As the summer harvest approaches, the county government is busy with official business. Although Jiang Yushu does not have to do everything herself, just focusing on completing some important matters is already very stressful and stressful.
In the meeting hall, on fixed mornings each month, officials held their customary meetings. She had sat for too long, her back aching. She turned and looked out the window: the sun was bright, almost noon.
Li Qigong stood, his face embattled, and reported, "Regarding the number of militiamen, since I took on this assignment, I have diligently supervised them. In every town and village throughout the county, able-bodied men can either report their names through the village head or register themselves at the government office. But, alas, the recent years have been chaotic and chaotic, with heavy casualties. Most able-bodied men have elderly parents and young children to support, and the burden of supporting their families makes them hesitant to take risks, fearing death in battle. Therefore, the number of men on the militia rolls has been growing slowly. I was just about to ask: Should we adopt more drastic measures?"
Jiang Yushu calmed herself down and replied sternly, "No, it's not appropriate to take drastic measures right now. During the war, Yongzhou was lost for several years, leaving it devastated and devastated. People's livelihoods are in decline, and everything needs to be rebuilt. The imperial court has clearly stipulated that the main task of the government in the northwest is to 'pacify the people, reclaim wasteland, and allow the people to recuperate.' If the government forcibly conscripts able-bodied men into the army, it will most likely cause panic, and even scare away the people who haven't returned home yet. The consequences will outweigh the benefits."
"That's true." Li Qigong agreed on the surface, but disagreed in his heart: it was just a woman's kindness.
Huang Yichun nodded in agreement. "Yes, there's no need to rush this matter. The notice of tax reduction for militia members has already been posted. Once the people have recovered from the enticement, I'm sure there will be people willing to join. After all, they farm in peacetime and will only join the army in times of war, so it won't interfere with their farming."
Jiang Yushu was full of energy and anticipation. "When Tuning becomes prosperous and its people have enough food and clothing, the population will grow, and there will be more able-bodied men. The government won't have to worry about a shortage of militia. Moreover, by then, taxes and grain will be able to support a sufficient number of troops. With each profession specialized, the heavy responsibility of garrisoning will fall to the garrisons, and the militia will only be a reserve force."
"I hope that day will come soon." Huang Yichun sincerely hopes so.
"You two lords, your words make sense!" Wen Xi never forgot to flatter. "In that case, we won't change our strategy. Alas, the county has a small population, so there's no point in rushing. We can't find able-bodied men. We might as well launch the attack slowly. Anyway, the garrison isn't urging us."
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "This is because I have discussed it in detail with General Song. The general has a long-term vision and is reasonable. He understands the difficulties faced by the government. Unless it is absolutely necessary, the government cannot make a decision that will kill the chicken to get the eggs."
All the minor officials nodded and praised him.
After a moment, Huang Yichun suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion, "Hey? That's strange. Why hasn't the new instructor arrived yet? Did something unexpected happen on the way to his appointment?"
Jiang Yushu frowned. "I don't know. When I reported the death of Mr. Jing, the academician quickly gave a reply, saying that a new teacher had been selected for Tu Ning. His name is...?" She rubbed her temples.
"Guan Weihe." Li Qigong answered while thinking to himself: Tsk, I just got rid of the old guy named Jing, and now here comes another sour scholar.
Jiang Yushu nodded in sudden realization. "Yes, Guan Weihe! Calculating the dates, he should have taken up his post two weeks ago. I wonder what happened."
Wen Xi deeply loathed the previous instructor, and indeed all scholars, but he could do nothing to stop the provincial government from sending a new one. He longed for the position of "instructor" to disappear, speculating, "I heard Instructor Guan is from Chongxi. The journey is long, and it's been raining a lot lately, so his trip might have been delayed."
Jiang Yushu picked up the teacup and said, "It's possible. Wait a few more days. If he doesn't show up, the county government must write a letter to the higher-ups to inquire about the situation." She lowered her eyes, drank the last sip of warm tea, and when she looked up, she stared at the Dianshi and asked:
"Speaking of the teachings, I have to ask one more question: How is the investigation into Mr. Jing's case going?"
Li Qigong cursed inwardly, then immediately assumed a mournful expression. He stood up and replied, "I have searched with all my might for several months, digging deep underground, but still haven't caught the suspect. I am incompetent and have not yet solved the case. Please punish me, sir."
