Chapter 573: Actually Wanting to Snatch People |
发布时间: 2026-06-12 12:26:20
A+A-关灯<!--
«Chapter 572: Farewell for Now
没有了 »
The refugees from Daining City traveled south by cargo ship.
While most northerners were unaccustomed to boating, those from Daining lived beside the Xin River. Unlike ordinary northerners, they had some familiarity with water. Even if they couldn’t row or fish, most had ridden ferries.
Despite the ship’s constant swaying, few suffered from seasickness.
Swept downstream along the over two-hundred-li waterway, they reached their destination before midday.
Suddenly, one of the refugees shouted loudly,
It turned out Longmen Ferry lay just ahead.
One glance at Longmen Yellow River Bridge struck the refugees dumb.
Even seasick passengers perked up instantly, rushing with pride and forgetting their dizziness entirely.
“This bridge is incredible!”
“So magnificent!”
“How was it even built?”
As the refugees exclaimed, a crewman at the bow chuckled over his shoulder,
“What’s all the fuss about? Deity’s magic brought this celestial bridge down from the heavens.”
“Wah!” gasped the refugees.
Another voice cried, “Look at the bridgehead—there’s a grayish-white fortress!”
All eyes turned eastward. Longmen Ferry now featured a structure named “Longmen East Fortress,” a solid cement fortress.
Shi Jian commanded this post due to his past deeds. His defense of Longmen Ferry during the invasion by Old South Wind and Xi Ying Eighth Great King earned him a report so boastful Cheng Xu penned it, and Shi Jian himself couldn’t stomach rereading. Yet Wang Chengen, upon receiving it, pretended to believe every word. Immediately petitioning the court for Shi Jian’s promotion, Wang secured him the rank of General.
As General, four hundred more garrison troops were assigned under his command.
So he had six hundred regulars. Gaojia Village then reinforced him with two hundred soldiers, giving Shi Jian four hundred Gaojia Village fighters and six hundred garrison troops.
Ordered by Three Boundary Governor Hong Chengchou to “Hold Longmen Ferry and halt the bandits’ crossing,” Shi Jian effectively became its permanent commander.
Now, Shi Jian stood atop Longmen East Fortress, peering through a telescope. His gaze soon locked onto three cargo ships gliding down the river—all stuffed completely with people.
Shi Jian’s eyes lit up. He scrambled down from the fortress in a few strides, rushing to the wharf and frantically waving at the vessels.
Wang Tang leaned out from the bow, grinning.
“Brother Shi! What’s the matter? Sticking out from shore like a lighthouse.”
Shi Jian grinned back.
“Are those boats full of refugees transported from the north?”
“Exactly!” said Wang Tang. “Under Instructor Xing’s order, they’re bound for Puzhou City.”
Shi Jian’s eyes sparkled brighter.
“Instructor Xing’s order? Not Deity’s?”
Wang Tang thought carefully.
“Hmm… Deity seems not to have specified the settlement location.”
Overjoyed, Shi Jian rubbed his hands vigorously.
“Then why send them to Puzhou? Keep them here instead!”
Wang Tang: “…”
Shi Jian pressed eagerly,
“Look! Deity personally ordered Longmen Ferry developed into a proper stronghold. But what’s happened? Only this fortress stands so far—no towns or villages built yet. Without enough workers, how can we fulfill His will?”
Amused yet exasperated, Wang Tang shook his head.
“So you’re snatching people now?”
Shi Jian said, “I have to snatch people; otherwise, I won’t survive. My manpower here is too scarce. Only some residents come from Hejin County, and as soon as they see Hejin County is safe, they immediately run back to the county town… They just refuse to stay at the dock and work peacefully.”
Wang Tang spread his hands and said, “It’s the nature of our people, loving their own homes, always wanting to return to where they belong.”
Shi Jian said, “That’s not the point; the point is that I need workers. But at Longmen Ferry, perched on the riverbank by the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi, when bandits stir up trouble, no one comes here at all. I’m terribly short of hands. Without people, nothing can develop. Yet Puzhou is a huge prefecture packed with manpower; they have an endless supply, so just let these refugees from the north come to me.”
After hearing this explanation, Wang Tang actually found it reasonable.
“Fine then!” Wang Tang said, “I’ll leave these people here with you. I’ll make a few more trips; there are about three thousand in total. I’ll bring them all here to you; it should boost your manpower nicely.”
Shi Jian was overjoyed and said, “I knew you were sensible.”
Wang Tang said, “But if Instructor Xing Honglang gives you trouble, I’m not stepping in.”
Shi Jian said, “Instructor Xing Honglang is reasonable too; she won’t cause me any problems.”
The two young men quickly settled the matter, so three cargo ships docked by the pier. Long planks were extended from the ships to the shore, and the crew members shouted to the refugees, “Everyone, get off the boat! Settle down here.”
The refugees on the boat looked completely confused.
Just now, Wang Tang and Shi Jian had been shouting from far away; they had to yell loudly because otherwise, the river winds would scatter their words.
Since the sound was loud, the refugees on board couldn’t help but hear it all.
Hearing them talk about “snatching people,” the refugees genuinely didn’t understand. What was going on? They’d only heard of local officials dodging the hassle, unwilling to take in outside refugees; they’d never heard of officials trying to grab people.
What good was snatching us pitiful folks for?
Plus, giving us food, shelter, and arranging farmland would be a big headache for any local official.
They didn’t even value themselves highly, so they never expected anyone to want to snatch them.
The refugees got off the boat and scattered loosely across the dock. The first batch from three ships was around a thousand people. Shi Jian walked up to them with a chuckle, stood firm, and said, “Welcome to Longmen Ferry. Once you’re here, you won’t worry about lacking food or a place to sleep. See that castle over there? Every day, some food is handed out at the castle gate, guaranteeing no one will starve.”
The refugees were thrilled.
Shi Jian said, “But just avoiding starvation isn’t good enough; who doesn’t want a better life? So… you can also earn higher wages by working.”
This made complete sense.
The refugees craned their necks, eager to hear the arrangements.
Shi Jian then pulled out the pay scale from Gaojia Village and swiftly listed all sorts of job openings in every trade.
The refugees looked and thought, “What? The wages for working here are so high?”
Why hesitate any longer!
A bunch of them immediately rushed to sign up, and Longmen Ferry instantly gained a big new workforce.
Shi Jian’s face lit up with a beaming smile, but Wang Tang thought, “I wonder if Xing Honglang finds out, will she get mad? Oh, whatever, forget it!”
«Chapter 572: Farewell for Now
目录
没有了 »