Outside the north gate of Datong Prefecture, tens of thousands of victims were sniping at them.
In fact, not only the north gate, but also the four city gates of Datong are now full of disaster victims.
Moreover, thousands of disaster victims gather from various places in Datong Prefecture towards Fucheng every day.
Although these victims also know that the entire Datong area is now covered in red land.
Even if you come to Fucheng, it may not be of any use.
But for them, there is no other choice but to come here.
"Work harder, we'll reach Fucheng in three or four miles." Someone in the crowd said hard.
"As long as we get to Fucheng, we can always get something to eat. Don't worry, it's impossible for the government to just watch us starve to death."
It is estimated that the people who say these words do not believe what they say.
However, if they don't give themselves a little hope at this time, they simply won't be able to survive.
And not everything they said was lies.
Even the brutal Mongolian Yuan Dynasty would provide disaster relief during famine years.
Of course, the purpose of Meng Yuan's disaster relief was not to save the people.
Rather, it is this kind of huge famine that is the most likely to cause riots.
People who really can't survive can do anything.
However, as long as you give them a little bit of food, barely enough to keep them alive, the people will become much more honest.
Rather than deploying a large army to suppress the rebellion, giving some food to the people who are about to die is undoubtedly the best choice.
Of course, all of this has a prerequisite.
That is, the court can at least maintain a basic operation.
By the late Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties, the entire imperial court had become a paradise for corrupt officials.
Even if the court really wants to provide disaster relief, the food for disaster relief cannot reach the hands of the people at all.
Under layers of deductions, those at the bottom have no hope of filling their stomachs.
That's why there is a stone man with one eye, dancing in the Yellow River and the world reacting.
Rebel armies from all walks of life rose up, and Meng Yuan was completely driven out of the Central Plains.
Therefore, no matter how bad the court is, whenever possible, it will try its best to ensure that the people will not starve to death.
What's more, today's Ming Dynasty has just been founded and is officially prospering.
No matter what, it's better to go to a big city than to be in a village where they eat all the bark and leaves of the surrounding trees and can't find anything to eat, right?
The common people supported the old and the young, with empty eyes, just walking towards Datong Mansion indifferently.
In fact, many of them have experienced famine.
According to their past experience, the government will indeed provide disaster relief.
However, the government's relief is not unlimited.
When there was plenty of food, they could drink some fairly viscous gruel every day.
However, if food is tight, they can only drink some rice soup with almost no rice visible.
If there was less food, I might not even have rice soup to drink.
At this time, if they still have the strength, they will go to the next place to see if they can find something to eat.
If you don't even have the strength to walk.
There is actually only one fate waiting for them, and that is starvation.
Originally, even when they arrived in Fucheng, they were just like all refugees, using the sky as their bed and the earth as their bed.
Just like a beggar, struggling to survive outside the city.
Although the people in the capital will give away food, they will also guard against them like thieves.
In most cases, they, the victims, are absolutely not allowed to step into the city.
Apart from giving away food, those officials would not do much, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Only this time, the situation is a little different.
Just when they were about to see the city walls of Datong City, a voice attracted all of their attention.
"We're hiring, we're hiring, we're paying thirty cents a day, and we'll take care of a meal!"
"If you want to eat enough by your own strength, come here!"
On a small dirt bag, there was a man holding a trumpet made of iron sheets and shouting at the top of his lungs.
His voice spread so far away that it was hard not to notice.
At this time, many people were already standing under the hill.
These people were all in ragged clothes, with yellow faces and thin muscles.
You don't need to ask to know that they must be refugees from the disaster near Datong Prefecture.
Someone reluctantly yelled and asked: "Sir, it's not that we don't want to support ourselves with our own strength."
"It's just that we have been hungry for so many days now, and our hands are too weak to do any work at all."
For these refugees, some things are simply unsolvable.
It's not that many of them don't want to put in their efforts.
But what they are facing now is an unprecedented drought.
On the way to Datong, they had eaten up everything they could eat.
But even so, those things still can't fill their stomachs.
After being hungry for so long, they can hardly even stand here, let alone do any physical work.
The recruiter held up a loudspeaker and tried to explain to them.
"You don't have to worry about this. No matter what job you go to, you don't have to do any heavy work two days before the start of the job."
"And, we will also provide you with three meals a day for free."
Upon hearing this, there was a buzzing discussion among the fleeing people below.
"Did I hear you right? You don't have to do any heavy work, but you still have to take care of three meals a day?"
"It must be a lie. How can there be such a good thing in the world?"
"I heard from people of the older generation that when the Mongols conquered the world, they called us Han people two-legged sheep. This means that we are actually similar to sheep. After the sheep are fattened, they have to be killed for meat.
.”
"No wonder he's so nice to us, he actually wants to eat us!"
We can't blame these fleeing people for thinking too much.
The welfare package was really so good that they couldn't believe it.
Now is the time of famine, and food is simply more precious than gold.
At this time, someone is willing to give them food for free.
Of course, it is not free, but requires them to work.
But in the eyes of these people, this is no different from free?
There must be some ulterior motive for being so nice to them.
The person who stood on the small soil bag to recruit workers was actually an official from Datong.
Hearing these words from the common people, I immediately felt dumbfounded.
It was good for them, but it turned out that something went wrong.
However, this is not the first time he has encountered this situation, and he is quite experienced in handling it.
He didn’t make any pretense and went straight to the point: “Fellow folks, you don’t have to worry. We are looking for you to work on behalf of the imperial court.”
"Don't think that the imperial court is doing you a favor. The reason why they give you food is just to build up your strength so that you can work better."
