Jiang Yushu and his party rode non-stop and arrived at the Tuning Guard Camp at noon.
Everyone dismounted in front of the camp gate. The personal guard leading the way took out the warrant and quickly handed it to the guard for review. Then he turned and greeted, "Master Jiang, please come in!"
She calmed herself down, stepped into the military camp again, and walked through the crowd of soldiers with her feet moving lightly.
Along the way, we encountered people rushing out and those returning exhausted. The broad, flat training ground was filled with tents housing the external security forces who had come to support us.
As we passed the medical tents, the agonized groans and howls of wounded soldiers echoed. In the scorching summer heat, the tang of medicine and blood mingled pungently. Suddenly, we encountered wounded soldiers, arms in slings, crutches, clutching their wounds. Some were severely injured, crippled in varying degrees of disability. They gathered in groups of three or four, some dazed, some worried.
Jiang Yushu involuntarily slowed down, unable to bear staring. She glanced at him briefly, her heart heavy as she thought to herself: To suddenly become disabled must be incredibly difficult. Regulations dictate that after recovering, I must return home, adding another layer of pain... But compared to dying in battle, no matter the severity of the injury, returning home alive is something to be thankful for. Otherwise, relatives would only receive news of their sacrifice, never seeing their military loved ones again. To die in enemy territory, never even to see their remains—how tragic would that be?
She took a deep breath and strode towards the conference room. It was obvious that the commander had given orders in advance, so there was no need to announce it. The guards stepped aside and motioned the magistrate to go in.
After a while, Jiang Yushu stopped, calmed down, and glanced around:
Several military officers sat in the hall, discussing the enemy situation, but stopped talking when the magistrate arrived. Meanwhile, the commander, Song Jikun, stood with his back to the hall door, facing a large topographic map hanging on the wall. He remained motionless, surveying the mountains and valleys, pondering battle strategies.
Jiang Yushu calmed herself down and smiled politely to the military officers who were looking at her. Then she looked at the commander's back and asked with her eyes: Is it okay to disturb the general?
Several military officers understood, and one of them cleared his throat, breaking the silence and reminding: "General, County Magistrate Jiang has arrived."
"Oh?" In fact, Song Jikun heard the footsteps, but he continued to ponder for a moment before turning around and sitting at the head of the table. His demeanor was as dignified as usual, and he said gently, "The magistrate is here? You've arrived just in time. Sit down."
"General." Jiang Yushu bowed her head and saluted, wiping the sweat off her face as she sat down. She got straight to the point and asked anxiously, "What is the purpose of your visit?"
As the two countries were at war, Song Jikun toiled day and night, his hair turning gray despite his youth. He was too busy to exchange pleasantries, so he got straight to the point and answered simply, "There are two matters in the camp that require the assistance of the government."
Jiang Yushu didn't hesitate. "What is it? Please tell me. As long as the government can help, we should assist the military camp without hesitation!"
"What a cheerful guy!"
Song Jikun's eyes were bloodshot, and he drank a sip of strong tea to refresh himself. "Do you know Wei Xu, the deputy envoy of Xipingcang?"
Jiang Yushu sighed with emotion and nodded, "I know him. Back then, Ambassador Liang, Deputy Envoy Wei, and I jointly managed Xipingcang."
"Well, okay," Song Jikun said. "The court has ordered Deputy Envoy Wei to escort a batch of military rations to our guard. It's expected to arrive in Tuning the day after tomorrow. I've already sent someone to meet them. The problem is, our warehouse isn't big enough to store this grain, so we need to borrow a government warehouse for a while, and someone will be assigned to look after it."
Jiang Yushu was stunned. "The military camp warehouse is actually full? How much food is there?"
"Confidential, don't ask."
Jiang Yushu came back to her senses, "Sorry."
The amount of grain was confidential, so Song Jikun avoided discussing it. He instructed, "The government needs to prepare a place to store 20,000 dan of grain."
It sounds like the total must be quite large. War is indeed a waste of money and manpower. Jiang Yushu thought about it and cautiously agreed, "Twenty thousand shi? I understand. I'll arrange it when I get back. I'll do my best to complete it before the grain transport team enters the city."
Song Jikun nodded with satisfaction.
Jiang Yushu took the initiative to ask: "Then, what is the second thing?"
Song Jikun's smile suddenly disappeared. He couldn't help but sigh and leaned back in his chair and asked, "Regarding our attack on Beiqi, are there any new rumors out there recently?"
"Rumors?"
"For example, 'Tunningwei suffered a defeat'." Song Jikun had a blank expression.
