Chapter 12 Riot
Master Liu quickly stepped forward to comfort her: "City Commander, Xiaoshan may have been a little...unskilled before, but now she has made great progress after working hard."

City Commander: “…” Who the hell can become a master by working hard for just a few months?
Did you carve it with a knife?

"She was the one who solved the problem for our Liu family. Please give her another chance."

The Liu family’s matter?

I seem to have heard people say that the Liu family has been possessed by evil spirits lately, with frequent disasters and deaths of old people in the family. It seems like the family is on the verge of being exterminated... How did you solve it?

The city commander looked at Master Liu with doubt: "Is this true or false?"

Master Liu smiled bitterly: "My Lord City Commander, can I still joke about this kind of thing?"

The city commander believed that he would not.

But he couldn't trust Xu Shanshan either.

He still regrets the price he paid for trusting her last time.

Xu Shanshan stood there calmly and let them discuss. Although this matter required patience, she didn't have the patience to wait.

"The city commander seems to be still hesitant, so why not listen to my story first before making a decision?"

The city commander sneered. He had recently read a lot of stories about popular folk scams and charlatan tricks, and he had already seen through her tricks.

"Oh, I advise you not to waste your efforts."

Xu Shanshan narrated calmly and serenely: "The story happened half a month later, in a quiet and ordinary late night, when Jiangling City was already asleep."

"At this time, the silence outside the city was terrifying, as if a darkness was about to swallow everything..."

Then a riot broke out without warning.

Outside the city, I saw a crowd of hungry people gathering together, their crazy eyes were all blood red.

Holding hoes, axes, or swinging fire sticks, their black faces had flaming eyes and shining teeth, as if they were extremely hungry and were ready to pick anyone to eat.

The number of hungry people outside the city far exceeded the few guards inside. In addition, their riot came suddenly and fiercely, and the city gate was quickly breached under their bestiality and ferocious charge.

There was no warning of this riot.

This outcome should have been expected when the hungry people had to "exchange their children for food", the court took a long time to adopt a rescue plan, and the city magistrate was reluctant to open the granaries to release grain.

These thugs who rushed into the city had lost all humanity at this moment.

They broke into the homes of the rich and looted them. They were like unbridled cattle, making a noise of trampling. Robbery, arson and other crimes were common.

It was this riot that plunged Jiangling City into complete chaos and disorder.

As she described the situation vividly, the people present seemed to see people wearing jewelry and other valuables, running out in panic, but being surrounded by thugs gathering from all directions.

Immediately, all kinds of screams, screams, shouts, and curses intertwined together.

There is even a smell of blood and violence in the air...

The city commander and Mr. Liu felt a chill all over their bodies and stood there for a long time, unable to come back to their senses.

...They thought she was going to tell them a fantasy story to brainwash them, but she told them a horror story to scare them!
"You, you made up this ridiculous story!" The city commander was furious.

Xu Shanshan said in a leisurely tone, "Is it ridiculous? If the current situation continues to deteriorate, does the city commander think it is impossible to happen?"

The city commander was stumped by the question.

He had been an official for many years, being promoted from low level to high level, and he had witnessed countless cases of criminals emerging from poor and remote areas.

Indeed, if this trend continues, the hungry people might even riot in order to survive!
The city commander suddenly couldn't hold back any longer: "Didn't you just say you wanted to offer some advice? Tell me about it."

As a great state teacher, Xu Shanshan has learned a lot of things over the years, and she doesn't need to learn things like political schemes and national policies, but that doesn't mean she doesn't know them.

After all, she has opened her clairvoyance and can foresee everything. Nothing can be hidden from her, so why would she play tricks on others? But now her cultivation has not yet recovered to its peak, and coupled with the shackles of this "naturally disabled" body, she cannot do as she pleases.

"In fact, Jiangling City is not without food. It's just that the food is hoarded by the wealthy merchants and used to raise the price of food and make a fortune in the national crisis."

"I know this, but there is nothing I can do. I have tempted them with benefits and planned to engrave their good deeds on their tombstones, but they only care about the immediate benefits and do not care about the lives of the people."

"It's actually not difficult to break the impasse, but it requires the city commander and the Liu family to work together."

The city commander and Master Liu looked at each other.

"What do you mean?"

She said leisurely, "Raise the grain price and make the grain price in Jiangling City the highest in the country."

"Why?" The city commander frowned. "Won't this make the already difficult situation of the people even worse?"

By then, there will be starving people everywhere. What kind of person will he be? A damned dog official?

"Of course not. The city commander can order the city gates to be opened, admit all refugees into the city, and distribute relief food. Just keep them alive for the time being."

The city commander was getting more and more upset. "This is just nonsense. The city can't accommodate so many people. There will definitely be trouble and disputes."

After giving his suggestion to the city magistrate, Xu Shanshan said to Mr. Liu: "The Liu family will then join forces with the profiteers. You will get as much as they raise you, blend in with them, and get along with them in a friendly manner."

Master Liu's mouth twitched: "This..."

No, he is only after profit, so what kind of person is he? An unscrupulous profiteer?

"Aren't the merchants in the city safe because they are staying out of the crisis? What if they are also in danger?"

She kindly advised: "In fact, the city commander should not put himself in the position of the guardian of these people. You should also become a corrupt official."

Good fellow! It’s fine if he’s just a crooked official, but you also want to call him a corrupt official?
"After all, we share the good times together, and we should also share the bad times together."

The city commander's dark and angry face froze for a moment.

If there is any trouble... shall we face it together?

His mouth opened wide, his eyes flickered, and he realized: "You mean... instead of defending it strictly, it's better to be chaotic... let's call it chaos."

"It is better to guide than to block, and it is better to guide than to guide. The city commander is still capable of controlling and cleaning up the current chaos, but what if a real riot occurs one day and we are caught off guard?"

Her words are very pertinent and reasonable.

Master Liu agreed: "Yes, if you drive a dog into a poor alley, it will backfire."

But... this plan is cruel enough!

This is simply pushing the unscrupulous businessmen to the front to take the blame. Aren’t they eager to make money for the country?
But the hungry wolf is right beside them, watching them covetously every day, and the "cage" that binds them can no longer be closed. If they lose their lives by then, will they still want the wealth?
"Xiaoshan, this plan is worth a try."

He sat down with a bit of embarrassment and anger: "But this life-saving relief grain... I really can't afford it."

He has no dignity left in revealing his own poverty.

Xu Shanshan suggested: "Then open the charity granary."

The grain stored in charity granaries in various places was to be used for disaster relief in years of famine, but the imperial court needed to issue a decree from top to bottom to open the granaries, and local officials could not just open the granaries whenever they wanted.

The city commander was indignant and said, "Since you know about the charity granary, you know that I am not in a position to make the decision on this matter."

"Then will this token be useful?" She took out something.

What token?
A "swindler" and a "corrupt official" leaned over to take a look, and saw the eye-catching word "Huo" on it, with "Tianwei Military Discipline" engraved below, and were immediately shocked.

(End of this chapter)