"Is it a convoy from Beijing? Who is making such a grand gesture?"
The crowd was amazed. Some even abandoned their original intention of chopping wood and followed the convoy up the mountain, through the forest and up the slopes, until the convoy stopped in front of the military camp at Zhaigang. They dared not get too close and could only secretly watch this "excitement" that had come from afar.
The car door opened, and a tall, robust figure stepped out first. He looked ahead, then around to make sure everything was alright, before helping the people inside the car get out.
Next to get off the carriage was a woman wearing a silver fox fur cloak. She had her hair styled in a simple woman's bun, but her face was youthful, so she was probably not very old.
Her skin wasn't fair, unlike the delicate skin of nobles, but it wasn't dark either; instead, it was rosy and radiant, making her look very healthy and energetic.
It was a woman?!
Wubao is a poor and desolate place, mostly frequented by fugitives or outlaws. The area is chaotic and barren, with very few women, and even fewer young women.
As soon as she got out of the car, strong, agile men jumped down from the convoy behind her. They were dressed lightly, wearing only a single shirt and trousers despite it being the dead of winter. They stood steadily and silently on both sides of the supply wagon, as if they were not afraid of the cold.
The commotion was noticed even by those going up the mountain, let alone those in the military camp. Wei Yao and Fu Rong rushed over to check the situation, but when they saw Zheng Quchi smiling broadly in front of the convoy, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Madam?!"
The winter sky was clear and bright, with a clear blue expanse, so his vision was very clear and he would never mistake the thinner, taller, and darker-skinned woman not far away.
Zheng Quchi raised an eyebrow: "Are you that surprised to see me?"
"Is it really Madam?" Wei Zhuang and Fu Rong ran forward in surprise.
The guards outside the military camp also looked in this direction with surprise.
"It's real, not fake," she said irritably.
"Madam, aren't you busy with the water management project in Cangling County? Why did you suddenly come to Wubao?" They couldn't hide the smiles on their faces.
Zheng Quchi did not answer the question immediately. Instead, he looked behind them and asked, "Where is His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Fu Rong quickly said, "Your Highness is at Fengdu Ferry. Recently, the barbarians have built a Yazi Tower, which is used to hunt down merchants passing through and plunder their money and information. Your Highness felt that something was amiss, so you led your troops to wipe them out."
Sure enough, he was either fighting a war or on his way to one.
"You've been stuck in Wubao for almost a year this time. The battle between Wubao and the Kezhu barbarians must have been quite troublesome," Zheng Quchi remarked.
Wei Yao didn't hide anything: "That's right, it is indeed very troublesome. Let's go into the camp and talk about it."
"Alright, but before you go in, send someone to bring in the thousands of winter clothes, hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain, and thousands of thick quilts that I brought."
Zheng Quchi glanced over and waved her hand. They looked in the direction of her arm and saw a long convoy of supplies that resembled a dragon. The two-story freight cars had strong load-bearing capacity and a powerful momentum like a bull charging forward. The visual impact was enough to shock them.
Wei Yao and Fu Rong were stunned at first, then exclaimed, "My God!" "Madam, where did you get so many things?"
"Of course it was bought, otherwise it wouldn't have been stolen, would it?" she joked.
But where did the money come from?
Fu Rong really wanted to ask, but she felt it wasn't appropriate to ask in front of so many people; what if it was a secret?
"Is this really for us?" Fu Rong rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining as he looked at the cars. After repeatedly thanking Zheng Quchi, he said, "Wang Zebang will be overjoyed when he sees this. He's been worrying about these things so much lately that he's almost turned his hair white. It's a pity that none of us know how to run a business and make money. Relying solely on the government's military funds for fighting the war is far from enough."
Zheng Quchi knew all too well how hard life was for the soldiers on the frontier. After all, she had once dug for wild vegetables with them in the camp and shared their joys and sorrows. So, no matter how much she loved money, she was willing to spend her own money to improve their living conditions.
"I believe things will get better and better for us in the future," she assured them.
Wei Yao turned his head, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly, "Brothers, our General's wife has brought us food, clothes, and bedding from afar. This winter, we can finally live like human beings..."
He choked for a moment before continuing, "Men, move everything from the cart back to the camp. Tonight, we'll use the grain that Madam sent to prepare a good meal to reward the soldiers and express our gratitude to Madam!"
"Alright!"
The resounding cheers echoed throughout the hillside and reached the ears of the woodcutters in the forest. They finally knew who the caravan was and what was inside.
They found it unbelievable. Who was this "lady"? How could she single-handedly support thousands of people in the entire camp?! What kind of courage and wealth would it take to do that?
It seems the army at Wubao Camp has met a benefactor. That's wonderful, truly wonderful.
——
After spending two days at the camp, Zheng Quchi had learned some information from Wei Yao and the others. She was pressed for time and could not wait any longer, so she decided to set off directly to Fengdu to find Yuwen Sheng.
“Madam, there’s a war going on over there. It’s too dangerous for you to go.” Wei Yao disagreed.
"I came to Wubao this time for a very important matter, so I don't have time to waste. It's alright, I have Gan Xin and Lan Yue protecting me. As long as we are careful, there will definitely be no problem."
Although Wei Yao and the others were not in Shengjing, they knew some things that they needed to know, such as that the lady had a highly skilled disciple named Kuang Dao Gan Xin.
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