Chapter 249 Wartime State
Zhao Qiaonian didn't realize it, but long-serving officials Sun Qingchen and Elder Lin immediately thought of another question. "Could the cement be used for engineering defense? Water conservancy projects? City wall construction?"
Feng Er smiled slightly, "Everyone, I haven't been back to Jinzhou Prefecture for a year, and all I've heard is hearsay. I'd like you to go see for yourself what Jinzhou Prefecture looks like."
Old Lin's chest heaved as he remained silent.
But my heart became more determined.
——This time, he made the right decision to come to Jinzhou Prefecture!
Zhao Qiaonian also read a signal from Mr. Lin's excited expression.
Following Xu Zhenying is definitely the right thing to do!
This great achievement of following the dragon is waving to him, Zhao Qiaonian!
Compared with smallpox vaccine and cement roads, Zhao Qiaonian is more concerned about making achievements and handing in a shocking letter of allegiance.
"Feng'er, I saw you guys were making a scene in Jinzhou Prefecture just now. Is there something big going to happen?" Zhao Qiaonian calmly handed over the ladder. "We're all going to join Sister Xu. If you need anything, just give us a shout. We brothers won't hesitate, even if it means risking our lives!"
The remaining few people quickly followed suit and made promises.
"First of all, you can no longer call our City Lord's sister. Now we all call him City Lord. There is a distinction between high and low. Brother Zhao, please remember this."
Zhao Qiaonian nodded quickly.
This time it's not the little fight on the road to exile in the past, and Xu Zhenying is no longer the sixth girl of the Xu family who needed to rely on him for support. He, Zhao Qiaonian, must not capsize in the gutter.
On the other hand, Sun Qingchen on the side raised his eyebrows slightly.
As the person who had been with Xu Zhenying the longest and claimed to know Xu Zhenying best, Feng'er's words were obviously taboo.
Xu Zhenying has always advocated equality for all, without distinction of classes, so where does the distinction between high and low come from?
To be Xu Zhenying's subordinate, you only need three things.
Just be serious about your work, be loyal, and work hard to improve yourself.
But of course he couldn't mention this.
After all, he is now a poor man who has come to Xu Zhenying, so it is still a question how Xu Zhenying will deal with him.
"But as you can see, there will indeed be war in Xingyuan Prefecture soon. It's just that you have arrived, catching up with this wave of military achievements as a token of your loyalty, so you won't have to worry about not making achievements and gaining a foothold."
These words made Zhao Qiaonian and others excited and ready to give it a try.
Sun Qingchen also said, "Miss Feng'er, please tell us about the situation in Xingyuan Prefecture."
Feng Er was not vague and immediately explained the whole process of the trip in detail, including how they first went to the city to work, how they were later arrested, and how they bribed the jailer with a large sum of money to pass on the message to the Lian family. However, she did not mention Xu Zhenying's letter.
Zhao Qiaonian immediately asked, "Lian was arrested? Do you need us to break out of the prison?"
Elder Lin laughed and said, "Miss Feng'er just made such a scene at the government office gate, wasn't she trying to force the people to put pressure on the prefect to release the woman? I heard that Prefect Yan is timid and cautious, unfit for a major responsibility. He's been stuck in a fourth-rank position for nearly ten years, with no hope of promotion. I'm afraid he's given up hope and is now trying to avoid mistakes rather than achievements. I suspect Lian will be released in the next two days. I'm curious, since the city lord's original intention was to get the women of Jinzhou Prefecture to work outside the city, why did he only summon three hundred Jinzhou women and five hundred from Xingyuan Prefecture?"
I have to say that Mr. Lin has a sharp vision. Even Feng'er didn't realize what he had done.
However, after thinking about the letter, Feng'er immediately understood, "What Mr. Lin meant was... that the city lord had already made preparations?"
"I think your city lord is very good at manipulating public opinion. From my perspective, this is just a pretense of making cotton-padded clothes. He's really trying to take advantage of the situation to spread rumors and shake the morale of the Xingyuan Prefecture army!"
Feng'er was silent.
Zhao Qiaonian also fell silent.
Zhao Qiaonian recalled that when Xu Zhenying was selling soap, he also had the habit of hyping it up first, stirring up public opinion and then acting accordingly.
Feng'er was somewhat surprised by Elder Lin's sharpness. She smiled and followed his words, "It seems that the City Lord is planning to start a war of public opinion and warm up the atmosphere in Xingyuan Prefecture first?"
"Public opinion war?" Elder Lin savored it carefully. "This term is quite interesting."
Feng Er quickly stood up and bowed, praising him sincerely, "Old Lin has a keen eye. With Old Lin giving us advice, I feel much more at ease."
Haha, Feng'er has decided to catch this good-looking and cheap strong man.
