Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

"Marshal, most of these people in the disaster area are in tattered clothes, look pale and thin, and appear to be extremely malnourished. If they are forcibly incorporated into the army, their combat effectiveness will definitely not be improved," said Zhou Weiguo.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"How about this, we select 5,000 elite soldiers in the city, put them in the reserve force, have them trained by specialized personnel, and then disperse them to various places to maintain order. As for the hungry people and the elderly, weak, sick and disabled, let them fend for themselves!"

"Your idea is good, let's do it!"

Yang Ling then ordered: "Pass the order down. From now on, Jizhou Prefecture will hold a large-scale recruitment ceremony in the city every ten days. Anyone who has the courage to participate in the recruitment will have the opportunity to join the reserve force. The total number of recruits each time must not be less than 100. At the same time, I also require these recruits to sign a confidentiality agreement. Anyone who violates the agreement and is good at leaking military information will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes, I understand!" Zhou Weiguo said in a deep voice.

Then, Yang Ling asked, "How do we settle the people who have fled here? They can't live here, right?"

"Brother, as far as I know, there are already tens of thousands of people gathered here, plus the victims who have arrived in the past few days, there are a total of 60,000 to 70,000 people. But we can't let so many people live outside, and we can't sleep on the streets. Because we don't have the manpower, so what I mean is that these victims should be moved into the city in batches." Zhou Fulin said.

"That's a good idea. Let's do it this way. We should resettle the disaster victims first. After they are settled, we can slowly make room to build houses, farmland, and other supporting facilities." Yang Ling said.

Yang Ling then instructed, "Zhou Fulin, draft an edict immediately and tell all the county lieutenants in the city to take charge of the resettlement of these disaster victims. At the same time, set up a porridge factory in the city. Each household can only receive two bowls of rice soup per person per day. If you don't want to drink it, throw it out to feed the dogs in the wild. Remember to send two guards to follow each household."

"Yes!"

"Well, now that everything has been arranged, I'll go!"

Having said that, Yang Ling took Zhou Weiguo out of the City Lord's Mansion and returned home.

They had not walked far when Zhang Xian hurried up to them and said, "General, I heard that you and your brothers were recruiting soldiers outside Jeju Prefecture. How is the situation?"

"What else can I do? It's just like that. Do you think these disaster victims can adapt?"

Zhang Xian smiled and said, "Hehe, this isn't that easy. We can distribute food to these people. Anyway, we have plenty of food, and these people are working for you, Marshal. I don't think they will be ungrateful!"

"You have a nice idea. How are we going to solve the problem of feeding these disaster victims?"

"Well, it seems there is no way to solve this problem. I remember that in previous disaster years, the victims relied on looting to survive, right?" Zhang Xian said hesitantly.

"Robbery? How dare you think of that!"

"What should we do then?" Zhang Xian asked.

"It's very simple. We just follow the rules. As long as we can defeat the refugee group, we will reward them with food." Yang Ling pondered.

"Marshal, aren't you kidding me?"

"Well, you are smart now. You even know how to cheat. But this is not cheating, this is called strategy, don't you understand?"

"The Marshal is right, I am narrow-minded!"

"Okay, stop flattering me and tell me what you are thinking about," Yang Ling said.

"I'm just worried that these disaster victims won't obey orders!"

"Then do you have a better idea?"

"Well, I'm afraid we don't have that for now!"

"Then don't stutter. Just tell me what you think. I will accept any reasonable suggestions!"

"I think we should give the disaster victims land. Although they look miserable now, they still have food. If we force them to become disaster victims, I guess they won't even have the hope of surviving!"

"Then according to your opinion, what kind of compensation should be given to them?" Yang Ling asked.

"Well, I have a few immature suggestions. I wonder if the Marshal is interested?"

"Just say it!"

"Marshal, first of all, we must ensure that the victims have food and clothing. Secondly, we must inspire them and make them believe that we can help them survive this catastrophe. Finally, we must give them dignity and make them feel respected!"

"more specific!"

"I think it would be best to let the victims consciously form a habit. Whenever there is a famine, the victims have to pay taxes or donate grain to the court. Of course, the money and grain are at the disposal of the victims themselves, and the court will not interfere."

"Well, keep talking!"