Punishment? Good deeds will be rewarded, and the law of nature will not let any evil slip through. Don't worry, you won't escape the punishment. Jiang Yushu remained calm, as she hadn't yet obtained the key evidence. She remained silent and, as usual, gave a serious instruction: "The instructor is an official appointed by the imperial court. The doubts about the old gentleman's case have been reported to the Educational Affairs Office along with the news of his death. You must pay attention to this and think of ways to close the case as soon as possible to avoid the old gentleman's relatives and students asking about it."
"I understand, and I'll do my best!" Li Qigong thought to himself proudly: Solve the case? Old Deng must have escaped to the ends of the earth. If we don't catch the murderer, the case will never be solved.
Then Jiang Yushu stood up, pounded her lower back wearily, and said gently, "It's noon, everyone, go have lunch. Dismissed."
"yes."
"Go slowly, Your Excellency."
"Take care."
Soon, Jiang Yushu arrived at the back hall. As soon as she entered the door, she took off her gauze hat as usual, then hurriedly changed her clothes and washed her hands.
Unexpectedly, just as she had dried her hands, with the handkerchief still in her hand, Cuimei suddenly came over with red eyes, her big belly bulging. She struggled to cross the threshold and said in a hoarse voice, "Madam, I have something important to report."
When the master and servant exchanged glances, Jiang Yushu's heart skipped a beat. She dropped her handkerchief and asked, "Why are you so flustered? What happened?"
The two maids didn't dare to ask, and ran to support Cuimei, "Sister Cui, slow down."
Jiang Yushu took a deep breath and said, "Sit down, sit down and talk."
Cuimei sat down, signaled the maid to close the doors and windows and leave. She held her stomach for a long while, then choked with sobs, "Changrong's eldest brother is back."
"Changxing is back?" Jiang Yushu stared intently, thinking for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Could it be that Changrong...what happened to Changrong?"
Cuimei's eyes filled with tears and she cried quickly, "Brother Rong is missing."
"Missing?" Jiang Yushu was stunned. Without thinking for a moment, she asked in surprise, "Wasn't Changrong in the camp the whole time? How did he disappear?"
Cuimei pulled out a handkerchief, but it couldn't dry her tears. She spoke incoherently and frantically, "Second Master is missing too. Actually, as soon as Xingge returned, I noticed something wasn't right on his face. After repeated questioning, he told me: Ten days ago, on the night Madam stayed overnight in Sangshan Village, Second Master was ordered to go to war, and Rongge went with him. But he never returned to camp, and there's been no news since. He disappeared."
"What?"
Suddenly, Jiang Yushu was struck by a bolt from the blue. She couldn't believe it and sat there in a daze, "Honglei is missing too?"
"Yeah." Cuimei was worried that something might happen to her husband, tears streaming down her face. "Xing Ge said that the general ordered the secret to be kept secret. He leaked the news because I forced him to do so, and because he couldn't hold it in anymore. So, we have to pretend that we don't know anything."
Jiang Yushu's face turned pale as she stood up suddenly. "Where's Changxing? Has he returned to the camp?"
"Not yet. He's waiting for his wife to ask questions."
"Send him to me immediately!"
Noon Side Hall
The doors and windows were closed, and there were only three people in the hall. Cuimei couldn't stop sobbing.
"Rock gully?"
"right."
"Ah, I know Luanshigou! I went there once when I first took office, during my county-wide inspection tour." Jiang Yushu's face turned pale as she dipped her brush into ink. Her hand trembled, and the ink splashed onto the inkstone. She scribbled a few strokes on the paper. "This place, is it?"
Peng Changxing looked at the map. "Yes, that's it! Beyond the rocky gully, to the north lies an endless expanse of grassland. That's the territory of the Beiqi people."
Jiang Yushu tried her best to remain calm, gripping the pen so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She asked anxiously, "You said he and another general, with a total of 2,000 men, were ordered to scout the enemy in Luanshigou—to reconnoiter and observe. How, how could they have disappeared?"
"Everyone was puzzled, and those who knew the situation were discussing it privately." Peng Changxing's eyes were bloodshot, his left arm was injured, and blood spots were seeping through the white cloth.