Elder Lin didn't put on airs, but stood up and made way for him. "No need to be so polite. Miss, you just said that you've communicated with the people in the prison, asking them to persuade Lord Zhou to bypass the prefect and ambush him on the official road between Xingyuan Prefecture and Jinzhou Prefecture?"
"Exactly. Is there anything wrong with this?"
"There is nothing wrong with that. The young lady is kind-hearted and insightful. She can see through the military situation like seeing through fire. She cooperates well with your city lord. When she returns, he will definitely reward her handsomely."
Feng Er smiled and said, "Rewards don't matter. It's good enough if I can help the city lord. I'm afraid of adding unnecessary details and ruining the city lord's plan to attack the city."
"However, there are still some imperfections in this matter. It would be better if it could be completed." Old Lin looked at Sun Qingchen with a smile.
Sun Qingchen felt his scalp tingle under the gaze, but he could only bite the bullet and stand up under Elder Lin's gaze. "If Elder Lin has any instructions, please tell me directly."
"Although you've been imprisoned by His Majesty's decree, Bianjing City is a long way from Xingyuan Prefecture. The prefect and Lord Zhou are probably unaware of your situation. Why don't you pretend to have just escaped from Jinzhou Prefecture and seek refuge with the prefect of Xingyuan Prefecture, acting as a spy for us?"
Sun Qingchen forced a smile. "Mr. Lin, please don't tease me. I'm a decent student and an official, but if you ask me to be a spy... I'm afraid I'll be exposed..."
Elder Lin, however, restrained his expression and spoke earnestly, "Sun Qingchen, now that you've changed your identity, you need to change your mindset as well. Don't you know why you couldn't get ahead in the officialdom of the Great Zhou before? They say that when water is too clear, there are no fish; when a man is too discerning, there are no followers. As long as there are people, conflicts are inevitable, no matter when or where. Your ideas have always been too high to be accepted by many. Even if you change your master, it will be difficult for you to realize your ambitions."
Sun Qingchen was stunned for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking about, and his expression was more solemn than ever before.
After a long while, he seemed to accept his fate, "Okay, in that case, I'm willing to infiltrate Xingyuan Prefecture."
Feng'er was just lamenting Sun Qingchen's sacrifice when Old Lin gave her a face from a distance.
Feng'er was stunned.
Good job!
Mr. Lin, as a literary giant, don't you feel guilty for deceiving the innocent and kind-hearted Sun Qingchen?!
Elder Lin was serious again. "Actually, there's no need to look so bitter and resentful. This time, we're breaking into Xingyuan Prefecture, and we don't ask you to do anything. Just behave like you normally do and don't say much. Too much talk leads to mistakes anyway. Just go in and gather intelligence, and if necessary, spread some false news to confuse them."
Sun Qingchen's smile was forced, and he felt even more pressured.
This is a traitor. He was a dignified Jinshi, but within a month he became a rebel, and now he is a traitor.
I just hope Xu Zhenying will be satisfied with this token of allegiance.
At this moment, a guard came over to report and whispered a few words into Feng'er's ear. Feng'er just smiled slightly and apologized to everyone, "I'm sorry, please sit for a moment while I go to deal with an urgent matter."
Feng'er walked to the secluded woodshed and looked out the door. A burly old woman stood beside her. She saluted as soon as she saw her and said, "Miss Feng'er, this Second Miss Qi kept saying she had important military information to report. I dared not delay, so I had to invite you here!"
Feng Er didn't care. "Watch the doors and windows. I'll talk to her."
As Feng Er walked in, she saw Qi Er tied up on a chair, wrapped up like a dumpling. She couldn't help but feel a little amused and angry. Then she slowly walked over and pulled out the cloth stuffed in Qi Er's mouth, and nonchalantly picked her ears: "Miss Qi Er, if you have any nonsense to say, just say it quickly. But if you want to persuade me to turn back to loyalty and patriotism, please don't say anything like that. It's a waste of words!"
Qi Er finally got rid of the shackles and felt unprecedented comfort all over her body. Her almond-shaped eyes glared at Feng'er fiercely.
"Fuck you!"
Feng'er's eyelids twitched.
"You damned bastard, can you wait until I finish speaking?" Miss Qi's voice was clear, suppressing her anger. "I want to rebel against Xu Zhenying!"
Feng'er was stunned.
"Don't you understand? I haven't even finished this sentence yet, and you locked me up! You bastard! You made me locked up for two days!"
Feng'er's eyes widened. What was going on? "Second Miss Qi, aren't you going to report us? Have you forgotten that we are traitors? We are doing things that are worth losing our heads!"
Qi Er snorted coldly, "Being a traitor's subordinate and being a traitor yourself are two completely different things! If you had told me earlier that Xu Zhenying was the biggest traitor in Jinzhou Prefecture, would I have needed to report you?"
