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Chapter 422 Pingzhou (V)

Lu Cong and his team worked until it was pitch dark, and the people left one by one. They held the grain seeds in their arms, as if they were holding rare treasures, and discussed eagerly how to plant new grains as they walked. It seemed that if they planted tonight, they would have a harvest tomorrow.

"Only with hope can Pingzhou truly survive." Lu Cong sighed to Sun Guangbai in a low voice.

Sun Guangbai had a deep impression of this in the past few months, and nodded in agreement: "Lu Sheren is right. When my father and I first came to Pingzhou, there were corpses everywhere, and the people who were barely alive all looked numb. To put it bluntly, they were just waiting to die."

"It's different now. Even though so many people have died and there is no real medicine to prevent and treat the plague, the people have hope and expectation to survive."

Lu Cong knew that Doctor Sun had moved into a tent in the epidemic area, and he sighed: "Doctor Sun is a kind-hearted doctor, brave and fearless, which is admirable."

Sun Guangbai felt heavy in his heart, so he pulled himself together and said, "There is one thing I want to discuss with Lu Sheren."

Lu Cong glanced at Sun Guangbai and asked, "Doctor Sun, do you want me to stay in Pingzhou and take care of this mess?"

Sun Guangbai was a little embarrassed when his thoughts were exposed: "Yes. I am busy making and dispensing medicine every day, and Commander Qin is responsible for maintaining order. We are busy all day long. Now we have to distribute grain and seeds for spring ploughing, which is too much for us. Besides, we are not good at these, so we shamelessly asked Lu Sheren to stay. I wonder if Lu Sheren is willing."

"I was planning to stay." Lu Cong said with a smile, "If I were afraid, I wouldn't have volunteered to come to Pingzhou that day. Now that I'm here, I've put life and death aside."

"Military Doctor Sun and Commander Qin trust me, so I won't be polite to you. From now on, leave the porridge shed and grain distribution to me."

Sun Guangbai was overjoyed and shook Lu Cong's hand tightly: "This is really great!"

"Pingzhou has lost its government, and the rebel army is almost dead. Now we have to rely on our limited manpower to support it. We should have someone like Lu Sheren who understands internal affairs and civil affairs to support it."

Yes!

No one is more suitable than Lu Cong.

Pingzhou originally had more than 200,000 people, and nearly 70% of them died in the plague. In the past few months, many more people have died. Only 50,000 to 60,000 people are left. When he was the county governor, he governed more than 50,000 people. The princess agreed to his request, obviously considering this point.

I never thought that one day in my life, I would be able to be a parent official for tens of thousands of people. Even if I don't have a formal official position, it's worth it.

Lu Cong was filled with lofty ambitions and he stayed up until four o'clock that night to write a six-page Provisional Regulations for Pingzhou.

In the next few days, Lu Cong was busy every day.

The people of Pingzhou soon noticed the difference from before.

The porridge shed was more strictly managed. Every day, you had to bring your own bowls and chopsticks to get porridge, and you were not allowed to queue up again. If the family had a stove and firewood, the porridge shed would directly distribute daily rations according to the number of people in each family. Just as Lord Lu said, the men in the family went to the fields for spring plowing, the old, weak, women, children and children went to the mountains and plains to look for wild vegetables and fruits, and went to the river to catch fish and shrimp, so that they could at least get 70% to 80% full.

At the grain seed distribution office, there was a special person to register every day. The people who received the grain seeds had to clearly state where their farmland was. From time to time, people would go around the fields to inspect, and if they found that the grain seeds had not been replanted in time, they would impose severe punishment.

You know what, two such families were caught. One of them secretly cooked and ate the grain seeds, and the other took the grain seeds as food and escaped from Pingzhou. Lu Sheren dealt with the first family in public, mercilessly beating the whole family, young and old, with twenty boards. They tied their hands and feet with ropes and threw them outside the porridge shed. The people who came to get porridge or food would spit on them as they walked around. They were tied up like this for five days, and were only released when they were only left with one breath. There is no grain seeds for this year. There is no chance to replant.

As for the other family who fled, Lu Sheren did not send anyone to chase them. Instead, he directly posted a notice, forbidding them to return to Pingzhou forever.

In addition, there were several cases of people breaking into houses and stealing food. Lu Sheren dealt with them without mercy, beating the perpetrators half to death. There was a man who intended to do something bad to a woman, and Lu Sheren dealt with him in an even more drastic way, directly having the man castrated...

The man cried out in agony for several days and finally hanged himself.

In addition, there were also things like private human trafficking, which Lu Sheren issued a notice to strictly prohibit. Anyone caught doing so would be executed.

It's strange to say. Lu Sheren was not a good official who was close to the people, and his methods were powerful. However, the people felt more and more at ease day by day. The people of Pingzhou quickly and completely calmed down.

Sun Guangbai marveled in private: "Lu She has only been here for a few days, and Pingzhou is completely stable. It's amazing!"

Lu Cong smiled slightly: "The people are indeed pitiful, but they are also hateful and annoying. If you treat them well, they will become arrogant and demand more. Therefore, we must set rules for them and punish them severely when necessary."

"In times of chaos, severe punishments must be used. Otherwise, people's hearts will be broken and in chaos, and it will be impossible to deal with it."

Sun Guangbai was convinced: "Mr. Lu, this is a great idea. I have learned a lot today."

Lu Cong smiled and sighed, "To be honest, I only understood the basics of these principles when I was the county governor. I ended up being a criminal. I have seen a lot and learned a lot in the past few years since I came to Nanyang County. I also hope to govern Pingzhou well and let the people of Pingzhou settle down. Only in this way can I live up to the high expectations of the county lord."

After a pause, he asked in a low voice, "How is Doctor Sun doing?"

Sun Guangbai replied in a low voice: "Father prescribes new medicine every day. Most of the dozens of people who were infected with the most serious plague and could die at any time have died in the past half month. At least there are still a dozen or so alive."

Speaking of this, Lu Cong was full of admiration and respect for Imperial Doctor Sun: "Imperial Doctor Sun is the true master of traditional Chinese medicine."

As they were talking, a long-servant came in with a letter: "Lu Sheren, the princess has sent someone to deliver a letter."

Lu Cong was cheered up and took the letter immediately.

After reading the letter, Lu Cong's fatigue of the past few days was swept away, and his tone was full of excitement and joy: "The princess wrote a letter personally, praising my staying in Pingzhou. In addition, the princess sent someone to deliver a batch of food and medicinal materials."

Sun Guangbai was overjoyed: "This is really great! Come on, let's go get the food and medicine."

Lu Cong nodded happily.

Even if tens of thousands of people went out to look for wild vegetables, leaves and fruits every day, the amount of food consumed would be a terrifying number. The amount of medicinal materials needed to prevent and control the plague every day would also be extremely staggering.

If it weren't for the continuous supply of food and medicinal materials from Nanyang County, Pingzhou would have collapsed long ago.