Stone Fairy!

With Li Qing's help, the plague quickly subsided.

Although the plague was stopped, the number of refugees increased.

The flooding downstream was more severe than expected. The Heihe River, stretching for 800 li, was flooded not only in the Yunmei City section. Several cities upstream were mostly destroyed by the flood, and nine out of ten villages and towns along the river survived. The raging floodwaters swallowed farmland, destroyed roads, and swept away houses.

The survivors, along with their families, flocked towards Yunmei City along roads that had not been flooded.

In just one month, tens of thousands of refugees have gathered outside Yunmei City.

The shacks at the foot of the city wall stretched from the city gate all the way up to the distant hillside, densely packed together.

With so many refugees, it was impossible to rely on Yunmei City's granaries to sustain them indefinitely.

Xie Tian convened his staff for three days to discuss the matter, and finally settled on a plan—to use relief funds instead of construction work.

The abandoned farmland outside the city was remeasured and redistributed, and the strong and able-bodied among the refugees were organized into teams and assigned to cultivate the land.

If there weren't enough hoes, they sharpened wooden sticks to use as plows; if there weren't enough oxen, they used people to pull the plow.

At the same time, the city's defenses were also being expanded.

Those displaced people who did not receive land went to repair city walls, dig river mud, and move stones.

Although it was hard work, being able to receive a bowl of porridge and two biscuits every day, and having a place to sleep under the shelter from the wind and rain, was far better than the days of wandering on the road and living hand to mouth.

After more than a month, the displaced people's emotions gradually stabilized.

Of course, there were also chaotic situations.

After all, tens of thousands of people are crammed together, a diverse mix of all sorts of people.

There were petty thieves, brawlers, and people causing disturbances.

Xie Tian established a baojia system among the refugees, with ten households forming a jia, and ten jia forming a bao. He selected honest and law-abiding people as jia and bao leaders to supervise each other and enforce collective responsibility. He also dispatched soldiers from the city patrol to patrol the refugee camps daily, arresting several troublemakers and publicly whipping them, which finally quelled the unrest.

Days passed by one after another.

However, news from Kyoto shattered this temporary peace.

The emperor has passed away.

The news reached Yunmei City three days ago.

After reading the message, Xie Tian remained silent for a long time before gently placing the document on the table.

"They're here."

The council chamber was brightly lit.

The long, narrow rosewood table was filled with people sitting on both sides.

Xie Tian sat in the main seat, dressed in a black robe, his face calm and his gaze steady, but the white hair at his temples was particularly glaring in the candlelight.

Xie Ning sat to his right, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a long spear leaning against the back of the chair, its red tassel swaying slightly in the candlelight.

Daozhen sat to Xie Tian's left, dressed in white, which stood out conspicuously in the candlelight that filled the room.

In addition, there are several core members of the Yunmei City management team.

Xie Tian placed the document on the table, the candlelight illuminating the words on the paper clearly.

"The message is an urgent document from Kyoto, stamped with the Cabinet's seal, so it can't be fake." Xie Tian's voice wasn't loud, but it was steady and powerful, echoing in the council chamber.

"It shouldn't be long before everyone knows."

One of them said in a gruff voice, "The emperor has passed away, the crown prince died long ago, and no new crown prince has been appointed... those princes are probably going to start fighting."

"Not only that, those princes and nobles on the border probably won't stay quiet either. They could keep them in check when the emperor was alive, but now that the emperor is gone... hehe."

"You are all aware of the current situation," Xie Tian said.

"The refugees are still pouring in, and the fields outside the city have not been fully cultivated. We cannot afford to panic at this time."

After a pause, Xie Tian continued.

"Everything remains the same. Those who need to farm should farm, those who need to repair the city walls should repair the city walls, and those who need to patrol should patrol."

"However, we need more manpower for intelligence. We must keep track of news from Kyoto, the border, and the surrounding prefectures in real time."

"We can't wait until something happens to find out; we need to see the signs before it happens."

The man who had spoken earlier clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Rest assured, City Lord, I will take care of it immediately."

"The city's defenses must be strengthened, especially at night. We don't know who has infiltrated the refugees. Checks at the city gates must be stricter; anyone without a travel permit must not be allowed to enter the city."

