Qin Yining had seen the famine with her own eyes, so she knew what crazy things the starving people would do.
Qin Yining stood beside Pang Xiao and looked at the skinny people in front of her. She looked at their yellow and thin faces that were twisted with anger. She looked at their withered hands that were holding up broken bowls. Her heart felt like it had been hollowed out by someone. She felt so uncomfortable that she couldn't breathe.
These people didn't have to live like they were now!
The incapable ruler of Dayan didn't treat them well. Now that the emperor of Da Zhou was here, he didn't care about their lives at all.
They had been suppressing their anger and despair, but because of their low status, they didn't dare to do anything.
After going through all kinds of disasters and not being treated like humans by the emperor, if they could still keep their calm, wouldn't they all become saints?
Qin Yining felt that she couldn't not hate them at all.
Moreover, they were now in the midst of a famine.
"What should we do? What should we do?" Qin Yining unconsciously grabbed Pang Xiao's hand.
Pang Xiao felt the cold touch of Qin Yining's hand. She couldn't help but hold it tightly in her hand, using her palm to warm her up.
She actually had to watch such a scene. It was really too much for her.
Pang Xiao comforted her by rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Then he said loudly, "Everyone, please be quiet. Listen to This King!"
"No! We won't listen! "
"You are all corrupt officials! You embezzled the relief food that the imperial court gave us! Every day, you use some plain porridge to fool us! "
"We surrendered in Dayan, so we aren't humans in the eyes of the Zhou Dynasty!"
"We want to eat! We want food! "
… …
The people were all talking at once. If it was any other time, this kind of scene would have caused the crowd to become agitated and shout. However, the starving people did not have the extra energy to shout. Even when they were talking to Pang Xiao, they had to say a few words and then gasp for breath.
They were not pure mobs, so Pang Xiao could not bear to use violence to curb violence. He could only shout, "Everyone, be quiet. Everyone knew that Da Zhou had been embroiled in wars for years. Originally, it was because they had taken over Beiji's mess. In addition, Dayan's previous emperor had deliberately exploited the people's wealth. He had even exchanged the tax grain for money and hidden it away.
"These people are all extremely intelligent people. They're not good at governing a country, but they're all experts in scheming. They hid the money so that Da Zhou doesn't have that much money to take!
"Your Majesty's heart is for the people, but everyone understands the principle of 'a clever housewife cannot cook without rice'. Moreover, this is a disaster area. After the earthquake, the roads in and out were all blocked by boulders that rolled down from the mountains. Some of them were even cracked and damaged. The carriages that transported the food could not reach the city.
"That day, in order to get food for everyone, the Princess Consort, a young girl, had to travel for an entire day to get some rice and sweet potatoes. In order to let more people live and wait for Your Majesty's food, we could only make porridge with the limited food. To fill everyone's stomachs and fill their stomachs. "
Pang Xiao's deep voice spread far and wide. The chaotic scene quieted down for a moment.
"This King assures everyone that whether it's Your Majesty, This King, or every court official and bailiff here, everyone has the same goal. That is to let the people in the disaster area live and let more people live.
"Your Majesty has always been thinking about this place. The relief funds and food will be here soon. I can empathize with everyone's hunger, but no matter what, everyone should persevere and live. "
At this point, Pang Xiao laughed self-deprecatingly: "Everyone says that I am a demon who kills without blinking an eye. Then I will bear this title. Right now, I only hope that everyone can maintain their rationality, conserve their strength, and do their best to wait for the rescue from the capital. In order for the majority of people to live, I, this demon, have to be a bad person. If anyone incites them again, This King will not let them off easily. "
Pang Xiao's words made everyone quiet down.
At this time, everyone seemed to remember that Pang Xiao was not a vermin who lived like a pampered rice worm. He was a strict soldier. He was even more trustworthy than those people in Jianghu.
What he said should be what he received.
This thought appeared in the hearts of the people.
However, they had only given their trust and hope once. What did they get in return? It was the abandonment and betrayal of the imperial court!
The previous dynasty was like this, and the current Da Zhou dynasty would still be like this. They would only use nice words to coax them. At the crucial moment, they would still be the ones who would be sacrificed.
Some of the people began to sob.
Someone angrily shouted: "You are threatening us! We have so many people. No matter how strong your people are, how many can you have! "
"Exactly! Hand over the food, hand over the food! "
… …
Unexpectedly, Pang Xiao's speech did not stop the riot. Instead, it seemed to be getting more and more intense.
Under the hunger and anger, the disaster victims surged forward like a tide.
