Chapter 2389
The vast majority of refugees already have nothing when they arrive in Fushan County, with neither belongings nor food. If they still cannot receive assistance, their survival time will probably enter a countdown.
However, the assistance measures Haihan provides to refugees are not entirely charitable. Refugees must comply with the conditions proposed by Haihan before they are allowed to enter the refugee camp and receive food, shelter, medical care and other assistance.
They must either accept Haihan's immigration arrangements and sail overseas to settle down, or they must sign a three-year labor contract with Haihan and sell their labor in exchange for a chance to survive.
For these refugees, they basically have no bargaining capital with Haihan officials, and it is difficult for them to refuse their desire for survival. After all, along the way, I have never seen a place as orderly as Fushan County, and there are sufficient supplies of materials here. The chance of survival if you settle here is indeed much higher than continuing to wander.
Of course, not all refugees will face such a difficult situation. As long as they can spare enough money, they can also enjoy the same treatment as others in Fushan County.
The Zhen family from Qingzhou Prefecture is one of this special group of people. The Zhen family is one of the famous big landowners in Qingzhou. They own thousands of acres of fertile land there. Some members of the family also serve in the government. They have properties in Jinan, Qingzhou and Laizhou. They can be said to be rich and powerful.
It stands to reason that the war that took place in Jinan Prefecture actually had a relatively limited direct impact on the Zhen family. However, the Zhen family had a son-in-law who was a general in Zhangqiu County, Jinan Prefecture. The news he sent back was that he had crossed the Yellow River and besieged There are as many as 100,000 Qing troops in Jinan City, and there are already signs of expanding the scope of the attack. This news made Zhen Lang, the head of the Zhen family, very uneasy. He believed that Qingzhou Prefecture, which was adjacent to Jinan Prefecture, was very likely to be targeted by the Qing army.
Of course, the Zhen family can also choose to recall their clansmen and defend the Zhenjiazhuang where the family is located with arms, but the risk of doing so is very high, because during the war, they have to deal with not only thousands of refugees, but also local people who may be killed. The Qing army and even the Ming army that withdrew from the warring areas were defeated. With the level of team training in Zhenjiazhuang, I'm afraid it can only deal with the disorderly flow of refugees. If it is really targeted by the army, it will only be a matter of time before it is breached.
Zhen Lang believed that if he stayed in Zhenjiazhuang, which was adjacent to Jinan Prefecture, he would most likely be involved in the war. Leaving Qingzhou as soon as possible and taking refuge as soon as possible was the best choice to preserve the family's interests. Anyway, we have contracts for all the land and real estate. No matter how the war goes on, we will not take away these lands. We can go back and organize farming after the war subsides, and it will not be difficult to make a comeback.
In order to ensure the survival of the Zhen family, Zhen Lang also specially divided the tribe into two groups, one heading south towards Yanzhou Prefecture and Jiangsu, and the other heading east towards Dengzhou Prefecture, led by him personally.
The reason why I chose Dengzhou Prefecture is because the Zhen family’s industries also have some intersection with the Ma family in Dengzhou, and they have a good understanding of the special situation of Fushan County. Zhen Lang knew that there were troops from the Haihan Kingdom stationed there. It was like a country within a country, and the court had nothing to do about it. It could be said that it was the only place in Shandong that could be called safe at present.
As for whether it would be inappropriate to run to areas controlled by Haihan to escape the war, Zhen Lang thinks there is no need to worry. The Ma family in Dengzhou has relied on Haihan's resources to become one of the largest merchants in Shandong in just a few years. I haven't seen any state government explicitly prohibiting trading activities with the Ma family. Moreover, the Ma family has invited him several times, hoping that he can take time to visit Fushan County and discuss cooperation between the two parties in a wider range of fields.
Before Zhen Lang left Qingzhou, he specifically asked a shopkeeper sent by the Ma family to Qingzhou to handle business and asked if he could stay in Fushan County for a while. After all, in the current chaotic situation, there would definitely be no one visiting Fushan County. Believed.
The shopkeeper was also a smart man and immediately said that he happened to be returning to Fushan and could accompany Zhen Lang as a guide. At the same time, he also told Zhen Lang that as long as he brought enough money, everything would be arranged when he arrived in Fushan.