"As for the land issue, the simplest and most brutal method is to directly rule the entire Jeju, and then give them land to cultivate according to the population. In every disaster year, an official document will be issued to collect taxes, and no private individuals will be allowed to occupy the land. This will ensure the court's control over Jeju to the greatest extent possible!"

Yang Ling nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good, let's do as you think. Immediately notify the city's officials at all levels and gather all the wealthy merchants in the city. I will discuss disaster relief with them tomorrow morning!"

"I will obey your orders!"

After Zhang Xian left, Yang Ling suddenly remembered that he seemed to have forgotten to ask Zhang Xian about the details of the resettlement of disaster victims, so he called Chen Shaokuan and asked, "Shaokuan, what do you think about the resettlement of disaster victims in Jeju?"

"General, I'm still unsure about the resettlement of the disaster victims in Jeju. After all, the casualties during the disaster were too severe. We simply can't transport all these refugees to the country, which will delay the time for disaster relief!"

"Well, what you said makes sense. Then you will coordinate this matter and settle all the disaster victims in Jeju. As for food, the court has been reducing taxes during this period, and this year's tax grain will definitely not be distributed. So I decided to exempt all taxes in March next year. But you need to personally supervise this money and grain, and make sure it is all implemented within half a month. At the same time, there will be no ambiguity on the living issues of the disaster victims, and it will be free if it should be free. As for the issue of food, don't worry, as long as it is during the famine, the grain stored in the granary is enough for the disaster victims to eat, and even more than enough."

Chen Shaokuan smiled bitterly and said, "Marshal, there are less than 8,000 dan of grain left in our granary. This amount of grain is not enough for the people in the disaster area!"

"Well, go find Huang Jin and ask him to allocate another 50,000 dan of grain to you. But you have to pay interest on this grain, and all the proceeds from this grain must be reported to the court. It must not only be given to the disaster victims, but also to the people in the disaster area. It can't be wasted!"

"Okay, Marshal, I'll do it right away!"

"Yes, the matter of the granary must be kept secret and must not be leaked. Otherwise, we cannot bear the responsibility if the court investigates."

"I will finally understand!"

In the evening, Yang Ling finally dealt with this difficult matter, but he was still frowning.

The reason is simple. The position of Jeju County Governor is not easy to hold. First of all, there are too many things involved and one could get into trouble if one is not careful.

First of all, it is not easy to get the granary in Jeju. It concerns the lives of thousands of people. If there is a slight mistake, not only Yang Ling will be in trouble, but even the court will be furious. Secondly, the people in Jeju are basically refugees with low combat effectiveness. If they encounter troubled times, it would be fine. But in today's society, they are like headless flies running around. These people are very destructive and anyone who encounters them will be in trouble.

Third, the situation in Jeju was relatively complicated. There were landlords such as Liu Xi, local warlords, and bandits.

If Yang Ling wants to stabilize Jezhou now, the first thing he has to do is to eliminate people like Liu Xi, and then he can successfully incorporate Jezhou Prefecture into the territory of the court.

"General, we just received news that a large group of bandits appeared outside Jeju City and are now trying to attack Jeju City. According to the guards' reports, the enemy is well-equipped and murderous!" At this time, Guo Xun hurried over to report.

"Oh, bandits are attacking the city? This is a big problem. The bandits in Jeju are not easy to deal with!"

"Yes, Marshal. According to the guards' observation, the enemy has a large number of people, and they are fully equipped with weapons, artillery, swords, axes, bows and crossbows. We can't resist their attack at all!"

Yang Ling frowned upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Don't worry about this matter. I have my own way to deal with these bandits!"

"Subordinates resign!"

"Wait, I have another question for you. Do you know where there is a stronghold stationed near Jeju?"

When Guo Xun heard this, his eyes suddenly brightened up, and he clasped his hands and said, "Reporting to the commander, I do know a place suitable for stationing troops."

"Well, you lead the way and we'll set off right away."

Guo Xun nodded and said, "As you command!"

Yang Ling rode on his horse and looked into the distance, muttering to himself, "How dare these bandits set their sights on me? This is outrageous. It seems I can't go to Jeju this time. But since we're here, let's help Jeju get rid of these refugees."

Thinking of this, Yang Ling immediately ordered Guo Xun: "Pass the order down, speed up, and try to get to the designated location before sunset. Tomorrow we will discuss the matter of relief for the victims with Liu Xi, the governor of Jizhou!"

"Here!"

