My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 249 Relief for work
"Who is making a noise outside the county government office?"

Lu Yi was checking documents in the county government office.

Suddenly, he was disturbed by a burst of noise coming from far away outside the yamen. He frowned slightly and put down the documents in his hand.

"Your Excellency, it is the people of Pingcheng who come to see you."

"They ate the porridge donated by you and came here to express their gratitude."

Hearing Lu Yi's call, the dilapidated door of the public housing unit creaked open from the outside by Gao Lan, who had been waiting outside the unit.

"Oh?"

"Since it is a commoner who wants to see you, you must not neglect it. Follow me out of the yamen to greet him."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi immediately took it seriously and hurried towards the yamen gate.

The entrance of the government office, which was not very big to begin with, was now crowded with people, apparently there were hundreds of them.

Lu Yi just checked the specific documents and knew that the total population of Pingcheng is less than a thousand people.

Now it seems that these hundreds of people, even if not all the people in Pingcheng, at least account for the majority.

"I am Lu Yi, the current county magistrate of Pingcheng."

"I heard that the people, with their old and young, came to see me. Do you have any grievances to appeal? Or do you have any difficulties that you would like to ask me for help?"

Lu Yi took a look at the people of Pingcheng who were no different from beggars, and couldn't help feeling a little emotional. He suddenly thought of the refugees he saw outside Zhongshan City last year.

Compared with those refugees, the people in front of him were almost the same except that they were a little cleaner.

They all have the same pale face and are skinny.

Before, Lu Yi could do nothing to help because of his limited power.

However, now that he has a certain amount of strength, he began to make his own efforts.

Although it’s not big, it’s better than nothing.

As soon as Lu Yi finished speaking, a noise broke out in the crowd. The voices of hundreds of people mixed together, and their words could not be heard at all.

"Who among you can represent us? Please step forward and speak."

"My dear father and mother, please accept my greetings!"

The crowd, which was noisy just now, was stunned to see that the county magistrate was actually a young man.

But later, seeing that Lu Yi was kind and spoke in an orderly manner, he gradually calmed down.

After the leaders discussed for a few words, one of the oldest men came up tremblingly on a cane.

He was quite old, with white hair and beard, and his dark face was covered with wrinkles, showing the cruelty of time.

He came in front of Lu Yi, suddenly threw away the cane in his hand, and knelt down in front of Lu Yi without saying a word.

"How can an old man of your age show such great courtesy to a younger generation? Wouldn't that be embarrassing for the younger generation?"

How could Lu Yi bear to see this old man, who could be his grandfather, bowing down to him, so he quickly stepped forward to support the old man and stop him from bowing.

"I originally had a family of seven. Although we were not wealthy, we could get by. At least we were a family."

"The barbarians came and occupied my house, robbed all my food, killed my two sons, and insulted my daughter and daughter-in-law. I was the only one left. I took my eldest grandson and hid in the mountains outside Pingcheng. I luckily escaped with my life."

"Although the heavenly soldiers have recaptured Pingcheng and driven away the Xianbei, we have not harvested any crops this year, and the remaining food in our homes has been taken away by the Xianbei. We have nothing to eat, even tree bark and wild vegetable roots have been taken away."

"My grandson has been hungry for two days without any food or water. If it weren't for the county magistrate's free porridge today, I'm afraid my whole family would have died!"

But the old man refused to stand up no matter what, and cried to Lu Yi, his face full of gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

Behind him was a child of about seven or eight years old, who was licking the half-broken bowl in his hand and staring at Lu Yi curiously with his head tilted.

The child had small limbs but a huge belly, which immediately reminded Lu Yi of the image of African refugee children on TV in his previous life. It was obvious at first glance that the child's sickly physique was caused by long-term malnutrition.

"As the father and mother of Pingcheng, the people of Pingcheng are all my children. How can I sit back and watch them starve to death? This is what I should do. I don't deserve such gratitude from you, old man."

Lu Yi comforted her again and again.

But the old man just wouldn't listen and insisted on kneeling down.

And Lu Yi could stop him alone, but he couldn't stop the hundreds of people behind him who followed suit.

The situation in Pingcheng now is even more difficult than the famine, and is no different from the locust plague in previous years.

Moreover, locust plagues will at most only eat crops and food, and will not kill people or cause fire.

The Xianbei people's suffering was undoubtedly more serious than the locust plague.

