Chapter 14: The Hero

This refugee camp was established not long ago.

Since the fifth year of the Daye era, the number of refugees had gradually increased. The Daizhou General Administration, located in Yanmen, promptly issued an order to provide proper resettlement for the refugees.

From the wording of this directive, one could tell it still carried some semblance of compassion.

To prevent disasters, chaos, disease, and other troubles, Ma Yi Commandery was instructed to carefully accommodate the refugees. Depending on circumstances, the commandery granaries could be opened to distribute grain and thus save the people from freezing to death.

Therefore, during the winter of the sixth year of Daye, all four cities within Ma Yi established refugee camps, and subordinate counties followed suit.

Yet, no matter how humane the official proclamations sounded, they were still official proclamations—whether in the past, present, or future, such documents inevitably resulted in perfunctory execution.

Take Li Jing, the Prefect of Ma Yi, who sat high in the prefectural government’s main hall—he certainly did not take the Daizhou General Administration’s orders seriously.

Since his appointment following the Han Prince Yang Liang’s rebellion, Li Jing understood perfectly well that the current surge of refugees mostly originated from Yanmen. In the fourth year of Daye, Yanmen’s refugees had revolted, and banditry had increased.

The turmoil had spread to Ma Yi, prompting the order.

The true intent was not concern for the refugees’ lowly status but to make Ma Yi share part of the blame alongside Yanmen.

The so-called Daizhou General Administration was not really governed by the Daizhou Prefect but rather by the Governor of Yanmen.

Similarly, Ma Yi nominally had a Prefect above the rank of the county magistrate, but because Li Jing held that office, the prefecture seat remained vacant.

Thus, the conditions in the refugee camps under Ma Yi’s jurisdiction were easily imagined.

That winter was no different for the common folk of Ma Yi than previous winters.

But for those in the refugee camps, it felt unbearably harsh.

Li Po and Li Chun both felt this keenly.

The weather grew increasingly bitter, and the second snowfall arrived as expected. Even Li Po, who was strong and healthy, found it hard to endure, let alone Li Chun, who had just recovered from a serious illness and traveled a long distance.

After the snow, Li Chun could only huddle trembling in the corner of their thatched hut, too afraid even to step outside.

For their survival, Li Po could not always hide in the straw shelter.

He first waited by the city gate, beating two woodcutters who had come to sell firewood until their faces were bruised, seizing half their wood.

With Luo San present, the beaten woodcutters dared not retaliate; grumbling, they carried the remaining half into the city. Next time, they would not venture alone but bring five or six companions.

Selling firewood in the freezing cold was the lot of those equally unfortunate souls.

But Li Po had no time to care for them. His own life was in peril; robbery was the mildest act he could commit. If this were not Ma Yi city, he might have even thought of killing for plunder.

Within two or three days, he had robbed six or seven woodcutters, accumulating a large pile of firewood and securing two sets of clothing each for himself and Li Chun.

Before his notorious reputation could spread, some reckless men approached him.

This was only possible during the harsh winter; otherwise, the camp’s residents would soon notice and warn each other that this newcomer was not to be trifled with.

Yet, in winter, those in the camp wished they could hide underground. Not a single person knew that the young man had begun acting as a highwayman at the city gates.

Even the city gate guards had been corrupted by him, becoming accomplices; it was only a matter of time before they acted violently themselves.

Still, Li Po knew he could not continue this behavior indefinitely.

Those who came to the city to sell firewood, especially near the north gate, were villagers from nearby northern settlements.

A severe beating and the loss of some firewood were no great matters to these hardy northern folk.

But if provoked repeatedly, suffering greater losses, one day someone might come wielding a knife, ready to fight to the death.

So after piling enough firewood beside the straw hut, Li Po stopped, pondering what to do next to improve their lot.

That day, he did not stand by the gate early in the morning. The cold had caused his hands and feet to crack open in many places, so he stayed beside the fire stove he had built, sleeping deeply.

Li Chun stayed close beside him, his eyes red.

The boy had begun to understand that he was a burden to his elder brother. Seeing Li Po grow thinner and more haggard day by day, he was filled with self-reproach.

By noon, seeing Li Po still asleep, Li Chun picked up their earthenware pot and left the hut to fetch porridge from a southern stall.

But he had barely gone far when two “good fellows” blocked his path…

One tall and one short, one a stout man with a lame leg, the other a thin tall man with scars on his face.

Both wore tattered leather jackets faded beyond recognition, their faces dark and grimy, evidently unwashed for a long time—no different from the other refugees.

Only the lame man carried a short, sheathed knife at his waist.

Upon seeing Li Chun, their eyes lit up instantly. Without hesitation, they blocked his way.

Like starving wolves eyeing a lamb, they said nothing, instead circling him and scrutinizing him with malicious intent that made Li Chun’s skin crawl.

Had it not been for Li Po’s warning, Li Chun might have shown some defiance. But remembering his brother’s words, he hesitated briefly before turning and fleeing.

The two men did not pursue, only breaking into ugly, sinister laughter.

Watching the boy run, they were satisfied. It had been many days since anyone in the camp had brought such lively amusement.

In their eyes, a healthy child around ten years old who could run so fast was, in essence, a pile of cash on legs.

“Let’s go check over there—another newcomer,” the tall man said, leading the way south, following Li Chun’s footprints.

They did not fear escape; the camp was a cage, and once inside, where else could one run?

The lame man licked his cracked lips and followed, laughing, “A child this age might still have his mother around. Heh, this time you can’t snatch him from me…”

With the harvest approaching, the tall man was in good spirits. “Snatch? We’re brothers. Whether first or last, it’s all the same. You won’t hog him all to yourself.”

They laughed lecherously, but the lame man was somewhat concerned. “Hope it’s not a sickly woman.”

“Don’t think so much. Later, we’ll visit the slave market, speak with Big Zhang, see what price we can get. A child like this, missing two strings of coins—no question.”

“Or… maybe wait for Fat Auntie? She always offers a higher price…”

Indeed, these two were true “heroes” of the human trafficking trade.

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