Chapter 939: Distributing Cakes

Despite all the promises he had received beforehand, when Ge Tianfeng actually laid eyes on Jining City, he still drew a sharp breath. This was nothing like those county towns and village strongholds — towering walls, a broad moat, and the densely packed defending troops atop the ramparts. Taking this place, he had no idea how many lives would have to be spent to fill the gap.

But at this stage, it was no longer up to you what happened. Within the boundless mass of refugees, more and more figures of a different sort were appearing, looking every bit like bandits from the greenwood. Compared to the total number of refugees, these types were barely one percent, yet these fierce men had full complements of bows and horses, and they possessed coordination and organization. They were the wolves, the refugees were the sheep — how could the sheep resist? They could only let themselves be driven.

When they had broken through villages along the way, the houses and courtyard walls had all been torn down completely. The formed timber beams, wooden frames, thick bamboo poles, and the like were not discarded; men were specially assigned to carry them. Everyone had assumed these were for firewood on the road, but they never expected them to be brought all the way here.

This timber was now being lashed together beneath the city walls into scaling ladders and all manner of siege equipment. Although Ge Tianfeng did not understand the craft, he could still see that these contraptions were far better than the ones used when attacking the various county towns and village markets. If they had used these back then, surely far fewer people would have died. But this was something Ge Tianfeng knew he could not say aloud.

Apart from lashing together equipment, the other task was urging everyone to dig earth. Whoever dug more would get an extra cake to eat. This set everyone scrambling to outdo each other, and all around Jining City, great pits were dug everywhere.

Having broken through so many cities and forts along the way, Ge Tianfeng had come to understand more than before. For instance, he could roughly guess that atop the walls of Jining City, every kind of rolling log and stone block must be at the ready, that there would surely be "golden juice" boiled from feces, that boiling water was a certainty, and very likely boiling oil as well. Every city gate would have been sealed shut with earth-filled sacks and sandbags. Looking at a city of this scale, he reckoned digging through would be impossible, and even with inside help, they could not be moved away.

And what made one's scalp crawl even more was that this Jining Prefecture city had suffered no damage in the earthquakes. Looking at those towering, massive walls, there was not even a crack to be seen. The water in the moat was full, and needless to say, there were government troops on the ramparts. Taking a city like this, who knew how many would have to die.

By now, Ge Tianfeng was afraid. He had seen far too many of the gruesome deaths from storming cities. These past days, he had managed to eat his fill a few times, and his longing for that Earthly Immortal Kingdom and Paradise Homeland was no longer so fervent. Instead, a vague unease was growing in his heart — a feeling that perhaps this thing was not real.

Ge Tianfeng was not the only one who had grown afraid and wanted to leave. After seeing the scale of Jining City, many people were already panicked and losing heart. Many from the same hometowns and clans had already begun discussing leaving.

But wanting to leave was taboo. Those sturdy men on horseback, bearing blades, patrolled everywhere with murderous glares. Whoever tried to leave had only a dead end waiting for them. After figuring a few things out, Ge Tianfeng had a vague sense that not everyone around him was a wretch driven to the end of the road — there were also other people's spies. Otherwise, how could a casual remark end up reaching other people's ears?

Ge Tianfeng kept his mouth shut, but plenty of those who whispered in private met with misfortune. What chilled the heart was that the ones who came to seize and kill them were all fellow sufferers who had trudged along the same road just days before — even people from the same clan and hometown. Yet they showed not a shred of old friendship, their methods ruthless and merciless.

It was nothing more than being able to eat a bit more than others each day, nothing more than being co-opted by those Assembly Masters and Incense Masters, appearing to hold a status far higher than the rest. And for just that, they could raise a murderous hand against people from their own hometown and clan, people just as pitiful as themselves.

They could not leave by day, but with so many people in such a chaotic mess, one could slip away when it grew dark. Ge Tianfeng had been night-blind since childhood, yet there were plenty of campfires lit here at night. He could always bring out the skills he had used as a child to steal melons under cover of chaos. He would crawl out if he had to — staying here was a dead end!

But after a day of toil and labor, in the evening there were balls of mixed coarse grain and wild greens to fill the belly. After eating two, Ge Tianfeng sank into a deep sleep. He would wait until deep night to make his move.

When deep night truly came, Ge Tianfeng awoke — but he was jolted awake, startled by the shrieks of agony erupting around him. The fierce shouts of killers and the death-howls of the wounded intertwined, echoing through the encampment. And it was not just one place; from time to time furious curses rang out: "Where do you think you're running? You must be a spy!"

"Demon! The Western Heaven Divine Kingdom is right before your eyes, how dare you not draw near!"

With so many people massed beneath the walls of Jining City, eating, drinking, and relieving themselves day after day, with no washing to speak of, the camping ground had long since become a foul, reeking mess. Yet now, amid all those nauseating odors, there was an added tang of blood. After all they had been through these days, everyone was very familiar with that smell.

Hearing this, smelling this, Ge Tianfeng froze for a moment, then shut his eyes again and began feigning sleep right where he lay. Before long, the exhaustion of the day washed over him, and he truly fell asleep.

That night, the ramparts of Jining City blazed with light, sleepless until dawn. Government troops and civilian militia patrolled without pause, ready for battle at any moment, not daring the slightest slackening.

Several times when disaster had struck Shandong, Jining had remained safe and sound, a veritable paradise beyond the turmoil. Elsewhere, crushing taxes, the Liaodong levies, natural calamities, and man-made woes had driven the people to destitution. But Jining prospered and flourished because of the canal transport trade, and because government troops had always been garrisoned here, enough civilian militia and local braves could be mustered. In the past, even when large bands of refugees appeared, they either bypassed Jining or were scattered and resettled.