These people had been struggling for survival for a long time, and had even reached the point of cannibalism. Lu Yi's porridge was undoubtedly a life-saving grace to them, so they were all grateful to Lu Yi.

Now there is no autumn harvest in the entire Bingzhou and Youzhou, and all the grain is stored in the warehouses of the aristocratic families.

They hoarded food and the price of food increased three times a day. Even if you have money, you can't buy food.

If it weren't for the close relationship between Lu Yi and Zhongshan Zhen family, they would have been troubled by food shortages.

Fortunately, the Zhen family was one of the most wealthy businessmen and landlords in the entire Hebei Province, with thousands of acres of fertile land and countless grain reserves.

Not to mention supplying Lu Yi's family, even supplying the entire Zhongshan County would not be a problem.

Therefore, although food is currently in short supply for Lu Yi, it is not as critical as it is for the people of Pingcheng, so he can use the precious food to relieve the people.

However, the reaction of the people of Pingcheng caught him off guard. He did not expect that some food could make them so grateful.

"Having said that, the previous county magistrate once said so, but he never did it!"

"I am now over 70 years old and have served as county magistrate for who knows how many terms."

"But, only today did I know that there are officials in the world who love reputation like their own children, just like you do."

"It is a blessing for the people of Pingcheng that you can come to Pingcheng to serve as an official!"

The old man vented for a while, then gradually calmed down and finally stopped insisting on kneeling.

However, he was still feeling agitated and kept praising Lu Yi.

"I appreciate your kindness, but the county government is an important place and we can't stay together for long. Let's go back first!"

"In that case, we will no longer disturb the county lord at work, and we will disperse..."

"But, I wonder if this porridge stall will still be open tomorrow..."

The old man hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but still asked with a look of eagerness on his face.

“Of course we have to continue to open it.”

"As the father and mother of Pingcheng, I will never sit idly by and watch the people starve to death. I promise you all here."

"This porridge stall will be opened not only today, but also the day after tomorrow. It will remain open until next year's spring plowing and autumn harvest, until you all have food to eat!"

Lu Yi immediately announced it in public.

The population of Pingcheng is less than one-tenth of that of Luwu.

Today, the horse smuggling business is on the right track, with a stable cash flow every month.

In addition, with the support of the Zhen family, Lu Yi had no shortage of channels to purchase food at affordable prices.

For Lu Yi, feeding these hundreds of people is nothing more than adding a few more pairs of chopsticks, and it is not much pressure.

Lu Yi's promise immediately aroused even more enthusiastic cheers from the people. Seeing that there was finally a way out, many people even shed tears of excitement.

But relief is relief.

Don't help the poor, but help the urgent.

If they really want to find a way to survive, it ultimately depends on the people themselves.

Lu Yi is not a saint, so it is impossible for him to support them unconditionally.

Work-for-relief is the best relief solution.

Therefore, after the cheers of Lu Yi and other people died down a little, he immediately announced.

"Of course, my salary is limited, and it is the right way for everyone to support themselves."

"Although the Xianbei have retreated, there is no guarantee that they will not return one day with evil intentions. The city walls of Pingcheng are in ruins and in urgent need of repair. Therefore, if you want to have enough food to eat every day, you need to respond to the call of the county government and participate in the work of repairing the city walls."

"Of course, I will never let you work for nothing. As long as you are willing to work, not only will you have enough food every day, but those who work hard will also receive salary rewards."

After Lu Yi finished speaking, there was no expected opposition at all.

On the contrary, the people of Pingcheng were very supportive of Lu Yi's decision.

"Your Excellency is right. We are all healthy people. How can we eat for free every day?"

"That's right. Pingcheng is also the city that protects us. It concerns everyone's safety, so we naturally have to help."

"Your Excellency's provision of food is already a great favor, how can I ask for wages? I am willing to work, and I don't want any wages."

"very good!"

Lu Yi was very satisfied when he heard this. He pushed Chen Gong, who looked a little embarrassed, to the front of the crowd and announced loudly.

"This is our county magistrate Chen Gong. County magistrate Chen will make all the arrangements for the future. Everyone go home and rest today."

Seeing that the meal tickets were finally settled, the people of Pingcheng who had thanked Lu Yi gradually dispersed.

"These people are so grateful. I failed to stop them. Please punish me, sir."

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Gong stepped forward and bowed with an apologetic look on his face.

