Just as Miao Wan thought, the instinct to defend their homeland was too urgent, and they did not slow down on their return journey. They managed to return to Xining Town before the dragon raised its head.
After that, Qiao Ruichen didn't have time to spend another night with Miao Wan. After settling his family, he just glanced at Taotao and the twins, and without waiting for them to wake up, he rode to the General Dingbei's Mansion to discuss the progress of the war with Cheng Shao.
The imperial edict was issued directly after the saint began to write on the third day of the Lunar New Year. The expedited speed of 800 miles was much faster than Miao Wan and the others could carry so much luggage.
Therefore, as soon as they entered the northwest territory, Miao Wan and his companions felt a different sense of tension than before, with soldiers of the Gubei Army patrolling everywhere.
Qiao Shengwen and his wife obviously knew the seriousness of the matter. They didn't care about their son's feelings and sent him out quickly. They didn't enter the garrison until Qiao Ruichen was out of sight.
Gu Shuyao had just missed Qiao Ruichen. When she arrived, Miao Wan was confidently reassuring her parents-in-law, "Don't worry too much, Dad and Mom. Our Northwest is different now than it was before. Let alone a war, even if there wasn't one, the people have been on this journey for so long that the common people have become much more skilled. They'd dare to fight the Xiban people with just a kitchen knife. Not to mention that the Gubei Army has upgraded their muskets to cannons, they're no worse than the Xiban people..."
As she spoke, she saw Gu Shuyao, and her face became more confident. "Besides, we have Ah Yao here. She is extremely talented in weapons and defense. With her around, why should we be afraid of the Xiban war horses? We also have the Rain of Chili Needles."
In fact, the one who was most worried was Geng. That was the son she had carried for ten months, and he was also the future pillar of the Qiao family. Even though she knew the necessity of this battle, she was still worried that her son would be injured and bleed if he was away.
As for Qiao Shengwen, he was also worried about his son, but having served as an official in Dayue for decades, he was also aware of the importance of family, country and the world, and knew the heavy responsibility his son carried, so he just held his wife's hand and silently comforted her.
He listened to Miao Wan gently and carefully, and felt that she was indeed full of confidence in her son and was not forcing a smile. He felt less worried and more focused on the war.
He will go to Xiping County later, and he will be able to help Cheng Shao and Qiao Ruichen.
Gu Shuyao came over to talk about this matter, "Mr. Qiao, I will be returning to Xiping County soon. If nothing unexpected happens, the dragon will rise and the war will begin. By then, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Mr. Qiao to help find a way to restrain those old guys."
The fifteen military camps of the Gubei Army are not united. This battle was initially aimed at the Western Regions, but Dayue now has bad relations with foreign tribes such as the Northern Mongols, and also has to guard against the alliance with the Yi Kingdom.
If the subordinates cause trouble at this time, it will affect the safety of the entire Northwest.
Gu Shuyao and Cheng Shao are the same in this respect.
When it comes to fighting, both the couple and Qiao Ruichen are very good at it. In terms of material and financial resources, no one can compare to Miao Wan. The only thing is that when it comes to people's hearts and dealing with those old foxes, Qiao Shengwen is still the one.
Qiao Shengwen did not refuse. He looked at Miao Wan seriously and said, "Awan, Dad is going to Xiping County. Xining Town and our family are all in your care.
Let A-Dun and Lin-ge'er handle the outside matters. Try not to go out. If you make any mistakes, it will be a big problem."
Qiao Ruichen will be distracted, and someone will covet the family fortune earned by Miao Wan. If one thing moves, the whole body will be moved. By then, this battle may not be lost, but it may be a miserable victory.
Thinking of this, Qiao Shengwen couldn't help but be dazed for a moment.
He still remembered that when the Qiao family was exiled to the northwest, his daughter-in-law was just a weak young lady with a pale face and lifeless lying on a cart. At that time, even he was worried that his daughter-in-law would die if she couldn't hold on.
But after all these years, Miao Wan has become the indispensable backbone of the Qiao family. Although she still looks so weak, her face is more tough and calm.
This made Qiao Shengwen feel fortunate. This time he was not fortunate that his family had married such a daughter-in-law, but he was fortunate that Miao Wan could marry into the Qiao family.
If such a brilliant and capable young lady like her were to marry into the wrong family, it would be a real loss for Dayue.
