Chapter 97: Carrying the Old in My Arms
At noon, a group of galloping horses came.
The officials of Longmen County Government, who had received the news early, were guarding the door in advance.
Unlike yesterday, the old county magistrate Lu Zhaochuan had dark circles under his eyes and looked listless.
After learning that the relief grain was mixed with bran, the county government office was immediately surrounded by the people, with three circles inside and three circles outside blocking the way tightly.
If he had not been tilling the land for many years, and if many people had not witnessed the unloading of disaster relief grain with their own eyes, they would have stormed the county government office.
After much persuasion, they finally managed to get the people to leave, and they worked until late at night to distribute the relief food.
The faces of the officials in the county government were not looking good either.
They were not completely angry about using bran. No matter how it was, or whether the upper level wanted to exchange it, it was good enough to have something to eat when saving lives. Anyway, it was not for them to eat.
But the people are difficult to appease, and it takes a lot of effort to talk them out, but there is still no benefit. Who can be happy?
Not only that, although they deliberately kept a low profile, the news still got out and many people gathered behind the city gate.
Today was not a day of anticipation, and almost everyone had an angry look on their face.
Lu Zhaochuan was afraid of offending the imperial envoy, so he mobilized all the yamen runners and used water and fire sticks to push people away along the street.
The constable even walked back and forth, his hand on his sword, full of warning.
At this moment, a black tide seemed to split open at the end of the horizon, and more than two thousand cavalrymen formed a wedge formation and pressed forward.
During the silent charge, the sound of the armor plates colliding was like millions of copper coins falling to the ground. When you got closer, you could clearly hear them being forged on an anvil, striking everyone's heart.
The ground was shaking like a sieve, gravel bounced on the soles of the boots, and the anger that had just been condensed was shattered in an instant.
The people didn't even dare to look directly at him and lowered their heads.
The cavalry slowed down in an orderly manner, and were already moving slowly by the city gate, and finally stopped almost at the same time.
The front line was separated and the central army moved forward to protect the eldest princess.
Looking up at the female general in armor, the officials of the county government immediately became solemn, and no matter what little thoughts they had, they had to bury them deep in their hearts.
"Your humble servant, Lu Zhaochuan, the Magistrate of Longmen County, pays respects to Your Highness!"
"No need to be polite. County Magistrate Lu, do you know the layout of the ditches and water conditions in this county?"
Lu Zhaochuan was stunned. He didn't even think about saying a word of greeting. He asked about practical matters right away. He quickly came to his senses and replied, "I have been the county magistrate for twelve years and I know everything."
"Okay, Meng Jian, bring some people with you."
"yes!"
Meng Jian immediately rode his horse forward, leaned over, grabbed Magistrate Lu's collar, and pulled him directly onto the horse.
The county magistrate is not young anymore and is not very energetic. If he is asked to run around, he might even lose half his life.
With his true energy protecting you, your movements won't be affected.
The officials of Longmen County, both big and small, watched helplessly as their county magistrate was lifted onto the horse like a little chick and held horizontally in the arms of the heroic general. Their cheeks twitched for a moment and they didn't know what to say.
At this time, Qin Zhaoqiong's eyes swept over and said, "Bring a few horses and take charge of the water situation."
After saying this, without waiting for a response, he turned around and set off directly, without even entering the county town.
Seeing his own county magistrate being carried away, the county magistrate immediately selected a few people and some yamen runners and hurried to follow.
In just a short while, they came rushing in and left in a hurry, and the people at the city gate were all stunned.
Not until the two thousand riders disappeared again did many people involuntarily breathe a sigh of relief.
"That person just now should be Her Royal Highness the Princess, right?"
"He's not even entering the county town yet he's already working on flood control. He doesn't seem like a corrupt person..."
Some people folded their arms and snorted, "Who knows if it's just a facade? Could it be that the relief food mixed with half bran is also fake?"
"You're so capable, why didn't you shout just now?"
The man was furious and left while pushing and cursing.
He is not stupid. There are so many cavalrymen on the other side. Wouldn't it be courting death if he caused trouble at this time?
Go home, go home. The relief grain has not been sifted out yet, and the thin porridge mixed with bran makes my throat sore.
Qin Zhaoqiong didn't know that because he was so focused on the disaster, he missed the clues. The victims at the city gate were temporarily intimidated by the cavalry and failed to cause trouble.
It is a good idea to mix bran into disaster relief grain, mainly to prevent local officials from taking bribes and passing inferior food off as good ones, but the overall bran content is only about 20%.
You can eat it by just sifting it, and it is also acceptable to cook it directly if you are extremely hungry. How can it be as much as 50%?
The people gradually dispersed, and the atmosphere of shared hatred against a common enemy began to loosen slightly.
On the second floor of a teahouse not far away, a man in white witnessed this scene and narrowed his eyes.
This Princess is as decisive and efficient as the rumors say, and I'm a little surprised that she didn't go to the county town.
After the crowd dispersed, he opened the window and looked up, pausing for more than ten breaths before looking away.
Although there are unexpected events, it’s no big deal.
The next moment, his figure disappeared out of thin air.
On this side, with the county magistrate leading the way, the army headed straight for the downstream of the Longmen County section of Yuchuan.
The old man was so old, but he still let someone hold him in their arms. Lu Zhaochuan's face turned slightly red.
He didn't feel much of a bumpy ride on the horse, as if someone was holding him up.
It was just that half of my body was leaning against the armor, which was a bit uncomfortable. I didn't dare to move at all, not even to look back.
In the time it took to stick of incense, they arrived at the river.
The waterways in Longmen County are not as complex as those in Jinti County, and most of them are wider.
The cavalry stopped and everyone dismounted. The old county magistrate was dragged off the horse and felt his legs were as weak as noodles and he couldn't stand.
Fortunately, Meng Jian was quick-witted and pulled the person back immediately after letting go, so he didn't fall.
After catching his breath and being able to stand, Lu Zhaochuan quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, General."
After setting up a temporary main tent, Qin Zhaoqiong invited people over to discuss matters.
Wang Zongzhi of the Tiangong Division took out the waterway map, and Lu Zhaochuan described the water situation in Longmen County based on the map.
After all, he has been in office for more than ten years, so he can speak very clearly and know everything about it.
This is the method summarized by Qin Zhaoqiong.
Although the imperial court's map of the world's waterways was also detailed, it was only measured every three years and had many changes during that time. Some tributaries had even changed their courses.
First, consult the local county magistrate and experienced officials to get a general idea.
After further investigation along the main waterway and with the help of explanations from officials from the Tiangongsi, a strategy for flood control was developed.
After passing through eight or nine counties in two states in the past twenty days, Qin Zhaoqiong has become more experienced.
Just as the old county magistrate was talking, there was a sudden crisp "bang" sound above his head.
The personal guards accompanying him became alert immediately, but before they could make any move, they heard a dense noise.
Looking up, I saw that the roof of the temporary main tent was dented by the impact, and the sound of popping was continuous.
The tent door was blown up by the strong wind, blowing in thick water vapor.
In the blink of an eye, the river outside was covered by fog, blocking the view.
At this moment, heavy rain is pouring down!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
