Winter goes and spring comes.
Tender leaves sprouted on the branches and the surface of the Wei River began to thaw.
Shipping has entered its peak season of the year.
The people in the capital of the Great Zhou took off their thick winter clothes to welcome the arrival of spring.
On the prairie, the ice and snow are beginning to melt.
Last winter, the grassland was hit by several consecutive snowstorms, and the snow was two or three feet deep.
In the major ranches and tribes of Beirong, herders and livestock died of starvation and freezing.
From the herdsmen to the nobles, everyone suffered heavy losses.
By the beginning of spring, there was no longer enough food to eat or drink throughout Beirong.
We can slaughter the lambs, but when winter comes, where will there be enough cattle and sheep to survive the winter?
Reality is cruel.
The Beirong court was completely bankrupt.
In Beirong Royal City, prices are skyrocketing.
Not to mention that ordinary people could not afford it, even many small nobles faced the serious consequences of bankruptcy in the face of soaring prices.
Seeing that the dynasty was about to collapse, the Beirong royal court acted decisively and led its army south to raid the valleys and plunder the Great Zhou to feed itself.
Tens of thousands of Beirong troops came rolling in with bloodthirsty eyes.
They avoided the difficult northwest defenses, traveled thousands of miles, broke through the defenses of the Great Zhou from the northeast, and killed their way down directly.
The border defenses were breached and the people suffered.
They plundered people, looted property and food, and burned cities...
They are capable of all kinds of evil.
When the news reached the capital, everyone inside and outside the court was shocked.
Why did Beirong suddenly go south?
How did they break through the northeastern border? That's thousands of miles more.
When Emperor Wende learned of the tragic situation in Northeast China, he was so angry that he started cursing at the morning court.
What do the garrison troops at the Northeast Border Defense Station eat?
Over the years, he worked tirelessly and scraped together money from all sources, not only making up for the border troops' years of losses, but also replacing their equipment and paying their monthly salaries in full.
As early as last year, the Ministry of War issued an order requiring all checkpoints to prepare for war.
As a result, the northeastern defense was penetrated by the Northern Rong in one round.
The Great Zhou suddenly lost three cities and a population of over 100,000.
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
Emperor Wende kicked over the stool and smashed the teacup.
All the people in the Northeast border defense area deserve to die from top to bottom.
Before breaking through the Northeast border defenses, the Beirong Army had almost become a group of organized beggars.
The rations they brought with them had already been used up on the road because they had traveled thousands of miles.
As long as the garrison at the Northeast Border is more capable, they can drag the enemy out for three to five days and eventually kill the Northern Rong army.
As a result, the Northeastern border defense not only failed to kill Beirong, but was broken through by Beirong, who looted money and food. The Beirong army, after receiving supplies, instantly recovered its strength.
It is obvious which one is easier to fight between a group of rejuvenated Beirong troops and a group of beggars.
The opportunity to completely wipe out the Northern Rong Army was right in front of them, but it was missed by the garrison troops at the Northeast Border Defense.
A bunch of idiots!
A bunch of pigs!
Emperor Wende was almost angry to death.
If the plan had not been made last year and the Jinwu Guards had not been sent to gather intelligence in various places, Emperor Wende would probably still be kept in the dark about the fall of the northeastern border defenses.
Emperor Wende ordered the Ministry of War to dispatch troops to stop the Beirong army from advancing further south, determined to drive the Beirong army out of the pass.
At the same time, he issued an edict to reprimand the Northwest Commander-in-Chief Li Bingming.
If you ask him to organize an army, what kind of army can he organize?
Lord Li looked aggrieved when he received the imperial edict.
He was the Grand Commander of the Northwest, not the Grand Commander of the Northeast.
The Northeast border defense is not under his jurisdiction at all. He cannot reach far enough to deal with the border troops in the Northeast.
Your Majesty, is he so angry that he starts scolding everyone he catches?
However, the lax armaments of the Northeastern Frontier Army still surprised Lord Li.
"Your Majesty provided sufficient wages and upgraded their equipment, yet the Northeast Border Army couldn't even last a single round against a bunch of beggars. They're truly utterly rotten."
It wasn't just Lord Li who said the Northeast Frontier Army was bad, almost everyone said the Northeast Frontier Army was bad.
From the imperial court to the common people, everyone was filled with righteous indignation and demanded that the generals of the Northeast Frontier Army be severely punished and that they all deserved to be killed.
"Da Zhou Life Show", "Guozijian News", "Shanhe Academy News", and other newly opened newspapers, such as "Beijing Life News", etc., published articles on the same day, criticizing the court, the Ministry of War, the Northeast Border Army, and the bigwigs in the Council of State with the most sharp words.
This is the first time that such a big event has attracted so much attention, had such a wide impact and used such sharp words.
The language used in the life show exposing the Imperial College is ten times more harsh than that used in the past.
The high-ranking officials in the imperial court were criticized by several newspapers without naming their names. They were almost dug up the dark history of their ancestors and had their corpses flogged by the people of the capital.
No matter which newspaper, the writers they invite are all famous figures and leaders in the literary world.
In order to gain space, these newspapers did their best and spared no expense to invite the bigwigs to write articles criticizing the court.
The effect is also great.
For several days in a row, every newspaper was sold out.
Even the Shanhe Academy Newspaper, which was only published by Shanhe Academy, was sold out by enthusiastic citizens. The students at the academy were not as quick as the common people.