Miao Wan took Qiao Shengwen's words seriously, "Dad, just go ahead. We still have the West Camp and the North Camp here. I will lead everyone to defend Xining and wait for you and my husband to return."
Gu Shuyao couldn't help but glance at Miao Wan. After not seeing her for two months, this girl seemed to have changed a lot. Is the capital city so conducive to people's growth?
Without further ado, they returned to Xining Town in the morning. Qiao Shengben had originally planned to go to Xiping County in a few days, but it was not safe for him to go alone.
Gu Shuyao also wanted to go back. The Cheng family had more guards and it would be safer. So the two of them simply left Xining Town after lunch.
Miao Wan comforted her mother-in-law, talked for a while with her sister-in-law and the Zhang and Ruan family members who came to visit her, waited for Taotao and the twins to wake up, kissed the children again, and the family finished dinner.
She distributed the local specialties she brought back from the capital to her family and returned to her room very late.
As soon as she entered the house, Miao Wan lay down on the kang for a long time, unable to move, and stared at the beams for a long time.
In fact, she is not as strong as she appears, but she is very familiar with how to pretend to be strong.
In her previous life, she was an orphan. In order not to worry the village chief and his father, she had to rely on others most of the time to run such a large pig farm. She could not be weak or panic.
At that time, she often cried secretly at night, felt lonely, didn't know the meaning of her efforts, and couldn't sleep all night.
It was only after Lu Chenxi discovered this and took her to see a psychologist that she got much better.
This time, she felt a little empty in her heart, but she did not feel lonely. She knew the direction she had to work hard for, because here were her family, her lover, and her friends whom she cared about.
Miao Wan covered her face and rubbed it, took a deep breath, her nose felt sour, but she smiled.
Everything is to protect her home. She now has a home.
The fatigue from the journey and the preparations on the road made Miao Wan sleep particularly soundly. Early the next morning, she woke up naturally before dawn.
Instead of lying in bed, she got up with high spirits, washed and dressed, went to the next room to check on the children, gently woke them up, played with them for a long time, and waited for Geng to come before going to have breakfast together.
"Mom, let's continue with our kindergarten and school. Don't let the children run wild outside during this period. Try to keep all the children together." After dinner, Miao Wan arranged tasks for Geng.
"By the way, let's move the kindergarten to the west courtyard of the Ruan family first. Wasn't it renovated when we originally planned to live there? Construction needs to begin at the garrison and the school. Come back in a few days."
Geng agreed. She knew she also needed to do something and couldn't give herself time to think about random things.
She pulled herself together and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"We need to dig air-raid shelters. Although Xining Town is now well-armed and has a large number of soldiers, we must always be prepared for the worst. No matter what, the people of Xining Town must not be harmed." Miao Wan explained.
"If Xining can't be defended, everyone will retreat to the air-raid shelter. Even if they use fire, unless they can move the sea here, with the air-raid shelter there, the Xifan people will be helpless."
This is the most useful means of defense that Miao Wan can think of at the moment. During the most difficult years for the Flower Country, with bombings and various backstabbings, the air-raid shelters also played a big role.
After cooperating with Mr. Chang from Lin'an County, Xining Town is no longer too short of mineral resources, so digging a few large air-raid shelters is not a problem.
Geng listened to Miao Wan's detailed explanation of the function of the air-raid shelter. She didn't quite understand it, but it sounded a bit like mechanical engineering to her, and not everyone could master mechanical engineering.
She looked at her daughter-in-law, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Could this also be... a skill gained through a dream?
But after thinking for a long time, Geng still didn't ask. No matter what, she was sure that the person in front of her was her daughter-in-law, and there was no need to make anything else clear.
"Okay, leave the kindergarten to me, and I'll take care of the school. The private school teachers can start classes at any time. Ayao can teach a few students and they can also learn what you think is useful first."
Miao Wan was very confident in her mother-in-law. After all, Geng was once the head of a wealthy family.
Although Taotao wanted to stick with her mother who had been away for a long time, she was reluctant to leave her many friends to play with and there were toys she had never played with, so she had to follow her grandmother out the door, looking back every few steps.
As soon as she went out, she ran forward, almost pulling Geng in front. I don't know if she was thinking about going out early and coming back early, or if she missed her mother so much that she was just a few steps away.