Jiang Yushu was in a state of panic, her breathing rapid, her voice hoarse from being suppressed. "It's been ten days, a full ten days. I, I didn't hear about it until now. I really shouldn't have done that."
"Madam, please don't blame yourself," Peng Changxing explained. "The general ordered secrecy, saying we were sending Second Master and his men on a demanding mission that would take several days. Initially, only a few knew. Later, when the troops took a long time to return to camp, everyone became suspicious. Actually, I knew something was wrong the next day because Changrong and I were rooming together. He left in such a hurry, without any food, and clearly had no intention of marching far."
"Oh my God, it's been ten days. What are he and they going to eat?" Cuimei didn't dare to think about it and her eyes were swollen from crying.
Jiang Yushu frowned as she examined the map she had hastily drawn. Her mind went blank, then filled with impulsive thoughts. She gritted her teeth and asked, "What's General Song's attitude?"
Peng Changxing raised his sleeve and pressed his eyes. "This is a serious matter, and the General is taking it very seriously. I participated in the search on the afternoon of the second day, the third day, the fifth day, and the seventh day. The last time, I injured my arm, so the superiors told me to rest. Alas, the brothers searched all around the rocky ravine, but only found a few bodies, some of our own, some of the enemy. The rest are missing."
"Didn't you find any clues?" Jiang Yushu was so anxious that she threw down her pen and banged the table with her fist.
Peng Changxing said dejectedly, "The day after Second Master and his men went to battle, a heavy rainstorm fell, washing away many traces. However, we can confirm that those two thousand or so brothers headed north."
Jiang Yushu took deep breaths, trying to maintain her composure. "What are they doing in the north?"
"The whole camp is guessing, but no one knows what happened at the moment."
Jiang Yushu stood up, propping herself up on the table, and paced back and forth. "How could over two thousand men disappear out of thin air? Could it be... that they were suddenly confronted by a large number of enemy soldiers and taken hostage? No, that's impossible. The Rocky Ravine is like our very own doorstep. If we encounter the enemy, a bloody battle is inevitable."
"Alas, I guess even the general can't do anything about it now." Peng Changxing scratched his hair fiercely.
Cuimei held her belly with both hands, "Madam, what should we do?"
"This, this..." Jiang Yushu turned around in circles, feeling flustered. "Don't be impatient, calm down, let me think about it."
The next moment, the oblivious woman knocked on the door and announced, "Madam, someone from the front hall has come to say that the new instructor has arrived. He wishes to see you and explain the reason for his postponement."
"oh?"
Jiang Yushu frowned, instantly becoming extremely irritated. Her breath caught in her chest, unable to rise or fall. She slumped over, her right hand supporting her forehead as she calmly instructed, "I'm busy. I'll be leaving now. Tell the County Magistrate to have Mr. Huang tell his men to settle the instructor and welcome the new colleague. I'll see him tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
"Ah?" The old woman didn't hear clearly, "Madam, what did you say?"
With a creaky sound, Peng Changxing opened the door and passed on the message, sending the old woman away. When he turned around, he suddenly saw two women crying.
My support, my support, my husband, the father of my children, something happened. Jiang Yushu could no longer restrain herself. She held her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking. She had thought she was strong enough, but before she knew it, her tears had wet the table. She murmured, "Ten days, ten days... No food, no support. Where on earth did he, they go?"
"Madam, you must not lose your composure." Peng Changxing also cried, "Oh, damn it! I'm so careless! If I had known earlier, I would not have told you, so that you wouldn't-"
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "Don't worry, we will keep it a secret. Besides, the news will be exposed sooner or later. I'm afraid it will spread in a few days."
The three of them cried separately and remained silent for a long time.
After a long moment, Jiang Yushu wiped away her tears, forced herself to cheer up, and warned, "Cuimei, don't cry. Be careful with the children. Changxing, when will you return to the camp?"
"I'm feeling suffocated in the camp, so I came out to get some fresh air. I'll be back soon so I can get more information." Peng Changxing wiped his eyes casually. "Madam, don't worry too much. Trust the Second Master and the others. Good things will come to those who are lucky."
Jiang Yushu thought for a while and said firmly, "I will also go to the camp to visit General Song and discuss the training of the militia!"
"this--"
"This is official business that was discussed long ago, it's just a few days in advance." She acted decisively and walked out first, "Let's go."
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