Although Zhen Lang was born a landlord, he was not a short-sighted rich man, and he had no objection to this method of collecting money to do things. So Zhen Lang spent two days preparing a convoy of fifty or sixty people, old and young, and followed the shopkeeper to Fushan County.
Their journey was much faster than the refugees who relied solely on two legs. After entering the Fushan area, they had just learned about the Qing army's invasion of Shandong, and had not yet begun to organize preparations to receive the refugees. At this time, they had to It is not difficult to find a temporary residence in Fushan County. The day after the Zhen family arrived in Fushan County, the Ma family arranged for them to rent an inn and paid for it for three months in advance.
Then Zhen Lang witnessed with his own eyes in Fushan County how the Haihan people made arrangements to prepare for the upcoming influx of refugees.
In terms of organizational ability and efficiency, Zhen Lang believes that the performance of the Haihan people has undoubtedly far exceeded that of the local officials of the Ming Dynasty. Although the place where the war broke out is only a few hundred miles away, everything in Fushan County appears to be in order. Whether it is building refugee camps or organizing relief supplies such as food and tents, every work is progressing in an orderly manner.
Zhen Lang also followed Ma Dongqiang to meet the young general Haihan sent to Fushan County. General Chen also had a special identity as Ma Dongqiang's son-in-law, so Ma Dongqiang confidently assured him that Haihan's army would definitely The security of Fushan County will be guaranteed. No matter whether it is refugees, Qing troops, or other armed organizations, it is impossible for them to cause chaos in Fushan County.
Zhen Lang was not surprised by Haihan's intention to transfer refugees to overseas resettlement. In his early years, he had heard rumors that people from the Denglai area fled to the south and then took boats to the sea to defect to Haihan. Obviously, Haihan's demand for population should not be much worse than that of its evil neighbor to the north of Ming Dynasty. Fortunately, Haihan would not use force to snatch away the Ming Dynasty. Instead, he would take advantage of the civil strife in the Ming Dynasty to receive war refugees, and then send these refugees overseas for resettlement. Although this was not very kind to Ming Dynasty and seemed to be taking advantage of the situation, it at least provided the refugees with a chance to survive.
And in Zhen Lang's view, allowing these refugees to survive is only one of them. If the refugees cannot receive timely assistance, then once these people are forced into a desperate situation, rebellion and chaos are almost the only way out. Even if the Qing army retreats from Shandong by then, there will be civil unrest in the local area, and the harm it will cause will definitely be considerable. From this point of view, Haihan's approach is actually helpful to the stability of Shandong objectively.
Of course, the excitement was not for nothing. Soon Haihan found Zhen Lang and claimed that he was currently collecting food funds for refugee relief and wanted to know if he could provide some help. Zhen Lang knew what this meant, so he immediately donated a thousand taels of silver. , But the silver donation was not in vain. The next day, the Haihan people nailed a shield-shaped bronze plaque on the door of the inn rented by the Zhen family. After Zhen Lang asked about it, he understood that it turned out to be a symbol of the golden shield of this place. Under the protection of the escort, personnel will be stationed here later. And this golden shield is a militia armed with Haihan official nature. The objects protected here are basically Haihan official properties, which is equivalent to giving them a talisman.
It's hard to say whether it's worth a thousand taels of silver to buy special treatment, but in this war-torn period, it's always a good thing to have an extra security measure. Although Zhen Lang felt sorry for the money at first, getting this special reward made him feel that the money he paid for was not completely thrown into the water.
Zhen Lang has Zhen Lang's ideas, but Haihan has his own plans. By asking these wealthy gentry and powerful people who have taken refuge in Fushan County to donate money and food, we can roughly classify the strength of these people into three, six or nine. In the future, we will provide different benefits according to their levels, including the protection of deploying golden shields. one. Of course, this kind of protection is only a symbolic measure, and the main purpose is to win people's hearts.
After living in Fushan County for half a month, Zhen Lang found that he had really chosen the right place to come here. Except for the fact that many places were under military control and could not move around at will, the living standards in other aspects were similar to those in Zhenjiazhuang. In particular, the food supply was not as tight as he had feared before arriving. As long as he was willing to spend money, he could get both livestock and seafood, and there were even fruits from the south.
