Chapter 799 Casting a long line to catch a big fish
No one left the queue in front of the grain shop. They pretended not to hear what Lin Yuesha said and became even more determined to grab the rice.
Lin Yuesha frowned. People with ulterior motives were stirring things up. Once a tense atmosphere was created, the people would have preconceived notions. Even if they knew that unscrupulous merchants were making huge profits, for them, having enough food to get through the current crisis was more important.
"Young lady, look, other shops haven't lowered their rice prices yet. What are we going to do if we don't grab some? With the war on the border of the Great Qi, our Wucheng is caught up in it, and prices are bound to go up sooner or later!"
The crowd whispered among themselves and sighed.
"That's right. Decades ago, Wucheng suffered a famine, and families turned against each other over a handful of rice..."
The elderly woman sighed repeatedly. They had some spare money, so they could only choose to save food, also to avoid troubling their relatives. In the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities, human relationships become exceptionally fragile.
"Miss, we can't reason with each other at all."
Bai Cha ran to a rice shop not far from the street to inquire, but the shop had already sold out and closed. The people who had not been able to buy rice were running around asking around.
Almost the entire population of Wucheng mobilized to plunder rice and grain, causing rice prices to skyrocket. The situation was beyond the control of the city's garrison.
"I have a feeling there's a conspiracy involved."
It's not that Lin Yuesha is a conspiracy theorist, but rather that things have developed too quickly. Combined with the shifty-eyed, short man's demeanor, someone was secretly spreading rumors rapidly, so much so that by the time it was discovered, it was too late to stop them.
"The other party's calculations were precise, and we were in a very passive position. Even if we clarified the rumors, the embarrassing thing is that no one believed us."
He relied solely on his words, yet the people believed the worst possible outcome.
"If this continues, Wucheng will descend into chaos, and the people will begin to resent the city lord."
The line for buying rice was so long that Bai Cha couldn't squeeze in at all, and some people even got into fights over cutting in line.
Despite the efforts of the defending troops to maintain order, their efforts had little effect.
"Rumors spread too quickly. The best way to refute them is to lower grain prices and release grain from warehouses."
If the people are guaranteed to buy large quantities of rice at the original price and that the supply is sufficient, then everyone will believe that the rumors are unfounded and that Wucheng has not been affected.
"Young Madam, the rumors are true."
The guards received the news and reported to Lin Yuesha, "Our supplies have been set on fire by the alien race, and most of them have been destroyed..."
This was supposed to be a secret, but it was leaked out, so it's no wonder the people of Wucheng were panicked.
The remaining small group was protected by Madam Xu and her men at the cost of their lives. Xu Da was captured alive by the foreign tribes and taken away from the border town in order to save Madam Xu.
"In other words, we've recaptured the border town, but we lack military supplies, especially food and fodder?"
Lin Yuesha was already mentally prepared, but after learning that the news was true, she still couldn't help but feel nervous. She dared not imagine how Xu Da would be tortured if he fell into the hands of foreign tribes.
"Our remaining food supplies are only enough to last for half a month at most."
The guards' voices grew fainter and fainter; even if they purchased supplies from Qin City, they might not have enough time to replenish them in half a month.
Although the foreign tribes have withdrawn from beyond the Great Wall, they are still eyeing us covetously. They have also captured one of the main generals of the Great Qi, and they are determined to make a big fuss about it.
"If we want to gather supplies, we can only do so from the surrounding cities."
After all, half a month was still too tight. The collection and transportation of grain and fodder from Wucheng further confirmed the rumor spread by that shifty-eyed little man that the Qi army was after the people of Wucheng.
"If we spend money to buy back the high-priced grain that the people have already bought, it will be many times more expensive than before."
One thing leads to another, forcing our side into a dilemma.
This move has caused losses to the people, and there's no guarantee that it won't cause other problems.
With the war raging at the front, maintaining stability in the rear is of paramount importance; we must never allow trouble to break out in our own backyard.
Lin Yuesha had been helping with the purchasing and knew that there wasn't much money left in the accounts. The money had to be spent wisely, and if a portion was squeezed out for supplies, it would be even more difficult to make ends meet.
"Miss, I feel so sorry for you!"
Especially now that the soldiers of Daqi have learned that Lin Yuesha has married Qi Heng, as the wife of the young general, can she just ignore the soldiers?
After tasting the white tea, Bai Cha suspected that the pockmarked man was also playing tricks, making his own mistress do hard labor.
Don't overthink it.
Lin Yuesha patted Bai Cha on the shoulder. Although Qi Heng was scheming, he wouldn't go so far as to scheme like this. It was Bai Cha herself, as a citizen of Daqi, who took the initiative to help. Even without Qi Heng standing in the middle, it would have been the same.
After waiting for more than an hour, the grain shop closed, and the crowd finally dispersed, making way for the carriage.
The coachman returned and reported, "Young Madam, you were right. That shifty-eyed fellow is stirring up trouble everywhere. I've also found a few of our men to follow him, to cast a long line and catch a big fish."
If he is a spy from another race, follow that person's trail and eradicate the stronghold left by the other race.
"Good job, well done!"
Lin Yuesha boarded the carriage and asked the driver to take her to the camp outside the city.
As darkness fell, and dinner could only be eaten in the carriage, Lin Yuesha soaked iced dumplings in hot water, her head buried in thought.
Although there wasn't enough grain, there were still some sweet potatoes and potatoes. These could be cut into pieces and added to the meals, extending the original half-month's supply to twenty days while ensuring the soldiers didn't go hungry.
Wucheng was not a large city, but it had a wide official road. By the time we arrived at the camp, it was already midnight.
Bonfires were lit throughout the camp, wounded soldiers helped each other up, and the area was in a mess.
After finishing her work, Yan Yan lay motionless on the blanket. After days of intense labor, all she wanted to do was faint.
"Sister Yue Sha, what brings you here?"
Upon seeing Lin Yuesha, Yan Yan barely opened her eyes. While she was treating the wounded, the rest of the soldiers had already entered the border of Daqi and joined up with Gu Yi's men.
"Sister Yan, you can't lie on the ground."
Lin Yuesha quickly stepped forward to help her up. Outside it was freezing cold, and the ground inside the tent was also chilly. The woman had to be careful, otherwise, if the cold air got into her body, she would develop a chronic illness.
“I know, I’ve only been lying down for less than fifteen minutes.”
Yan Yan sat up, rubbed her stiff and numb face with her hands, and said in a hoarse voice, "Thanks to you for bringing the pills, Madam Xu has recovered after taking them."
Outside Wucheng, there were wounded soldiers stationed at the camp. After Madam Xu recovered, she led her men into the border, and Wuya went with her.
"Will your aunt be able to handle it?"
Lin Yuesha closed her eyes and after a long while, she managed to utter a single sentence.
The mother and son shared a deep bond, but neither of them was used to expressing themselves. Xu Da was captured, and Xu's wife feared that she would blame herself.
"Something happened..."
Even though it was so hard to accept, it still happened.
This wasn't Madam Xu's first time on the battlefield. After taking the pills, she started taking out a map to study the terrain.
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