With two earthquakes this year, anyone with a modicum of foresight could anticipate that refugees would rise. Yet everyone also figured that the quakes had cut off roads in every county, and for disaster victims to move, they would need food to have the strength, and they would need leaders to make it out. For common folk suffering in misery, a scattered heap of loose sand, this was nearly impossible.

Who could have imagined that these common folk would actually make it out, and that from small beginnings they would grow large, converging into this terrifying torrent, sweeping through prefectures and counties along the way, until they arrived right here beneath the walls of Jining City, the place hailed as the crown of Lu.

As reports kept coming in, the entire Jining Prefecture administration was frantic with fear, a picture of utter chaos. Yet at this critical juncture, the Jining Commandant still had to detach a portion of the troops under his command to go defend the prefectural seat at Yanzhou. The civil and military officials of Shandong could all distinguish the priorities. If Jining fell, it would merely be a matter of redeeming oneself through meritorious service by leading troops to retake it. But if the Prince of Lu in the prefectural seat came to any harm, the only path left for everyone was to be thrown into the imperial prison to await death.

The troops within Jining Prefecture were already few to begin with. If more were to leave, would they not become pigs and sheep awaiting slaughter? At once, the Jining Prefect stepped forward, and the various great merchants and gentry put up money and grain, keeping the Jining Commandant's troops in place. To the outside world, the claim was that their departure would be delayed a few days.

Apart from the government troops, the great merchants, gentry, and various merchant guilds pooled vast sums of money and grain, directly recruiting village braves and civilian militia from inside and outside the city. The Jining armory was thrown open, and weapons were distributed to all.

Compared to other places, Jining, as a key canal transport hub, had a deeper understanding of the Smelling Incense Sect. The officials and the wealthy class had more dealings with the sect's followers and faithful. The city also had its own Smelling Incense Sect Assembly Masters and Incense Masters, who normally controlled matters related to the canal transport. When these refugees rose up this time, far from gleefully rallying to the cause, they instead cursed furiously. The river had been cut off last year, and now it was to be cut off again this year — did they want everyone to go drink the northwest wind?

We've gotten along well enough in normal times, made our fortunes together. At a critical moment like this, don't go stirring up any trouble. Our family fortunes and prosperity are all within these city walls. If the refugees really do enter the city, do you think you'll be spared? Or do you think you can keep yourself safe before they even get in?

Greetings were paid in advance, and men were assigned to keep a close watch. Anyone connected to the canal transport was barred from being chosen for the militia or local braves. The places where those people lived were also kept under tight, unrelenting surveillance. Then a great sweep was conducted throughout the city — anyone of unknown origin or who looked suspicious was thrown into jail without exception, all for fear of the kind of inside-outside collusion that had occurred elsewhere.

Yet Jining was different from those other prefectures and counties. Jining's wealth ranked among the top in the entire realm. Even leaving aside the truly rich, the number of people who were well-fed and clothed far exceeded that of other places in Shandong. With such a life, no one would go burn incense and join a sect; no one would yearn for some Earthly Immortal Kingdom. Being able to live a bit better, and having seen so much of the misery in neighboring regions, they dreaded nothing more than their own homes turning out the same way.

And so, when the money and grain were distributed, when the weapons were handed out, the civilian militia and village braves were swiftly mustered in full. On the ramparts, trembling with fear, they prepared to fight to the death, not daring the slightest relaxation.

Before the sky had even begun to brighten, Ge Tianfeng scrambled up in a hurry. Gazing blearily at the lantern light upon the city walls, he noted that everything around Jining City that could be looted had long since been looted clean, and everything edible had been eaten dry and wiped clean. Yet what was surprising was that every day, some grain would still appear. Though it was mixed with assorted greens, bran, grass roots, and even wood shavings, eating it still helped a little. But it was not for everyone — many of the physically weak had not gotten their hands on a bowl for two or three days now.

Watching his companions waking up one after another around him, Ge Tianfeng looked in every direction. The moment those grain distributors arrived, he had to be the first to rush over.

Just as he was scanning around with rapt attention, a sudden commotion rippled through the crowd from the outside in. Ge Tianfeng started, then caught the scent of food. The smell made Ge Tianfeng spring to his feet. This was no paste boiled from that mishmash of junk — there was definitely rice and flour in it, very likely oil and salt as well.

Everyone was ravenous, and Ge Tianfeng was not the only one to pick up that scent. People rose one after another, wanting to be the first to run over. Then everyone spotted the source of the smell: cart after cart, surrounded by sturdy young men, was entering the refugee encampment. On the carts were large bamboo baskets covered with cloths, steam rising from them in billows.

With a single roar, the crowd surged straight forward. People fell to the ground, trampled under countless feet. At first they could still wail and struggle, but soon enough all sound ceased, and no one paid any heed to whether they lived or died.

Reaching the carts, many tried to rush up and snatch directly, afraid that if they were a moment too late, there would be nothing left. They never expected that before they could even get close, the sturdy young men guarding the carts would beat them back viciously with clubs. Some did not even fear the clubs, and at that, the young men directly drew their blades.

After blood had splattered five paces, the situation was finally brought under control.

Thanks to the two old friends "Light in the Darkness, Yuan Heng Li Zhen" for their tips. Continuing to ask for subscriptions, monthly tickets, and tips. Thank you, everyone. During this period, I will try my best to do two updates a day, do my best.