Chapter 60
Wen Yi didn't get up early the next day. Many soldiers who got up early for duty seemed to be yawning, probably because they hadn't slept all night.
She waved her hand and told a few of them who were obviously very sleepy to go and rest, leaving only one or two here.
At dawn, Nan Xun took people to take a look at the north side of the city. There was a lot of mud splashed on his body. When Wen Yi came out, a group of people were still cleaning themselves.
The rain was not heavy when we went out. The group of people only wore straw hats and shawls woven from straw. When they came back, their upper bodies were not wet.
Seeing Wen Yi's figure, Nan Xun sighed, put the dirty cloth towel into the wooden basin beside him, and used a new one to wipe the dirt off his hands.
"Did it fall into a mud pit?"
This was obviously just a joke, but Nan Xun nodded, "It's not far away."
"What's going on?" Hearing this, Wen Yi stopped joking. Nan Xun was not a reckless person. He was even more conservative than Wen Yi and Yao Wenjun. He was also very sensitive to danger. After the warning last night, he should not be so careless today.
A soldier who looked even more embarrassed looked at Nan Xun and saw that he nodded at him, so he began to explain:
"It was really my fault."
It turned out that the soldier did not get enough rest at night and was a little distracted when he went out today. He fell into a pit mixed with mud and gravel without paying attention. Fortunately, the surrounding soldiers reacted quickly, and Nan Xun and others worked together to pull the man out of the mud.
"I see."
Wen Yi breathed a sigh of relief, as he had thought something unexpected had happened and that this place was no longer safe.
However, Nanxun also brought back some bad news. Rubble and mud had blocked the road between Fengyi and the northern city. Although the rain had eased, it was still possible for it to break out again, so no one could approach. Even if there was no danger, the accumulation of rubble and mud was so extensive that clearing it out manually would take an extremely long time.
Going north would require a detour, and while messaging was possible, transporting supplies was essentially impossible. Existing roads were the most convenient and safest routes connecting the cities, and opening new transportation routes would likely be just as costly and time-consuming as clearing the accumulated debris.
"That's nothing. Song Jin is taking care of Pingyi anyway." There's no need to worry about Yao Wenjun. That person has more experience in handling these matters than she does.
Wen Yi had already sent people to the north with the things he had summarized yesterday morning. Even if the practice was temporarily interrupted, Song Jin and others would know that they were safe here. They just hoped that the situation over there would not be as serious as here.
Thinking of the state of the vegetation on the mountain, Wen Yi felt a little relieved. From the documents from the past few days, he learned that although there was some drizzle in the north, it was much lighter than here.
Thinking of this, Wen Yi simply ordered his staff to record the situation here and arranged two smart soldiers who were good at finding the way to take a detour and pass the news back.
What we are most worried about is actually the food problem in Fengyi. The original plan was to transport it here in time if there was any shortage, but now it depends on them.
Wen Yi did not show any worry on his face, and the soldiers who were originally a little frightened also calmed down when they saw this. As long as this gentleman was there, they thought that any difficulties could be solved.
Nan Xun glanced in Wen Yi's direction and saw her nod, so he held back what he was about to say and decided to discuss it after returning to the affairs office.
Others may not know, but he knows very well that with only the existing food, they can only barely last until early summer.
*
Not long after Song Jin received Wen Yi's letter, he received news that the road to Fengyi was blocked. Fortunately, not long after, a letter was sent back from the nearest city, and the documents carried by the soldiers who had taken a detour were delivered back as quickly as possible.
"She is still worried about Pingyi. She is doing well."
Song Jin handed the document to Sang Yu. It contained some information about Nan Xun, and at the back was a personal letter from Nan Xun. Although he hadn't spoken in the past few days, Sang Yu's occasional movements revealed his inner worry.
Sang Yu thanked him and opened the letter marked for him without caring that he was still in the office.
Although he knew that Nan Xun, as a general, would be fine thanks to Wen Yi's advance preparations, it was still more reassuring to have a handwritten letter, and he had also explained it to his teacher.
In the past few days, people have been sent to the original valley to deliver news. Fortunately, the rain here is not heavy. Apart from the slight rise in the original stream water, there are no signs of disaster. However, the important supplies that were stored in the ground have been moved to a safe place.
Compared to the trouble of transportation, being able to preserve things is the most important thing.
The terrain around Pingyi is flat, but the river flowing through the city still poses a certain risk. Fortunately, it has been repaired many times before, with the banks widened and river embankments built.
There is indeed more water in the past two days, but overall it is still within the normal range.
"You don't have to worry. Before we came, she was able to manage Pingyi under Wenjun's leadership. I think Fengyi will be fine too."
Compared to Sang Yu, Song Jin obviously has more confidence in Wen Yi. Although she did not ask how it developed in the beginning, she also looked up relevant files in her spare time.
The anxiety on Sang Yu's face did not disappear.
Perhaps Song Jin didn't realize that worrying about Nan Xun was only part of his problem. The more important thing was that he didn't understand why Wen Yi didn't leave in advance when he knew that a disaster would happen.
