Chapter 429 Returning to Zhennan Pass
In any case, after parting ways in Qingyang City, the group went their separate ways, promising to meet again in the capital.
Xie Yun-yang knew that things weren't so simple about the group of people they encountered before the Song Kingdom entered the pass. Pei Ji and Xiao Jiu-zhu didn't go into details because they didn't want them to get involved in the internal conflicts of the Song Kingdom.
They didn't say anything, and neither did Sheng Sheng or Xie Yunyang ask.
In the end, it won't harm them.
However, Xie Yunyang remained cautious throughout the journey, lest they encounter a similar situation again without any preparation.
However, they did not encounter any more uninvited guests until they returned to Zhennanguan.
I wonder if Pei Ji and Xiao Jiuzhu were involved.
Who cares? At least we're back in Yu State, home now, so let's not worry about anything else.
After more than half a year of recuperation, Zhennanguan has been revitalized.
I heard that around the time before the Lunar New Year, the barbarian tribes and the Yu Kingdom officially signed a peace treaty.
However, Zhennanguan did not let its guard down, and the entire army continued its daily training.
Sheng Sheng and Xie Yun were led by Vice General Li to Xie Yunli's tent to wait. Sheng Sheng asked curiously, "General Li, why isn't the eldest brother here? Is he busy training the soldiers?"
After all, almost all the soldiers they saw on their way here were training under the command of their respective lieutenants.
"Oh, no," Lieutenant General Li shook his head and said, "Two months ago, Linxi City, the westernmost part of Xixiang County, was hit by another earthquake. Most of the houses that Linxi City had just built collapsed again. The people were displaced, and General Xie had already sent more people to help."
But this year has been truly disastrous. Although Linxi City hasn't experienced a severe earthquake since two months ago, it has been prone to minor tremors from time to time. There haven't been any tremors recently, but Linxi City is built against a mountain to the west, and the heavy rains a few days ago triggered a mudslide. General Xie is worried and personally led a team to provide disaster relief; he hasn't returned to camp yet.
"ah."
Shengsheng and Xie Yunzhang looked worried.
"Your Highnesses need not worry. Although this mudslide is dangerous, our Xiyun County has experienced it several times before, so we are not entirely unprepared. General Xie is the commander-in-chief of the army and will not be away from the camp for too long. Judging by the time, General Xie should be returning to the camp today."
As luck would have it, just as Lieutenant General Li finished speaking, a report came from outside that Xie Yunli had returned to camp.
Lieutenant Li's expression brightened, as if he were showing off that he was right: "Look, they're back now."
Sheng Sheng's eyes lit up, and she pulled Xie Yunyang outside, saying, "Great! Let's go and welcome our eldest brother!"
Xie Yunyang held her waist and said gently, "Slow down."
At the entrance of the camp, Xie Yunli had already heard from his subordinates that Shengsheng and his group had returned. Upon seeing the two, he called out, "Master, Shengsheng."
"Elder Brother!"
"Big brother."
The three siblings hadn't seen each other for a long time. Xie Yunli was overjoyed to see them. He pulled the two of them around, looking them over from left to right, and finally hugged Shengsheng, slapping Xie Yunsheng on the shoulder with his right hand and laughing heartily.
"Sheng Sheng has grown taller again, and you've gained some weight too, Ah Yang!" Xie Yunli laughed heartily and teased, "It seems that only you two know the joys and sorrows you've experienced along the way."
"Hehe." Sheng Sheng admitted without any shame, even patting her little belly, "We ate so many delicious things, and we even brought back some local specialties for our eldest brother!"
"Really? That's thoughtful of you. It's kind of you to remember me even while you were having so much fun." Xie Yunli smiled. "Seeing how happy you all are, you must have gotten the Rejuvenating Herb, right?"
"Yes, I got it!"
"That's good." Xie Yunli pondered for a moment. "I said I would return to the capital with you, but it seems that it will be delayed for some time now. You should have heard from Vice General Li, right? Linxi City suffered heavy losses, first from an earthquake and then from a mudslide. If you are in a hurry, you can go ahead first. I am really worried, so I will wait until the houses in Linxi City are built before setting off back to the capital."
Sheng Sheng hurriedly replied, "We're not in a hurry, Your Majesty."
"Well, we're not in a hurry. Let's wait until everything here is settled before we talk about it. We can't just ignore the suffering of the people."
Xie Yun-yang looked up at Xie Yun-li, her tone becoming more serious, "How is the disaster relief progressing? Are there any urgently needed supplies?"
"There is no shortage of supplies and food. We informed the court before the New Year, and the court's supplies have been arriving in the past few months. It's just that the houses have collapsed beyond repair after several rounds of earthquakes. Most of the people in the city have already fled north, but there are still a small number of people who are unwilling to leave their hometown, most of whom are elderly."
Previously, the government and the army had jointly built thatched huts as temporary shelters, but these huts would always be hit by underground dragon fires soon afterward. Therefore, these people were homeless, living in temporary refugee camps built by the government. The thatched huts couldn't withstand the wind and rain, and the damage from the first dragon fire was wasted; two or three such incidents were time-consuming and labor-intensive. So we decided to let the people continue living in the refugee camps while we built new brick houses. Fortunately, the weather has warmed up now, and we have enough food, so although life is difficult, at least they won't suffer from cold or hunger.”
Xie Yun nodded: "If there's anything we can help with, just let us know."
"There is indeed something that's troubling me," Xie Yunli said, changing the subject as he pointed to the outskirts of Linxi City on the map.
"The current difficulty lies in clearing the silt. Mudslides have blocked three river channels. If it doesn't rain soon, it'll be alright, but if it rains before winter, the surrounding villages will likely be flooded again. I have no shortage of military officers, they're incredibly strong, but it's hard to find anyone skilled in these water management strategies. The magistrate of Linxi City led his men to try several methods, but none of them worked. The prefect of Xiyun County was also at a loss. Perfect timing, do you think you can offer some suggestions?"
Xie Yunyang leaned over and stared at the map, his fingertips tracing the course of the rivers: "There are rivers and mountains, and all three waterways are 'blocked where they are narrow and accumulate where they are wide,' so dredging them would be time-consuming and labor-intensive."
He looked up at Xie Yunli and said firmly, “Why not dig a diversion ditch upstream of the blockage to divert the flood, and then use wooden fences to block the loose rocks and silt, and let the soldiers clear the blockage in sections? This way we can avoid the core of the blockage and prevent secondary collapse.”
Xie Yunli's eyes lit up, and he slapped the table: "This method is brilliant! It understands the principles and also considers the people's needs. Ah-shang is indeed reliable!"
Xie Yun turned to his personal guards and ordered, "Quickly prepare pen and ink, and have Ah Yang draw up a detailed plan. Send it to Linxi City immediately so that the magistrate can mobilize troops to start construction!"
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