Feng'er was a little confused about the current situation. "Second Miss Qi, you are not crazy, are you? Why did you join us in rebellion for no reason? You don't want to give up your family business? Won't your uncles and aunts kill you with knives?"
Qi Er sneered, "The world is in chaos, and anyone can see that. Xingyuan Prefecture is strategically located, and it will sooner or later be annexed by the Li Kings or the Zhoushan King. Besides, the imperial court doesn't care about our lives except for collecting taxes and levying labor service. Rather than falling into the hands of those thieves, it's better to cooperate with Xu Zhenying and take a gamble."
Feng Er gave her a thumbs up and said, "What if your family finds out?"
"What should I do? If I join the biggest rebel in the southwest, I will be the head of the Qi family. Who can dare to do anything to me? Besides, my family's largest soap and cotton businesses are now too deeply involved with Xu Zhenying. When the imperial court comes to settle accounts in the future, they will definitely regard me as an accomplice! Do you think I have any way out?"
Feng Er thought about it and realized that this was the truth. She quickly knelt and begged for mercy: "Alas, the flood has washed away the Dragon King Temple. Family members are fighting family members. Second Miss Qi, please spare me this time!"
"I don't want to waste my time talking to you. I'll settle the matter with you after you've locked me up for two days. First, let's talk about the current situation. What are Xu Zhenying's plans? Is she really going to attack Xingyuan Prefecture?"
Feng Er naturally pretended to be confused. "Well... I'm not very clear about this either. I can only say that we should build momentum in the city first. The urgent military report has been sent back. It all depends on the city lord's decision."
Qi Er believed Feng Er completely. "I think the only people you can use here are this group of ladies and those twenty servants. Wait, those shouldn't be servants, right?"
Feng Er smiled, "Yes, they are soldiers from Jinzhou Prefecture."
"Okay, you lied to me again."
Feng'er stuck out her tongue, but there was no trace of apology on her face.
"In short, everything my Qi family has in Xingyuan Prefecture, including money, food, and personnel, is at your disposal. I will fully cooperate with you and Xu Zhenying to take over Xingyuan Prefecture, but please don't forget to mention my Qi family's contribution afterwards."
Feng Er smiled and said, "Of course! Miss Qi risked everything to stand on the City Lord's side. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the City Lord."
Qi Er hesitated for a moment, staring at Feng'er up and down. He saw that in just one year, that person had become extraordinary and his every move was quite elegant.
Qi Er's heart grew increasingly heated as she thought about it. Her voice trembled slightly. "Feng'er, tell me the truth. Does Jinzhou Prefecture really allow women to be officials? Or merchants?"
Feng Er curled her lips, and spoke each word with great conviction: "Don't even mention merchants. Even prostitutes, slaves, refugees, and people of all ranks can become officials. What kind of official you become, and how high your rank is, is entirely determined by your own ability."
The light in Qi Er's eyes... seemed to explode in an instant!
——————————————————————
In Jinzhou Prefecture, a state of war has been declared for five days.
The freshly released "Letter to the People" has fallen into the hands of propagandists in every village.
At this moment, in Fanjia Village.
The propagandist stood in the dam at the entrance of the village, holding a one-page declaration and reading it loudly to the villagers who were sitting in several circles inside and outside the village.
"With the onset of winter, and considering that the rebels and refugees on both sides of Jinzhou Prefecture may launch a general attack on our Jinzhou Prefecture for food and clothing, I, Xu Zhenying, declare today that the entire Jinzhou Prefecture and Qianzhou Prefecture are entering a state of war."
These words alone quieted down all the villagers.
Some of them looked panicked and immediately started chattering.
"Is there going to be a war?"
"Are the Li Kings, the Li King, the Zhoushan King and the others coming to attack?"
"Grandpa, not yet. The city lord just said that winter is coming and they might come and attack us. We're living well here, and they're just like refugees, with nothing to eat or drink, so they have to come begging from us."
"No, you can't come here to beg for food. We haven't even had two days of good life left! Come on, beat them all!"
The two or three-year-old children didn't understand, but just felt the oppressive atmosphere. They stopped digging in the mud and huddled close to their parents.
The head of Fanjia Village quickly shouted, "Everyone, stop arguing and listen to the propagandist finish reading that book first!"
"During wartime, all prefectures, counties, and towns, men, women, young and old, are requested to remain vigilant, especially those villages near the Great Zhou Dynasty border. The first village chief and publicists are requested to work together to organize villagers to strengthen daily patrols. If you encounter suspicious individuals, do not panic or confront them; simply inform the village chief."
The publicist raised the manuscript in his hand and asked, "Do you understand this one?"
Fan Xiaoniu immediately answered: "I understand. It means that if someone we don't know comes to inquire about the situation in the village, we should report it to the village chief immediately! We can't fight hard!"
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