Free Web NovelChapter 176: Chapter 176
Chapter 176
Even if the new governor of Red Earth City brought prosperity to the town in the future, so what? When their families may perish from today....
As he lamented his fate, a shadow appeared before him. It was a bright, sunny day, so when the sky suddenly darkened, his eyes couldn’t adjust to the light change in time.
"Soldiers, arrest the troublemakers and report this incident to their town for appropriate punishment. This includes the two accomplices as well," the authoritative voice of the governor rang out. The soldiers, who had been pretending to ignore the situation, were now startled and rushed in to make arrests.
Indeed, they had seen the wrongful scuffle from the beginning. However, their hearts were filled with pity for the child in his mother’s arms. The soldiers had pretended not to intervene promptly, allowing the middle-aged man to fight for the medicine to save his child.
What they hadn’t expected was the presence of the governor and furen, and it seemed the governor was very angry.
"My-my Governor, by arrest, you mean..." one soldier hesitantly asked. He looked at the child in the mother’s arms. The woman’s face was bruised and battered, and shame evident on their faces.
They were soldiers, men of honor. Under the Wang’s command, they had never harmed innocents, especially not children or women. The idea would have never crossed their minds. Now, was their new leader ordering them to arrest a child and his mother just because they sought medicine?
"Arrest the child and his mother too," Mu Heng ignored their looks and demeanor. The young man’s face was extremely serious.
"Isn’t the governor too cruel? The child’s parents only wanted medicine for their son."
"Indeed, governor, please have mercy. They were fighting for their survival."
"Does the governor have no compassion at all?"
"It’s a new governor who was sent here. Initially, we thought he would be different from the previous ones, but it turns out he’s just as selfish."
"Governor, please reconsider. They haven’t done anything wrong to deserve this punishment." The villagers from other cities also raised their voices. As the first voice spoke out, others followed—second, third, fourth. The villagers’ voices grew louder, and even some soldiers secretly agreed.
Mu Heng didn’t respond immediately. He remained silent, allowing the people to speak until they were satisfied. Seeing his calm demeanor, the villagers gradually quieted down. When pushing against the storm only to find no wind at all, they eventually stopped themselves.
Once everyone had quieted down, waiting to see Mu Heng’s reaction, he slowly began to speak.
"This is Red Earth City. I and all of you received the royal decree to take care of Red Earth City. Therefore, the people of Red Earth City are the ones you must protect and provide the best for. If others want to receive such care, they must first become residents of Red Earth City." freewebnoveℓ.com
Mu Heng said firmly, publicly reprimanding the soldiers, which made everyone feel quite ashamed.
"As for the others, if you must blame someone, blame your own Governor. As Governors, shouldn’t they know what their priorities are?" Mu Heng raised an eyebrow.
"You, as ordinary villagers, knew about the medicine in Red Earth City. Didn’t your Governors know? If cooperation was needed, I couldn’t just discuss it with villagers and release resources meant for the people of Red Earth City."
"However, until today, you’ve been allowed to come here and make demands for what rightfully belongs to Red Earth City. As the Governor of Red Earth City, how could I allow that? Wouldn’t that be equivalent to rebelling? Defying the royal decree to protect the interests of Red Earth City’s people?" freewёbnoνel.com
"Don’t think others aren’t suffering if they don’t get the medicine. Do you think anyone wants to lie down and wait for death? This man, whose medicine was taken for a few years old child, if he has ten more lives to take care of, isn’t that like trading one life for ten?"
"Everyone has their burdens and responsibilities. Even if they didn’t have any specific obligations, as villagers of Red Earth City, he is the villagers who contributes to this land, pays taxes to the authorities, and endure in Red Earth City, their hometown. He is one of the villagers who are the reason I am here as a Governor of Red Earth City. He is the one whose efforts secure funds from the authorities to pay the soldiers who protect this city. Do you think he doesn’t deserve gratitude from those who have been entrusted with such duties?"
"If even the residents of Red Earth City are left to die without aid, who will want to stay in this city? If they move to other cities, won’t Red Earth City eventually be abandoned?"
"You think only about your own needs, without considering others’ rights. Think about it from another perspective: if it were you, during last winter when Red Earth City was severely short of food, your city also faced a food shortage. You knew there was enough food in the storage to last ten more days, ensuring your survival. But if your governor suddenly gave that food to the people of Red Earth City to keep them alive for another 10 days, just because they had children or elderly, or whatever the reason maybe, would you accept that?"
Faced with this long question, the villagers were immediately stunned. Not only were the outsiders taken aback, but even the people of Red Earth City felt the sincerity in his words.
