Chapter 417: No Land, No People

Half an hour later, aside from the eight people seated around the large round table in the corner, under Yang Yankang’s gaze and thanks, each promised to donate between 30,000 and 50,000 silver taels along with goods. In total, the value of the silver taels and goods amounted to over eight million taels—enough to make someone an instant millionaire. This showed just how valuable the position of prefect was.

After clearing his throat a few times and ensuring all eyes were on him, Yang Yankang said casually, “With your generosity, there are no longer any concerns regarding the funds to settle the people of the three western provinces. The only remaining problem is yet another issue, and I hope you can all offer your full support.”

Everyone was stunned. There was still more?

“Please go ahead, Your Excellency. I am willing to do anything,” Huang Tianhu said, standing up first. He had already decided to give Yang Yankang full respect today.

Yang Yankang nodded and said lightly, “I believe everyone can guess what this last problem is—it’s how to settle the people of the three western provinces.”

“That’s indeed a troublesome issue,” Huang Tianhu agreed, nodding thoughtfully and asking, “I wonder if Your Excellency has any good ideas?”

“Yes! No matter how much money we have, it can only solve the food and clothing problems of the people in those provinces; their housing remains unresolved. I’m too dull to come up with any good solutions.”

“That’s right. There’s also the safety issue. Bandits and ruffians—no matter how we settle them, it’s impossible to prevent them from mixing in among the crowd.”

Since Huang Tianhu had already brought it up, it was pointless to stay silent. Voices rose again in confusion.

Yang Yankang pressed his palm together and said, “I do have an idea, but I need your help. I wonder if you’re willing to listen?”

“Please go ahead, Your Excellency,” Huang Tianhu rushed to say, followed by many others.

Yang Yankang said calmly, “The idea is to use your residences and servants for protection.”

Lin Dong’s heart tightened. After a brief thought, his doubts cleared up. He finally understood why Liang Gufeng was so arrogant.

Yang Yankang’s casual words not only caused a huge stir in Lin Dong’s mind but also instantly set off a frenzy in the entire hall. The idea was indeed good, but it posed a great challenge to everyone present.

With everyone’s wealth, their residences were naturally large. Even Lin Dong, who had never specifically purchased a mansion, had at least thirty to fifty mu of land just for the backyard of Lin’s Inn and Lin’s Gymnasium. As for some of the established wealthy elites in Lingnan City, they owned more than one residence each, with some even covering hundreds of mu in total.

If all this land were combined, it would be sufficient to accommodate the people of the three western provinces. Moreover, each family had guards and servants ranging from dozens to nearly a thousand, more than enough to manage the people in their own residences.

This meant that if the number of people flocking to Lingnan City didn’t increase, not only would there be no need for troops, but even city guards and officials wouldn’t be required.

But the problem was that valuable items could be stolen, the residences damaged, and family members put in danger… If this plan were implemented, people could easily list over a dozen problems, some of which would be extremely serious.

To be honest, most of those present would prefer to donate another thirty to fifty thousand taels of silver. If the expenses still had to be borne by their own families, they would even be willing to donate over a hundred thousand taels to resolve the issue.

“What do all of you think of this idea?” Yang Yankang asked with a smile, looking at them.

“Your Excellency is wise. I, Huang, own five residences in Lingnan City. With some effort, accommodating ten to twenty thousand people shouldn’t be difficult,” said Huang Tianhu, who had clearly become Yang Yankang’s informant and was the first to speak in support.

Unusually, no one else followed suit. They all kept their heads down, seemingly focused on the tea before them.

“If there are any difficulties, please feel free to speak up,” Yang Yankang said, his smile tinged with coldness.

Despite their reluctance, they had no choice but to express support. Yang Yankang’s words carried a strong threatening tone, and no one doubted that those who had initially opposed him would eventually pay a hundredfold price for it.

No one was foolish enough to take on such a risky task. Since no one stepped forward, they had no choice but to accept their fate.

Behind Lin Dong, Liang Gufeng watched him closely until Lin Dong stood up and expressed his willingness to support the plan. Only then did Liang’s tense body relax. “Thank you all for your support. I believe the people of the three western provinces will surely remember your generosity,” said Yang Yankang, bowing deeply to them. Unlike before, there were significantly fewer polite remarks from the crowd.

Yang Yankang sneered inwardly. He knew that over 90% of these people resented him.