"It doesn't matter!"

"The people of Pingcheng are so sincere and kind, and I am deeply moved."

"Don't worry about it, public platform."

"Your Excellency just mentioned the idea of ​​using work in lieu of relief. Although I have never heard of it before, after careful consideration, I think it is very insightful and may have miraculous effects!"

After Chen Gong was comforted by Lu Yi, his complexion improved a little. Thinking of what Lu Yi had just said, his eyes lit up and he said with great admiration.

"Haha, Luwu has already accepted two or three groups of displaced people with nothing, and has already established some coping strategies based on the situation."

"These people are so poor that they don't even have enough food to eat for a day. If we don't take care of them, they will soon starve to death."

"But if we keep raising them for nothing, not only will it be a heavy burden, but over time, the unearned income will breed laziness in them."

"The best way is to provide them with relief while letting them do what they can, so that they can play a greater role and be better managed."

"The specific method is very clear to the people from Lvwu. Gongtai is knowledgeable and will know it clearly once he asks."

Lu Yi explained it with a smile, and Chen Gong immediately understood the beauty of it and couldn't help but admire it even more.

Lu Yi found a Luwu manager who was accompanying him to teach Chen Gong the rules and experiences of Luwu.

He also issued new orders to Gao Lan, who was serving as his guard.

"The day after tomorrow, Gao Shun can be brought back to the Xianzhen Camp to destroy the rebellious mountain bandits."

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.”

"Gao Lan, go ask Huang Song and other big families in Pingcheng for a few guides, and take some personal soldiers with you to investigate the true strength of these bandits."

"Be the vanguard of our army."

Gao Lan has been obedient to Lu Yi's orders over the past few months.

However, this time, after hearing Lu Yi ask him to be a pioneer, he hesitated.

"I will risk my life for your order, but I have taken your personal soldiers away with me. Who will protect you?"

"Haha, do you think I'm one of those corrupt scholars who can't lift anything with their hands or shoulders?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi laughed out loud and patted Gao Lan on the shoulder.

"I don't even take the 300,000-man Xianbei army seriously. I can charge into them with 3,000 cavalrymen."

"There are only a few thousand bandits, and they don't even have a few horses. What can they do to me?"

"In that case, Gao Lan will be back soon. Please wait for good news!"

Although Lu Yi was busy with trivial matters, he never slacked off on his martial arts.

I have to do some vigorous exercise every morning when I wake up or in the afternoon after finishing work.

Gao Lan is a martial arts expert, making him a qualified sparring partner.

He is often pulled over by Lu Yi to fight.

Gao Lan, who was abused by Lu Yi every day, was naturally aware of Lu Yi's martial arts strength and it was impossible to get close to him without any difficulty, so he was relieved and took the order and left.

On the evening of the second day, Gao Lan successfully completed Lu Yi's order and easily found out the strengths and weaknesses of these bandits.

This group of bandits were originally people from Lin County. Because a landlord in Lin County raised the price of grain too high, these people had no food, so they gathered together, broke into the landlord's fort, killed the landlord, and stole the grain in the fort. Because they were afraid of being encircled and suppressed by Lin County, and heard that all the officials in Pingcheng were killed by the Xianbei people, they took their people to Pingcheng to gather.

On weekdays, apart from robbing passing merchants, he never came to Pingcheng to extort the people.
Lu Yi thought about it and agreed.

At least this group of bandits robbed a small landlord and had some food, so they did not starve to death.

The poor people in Pingcheng are so poor that they have to eat tree bark. It would be a waste of effort even if they came to Pingcheng to extort money.

It would be better to rob the wealthier merchants.

At least if you are a traveling merchant, you may not have goods, but you will definitely bring enough food.

Two-thirds of Lu Yi's own caravan's load was used to transport food for his own consumption.

The remaining one third of the load can be used to load cargo.

Even if these merchants did not go to the northern border for business like Lu Yi, they would at least prepare half the load capacity of food.

Therefore, this group of people were able to hit every merchant they robbed with a single shot.

"My subordinates have inquired from many sources. Although these bandits occupy the mountains and rob passing merchants, they don't seem to like to kill people."

Gao Lan said this and added one last sentence.

"Oh?"

"You have a strong sense of professional ethics..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi couldn't help but become interested in this group of bandits who had a strong sense of professional ethics.

(End of this chapter)