The refugees who continued to enter Fushan County were all taken into refugee camps as soon as possible, and did not have much impact on the daily operations of the business district near Majiazhuang and Zhifu Port. This made Zhen Lang's attitude toward the sea There is a new understanding of the operational capabilities of the Han people.
On this day, some wealthy people who were temporarily staying in Fushan County received an invitation from Chen Yixin and went to Zhifu Port to witness the first batch of Shandong refugees who were about to be sent overseas for resettlement.
Chen Yixin's public invitation to these wealthy people to visit the departure ceremony certainly did not mean that he had nothing to do. He hoped that in this way, these people in the middle and upper classes of Ming society could learn more about Haihan's immigration methods, and by the way, he also showed Taking a look at Haihan's maritime transportation capacity, they can have more confidence in future cooperation between the two parties in cross-border trade.
Due to military control, all the invited Zhen Lang and others had to take carriages provided by the military to enter Zhifu Port. When they got off the bus, they found that the pier here was already filled with dense crowds. Judging from their behavior, they should all be refugees who had been admitted recently. There were at least hundreds of heavily armed Haihan Army soldiers outside the crowd. Under their surveillance, the dock was completely silent, and no one among the refugees even whispered to each other. This shows that their experience in the refugee camp has paid off. role.
There were dozens of sailboats docked at the pier, apparently used to transport these refugees. However, they haven't started boarding the ship yet, obviously they are waiting for the big shot to give orders.
Chen Yixin rode a horse and came to the dock under the guard of a group of cavalry. This group of invited people had already seen General Haihan, and when they saw his arrival, they all bowed their heads to show respect.
After Chen Yixin dismounted, he bowed his hands to the crowd and said, "I'd like to trouble you to be here today to witness that all the people sent away today voluntarily accepted our country's arrangements and took ships to settle overseas."
Someone who reacted quickly responded: "General Chen's bodhisattva-like heart has given these people a way to live. It is really worthy of admiration!"
Someone else was unwilling to lag behind and said: "If General Chen hadn't taken action, I'm afraid Fushan County would have been in a tragic scene of starvation and death. These people are really lucky to be rescued by your country!"
Zhen Lang was thinking about how to say something unique and complimentary, but Chen Yixin had already said: "You're welcome! The money and food for rescuing the refugees also includes the thoughts of everyone present. This matter was not done by Chen. , but the result of everyone's concerted efforts. Chen has nothing to do but try his best to ensure everyone's safety during their temporary stay in Fushan County. In addition, if you encounter any problems that cannot be solved in the future, you can come to Fushan County for help at any time. ”
At that moment, everyone kept praising "General Chen's benevolence and righteousness". When they donated money, they didn't think about getting a false reputation for themselves. They just thought that they were spending money to buy themselves peace. But in his words, Chen Yixin also gave them a share of the credit for rescuing the refugees, which made people feel comfortable. Who wouldn't want to have a good reputation as a good person to the outside world?
"I want to say a few words before these refugees set off, and I would like to ask you to wait a moment."
After Chen Yixin finished speaking, he took an iron trumpet from the side, stood on the temporary high platform, and said loudly to the people on the dock: "Everyone, you will go to sea and leave here today, and go to the new home that our country has arranged for you, where you will You will get everything you need to start a new life. You will no longer have to worry about hunger or war. Your lives will be well protected. Your descendants will also have the opportunity to receive education. You will no longer have to worry about them dying because there is not enough food. Died! ”
"I know that many of you are reluctant to leave your homeland. I am here to tell you that there will be opportunities to come back here in the future, just like those you came into contact with in the refugee camp who went to Haihan Country a few years earlier than you. Our compatriots can return to Shandong, and you will do the same in the future, so don’t worry. Maybe in two or three years, some of you will return to your hometown in great glory.”
Although what Chen Yixin said is indeed true, it is not complete. These people who immigrated from Shandong and are able to return here either work for the government or join the army like Sun Zhen. Not everyone can come back if they want to. Back. But as long as these refugees can be given some hope of returning to their homeland, their resistance to leaving here will be reduced a lot.
(End of chapter)