Li Xiangjian was leading a group of men, lying in ambush outside the Northern Liang people's camp.
They wore clothes woven from wild grass, which served two purposes: to keep warm and to blend in with the barren landscape.
One of the soldiers closest to Li Xiangjian spoke up: "Boss, we're so close to them and they still can't spot us. The Beiliang people are really stupid."
Before Li Xiangjian could speak, another soldier replied, "It's all thanks to our smart leader. Otherwise, even if we hadn't been discovered by the Beiliang people, we would have frozen to death lying here in the snow."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiangjian quickly stopped them, saying, "Shut up, all of you! Is this the time to discuss this? Are you all afraid that the Beiliang people won't find us?"
The others then shut their mouths.
Night fell quickly, and Li Xiangjian quietly sneaked into the Northern Liang army camp.
They accurately located the enemy's "supplies".
The people of Beiliang mainly ate beef and mutton, especially in winter, when these foods were indispensable.
So their food consists of these live cattle and sheep.
After Li Xiangjian dealt with the two Beiliang men guarding the cattle and sheep.
They then smeared oil on the tails of a dozen or so cows, drove them out of the pen, and then set their tails on fire with a tinderbox.
The cattle, in pain, suddenly ran wildly through the various tents as if they had gone mad.
Soon, chaos broke out in the Northern Liang camp.
Some were shouting for help to put out the fire, while others were trampled to death by the mad cows.
That's not all; in the distance, the sounds of warhorses and deafening roars could be heard.
The commander of Beiliang immediately deduced that it was a sneak attack by soldiers from Da Yan.
They just suffered a defeat today, and their morale is low.
So they quickly ordered an immediate retreat.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiangjian quickly sent a signal to get the supplies left behind by the enemy back to his own camp.
After a long night of commotion, Li Xiangjian and his men drove a herd of cattle and sheep back to camp.
The soldiers guarding the camp stared at the scene before them in disbelief.
Are these cows and sheep? Are they seeing things?
Does this mean they have something to eat?
So, without waiting for Li Xiangjian and the others to speak, they took the initiative to open the camp gate.
General Ling and Marshal Huang were also woken up in the middle of the night.
Everyone was incredibly excited when they heard that Li Xiangjian had brought back a batch of cattle and sheep.
At this time, having food is more important than anything else.
That very night, the cooks started boiling water and slaughtering cattle and sheep.
Soon, the aroma of meat filled the camp.
Everyone was incredibly excited to have meat to eat.
After this incident, they had even more faith in Li Xiangjian.
With these cattle and sheep, the army in the northern border was able to sustain itself until Xiao Mochen delivered 200,000 dan of grain.
Meanwhile, the emperor in the capital was also deeply worried.
He now deeply regrets using the northern border's grain supplies for disaster relief.
How could hundreds of thousands of troops possibly defend the northern border without supplies?
Despite the Emperor's best efforts, it was still a drop in the ocean.
With the encouragement of certain individuals, some people in the community have begun to say that he is unworthy of his position and are demanding that he step down and give way to a more worthy person.
This time, he made a mistake.
Seeing the emperor's distress, Eunuch Xiang said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why don't you summon the Imperial Observatory to ask them?"
"This servant remembers Lord Tang saying that our Great Yan has a lucky star."
The emperor's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. "That's right, how could I have forgotten this at such a crucial moment?"
Soon, Lord Tang from the Imperial Observatory entered the palace.
After bowing to the emperor, before the emperor could ask any questions, Minister Tang said, "Your Majesty need not worry. I observed the stars last night."
Although the Purple Star was slightly dim, the Lucky Star Zou in front of it rose up and shone brightly.
This caused the purple aura to gather in the east, and the Ox and the Dipper to soar into the sky.
Furthermore, the Dipper points eastward, and a new Purple Star is faintly taking shape; this signifies the arrival of auspicious purple energy from the east, and the descent of blessings and prosperity.
The emperor was overjoyed upon hearing this, and looking at the Imperial Observatory, he asked in a trembling voice, "You mean the celestial phenomena are very auspicious?"
Lord Tang nodded affirmatively and said, "A lucky star has appeared in the world, bringing good fortune and auspiciousness."
Just then, a palace servant's voice came from the doorway: "Your Majesty, the journey to Chengyang County, which is eight hundred li long, is urgent."
Upon hearing this, the emperor quickly said, "Bring it here immediately!"
After receiving the report, the emperor eagerly opened it and read it, then burst into laughter, saying, "What a wise and virtuous man! What a magistrate, Ling!"
Seeing the emperor so pleased, and knowing that the report concerned Mingzhao Shuoren, Eunuch Xiang quickly stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, is there some good news?"
The Emperor laughed upon hearing this, saying, "Ling Ziyuan reported that the Zhaoshuo people have exhausted their wealth to purchase 200,000 dan of grain, which has already been sent to the northern border."
Moreover, he and Ming Zhaoshuo gathered wealthy households in Chengyang County and asked them to voluntarily donate, which resulted in the acquisition of a large amount of supplies.
All of these items were donated to disaster victims in the seven southern prefectures.
Officials from other prefectures followed suit after hearing the news. Although they did not donate as much as those from Chengyang County, these donations were enough for our Great Yan to overcome this crisis.
Furthermore, they discovered that these disaster victims were not infected with the plague at all, but most likely contracted a contagious cold due to the freezing weather. Because of the lack of timely treatment, some of the weaker individuals died.
"It is truly a blessing for the people and for me that my Great Yan has such officials and such righteous merchants."
Eunuch Xiang was genuinely pleased to hear this, and then casually said, "This is truly a great thing. If you ask me, this Ming Zhaoshuo is the real lucky star of our Great Yan."
The Emperor was taken aback by Eunuch Xiang's words. He then looked at Minister Tang of the Imperial Observatory, who nodded and said, "From an astrological perspective, the one who can resolve this crisis is the true lucky star of Great Yan."
After careful consideration, the emperor concluded that this Ming Zhaoshuo might indeed be a lucky star for the Great Yan.
Not only did they cultivate high-yield crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes, they also discovered cotton, a material for keeping warm in the cold.
More importantly, she resolved the crisis of internal and external troubles facing the Great Yan Dynasty.
The Emperor is now even more eager to see Yan Qingqing.
But right now, the more important thing is to resolve the issues concerning the disaster victims.
With this report, the emperor felt emboldened and issued several decrees in succession.
After the Lunar New Year, the city gates of Chengyang County gradually reopened.
Seeing that no one had gotten sick after so long, the people stopped being so hostile towards the refugees.
Some people with a strong sense of righteousness even volunteered to help distribute porridge at the city gate.
These refugees also actively cooperated with the government and tried their best not to cause trouble for others within their own capabilities.
For a time, the original inhabitants of Chengyang County actually got along quite well with these disaster victims.
Ling Ziyuan was also planning where these refugees would go.
If anyone is willing to return to their hometown, Magistrate Ling will not stop them; if anyone wants to settle down in Chengyang County, he will be even happier.
There is still a lot of undeveloped wasteland in the south of the city. When the time comes, we will divide the land into villages, allocate land to them, and the government will help them build houses. That will be all.
These days, the population is already sparse, and the size of a county's population is a major factor in performance evaluation.
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