Chapter 31

This time, the area affected by the disaster in Shandong was quite large, and the number of disaster victims was naturally enormous. The first batch to arrive at the city of Songjiang numbered two to three thousand people. Moreover, according to these victims, there were still a large number of victims on the way, most of whom were heading towards Songjiang. This was confirmed in the following days, with a significant number of victims arriving at the city gates every day. The number quickly surpassed ten thousand, and given the speed at which the victims were arriving, it was likely to exceed twenty thousand in the end.

For these displaced victims, local officials generally had only two options. The first was to try to disperse the victims, sending them to other places. The officials did not care where they went, as long as they were not in their jurisdiction. However, this practice was prohibited by the central government, and it would also negatively impact the reputation of local officials.

The second option was to allow the victims to stay and have the local government take responsibility for their resettlement. However, these victims came with their families, and their eyes were green with hunger. Resettling them would undoubtedly be a huge challenge for the local economy, food reserves, public security, and the quality of officials!

The total population of Songjiang City was only about 200,000. The sudden influx of victims, who made up about one-tenth of the total population, was a massive problem for the entire Songjiang bureaucracy.

The integrity of an official was not the only criterion for evaluating their performance. For example, Xu Guan, the father of Xu Shenzhong and the Prefect of Songjiang, did not spare a single coin in the collection of taxes, so he could not be considered a clean official. However, at this critical moment, he withstood enormous pressure and, on the second day after the Shandong victims arrived in Songjiang, immediately decided to open the granaries and distribute food. Six soup kitchens were set up outside the city gates, and bags of rice from the official granaries were brought here to be cooked into fragrant rice porridge and distributed to the victims.

Although Prefect Xu made the decision to open the granaries and distribute food, the granaries involved the interests of the entire Songjiang bureaucracy. Even as the Prefect, he did not dare to take out too much grain, or the entire bureaucracy would resist him.

For this reason, while opening the granaries to distribute food, Prefect Xu also began to lobby the wealthy merchants in the city, hoping they would be generous and help the victims. Although not all wealthy merchants were unscrupulous, human nature is selfish, and no one's money comes easily. They usually had to be meticulous in their business dealings, let alone suddenly donating a large sum to help the victims. However, out of respect for Prefect Xu, they eventually contributed some money, albeit reluctantly.

In the warm pavilion of the front courtyard of the Zhou family, Zhou Chong, Zheng Jing, Zhang Kuang, and Li Zheng were all present. Xu Shenzhong, whom they had just befriended a few days ago, was also sitting in the hall, but his face was full of anger.

"Bang! Unscrupulous rich! Unscrupulous rich! There are over two hundred families in Songjiang with assets exceeding ten thousand taels, but the total amount of donations from these people is less than five thousand taels. Moreover, the donations from a few generous families like the Xie, Wang, and Li families account for a large portion of the total. The vast majority of wealthy merchants donated only a little over a thousand taels, and some stingy families even donated just a few taels of silver. It's a shame they even had the nerve to show up!" Xu Shenzhong suddenly slammed the table and shouted angrily.

As the son of Prefect Xu, Xu Shenzhong naturally knew a lot about the victims. In recent days, his father had been sighing over the donations, and his hair had turned white with worry. This made Xu Shenzhong extremely angry with the wealthy merchants. Today, Zhou Chong had invited him to pick up a manuscript, and he vented his anger.

"Brother Shenzhong, it's no use just scolding the wealthy merchants. The most important thing is how to help the victims outside the city. Five thousand taels may seem like a lot, but with the arrival of the victims, the price of grain in Songjiang has risen several times. This money, along with the grain from the official granaries, might only last until the end of the year. If there is no additional grain, most of the victims will not survive the New Year," Zheng Jing said anxiously. As a scholar, he had a heart for the country and the people and was most concerned about current affairs, which was one of the things Zhou Chong and Li Zheng admired about him.

"Even if they survive the New Year, what then? The weather has been so abnormal these past few years. It will take at least two months after the New Year for the weather to warm up, and these two months will be the hardest to endure," Zhang Kuang added, his usually smiling face now showing a hint of worry.

