I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 133 Let's go to Wuwei
Upon receiving their orders, the men from the Tiger Might Escort Agency rushed forward like tigers pouncing on rabbits, and in the blink of an eye, they had pinned the robbers blocking their way to the ground.

Before Zhu Laosan could react, the opportunity to fight that he had been longing for was gone.

He said fiercely, "Which gang dares to intercept Tiger Might Escort Agency's shipment?"

The robber, who was squatting on the ground, mumbled incoherently, unable to even finish his pleas for mercy.

Wu Ding listened to the bandits' accents, which sounded like they came from the Jiangnan region. He also noticed their dark skin, large knuckles, and thick calluses on the soles of their bare feet. He quickly guessed what was going on. "Are you people from Jiangnan?"

The man squatting on the ground nodded hurriedly, "We are from Wanzhou."

Wanzhou? Wu Ding frowned four times. "Why are you coming to the north at this time of year instead of farming in Jiangnan?"

When this topic came up, the men, who were usually timid, stopped stammering and began to speak fluently, saying, "The taxes in Wanzhou are more than double those in other prefectures. After a year of hard work, we can barely make ends meet after paying our taxes. That's fine, that's how our ancestors have always lived."

"But this year, the heavens have been unkind! It's been raining since June, and the crops in the fields have all rotted! The government has come to collect taxes, but we can't gather enough grain, so they want to pay us in cash instead!"

The man cried out in anguish, “Where would we get the money? If we don’t pay, the yamen will arbitrarily convict us and drag us into the yamen to be beaten to a pulp! We have no choice but to sell our children and even our land, and the yamen still says it’s not enough.”

"So in a fit of anger, we injured the yamen runners, packed our things, and ran away."

"You corrupt official!" Wu Dingsi personally helped up the man who was crying the most pitifully. When the men from the Tiger Might Escort Agency saw this, they also released their grip on the men.

The people, seeing that they were easy to talk to, became bolder. "The officials blocked the roads, so we had no choice but to hide in the woods. Later, more and more people left, and the government could not block them at all, so we escaped by blending into the crowd."

"We traveled through the forest and along the trails, much faster than others, hoping to find work in Qinzhou to make a living. But we had neither travel permits nor guarantors, and we couldn't even find work as porters. A few days ago, they stopped letting us into the city gates. We had no choice but to..."

"We have no choice but to rob them," Wu Wuwu said in his mind, then asked curiously, "Why are there so many people migrating?"

"We have also heard that the fish and grain dam in Huangshan Prefecture has breached, and the water from the reservoir has flooded several prefectures downstream, including Suzhou."

“The prefect of Wanzhou used grain mixed with sand to provide disaster relief. The people could no longer tolerate it, so they broke through the city gates and fled in all directions.”

The Fish and Grain Dam has breached?! When Wu Ding was still an ordinary soldier, he accompanied General Song on an inspection of the southeastern navy. When passing through Wanzhou, he made a special trip to see the renowned Fish and Grain Dam. He was deeply moved by the dam's grandeur, believing it was beyond human capability to build. He thought the Fish and Grain Dam could hold out for several more centuries.

Who would have thought that the dam would burst so soon!

Wu Wuwu seemed to be deep in thought. "Do you know where the disaster-stricken people have fled to?"

"Although the northern and southern prefectures were not flooded, the fields were more or less affected, resulting in a severe reduction in grain production, and grain prices changed every day."

In the north, Wu Ding Si and Wu Wu Wu exchanged a glance and decided to rest on the spot. They arranged for the Tiger Might Escort Agency to start a fire and cook, and the two talked privately away from the crowd.

While settling the disaster victims, Zhu Laoda kept an eye on the two men's every move. Sure enough, a moment later, Wu Wuwu returned, but Wu Dingsi was nowhere to be seen.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wu Wuwu lured the group of disaster victims and their families hiding in the forest with the promise of a high-paying and stable job, and they were taken away on their journey.

Wu Ding traveled through mountains and forests and finally arrived before sunset. He saw two large rows of barricades in front of the city gate of Xi'an. Soldiers in iron armor and holding long spears blocked the people who were pushing and crying and wanting to enter the city.

"Let us in! Why can they go in but we can't?"

"The government is killing people! The government is forcing us to die!"

The clerk shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xi'an Prefecture has reached its limit in accepting disaster victims. We really can't take in any more. Everyone should continue moving forward and see if we can find a place to stay in other prefectures."

The clerk, his throat parched from shouting, saw the people still gathered outside the gate, refusing to leave. With a determined stomp of his foot, he closed the city gate. The soldiers quickly retreated and pushed the gate shut with all their might. The refugees watched helplessly as the majestic, heavy gate slowly closed, finally slamming shut with a deafening bang.

The disaster victims overturned the barricades and rushed to the city gate, pounding on it incessantly. The prefect of Xi'an stood on the city tower for an entire night, silently watching the people go from hysteria to lifelessness, and finally dragging their heavy steps to the next city.

"Sir, stop looking," the clerk advised. "The magistrates from all the counties have arrived and are waiting for you in the yamen to discuss the resettlement of the disaster victims."

The rising sun shone on the Prefect of Xi'an, yet he felt no warmth. He walked with the heavy steps of a disaster victim, saying, "Tell me, how many disaster victims will the next city take in?"

"That depends on how much conscience the superior has," the advisor said silently.

The two of them were silent all the way.

Not far from the city gate, Wu Ding angrily clenched his fist and slammed it hard against a tree, shaking off a large number of leaves.

He tore his clothes, messed up his hair, smeared mud on his hands and face, and mingled with the disaster victims to chat.

The refugees' wariness vanished after Wu Ding launched into four tirades against the government for being useless, and they quickly began to chat openly and frankly with each other.

Wu Ding Si investigated the whole story from the words of the disaster victims. Looking at the numb faces of the disaster victims, he suggested, "Let's go to Wuwei."

"Wuwei? Where is Wuwei?"

"Northwest, at the border between Dayu and the Turkic Khaganate."

"That won't do. People will die if the Turks invade."

"The Northwest Army is stationed in Wuwei and will not allow the Turks to invade," Wu Ding said. Seeing that the disaster victims were still unwilling, he asked, "Then where will you go?"

"I've heard that Shuzhou, like Wanzhou, doesn't have as many mountains as Wanzhou, making it the most suitable place for farming."

“The Shu Road is extremely difficult; even well-trained soldiers would perish if they set foot on it,” Wu Ding shook his head. “Besides, Shu Prefecture is connected to Yun Prefecture, and the Miao people are most skilled in witchcraft. If you go there, you won’t even know when you’ve been poisoned.”

Some people were frightened, but still hesitated and said, "But the Northwest is poor, and we only know how to farm. What will we do if we go to the Northwest and there is no land to farm?"

"There is a crop in the Northwest called potato, which can survive even in poor soil and has a very high yield," Wu Ding said, drawing a large pancake. "Although it is not as delicious as rice, it is enough to fill your stomach."

"really?"

“Really!” Wu Ding made up a story. “I have a relative in Wuwei who has written to me many times asking me to come. Now that I have suffered a disaster, I plan to go and seek refuge with him.”

The disaster victims, who had been listening intently, were tempted but also doubtful: "Will Wuwei Prefecture allow us into the city?"

Wu Ding affirmed, "Yes!"

"How did you know?"

"Now most of Wuwei City belongs to Princess Zhaoshan," Wu Ding said proudly. "Princess Zhaoshan is gentle, kind, and wealthy. She will surely take us in."

Zhao Zhao: I heard you thanked me because I lost money again because of you.

Wu Ding IV: Hehe!