When several military officers heard this, they immediately showed anger.
Jiang Yushu said sternly, "Rumors? They've died down quite a bit recently. In fact, mere gossip isn't worth paying attention to. Ninety-nine percent of people believe the soldiers guarding the border are loyal and brave, and they're grateful." She changed the subject and asked, "Besides, didn't you say last time that the battle was going smoothly and we were winning one victory after another? Once the army returns victorious, the rumors will naturally dissipate. I wonder... when the army will return?"
"Well, we have indeed won consecutive victories. We have now wiped out six enemy tribes." Song Jikun sighed secretly: At the same time, our army has suffered heavy casualties.
Win! Win!
"Congratulations, truly, truly congratulations, great!" Jiang Yushu was overjoyed and excitedly clenched her fists. She was genuinely happy, but also nervous and expectant. She couldn't help but ask, "So, when will the army return?"
Song Jikun looked at the female official whose face was filled with anxiety and concern, and waved his hand to appease her. He understood, but could not reveal it. He replied seriously, "It's hard to say. You'll know when the time comes."
After waiting for so long, she was almost getting anxious. Jiang Yushu couldn't hide her disappointment, her eyes dimming as she looked at the commander, wanting to speak but hesitant. However, because there were several other military officers in the hall, she finally regained her composure and asked, "Second thing, is it about the rumors?"
Song Jikun nodded, his face grim as he instructed sternly, "The rumors out there are spreading like wildfire, and they're outrageous. A while ago, you suggested that the government publicize the good news of our victory. Given the uncertainty of the battle situation at the time, we thought it inappropriate to publicize it. But now that the situation is clear, we can publicize it and vindicate the brave men who fought so bravely, and set the record straight."
Oh, to change public opinion. Jiang Yushu nodded excitedly, agreeing, "Ah, it's long overdue! Winning is good news. No matter how many wins there are, each one is hard-won and should be celebrated and remembered! Don't worry, the government has already discussed this matter and has a feasible solution. I'll go back and think about it later. The good news will be announced in two days."
"Okay." The generals all smiled.
"Thank you."
"Of course, the government is happy to serve!"
The two sides discussed for a moment, and suddenly a personal soldier reported to the commander, saying loudly: "General, there is military intelligence!"
Song Jikun glanced at the magistrate apologetically and said, "Send it."
Jiang Yushu understood, drank the warm tea in one gulp, stood up and said, "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave so as not to affect your official business."
"I should have invited the magistrate to have a meal at least, but I'm busy right now... Alas." After the business was settled, Song Jikun looked pleasant.
Jiang Yushu didn't care. "It's okay. Military intelligence is more important. It's not too late to have a feast and celebrate after the soldiers return victorious."
"good!"
Jiang Yushu lowered her eyes and said, "Goodbye, everyone."
"Go slowly." Song Jikun ordered, "Escort County Magistrate Jiang well and send her back to the yamen."
"Yes!" The personal guard in charge of picking her up stepped forward and was still responsible for escorting her back to the city. "Sir, please."
Soon outside the camp gate
"Sir, please get on your horse." The soldiers had been picking her up and dropping her off several times and were already used to the fact that the female official liked to travel on horseback.
Jiang Yushu touched the horse's neck, but led the horse on foot, slowly moving away from the camp, and said with a smile: "General Song just said that the army will soon return victorious. Congratulations."
As the commander's personal soldiers, they were well-informed and had already known about it. They scratched their heads and laughed foolishly.
Jiang Yushu asked tentatively, "Do you know my husband, Guo Honglei?"
"Captain Guo, of course I know him!"
"Is he okay? Sigh, every time he goes on a campaign, there's no news. This time, it's especially dangerous, and it's really worrying." Jiang Yushu frowned and explained, "Just now in the meeting room, I saw that General Song was busy with official duties, and I didn't want to delay him, so I asked you."
"Ah?" Several bodyguards looked at each other.
"We're almost back in triumph anyway, and the General has already agreed to publicize the good news. There's no need to keep it secret anymore." She knew the General's personal guards were well-informed, so she asked earnestly, "Could you please tell me?"
“This, this…”
They hesitated and discussed in whispers. After a while, they said one after another:
"Yes, the confidentiality order has been lifted."
"But you don't know that we are the general's personal soldiers. We have been staying in the camp recently and don't know the specific situation of Captain Guo."
"However, I heard that the captain has made many outstanding achievements and is the commander of this offensive."
"He has sent back several reports of victory."
She had waited in agony for too long, not caring whether her husband had achieved anything meritorious, only concerned about his safety. She asked anxiously, "He's not injured? Oh, surely he can't be uninjured. How badly is he injured?"
