Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 252 Guorui Liu Yan
Further east from Bianzhou, the impact of the disaster became increasingly apparent and severe.

In fact, the disaster situation in Bianzhou was already very serious, but under the strong control of the state government, many problems were kept under control in the countryside and did not surface, and the people could only suffer in agony.

Although Zhang Dai sympathized with the people of this region, the prefectural government clearly did not welcome him, and given that the governor, Yuan Fu, was only focused on performance evaluations and ignored the genuine suffering of the people, there was little he could do. Moreover, fearing that staying any longer might escalate the conflict and cause him further hindrance, he had no choice but to leave Bianzhou as soon as possible.

Caozhou is also located on a plain, which is the core agricultural area of ​​the Central Plains. The terrain is so flat that even if you travel for a whole day, you can't see any undulations in the terrain. As far as the eye can see, there are only flat fields!
Such terrain is uniquely advantageous, and it is also adjacent to the Yellow River, so it should be a very fertile place. However, after Zhang Dai and his party entered the prefecture, they rarely saw farmers working in the fields.

Looking out over here, the land is covered with large swathes of cracked, sun-baked mud. It should be the busy spring planting season in March, but there are very few people in the wilderness. Occasionally, crows circle in the sky, and below, there are often the carcasses of cattle and horses, or even the corpses of dead people!
"Caozhou suffered the most last year, with half of its territory turned into marshes and fields. The people had no harvest and could only flee eastward along the river, wandering in the Juye Marsh to gather firewood and make a living..."

Nan Jiyun and his party had recently traveled westward from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to Bianzhou and passed through this area. They were aware of the disaster and, upon hearing about the widespread famine, the displaced people, and the devastation of the village, they were moved to tears. They repeatedly asked Zhang Dai, "Young master, are the goods you are carrying on your journey truly intended for disaster relief? The people of Caozhou are suffering greatly and have no money left to buy anything!"

"Not only Caozhou, but also other prefectures and counties. We will save as many as we can, and return the money and goods when they are all gone."

The desolate and lifeless landscape of Caozhou made Zhang Dai feel extremely depressed.

He had never witnessed the chaos of ancient times, but now, in the prosperous Kaiyuan era, the disaster in Caozhou had already created such a scene of deserted fields, making him even more aware of the fragility of the living environment of the people in ancient agrarian society!

Before entering the country, he had already sent a messenger to Caozhou to deliver the news. However, after entering the country, he traveled for most of the day before the local officials finally arrived. They were only riding on a worn-out horse and a skinny donkey. The officials were also very thin. After meeting, they did not say anything else, but asked for food first: "Young master, could you give me some dry food and millet to fill my stomach?"

If even the local officials were in such a state, one can only imagine how the common people were faring. Zhang Dai didn't say much, but simply had someone send them some dry rations.

"Waaah, the lives of ordinary people here are truly miserable..."

Accompanying the state officials was Xue Yi, a fellow graduate who had arrived in Caozhou earlier. He had a relative serving as an official in a county under Caozhou's jurisdiction, so he had come ahead. Upon seeing Zhang Dai, he couldn't help but burst into tears as soon as he opened his mouth: "Last year, the expenses for the village were enormous. The villagers had no savings, and last year there was no harvest at all."

At present, a bushel of grain in the countryside costs nearly a thousand coins. People are selling their homes and children to make ends meet, and even then, they can't afford a single meal. The able-bodied can still flee the famine, but the remaining old and weak can only wait to die! I went to my uncle's place and saw the county officials simply carrying corpses and building graves… It was too tragic; I couldn't bear to look any longer. Going back to the capital, going back—it's too late to save so many people suffering. Even if we do our best, how many can we save?”

As he spoke, Xue Yi couldn't help but cover his face and weep.

Although his mind was not strong enough, the sudden sight of the tragic scene in the village was too shocking. In particular, seeing people die in large numbers, so fragile and irreversible, made him want to cover his eyes and ears and pretend that it was not real!
"Xue Wu is just tired. Get in the carriage and sleep for a while. If you still want to travel after you wake up, we will arrange an empty boat to take you to Huazhou to return by boat!"

