Chapter 31: Debate Outside the City

Chapter 31: Debate Outside the City

Nie Bing’s words truly surprised Xiao Ce a little.

He had thought the Four Northern Desert Prefectures would be poor and difficult, but he never imagined they would be this harsh.

Xiao Ce did not doubt the truth of Nie Bing’s words.

He turned his head to look at Nie Bing and said with a firm gaze, “I am a person who likes challenging things. Moreover, every word I have ever spoken, I have made come true! What I want to do, I will definitely accomplish!”

“You should know this, right?”

Nie Bing naturally knew what Xiao Ce was referring to.

They walked to the city gate and started queuing up.

To stop the Disaster Victims from flooding into Anhua City, they had adopted a permit system for entering the city.

People from Anhua City relied on their identity tags.

People from outside needed to pay a security deposit of five taels of silver each.

There were patrols within Anhua City. If they found anyone staying out overnight, sleeping on the streets, or begging, they would confiscate the permit and drive them out.

As long as people followed the rules of Anhua City, they could return the permit when leaving, and the authorities would refund the five taels of silver.

In short, all these measures were targeting the Disaster Victims.

While waiting in line, the several people in front of Xiao Ce clearly looked like scholars.

Hearing these rules, one of them couldn’t help but show a trace of disdain and said, “And Anhua City is supposed to be the most prosperous city in the Central Plains Hinterland! The magistrate of Anhua City doesn’t think about solving the problem of the Disaster Victims, but has plenty of methods to deal with them…”

“As an official, instead of thinking about serving the people, he thinks about making things difficult for them. The Great Xiao Kingdom is in danger…”

“Isn’t that right? Seeing these people suffering terribly, not helping them, but creating difficulties everywhere. They won’t even give them the right to enter the city! It’s not just unworthy of being an official! He is simply unworthy of being a human!”

“Yes! Receiving the salary of the Great Xiao Kingdom, yet engaging in such incompetent, lazy governance! It is precisely because the Great Xiao Kingdom has too many mediocre officials that it has no hope!”

These scholars clearly seemed like angry youths! The more they spoke, the more agitated they became.

Yin Pan’er and the others listened to their words, their expressions excited, seeming to strongly agree with this sentiment.

Xiao Ce snorted coldly. “They’ve really studied so much they’ve ruined their brains!”

Nie Bing seemed to intentionally want to pick a fight and said to Xiao Ce, “Young Master, don’t you agree with the arguments of those gentlemen in front? What are you snorting about!”

Nie Bing deliberately raised her voice a bit, just so the few scholars in front could hear.

Xiao Ce glanced at Nie Bing.

He thought to himself, this woman is still not convinced.

He would have to find a chance another day to properly educate her.

However, since Xiao Ce dared to snort, he wasn’t afraid of them hearing, and he raised his voice a little. “Do you actually agree with their views? Do you think the magistrate of Anhua City’s actions are wrong?”

Nie Bing frowned slightly and said, “Of course they are wrong! So many Disaster Victims are nearly starving to death. As a magistrate, if you don’t open the granaries to provide relief, you should at least let the Disaster Victims into the city. They are subjects of the Great Xiao Kingdom, they have the right to enter any city of the Great Xiao Kingdom!”

The leader of the scholars on the side saw this and said, “What this young lady says is exactly right. These Disaster Victims are also people of Great Xiao, they have the right to enter any city of the Great Xiao Kingdom, including Anhua City! Young Master, don’t tell me you support the magistrate’s method?”

Xiao Ce looked at this person. Judging by his attire, he should be a young master from a wealthy family! And he was the leader of these scholars.

“Of course! I think this magistrate is not only not incompetent, on the contrary, what he did is very good!”

The leading young master looked at Xiao Ce with utter disbelief. “Ignoring these Disaster Victims? And this is doing very well?! Do you know what you are saying?”

Xiao Ce’s gaze turned cold. “Killing the ‘holy mothers’ in chaotic times is absolutely right! Anhua City is one of the largest cities in the Central Plains Hinterland. Its geographical location is a strategic pass! The city has a population of over a hundred thousand. And everyone knows, most of the people in Anhua City make their living through trade. Due to its special geographical position, there is very little farmland.”

“If the magistrate threw the city gates wide open and allowed the starving Disaster Victims to flood into Anhua City! Then, what would be the result? Disaster Victims from all over the Great Xiao Kingdom would pour into Anhua City!”

“Once there are too many people! People who are starving to death, for a bite to eat, to stay alive! They will do anything! By then, the hundred thousand people in Anhua City would no longer have peaceful days, and traveling merchants would not dare to come to Anhua City to do business. In less than a month, Anhua City would be taken over by the Disaster Victims, and then the Great Xiao Kingdom would have another hundred thousand or more Disaster Victims!”

“Not only that, Anhua City’s location occupies a strategic pass. If the main roads were controlled by the Disaster Victims. No merchant would dare to pass through. Then, the trade routes and grain routes would be blocked, which would worsen the spread of the famine! Leading to unpredictable consequences!”