If Pang Xiao's Tiger Army was still present, it would be fine.
However, the 20 or so Dragon Legion soldiers and Pang Xiao did not have that kind of tacit understanding. In addition, there were already officials in the yamen. Even if these people punched and kicked in the crowd, they could not stop the disaster victims.
Seeing those people rush toward the yamen, Pang Xiao quickly pulled Qin Yining to the side.
The disaster victims rushed into the already dilapidated yamen like a swarm of locusts.
Perhaps they were shocked by the tents and collapsed walls in the yard, but no one took another step forward.
Some of the disaster victims let out a choked cry.
"What we are doing is wrong. Magistrate Li has always been with us through thick and thin. We don't have a house, so he told us to stay in the yamen. We don't have food, so he ate porridge with us."
"That's right. The court doesn't have money to buy rice for us. The food we have been eating these days was donated by Prince Zhongshun and Princess. They have been with us this entire time. "
"If we charge in like this, what kind of people would we be?"
… …
Among the disaster victims, with these few voices taking the lead, a portion of them quickly calmed down. Their desire for revenge and destruction was no longer as serious.
However, the rest of them still wanted to charge in.
Moreover, after the crowd, someone shouted loudly, "They must have food. It was all hidden by Prince Zhongshun and Princess!"
This shout came too abruptly. It was completely inconsistent with what the people had said earlier. Qin Yining immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Wang Ye, someone is fanning the flames behind the scenes!"
"I know. I've already sent someone to investigate."
Pang Xiao tried to appease Qin Yining, but his words did not have any real evidence to appease the people who were about to starve to death.
With that shout just now, some of the disaster victims were unwilling to give up and charged into the yamen. Some people didn't want to go, but they were still pushed inside by the crowd. There were also some weak disaster victims who fell under the crowd's feet. They never had the chance to stand up again.
This was a chaotic and bloody scene.
There were the screams of adults, the cries of children and women, the disaster victims who were trampled to death on the ground, and the disaster victims who were rummaging through the yamen. This chaotic scene made Qin Yining unable to continue watching.
She closed her eyes and muttered, "We can't go on like this. Just Yang County is like this. What about the other counties? What about the old capital? I do suspect that someone is fanning the flames behind the scenes, but the most important thing is that we really don't have any food. "
Pang Xiao frowned and held Qin Yining in his arms. He said in a low voice, "The food is in the hands of the wealthy families. However, they won't let go. I can only continue to discuss with them. "
Qin Yining moved her fingers. Only then did she realize that her fingers were so cold that they were stiff.
Such a chaotic scene really frightened her.
Not to mention her, even Magistrate Li and the Dragon Stallion Army behind Pang Xiao had pale faces. None of them had seen such a scene before. Now, they had seen it for themselves.
The people who couldn't find any food started to cry.
Magistrate Li stood on the high ground and began to appease the people.
At this time, Huzi and two Jinghu Wei brought a woman in ragged clothes to the front.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, we caught a suspicious woman."
Pang Xiao glanced at the woman and found that she was a young woman in her early twenties. She was round and had fair skin. Although her clothes were ragged and her face was smeared with black ash, it was obvious at a glance that she was not a disaster victim with such a healthy appearance.
Pang Xiao said, "Take her to a secluded place first. Ask her in detail what happened and who ordered her to incite the people. If she doesn't want to say, then use military methods to pry open her mouth. "
"Yes." Huzi immediately responded. He and the two Jinghu Wei beside him pulled the woman away.
Qin Yining looked at the woman's back and said, "Why do I feel that the woman is so familiar? It's like I've seen her somewhere before."
Pang Xiao said, "Think about it carefully."
Qin Yining frowned and fell into deep thought.
She really had seen this face before. However, this person was dressed like this and had interfered with her memory. She really couldn't recall it.
Right at this moment, the victims of the disaster rushed out of the yamen in droves.
A man who had been shouting for justice for the people shouted, "They can't hand over the food. They must have hidden the food somewhere! Capture Prince Zhongshun and Princess and ask them where the food is! "
"Yes, the corrupt officials must have hidden the food!"
"Capture them and make them tell us where the food is!"
… …
The people shouted and rushed in front of Pang Xiao.
The guards and the Dragon Stallion Army quickly stopped them and pulled out half of their swords.
At this time, someone had already sneaked into the crowd and silently captured the man who had incited the crowd.
Pang Xiao said with a sullen face, "Save some energy. The food that was obtained with great difficulty these days is not for you to eat and have the energy to rebel!
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