Miao Wan was choked and speechless for a long time. She cursed him as a bad girl, feeling both amused and helpless, before arranging for someone to call Ruan Jialin and Zhang Sanzhuang over.
Nowadays, Xining Town is basically managed by Zhang Sanzhuang, and Xiping County is managed by Ruan Jialin, but he doesn't stay in Xiping County often. He still feels comfortable in Xining Town and comes back when he has nothing to do.
When the two got the news, they knew that Miao Wan was going to make a big move, so they immediately rushed to the study with people, account books and other things.
Adun is here too.
Miao Wan didn't chat with them for long. Her father-in-law and husband left in a hurry, and Gu Shuyao also looked serious. She knew that time waited for no one, so she passed on many arrangements that she had thought about on the way one by one.
Even Zhang Sanzhuang, Ruan Jialin and others noticed that Miao Wan was much tougher than before, and had a bit of the style of the family mistress and the richest man.
"First, arrange for Uncle Lin to immediately recruit temporary workers, regardless of whether they are from the town or the village, to dig five air-raid shelters in the four locations of the east, south, west, north, and south, as well as next to the research institute."
"My husband and I have carefully examined the map. Xiyong County is farther from where the Xifan people can break through, but their defenses are also insufficient, and some villages are quite remote.
I've selected four locations for air-raid shelters and will arrange for Uncle Lin to lead his men there to dig them. If anyone asks, just say it's General Dingbei's order. Anyone who refuses to cooperate will be handed over to the field service and imprisoned."
“Also, all factories will have to dig out lockable cellars at their warehouse locations, and from now on most of the inventory will be stored in the cellars.
The cellar must be built according to the mechanical diagram given by Madam Cheng. It can only be opened from the outside with the keys in the hands of the three people. If it is violently damaged, it will explode instantly and destroy everything inside.
"Brother Zhang, you'll take care of this. You take one key, the heads of each factory take one, and the rest will be with me."
Zhang Sanzhuang quickly agreed, "How long will it take to complete these tasks? How much will the wages be?"
Miao Wan pondered for a moment, "It would be best if it were completed within half a month, the sooner the better. During this period, we'll work in three shifts, and all labor points will be doubled, or wages will be doubled. There will be bonuses for finishing early, and meals will consist of steamed buns and bone soup. Don't let anyone tire themselves out."
There is no problem with Zhang Sanzhuang's side.
Miao Wan continued to arrange——
"The people from General Dingbei's Mansion will be in charge of communicating with Anyong County and Lin'an County. All the regulations to be issued by the shops and logistics centers will be arranged by you, second cousin."
"Before the orders and regulations are issued, bring them to me for confirmation. If there's an emergency, have the field personnel escort you there. The two local officials can then respond accordingly."
"I'll go to Xiping County occasionally, but not too often. I'd like to trouble you, my second cousin, to take charge. If there's any unrest in Xiping County, saving your own life is paramount."
Ruan Jialin hesitated for a moment, "Then inside the pass..."
Miao Wan nodded at A Dun and said, "My husband has already consulted the Saint about the affairs within the Great Wall. The Saint will assign people to take charge. A Dun will take care of the affairs of the various fiefdoms with the Kunlun slaves. When the war begins, the focus within the Great Wall will be on sea transportation."
Ruan Jialin was still a little undecided. In fact, he felt that it would be more appropriate for him and A'dun to switch jobs. He didn't like to be busy with so many mundane affairs, and preferred to go out and interact with people.
But he didn't know whether his cousin was on guard against him and didn't want him to have too much contact with the fiefdom, fearing that he would tamper with the business.
He didn't think his cousin was a petty person, but after becoming a wealthy family, she had many things to worry about, so it was natural for her to be on guard.
For the first time, Miao Wan quickly figured out what Ruan Jialin was thinking, or perhaps it was because Ruan Qin had mentioned this to her on the way, and she had guessed it long ago.
So Miao Wan rolled her eyes and said, "Cousin, instead of wasting time here, why don't you go back and ask your second uncle? Your eldest cousin's future in the imperial examination is uncertain. Whether the Ruan family can survive in the future or not, we can't rely on anyone else, so we have to rely on your second cousin.
Once a war breaks out, even with all our precautions, life won't be safe. A-Dun doesn't have that many worries, and they can all hide easily. If something happens to you, who will take the responsibility?"