Hearing Xue Yi's mournful sobs, Zhang Dai felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He simply waved for him to rest in the back carriage and instructed, "Continue on your way. Do not stop tonight. Get to the prefecture as soon as possible!"

While in Bianzhou, the team made some adjustments. A group of boats and vehicles, led by Zhang Yi and others, headed towards Huazhou along the waterway, preparing to cross the river into Hebei. Zhang Dai, on the other hand, led the remaining personnel and supplies towards Jiyin in Caozhou, which was also the core disaster-stricken area in Henan.

Upon entering the prefecture and witnessing this scene, everyone felt heavy-hearted. They had no objection to Zhang Dai's instructions and were still calculating in their hearts that if they could reach the prefecture city a little earlier, they might be able to save more people. Even though they were exhausted and panting, they gritted their teeth and persevered.

"My lord, some disaster victims are gathering from nearby. They are all in dire straits. Should we give them some food along the way?"

An Xiaochen, who was leading the rear guard, rode forward and asked Zhang Dai for instructions.

Zhang Dai glanced at the rear of the procession and saw many people following weakly behind, crying and pleading feebly. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "If we distribute grain along the way, starving people from all over the country will flock here, and we'll be left with no way to move forward or backward. Don't distribute grain. Tell them to go to the prefectural government; there will be relief there!"

Their group of several hundred people seemed like a large number, but if they attracted a large number of disaster victims, the situation would be difficult to control. Therefore, it would be best to go to the state capital and distribute relief supplies in an orderly manner, which would be the safest approach and help more people.

More and more refugees followed along the way, especially as some able-bodied men joined in, some even trying to get closer to the group. This was understandable; when people are starving to death, what's the point of talking about propriety and shame?

However, Zhang Dai had his own plans, so he had An Xiaochen, Nan Jiyun, and others each lead a team to surround the caravan as a deterrent. The refugees were ultimately exhausted and starving, and dared not rush forward to intercept or rob them, but simply followed closely behind the caravan.

The group traveled day and night, and arrived at the outskirts of Caozhou City at dawn the next day. The local official who led the way entered the city first, and soon a large group of people walked out of the city.

The leader, dressed in a purple robe, dismounted from his horse at a distance and strode towards the group, loudly asking, "Which one of you is Zhang Dai, Zhang Zongzhi?"

"I am Zhang Dai, greetings to Lord Dai. My journey has been slow, and I apologize for keeping you waiting!" Zhang Dai quickly dismounted and hurried to greet him, bowing as he did so.

"Zongzhi, there's no need for such formalities. Your father and I are kindred spirits and friends of many years. I was delighted to learn that you were going to the prefecture to help with disaster relief! You are a righteous young man with commendable virtue. The Yan family tradition is truly well-deserved!"

The middle-aged man in the purple robe was Li Daosui, the governor of Caozhou and the Duke of Dai.

An ordinary prefectural governor would not be granted the title of Duke, and Li Daosui was no ordinary person either. He was a member of the Li Tang imperial family, the grandson of Li Lingkui, the son of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan. The reason he was appointed as the prefect of Caozhou was due to bad luck.

Previously, the Heishui Mohe sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to submit and request allegiance, which aroused the dislike of the Balhae King Daemuye, who then sent his brother Daemunye to attack the Heishui Mohe.

Daemun Yeh, unwilling to offend the Tang Dynasty, betrayed his country and went to Tang. Dae Wu Yeh sent an envoy to Tang to request Daemun Yeh's execution. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang protected Daemun Yeh and sent him to Anxi, but replied to Dae Wu Yeh that Daemun Yeh had already been exiled to Lingnan. However, the truth was revealed, which made Emperor Xuanzong of Tang very embarrassed.

Li Daosui was serving as the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies at the time. He was implicated and transferred to the post of Governor of Caozhou because of a leak by a subordinate official of the Court of State Ceremonies. As soon as he arrived in Caozhou, he encountered this disaster.

