Chapter 394: People Always Change

After selling the land to Ruhui, the local gentry and strongmen of Su Prefecture still wanted to take further advantage. For instance, having bought several hundred qing of land, given the widespread desolation across Fengyang Prefecture, he simply had no way to recruit enough farmers to cultivate it. Meanwhile, the refugees coming from Henan were tightly controlled by various local powers, who would never let an outsider interfere. Some had already made plans: if Ruhui's side grew desperate for labor, they would use the method of selling people to make another profit. In these times, grain, land, and people were not particularly scarce — what was scarce was ready silver and cash.

But what happened next caught everyone completely off guard. An estate spanning tens of thousands of mu had its entire workforce, from top to bottom, assembled in just a few days. These people seemed to have appeared out of thin air — laborers, overseers, all complete in an instant.

Moreover, once this farmstead established by the Xuzhou men put out the sign recruiting refugees, people came rushing to join along the official road day and night without cease.

The estate was simply too large, and the silver already sunk into it at the start was too great. The soldiers and militia blocking refugees along the roads dared not act rashly for the time being. Even if there were pursuits and attacks, they would halt once they neared Ruhui's estate. Everyone gave some measure of face.

Yet such smooth days lasted less than ten. It was soon discovered that most of the common folk arriving at the newly built farmstead were natives of Fengyang, and many locals who had fled earlier had also come to this estate.

No one was a fool. It did not take long for people to connect this to the matter of several thousand refugees heading to Xuzhou some time ago. The eyes planted at the border between Xuzhou and Su Prefecture had also witnessed the scene of large groups of refugees crossing over.

If this had been several dozen days ago, everyone would have been delighted to see the refugees go to Xuzhou — it would have conveniently emptied the land. But now things were different. First, everyone worried about what designs Xuzhou might harbor. Word had already spread that the Fengyang Defense Eunuch was soon to be transferred back to the capital. With so many people leaving for another region, would it invite trouble — for instance, some disapproving official or scholar from outside meddling in others' affairs? Second, the refugees from Henan were not as numerous as imagined. As the weather turned cold, their numbers dwindled. Having seized vast tracts of land, they naturally needed vast numbers of hands to farm it. If everyone ran off elsewhere, would the land they had spent capital on simply lie fallow?

The dazzling silver used to buy the land back then still stirred the heart. Su Prefecture bordered Xuzhou, and they had also heard much of Cloud Mountain Temple's reputation. So no one had yet dared to lay a hand on Ruhui himself. But his once bustling doorstep had now turned utterly desolate, with spies keeping watch all around.

Toward the refugees heading for this Cao Family Estate, the gentry and strongmen throughout Fengyang Prefecture showed no more courtesy. Soldiers and militia mobilized in force, blocking and intercepting them on the roads. Many refugee groups pressing onward were caught completely off guard — if not seized, they were cut down and scattered.

By this point, the gentry and landlords short of hands had also changed their tactics. Refugees they captured were given some grain and a place of settlement. Many thus settled their hearts and stayed.

At this stage, there was still a tacit understanding between the two sides: if refugees could make it within the bounds of Ruhui's estate, they would not be seized further. But Ruhui's side had only a hundred and several dozen men in total, many of them hired locals from Su Prefecture. Once this was seen clearly, who would have any scruples left? Even within the estate's bounds, as long as there were no men Ruhui had brought from Xuzhou standing guard, they would go right in and seize people.

From the estate's founding to the start of transporting people to Xuzhou, a total of over seven thousand Fengyang refugees had been sent, with more than three thousand still remaining within the estate. Yet now, barely over a hundred could arrive each day.

It was already the eleventh month. The surface of the Yellow River within Xuzhou's borders could now be crossed on foot. Those with a bit more nerve could even drive a horse cart across.

Though Su Prefecture lay south of Xuzhou, topographical reasons made it even colder than Xuzhou. The weather was turning frigid, and the plight of that newly built farmstead on the Su-Xuzhou border grew ever more dire. Now fewer than a hundred refugees came in each day. Nearly two thousand people still remained in the estate, not yet sent away. Had they not purchased a considerable amount of grain at the very start, they would already be unable to sustain themselves.

The estate's bounds included a small patch of land within Xuzhou's territory. This was also a good method for transporting refugees without leaving a handle for others to seize. But now this method no longer worked well. A band of mounted brigands from who-knew-where had specifically blocked the road that was the only way from Su Prefecture into Xuzhou.

Several times, as they led the people halfway along the journey, this band of mounted brigands would charge out. The refugees were already birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. The moment they saw them from afar, they scattered in rout. After two or three such incidents, they grew bolder and pressed onward again. They never expected the other side to shoot arrows directly at them. Though no one was hurt, it scattered the people in panic once more.

Ruhui was thoroughly versed in the ways of the world. He had brought no military force with him to Su Prefecture, but he knew how to handle such a situation. He directly sent men with silver to report to the yamen, stating that bandits were causing disturbances and requesting official troops to provide protection and make arrests.

In the past, there was no matter that could not be accomplished with silver in the yamen. Yet this time, they were driven straight out. No one had been injured, no property had been seized — therefore it was a false report.

Matters were already turning amiss. Before the men who reported the case had even returned from the yamen, prominent local figures from Su Prefecture came calling. Their manner was most courteous, their words most gentle. They wanted only one thing: to buy back this estate. Redeem it at the original price, so that Ruhui would suffer no loss.

