Xu Xing persistently pestered Shen Feng, determined to fulfill her dream of killing bandits. This idea had taken root in her mind ever since she witnessed the tragic state of the bandit stronghold.
Under Xu Xing's relentless insistence, Shen Feng reluctantly agreed, knowing that refusing would only lead to continued harassment.
The day was bright and beautiful. Despite it being winter, the weather in Yuzhou was pleasant. It had snowed lightly before, but the snow had now melted. This allowed for the discovery of some wild vegetables in the mountains and fields – young shoots that had emerged just before the peak of winter, only to be targeted by people as soon as they appeared.
Xu Xing took a deep breath, looking at the fine weather, and thought, "Today is a good day."
Xu Xing's mood was as clear and boundless as the sky, filled with unspeakable joy. Today, she was going to discuss the matter of killing bandits with the City Lord. For Xu Xing, this was a significant event that would allow her to fulfill her wish, and she couldn't help but attach great importance to it.
Xu Xing then seized the good weather and headed towards the City Lord's mansion. The previous day, Wu Yelian had finally agreed to Xu Xing's request and permitted her to go kill bandits, only hoping that Xu Xing would be careful while out.
Xu Xing finally understood that as long as one persisted in their dreams, they could eventually achieve them.
Upon arriving at the City Lord's mansion, Xu Xing stated her purpose: "I wish to see the City Lord. Please inform him."
"Please wait a moment. You can go to the waiting room first. The City Lord is currently in discussion with three advisors." Someone then led Xu Xing to the side. Shen Feng would not be able to see her for a while, as Shen Feng was discussing how to deal with the upcoming famine.
"Oh, alright. I will wait until the City Lord has free time," Xu Xing quickly replied.
When Shen Feng heard that the City Lord's mansion staff were discussing how to face the famine, he was initially relieved. However, after hearing their proposed methods, Shen Feng could no longer rest easy. Their plan was to seal off the passages into Yuzhou, preventing outsiders from entering, and simultaneously spread word that Yuzhou was also experiencing a famine, thereby deterring refugees from coming to Yuzhou.
Shen Feng found the decisions made by these people in the City Lord's mansion unbearable. The reason was simple: all these so-called suggestions were terrible ideas. If implemented, Yuzhou might be safe, but its reputation would be utterly ruined.
Shen Feng immediately halted the City Lord's mansion's planned course of action and began discussing the next steps with the three advisors. Currently, Yuzhou had a population of five million, two million of whom were residents who had relocated from other places. Yuzhou's grain supply could barely sustain its own population, but if more people arrived, Yuzhou's food supply would be in jeopardy.
Dan Zhengming said directly to Shen Feng, "Although others call me 'Half-Immortal,' you are called 'Wind God,' City Lord. Are we truly deities? Of course not. We are merely humans, so we must also consider the practical situation. Grain cannot be conjured out of thin air."
Upon hearing the Half-Immortal's words, Shen Feng fell silent. It seemed that if refugee influx was not stopped, Yuzhou's grain supply would certainly become critical. However, turning away countless starving people was also inappropriate, as they would starve to death without food.
"Is there no solution that satisfies both sides? These starving people are suffering due to natural disasters. If we ignore them, it would be too cruel. Yuzhou will also experience snow soon. Once the heavy snow arrives, the refugees will stop moving, but after the snow melts, the refugees will reappear," Shen Feng continued to ask.
The so-called "lean season" referred to the period when crops in the fields were not yet ready for harvest, and the grain reserves at home had been depleted. During such times, famine often occurred.
At this moment, Yu Zhijing said seriously, "City Lord, this is the end of days. Yuzhou's current population of five million is already at its limit. The results of our current land reclamation efforts can only sustain five million people. If more people flood in, how can we feed them without sufficient grain? Furthermore, the number of workers in the factories has also reached saturation. If refugees enter, they will become unemployed. City Lord, don't forget that Professor Chu's method for stabilizing the situation was to eliminate the unemployed."
Shen Feng finally understood why the City Lord's mansion had come up with such terrible ideas and why they wanted to drive away the refugees. It was simply impossible to feed a large population without enough grain. Apart from turning away the refugees, the City Lord's mansion had no other solution.
Under these circumstances, Shen Feng could only remain silent. Shen Feng wanted to save the starving people, but due to the constraints of the situation, he could not do more.
"City Lord, why don't we expand the scope of land reclamation? Since we are short of grain, wouldn't it be better to expand the cultivated areas?" At this moment, Feng Shicheng asked.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng could only reply helplessly, "There are no more areas for land reclamation in Yuzhou. All cultivable land in the entire Jiangbei region is already being reclaimed. Now, if we want to reclaim land, we can only do so in the southern mountainous areas..."
As Shen Feng spoke, he suddenly understood the crux of the problem. Since there was a shortage of grain, the scope of land reclamation should be expanded. Jiangbei had no more land for reclamation, but there were many mountainous areas in the south that could be reclaimed, and crops could be grown on the mountains.
