...

...

Prefect Qu acted swiftly, sending rice and grain over the very next day.

It was exactly the third day that General Qin and Lu Huai had agreed upon.

The people in the Northwest are having a hard time. He originally intended to use his own money to buy some grain to send to the army suppressing the rebellion. But someone leaked the news, and the matter was eventually spread.

He had expected the people to be extremely resistant, and might even come to his door to curse him, but the reality was quite different.

When the people of Dongcheng heard that he was going to send military pay to the army suppressing the rebellion, they all participated. Those with enough food at home provided their own, while those with limited food supplies helped transport the pay with the soldiers.

Prefect Qu did not order them to do anything against their will; it was all voluntary.

The first to be affected was the Shu family. Several managers of the Shu family in Dongcheng sent grain to the prefect's mansion, and a special person registered it and put it into the warehouse. Prefect Qu was flattered and put the grain into the warehouse, ready to set off.

Because Shu Ji had given the people a free opera performance the day before, the people had come to regard it as a conscientious business. With Shu Ji setting the example, the people followed suit, voluntarily contributing food and labor.

They range from tens of thousands of shi (a unit of dry measure) to just a few shi.

Prefect Qu was deeply moved and also spent a lot of his own money to buy fruits and vegetables for the army suppressing the rebellion.

When these items arrived, the guards were dumbfounded. They had already set up their defenses thirty miles from their encampment.

But the closer they got, the more uneasy the sentry felt. What kind of weapons were these? Rice? Fruit? Vegetables? Were they trying to starve them with these?

The sentry stared suspiciously at the leading officer not far away for a long time before remembering to report to Lu Chuan. But as soon as the officers and civilians saw his movement, they immediately ran away, not even taking the oxcart they had brought with them.

The sentry hesitated before approaching, only to see a sign hanging on the head of the nearest bull: 'Brother, this is for you to enjoy too.'

sentinel:"……"

He looked at the cows with a complicated expression, only to see them winking at him, which made his expression even more complicated.

After observing for a while, he decided to report to Lu Chuan. Before he even arrived, he saw that Lu Chuan had already come. Not only that, but even Deputy General Gongsun and General Qin had personally appeared.

The sentry's expression hardened, and he bowed respectfully, saying, "Marshal, Vice General, Commander."

General Qin didn't see him, only nodded haphazardly, and walked straight towards the oxcarts. It was Deputy General Gongsun and Lu Chuan who stopped to ask him a few questions.

...

In the woods not far away, Lu Huai, dressed in white, stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching this side.

Shu Zhan stood beside him, looking curiously at the rice sacks on the oxcart. He frowned and thought for a long time before finally asking, "How can there be so much grain?"

Lu Huai said calmly, "Shu's shop contributed 30%, the other shops contributed 30%, and the common people contributed 40%. The rest was all provided by Prefect Qu."

Shu Zhan looked at him in surprise.

Shu Jihui could understand this, because he had given the order; he also knew about the other merchants, but they dared not profit from the ruin of the country, fearing that the people would think they were unrighteous and would stop patronizing the business in the future.

Although Kedong City wasn't as far northwest as Xicheng and Beicheng, it was still arid and relatively barren. Not only was it difficult to grow melons and fruits, but even rice production was low. So why would the people bother to produce rice?

Lu Huai smiled faintly, "Because that scene was acted well."