In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 581 Overjoyed

Ever since witnessing the scene of cannibalism, Wang Daniu had nightmares for several days in a row. In his dreams, he seemed to become the meal of other refugees. The terrifying images woke him up countless times!

Of course, what woke Wang Daniu from his dream was not only the nightmare, but also hunger.

Other refugees resorted to cannibalism out of hunger, and Wang Daniu was no better off. He couldn't let go of his resentment and ate human flesh, so he could only barely survive on tree bark and clay...

It's fair to say that Wang Daniu was truly starving during that period; he was on the verge of starvation...

Fortunately, just when Wang Daniu was about to collapse, Xu Zhiwen eliminated the two major families in the county and seized a large amount of grain and land from their warehouses.

Afterwards, Xu Zhiwen distributed the captured land to the refugees outside the city for cultivation, and also provided food for these refugees who were cultivating the land...

Wang Daniu was fortunate enough to be allocated 5 mu of farmland. With the food provided by the government, Wang Daniu cultivated the 5 mu of land at the end of last year, and then planted the grain seeds borrowed from the government in the 5 mu of farmland in the spring.

That's right. Although the government distributed seeds to the refugees, the seeds were not free. Instead, they were provided as an interest-free loan. The refugees borrowed the seeds from the government and had to repay the loan in full after the harvest.

The refugees had no complaints about this. To be fair, the government had treated them quite well. They not only gave them enough to eat, but also allocated them land and clearly told them that they only needed to hand over 30% of the grain produced on the land, and the rest would be theirs.

A 30% rent reduction is an incredibly low price.

It's important to know that in Wang Daniu's hometown, tenant farmers who rented land from landlords had to hand over at least 50% of their grain, and some even had to hand over 70%...

With rent at 30%, even lower than the imperial grain tax, what could the displaced people possibly complain about?

As for borrowing grain seeds... the government's grain seeds were not the kind of loans that required nine out of thirteen returns; on the contrary, there was no interest involved, so Wang Daniu and other displaced people naturally had no complaints.

So Wang Daniu settled down in Taiping County, working diligently from dawn till dusk to tend his five mu of farmland.

Hard work pays off, and now, more than six months later, Wang Daniu has finally reaped a bountiful harvest from his farmland.

Looking at the thriving wheat in the field, Wang Daniu was overjoyed. Under the sun, he happily harvested the wheat in the field.

In the fields not far from Wang Daniu, farmers were also bending down to harvest wheat, and each of them had a heartfelt joy on their face.

"Now that this batch of grain has been harvested, we won't have to go hungry anymore."

"Lord Xu is such a good official! If it weren't for him giving us food and land to cultivate, we might have starved to death long ago."

"Yes! Without Lord Xu, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"..."

As they harvested the wheat, the refugees praised Xu Zhiwen highly.

Xu Zhiwen was probably the best official they had ever met. He not only gave them food so they wouldn't starve, but also provided them with land to cultivate, giving these starving refugees hope for a full stomach...

It can be said that in the hearts of these refugees, Xu Zhiwen was the best official in the world, without exception.

It is no coincidence.

While the entire Taiping County was immersed in the joy of a bountiful harvest, Dingxing County also welcomed a bumper harvest.

Under the afternoon sun, the people toiled in the fields, sweating profusely. Although they were exhausted, everyone had a bright smile on their face.

"Our county is sure to have a bumper harvest this time, and everyone will be able to have enough to eat in the future."

"Hehe! It's all thanks to Lord Li. If it weren't for Lord Li, I would still be a beggar in the city now."

“I was allocated three mu of land. This time I should be able to harvest eight or nine hundred jin of grain. After handing over thirty percent to the government, the rest will be enough for my family to eat and drink.”

“My family is large, so we were allocated five mu (approximately 0.33 acres). We should be able to harvest about a thousand jin (approximately 500 catties) of grain. Thirty percent will be handed over to the government, and the rest will be enough for my family and me to fill our stomachs.”

"The best is yet to come!"

"..."

Taiping County and Dingxing County are celebrating a bountiful harvest. The people are busy in the fields with smiles on their faces, not feeling tired at all, but full of energy.

…………

…………

Yuezhou.

Just as Taiping County and Dingxing County were enjoying a bumper harvest, Manager Wang led a caravan into Yuezhou.

Manager Wang's real name is Wang Yuan. He is a manager under Zheng's Trading Company and is mainly responsible for Zheng's Trading Company's business in Yuezhou.

About half a month ago, he received a letter from the head of the family, asking him to return to Taicang County and deliver a batch of goods to Zhangshan Village in Yuezhou.

Manager Wang naturally wouldn't refuse, and soon set off for Taicang County. He then took the goods and a group of guards with him and embarked on the journey to Yuezhou.

As he traveled along the way, Manager Wang felt a deep sense of sorrow upon seeing the living conditions of the people he encountered.

The people of Qingzhou were already having a hard time, but... the people of Yuezhou were having an even harder time.

Yuezhou, or rather the Lower Three Prefectures, has been a prosperous land in the Nine Provinces since ancient times. The climate here is warm and the grain can be harvested twice a year. Therefore, in times of peace, the people of Yuezhou are much richer than the people of Qingzhou.

But that was during a time of peace and prosperity. What time is it now? It's a time of war!

The White Lotus Rebellion did not bring the people of Yuezhou the Emperor's favor, but instead brought disaster!

The White Lotus Sect was able to stir up such a huge wave of momentum thanks in no small part to the powerful clans of Yuezhou who secretly supported it. Therefore, after the White Lotus Sect rebelled, it was natural that it would not take action against the powerful clans of Yuezhou.

If the White Lotus Sect doesn't take action against the powerful clans of Yuezhou, it won't be able to plunder wealth or strengthen itself, which is something the White Lotus Sect naturally doesn't want to see.

Therefore, they chose to take action against the common people!

After defeating the Yuezhou army, the White Lotus Sect became the one that rode on the backs of the people of Yuezhou, taking whatever they wanted from them and plundering all their money and grain, resulting in the current situation where nine out of ten houses in Yuezhou are empty.

Taking Qingyue County, where Manager Wang is located today, as an example, it was once the main battlefield where the White Lotus Army and the Qingzhou Army confronted each other.

While confronting the Qingzhou Army, the main force of the White Lotus Army was stationed here. The undisciplined soldiers of the White Lotus Army caused great damage to the local people's livelihood.

Nowadays, the people of Qingyue County are starving. Beggars are everywhere, and Manager Wang even saw corpses of people who had starved to death by the roadside...