amaotonovel Chapter 1276 Use heavy scriptures in troubled times
Chapter 1276 Use heavy scriptures in troubled times
Chapter 1276 Use heavy scriptures in troubled times
After hearing Qin Hao's proposal, most of the clan chiefs agreed, but the clan chief of Xiagou Village raised concerns.
"Those disaster victims are no pushovers. Do you really think they'll obediently follow our orders?"
A strong killing intent flashed in Qin Hao's eyes: "If you don't obey, get out of Bailu Plain. We have food and guns, what are we afraid of if they rebel?"
"Zihan is right, we have a security team, what are we afraid of?"
"That's right, these disaster victims come here to eat and drink for free, so it's only natural that they do some work!"
Qin Hao addressed the dozen or so village chiefs, saying, “The most urgent task is to settle these disaster victims. We cannot allow them to roam the plains like wild dogs, nor can we allow them to gather in the villages and threaten the granaries. All disaster victims who have entered Bailu Plain, whether from this county or other counties, should be settled together on the open slope in front of Bailu Village.”
Bai Jiaxuan frowned: "That place is spacious and close to the village, making it easy to keep watch. But... it's baking in the sun, there's not even a tree to provide shade, and people are gathering there in groups, I'm afraid..."
"We can't worry about that now." Qin Hao said decisively, "Forget about the crops now; that land is just wasteland. We might as well make use of it. I'll have someone organize people to cut down the miscellaneous trees and shrubs around the hillside behind the mountain, and use the local materials to build a simple thatched hut! It'll be enough to provide some shade and shelter from the wind!"
"That's a good idea, let's do it that way."
After the meeting, the clan chiefs of each village summoned the brave warriors to gather in Bailu Village, and Heiwa quickly reorganized them and distributed weapons.
Early the next morning, the security team began to beat drums and gongs to drive away the disaster victims.
"Listen up, everyone! All disaster victims, assemble on the hillside in Bailu Village! Head there immediately! You will receive porridge. Anyone who dares to harass the villagers or storm the granary will be executed without mercy!"
The crowd, filled with resentment and unwillingness, began to move slowly and unsteadily toward the designated slope, like a flock of sheep being driven.
The chaos of resettlement had only just begun. Just as the first framework of a thatched hut was being erected on the slope, a larger commotion erupted at several gathering points for the displaced. Several burly, fierce-looking men jumped out, waving dry branches and shouting themselves hoarse, inciting unrest:
"Fellow villagers! Don't believe their nonsense! Are they trying to drive us out into the sun and dry us into dried-out husks?!"
"That's right! The grain is in their village! Push through! Only by grabbing it can we survive!"
"They won't dare to actually fire! There are so many of them, they won't punish us! Charge! For our parents and children, charge into the village, grab grain, and survive!"
These troublemakers were clearly experienced, and their incitement was extremely persuasive. The crowd, already on the verge of collapse, was like a powder keg ignited; instantly, hundreds more responded, roaring and shoving past the security team's attempts to stop them, charging towards the village's granary like a flood bursting its banks!
"Stop them!" The squad leader in charge of driving away the assembled group turned pale and roared furiously.
At this critical moment!
"boom--!"
A deafening gunshot ripped through the sky! It wasn't fired at the crowd, but precisely at the foot of the most reckless and instigating troublemaker, an inch away! The ensuing dust and gravel splattered all over him.
Everyone, whether rioting victims or security personnel, froze in place. They stared in astonishment as Qin Hao appeared, standing atop a slightly elevated embankment, a gleaming Mauser pistol held horizontally in his right hand, wisps of smoke rising from its muzzle.
His face was expressionless, his eyes as cold as icicles in the twelfth lunar month. He swept over the stunned mob, finally fixing his gaze on the troublemaker who was frozen in place, his face pale with fright.
"Say what you just said again?" Qin Hao's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out all the noise, carrying a metallic quality that sent chills down one's spine.
The troublemaker opened his mouth, but his throat seemed blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word. The instigators and followers behind him were also frozen in place.
Qin Hao slightly raised the muzzle of his gun, pointing it in the direction of the troublemaker: "Inciting people to plunder disaster relief grain is a crime no different from that of bandits! In accordance with the strict orders during the disaster, execute him on the spot!" His words fell like the final pronouncement of a judge, and his finger pulled the trigger without hesitation!
"boom!"
The second shot rang out! Absolutely accurate! A bloody hole instantly appeared between the eyebrows of the troublemaker, his face still showing disbelief and astonishment. His body crashed to the ground like a piece of rotten wood, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The entire arena fell silent! Only the dark red blood rapidly spreading beneath the rebellious man's corpse and the pungent smell of gunpowder filled the scorching air. The once agitated crowd seemed to have been collectively frozen in place, fear completely overwhelming their madness.