Some began to cry right there, revealing how much hardship they had endured in their difficult hometown of Red Earth City. But because this was their home, the burial place of their ancestors, and their only means of livelihood, they had always endured.
Knowing that someone was willing to protect them, even enduring insults from people from other cities, how could they not cry? Until now, they had been fighting alone all this time!
"Governor, you have done your best."
"Thank you, Governor, for valuing us, the people of Red Earth City."
"In the past, we faced food shortages, but no city sent help. Even my grandfather died of starvation. They had to sacrifice themselves to keep us alive. "
"Indeed, many had to sell themselves as slaves to the nomads. No one pitied us. When we went to other towns to buy goods, they raised prices and looked down on us because we had no choice but to accept."
When given the opportunity to speak, the villagers of Red Earth City couldn’t help but vent their frustrations. They had bottled up their feelings for a long time. Even those who wanted to flee had to take their children and the elderly with them, but they were driven away like animals, forced to find shelter in the forest and ensure their own safety. This had just recently happened, and it had already made them very angry.
After hearing the villagers speak, the 100 soldiers of Red Earth City and the 500 soldiers who followed Mu Heng finally realized how terrible and selfish they had been. Simply because they wanted to help those they wished to assist; they ended up burdening others.
In the end, the soldiers, like the villagers, felt that Mu Heng becoming the Governor of Red Earth City was the right decision.
Some had heard that the new governor was from another region. Initially, they were inclined to dislike him, so the migration happened swiftly because no one trusted their lives to someone from the Du Region. However, seeing Mu Heng stand fearlessly and fight for Red Earth City, everyone now respected him as their Governor.
He was a governor more admirable than any before.
In the past, the governors of Red Earth City were often officials who were punished, either for incompetence or previous mistakes. As a result, they were sent to this desolate area, and no one liked it. They generally despised the villagers, looking down on them in every way. Sometimes, they were even the ones oppressing the villagers themselves.
The previous Governor had increased taxes under the pretense of using the funds to support the city’s soldiers for protection against nomadic attacks but instead pocketed the money while allowing the nomads to continue harming the people.
As common villagers without evidence, they could do nothing but accept their fate and be cautious, having to fend for themselves and protect their own lives.
In comparison, Governor Mu was a vast improvement, like heaven and earth!
"Anyone who neglects their duties today will be punished by chopping 100 bundles of firewood. If not completed, there will be no rest. Understood?" Mu Heng had never shown such anger or authority before, so the soldiers were deeply fearful. They knew that if Mu Heng decided to hold them accountable, the consequences would be severe for them as well.
When they heard the punishment, many of the soldiers felt relieved. Although it wasn’t a light punishment, it wasn’t excessively severe either. If they had committed this offense in the army under the Wang’s command, they would have been severely punished by flogging. They might also be punished according to the army’s rules, such as salary cuts, suspension, or worse. In severe cases, some soldiers were even left disabled.
Thus, this punishment, though physically demanding, wasn’t particularly frightening but ensured they would remember it well. The task of chopping firewood was time-consuming and labor-intensive. However, everyone knew this task was crucial because they had just moved into the governor’s manor. Earlier, the townspeople had evacuated, taking all the supplies, so there were no usable provisions left in the storage.
Every day before cooking, people had to be dispatched to chop wood, causing significant inconvenience. Consequently, this punishment of chopping wood became popular as time went on.
No one wanted to chop wood because it was exhausting. This made it a favored punishment in the future for those who hadn’t committed any wrongdoing and a regrettable one for those who had. Of course... this only applied to minor offenses. For more serious infractions, they still faced the army’s regulations, which Mu Heng enforced strictly without leniency.
The soldiers took the command seriously. They apprehended the small family, including the child in the mother’s arms. Once they left, Mu Heng looked at the middle-aged man from Red Earth City.
His large hand extended toward the other man, who was lying there, lamenting his fate. The man was slightly puzzled but eventually reached out to accept the gesture of goodwill. Mu Heng pulled him up to stand straight, looking at him earnestly before scanning the surroundings.
"Do not let such an incident happen again. The people of Red Earth City are protected by Red Earth City’s soldiers. Anyone who harms our townspeople makes themselves an enemy. Additionally, after receiving the medicine, the residents of Red Earth City must drink it immediately in front of the soldiers. There is no need to take it away and risk others trying to steal it," Mu Heng declared. Many people looked disappointed.
From the recent incident, seeing the scuffle and its outcome, other townspeople began to consider similar actions. They didn’t care about potential punishment afterward; they just wanted to save their lives or those they loved. That was enough.However, after hearing the Governor’s advice and threats, they abandoned such thoughts.
