The fifth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of the Xuanli calendar.
It was the season of clear and crisp autumn weather in the south of the Yangtze River at this moment, but in the northernmost part of the Yu Dynasty, the first snow of the year had already fallen.
The snow is not heavy, but it makes people sad.
Yan Linqiu was very worried at this moment.
In the backyard of the Quyi County government office, he was angry with his county magistrate, chief clerk, county lieutenant, and legal advisors:
"Quyi currently has only 86,324 people! That's the total population, young and old! County Magistrate Zhang, I'm asking you, why haven't we seen any progress on the farmhouse renovations in Hanshui Village? And Chief Clerk Li, I'm also asking you, this county only has three towns and forty-one villages under its jurisdiction. We want to know exactly how much food we're short of this winter. Why haven't you reported this to me yet?"
"Do you want to see all the people run away this winter?"
Yan Linqiu's face flushed crimson. With a loud "bang..." he smashed the teacup on the table. He stood up abruptly, pointed a finger, and said viciously, "I don't support good-for-nothings! Do you know how much food we've wasted suppressing bandits?"
"The snow has already fallen. If this year's snowstorm is even worse than before, tell me, how many refugees will be sent to the Palace Master?"
He took a deep breath and panted for a few seconds. "Do you know how difficult it was for me to buy the food from Jiangnan through many connections?"
"I just want the common people to survive this winter! As long as General Peng wipes out Chief Gong, Quyi will officially start attracting investment!"
"This is a major national policy. I worked so hard to make Quyi one of the first pilot counties. When merchants come here and invest in building workshops, they need people! Gentlemen, if this person runs away, there's no point in building a workshop!"
"I'll give you five more days. Remember, only five days! Find out everything I want to know."
"County Lieutenant Sun, you have to keep a close eye on the granary! Once the statistics are compiled, open the granary and release the grain."
"I'll put my ugly words aside for now. If you want to build something together with me, then follow my lead. If you just sit there doing nothing, I will do more than just dismiss you."
"Go ahead. I know the difficulties are there, but no matter how great they are, we must overcome them. Once we get through this winter, Quyi will be fine."
"I'll do it right away!"
The backyard of the county government office fell silent.
Yan Linqiu walked into the courtyard and looked up at the gray sky. "General Peng, if you can't kill Captain Gong, after this winter... I'm afraid there will be no peace in Yongning Prefecture!"
Just as he was sighing, a teacher ran in tremblingly.
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, good news, good news has arrived!"
Yan Linqiu was startled. "Mr. Zhou, could it be that... the general won?"
"Yes, yes, Your Excellency, please take a look."
Yan Linqiu was overjoyed, and after receiving the good news, he looked at it...
"Excalibur Special Forces? What kind of team is this?"
"I don't know either. This was issued by the General's Mansion. The official document was sent to the capital by express horse. These victory reports were reported by the General's Mansion to the various counties and prefectures."
Yan Linqiu continued reading and was suddenly shocked and couldn't believe it.
"Four thousand soldiers of the Divine Sword Special Forces, led by General Bai Yulian, attacked Beishan at night, driving the remaining 100,000-strong Gong Shenchang army to Yueming Valley for five days and nights. Under Divine Sword's instructions, the northern border troops waited for the enemy to tire themselves out and captured the remaining Gong Shenchang army in one fell swoop.
On behalf of General Bai, the General's Office will immediately send the farmers who took refuge with Gong Shenchang back to their hometowns. We hope that the counties will arrange personnel to receive them. Furthermore, all the grain and silver that Gong Shenchang looted will be sent to the counties along with the General's Office personnel.
Inform all counties and prefectures of Yongning Prefecture: If there is a snowstorm this winter, the northern border troops can provide appropriate winter rations to the counties and prefectures most severely affected. I hope my colleagues in Yongning Prefecture can work together to overcome this difficult time.
General's Office of the Northern Frontier Army of the Yu Dynasty: Peng Chengwu.
The second day of the tenth month of the ninth year of the Xuanli calendar!
Win!
Really won!
Damn Captain Gong, it’s your turn to die!
Yan Linqiu was so happy that he cried and could hardly control himself.
Since he came here last winter, all he saw was desolation and the people were living in misery.
He visited the 41 villages in the three towns of Quyi in the heavy snow. The more he walked, the more heartbroken he became, and the more he looked, the more desperate he became!
Poorly clothed, pale-faced, lifeless eyes, skinny bodies...
These are the people of Quyi!
That heavy snow collapsed more than 270 farmhouses in Quyi County alone. Over the winter, more than 6,000 people froze to death or starved to death!
These data were not reported to the court truthfully. It wasn't that Yan Linqiu wanted to conceal them, but Yan Beixi had sent him a personal letter: "The war in the east is intense. Reporting is useless. The court has no food for disaster relief! You have to rely on yourself!"
He didn't know what he could do for these people. That winter, more than 20,000 people fled Quyi County.
They went to Pingling Mountain and became bandits under the command of Gong Shenchang.
Can we blame the people for this?
Yan Linqiu, who studied the classics hard, could not answer this question himself.
Now that the bandits are gone, the general has returned the people and sent them food. These people must be allowed to go home, smoke must be emitted from their stoves, and their houses must be guaranteed not to collapse again...
"Mr. Zhou!"
"The old man is here."
"How much treasury silver is left?"
"...Roughly 3,800 taels left."
"That's all?"
Teacher Zhou bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, the thirty thousand taels of silver for the grain are still owed."
"……I see."
…
…
“There’s so much work to be done!”
Fu Xiaoguan squatted beside a wasteland in Hanshui Village, dug a piece of soil and held it in his hand, looking at the dilapidated village opposite, feeling very emotional.
Bai Yulian stood behind Fu Xiaoguan, staring blankly at the squatting boy. This landlord's son was indeed different. Could he really change the desolate appearance of this place?
"Xiaobai, we're going to face big difficulties here. Look at those houses! If this snow turns into a disaster again, they'll collapse. Houses are the roots of the people. Without them, they'll lose their hope and go to extremes. Like Li Shenzhang and Zhao Shenzhang, we'll see them again..."
"This is... a government matter."
"The Yu Dynasty's treasury was already empty. How much tax could counties like Pingling Quyi collect? Without the state's financial support, they were powerless."
Fu Xiaoguan threw down the dirt, clapped his hands, and stood up. "We have to make sure they get through this winter safely!"
"What do you want to do?"
"I'll write a letter to Shulan later, and you send someone to deliver it quickly. Investment in Pingling and Quyi counties must be advanced. This winter, the people must have something to do. Only with something to do can they earn money, avoid starvation, and have hope of survival!"
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