Qin Hao put away his gun and glanced at the remaining troublemakers who had been shouting just moments before. The men trembled with fear, fell to their knees with a few thuds, and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Master, spare us! Master, spare us! We'll never dare to do it again! We'll never dare to do it again!"
Qin Hao ignored them, turning instead to the security team on guard duty. His voice was as cold as iron: "Have you all seen clearly? Anyone who disobeys orders or incites looting again, shoot them dead without warning! As a warning to others!"
"Yes! Understood!" the security team roared in unison, their voices filled with confidence. Having witnessed Qin Hao's ruthless methods firsthand, they no longer hesitated or softened their stance.
A few hours later, rows of makeshift huts, pieced together from crooked wooden stakes, sparse branches, and dry thatch, barely offering any shade from the scorching sun, sprang up like mushrooms after the rain on the open slope. The air was thick with the stench of sweat, dust, and the bitter smell of freshly cut wood.
The disaster victims were temporarily confined to this area simply marked by a fence.
Just as Qin Hao was inspecting the resettlement site, he saw an unusual figure.
"Uncle, this place is such a mess, what brings you here?"
Mr. Zhu chuckled and teased, "What, do you have something to hide that you're afraid I'll see?"
As the two chatted and laughed, they arrived at the entrance of the resettlement site. The security team not only maintained order but also set up a simple wooden table. Several villagers who were literate sat behind the table, frantically taking notes in a tattered notebook.
Every disaster victim entering the resettlement area, regardless of age or gender, is repeatedly questioned about their name, place of origin, village, and companions.
After clarifying the situation, the registrar quickly wrote the name and simple information (such as "Lijia Village, Zhang Ergou, wife Wang, son 2") on a rough wooden sign about the size of a palm with a charcoal pencil, and then carved a few shallow marks with a knife to make it barely legible.
The wooden plaques were then handed to the disaster victims, who were instructed to wear them at all times and to have them checked when entering and leaving the resettlement area.
Meanwhile, more detailed records will also be kept in the registration book. The entire registration process is extremely cumbersome, but for the disaster victims with a very high illiteracy rate, it is more about confusion and impatience. They only reluctantly cooperate under the watchful eyes of the security team and the intimidation of guns.
Mr. Zhu observed carefully. He noticed a clear difference: those disaster victims who could clearly state their names, hometowns, and villages, especially those who came as a family or in groups from the same village, were directly taken to the nearby thatched hut area after registration, and the patrol frequency of the security team was relatively low.
Those who had shifty eyes, spoke vaguely, or claimed to be fleeing alone and unable to explain their origins, or stammered and could not give a specific village name or fellow villagers, were taken to another specially separated, much closer to the edge of the shelter, and with significantly tighter security.
The sheds in that area were sparser and simpler, and the number of patrolling militiamen had doubled, their eyes even more vigilant.
Mr. Zhu frowned slightly and asked his question with curiosity.
“I observe that your resettlement measures seem quite unusual. The wooden registration, the detailed questioning, and the differentiated resettlement... what is the purpose of all this?”
Qin Hao calmly explained, "Uncle is very perceptive. He did this out of necessity, only to 'distinguish between friend and foe, and to maintain internal order and prevent chaos'."
He pointed to the large area of thatched huts housing ordinary disaster victims: "Uncle, look, those who fled with their wives and children, or from the same village, can clearly state their place of origin, name, and who the village elder is. These are all honest, hardworking farmers who were driven to desperation by the natural disaster. They are the real disaster victims. Putting them together makes it easier for them to look after each other and stabilize their morale; secondly, with their families around, even if they are starving, they are unlikely to dare to cause trouble and will be more cautious in their actions; thirdly, by putting them together, they are less isolated from the outside world, making it harder for malicious instigators to easily infiltrate and incite them."
"As for those of unknown origin... Uncle, in the face of natural disasters, people's hearts are unpredictable. In this chaotic and famine-stricken world, it's not just starving people who can't survive who are fleeing. Those who are wanted by the government and can't make a living in the mountains, those bandits who have been wiped out, those local bullies who preyed on the villagers and now have no way to survive... even those beasts who have killed people and eaten rice and meat to survive, may all be mixed in with this seemingly desperate tide of refugees!"
"They are venomous snakes lurking beneath the grass! Relocating them alongside honest farmers is sowing the seeds of a huge disaster! These people are masters at inciting and deceiving, fabricating lies, muddying the waters, and exploiting the genuine disaster victims' fear of famine and their thirst for food to lure them into storming granaries and becoming cannon fodder! These people are the biggest destabilizing factor at the resettlement sites!"
