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How many commoners are there on Red Cloud Mountain?

Before the relief effort, people were scattered across various peaks, living in cave dwellings akin to beehives. Everywhere you looked, all the small peaks were dotted with clusters of dark spots. There must have been more than a million.

Everyone could make such an easy estimate, but no one could define the exact number.

Xiling has one million six hundred thousand free people, so-called free people are the residents of Xiling who have homes. Those without houses are not free people, they are vagrants or migrant workers.

As recorded in Tang Clan’s Wind Media Department, the total number of free people was one million six hundred thousand, about over three hundred thousand households. As for how many vagrants, beggars, or newly arrived workers in Xiling, no one knew for sure.

Based on past experiences with natural disasters, even a flood of little magnitude has caused countless deaths among the civilians, let alone a catastrophic flood like the one happening today.

Natural disaster equals death, major natural disaster equals many deaths.

With this understanding, all the scholars, including Tang Luo, believed that if three-quarters of the one million six hundred thousand free people survived, it would be a monumental achievement.

However, in reality, on the Red Cloud Mountain range, besides a large number of free people, there were also countless unregistered vagrants. These wanderers, who live under the sky and on the land, adapt even better to natural disasters and the harsh conditions of Red Cloud Mountain than ordinary civilians.

The people of Xiling, who have long been accustomed to buying grain from the market, have forgotten how to forage for food in the wild. Besides simply chopping firewood to cook, they probably only retained the skills of fishing and hunting.

Two months of unrestrained floods, these vagrants, despite not having food, somehow found edible things from the strangest of places, maintaining a survival rate higher than ordinary civilians in Xiling.

So, when Tang Luo planned to recruit followers and provide relief, this group of unaccounted Xiling vagrants emerged, shocking all the scholars of Xiling.

After all, the flood practically pushed all the civilians back to square one, and it was impossible to distinguish the “veteran” vagrants from the “newly minted” vagrants who used to be free people.

Since they could not be distinguished, the scholars could only provide help to all. After all, Tang Luo had instructed before he left that the targets of the disaster relief were all the people of Red Cloud Mountain, regardless of their origin, gender, age, or backstory.

Sun Jinfang and the scholars of Xiling carried out disaster relief strictly according to Tang Luo’s instructions. However, when the relief targets increased from over one million people to over one million eight hundred thousand people, it also meant that the cost of disaster relief had nearly doubled.

Thus, a group of Xiling scholars could only wait in the council hall, desperately trying to figure out how to sustain five days with one million grains of food.

Ou Yu, who had been silent, looked at everyone sitting in the meeting room without a solution and frowned, “Since the construction of the city has started, it will not stop. However, it is true that the consumption of food by the construction workers is too high. Therefore, from today onwards, their food expenses will be supported by my Ou Clan, which is already my limit. Gentlemen, I take my leave.”

After speaking, Ou Yu stood up to leave. At the door, he suddenly thought of something and turned to Nian Bo, “Elder Nian, aren’t you coming with me?”

“Oh, oh, oh.” Nian Bo hastily stood up, said to everyone, “Gentlemen, I must excuse myself. Please don’t take my absurd words to heart.”

It was not the first time Nian Bo apologized for his impulsive words, but the responses were still sparse. Apart from Shen Dafa, who looked like an old farmer comforting Nian Bo, the rest remained silent. Ruan Tao sneered, showing utter disdain.

Nian Bo’s face darkened after being snubbed. He hung his head and followed Ou Yu out of the council hall.

The atmosphere in the council hall lifted a bit after the two of them left. Although Ou Yu only said one sentence throughout the whole meeting, he gave everyone a good start.

Shen Dafa immediately stated, “Since Tang Jiao will return to the city soon, we cannot mess up the things he entrusted to us. Let me put it this way, I have some food stored at home, I will take it all out as relief, just to get through these five days. Master Sun, what do you think?”

There were ranks among the scholars, and Shen Dafa was undoubtedly one of the most respectable among the scholars of Xiling. With his pioneering statement, it was predictable that others would also contribute.

Sun Jinfang said with gratitude, “Generous Shen, on behalf of the people of Xiling, I thank you.”

“Compared to Tang Jiao, Shen family’s grain is nothing, really nothing,” Shen Dafa waved his hand, very modestly.

Although he was willing to open the granary for relief, based on Shen family’s resources, providing a million kilograms of grain was already impressive. Compared to Tang Luo’s generosity of casually handing over ten million kilograms of grain to Sun Jinfang, it was indeed insignificant.

However, with the pioneering stance of Ou Yu and Shen Dafa, other Xiling scholars also expressed their opinions.

“The Xue family has no grains left, but fortunately, our armed escorts are all good swimmers. The flood has shown signs of subsiding these days, and I may be able to organize them to fish.”

“Return Spring Hall brought mostly medicinal herbs up the mountain this time, we hardly have any grain left. Nevertheless, I am willing to donate one hundred thousand kilograms for relief, as a token of sincerity.”

“As you all know, the folks of the Ruan family are big eaters, but Ruan Tao is not stingy. Let’s donate two hundred thousand kilograms of grains!”

One hundred thousand kilograms, eighty thousand kilograms, fifty thousand kilograms.

These scholars, who were evidently running low on grain, gritted their teeth and donated the remaining grain from their family. As they all believed in the gilt-edged reputation of Sun Jinfang and Tang Luo, since it was said that they could return in half a month, they did not doubt it.

After all, ten million loads of provisions were clearly distributed from their hands to Sun Jinfang, and Tang Clan did not even send a single clerical manager, showing such openness and trust, which made these Xiling scholars have a deep appreciation for Tang Luo.

They all believed that the grain problem would be solved when Tang Luo returned, although they still did not know what the solution was.

October 12th.

West of Chongqing, Wu Family mansion.

Wu Huan sealed the letter and handed it to an old man with white hair, instructing him seriously, “Uncle Gong, you must give this letter to the sixth elder of Tang Clan, Tang Gaomin, and tell him that the boats with the “Wu clan” engraved on them are the items for this transaction. You are the only one in our clan who can avoid the eyes and ears of the Mi Clan. It’s a matter of survival for the Wu family, please be careful.”

The old man placed the envelope in his chest, nodded solemnly at Wu Huan, and his body gradually became blurry and disappeared into the void, as if Wu Huan was the only one in the room all along.

North Mountain Academy, Sunset Peak.

Two little children sat side by side on a cliff, watching the red clouds reflected by the twilight.

The boy pointed to a cloud and said, “Look, doesn’t that cloud look like Red?”

The little girl turned her head to look and exclaimed excitedly, “It does look like it!”

“Hehe,” the little boy laughed delightedly, “I knew you would like that silly deer!”

“Don’t talk about it like that,” the little girl glanced sideways at the boy, “Red is really smart.”

“Since you like it, I’ll give it to you!” The boy waved his hand, full of confidence.

The little girl’s face lit up, but she refused, “That’s your spirit beast mount, I can’t take it.”

“What difference does it make!” The boy swiftly wrapped his arm around the girl’s shoulder, drawing the blushing little girl into his embrace, “My heart is already with you. What’s the big deal about giving you a silly deer.”

Amidst the red clouds, two little heads drew closer, making a popping sound. The cascading red clouds under the bright sun became more vivid..