At least Ruan Jialin couldn't do what Adun and the others did. If there was any disturbance, they could hide in the soil during the day and hide anywhere at night. The possibility of being discovered would be smaller.
Moreover, A-dun and his friends are much better at kung fu than Ruan Jialin.
Ruan Jialin was speechless and felt choked.
Miao Wan comforted him, "If you still want to leave after the northwest is pacified, then the affairs inside the Great Wall will definitely be handed over to you. After all, if you want to gain a foothold in the court in the future, you will be his support."
Money and power are inseparable. Without violating laws and morals, one can climb higher if one has someone in the court who holds an official position and has financial support behind him.
In this way, Ruan Jialin must not get into trouble.
Ruan Jialin also thought it through, and no longer hesitated, nodding neatly, "I understand. I'll do as you say. Thank you for your hard work, A-Dun."
Adun smiled naively and said, "It's not hard at all. I just do my job according to what my boss tells me to do."
Moreover, the boss had promised him that as long as he did his job well, he and Avi would become shareholders of Quantum Breakthrough and partners of the Qiao family once the northwest was pacified.
So he had the confidence to survive, and was very motivated to work hard for his boss, and did not feel the hardship at all.
After determining the tasks of the three people, Miao Wan finally took out the Xining Town Factory Rules she had prepared and handed them to Zhang Sanzhuang.
"My cousin and third brother will hold a meeting with all the factory managers. From now on, all factories will switch to a two-shift system and will not work at night."
"The production volume must be doubled. If there is a shortage of raw materials, we can start by finding a solution in the three counties. In half a year at most, all the raw materials in the interior will be in place."
After listening to Miao Wan's orderly instructions, the few people quickly got to work as they had a lot of work to do.
Miao Wan then rubbed her neck, was in a daze for a while, and then started to get busy. It was not just about making money that she was busy with.
Spring is coming soon, and there are still some seeds that have not been tested at the research institute. We have to quickly confirm them and let the people plant them. Food is the top priority, and we cannot rely entirely on the court.
The Dragon Raising its Head festival on the second day of the second month of the fifteenth year of Xuanhe was the dullest Dragon Raising its Head festival in recent years. Even dragon dancing was banned. A war was about to break out, and people were afraid that someone would hide in the crowd and cause chaos.
The people in the northwest all felt the tense atmosphere of impending storm. Miao Wan was a little nervous, as she was afraid that the people would panic.
But what was beyond Miao Wan's expectation was that although the people of the Northwest had been frightened for more than ten years, the fierce blood of this land of the Northwest had not faded.
Although the Dragon Head-Raising Festival seemed depressing, surprisingly, one could hear constant crackling sounds outside.
Miao Wan held the frightened Ningning in her arms and stood in the yard with her mother-in-law who was holding Dongdong, listening to the noise.
Qiao Rui was there with Taotao.
"During the New Year...don't people break tiles?" Miao Wan asked her mother-in-law.
Geng smiled at her and said, "The day you left, everyone knew that war would come sooner or later. They were all looking forward to this day."
No one was afraid of war. When they learned that there was going to be a war, they were more excited than during the Chinese New Year, and left behind a lot of tiles that were going to be broken during the Chinese New Year.
No one gathered on this day, but everyone expressed their opinions.
Although a storm was coming, everyone was filled with excitement and anticipation, and their joy continued until this moment.
The people had only one idea - let the storm come even harder and kill as many people as possible!
On the third day of February, the Gubei Army played the loud suona.
Oh, the suona was invented by Gu Shuyao because Miao Wan kept complaining for a long time that the horn was too heavy and not shocking enough.
Gu Shuyao ignored her all the time, but she didn't expect that the suona was actually made and kept it for use on this day.
Miao Wan was awakened by the sound of suona in the early morning and was no longer sleepy.
The three kids next door were all frightened awake and started crying loudly.
Outside, there were the chattering of servants, and even the crowing of chickens and barking of dogs on the road not far away. Before daybreak, the place became lively.
Miao Wan stood at the dark window, her eyes slightly red as she smiled. No, the sky was already brightening.
The author has something to say:
See you tomorrow! It's been a while since I sent out red envelopes. Leave a comment on this chapter and you'll get a random red envelope~
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