Zhang Hang patted Ye Ming's arm with a look of disbelief.
"Brother Ye, I know you have good intentions, but disaster relief isn't as simple as just killing a few people."
Zhang Hang didn't believe Ye Ming, who had just regained his composure, could come up with any good solution.
After all, the new county magistrate was a newly-appointed Jinshi last year. If he couldn't think of a solution, what could Ye Ming, a man with only military power, come up with?
"While there's no chaos yet, let's stock up on food in the city and take a detour back through the South Gate."
Qingshui County's South Gate backs onto the heart of Dayun, where no refugees gather.
If he took a detour, it would take some time but at least be safe.
"Not that I really have one."
He had read so many novels and watched so many videos in his previous life.
Now that he encountered a solution, there must be one.
But whether it would be so effective, Ye Ming didn't know.
Anyway, Ye Ming didn't want Qingshui County to be in chaos, otherwise it would be difficult to escape.
Looking at Ye Ming's stubborn look, Zhang Hang had no choice but to compromise and listen to what Ye Ming had to say.
"Then tell me. I'm listening."
Ye Ming then laid out the government's plan to raise grain prices to attract merchants.
It essentially involved the government leading the price hike to attract them.
They'd only allow inflows, but not outflows. Once prices reached a point where they couldn't be sold, the government would then lead the charge to lower prices.
"Brother Ye, this, this, this!"
"How is that even possible? If the court knew about this government-led price hike, our entire county government would be dead."
"While your plan is feasible, I'm afraid the people and refugees won't be able to wait until grain prices drop."
This operation wouldn't be easy overnight; the refugees outside might not be able to wait even a single day.
"That's easy. Just send someone to secretly deliver food to the refugees at night. It doesn't need to be much, just enough to keep them alive."
"At the very least."
"Qingshui County has wealthy officials and gentry who give away porridge. Why not give them some food and help with that?"
Ye Ming finished, and Zhang Hang's eyes lit up.
This method is feasible, but until the relief work is successful, the entire Qingshui County Office will be infamous.
"Brother Ye, do you have any other ideas?"
Yes, there are, but they're quite expensive.
He'd give Ye Ming hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, which he could exchange for living points in the system mall.
But if he had that kind of money, the Qingshui County Office wouldn't have to worry about this.
Ye Ming curled his lips, "Nothing else, only this one."
"Well, Brother Ye, what's your probability of success?"
"About 50%. Merchants are driven by profit, and the higher the grain price in Qingshui County, the higher the chance of success."
"Only 50%?"
Zhang Hang muttered.
"50% isn't low."
"I need to discuss this with the County Magistrate first, so I won't send you off."
"Okay, if you want to use this method, please don't tell anyone about me, County Magistrate Zhang."
Zhang Hang looked puzzled. If this method succeeded, Ye Ming would be a great hero.
Reporting it to the court would earn him a lot of rewards.
"Why?"
"I'm just a farmer. Making too many enemies can easily lead to death."
Just kidding! If the disaster relief is successful and those grain merchants suffer losses and find out it was my idea, they'll really try to kill me.
Besides, after this is over, I'm planning to make wine and open a restaurant. What if they don't sell me grain?
Zhang Hang suddenly understood.
"I see. If this succeeds, the county magistrate and I will definitely thank Brother Ye."
"No problem, no problem."
"By the way, there's one more thing."
Zhang Hang, who was about to discuss this with the county magistrate, stopped and looked at Ye Ming.
"Brother Ye, anything else?"
"Yes, those bodies need to be burned promptly. We also need to dig some pits for the refugees to defecate in."
"Otherwise, if an epidemic breaks out, all of Qingshui County will suffer."
Early spring is the peak season for various diseases.
Ye Ming does have a system space where he can buy medicine, but the disaster victims in Qingshui County don't.
"Thank you, Brother Ye, for your reminder. You're so thoughtful."
"Then I'll go get busy,"
Zhang Hang sighed as he walked. Was Ye Ming really such a fool before?
He seemed even more reliable than the county magistrate.
After finishing his work, Ye Ming placed the documents and silver into the system space.
Only when they were there did Ye Ming feel at ease.
"Sir, is everything done?"
"Everything is done."
Only after seeing Yang Xiong did Ye Ming remember that he needed to register the father and daughter.
Forget it, let's wait until the refugee crisis is over.
"Sir, then, let's go and meet up with Liu Qiang."
When the two of them arrived at the city gate, Liu Qiang was already waiting.
"Brother Ming, you're finally here. The refugees outside the city are increasing. If you don't come soon, we won't be able to leave later."
Liu Qiang was worried about his wife's heavy pregnancy if he couldn't get back.
"Well, let's get out of the city."
With that, the three of them put on their masks again and left.
Along the way, the number of refugees was visibly increasing.
Of course, the elderly, the weak, women, and children were the majority, with few or no healthy men.
They must have been forced to stay by the rebels.
Or perhaps too many had died recently.
"Please, can someone give me something to eat? Anything is fine."
"Mom, please help! She's starving to death..."
"Brother Ming, please stop looking! We can't save so many people."
Qingshui Village had been struggling recently.
If it weren't for Ye Ming, his family would have been tightening their belts and only had one meal a day.
"Yes, benefactor, you can save a few, but not all."
"Let's leave it to the county magistrate."
Ye Ming nodded.
But in his heart, he silently said to let go of the desire to help others and respect the fate of others.
"I hope that the method I said will really work."
Qingshui County Government Office.
After listening to the method proposed by Ye Ming, Cui Xian was in a dilemma.
As an upright scholar, reputation is what he values most.
Otherwise, he would not have chosen to go along with Prime Minister Cao.
"Doesn't Zhang Hang have any other solution?"
"The county magistrate has only this one solution at the moment. We can only give it a try."
For Cui Xian, there was no way out. Either he would succeed in this attempt. He would gain both fame and fortune, and maybe even return to Kyoto.
Or he would wait for death and the refugees to rebel.
His entire family was wiped out.
Compared to fame and fortune, family was obviously more important.
He studied hard for decades just to give his family a good life.
"Okay, let's take a gamble."
"Let's do what Ye Ming said."
"Zhang Hang, it's up to you to send the men to carry out this mission."
"Yes, sir!"
During Cui Xian's disaster relief efforts, Ye Ming remained hunkered down in Qingshi Village.
Qingshui County had been sealed off, and the roads to other prefectures were choked with refugees.
For safety, he could only stay home and find work. He made white and blue porcelain, and hunted to earn life points.