Li Lu was also punctual, arriving at the city gate with fifteen to twenty of his subordinate government officials and men from the Household Department.

They also brought plenty of carrying poles, large steelyard scales, and the like.

Cheng Zongyang led them to the spot where the goods were stored. Gazing at the various types of dried fish, the government officials’ mouths watered.

Ever since the water sources dried up, they hadn’t had a chance to eat fish—not even salted fish.

The County Town was currently facing a severe resource shortage. It was only because the County Magistrate had forcefully suppressed all other factions and standardized prices at an extremely low rate that everyone had rice and flour to eat.

As the goods were being weighed, Cheng Zongyang whispered to Li Lu at his side, "The dried fish total three thousand, one hundred and fifty jin. Three thousand jin are for the sale. You can decide what to do with the other one hundred and fifty. After all, your men shouldn’t have to work for free, right?"

Li Lu understood Cheng Zongyang’s intention. Surprised by his thoughtfulness, he teased:

"I know you’re a capable man. Since you’ve put it that way, I won’t stand on ceremony. One hundred and fifty jin is quite a lot, so don’t you go regretting it."

Cheng Zongyang laughed. "They’re just material things. How could I ask everyone to work so hard and give them nothing in return? That wouldn’t inspire much loyalty toward you as their superior, would it?"

"Hahaha, that’s very thoughtful of you. I’ll remember this," Li Lu laughed in reply.

Soon, the weighing was finished. After Li Lu announced that one hundred jin would be distributed, with each person receiving five jin, the men’s faces were wreathed in smiles, and they began to thank Li Lu and Cheng Zongyang one after another.

Five jin of dried fish! If they were frugal, it could last them for several days. At least they wouldn’t be stuck eating Old Rice and sorghum flour all the time. In times like these, this was an incredible perk!

In that moment, the men’s loyalty toward Li Lu grew substantially. ’A superior this generous to his subordinates is one worth following!’

Likewise, their impression of Cheng Zongyang also improved significantly.

’He’s a good man!’

Half an hour later, Cheng Zongyang clutched the four taels and five mace of gold he had received. He waved to Li Lu and the others, watching them cheerfully carry away the last batch of dried fish.

Once inside the city, Li Lu told everyone, "Leave the main load here for now. Take your own portions home, then come back and we’ll haul the rest to the County Magistrate’s Office." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Hearing this, the men were immediately grateful for Li Lu’s thoughtfulness, and they all thanked him.

At the West City Gate, a continuous stream of people had been leaving the County Town ever since the gate opened that morning.

This puzzled the Soldiers on guard, as well as their Commander, a Ninth Grade Martial Artist.

Ever since the refugees’ last attempt to storm the city, Martial Artists had been assigned to help guard all four gates.

The Commander assigned to assist with the watch was quite surprised. He watched the refugees, who they normally couldn’t even drive away, leaving in a steady trickle today.

Still, he was glad to see them go; it meant less strain on the city’s food supply.

By Noon, the flow of refugees leaving the city had stopped. But the Commander noticed a puzzling scene unfolding in the distance where the main road began.

He saw that the crowd of refugees hadn’t left after all; they had been gathering at the start of the road the entire time. Only just now had they all departed together.

The Commander didn’t spot Cheng Zongyang, but he got the impression that their departure was organized, as if someone was leading them.

However, they were too far away for the Commander to see clearly, so he paid it no mind. Even if something had been going on, it wasn’t his business to get involved.

Cheng Zongyang led the group several hundred meters from the road before entering the mountain forest.

When the anxious refugees saw a clearing filled with large amounts of grain and water, they were all stunned.

Cheng Zongyang addressed them, "Cooks, step forward. Wash your hands, prepare the ingredients, and get the meat porridge started. Where are those scholars? You, come forward."

Under Cheng Zongyang’s direction, those in the crowd who knew how to cook began to organize the work. At the same time, the scholars approached him, looking apprehensive.

Before they could even speak, Cheng Zongyang said:

"Help me get a headcount of everyone who came. Once you have the numbers, have everyone wash their hands thoroughly, and then we’ll prepare to eat the meat porridge. We’ll also need to fill some containers with water to use on the road later."

The four scholars bobbed their heads in agreement like pecking chicks and nervously set to work.

The number of people was quite large, so the food had to be cooked in several batches. Luckily, there were many hands to help, so the work went smoothly.

By the time everyone had finished their meat porridge, three hours had passed. Seeing it was getting late, Cheng Zongyang gathered everyone to prepare to set out again.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t let the remaining supplies go to waste. He had people carry the leftover rice, distributing it among the group. He also had some of them carry the medicinal herb packets in shifts as they marched.

He had taken out the herb packets beforehand, waiting for this group to help transport them back.

With nightfall approaching, they picked up their pace. Fortunately, this group wasn’t completely destitute. They had been receiving some food each day in the County Town, so they had much more energy and stamina than the first batch of people.

Just as the sky began to truly darken, they reached the entrance to the Inner Mountain Pass.

The mountain path was difficult to walk, let alone while carrying heavy loads.

He could only have the people stop and wait while he went ahead to the village to get help.

According to the scholars’ count, 213 people had arrived, which was over fifty fewer than the number who had registered in the County Town.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t mind. It was only natural for them to have their doubts. After all, not everyone possessed the determination to take such a gamble and follow a stranger out of the County Town.

When this second group of people saw others arriving from the village to help, they couldn’t help but feel relieved. Venturing into the mountains without a clear destination had understandably made them anxious.

With everyone working together, they finally reached Cheng Family Village. There, Cheng Zongyang addressed the crowd: