Chapter 103: Each Has Its Own Strengths “This Lord Gu, is he the same as General Gu…
Chapter 103
The modified locomotive led the way, followed by a cavalry team of fifty people.
Lin Zhiyi and Jing Yue sat in the middle carriage, with fifty cavalrymen on each side of the carriage and another fifty cavalrymen behind the carriage.
This time when he went to Qingzhou, he was accompanied by two hundred guards.
——Tang Cong led the Princess’s Mansion with 150 guards, and Ji Feng led the Duke’s Mansion with 50 guards.
After all, he has a special identity.
When the princess and her husband travel, even if it is on imperial errands, as long as they are well protected, they must use it.
Jing Yue would not allow any possible danger to get close to Pianpian and him.
They are already walking on the edge of a knife.
You have to be careful in everything.
Once you leave the capital, all you see is vast snowy fields.
The snow piled up to more than a foot, and there was even more snow swept up by motor vehicles on both sides of the road, with some places being two or three feet thick.
The team couldn't move any faster.
They also have to stop every day to check the use of the mechanical vehicle - Lin Zhiyi reminded that if it is always overloaded, the mechanical vehicle is likely to malfunction.
After all, this thing is not a perpetual motion machine. If it is turned on for a long time, it will be damaged.
Fortunately, thanks to the method she taught, Tang Cong Jifeng assigned a special person to maintain the motor vehicle at regular times and locations, and the journey went smoothly without any breakdowns.
They arrived in Qingzhou faster than they expected.
The snow in Qingzhou is already more than two feet thick, and it is still falling.
Only the tops of entire rows of houses were visible, and they were almost covered by snow.
It's freezing cold.
Lin Zhiyi caught a cold on the way and never recovered completely. Jing Yue wrapped her up tightly and wanted to rest for two more days in the inn. However, Lin Zhiyi was worried about the disaster in Qingzhou and was eager to continue her journey as soon as her fever subsided. Jing Yue had no choice but to agree.
Their team brought the most cold-resistant clothes and quilts among the three groups.
First, Lin Zhiyi has a worldly mindset and disaster relief experience learned on television news networks.
Second, both of them had a lot of private property and could come up with enough cash to buy it.
Furthermore, the guards brought a lot of supplies—making the most of their resources. And if they brought extra supplies, they wouldn't have to worry about being robbed along the way.
Qingzhou Prefecture Governor Gu Heming personally led a team of people to welcome the imperial envoy.
Snow always falls in the north in winter, so Gu Heming didn't take the heavy snowfall seriously at first. Later, when he discovered that the snow was heavier than in previous years, he immediately issued an order for all counties to take precautions against freezing and cold weather, and to prepare charcoal fires and winter food in advance.
Unfortunately, it was a little late because the surrounding counties were also experiencing blizzards.
The blizzard blocked the mountains and roads, making it impossible to transport supplies.
The only thing to be thankful for was that Qingzhou was close to the sea and the sea water was not easy to freeze, which gave them a last chance - fish, shrimp and other sea creatures (seafood was called sea creatures in ancient times) could still be caught and stored.
But only a small part was stored, and soon the sea froze.
This is a rare spectacle that only happens once in a century.
Rivers and lakes can freeze over, but the sea rarely does. Even if it does, it's only a thin layer near the coast. It quickly thaws when the weather warms up.
This winter's blizzard has been falling for almost a month, and cold waves have occurred frequently, which is really unbearable.
The food was relatively sufficient to get by, so we just had to skip a meal or two and wait for the relief workers to arrive. The hardest part was the lack of charcoal and firewood, so we had to use everything sparingly.
As a result, burning fire to keep warm became a luxury.
But Gu Heming couldn't let the people freeze to death, so he tried hard to gather the people of Qingzhou Prefecture. Several households shared a fire source and ate together, which was more economical.
And with more people, it is easier to keep warm.
After being trapped for twenty-three days, the imperial envoy and supplies finally arrived, and Gu Heming was happy for the people.
I heard that the person on this mission was the new son-in-law Lin Zhiyi, who was also the only son of Duke Lin. A few months ago, the young master Lin made considerable achievements when he was a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue. Gu Heming had also heard about it.
Princess Liyang was also accompanying them, and Gu Heming groaned in his heart - could a princess like her bear coming to their bitter cold disaster area?
Don’t get frozen, we have to go back to Beijing soon, right?
Gu Heming was complaining in his heart when he first saw the locomotive leading the way in front of him.
He was surprised at first—what was this thing?! It could shovel snow so fast?! Did the prince consort and the princess rely on this to get all the way here?
It arrived eight days earlier than he expected.
Behind the engine car was a group of cavalry on tall horses, and then a few carriages. On both sides and behind the carriages were cavalry and carriages loaded with supplies...
Gu Heming's eyes lit up like a hungry wolf seeing a chicken leg. He took a few quick steps and said loudly, "I am Gu Heming, the governor of Qingzhou Prefecture. I pay my respects to the princess and her husband."
Jing Yue said, "Master Gu, there's no need to be so polite. Just have someone receive the supplies first."
Gu Heming was delighted, and his expression became more respectful: "Yes!"
It turned out that having the princess and her husband as imperial envoys was much better than having other officials come - the princess and her husband did not put on airs, and there were not so many twists and turns of intrigue in officialdom, so they just started the handover directly.
It can be seen that they are wholeheartedly devoted to the people.
Among the people brought by Gu Heming was a capable man, a short but agile old man, whom Gu Heming called Old Yang.
He was a native of Qingzhou. When the snow disaster hit, he provided a lot of suggestions and methods to calm the hearts of the local people.
Among the people led by Lin Zhiyi, Lin Song is the most suitable to hand over to the other party.
Lin Song had learned arithmetic, tables, statistical techniques, etc. from her, and had already mastered them and could be a capable assistant.
At first, Lin Zhiyi didn't want to bring him, after all, he was still young, but Lin Song was willing to come along because he knew that he could learn more and more valuable things by following the young master.
Lin Song's parents were also willing to let him exercise, so Lin Zhiyi took him with him.
When Old Yang saw that it was a kid of about ten years old who took him to the supply cart, he was extremely surprised and looked a little doubtful - what use could such a child be?
The princess and her husband are not very good at employing people, right?
Lin Song knew what Elder Yang was thinking. He deliberately kept a stern face and said, "Elder Yang, please take a look. This is the list of supplies we brought with us. If Qingzhou Prefecture sends it to the people of each county, I hope you can have someone record it according to this list so that we can report it to the prince consort and the princess later."
Old Yang took it without much concern. The affairs he had handed over recently had piled up like a mountain, and each one was more or less messy. He had already prepared himself mentally.
Unexpectedly, this time it was completely beyond his expectations!
This list is crystal clear! Every rule is laid out before us, in black and white.
He was shocked as he followed Lin Song to count the supplies. The carts of supplies were also divided into categories. Winter clothes, quilts, charcoal, and a lot of potatoes and pumpkins?!
Food!
It’s so rare to get something to eat. I’ve been eating seafood these days and I really miss other foods!
Ji Feng sent thirty people to help Lin Song, and the others followed Tang Cong to guard Lin Zhiyi and Jing Yue.
And Gu Heming finally met the legendary princess and her husband.
The princess is naturally gorgeous and beautiful, and the prince consort is also handsome and elegant. They are truly a perfect match!
Still so young!
The young are really to be feared.
Lin Zhiyi forced himself to exchange a few pleasantries with Gu Heming before getting straight to the point: "Master Gu, what's the situation in Qingzhou Prefecture? Are there any casualties among the people?"
Gu Heming replied, "The situation is relatively stable at the moment. One hundred and twenty-eight civilians have suffered minor injuries, and three people have suffered frostbite after falling into the sea while ice fishing. Hundreds of other elderly people and children have contracted varying degrees of colds. Qingzhou Prefecture is running low on cold medicine. Did the Prince Consort bring any medicine?"
"Ahem... I brought some." Lin Zhiyi made a homemade cotton mask. She hadn't worn it when she first got off the bus, but now that she had to cough, she put it on. "We anticipated that many people would catch a cold," she said. "In addition to medicine, we also brought ginger."
Jing Yue gave her a worried look, patted her back, and took over her words and instructed: "Master Gu, let's go to the governor's mansion first."
"Yes, yes, yes. Princess, Prince Consort, please." Gu Heming saw that Prince Consort had also caught a cold. He suggested, "Prince Consort and Princess are exhausted from the journey. Stay at the Governor's Mansion for a few days and rest well. I will take care of the rest."
Lin Zhiyi: "Well, Lord Gu, there's no need to go out of your way to entertain us. If you need any help, please let us know. The most important thing right now is to appease the people."
Gu Heming: "Don't worry, Prince Consort. Magistrate Qi is busy with his men. Now that the supplies and medicine have arrived, we can rest assured."
The group stayed at the governor's mansion.
The conditions are certainly not comparable to those of the Princess's Mansion in the capital, but it is the capital of a state after all, so it is no problem to settle their group.
Lin Zhiyi and Jing Yue didn't ask Gu Heming to arrange any dinner, and they just took care of their own meals - they ate the same way they ate on the way here.
Lin Zhiyi had no appetite and only drank a bowl of porridge. She looked over the list of supplies Lin Song had presented her, then looked through Gu Heming's recent disaster relief records.
Jing Yue put a thick black cloak on her - this one was modified on the way - there was nothing fancy about it, just a cloak made of pure black cloth and cotton, thick and heavy.
Since we are doing disaster relief, it is not appropriate to wear something too exquisite.
"Aren't you going to sleep yet? This afternoon, thick clothes and quilts were distributed. Lin Song said he was given a few steamed potatoes when he came back, so the food has been distributed as well." Jing Yue said, "I didn't expect Qingzhou Prefecture to be more organized than we imagined."
Lin Zhiyi coughed a few more times and agreed, "Yes, this Lord Gu is quite capable. Of course, it's not just his contribution. The unity and cooperation of Qi Tongpan, the military commander, the prefect, the prefect, the county magistrate, and others also helped a lot."
Jing Yue: "Speaking of which, does this Lord Gu have any connection with General Gu?"
Lin Zhiyi raised his eyebrows in surprise—Gu Tingxuan? Master?
That’s right, both of them have the surname Gu and are about the same age.
"I haven't heard him mention the Master, and I haven't heard the Master mention him either. Have you heard anything?"
Jing Yue: "I heard that more than a decade ago, a scholar who had won the imperial examination in the imperial examination had a crush on General Gu. However, General Gu had no intention of marrying and only wanted to avenge his family and defend the people on the battlefield. Later, the scholar changed his surname to Gu, but still failed to impress General Gu. However, the scholar was also deeply in love with General Gu, secretly resolving to remain single and take it upon himself to protect the people. He even left the capital, starting as a local official, and gradually became the ruler of a state. He echoed General Gu's patriotism and love for the people."
"Wow—that's an interesting story. I've never heard of it."
"Father and Mother and General Gu will definitely not tell you these old stories." Jing Yue said, "I also heard Mother mention it occasionally in the palace. But I'm not sure it was this Gu Heming. If you want to know, you can ask Tang Congyou and the others to investigate."
"Why bother?" Lin Zhiyi smiled, "It's better to just ask him directly."
Jing Yue also smiled: "Okay, then I'll ask tomorrow." He handed a bowl of medicine to Lin Zhiyi, "Drink the medicine first, it's time to rest."
"good."
…
Lin Zhiyi and his team had a relatively smooth journey, but Lin Zhihua, Xie Junxing, and Pei Nanyu, the imperial envoys, did not have such a smooth journey.
The Yuzhou they went to was the farthest from the capital, with rugged roads, evil bandits, and tigers and wolves looking for food. The journey was extremely "exciting".
Xie Junxing displayed his extraordinary martial arts in front of the girl he liked, while Lin Zhihua cleverly used mechanical tricks to capture a tiger and a wolf, and recruited a relatively righteous bandit group.
——Other bandits kill for money, but this group robs the rich to help the poor. There are many old people, women and children living in the mountains.
Pei Nanyu decided to leave some food for the people in the mountains, and received some feedback from them - dried meat from hunted animals that had been dried in the sun.
Because there was only one mechanical car and it was too slow, Lin Zhihua slowly collected materials on the road and built three smaller ones in succession to help.
With a total of four locomotives leading the way, their team finally arrived in Yuzhou.
The governor of Yuzhou Prefecture, Tan Dasen, treated them to delicious food and drinks, but he was very secretive about the disaster. Pei Nanyu mentioned it several times but he avoided the topic.
"This is a natural disaster, beyond human intervention. The three adults don't need to be overly critical. I'll let you know once the situation stabilizes," Tan Dasen said. "Come, eat first. You three must have traveled a long way. Rest well after dinner."
Lin Zhihua, Xie Junxing and Pei Nanyu exchanged glances. The three of them were all very smart people, so they stopped asking questions because they knew that it would be useless to ask. It would be better to send people to investigate on the spot to get more reliable information.
"Thank you, Master Tan, for your hospitality. Master Tan, please!"
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