“Since everyone agrees, then this matter is settled,” Yang Yankang declared loudly. “Later, the county office will arrange the number of people to be housed based on the size of each household. Rest assured, the officials will go and discuss this with other wealthy families. If more people join later, they can also be settled in ordinary households in Lingnan City. So, the number won’t be too large. Once the numbers are determined, I will ask the stationed troops to help with census-taking and relocation. At that time, only families with dependents will be housed in your residences. As for others, I will clear out the training ground to set up tents and assign troops for protection. Regarding the people housed in your residences, you may establish rules, such as requiring permission to leave or prohibiting access to certain areas. If anyone violates these rules, they can be arrested and taken to the county office, where they will face severe punishment. Of course, I also hope you can establish some rules for your servants and guards.”

Huh…

Upon hearing this, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Since those to be housed were families with registered households, although there would still be troubles, the most critical issues would no longer exist.

Seeing everyone relieved, Yang Yankang smiled calmly. Though he wouldn’t have to worry about angering others in another year or two, it wasn’t time yet, so he still needed to pacify them.

After clearing his throat and waiting for the hall to quiet down, Yang Yankang continued, “Next is the expense for the people in your residences. With the silver and goods you donated earlier, it shouldn’t be a problem. In my opinion, let the merchant guild take full responsibility for this, and they should deliver various necessities to each household. Later, we can tally other losses, such as those incurred by hiring servants and building sheds, and provide compensation accordingly. Of course, valuables are not included—those need to be managed by you yourselves. What do you think of this arrangement?”

Praise-filled words increased slightly. Not having to spend money was undoubtedly a good thing.

“Finally…” Yang Yankang looked up at the eight frightened men in the corner.

The eight quickly stood up, unsure of what to do, bowing their heads in hesitation.

They had never imagined they could sit here. Since receiving the message, they had been in a daze, not knowing what to do.

“The eight of you are the owners of inns in Lingnan City, along with your staff. You are undoubtedly experts in matters related to lodging,” Yang Yankang said. “I wonder if you would be willing to lend your staff to the county office to help with lodging arrangements?”

“Willing, willing…”

The eight nodded repeatedly.

“Then I’ll leave it to you eight managers. The county government will compensate you double for the losses of the inn,” said Yang Yankang kindly.
The eight people quickly thanked him.
“Sir, the staff of Lin’s Inn are among the best in Lingnan City,” Liang Gufeng suddenly stood up and said, “I believe that with their help, settling the people from the three western provinces will be much more efficient.”
“Well…” Yang Yankang hesitated and glanced at Lin Dong.
“Lin’s Inn is willing to serve loyally,” Lin Dong stood up and bowed. He couldn’t refuse this request. Ignoring the people of the three western provinces for the sake of business would be even worse than donating only thirty or fifty thousand taels of silver—it would go against Lin’s Inn’s principles. Moreover, there was a way to make amends for the latter, but once the former refused, there would be no remedy.
Liang Gufeng was overjoyed. Lin Dong’s words were like a tremendous blessing to him.
One million taels of silver—what a great deal! To come up with such an ingenious idea, not being the manager of the main branch would indeed be a loss for them!
With the inn occupied and its staff taken away, it would be impossible to operate without a place or staff. Given the distance between Lingnan City and Tianfeng City, plus the time needed to collect Black Fiery Grass, it would take at least two to three months before they could return. And even after returning, they would first have to deliver the Black Fiery Grass to the three western provinces and fully control the Wet Worm Disease before the people of Lingnan City could be sent back.
Even without any obstacles, seven or eight months would definitely not be enough.
During these seven or eight months, they needed to do everything possible to turn as many wealthy clients into regular patrons. By then, when Lin’s Inn reopened, it would not only have to start from scratch but also face the situation where the wealthy clients of Lingnan City had already been taken over by Fenglin Restaurant.
With Lin’s Inn’s current strength, it wouldn’t be difficult to establish a foothold in Lingnan City—its sheer power alone would be enough to snatch away many wealthy customers from other large restaurants. But to achieve the same instant success as in the early days of Lingnan City would be nothing but delusion. With spirit stone fans and VIP cards already at saturation, Pipeline Flower Fragrance wouldn’t last long either. Plus, since Lin’s Inn no longer offered anything new to these wealthy clients, to make them switch from Fenglin Restaurant to Lin’s Inn regularly, Lin’s Inn would need to have overwhelming strength.
Overwhelming strength… Liang Gufeng considered this possibility as highly unlikely as the sun rising in the west.

Undoubtedly, the fate of Lin Ji Inn in Lingnan City could only be one of failure or minor skirmishes. Yang Yankang glanced at Lin Dong indifferently, a cold smirk crossing his eyes. Though his expression remained calm, the excitement in his heart was no less intense than that of Liang Gufeng. For Yang Yankang, money and reputation brought little sense of achievement anymore. What he valued more was taking the next step—widespread outbreaks of wetworm disease were his opportunity to advance further.