Chapter 1725

Su Yuchi pressed his lips, said nothing, and walked down the arrow tower; Yuan Qing Shan followed closely behind him: "General, there are many children among the refugees; can we let women and children into the city?"

Su Yuchi suddenly turned his head and glared at Yuan Qing Shan, saying: "The court has ordered; we are not allowed to let anyone enter the city. Do you want me to defy the imperial edict and show disrespect?"

Yuan Qing Shan said: "General, even among our garrison soldiers there are many relatives left in Xichuan; although Li Tianheng rebelled and declared himself independent, the people of Xichuan are still Dakang subjects—why must we shut them out?" His eye sockets were red; having just gone out and gone deep among the refugees, what he saw made him feel heartbroken, for who among men, not grass and trees, can be without feeling?

Su Yuchi is not heartless; he also knows what Yuan Qing Shan says makes sense, but he has always been a rule‑follower—how could he dare defy an imperial order? Perhaps the court's decision stems from the time when Dakang suffered famine and Xichuan sealed its borders, refusing Dakang people entry to flee and survive; now the tide has turned, and it is Xichuan's turn to suffer misfortune. Or maybe the Dakang court, having just regained a little vitality, does not want to bear such a heavy burden, does not want Xichuan's refugees to drag down Dakang's economy—all this is merely Su Yuchi's speculation.

Yuan Qing Shan still wanted to say something, but Su Yuchi raised his hand to indicate he need not continue.

At this moment, an officer hurriedly came before Su Yuchi and respectfully said: "General, just now we received news that King of Zhenhai Hu Xiaotian, leading a fleet, has already arrived at Bai Lang Dui."

Su Yuchi frowned slightly; Hu Xiaotian had come—what could he be doing at a time like this? The first thought that crossed his mind was whether Hu Xiaotian would take advantage of the fire to loot; he furrowed his brows and asked: "How many people? How many ships?"

The officer replied: "The numbers are unknown, ten cargo ships."

"Cargo ships?" Su Yuchi almost thought he had misheard.

Hu Xiaotian and Su Yuchi had met before at Bai Lang Dui—not for the first time—but previously their meetings there were to discuss an alliance, whereas this time Hu Xiaotian came to provide disaster relief, bringing a total of ten ships laden with grain and medicine.

When Su Yuchi arrived at Bai Lang Dui, Hu Xiaotian's side had already begun to unload the grain from the ships.

Su Yuchi had already guessed Hu Xiaotian's motive for coming; although he no longer regarded Hu Xiaotian as a subject of Dakang, he still had to exchange greetings for appearances' sake, smiling as he approached Hu Xiaotian, clasped his fists and bowed, saying: "Su 【I】 did not know the Prince's arrival and failed to welcome him properly—I am truly ashamed."

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily: "General Su, your public duties keep you busy serving the state, so naturally you have little leisure time."

Su Yuchi detected a hidden meaning in his words, thinking he was blaming him for not earlier going to Bai Quan City to attend his wedding; he hurriedly explained: "I had intended to go to Bai Quan City to attend the Prince's wedding, but just before departure I received an urgent dispatch, so I could not go; I hope the Prince will excuse me."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "I have received the General's gift; the sentiment is naturally appreciated, and I bear no blame toward the General."

Su Yuchi let out an embarrassed laugh: "It seems I overthought it." His gaze turned to the cargo being unloaded from the ships; the dock was bustling with activity.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I heard that an earthquake struck Xichuan, tens of thousands of refugees have gathered at Yunyang's western gate, facing the worry of running out of food, so I specially sent some grain and medicine over."

Su Yuchi secretly mused, not knowing what Hu Xiaotian really had in mind, but since the latter's deed was done with great propriety, if he refused he would surely invite gossip; even his own subordinates might not be convinced. Thinking this, Su Yuchi smiled: "The Prince is indeed righteous and lofty, compassionate toward heaven and pitying of men; I, Su, will accept this grain and medicine on behalf of the refugees and will certainly convey the Prince's goodwill to the Xichuan refugees."

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, "Su Yuchi, Su Yuchi, I haven't even said to let you relay it, yet you rush to say this to shut me up—your wariness of me is truly deep." Yet outwardly he showed no emotion, saying: "General Su, your duties are already more than enough; how could I bear to let you toil over this trifle? I had better personally distribute this grain and medicine."

Su Yuchi chuckled: "Your Highness, do you still not trust me?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "It's not that I don't trust you; it's that I cannot bear to let you do it, and besides, I didn't come alone this time."

Su Yuchi stared, about to say: "Your Highness means……" Actually he didn't need to elaborate; he already understood what Hu Xiaotian was pointing at, but then he saw Princess Long Xi Yue walking over accompanied by two women—one was Yan Nujiao, the other was Weisa.

Su Yuchi had never met Long Xi Yue before; after hearing Hu Xiaotian's introduction, he hurried forward to pay his respects, saying respectfully: "I am Su Yuchi, the garrison commander of Yunyang, and I pay my respects to Her Highness the Princess!"

Long Xi Yue said: "General Su, there's no need for such formality; we sisters have come together with the Prince this time simply to lend our modest aid to the Xichuan refugees; we hope the General will grant this small request."

