Chapter 356: Southern Xinjiang is in trouble, the whole country comes to help
The dozen or so soldiers sent by Nangong Ziyun did not dare to slack off at all. They rode fast horses and rushed to the epidemic city where they were responsible for delivering the letter.
If they could just move faster, faster... more people could be saved.
However, they are not the only ones working hard for the people in the epidemic area.
When the news of the outbreak of the epidemic in more than 20 cities in the south reached the north, the people in the north were also making efforts.
Beidi, Youzhou Hanyang Prefecture.
The gate of the newly established National Protection and Fund Raising Office was crowded with people in front of the notice.
An old soldier with white hair and beard and a disabled right leg, hunched over, tremblingly took out a cloth bag tightly wrapped in oil paper from his arms.
His cloudy eyes swept over the words "epidemic spread" and "dead bodies lying on the pillow" on the notice. His lips trembled as he opened the cloth bag layer by layer, revealing a few shiny pieces of silver and a small string of copper coins inside.
That was the pocket money he had saved for a long time, which he was going to use to buy some good wine.
"Father, what are you doing here..." The young clerk in charge of registration looked at the small amount of silver and money with some hesitation.
"Take it!"
The old soldier's voice was hoarse but firm, and he slammed the cloth bag heavily on the table.
"Buy medicine for the kids in the south! I once chopped off the heads of Nanzhao barbarians at Zhennan Pass and was also plagued by the poison they spread. I know what it feels like to have no medicine. The soldiers in the south are fighting desperately, and the people in the south are suffering. We men in the north can't just stand by and watch!"
After he finished speaking, he turned around and squeezed out of the crowd without waiting for the clerk to register his name. His back, supported by his lame leg, looked particularly stubborn in the wind.
——
Yunzhong County of Yanzhou in the north.
The managers of several large trading companies gathered at the Chamber of Commerce Hall without any prior arrangement.
A large red banner was hung above the guild hall.
The eight big characters above the banner are eye-catching - compatriots are united to overcome the difficulties together!
The businessmen who usually haggle over petty profits now have solemn and resolute expressions on their faces.
"Manager Li, you have many connections and a large stockpile of medicinal materials, so you'll have to make a big effort this time!" Manager Wang of the silk shop spoke first.
"Of course!" Shopkeeper Li of the herbal medicine store patted his chest.
"We have plenty of effective herbs for epidemic prevention, such as mugwort, atractylodes, lime, siler, and bupleurum in our warehouse! I've already instructed all the pharmacies to supply them at a fair price. We'll first contact the Finance Department to allocate them. Then, have the branches in the south collect as much as they can and ship them to the epidemic area overnight!"
"Okay!" said Zhao, the shopkeeper of the salt shop.
"I'll give you three thousand taels of silver to buy grain! The epidemic area in the south is under lockdown, and the grain supply is probably blocked. The new grain from the north has just arrived, so it's just the right amount to fill the gap!"
"Count me in!"
"I'm coming too!"
Lists of donations were written down quickly.
There was a gleam in the eyes of the businessmen, but what drove them at the moment was not profit, but the sense of responsibility that "when the country is in crisis, every citizen has a responsibility."
The trade route is the lifeline of the country. If the southern border is corrupted, how can the eggs in the overturned nest remain intact?
——
Shuofang, a remote little village.
The village head beat the gong and spread the news of the plague to every household.
Simple farmers soon gathered at the threshing ground at the entrance of the village.
No big words, only silent dedication.
The man from the Zhang family carried two bags of freshly ground flour that still had the aroma of wheat.
The Li family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were carrying a basket of dried herbs.
The little grandson of the Wang family held the only piece of bacon left in the family and timidly placed it next to the pile of supplies.
A woman wearing a tattered headscarf took out a small silver lock wrapped in red cloth from her bosom. It was a longevity lock she prepared for her young son who died young.
She stroked the silver lock, her eyes slightly red, but she handed the silver lock to the head of the village firmly.
"Please pray for the safety of the sick child in the south."
