If allowing thirty thousand refugees through the city gates was done with a simple gesture, then diverting military funds for famine relief was undoubtedly an act of great courage.
With war on the horizon, which army isn't tightly focused on its food supply? After all, battlefields change in the blink of an eye, and military pay is the key to maintaining the front lines—how can soldiers fight without being well-fed?
Yet even at this critical juncture, the Ninth Prince still cared about the life and death of the refugees—who wouldn't be deeply moved?
"All the food nearby has been scavenged clean. Without the Ninth Prince's bowl of porridge, I fear we wouldn't last three days,"
said the refugees, filled with emotion.
Li Wenli traveled to several places and, hearing and seeing much the same everywhere, decided it was time to return to his residence.