Su Yuchi now had nothing left to say; refusing now would be indefensible both emotionally and logically. Although he suspected Hu Xiaotian had ulterior motives behind the relief effort, the grain and medicine Hu Xiaotian sent were genuine, without any adulteration; moreover, the troops Hu Xiaotian brought this time numbered fewer than two thousand—such a force would have no chance whatsoever of causing trouble in Yunyang City.

After weighing the matter repeatedly in his mind, Su Yuchi finally agreed to Hu Xiaotian's request; he had Yuan Qing Shan accompany him throughout, and in a low voice instructed him: "Qing Shan, you must remember to keep a close watch on him; if there is the slightest abnormality, report it to me immediately."

Yuan Qing Shan nodded, but he felt Su Yuchi was being overly cautious this time; from any angle, Hu Xiaotian could not possibly have designs on Yunyang; at most he might be trying to win hearts through this affair, yet if he is doing good deeds, what harm is there in winning hearts? Now the Dakang court refuses to help, and Yunyang cannot possibly spare its full strength to rescue; we cannot just watch tens of thousands of refugees starve to death outside Yunyang's walls.

The disaster situation in Xichuan was far worse than Hu Xiaotian had imagined; when they entered the temporary Xichuan refugee camp, the sight they saw left Long Xi Yue and the others feeling heartbroken. These refugees had fled Xichuan with no time to bring much; although Yunyang had provided some military rations, that amount could not solve the fundamental problem—the refugees had already run out of food.

A woman clutching a baby that had starved to death wailed loudly: "Why won't you let us through the gate? Are we not Dakang's subjects? You keep saying Xichuan belongs to Dakang, yet you watch us suffer misfortune without lifting a finger… What sort of court are you… Do you even have any concern for the people in your hearts…"

Yuan Qing Shan had been to the refugee camp before and already knew much about the situation; hearing these words, his face flushed with heat, and he lowered his head in shame.

Hu Xiaotian's men had already begun distributing grain and food, while Yunyang's soldiers stood by to help maintain order.

Hu Xiaotian softly sighed: "General Yuan, the refugees' situation is so miserable; why won't you let them through the gate?"

Yuan Qing Shan pressed his lips and said: "Your Highness, it's not that we refuse to let them in; it's that the court has issued an order."

Hu Xiaotian coldly retorted: "An order from the court? I don't believe the court would bear to let its own subjects fall into fire and water and ignore them! Those residing in the capital certainly wouldn't know the suffering of the people here. Do they not consider the people of Xichuan as Dakang subjects? Have they already ceased to regard Xichuan as part of Dakang?" In fact he understood perfectly well: the predicament of these Xichuan refugees is awkward—the earthquake caused widespread road collapses, the relief forces from Xizhou could not in a short time clear the roads to reach them, while the Dakang side refuses to take them in, leaving the refugees trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Yuan Qing Shan said: "It's not that we won't help; General Su has already memorialized the court, but of course it takes time, and we are awaiting the court's reply."

Hu Xiaotian angrily said: "A round trip takes only ten or so days, yet these people lack clothing and food—not to mention that the weather these past few days has been unpredictable, many have already fallen ill, and quite a few have died—what harm would there be in letting them enter the city first?"

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Your Highness, Yunyang is willing but unable."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Did I say you, Yunyang, must bear the rescue burden? You only need to open the gate and let them through, at least giving them a way to survive."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "The refugees keep coming, increasing daily; nobody knows whether there might be trouble among them." He spoke the truth—including Su Yuchi, many suspect that Xichuan might have sent troops mingled with the refugees; if they truly took advantage of the chaos to infiltrate Yunyang, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Hu Xiaotian said: "You've considered things so thoroughly—even if what you say makes sense, even if there really are spies among them, what about the women and children? Don't you know how to be flexible? Couldn't you let the elderly, weak, women, and children enter the gate first?"

Yuan Qing Shan bit his lip; he certainly wanted to, but Su Yuchi's stance on this matter is absolutely inflexible—he simply will not allow any flexibility; as a subordinate, what could he do?

Hu Xiaotian said: "How about this: you let the elderly, weak, women, and children enter the city first, then send them straight out of Yunyang; I guarantee I will not let any refugee linger in Yunyang, nor will I cause Yunyang the slightest trouble."

Yuan Qing Shan looked at Hu Xiaotian with some surprise, thinking he hadn't expected Hu Xiaotian to be so righteous; yet thinking of Su Yuchi, he felt troubled again and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, I cannot decide this matter."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "All right, go convey my meaning to General Su; if he agrees, I will immediately begin relocating the refugees."

After hearing Yuan Qing Shan's words, Su Yuchi's face darkened; he said: "Qing Shan, why doesn't Hu Xiaotian come himself to talk to me?"

Yuan Qing Shan replied: "I, your subordinate, am not clear on the details, but he asked me to deliver the message."

Su Yuchi rose, clasped his hands behind his back, walked to the window, gazed outside for a long while, then said softly: "Do you think Hu Xiaotian is truly that kind-hearted?"

This is getting rather late; I'll try to write more tomorrow. (To be continued~^~)