“So, this magistrate is protecting his city as much as possible, and also ensuring Anhua City’s commerce operates normally! As long as the grain routes and trade routes remain unimpeded and operate normally! Isn’t this a great achievement?”

Xiao Ce’s impassioned speech left these scholars momentarily speechless.

The leading young master said, “How can you describe the Disaster Victims as if they are floodwaters or wild beasts! They are just some hungry, homeless people! They are Disaster Victims, not bandits!”

Xiao Ce snorted coldly and looked around.

Their debate at the city gate had attracted quite a crowd of onlookers.

Xiao Ce said, “You are right! They are pitiful Disaster Victims. Therefore, this magistrate’s actions are not incompetent governance, nor are they lazy governance! He is the true ‘father-and-mother official’! He is doing his utmost to prevent the people in his Anhua City from becoming Disaster Victims. He might be failing these Disaster Victims! But, as the magistrate of Anhua City, he is not only right, he lives up to the title of ‘father-and-mother official’!”

“Sir, aren’t you being a bit overly alarmist!” The leading young master said with a face full of disdain.

Xiao Ce was not interested in arguing with them anymore and turned to the Disaster Victims around them instead. “Alarmist? I don’t know where you come from, and I don’t know if you understand what the situation is like outside? My word doesn’t count, go ask those Disaster Victims!”

“Fellow countrymen! Are there any among you who used to live in cities not affected by the disaster? Later, because Disaster Victims flooded in, you were also forced to become Disaster Victims?”

Among the onlookers, there was an emaciated old man.

Although the old man’s clothes were full of patches, he kept himself very clean.

“This gentleman speaks correctly. I was a teacher in Jinhe City! At first, there was no disaster in Jinhe City! But, we took in a group of Disaster Victims. Then, when this news spread, Disaster Victims kept coming.”

“At first, there were wealthy families providing relief. But, as more and more Disaster Victims arrived, the local grain prices changed every day. Later, the Disaster Victims directly robbed the wealthy families. Once that started, everything fell into chaos! The wealthy families got the news and all fled! In less than half a month, the food in Jinhe City was completely eaten by the Disaster Victims. Hearing that Jinhe City was overrun with Disaster Victims, merchants who originally planned to come sell grain didn’t dare to come anymore, afraid of being robbed themselves.”

“When merchants stopped shipping grain, there was a food shortage very quickly. Jinhe City was just a small city of over ten thousand people. We had to leave there and join the fleeing masses… We witnessed with our own eyes, one city after another that was not originally affected by the disaster, ending up like us, forcing the people in those originally unaffected cities to become Disaster Victims.”

“What this teacher says is right, I am from Nanhe City!”

“We are from Yang City, we had the same situation…”

More and more Disaster Victims joined in, telling their stories.

Their situations were mostly similar.

Hearing their words, these scholars looked somewhat ashamed.

The leading young master said, “Then do you also support this magistrate doing this?”

These Disaster Victims lowered their heads. The teacher from earlier spoke up, “Of course we don’t wish he would do this. We also hope he would open the city gates, let us in, even just for a few days of full bellies!”

“But, we also envy the people of Anhua City for having a magistrate who thinks for them. If our magistrate back then had acted like them, we wouldn’t have ended up like this now!”

The Disaster Victims all chimed in agreement. Most of the Disaster Victims still had very kind hearts.

However, when people are starving, there’s no point talking about benevolence and morality.

The leading young master still felt somewhat unconvinced. “Then, do you think these Disaster Victims deserve to die? Should they just starve to death?”

Xiao Ce scoffed disdainfully. “Hmph, I was debating with you about whether the magistrate is a good official. Why are you changing the subject!”

“Of course, the Disaster Victims cannot be allowed to starve to death. Every citizen of the Great Xiao Kingdom is a treasure of the kingdom. And disaster relief should never be the responsibility of just one city or one county. You have seen it yourselves, if one city tries to shoulder the relief effort alone, it will only drag that city down.”

“This requires His Majesty to use the strength of the entire nation to address it. It is not something any single magistrate can accomplish! And the magistrate of Anhua City has already done quite well! If Anhua City were taken over by the Disaster Victims, this famine would likely expand on a much larger scale!”

Saying this, Xiao Ce turned to the Disaster Victims nearby and said, “Fellow countrymen, don’t lose hope. Hold on a little longer! I promise you, the hardship will definitely pass!”

The leading young master said, “Hmph, anyone can talk pretty! In a few days, when they don’t even have roots to eat, they’ll start starving to death. And you will probably just move to another place to keep spouting off!”

“Yes, and you promise! Who are you to promise the hardship will definitely pass?”

“Are you addicted to bragging? You promise? What do you promise with! Who do you think you are.”

These scholars looked at Xiao Ce and mocked him.

Xiao Ce snorted coldly.

Then he flicked his sleeve, placed his hands behind his back, and stood tall. “I am the Eldest Prince Xiao Ce, the King of Northern Desert personally appointed by His Majesty! Do you think This Prince can make that guarantee?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire area instantly fell into complete silence!