Cui Qi, the youngest son of the Marquis of Zhenguo, was a former teacher at Shanhe Academy, teaching music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and ancient prose.
His current identity is the general manager of Wenqing Bookstore.
Huang Qubing went to the Shaofu and could not take care of both.
After searching for a long time, they finally found it on Cui Qi's head.
Huang Qubing used his eloquence to persuade Cui Qi to run Wenqing Bookstore and give him shares.
After careful consideration and seeking the advice of his father, the Marquis of Zhenguo, Cui Qi officially took up the position of general manager of Wenqing Bookstore and editor-in-chief of Life Show.
Faced with the loss of the Northeast Border Army, Cui Qi not only personally took action and wrote articles under his real name to criticize the court officials, but also collaborated with literary giants such as Sanyuan Gong and Sun Zhuangyuan.
"Da Zhou Life Show" surpassed "Guozijian News" with the highest quality manuscripts and the most incisive articles, becoming the best-selling newspaper, with sales approaching 300,000, four or five times the usual amount.
Cui Qi was working hard, and Huang Qubing hurried to Wenqing Bookstore.
Without even having time to catch his breath, he hurriedly said, "My fellow ministers, your expressions have been extremely grim these past few days. Your fierce attacks on you in the newspapers have incurred public wrath. If nothing unexpected happens, the censors will soon step forward and impeach all the newspapers."
It won't be long before the imperial court takes action to overhaul the newspaper industry. If you don't want to be shut down by the imperial court, withdraw your manuscript immediately. All the manuscripts you requested previously cannot be used. Replace them with articles calling on ordinary people to donate money and materials to help refugees."
Cui Qi almost vomited blood when he heard this.
"Withdrawing? That's easy to say. I spent countless hours on these manuscripts, lost my reputation, and owed the boss a favor to get them. If you ask me to withdraw now, how can I explain to those people? Next time I'm asked to write, they'll just kick me out. No way am I withdrawing!"
Huang Qubing was adamant, not willing to negotiate. "You must withdraw your manuscript! I've received news that a large number of refugees are heading south and will soon enter the capital region. Right now, the imperial court not only has to worry about the war, but also about these refugees. Your manuscript is just adding fuel to the fire."
"Next time, if you dare publish an article that's detrimental to the court, the court will drastically shut down 'Da Zhou Life Show.' Even if Madam Zhao and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intervene, it will be useless. This is a matter of great importance to the court, and His Majesty and the other court officials will show no mercy."
Cui Qi frowned, and a thousand alpaca horses were galloping through his mind.
“Must retract the paper?”
Huang Qubing was absolutely certain and said without a doubt: "The paper must be withdrawn!"
"What are these refugees you just mentioned?"
"Bei Rong has captured three cities. Many people were looted and taken captive, but some civilians also escaped. This number must be tens of thousands. These refugees are on their way to the capital, and the court is struggling to accommodate them. At this time, all newspapers must cooperate. Anyone who dares to dissent will be dealt with harshly."
Cui Qi sighed, feeling so depressed that he wanted to vomit blood.
Just at this time, Xu Yousi also came to Wenqing Bookstore to deliver a message.
"Madam has requested that the article be withdrawn and the new issue be a special edition titled 'Refugee Information.' This article has already been written. Madam has requested that the newspaper organize newsboys and storytellers to visit refugee communities, disseminate information about refugees, and properly resettle those heading south."
Cui Qi picked up the manuscript and read it word by word.
Refugee Information, which covers a lot of content.
The main content is that the refugee resettlement site is located in the north of the city, where area has been designated and shacks have been built.
Any refugee who fails to comply with regulations and fails to report to the refugee resettlement site will be treated as a spy once discovered.
If you have relatives or friends in Beijing who need help, you can contact the staff at the refugee resettlement site to pass on the message. Friends or relatives will then go to the refugee resettlement site to pick you up.
All refugees entering the refugee resettlement site will use new identity cards. Anyone without an identity card will be treated as a spy.
…
All these regulations seem cruel and ruthless, yet well-organized.
Cui Qi was bewildered. "Why did Madam Zhao issue this 'Refugee Notice'? The court hasn't come up with a plan yet. Madam Zhao, are you violating taboos by making your own decision?"
Xu Yousi hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Chief Cui. His Majesty has entrusted my wife with the task of resettling the refugees. The court officials all agree with this decision. Looking throughout the court, no one is more suitable for this task than my wife."
Huang Qubing asked curiously, "It will take a lot of money and food to resettle the refugees. Who will pay for it? We can't just ask Madam Zhao to pay for it."
Xu Yousi said expressionlessly, "My wife is currently discussing the issue of money and grain with His Majesty. Whether the court or my wife is in charge of the money and grain, it will not affect this 'Refugee Instructions'. Refugee resettlement will be handled in accordance with the above. Next, I have to go recruit some men. Farewell!"
"Wait! Eunuch Xu went to recruit men, what's going on?" Huang Qubing asked curiously.
Xu Yousi explained, "My wife said that only refugees who have been there understand the hardships of refugees and know what they need and want. Recruiting refugees from that time to serve as temporary workers at the refugee resettlement site will help soothe the panicked refugees, calm them down, and help them settle down smoothly."
"I see! Madam Zhao's move is truly thoughtful. I'll go with you for a while, and I'll write an article about the refugees to inspire the vast majority."
Cui Qi was very active and pulled Xu Yousi to run to the first phase.
Huang Qubing took the manuscript and decided to temporarily act as the editor-in-chief to do the work for Cui Qi.
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