"By isolating them separately and keeping them under close supervision, we can quickly suppress any incidents and minimize the damage, thus protecting the majority of the genuine disaster victims who are behaving themselves!"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhu sighed deeply, patting Qin Hao's arm with his weathered hands: "Zihan... is shrewd and composed in the face of adversity. In such chaotic times, he is indeed a pillar of strength. However..."
He paused, his voice filled with worry: "The malevolent energy is too strong; it's easy to break if you overexert yourself, and it can damage your heart meridian."
Qin Hao said solemnly, "Uncle is right. But as you can see, if we hadn't been so ruthless, the grain carts would have been looted before they even reached the villages, and the resettlement sites wouldn't have been built at all. By now, there might have been rivers of blood."
"When rites and music collapse and people's hearts are corrupted, benevolence and forgiveness become death warrants. Starving disaster victims are nothing more than a pack of mindless beasts. Once they are thrown into chaos and out of control... they really will eat people. In this damned world, all I can do now is ensure that as many people as possible survive!"
Mr. Zhu stopped trying to persuade him. It wasn't that he opposed his nephew's views, but rather that he felt it was a pity that this talented man, who should have been writing books and enlightening the people, was forced to take up arms.
The disaster victims were crammed into makeshift thatched huts like sardines, where they could catch their breath for a while, but hunger remained the dominant theme.
Just when the disaster victims were so hungry that they were weak and powerless.
"Listen up, folks! We're starting now to recruit able-bodied men to repair the canal!"
"Listen up! Anyone who signs up to participate in the canal repair will receive two meals of dry rations every day! Thick rations!"
"Did you hear me? Meals included! Two meals a day! Dry food!"
This news was like a bucket of cold water poured into a pot of boiling oil! The entire resettlement site instantly erupted in chaos!
"Really, two meals a day are provided? Thick ones?"
"Give me food? I'd do it even if it meant my life!"
"Where do I register? I'll go! Count me in!"
The once lifeless thatched hut area instantly came alive. The registration point set up by the security team was packed with people, and countless eager eyes were fixed on the few people in charge of the registration books.
"Take your time! Announce your names, hometowns, and show your badges one by one!"
The registrar shouted hoarsely, sweat pouring down his face: "Register according to the wooden tag! Confirm identity!"
Most of those who signed up were ordinary disaster victims with wooden plaques or family members or fellow villagers who could vouch for them. For them, being able to exchange their labor for a life-saving meal was an immense blessing. Although they knew that digging ditches was physically demanding and even more grueling under the scorching sun, the thought of those two solid meals of dry rations that would fill their stomachs made all the hardship seem insignificant.
However, the atmosphere was completely different in those heavily guarded special sheds near the edge of the quarantine zone.
Scarface Liu's voice was hoarse like the grinding of gravel, carrying a bloodthirsty excitement: "The grain in the village granary is enough for us to live a carefree life for half a year! I can't stand this godforsaken place for another day!"
"That's right, these little bastards don't treat us like human beings. We not only want to rob them of their food, but also their guns. I've figured it out these days: whoever has a gun is the boss."
"Big brother, we'll listen to you."
"Alright, then let's wait until it gets dark, when those bastards outside with guns are less vigilant, then we'll seize their guns and rob the granary!"
Around the end of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), all was quiet, even the patrol team showed signs of fatigue. Scarface Liu suddenly roared, "Now! Grab the grain and survive! Charge—!"
With that thunderous howl, a corner of the special shed area exploded!
"Someone's blowing up the shed—!! They're heading straight for the village—!!" A piercing cry tore through the night sky.
Just as Scarface Liu and his men rushed out of the edge of the quarantine zone and were less than ten feet away, thinking they could see the shadows at the village entrance, the darkness in front of them seemed to be violently torn apart by the hand of a god!
"Puff puff puff puff puff..."
A dozen thick torches, covered in grease, were instantly ignited! Not one by one, but in the same instant, a wall of orange-red flames suddenly pierced the dark night.
"Damn it! Brother Hao was right! A bunch of ungrateful wretches, heartless bastards!" Heiwa's roar, like that of a wounded beast, filled with deep-seated hatred and determination, instantly drowned out the rioters' clamor. "Leave no one alive! Give them a good beating—!"
"Bang~~~"
At such close range, facing such a dense barrage of fire, the fragility of the human body was laid bare. Those at the forefront were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, their bodies trembling violently, blood bursting forth in the firelight.
"Ah~~~"
"Spare me~~~"
"I surrender, please don't kill me, waah~~~"
The air was thick with the smoke of gunpowder and the stench of blood was so strong it was almost unbearable. More than a dozen corpses lay scattered on the ground, while others, still breathing, were convulsing and wailing in agony.
Heiwa raised his hand to signal a halt to firing, and coldly ordered: "Kill all those who leave the camp, leave no one alive! Use knives, save your bullets."