled or unskilled, everyone could find a place for themselves.
The people entering Wenshui County were moved to tears. They could live here, truly live!
They had strong soldiers protecting them, and gainful employment provided to them.
Both their safety and sustenance were guaranteed.
What more could they wait for?
Time to roll up their sleeves and work hard!
The small Wenshui County instantly burst with an even greater vitality.
The ruined county town began its rebirth at an astonishing speed.
One day, a section of the city wall was heightened and strengthened; the next, a neighborhood was cleaned up; the day after, a new house was completed...
This efficiency left Fan Shangzheng, the Governor of Henan who was temporarily stationed there, gaping in astonishment.
He had served as a county magistrate, prefectural magistrate, and prefect, climbing step by step to the position of Governor. He had handled countless administrative tasks before, but he had never seen anyone, especially not Chen Yuanbo, take such an audacious approach.
"Magistrate Chen," Fan Shangzheng couldn't help but ask, "this endeavor of yours requires an enormous amount of capital. Wenshui County's treasury has long been plundered clean by the rebels; how can it possibly sustain itself?"
"Why, with the help of Xiao Qixia, of course," Chen Yuanbo replied with a smile. "Xiao Qixia is quite wealthy; his family can indeed afford to support this with funds and provisions."
Fan Shangzheng whispered, "But even if his family is incredibly rich, what is his motive for desperately supporting this small county town?"
Chen Yuanbo sighed. "It's all for the common people, Governor! Truth be told, in a situation like Wenshui County's, the imperial court should allocate funds and distribute ample provisions to help the populace tide them over this difficult period. But if the court doesn't intervene, and even you, as a provincial Governor, are powerless, then Xiao Qixia can only use his own family's wealth."
Fan Shangzheng was speechless.
As a provincial Governor, he could indeed reallocate funds and provisions from other counties to support Wenshui County's development.
However, he wouldn't dare to be as lavish as Chen Yuanbo in aiding the disaster victims. At most, he could only squeeze out a small amount of fiscal allocation, barely enough to keep the people from starving.
Because the entire Henan province didn't have much in the way of transferable funds and provisions. Fan Shangzheng was, in essence, a clever cook with no rice to prepare.
Never mind, he decided to put that matter out of his mind.
Fan Shangzheng's biggest headache now was how to lift the siege on Huaiqing Prefecture...
However, good news arrived swiftly.
A contingent of approximately two thousand government troops approached from the west and marched into Wenshui County.
Leading them was a great general, none other than Zuo Liangyu, the Shanxi Vice Commander-in-Chief.
The Shanxi army could finally cross the border into Henan to suppress the rebels.
It turned out that the news of the rebels entering Henan had terrified the provincial gentry. Led by Zhu Changxun, the Prince of Fu, a large group of gentry and nobility had jointly submitted a memorial requesting aid.
The power of their joint memorial was even more effective than the Emperor personally issuing an imperial decree.
Because a personal imperial decree from the Emperor could still be openly opposed by civil officials, or met with feigned compliance and covert defiance.
However, the interests of the gentry and nobility were fundamentally aligned with those of the civil bureaucracy.
The civil bureaucracy immediately overcame all difficulties and, making an exceptional case, the Ministry of War urgently issued deployment orders, transferring Zuo Liangyu into Henan, with his forces pointed directly towards Huaiqing.
In addition, Xuan-Da Supreme Commander Zhang Zongheng's border army, passing through Yangcheng, Zezhou, Gaoping, Changzhi, Tunliu, and other counties, was now pursuing the rebels.
Simultaneously, the Sichuan White Pole Soldiers were also moving towards Huaiqing Prefecture.
In an instant, the tide of offense and defense shifted once again.
It seemed the imperial court was once again capable, and the rebels were once again faltering—
The Imperial Study.
Zhu Youjian, the Chongzhen Emperor, gazed at a "family letter," his brows tightly furrowed.
The "family letter" was from his uncle, Zhu Changxun, the Prince of Fu.
The letter began with pleasantries, a mountain of trivialities, then the tone shifted. It launched into a lament, claiming the imperial family was being bullied. A piece of land under the Prince of Fu's jurisdiction, it said, had been occupied by a local gentry member, and when he went to collect rent, the gentry member refused to pay.
Forcibly occupying imperial land was simply a heinous crime, and he requested the Emperor's judgment.
Zhu Youjian couldn't help but feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation upon reading the letter. He summoned the Jinyiwei Commander and asked, "What exactly is the situation at Xiaolangdi? How dare someone forcibly occupy the fiefdom of an imperial prince?"
The Jinyiwei Commander also felt a mix of wry amusement and helplessness. "Your Majesty, that area, Xiaolangdi, has been plagued by river bandits since the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The Yellow Turban rebels once held a long-term presence there. Throughout successive dynasties, river bandits were repeatedly suppressed but always resurfaced, impossible to eradicate entirely. Though nominally a fief of the Prince of Fu, in reality, the Prince of Fu's household has been unable to govern the area for many years."
Zhu Youjian understood clearly now. "So that's it," he mused. "I thought it was a major issue; it turns out to be such a trivial matter?"
The Jinyiwei Commander sighed. "Although it's a trivial matter, Your Majesty, royal dignity must not be lost."
Zhu Youjian nodded. "Indeed, royal dignity must not be lost. Send someone to inform the Governor of Henan. Instruct him to reclaim that land at Xiaolangdi and hand it over to the Prince of Fu's household."
"As you command!"
Zhu Youjian shook his head, dismissed the matter from his mind, and returned to reviewing his memorials.
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