Chapter 157: Entering the City and Observing the Notices

“Resettling refugees is no easy task—grain, housing, land distribution, tax exemptions, quality seeds… even the porridge relief at the city gates—all of it requires silver,” Yan Huaiwen said indifferently. “Afterward, officials and clerks must be dispatched to their original hometowns to issue and process registration changes, and each step incurs expenses. To ensure smooth operations, various expenditures add up to an enormous sum.

Guanzhou Prefecture is a fief, with half its tax revenue going to Prince Ying, leaving only the remaining half for the local treasury.

That half must sustain the entire administration of a major prefecture, leaving little surplus. If a natural disaster or other calamity strikes, the funds will be insufficient.

This is the situation in most major prefectures—charging a fee for household registration has practically become an unwritten rule. The only difference is how much they charge.”

“Then, is Guanzhou charging a high or low fee?” Yan Lao’er asked curiously.

Yan Huaiwen replied, “Guanzhou Prefecture intends to disperse the refugees across its five subordinate cities rather than concentrate them in the capital, so they have set a steep price—ten taels per person. Only those with wealth can afford it. The fees in Gufeng and Changping are lower, which is reasonable. As for Tiger Roost City…”

He shook his head with a smile. “It seems generous.”

Liang Manshan also chuckled. That Flag Officer Xue’s words might fool ignorant villagers, but to their ears, the flaws were glaringly obvious.

This was not the place for discussion, so Liang Manshan simply told Yan Lao’er, “Brother Huai’an, let’s enter the territory first before we talk.”

Yan Lao’er immediately fell silent, his thoughts turning.

That’s right, their main group was still being held up outside.

They had to get someone inside first.

This city gate marked the boundary between two different territories.

Only by crossing it would they truly set foot in Guanzhou Prefecture.

As for household registration, Old Yan and Manshan would handle it.

With them around, they wouldn’t suffer losses.

—

The city gate swung open, allowing refugees to enter.

Flag Officer Xue stood at a high vantage point, his eyes gleaming as he observed the group.

He kept whispering to the minor officer beside him, “Look at those three big ones—ah, what strong builds! Perfect soldier material!

The ones in front are solid, much sturdier than those in the back. Heh, heh! They’re all good, all good—these ones have seen blood before. Excellent, truly excellent!”

Flag Officer Xue looked like a starving wolf eyeing fresh meat, practically drooling.

“Boss, how do you know they’ve seen blood?” The minor officer watched for a long time but couldn’t see what his superior meant.

“My eyes are sharp—among the eighteen garrisons, my vision is among the best. Don’t believe me?” He chuckled. “Tell me, if you were a refugee, why wouldn’t you take the main road? Why detour through the mountains instead?”

“Didn’t they say they ran into bandits?”

“Bah! Look at their numbers, their carts, and their belongings—they clearly haven’t been starving. There are only so many bandits in the mountains. Facing a group like this, full of strong men traveling together, even bandits would hesitate before attacking.

Le Mountain Prefecture is next to us, but Qishan Prefecture isn’t. If they were fleeing a drought, wouldn’t heading south make more sense? The south is richer—why come to Guanzhou instead?”

“Yeah! Why would they make such a poor choice?” The minor officer was puzzled.

Flag Officer Xue glared at him and said gruffly, “Something’s up with them!”

“What kind of something?”

Flag Officer Xue smacked him on the head. “Why do you care? They’re in Guanzhou now, and that’s all that matters. If they really committed crimes, once our paperwork reaches their hometown, the truth will come out. If they turn out to be criminals, even better—we’ll just send them straight to the quarry! Heh, heh!”

“Boss, what did you tell them to make them willing to settle in Tiger Roost City?”

“Just repeated Lord Tian’s policies—land distribution, three years of tax exemption. Other cities charge fees, but we don’t. How could they not be satisfied?”

The minor officer hesitated before saying, “Boss, that land is wasteland. Guanzhou has always given a three-year tax exemption for newly cultivated land. Isn’t this misleading them?”

“Who am I misleading? I told the truth! Wasteland is still land—nurture it for a few years, and it’ll be fine!” Flag Officer Xue glared.

The minor officer shrank back and muttered, “Even if you don’t say it, Lord Tian will.”

Flag Officer Xue stared at him for a moment before gritting his teeth. “You’re right. I’d better go now before that old man ruins everything!”

With his characteristic decisiveness, Flag Officer Xue immediately gathered a squad and galloped toward Tiger Roost City.

—

As they entered Guanzhou’s territory, the group followed the garrison soldiers’ guidance toward Tiger Roost City.

The Yan family’s ox cart led the way, moving at a pace much slower than before.

Sanbao walked with deliberate steadiness, as if measuring each step to maintain a consistent distance.

No one knew why they were moving so slowly, but no one questioned it.

Along the journey, the group had grown to trust the scholar completely, watching the Yan family’s actions closely.

“Brother Huai’an, this is Tiger Roost City. Yongning City is here, and Gufeng should be around this area.” Liang Manshan used stones he had picked up along the way to mark locations.

Yan Lao’er sketched a rough map onto cloth with charcoal and tucked it away.

“Tianyou, when you go, try to check the city and town notices. If that’s not possible, you can listen for news at the tea stalls near the gates.

Stay away from the refugees.”

“I understand, Brother,” Yan Lao’er said solemnly.

“We’ll travel slowly. If you don’t return in time, we’ll delay outside the city as much as we can. No need to rush.”

“Got it.” Yan Lao’er nodded.

Qi Da and his two younger brothers discussed and decided to send Qi Si along.

Among the three brothers, Qi Si was the most experienced in dealing with people.

Qi Si planned to ride a mule, but as soon as he got on, the animal refused to cooperate, braying loudly and nearly throwing him off multiple times.

With no other option, they used the Yan family’s ox cart instead.

Yan Lao’er drove, Qi Si sat in the back, and Qi Wu silently climbed aboard as well.

Qi Da slipped a few pouches to his younger brothers.

They contained medicinal herbs to disguise their identities.

Yan Lao’er planned to use the pretext of selling herbs to gather information on Guanzhou’s refugee resettlement policies—whether they were truly as generous as Flag Officer Xue claimed.

It was obvious to everyone that Flag Officer Xue was eager to keep people in Tiger Roost City.

—

After a slow journey, they finally reached the outskirts of Tiger Roost City.

The towering city gates bore the characters “Tiger Roost,” while the walls showed signs of weathered repairs, resembling an aged man battered by time.

Yan Yu furrowed her brows.

Outside the city, many makeshift shelters stood, but no one occupied them.

As soon as the guards at the gate spotted them, they turned and ran inside to deliver a message.

Yan Yu’s sharp ears caught faint shouts of “They’re here! They’re here!”

They had already been informed by Flag Officer Xue that they couldn’t enter the city and would have to stay under the shelters for now.

Understanding the situation, they didn’t insist and instead settled in.

Having camped in the wild before, they found the grass-roofed shelters a luxury. The cool breeze was pleasant, and they had no complaints.

The guards, upon returning, were surprised by the sight.

Unlike typical refugees, these people moved in an orderly and composed manner, handling their affairs with practiced efficiency.

There was not a trace of panic or desperation in their demeanor.