The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 325 You Live Here
More than 20,000 bandit prisoners were trembling with fear.

Just then, a handsome young man arrived with two middle-aged men. One of them was Qi Chongwen, who had captured them. The prisoners were terrified at the sight of Qi Chongwen, and huddled together, trembling.

Ma Sheng asked in surprise, "Brother Qi, what did you do to them? Why are they so afraid of you?"

Qi Chongwen was both amused and exasperated: "I didn't do anything, I just led the troops to pursue them and captured many elderly, weak, women and children who couldn't run fast..."

Ma Sheng instantly understood: "Brother Qi, what ruthless methods you have! By capturing their wives, children, and elderly parents, they have no choice but to obediently return and walk right into your trap. This move is brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Qi Chongwen broke out in a cold sweat: "I didn't! I didn't!"

Ma Sheng shook his head, with an expression that said, "You don't need to explain, I understand."

At this moment, Yue Wenxuan had already taken his position in the center and pulled out a metal megaphone in a flash: "What I'm about to say concerns your fate, so listen carefully."

His opening remarks were so captivating that no one dared not listen carefully. The tens of thousands of bandits fell silent instantly, and everyone pricked up their ears.

Yue Wenxuan: "Following Li Cheng, life must be tough, especially for those with families to support..."

The prisoners couldn't help but feel disheartened. Wasn't that obvious? Of course, things weren't going well.

Yue Wenxuan: "Since ancient times, there have only been two outcomes for those who became bandits: either they were wiped out by government troops or they accepted amnesty. There was basically no third way to go."

The prisoners: "..."

That's the truth, and there's no way to refute it.

Yue Wenxuan: "Theoretically speaking, you are already in the situation of being 'annihilated by government troops.' Li Cheng has already assumed you are dead. He has now run west without looking back and has no intention of coming back to save you."

The prisoners: "..."

Yue Wenxuan: "Now, with a wave of my hand, I can kill you all without lifting a finger, without wasting my energy managing you, and without even wasting a single grain of food. However, Heaven cherishes life, and I now intend to risk consuming a large amount of food and the possibility of your betrayal at any time to give you a way out."

Upon hearing this, the prisoners breathed a sigh of relief, and their faces immediately showed expressions of gratitude.

This young master is right. If he were to kill us, it would be effortless. But if he were to spare us, the risk would be great. And from what he said, he would even give us food.
Young master is a good person!

From the crowd, a burly man shouted, "Your Excellency from the Northern Song Dynasty, if you spare my parents' lives, I'll serve you like a cow, a horse, or a dog, and I'll never cause you any trouble. If anyone causes you any trouble, I'll be the first to chop off their head."

His statement immediately prompted more young and middle-aged people to stand up and express their opinions.

Yue Wenxuan pressed his hands down, and the people immediately shut up and became quiet again.

Yue Wenxuan: "Alright! Since you've given such a guarantee, I'll take the risk."

He pointed to the desolate Chuzhou City before him...

“This city was massacred by the Jin invaders a few months ago,” Yue Wenxuan said. “Of the tens of thousands of residents in the city, less than 10% remain. A large number of houses have been burned down, and it is now like a ghost town.”

Even without him saying it, the prisoners could tell that Chuzhou was finished.

Yue Wenxuan: "I want you to settle here and become new residents of Chuzhou City."

The prisoners: "Huh?" Yue Wenxuan: "The city has been reduced to this state, so of course it's uninhabitable. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is rebuild the city, clear out the burned houses, carry the blackened charcoal out of the city and throw it away, and scoop up the bones from the wells and bury them... Cut down trees and timber to rebuild the houses. Those with skills should use their skills to restore commerce. Those who know how to farm, we will remeasure the land outside the city and allocate farmland... I will provide you with a large amount of grain, enough to support your lives for half a year. You can rely on this grain to survive until Chuzhou returns to normal."

The prisoners: "Huh?"

They only thought Yue Wenxuan was going to spare their lives, but they didn't expect that not only would he spare their lives, but he would also arrange a new life for them.

What... what kind of Bodhisattva or Living Buddha is this?
That said, you're going to feed tens of thousands of people for six months? Can you afford to do that?
Yue Wenxuan turned to Qi Chongwen and Ma Sheng and said, "The general principles are as I just said. The specific details will be handled by the two of you."

Qi Chongwen and Ma Sheng replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Yue Wenxuan: “Go to the woods north of the city to transport grain. I have hidden enough grain there to feed 100,000 people for half a year. Just go and move it.”

Qi Chongwen and Ma Sheng were just as bewildered as Li Bao had been last time: Where did this grain come from?
However, the two did not ask any more questions. Coming from a prominent family, they understood the principle of asking less and doing more. The two immediately led their troops out of the city and went into the woods. Sure enough, there was grain everywhere, piled up like small mountains... Heaven knows how they got there.

The two couldn't help but marvel at Young Master Yue's extraordinary abilities.
-
Meanwhile, Li Cheng fled westward in a disheveled state for several miles before finding a grove of trees to rest in.

A headcount revealed that their army of 100,000 was now less than 50,000.

In fact, the Northern Song Dynasty only captured about 20,000 to 30,000 people. More than 20,000 people scattered and fled on their own, either becoming small groups of bandits or trying to return to their hometowns to become law-abiding citizens again.

He can't care about all that!

Having been bandits for so long, they had long since become accustomed to such things.

He could gain thousands or even tens of thousands of troops with a single victory, or be reduced to only a few hundred men with a single defeat; this was the norm for him to roam freely.

Li Cheng didn't take it seriously. After briefly assessing the current situation, he began to reconsider which direction to flee in.

I was just thinking about it...

A subordinate reported: "The bandits of Hongze Lake have sent someone to ask for help."

Li Cheng: "Huh? Call him over here."

Soon, the bandits arrived, and upon seeing Li Cheng, they burst into tears: "Brother, save me!"

Li Cheng: "What exactly happened?"

The bandit said, "Not long after my brother left Hongze Lake, the Northern Song Dynasty sent its navy to attack our brother Zhao Qi."

Li Cheng: "Huh? The Northern Song Dynasty is fighting Zhang Jun in Chuzhou, fighting me, and still sending people to attack Hongze Lake?"

He was genuinely a little surprised; the Northern Song Dynasty was far stronger than he had imagined.

He used to use the Southern Song Dynasty as a reference to judge the military strength of the Northern Song Dynasty, but after what just happened, he realized that the Northern Song Dynasty was the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty was the Southern Song Dynasty, and they were not comparable at all.

The bandit continued, "The Northern Song army's navy is very powerful. We are no match for them in a direct confrontation. We want to ambush them in the small waterways, but they are not underestimating us and are advancing recklessly. They are probing in little by little. Brother Zhao Qi has no way to deal with them. Please, Brother Li Cheng, save our lives."

(End of this chapter)