Although these words were all about Hong Guoguo's interests, the people finally listened.
To put it bluntly, they just don't believe that someone would be so kind to them for no reason.
Now that they have a purpose, they feel relieved.
When the Datong official who recruited workers saw this, he immediately continued to persuade: "What's more, there are so many people coming to Datong this time. If the imperial court really wants to do such a thing, how can it be hidden from everyone in the world?"
The people looked at each other in shock, feeling more and more that what the official said made sense.
Of course, the reason for this is that the people are at the end of their rope.
Now I finally have a stutter, which is better than starving to death, right?
At that moment, someone couldn't help but ask: "Sir, what work do we have to do?"
When someone asked this question, the Datong official was immediately surprised.
Regardless of whether you believe his words or not, the transformation of these people is a good sign after all.
The official immediately pretended to be enthusiastic and introduced him to everyone excitedly.
"Common people, the main places where the imperial court recruits people are these."
"One is the workers who build railways. Whether you are a carpenter or a blacksmith, you can apply for the job."
"Of course ordinary people can apply, but this job has relatively high technical requirements."
When the officials said this, the eyes of the common people who had worked as blacksmiths or repaired houses and walls suddenly lit up.
However, some people were happy and some were worried. Those people who did not have any craftsman skills and could only farm the land suddenly became worried.
They know how to farm, but now that there is a drought in Datong, what is the use of farming?
There is a severe drought in Datong. They will grow food again, but without water, what's the use?
As long as God can live up to his expectations and make it rain a little more, people like them will not be reduced to this situation.
Just when they were depressed, the recruitment official spoke again.
"The second type of workers we recruit are workers for pruning water conservancy projects. Digging canals and building dams. Projects to prevent future floods."
"This kind of worker does not require any professional skills, just a handful of strength. You are only responsible for doing the work, and of course someone will teach you how to do it."
Hearing what the recruitment official said, all the victims became excited.
Tangtang often did this kind of work before.
However, in the past, these were all done as labor for the imperial court. Not only did they have no money, but they might also have to provide their own dry food.
In the past, when the Meng Yuan Dynasty ruled, they did a lot of this kind of work.
It was not until the founding of the Ming Dynasty that this situation completely disappeared.
However, the official's voice was not over yet.
"As for the third type, it is temporary work and building refugee camps."
"These camps are for temporary housing for people like us who are fleeing. Now that there are more and more people, this kind of work is more difficult and time-consuming."
After a pause, the official added: "This kind of work also has its advantages, because the construction period is tight and the work is harder."
"So, the daily wage for this kind of work is 40 cents, and you have to take care of two meals a day."
Many young people went crazy when they heard that they were responsible for two meals.
After all, for them, as long as they have enough to eat, everything else is secondary.
No matter how hard or tired you are, there is nothing as terrible as being hungry.
There were some elderly people in the crowd, but their mouths opened in shock.
In the past, when encountering this kind of famine, even if the government provided disaster relief, it would be impossible for the government to do so.
The best thing is to let them fend for themselves outside the city, hoping that they can get out as soon as possible.
But this time, Datong Mansion actually built a place for them to live.
Aren't the officials in Fucheng worried this time and won't they leave if they live here?
No matter what, the people are still very happy to have a way to survive.
At this time, an old woman in the crowd asked in a trembling voice: "Sir, what should we women do if we can't do those physical jobs?"
The official smiled and comforted: "Don't worry, we also need women to work on our construction site, whether it's washing, cooking, or cleaning the house."
"Although the salary of these jobs is lower, they still provide for a meal."
Hearing this, the women also had expressions of surprise on their faces.
The official shouted loudly with a loudspeaker: "If you want to sign up and find a job, come here."
Although Datong's work-for-relief program is quite effective, after all, not all people can find work.
There are also many people who are elderly, physically disabled, or unable to work due to illness or other reasons.
For these people, Datong Prefecture provides them with accommodation in the refugee camp and provides them with one free meal every day.
However, their treatment is not as good as that of those who actually work.
Every day, there is only one bowl of gruel to ensure that they will not starve to death.
However, unlike previous disaster relief efforts, the gruel these people drank was also quite thick.
Speaking of which, some of them may not eat better than they do now.
After Zhu Han's arrangement, the disaster in Datong has not been alleviated yet.
But the situation is already much better than expected.
The most shocking among them should be Wu Zhen, the prefect of Datong.
He originally thought that when Zhu Han came to Datong, he would definitely destroy Datong, which was already in a bad state.
But the result is exactly the opposite.
Originally, they could only keep the people outside the city, barely provide them with some food, and then let them live or die.
It's not that they are cold-blooded, but that this feudal bureaucrat is the limit of what they can do.
But what about now?
Although the refugee camp outside the city is called a refugee camp, it looks clean, tidy and full of vitality.
To put it bluntly, even in Datong Fucheng, apart from the fact that the buildings look better than those tents and wooden houses, it seems that they are not necessarily better than the refugee camps.
Zhu Han put a lot of effort into managing the refugee camps.
It is even stipulated that those refugees are absolutely not allowed to defecate in the open, are not allowed to spit anywhere, and are absolutely not allowed to drink unboiled water.
If you want to drink water, hot water is continuously supplied in the refugee camp all day long, so just go and get it.
These rules, at first, allowed many people to secretly greet Zhu Han's eighteen generations of ancestors.
They were already so unlucky, how could they still meet someone like King Zhu Han of England?
I had always heard that Zhu Han was brilliant and mighty, but now it seems that Fufa is the devil who is torturing their people.
This is the first time I heard that officials even have to poop and pee.