Compared with herself and Nanxun, Fengyi is not someone who cannot be given up temporarily.
Although not publicly announced, everyone in Pingyi and even the entire region knew the status and position of Wen Yi and Yao Wenjun. Almost everyone regarded them as the direction of progress and served as a spiritual pillar.
Yao Wenjun sometimes took unusual actions, such as leading a group over the city wall at night. Sang Yu strongly disapproved of this, believing it was inappropriate for her to risk her life when her lieutenant was more than capable. However, her martial prowess was sufficient, and most of the time, Sang Yu simply felt it was inappropriate.
This time, Wen Yi was even more confused. Not only did he go south alone with a group of people, but he also stayed there, even waiting for the expected disaster to happen.
After much deliberation, Sang Yu decided to write down his advice in a written document. However, he did not directly hand it over to the Office of Administration. Instead, he took the document to visit He Xuan first.
"teacher."
The steward guarding the door passed on the message, and Sang Yu walked in carrying something, and saw a figure studying something under a tree.
"Coming?"
He Xuan put down the bamboo scroll in his hand. Since the popularization of paper, books on bamboo and wooden slips have become rare. However, some of the incomplete copies are too damaged to be copied and reprinted, so they can only be left as they are for the time being.
Sang Yu sat on the empty chair next to him, put the rattan box in his hand aside, took out a written document from it, and placed it in front of He Xuan.
He Xuan took out the copied letter from the unsealed envelope, read it word by word, and then put it back to its original place.
Judging from the content, it seems that it has been polished many times.
"Since you've finished writing, what do you want to ask?" He Xuan picked up the cup beside him, took a sip of the slightly cold tea, and picked up the bamboo slips again.
"The student doesn't know whether he should do it or not." Sang Yu's voice was a little low.
What he learned in Pingyi these years seemed not to be as much as when he traveled around before, but his way of thinking had changed a little. He would no longer argue with others when he thought he was right, but would observe from the side to see what would happen.
In the words of his junior fellow apprentice, he should be much more cautious.
Sang Yu did not reject this change. Perhaps he could never understand what Yao Wenjun wanted to do, but he also felt a little bit of anticipation.
"Since you agree with this decision, then go ahead and do it," He Xuan said. "Or do you think this letter will bring disaster?"
Sang Yu subconsciously shook his head and was about to say how that was possible, but suddenly he was stunned and looked up at the person next to him.
"You know Wenjun and the others. If there's something you still can't come to a conclusion about after observing them, or if you can't figure it out, just ask them. They'll give you the answer."
Perhaps this inquiry will help those who are originally hesitant to understand what they want to do, but there is no need to say this.
He Xuan's identity didn't allow him to do something like this, but it would be perfect for Sang Yu. He hadn't expected his student to come over before he'd even spoken, saving him some time and allowing him to read more.
Apart from anything else, there are really a lot of rare books accumulated in Pingyi. Many of them he had been looking for for a long time and thought were lost. He didn't expect that they still existed. It was really a surprise.
*
Several people in charge in the city were busy arranging work for people. These guys were much more difficult to manage than soldiers. Wen Yi simply went to the temporary workshops to help and asked which buildings had been built and could produce stable output.
"Your Excellency, it rained some time ago, and the temporary kiln made of mud bricks is temporarily unusable, but it won't take long to repair." The craftsman who is good at firing pottery and porcelain said, "According to your request, we will first fire a batch of usable pottery." The temperature required for firing pottery is not high, and the fuel requirements are low, so there is no problem even if the conditions are simple now.
The carpenter overseeing the work nodded, indicating he was fine. Their tools were always with them, so as long as they had the tools and the blueprints, their location made no difference; the impact would be minimal.
The others looked at each other in confusion. The raw materials they needed were greatly affected by moisture and rain, especially in the place where lime was burned. Apart from those that had already been burned and transported into the warehouse, the piled up raw materials needed to be processed again. It would take some time to start work now.
The new city wall on the south side was half-cast and was previously covered with straw. Except for a small part that needed to be broken down and rebuilt, most of it was intact.
Now we are mostly relying on the original materials, so the workshop needs to speed up the progress.
Wen Yi nodded to indicate that he understood, then gestured for two of the craftsmen to follow him to the side, while the others quickly began to rebuild.
"You must have looked at a lot of picture albums before leaving Pingyi?" Wen Yi asked.
The atlases here are naturally basic drawings compiled by carpenters. They require special wooden grids to read the specific information. Each book has a number and mark on it. If it is lost or leaked, it is possible to quickly find out who made the mistake.
Of course, those included here are all commonly used or can be promoted. Weapons such as crossbows and siege equipment are not included, and some sophisticated gadgets are also not included.
Several people nodded, and Wen Yi unfolded several drawings that he had drawn overnight.
Anyone who can read the atlas can naturally understand these drawings. Most of them are small objects, and they seem to be equipped with jade or metal parts.
"If these things are replaced with wood, can they be made?" Wen Yi asked.
The two looked at each other and nodded, indicating that there was no problem. The parts on the drawing were not difficult to make, but they were small in size, so they might take some effort.
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