Chapter 488: Shi Kefa Arrives

Imperial Inspector Wu Shen was having a headache.Damn it, my head is killing me!

Thirty thousand bandit dependents were currently crammed into the tiny county town of Hequ.

Even though he knew he shouldn’t think this way, he cursed inwardly: Wang Jiayin, you son of a bitch, why didn’t you take your family members with you when you broke out? What were you thinking leaving them here? Do you expect me, an official, to raise the wives of bandits?

For a moment, even he—a civil official—felt the same dark urge as the military officers: how much better it would be to kill them all!

However, such thoughts were utterly forbidden for a scholar who had read the books of great scholars and sages. Suppressing this dark impulse, his expression shifted to one of concern: these people must be resettled.

Moreover, they couldn’t be settled in Shanxi.

These people were all from Shaanxi. If he suggested settling them in Shanxi, Song Tongyin, Provincial Governor of Shanxi, would definitely refuse. Without proper cooperation, these thirty thousand individuals might be dumped in some remote valley without food or farmable land, left to fend for themselves. Within days, they would rebel again.

Even though they had no able-bodied men—comprising only the elderly and weak, women and children—a rebellion of elders and women wielding hoes would only make the imperial court appear tyrannical. How could they respond then? Start killing again? If thirty thousand heads of the elderly, weak, women, and children were piled up, the Emperor’s rage would surely cost Lord Wu Shen his head first.

There was no alternative but to send them back to Shaanxi.

The moment he thought of returning them to Shaanxi, he thought of Jigong the Monk and Chengcheng County.

“Ah, I wonder if Chengcheng County would be willing to take these thirty thousand elderly and weak, women and children.”

“Report!”

A subordinate rushed in, announcing loudly, “Your Excellency, the Prefectural Judge of Shaanxi, Shi Kefa, seeks an audience.”

Wu Shen’s spirit lifted: “Shi Kefa is here? Excellent! Grant him entry.”

Soon, Shi Kefa strode into the room.

Shi Kefa was twenty-nine that year, full of ambition for his career. His current position was Prefectural Judge of Xi’an, Shaanxi. A Prefectural Judge primarily handled criminal cases and assisted with judicial administration.

Yet since his appointment, he had scarcely performed his official duties as a judge—instead, he remained occupied with disaster relief.

He had to—there was no other choice!

If relief wasn’t provided, the people would commit crimes, and then the Prefectural Judge’s duties would become overwhelming.

Thus, providing relief to prevent crime before it happened meant avoiding real judicial work altogether. This, he believed, was the true work of a “judge”—like how a true master of swordsmanship needed no sword.

At the sight of Shi Kefa, Wu Shen nearly shed tears as if seeing kin: “Brother Shi, your timing is perfect! These families of Shaanxi bandits fled to Shanxi—they must now be returned to Shaanxi for resettlement. Transporting them will cost a vast sum of silver. If the person responsible becomes greedy and pockets the funds… these thirty thousand are bound to revolt again. Only by entrusting this mission to you can I find peace.”

Shi Kefa’s expression radiated confidence and calm, his eyes firm: “Lord Wu, rest assured. Should ever I embezzle a single copper coin intended for disaster relief, may I be reborn as a paving stone to be trampled by thousands!”

Wu Shen responded, “You are the only one I trust.”

With a wave, he had an attendant bring out a chest of silver: “Use this to escort these thirty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children back to Shaanxi. Deliver them into the hands of Liang Shixian, County Magistrate of Chengcheng.”

Shi Kefa’s breath caught sharply when he saw the chest’s contents: “Lord Wu, if I’m not mistaken, there’s barely three thousand taels here. How can I possibly settle thirty thousand people with so little?”

Wu Shen explained, “This is only for travel expenses—what you’ll need on the journey.”

Shi Kefa pressed further, “Only travel expenses? After delivering them to Chengcheng County, will I have nothing more to do?”

Wu Shen nodded bleakly, “Nothing more. And nothing more I can do. Alas.”

His expression darkened: “I had one hundred thousand taels when I entered Shaanxi. But scarcely had I arrived when Hong Chengchou demanded twenty-thousand taels to pay overdue military rations. That left me with eighty-thousand taels. Nowhere I offered aid went untouched. My funds are below fifty thousand. This three thousand taels… I clenched my teeth to gather even this much for you.”

Shi Kefa: “!!!”

Wu Shen stepped forward urgently and clasped Shi Kefa’s hand: “Apart from you, I trust no one. The others would surely siphon the silver for themselves. Only you are truly trustworthy.”

Suddenly rushing with pride, Shi Kefa declared, “Understood! Lord Wu, rest assured. Though my capability may be small, I’ll pour my heart and soul into this task.”

Soon after, Shi Kefa set forth along the long journey to Chengcheng County, leading one thousand officials and thirty thousand elderly and weak, women and children.

The fastest route from Hequ to Chengcheng County should have been by boat.

But the upper reach of the Yellow River rapids made sailing unfeasible. The imperial court lacked sufficient transportation capacity; arranging riverboats for thirty thousand people proved impossible. Shi Kefa had no choice but to take the overland route: first to Taiyuan, then southeast to Pingyang Prefecture, then to Hejin Prefecture, crossing the Yellow River at Longmen Ferry, then onward through Hancheng and Heyang Counties, finally arriving at Chengcheng.

This route stretched a thousand li!

Shi Kefa knew the challenge would be immense. Yet still he feared nothing: though weak himself, he never shrunk from hardship.

Several days later, he arrived at Taiyuan Prefecture.

Their initial provisions were exhausted. The elderly and weak, women and children, wailed pitifully of hunger. Many could walk no longer. Tension wound through the crowd; feeding them became imperative—before revolt erupted again.

Shi Kefa entered Taiyuan Prefecture to purchase grain.

He inquired at the official granary: the grain price was eight hundred wen per half-peck.

Shi Kefa’s temples throbbed with sudden pain.

By this reckoning, three thousand taels could purchase about fifty thousand jin of grain—nowhere near enough to sustain thirty thousand people for a thousand-li journey!

With no alternative, he pressed onward.

He negotiated the price at the granary, flaunting authority to suppress the cost to seven hundred wen per half-peck. Then he paid fifteen hundred taels of silver for over twenty-thousand jin of grain: enough to give the famished refugees a half-filling meal, quelling their restless anxieties and soothing public morale… before marching them south again.

Weeks of digging grassroots, gathering wild herbs, and scraping tree bark followed. Food was stretched to its limits: these gleanings mixed scantily with grain before cooking. Through strenuous effort, they traversed hundreds of more li.

At last they consumed the final grain—their twenty-thousand jin utterly spent.

A subordinate reported: “Your Honor, our rations are gone. We must find supplies soon.”

Shi Kefa’s brows furrowed deep. “What city lies ahead?”

“Pingyang Prefecture,” answered the subordinate.

“Pingyang Prefecture?” Instantly Shi Kefa recalled a military report from days earlier: the city was assaulted by Bandit Army under Nan Ying Eighth Great King—ten-thousand strong men. Deputy General Li Huai was routed defending it. The city walls nearly breached until reinforcements arrived: Shi Jian, an officer under the General of Shaanxi, saved them. For this feat, Shi Jian was promoted to Commandant.

Shi Kefa sighed long and heavy. “Pingyang Prefecture hasn’t long recovered from an attack. Its grain prices too must be steep… What am I to do now?”