Chapter 1070: Scattered Hearts (Part 2)

But the crowd merely glanced this way, then went back to what they were doing, as if they hadn't heard Hu Xiaotian's identity at all. Still, Xiong Tianba's roar had some effect—at least the guards no longer demanded to search them.

Hu Xiaotian's group suddenly found themselves ignored. Wei Sa whispered to Hu Xiaotian, "Master, what's going on? They seem unwilling to deal with us."

Hu Xiaotian watched the soldiers keeping their distance and smiled. "Looks like we're not welcome here."

Tang Tiehan said, "Sir Hu, aren't the local officials coming to greet you?" The Emperor had already granted Dongliang Jun to Yongyang Princess as her fief, and personally ordered Hu Xiaotian to take charge of everything here—meaning from today onward Hu Xiaotian is the highest administrative official of this place. So why won't these people give him any face?

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "Interesting!" Before this, Zhao Wusheng had warned him that the locals of Dongliang Jun had no sense of belonging; most still considered themselves subjects of Da Yong, they were deeply resentful of their awkward situation, full of hostility and resistance toward the Dakang side, and Dakang had failed to govern well. The continual influx of refugees had severely disrupted the normal lives of local residents, so the people of Dongliang Jun harbored grievances, feeling like abandoned children—Da Yong had simply handed them over to Dakang without consultation, yet Dakang lacked the ability to manage the place, leaving them to rely on themselves.

A commotion suddenly arose in the distance—it was the newly arrived refugees clashing with the port guards. One refugee said, "We just want to pass through to Da Yong; what right do you have to keep us from landing?"

The guards merely performed their duties, forcibly driving the refugees back onto their ships. Someone on the scene shouted, "Damn it, this is Dakang land. Why chase us off? Folks, fight them!" In an instant the crowd flared up—there were nearly a thousand refugees at the port, all of them displaced, starving, and exhausted from their trek. They had finally set foot on the north bank of the Yong River, believing hope was within reach. Yet here they were blocked by the local guards, forced to reboard and head back south—returning meant starvation or freezing, pressing forward offered a sliver of hope. In desperation people will do anything reckless, and the refugees surged forward. Although there were over two hundred guards on the scene, compared with the nearly a thousand refugees they were vastly outnumbered.

Moreover, the guards tried to restrain themselves and avoided using weapons, but a cry of anguish rang out—a guard, left with no choice, thrust his spear and felled a refugee. It was like kicking a hornet's nest; seeing their companion wounded, the refugees flared with rage and launched a frenzied attack. The scene descended into chaos, filled with wails, curses, and the sobs of women and children.

Hu Xiaotian gave a signal; Xiong Tianba seized a pair of large hammers, pulled on the reins, and his black horse charged into the melee like a black gust of wind, shouting, "Damn it, whoever dares to keep fighting, I'll smash his skull first!" He swung the hammers left and right, frightening both sides into fleeing to the flanks, literally tearing a path through the crowd. Someone thrust a blade at Xiong Tianba, but his hammer split the attack, shaking the opponent's tiger mouth until it bled and sending the long sword flying far away.

Seeing Xiong Tianba's awe-inspiring might, no one dared to approach him closely.

Xiong Tianba rode through the crowd, brandishing his hammer and bellowing, "Listen up, from today on this Dongliang Jun is—my third uncle, the court prince consort, Commander Hu Xiaotian—everyone must obey his orders; anyone who shows disrespect will be…" He glanced around, spotted a tall wooden arrow tower nearby, spurred his horse forward, and smashed his hammer into it. The thick base pillar at the tower's foot snapped under the blow, the tower began to topple toward the water, and a lookout guard on top screamed as he leapt into the river.

The crowd was stunned by Xiong Tianba's valor, and for a moment the scene fell utterly silent.

Among the refugees, an old man led a thin, sallow-faced child. The two youngsters were no older than five. The old man trembled as he said, "Ya'er, kneel before Master Hu!" The two children glanced at their grandfather, then knelt; the old man followed, tears streaming. He pleaded, "Master Hu, please have mercy and take in us common folk. If there were any other way, we wouldn't have risked crossing the water. I don't mind dying myself, but my two grandsons are still under five—if we go back, they'll only starve to death." Seeing their grandfather in tears, one child hurried to wipe his face, while the other kept kowtowing to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian's eyes welled up. Wei Sa and Tang Qingxuan beside him also shed sympathetic tears; they dismounted and went to the children, urging them to rise, but the two youngsters were stubborn and refused to get up no matter what.

Nearly a thousand refugees knelt one by one, turning Lower Sand Port into a sea of kneeling figures, weeping in utter despair.

The port guards also looked torn, not because they were heartless, but because if left unchecked this situation would inevitably spiral out of control; before long Dongliang Jun would be thrown into utter chaos by the refugees' arrival, and even the survival of its own residents could not be guaranteed.

Hu Xiaotian dismounted and walked slowly to the old man's side, speaking softly, "Sir, please rise first."

The old man, tears in his eyes, replied, "If Sir Hu refuses to let my two grandsons enter the city, I will kneel here until I die."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, then looked over the crowd and said, "I am Hu Xiaotian, sent by the Emperor to administer Dongliang Jun. Dongliang Jun has always been Dakang territory; although it was once occupied by Da Yong, it has now returned to Dakang. Every inch of Dongliang Jun's land belongs to Dakang, and every one of its people is a Dakang subject. As fellow Dakang people, why should we harm each other?"

The guards lowered their heads in shame; in fact most of them knew Dongliang Jun's history and that they had always been Dakang people, but given Dakang's present predicament they inevitably thought of self-preservation—keeping the refugees from landing and entering the city was merely a helpless self-defense measure.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Dakang has suffered famine year after year, displacing its people. No one would abandon home and wife unless driven to desperation. I know you've struggled northward in search of a livelihood, but a single city like Dongliang Jun cannot save all of Dakang. If its gates were flung open to all, within days it would overflow, its stores exhausted, and there would be no livelihood left here either—everyone would have to seek other means of survival."

Someone in the crowd said, "We only want to pass through to Da Yong—is that really not allowed?"

Hu Xiaotian replied, "Da Yong has sealed its borders with heavy troops; anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy. Do you really think they would treat Dakang's subjects kindly?"

The scene fell silent again. In fact they had heard this news before, but still wanted to go see for themselves; now Hu Xiaotian's words were surely correct.

Someone in the crowd wept, "If this won't work and that won't work, are we doomed to starve here?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Don't rush, I only arrived in Dongliang Jun today and still don't know the exact situation here. I, Hu Xiaotian, swear to heaven that if there is any chance, I will spare no effort to help you. Please, elders and fellow villagers, stay calm and do not act rashly." He told the old man, "Sir, please rise—it's freezing out there, don't let the grandchildren catch cold." He took off his black sable fur cloak and draped it over a nearby child.

The old man nodded through tears, his voice trembling, "Sir Hu, you must help us!"

At that moment two carriages sped toward Lower Sand Port; their occupant was none other than Dongliang Jun's Governor Li Chengming, who had hurried over upon hearing that Hu Xiaotian had arrived at Lower Sand Port.

He was forty-three, gaunt and dark-skinned, his official uniform patched in many places. Having seen many officials, Hu Xiaotian considered Li Chengming the most shabby of them. Li Chengming came before Hu Xiaotian with a worried, grim expression and said respectfully, "Official Li Chengming pays his respects to Sir Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, turned and walked to a secluded spot, and Li Chengming hurriedly followed.

Hu Xiaotian asked, "What's going on?"

Li Chengming sighed, "Sir Hu, you've just arrived and don't know the situation here. Over the past three months, the number of refugees sneaking across the Yong River into Dongliang Jun has been rising daily—from a few dozen a day to several hundred, and now at peak times several thousand. Initially Dongliang Jun accepted some, but who would have thought the refugees would be endless, an unceasing stream? Some said they only wanted to pass through to Da Yong, yet Da Yong's border is tightly sealed, allowing no refugees in. Those turned back refuse to return to Jiangnan, so they're all stranded in Dongliang Jun. Now the refugee population here approaches thirty thousand, severely disrupting the lives of local residents, and in their struggle for food and clothing they resort to robbery, theft, arson, and murder without cease."

Hu Xiaotian knew Li Chengming spoke the truth; as refugee numbers grew, such incidents were inevitable—people will do anything desperate to survive.

Li Chengming said, "From the start the court has neglected Dongliang Jun. I'm a civil official who brought only six aides; upon arrival I found that not only had the city garrison withdrawn to Da Yong, even the Government Office runners had left—Dongliang Jun is an empty shell. The court sends no troops, so what can I use to govern the people? My words carry no weight. These guards are merely hired by wealthy townsfolk to protect their own interests, funded privately, and I can't even command them." He gave a wry smile as he spoke.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Let's head back to the city first to discuss this!" (To be continued…^)