If it were a normal year and disaster struck, it wouldn't be this tragic. However, Caozhou was on the way to the Eastern Fengshan ceremony, and the treasury was completely emptied to supply the treasury for the ceremony. All the money was expected to be replenished the following year, but the fields yielded nothing, resulting in the current tragic scene.

"Since the disaster, the treasury has been depleted. Even if we wanted to do everything we could to relieve the suffering, we would still be unable to cook without rice. Zongzhi, you are from the Eastern Capital and have never set foot in this area before. You were moved by our plight and brought us supplies to help us. We are truly grateful and have no way to repay you but to welcome you with the people of our prefecture!"

Because of the dire situation within the state, the officials and people of Caozhou, from Li Daosui down, were extremely enthusiastic about the arrival of Zhang Dai and his entourage, with the old and young helping each other out of the city to welcome them.

"Lord Dai, you flatter me. Along the way, I have witnessed the suffering of the people of the prefecture and felt their pain firsthand. I only regret that my strength is insufficient and my assistance is minimal."

Zhang Dai didn't care about the formalities of welcoming and seeing off people, but who doesn't like being treated more warmly by others?

However, Zhang Dai declined Li Daosui's invitation to come to the city for a banquet for the time being, because more than a thousand disaster victims who had come with him had arrived outside the city one after another, and he immediately suggested that they cook and distribute porridge on the spot.

Li Daosui, of course, did not object to this. He immediately instructed the state officials to arrange the relevant matters, and personally invited Zhang Dai to climb the city tower to overlook the porridge distribution site.

"Qi silk and Lu fine silk are renowned throughout the land. Zongzhi's plan to establish weaving workshops to relieve the distressed and needy is excellent. Since becoming magistrate last year, I have ordered the state officials to conduct a general survey of all weaving households within the territory, incorporating them all into the weaving workshops. We have found over eight hundred weaving women, along with their respective families..."

Li Daosui sighed again as he spoke, “When I entered the state, the disaster was already very serious. At that time, the treasury was empty and everything was difficult. We could only open the state borders, so the people wandered around looking for food. We hoped that they could each find a way to survive. Many people in the state were scattered, otherwise there would have been even more weavers.”

Faced with the disaster, Li Daosui adopted a completely opposite approach to that of his former colleague Yuanfu. Yuanfu, regardless of the suffering of the people in the prefecture, confined them all to their hometowns, even if it meant dying in their hometowns.

As a member of the imperial family, Li Daosui did not face much pressure from examinations, but he was afraid of hurting people. When the state's reserves were insufficient, he allowed many people to leave the state and find ways to survive.

"Actually, it doesn't require highly skilled weavers. The reason for setting up this plan is to help women and children who are not adequately supported by the state government or given work relief, so that they can survive by working."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly added that although the disaster in Caozhou was severe, it was at the end of his personnel network, so the supplies sent there were the fewest.

However, thanks to Li Daosui's cooperation, although the number of people recruited by the Caozhou weaving workshop was not large, the results were quite remarkable. When Zhang Dai heard Li Daosui say that he had specially selected those weavers from the state to send to the weaving workshop, he was both amused and exasperated.

"I see. Zongzhi, your virtue and compassion for all people are truly admirable!"

Upon hearing this, Li Daosui slapped his forehead and then said to Zhang Dai with a smile, "Then let's go to the weaving workshop together later and let Zongzhi see what the weaving workshop's products are like."

They watched from the city tower as the disaster victims outside the city gradually ate their meals before coming down together. Suddenly, a young man rushed out from the left side of the road, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply to Zhang Dai, saying, "I am Liu Yan, greetings to Young Master Zhang! I first heard of your righteous deeds in Luoyang, but regretfully I never met you. My hometown suffered a disaster, and I returned to visit relatives. I never expected that Young Master Zhang would also rush to help. I am so fortunate to meet you here. I wish to join your ranks and assist in the affairs of my hometown. I hope you will not reject me!"

(End of this chapter)