Qingzhou borders Liangzhou and is on the same line as Chongzhou. There are also many refugees from Liangzhou here.

Furthermore, because the official road to Qingzhou was easier to travel and a southwestern army was stationed there, even more refugees came.

The most prosperous place in Qingzhou is the provincial capital. Especially in this snowy weather, most of the refugees want to find a place to stay and keep warm, so the number of refugees coming to the provincial capital is countless.

Those who are rich and powerful have already taken care of everything in the provincial capital, bought houses, and are burning charcoal in their homes, snuggling into warm quilts.

However, many more refugees were kept outside the city walls of the provincial capital, Guanggu City.

This fortified city wall, easy to defend and difficult to attack, once witnessed the feat of thousands of people holding out for three months, keeping the iron cavalry of the Western Barbarians at bay and protecting the people of this land.

However, this city wall, which is more than ten meters high, now blocks the refugees from Liangzhou and the homeless people of the Liang Dynasty.

"Your Excellency, the weather is far too cold. Many people in the city have already frozen to death. If we continue to keep those refugees outside, I'm afraid many more will freeze to death by tomorrow!"

Chen Tongzhi, who was in charge of assisting with government affairs, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, looking extremely anxious.

"What's the rush? They're just a bunch of refugees. If we let them in like this and they clash with the high-ranking officials in the provincial capital, how am I supposed to explain this to my superiors?"

Lian Ji narrowed his small eyes, unmoved.

Over the years, he has relied on this "smartness" to climb to this position. Otherwise, how could an ordinary Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) without any background have climbed to this position?

“Sir, there are just too many refugees outside. How can we explain the deaths of so many people outside Qingzhou provincial capital?” Chen Tongzhi still did not give up.

"You don't need to worry about that. You just need to keep an eye on those people and make sure they don't get in. They're just a bunch of refugees. If those rebels get mixed in, it won't just be a matter of a few hundred or a few thousand lives."

Lian Ji was naturally intelligent, and it was precisely because of his intelligence that he was able to see the hidden dangers.

If rebels were to infiltrate the city, the entire provincial capital would fall, and that would be the most fatal thing.

Of course, he also had a better way to handle this matter. He could first build simple houses outside the provincial capital and send people out to distribute porridge to keep the lives of those refugees alive, and then slowly find out who the traitors were.

But these things are too complicated and require a lot of energy. Why should he go through all this trouble and do these tedious things? If he just kept everyone out, whether they were bandits or spies, and they all died, wouldn't everything be fine?

"By the way, has the mistress of the Qing'an Marquis's mansion been found? She is the Ning'an County Princess, personally appointed by His Majesty. If something really happens to her, it will definitely be very troublesome."

Lian Ji thought about it for a long time, and then he thought of the county princess who had been lost from the Qing'an Marquis's mansion.

How could such a prominent mistress of the house have been lost? Thinking of the anxious looks on the faces of the people in the Marquis's mansion, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Send out another group of people to search. We must find them no matter what! Otherwise, how heartbroken will Marquis Qing'an be when he returns?"

Lian Ji felt that it must have been that treacherous person who deceived the county magistrate that caused this to happen.

"Also, provide those extraordinary people from the capital with a few more thick cotton quilts and send them some of the finest silver-thread charcoal. Don't neglect them!"

Lian Ji spent a long time making arrangements, but he didn't mention how to deal with the displaced people.

Chen Tongzhi walked out step by step, clenching his fists.

He ignored the task assigned to him by Prefect Lian, and instead rode in his carriage to the city wall, standing in the cold wind and looking at the group of refugees outside.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and now more than a thousand people had gathered outside, and the number was still increasing.

Everyone looked at the high city wall with ashen faces, hoping that the officials inside would take pity on them and let them in.

A howling wind blew by, and a mother holding her child was already stiff with fear. She wrapped her child in her clothes and slowly collapsed.

Suddenly, the loud cries of a baby rang out from the crowd, mixed with the prayers of many refugees, enveloping the people on the city wall.

Chen Tongzhi could only grip the city wall tightly, banging his head against it with a sigh.

"Lord Chen, we should go now," a soldier from behind said, walking over to remind him.

Chen Tongzhi turned around and nodded numbly.

Let's go.

The figure in official robes grew farther and farther away, and naturally he didn't hear the hawking sounds coming from below the city wall.

"Family members, come and see! These thick cotton-padded coats are from the barren mountains. Once you put them on, you won't feel cold anymore. They're super warm!"

"Take a look, have a look, don't miss it if you're passing by!"