To this demand, Ruhui refused with equal courtesy. As they took their leave, the other party merely said with a smile, "This place is Su Prefecture, not Xuzhou. Do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

"This time, I underestimated others far too much. Carelessness will cost me dearly!" Ruhui muttered to himself.

After the men from Su Prefecture had made their stance clear, the activities of the "mounted brigands" grew rampant at once. They rode their horses straight up to Ruhui's dwelling and galloped wildly through the makeshift shacks the refugees had thrown together, shouting, "Do not go with these Xuzhou men! Stay in Su Prefecture and there is a way to live. Go, and death is the only road!"

These refugees had little will of their own to begin with. Frightened by these ferocious, fiendish "mounted brigands," they immediately fell into panic. Some had already slipped away in secret.

Ruhui was a man of decision. He made his choice at once: assemble every refugee in the estate, and regardless of broad daylight, march toward Xuzhou now.

Matters had shifted far too quickly. The messenger sent to report and seek help had only set out the day before yesterday. Moreover, Ruhui knew that Zhao Jin was in the midst of preparations for matters in Huai'an Prefecture, likely in discussions with the Sun Family Trading House about purchasing and transporting grain.

For now, preserving these people was enough. As for the estate itself, it was no great pity. The title deeds were in their own hands; there was no fear of the Su Prefecture men going back on their word.

As daybreak neared, nearly two thousand refugees were assembled into a loose, slovenly column. Ruhui ordered that all the grain in the estate be distributed. Everyone was to eat their fill as much as possible, and whatever remained was to be made into dry rations. From this estate to Xuzhou was only a little over a day's journey. With luck, they could enter Xuzhou's territory after nightfall.

The refugees numbered nearly two thousand, while those "mounted brigands" were only a few dozen. Ruhui's plan was to rely on strength in numbers for self-protection. He also had another scheme: Zhong Gonghui had come to this estate with several dozen men. This refugee leader commanded immense prestige among the refugees. With him present, the refugees would not be a heap of loose sand — they could barely be kept in order, and might even mount a counterattack.

Such a clamorous commotion within the farmstead naturally could not escape the eyes and ears of the spies around the estate, and even those planted within it. Word was spread at flying speed.

At this step, all face between the two sides was thoroughly torn. The great mass of refugees advanced hesitantly, with pursuers constantly catching up from behind.

The "mounted brigands" moved the swiftest. In no time they had ridden to the edges of the column. Some unrest began to stir within the refugee ranks, but the column pressed on. A few dozen riders could not block several thousand people. Then the mounted militia and village braves also arrived. The refugee column's pace slowed.

"Fellow countrymen, if you go to Xuzhou, there is a way to live! There will be hot soup and hot meals, and farmland given to you to till!" Within every hundred-man unit, there were leaders shouting themselves hoarse. It was only by their rousing that the column did not disintegrate.

"Stay, and we will provide shelter and meals! For the first two years, we'll only take twenty percent of the harvest as rent!"

"These Xuzhou barbarians are lying to you! They'll trick you into going and make you toil like oxen and horses! Think about how many people they've killed — how could anything this good exist under heaven!" Unlike the earlier intimidation, now the mounted brigands and militia were also shouting words of enticement and recruitment.

If the threat of blades and swords could cause fear, the lure of meals provided and twenty percent rent made these desperate, starving refugees waver. The column's forward pace grew even slower. Some even hesitated and stopped.

Ruhui's face was as dark and grim as water. He knew how much Zhao Jin valued these refugees, and could guess even more clearly why Zhao Jin was so intent on recruiting them. Thus, he could not afford to botch this assignment. Wang Zhaojing, who had already set foot on the path of official rank and scholarly honor, had returned. If he himself made another mistake, the harm to his future would be immense.

In the past, coming to this Zhao Character Camp had been no more than finding a place to settle and make a living. But now, Ruhui was forced to take it seriously. This group was merely a powerful faction in Xuzhou, yet Ruhui could faintly glimpse something far greater.

Ruhui walked among the refugee column in ordinary coarse cloth clothes, listening to the turmoil all around, his heart burning with anxiety. He called for the two guards beside him to lift him up. Standing high, he looked around in all directions. When he came down, he immediately shouted to Zhong Gonghui beside him, "Old Zhong, quickly have your men shout out — we bunch together and charge through! Once we reach Xuzhou, everything will be fine!"

Zhong Gonghui made no sound. Ever since coming this time, Zhong Gonghui had been very taciturn and spoke little. Ruhui had been managing everything personally and had no time to pay him any mind. Only now did he see that something was wrong.

"Old Zhong, what's the matter with you?" Ruhui lowered his voice, but his tone was chillingly cold.

Zhong Gonghui looked left and right, then lowered his head with some shame and said in a muffled voice, "Going to Xuzhou like this will still cost Lord Jin grain and money. Staying in Fengyang, there's a way to live now too. Staying is also... fine..."

Before the words were half out, Ruhui drew the dagger at his waist and pressed it against his neck. Ruhui, who was always gentle and smiling, now wore a savage expression, his features contorted. Glaring at Zhong Gonghui with utter ferocity, he ground his teeth and said, "Shout for me, now! If you don't shout, I'll settle you!"

The moment he moved, the dozen or so young men who followed Zhong Gonghui all pulled out firewood choppers and axes. Some held nothing but sharpened wooden stakes. In unison, they fixed their eyes on Ruhui, all bearing the stance of men ready to fight to the death the instant a falling-out occurred.