"yes!"

Xie Tian arranged everything step by step in an orderly manner.

Although the atmosphere in the council chamber was solemn, there was no panic.

After everyone left, only Xie Tian, ​​Xie Ning, and Dao Zhen remained in the council hall.

Xie Tian picked up his teacup, only to find the tea had gone cold, so he put it down. He looked at Daozhen, hesitated, and finally spoke.

"Master, it seems things are about to get turbulent."

Daozhen picked up the now-cold teacup, took a slow sip, then put it down, his expression calm as still water.

"So all the preparations we made before weren't in vain."

Xie Tian gave a wry smile and nodded.

Build high walls, store up grain. He did exactly what Daozhen said: reinforce the city walls, stockpile provisions, train soldiers, and gather refugees.

Half a month later,

News from Kyoto came in like snowflakes, each one more urgent and worse than the last.

The crown prince had already died, and the emperor had not yet appointed a new crown prince.

The princes in Kyoto completely disregarded blood ties and fought fiercely for the throne.

Brothers quarrel and fight each other.

On the third day after the news reached Yunmei City, another urgent report arrived.

The Marquis of Zhennan on the border raised an army, under the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials," and led a mighty army of 50,000 men toward the capital.

Immediately afterwards, the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Pingxi also made their moves, each leading tens of thousands of elite troops, heading towards the capital from three directions.

Were they really going to purge the court of corrupt officials?

Moreover, who is "you"?

The world is truly about to descend into chaos.

this day,

Xie Ning was patrolling the city wall when he saw a group of people slowly approaching from the official road in the distance.

There were only about twenty or thirty people. They were dressed in all sorts of clothes. Some looked like Taoist priests, some like martial artists, some like merchants, and some like scholars. They were all different kinds of people and did not seem to be from the same group, yet they walked together.

The guards at the city gate stopped them and were questioning them.

Xie Ning also walked down the city wall and came to the city gate.

When the garrison officer saw her arrive, he quickly clasped his hands in salute, then pointed to the group of people and said, "Sir, these people say they've come to defect to Yunmei City."

Xie Ning's gaze swept over those people.

From the crowd, an old Taoist priest in a gray robe stepped out. He had white hair and a youthful face, held a whisk in his hand, and had a face as round as the moon. He had a somewhat otherworldly and dignified appearance.

He bowed to Xie Ning and said with a smile, "I have been traveling around and have heard that the Lord of Yunmei City is benevolent and loves his people like his own children, so I have come to seek refuge with him. I have some knowledge of magic and am willing to serve the Lord."

A dark-faced man carrying two swords clasped his hands and said, "I am a martial artist, not particularly skilled, but I am good at fighting and charging into battle. I heard that Yunmei City was recruiting, so I came."

A middle-aged scholar in a blue robe, fanning himself with a folding fan, said in a refined manner, "Although I am not strong enough to kill a chicken, I am knowledgeable in military strategy and have some understanding of tactics. I am willing to offer advice to the city lord."

.......

Xie Ning looked them over one by one, her gaze neither cold nor warm.

These days, more and more people are coming to Yunmei City for refuge.

Some are truly capable, some are just pretending, some are just trying to make a living, and some have ulterior motives.

She had to screen them one by one and arrange them one by one.

She was about to speak when her gaze suddenly fell on the back of the crowd, and she paused slightly.

At the very back of the crowd stood a young man.

He was about twenty years old, wearing a faded blue long gown, with a thin face and gentle features, looking like a down-on-his-luck scholar.

Xie Ning's gaze lingered on him for a moment before shifting away.

Xie Ning began to register the names, origins, and skills of these people one by one, and arranged for them to go to their respective places.

In the end, only the young man in the blue robe remained.

Xie Ning walked up to him.

"And you? What's your name? Where are you from? What are your skills?"

The young man looked up at Xie Ning, his eyes were clear, and raised the scroll in his hand.

"My name is Shen Mo. I come from the north and I don't have any great skills."

"I only studied for a few years, know a few words, and can write a few articles."

Xie Ning looked at him: "A scholar?"

"Scholars".