——
On the official road from north to south, the scene was completely different from the armored torrent when the army marched south, but it was equally shocking.
Mule carts, ox carts, and even human-powered carts were loaded with bags of corn, wheat, bundles of medicinal herbs, jars of strong liquor, and warm clothes...
They are moving hard and firmly over the gravel, heading towards the epidemic area in the south.
"Faster! Faster!" the leading driver whipped and shouted.
"Brothers in the south are waiting for food to be cooked and medicine to save their lives!"
The wheels rolled over the cracked soil, making a creaking sound, like the silent but powerful heartbeat of the people in the north.
This endless convoy, like a lifeline flowing with blood and warmth, pierced the haze of death that shrouded southern Xinjiang.
The National Protection and Fund Raising Office and the Anti-epidemic Office were set up in the capital and various prefectures, counties and districts, and the lights were kept on all night.
The abacus clattered and the pen that registered the records hardly stopped.
Lists of donated silver and goods came in like snowflakes from the north, the Central Plains, and even further away.
The amount and variety of the items far exceeded expectations.
"Sir, Youzhou has sent another thirty carts of medicinal herbs!"
"Report! The wealthy merchants of Yunzhong have jointly donated 50,000 taels of silver and 8,000 dan of grain!"
"The people of the three counties of Shuofang donated 2,000 cotton-padded clothes and 100 carts of grain!"
“…”
Dayan Kyoto.
It is late autumn now. The ginkgo leaves in the Bixi Palace courtyard are spread all over the ground in golden color, which is set against the vermilion palace walls, giving off a solemn and cool feeling.
In the flower hall, the fireplace was emitting a faint soothing fragrance, dispelling the cold outside.
Wen Li'er was leaning on a soft couch covered with thick brocade cushions, with a soft thin velvet blanket draped over her body.
The bulge of her belly was already very obvious, and she looked pregnant, but there was a layer of sadness between her brows that was difficult to dispel.
On the low table beside the couch, there were several thick stacks of letter paper, all of which were urgent reports sent to Beijing at full speed from various epidemic areas in the south.
Her fingertips slid across the cold numbers on the paper - those were the death tolls.
With every additional line she read, Wen Li'er's heart sank a little.
Even though the members of the National Protection and Fund Raising Department and the Anti-epidemic Department had worked tirelessly, allocated supplies, dispatched medical officers, and even sealed off the epidemic area at all costs... in the end, many innocent lives were lost.
She sighed deeply and long, and in that sigh was a heavy feeling of powerlessness.
Nanny Qin, who was standing by, saw this and handed her a cup of warm red date tea with a distressed look on her face, whispering comfortingly:
"Master, you've done your best. Natural disasters and epidemics are the result of human effort, not the fault of war. These civilians... well, it's fate. You must not be saddened by this. What's more important is to take care of your body and the little prince in your belly."
As she spoke, she showed her a list of donations placed on the table.
"Master, please look at this. From top to bottom, from north to south, hundreds of millions of people in our great nation are fighting this epidemic together with their blood, flesh and blood, and faith. I believe that victory will soon dawn."
Upon hearing this, Wen Li'er unfolded the list.
It records the supplies that poured into the National Protection and Fund Raising Office, as well as the densely packed donation lists with different handwritings and even fingerprints.
Even though she was used to seeing such scenes, she couldn't help but be moved.
On that list were wealthy businessmen, gentry and landlords, but even more were peddlers and farmers whose names were written crookedly.
Every stroke, every grain of rice, every blade of grass, embodies the simplest sincerity.
At the top of the list, there are sixteen powerful characters engraved.
——When southern Xinjiang is in trouble, the whole country will come to its aid; to protect Dayan, we must be united as one!
Although this mighty force originating from the people could not instantly dispel the epidemic and war clouds in southern Xinjiang, it provided a solid backing for the soldiers fighting bravely and the people struggling to survive.
Wen Li'er's gaze lingered on the list for a long time before she asked someone to carefully put it away.
Nanny Qin took away all the urgent reports sent from the epidemic areas, for fear that she would be sad after reading them.
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