"This is not a concern. My father has already written to Nanjing, requesting a batch of grain to be sent for disaster relief. It is said that there should be no problem, but the grain will not be dispatched until after the New Year, and it is estimated to arrive in February of next year," Xu Shenzhong said, but his tone was filled with helplessness. In the bureaucracy, no matter how urgent the matter, everything had to follow the procedures, and the time wasted in the process was not a concern for the officials.

"February? Why don't they wait until next autumn to send it?" Li Zheng, the most straightforward of the group, shouted angrily. The Li family, which donated the most, was his family. Despite their generations of business, they were known for their generosity and enthusiasm for donations. They had donated 800 taels even before Prefect Xu asked.

"If that's the case, there will be nearly two months between when Prefect Xu's funds and grain run out and when the grain from the central government arrives. If these two months are not addressed, I am worried that the victims, driven by extreme hunger, might storm the city, which could shock the entire government," Zhou Chong finally spoke, his face serious.

Zhou Chong's words were not exaggerated. The most cruel punishment in the world could not compare to the pain of hunger, especially for a group of people suffering from it. For a mouthful of food, they would do anything. Such incidents had happened before, and many peasant uprisings in history were caused by hunger.

Hearing Zhou Chong's words, Zheng Jing and the others became solemn, and Xu Shenzhong looked the most anxious. After all, his father was the Prefect of Songjiang, and if the victims stormed the city, he would be held responsible.

"Two months of food and money is a significant amount. At the current grain prices, I estimate it will cost at least ten thousand taels. This is not a small sum, and I doubt Prefect Xu can raise this amount in a short time," Zheng Jing said, his face pained, thinking of the victims outside the city who might freeze or starve to death during the New Year.

"I can't stand it. I need to go home and discuss with my father and uncles to see if we can donate more money!" Li Zheng said, clenching his teeth. The reason his family donated so much last time was mainly due to his persuasion, and his elders also believed that a good reputation for the family would help his future career.

Li Zheng turned to leave, but Zhang Kuang held him back. "Bolao, don't be in a hurry. Your family has already donated a significant amount, and disaster relief should not be the responsibility of one family. I suggest we mobilize the students of the prefectural school to use their influence to persuade the wealthy merchants. I think this will have some effect."

Most of the students at the prefectural school came from wealthy families, and through their connections, they could reach almost all the wealthy families in Songjiang. If these students were to take action, they could persuade some of the wealthy to donate.

"Zhang's suggestion is a good one, but the students of the prefectural school are mostly focused on their studies and do not pay much attention to their family's finances. Their influence at home may not be enough to make the wealthy donate a large amount," Xu Shenzhong said, initially pleased but then becoming disheartened.

Seeing his close friends worried about the donations, Zhou Chong had a sudden idea. If this method were used, it might make the wealthy who were unwilling to donate contribute more, and even make them beg Prefect Xu for donations.

With this in mind, Zhou Chong immediately interrupted the discussion and explained his idea. After hearing it, Xu Shenzhong and the others looked at each other in disbelief.

"Wenda, your method is good, but isn't it a bit too devious?" Zheng Jing, who was upright, said with a bitter smile. After carefully considering Zhou Chong's idea, he found it feasible but felt it was not entirely aboveboard and lacked the integrity of a scholar.

"Brother Minglun, you are mistaken. I think Wenda's method is excellent. We need to teach these unscrupulous rich a lesson!" Li Zheng, who always supported Zhou Chong, also felt that his family had donated nearly a thousand taels, while others had donated only a few dozen or even a few taels. This was unfair, and the unscrupulous rich needed to be made to contribute more.

"We can't afford to be so picky. There are tens of thousands of lives at stake outside the city. When it comes to saving lives, minor details can be overlooked!" Zhang Kuang, usually mild-mannered and slow to act, showed rare decisiveness at this critical moment.

"Very well, let's not worry about minor details. We will proceed with this plan. I will go back and discuss it with my father. I am sure he will agree with Wenda's method!" Xu Shenzhong finally made the decision. Zhou Chong's plan needed his father's involvement to be effective.