The guards shook their heads, "I really don't know about that."
"In fact, we are just like you. We can't see anyone going to the war."
"Please wait patiently for a while until the army returns victoriously. You will know when you meet them."
According to the current information, at least, he is alive! Jiang Yushu was extremely happy and thankful. She closed her eyes tightly and said, "Okay! Thank you very much. Thank you for telling me this."
"We dare not. We are unworthy of the Magistrate's thanks."
"Please hurry up and return to the yamen to rest early."
Afternoon
Jiang Yushu held her head high and chest out, her steps not only becoming lighter but even more hurried. She walked quickly towards the front hall and stepped into the conference room with a breeze.
"Sir." The clerks immediately stood up to greet him, saying respectfully, "Your Excellency has arrived. Please take a seat."
"Sit down, everyone sit down!"
Jiang Yushu sat down, exhausted, and drank a sip of summer tea. She said with great energy, "I just came back from the military camp. General Song gave me two tasks. The government has the responsibility to assist, and we must complete them with all our heart."
County Magistrate Huang Yichun hurriedly asked, "What's going on?"
"First, we need to quickly move a few warehouses to store 20,000 dan of military rations." She solemnly announced, "The grain transport team will arrive the day after tomorrow. Hand this over to County Magistrate Huang, and he'll take care of it shortly."
Huang Yichun thought for a moment, "Twenty thousand dan? How about freeing up the space where we store our summer tax grain?"
"Sure." Jiang Yushu smiled. "General Song said he only wants to borrow it for a while."
"Okay, I'll arrange it later!"
The next day, the county government was busy all day, and at noon the next day, the grain transport team entered the city as scheduled.
When meeting old friends, Wei Xu didn't even have time to dismount and drink tea.
"Haha, County Magistrate Jiang!"
Wei Xu reined in his horse, his face full of concern. "It's been a while. Are you... okay?"
Jiang Yushu smiled bitterly. "Alas, it's hard to put it into words. You've come all the way to Tuning to escort the grain. You must be very tired. Would you like to come into the government office and have a cup of tea?"
"No, I'm in a hurry to get to the military camp and I can't afford to waste time. I've already divided up the 20,000 shi (approximately 1,000 tons) of grain. It's all in the back, and I'll send it directly to the government warehouse later." Wei Xu was sweating profusely from the heat. He said familiarly, "I'll come and have tea with you when I'm done!"
"OK!"
She waved goodbye and said, "Take care on your journey and see you later."
Triumphant, almost triumphant! Jiang Yushu was filled with hope and began a new round of waiting. However, by the end of June, the army still hadn’t returned triumphantly.
On this day, the magistrate led several subordinates to Sangshan near the military camp, planning to stay for a few days, inspect the silkworm room, and check the condition of the silkworms.
In the hot summer, silkworm rooms of all sizes are scattered at the foot of Sangshan Mountain, shaded by green trees, blocking the scorching heat.
In the silkworm room, the sound of "rustling" can be heard continuously, and the silkworms are eating mulberry leaves.
Rows of bamboo plaques are covered with mulberry leaves. In the piles of mulberry leaves, countless white mature silkworms twist and crawl, chewing the leaves.
Jiang Yushu bent down, examined it for a moment, then reached out and gently picked up a silkworm, holding it up for close inspection. "How many times has it shed its skin?"
The silkworm room owner bowed and replied, "Three times."
"Hmm, not bad." She was quite pleased with the size of the silkworm and put it back into the pile of mulberry leaves, praising it: "You've taken good care of it! With a little more hard work, it will be able to spin silk and make cocoons."
"Yes, your Excellency is right."
Inside the silkworm room, surrounded by countless white fleshy worms, two petty officials, who were naturally afraid of worms, followed them reluctantly. Their faces were almost as pale as the silkworms, and they never dared to get close to the bamboo plaque.
Jiang Yushu had raised silkworms in both her past and present lives, and was used to it. Every time she inspected a silkworm room, she would take a close look and had high hopes for the sericulture industry.
At this moment·Ranshigou
Ten miles away in the northern part of Luanshigou, the expeditionary army appeared in a mighty force, carrying all kinds of spoils, and advancing slowly. After a long and arduous journey, everyone was exhausted.
When they saw the ravine with strange rocks, the soldiers cheered instantly:
"Look, a ravine of rocks!"
"Oh, I'm finally home."
"We're finally back!"
The author has something to say: I am not afraid of silkworms, but I am very afraid of tussah silkworms...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