Feng Shicheng tentatively said, "City Lord, although the south of the Yangtze River doesn't seem very safe, the starving people don't care about that. They are starving to death. Therefore, if we recruit refugees for land reclamation, we can both save the starving people and expand the scope of land reclamation. Isn't that a win-win situation?"
South of the Yangtze River, there were many large mountains. In fact, Yuzhou was surrounded by mountains. Even if starving people wanted to come to Yuzhou, they would have to cross countless mountains to reach it. Only people from Sichuan Province could easily reach Yuzhou, as Chengdu and Chongqing were originally one entity, and Yuzhou was only separated later. However, Sichuan Province was not affected by the disaster, and the crisis of mutated birds in Shu was not particularly severe, so people from Sichuan Province would not come.
Shen Feng hesitated. The southern mountains were too dangerous. Apart from mercenaries, no one dared to venture into the southern mountains. Sending starving people to reclaim land in the south seemed like sending them to their deaths. However, if the starving people truly arrived, there would be no other choice.
"I will discuss this matter with Tu Xuhuai and the others to reach a conclusion," Shen Feng finally said hesitantly.
After discussing the plan to deal with the refugees, Shen Feng checked the time and realized that the discussion had taken a long time. He had made an appointment with Xu Xing for today, and now he was late. He quickly left the room to find Xu Xing.
"Xu Xing, I apologize. My discussion took too long, and I kept you waiting," Shen Feng said to Xu Xing.
Xu Xing quickly waved her hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. The City Lord must be busy handling important matters. My situation is not important."
Shen Feng led Xu Xing to his office. Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan were also present. Shen Feng found a document on the desk and handed it to Xu Xing, saying, "You need to go to Jiucheng. There is a cult there whose leader killed the City Lord of Gangcheng and then gained abilities to become an esper. This is a test. Once you complete this mission, it will signify that you are capable of killing bandits. Is that alright?"
Xu Xing had initially thought that the City Lord had summoned her to directly assign her the task of killing bandits and grant her autonomous authority. However, now there was a test, and she was somewhat disappointed. But she quickly rallied her spirits and said seriously, "City Lord, please rest assured, I will definitely complete the mission. This cult will surely be destroyed by me."
Shen Feng nodded and said, "This is a test, but you cannot complete it alone. Lin Yue will accompany you this time. He is the examiner and will observe your every move. He will not help you, so how you execute the mission will be entirely observed."
"Lin Yue? He's the examiner? No problem." Upon hearing that the examiner was Lin Yue, Xu Xing thought of something, but quickly dismissed the thought, preparing to complete the mission beautifully and give the City Lord an account.
In fact, Xu Xing had known Lin Yue a long time ago. Back then, Jiangyang was still called Luzhou. At that time, Lin Yue had a gentle and virtuous woman by his side, who later died during the zombie siege. This time, facing an assessment, Xu Xing immediately perked up, preparing to depart today.
Before departing, Chu Chaoyan couldn't help but remind her, "Xu Xing, this test is not about whether you complete the mission in the end, but how you solve problems when you encounter them. Therefore, you should think about this carefully."
Shen Feng immediately criticized, "Don't leak the exam content casually. Xu Xing, good luck. I hope you can work hard to complete the mission."
Xu Xing nodded and prepared to depart. Lin Yue was already waiting for Xu Xing below the City Lord's mansion.
"Lin Yue, long time no see. Haven't you found a wife yet?" Xu Xing couldn't help but tease after meeting Lin Yue.
Lin Yue said indifferently, "I am the examiner. Please respect my profession. If you continue to be so flippant, don't blame me for submitting a failing report."
"Don't be so heartless. I was just joking. Are we going to Jiucheng next? This is the gateway between Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province. What level are the enemies at? You must tell me these things, right?" Xu Xing quickly said with a smile.
Lin Yue did not hide anything and directly said, "There are mainly two leaders of the enemy. One is called Dong Chao, and the other is called Xue Ba. Dong Chao founded a sect called the Huanxi Sect, claiming to worship the Huanxi Buddha. He is usually charitable, but secretly runs a brothel and occasionally traffics people. He is the leader of the cult. The other, Xue Ba, is the boss of Jiucheng. He lured the boss of Gangcheng upstream under the guise of cooperation, ambushed and killed him, and obtained the ability to use oxygen."
After hearing this answer, Xu Xing nodded and said, "Understood. One is a cult leader, and the other is an ordinary esper. Isn't this as easy as Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts, a piece of cake?"
Upon hearing this introduction, Xu Xing was immediately relieved. This mission was simple. As long as she infiltrated Jiucheng, found these two guys, and killed them, wouldn't that be it? The mission was very simple.
However, upon hearing Xu Xing say this, Lin Yue smiled and said, "If killing people could eliminate bandits, it would be too simple. Forget it, I won't say more. Do your best. When do you plan to depart?"
Hearing Lin Yue's words, Xu Xing's heart sank. She thought, "Could it be that this mission is not just about eliminating these two bad guys? Is there something else to do? And are other tasks hidden within this matter, waiting for me to discover?"
"Let's go now, but we need to disguise ourselves to avoid being discovered. I plan to observe the enemy first," Xu Xing said immediately.