It was unclear if it was due to the enemy's heavy losses, but this time they safely reached the disaster-stricken area. The Fifth Prince had initially wanted to keep some alive to interrogate who was behind the attempt on his life, but those were all trained assassins. Once captured, they would bite into the poison hidden in their mouths.
However, the Fifth Prince was not discouraged by this. Although he didn't get any useful information, with the adult princes, who else could want his life but the Fourth Prince?
Upon arriving in Lizhou, the situation was even more severe than they had imagined. The two stood on the city wall and looked out. It was a sea of people, each wearing tattered clothes, gaunt and emaciated, with a numb expression on their faces. From time to time, the sound of crying could be heard, and one could imagine that another person had passed away.
Seriousness involuntarily appeared on their faces. With the grain they brought, the refugees outside the city could hold on for a while longer.
"Your Highness, something's wrong. Starting this morning, refugees outside the city have been falling down in large numbers. They've all been vomiting and purging, followed by a persistent fever, and eventually death. It looks a lot like a plague," a doctor who had been treating the refugees reported to the Fifth Prince as soon as he arrived on the city wall, keeping a respectful distance.
He had been among the refugees for the past few days, fearing he might get infected himself. His own death would be insignificant, but if he infected the Fifth Prince, his entire family would be doomed.
The Fifth Prince's gaze involuntarily shifted to Wu Caiwei. Wu Caiwei nodded slightly at him, took a pill, wrapped a handkerchief around her mouth and nose, and followed the doctor to the refugee camp to check on their condition.
"Sir, please save us. My child is so young, barely experiencing life. He hasn't had a single good day. I worked so hard to bring him into this world. Without him, how will I go on? Please, sir, save him," Wu Caiwei had barely stepped out of the city gate when a woman, kneeling not far from her, frantically kowtowed to her, her face filled with despair.
Wu Caiwei quickly went to the child's side to examine him. She then checked on several other patients with similar symptoms and, having a grasp of the situation, comforted them a few words before returning to the city.
Wu Caiwei knew that lives were at stake and immediately wrote out a prescription without a second word. Although some of the medicinal herbs she brought could be used, most were useless. The pharmacies in the city had already closed their doors, and wealthy families had bought all the medicine they needed. What remained were mostly trivial items. All the medicinal herbs combined were far from enough.
With no other option, Wu Caiwei selected the ones she could use, ordered people to quickly boil the medicine, and then had the buckets of medicinal liquid brought to the city gate. The refugees were made to queue up, each receiving only one bowl.
The Fifth Prince, meanwhile, quickly ordered the prescription to be sent to various affected areas nearby. Although they couldn't provide medicinal herbs, it offered a glimmer of hope for survival. He prayed that the local officials would take action and find what they needed from the hoarded medicinal supplies, saving as many lives as possible.
The common people didn't understand medicine well. As long as they had medicine to drink, they felt hopeful. Fortunately, Wu Caiwei's medical skills were excellent, and the medicine was very effective. Some with milder symptoms saw their fever break that very night, while those with more severe symptoms were much more stable by the next morning. Everyone showed expressions of joy, though some of the earliest infected had unfortunately passed away.
Due to the limited medicinal herbs, Wu Caiwei, early the next morning, gathered several doctors to begin consultations. Those with symptoms were given medicine, while those without symptoms or who had recovered were no longer given any.
The common people didn't have much of an objection. In their eyes, if the doctor said they were fine, they wouldn't dare to tempt fate by thinking they were sick. Everything appeared to be in order.
When the Fifth Prince had brought grain, medicine, and manpower from the north, the Prefect of Lizhou, upon receiving the news, had sent people to meet him. At the time, the Fifth Prince, not being particularly familiar with the area, had distributed the supplies to be sent to various locations, while he himself remained in Lizhou to oversee. This was the area with the most refugees. Once this place was stabilized, the disaster area could be rebuilt quickly.
One night, as they were sound asleep, they were suddenly awakened by shouts of fighting. The sounds came from the direction of the city gate. Wu Caiwei quickly put on her clothes and saw flames soaring into the sky from the direction of the city wall.
As she rushed out, she bumped into the Fifth Prince. Without a word, they tacitly headed towards the city wall. Upon reaching the wall, they found the soldiers on the wall engaged in a fierce battle with the refugees below.
It was then they learned that in the middle of the night, a group of people had suddenly attacked the city wall with ladders. Caught off guard, they had suffered many casualties. Only when the soldiers in the city heard the commotion and rushed to their rescue did they slowly drive the attackers back from the wall.
The two then noticed the bodies lying on the ground not far away. They then looked down at the city and observed carefully, discovering the problem. It turned out that this group of attackers worked seamlessly together, with some providing cover and others attacking the wall. Although they were not at an advantage now, the refugees were numerous. Even though the soldiers on the wall currently had weapons, their arrows would soon be depleted. If the refugees worked together to break down the city gate or climb over the wall using ladders, the soldiers on the wall might not be able to defeat them.
"You said the situation in the disaster areas below was fine, and only our Lizhou was severely affected. Then where did these refugees come from?" the Fifth Prince asked the Prefect with sharp eyes.
"This is what the officials I sent reported to me. As for where these people came from, I am derelict in my duty and do not know. They are organized and disciplined, indicating someone is taking advantage of the chaos to rebel and capture Lizhou," the Prefect also noticed the problem with the people below, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
The thought that such a situation occurred within his jurisdiction and was witnessed by the Fifth Prince made him unable to account to the Emperor. He could only hope that these refugees could be suppressed and no further trouble would arise.
Just then, a leader-like figure looked at the Fifth Prince on the city wall with keen eyes and shouted, "The Fifth Prince is on the city wall! If we put in more effort and attack, we will have food to eat. As long as we enter the city and capture the county yamen, and tie up the Fifth Prince, our families will be saved."
Upon hearing this, the refugees were filled with renewed vigor. Even the refugees gathered outside the city wall couldn't help but join the fray. Although they now had food and medicine, who knew if they would have them tomorrow?
They had been fleeing for so long and had not seen the Prefect let them into the city. They were uncertain. Now that someone was taking the lead, they joined in, hoping to gain benefits. Even if they couldn't, as long as the city gate was broken down and their families entered, they could survive.