As night fell, Yang Ling led 200 guards and quietly entered the city of Jeju, avoiding the lanterns and torches along the streets and sneaking around quickly.

After two hours of rushing, Yang Ling finally reached his destination.

There were two large black tents standing in the valley, with three watchtowers built around them. Judging from the size of the tents, the camp was not small, with at least seven or eight thousand people.

"Marshal, do we still need to continue our investigation?" The deputy general next to him couldn't help but remind him.

Yang Ling shook his head and said, "Stop the investigation for now. Let the brothers take the time to rest. We must make full preparations before dawn tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

Yang Ling dismounted from his horse and walked to the front of the camp.

"who?"

As soon as Yang Ling and his companions approached the sentry tower of the camp, the guard shouted sternly.

"I am Yang Ling, the deputy commander of the Donglai Pacification Division, and I have come here specially to visit Magistrate Liu!"

"Ah, it's Lord Yang. Please wait a moment. I will go and report it right away!"

"Thank you!"

Yang Ling stood quietly at the entrance of the camp, waiting patiently.

Soon, two figures were seen running towards this side from the camp, and the leader was Liu Xi.

"Haha, it turns out to be Commander Yang from the Donglai Pacification Office. What a rare guest. Lord Yang, you have arrived so suddenly. I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. Please forgive me!" Liu Xi greeted him with a smile and clasped his fists.

Yang Ling clasped his fists and said in return, "Master Liu, you are too polite. I hope I didn't disturb you by coming here to visit you."

"Oh, how could that be? I have been looking forward to Lord Yang coming to Jeju to inspect our work!" Liu Xi waved his hands quickly.

Yang Ling had worked with Liu Xi during the Northern Expedition and knew that this guy liked to flatter others, but he was too lazy to expose him and went straight to the point: "Sir Liu, I came to Jeju this time to provide relief to the victims in Jeju under the order of the emperor. However, there are bandits outside Jeju City. For the sake of safety, I plan to mobilize 500 soldiers to assist in the defense to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"Oh? Sir Yang, what do you mean?"

"I hope that Lord Liu will try his best to recruit young and strong laborers to form a militia to clear out the bandits outside Jeju City!"

Liu Xi pondered and said, "But almost all the young and strong men in my jurisdiction have been transferred to Jizhou Prefecture. Now I can only mobilize a few hundred civilians in the city. I am afraid that I cannot meet Lord Yang's requirements. How about this? I have more than 300 local militiamen here, and I will hand them over to Lord Yang to command. I wonder what Lord Yang thinks of this?"

When Yang Ling heard Liu Xi's words, he immediately said happily: "That's great, then Yang will respectfully obey your command!"

Although these militiamen are just civilians, they are well-trained on a daily basis. With a little training and additional supplies and training, they can definitely be the best soldiers. What's more, Yang Ling himself is proficient in military tactics, so he is quite satisfied with this militia.

However, Yang Ling also knew that this militia would not have an easy service, and Liu Xi would probably need to spend a lot of money to win over their hearts. After all, no one was willing to give up their land and become a tenant these days, so the existence of this militia would definitely not be an easy task for Liu Xi.

Although Yang Ling knew everything in his heart, he did not show any clues on his face. Instead, he admired Liu Xi even more.

"Master Yang, why don't we arrange for them to rest first, and then we can find a secluded room to talk!"

"Master Liu, please!"

After the two men sat down in the side room next door, they each called their trusted confidants to inquire about the details.

As the scouts continued to return, Yang Ling gradually learned about the situation in Jeju. It turned out that due to the lack of salt and wood in Jeju, coupled with the shortage of food, many refugees poured into Jeju. During the famine years, these people were starving, and when they saw the rich people in gorgeous clothes, they naturally chose to seek refuge.

Although the territory of Jeju is not small, facing the continuous influx of refugees, it is impossible to stop them from looting with just such a small number of people. Because many people carry weapons, ordinary militias can't do anything to them. Instead, many militias were killed or their property was robbed.

"Damn, I didn't expect the bandits to be so arrogant!"

Yang Ling cursed inwardly, and then asked: "How many bandits are there now?"

The scout replied: "It is said that the total number of bandits exceeds 7,000 to 8,000, most of whom are horse thieves. However, they now occupy the mountains east of Jeju, so we have been unable to encircle and suppress them!" (End of this chapter)