Chapter 864, Entering Xiliang
The days on the road are always boring, but fortunately Daohua is busy reading various Xiliang books and preparing food for Gu Jian and Xiao Yeyang, so the time is easy to pass.
The further west we go, the colder the weather becomes. In addition, it is winter now and it is snowing in many places. Many times, the convoy has to travel in the snow.
Fortunately, Daohua was well prepared and brought enough warm clothes. Every time she arrived at an inn, she would boil a large pot of medicine to dispel the cold, so almost no one got sick along the way.
When Daohua came back from bringing Gu Jian some tea and fresh fruits, she saw Xiao Yeyang trying on his military cap and coat.
"This ear-protecting hat and cotton robe are quite well made. They are very suitable for wearing in a bitterly cold place like Xiliang. When did you prepare them?"
Daohua smiled and said, "The day after I knew we were going to Xiliang, I asked Qin Xiaoliu to organize the women in the farm to start working on it. This is a good opportunity to test whether the cotton we grow will keep us warm."
General Xiao Yeyang put on his coat and said, "I feel quite warm. It's very cold-proof. By the way, how many sets did you make?"
Daohua: "We were so pressed for time that we only had a few hundred sets of clothes, but we did have over a thousand hats. I left some for the motorcade, and the rest were taken away by the escort team."
Xiao Yeyang thought for a moment and said, "I'll send a pigeon to Jiang Wenming right away, asking him to get some clothes for the guards. We're already so cold, they must be even colder out there."
Daohua had no objection and brought out the food for her and Xiao Yeyang and placed it on the small table in the carriage.
Xiao Yeyang picked up the steaming meat porridge and took a few big gulps: "By the way, old man, do you have a good appetite?"
Daohua nodded, holding the bowl of porridge and said, "Fortunately, along the way, Doctor Ge accompanied Master to discuss medical techniques, so Master was not too bored. He is in good spirits."
Xiao Yeyang was relieved. After all, the old man was old, and he was really worried that his body couldn't handle it. Fortunately, Yi Yi took good care of him.
"We should be reaching Xiliang in about ten days. I need to go there first to get a feel for the situation. I might have to be apart from you for a while."
Daohua: "You go and do your own thing, I will take good care of my master and myself." There were a hundred people left in the escort team, plus Baldy Cao Chuan and the others, so she was not worried about their safety on the road.
On November 16, after nearly a month's journey, Daohua and his group finally set foot in Xiliang.
Xiliang truly deserves to be called a bitter and cold place of exile. Due to the court's negligence in management, even the official roads are extremely uneven.
Rice flowers would rather wrap themselves up like rice dumplings and ride horses than sit in a carriage and suffer the bumps.
However, because it was so cold outside, she rode for less than half an hour before getting back into the carriage.
"Xiao Yeyang, this road is too difficult to travel. We have just arrived in Xiliang. Ganzhouwei is in the westernmost part of Xiliang. Could it be that the road over there is impassable even for carriages?"
Xiao Yeyang put his hand over Daohua's red cheek, which was frozen red. "That's not the case, it's just a little bit shaky."
Daohua shriveled: "I've already sensed that I'll be staying in Ganzhouwei for a long time in the future."
Xiao Yeyang laughed: "Otherwise, why do you still want to run around?"
Daohua: "Xiliang has a complex landscape, with mountains, basins, plains, deserts, and Gobi. Now that I'm here, I naturally want to explore and see everything."
Xiao Yeyang knew that Daohua was playful, so he quickly reminded her, "Xiliang is located on the border, and the situation is complicated. Western Liao is eyeing us covetously from outside, and the situation inside is also extremely unstable, with banditry rampant. You are not allowed to run around without me by your side."
Rice Flower: "I know my limits." Then she sighed, "It would be great if the road could be repaired."
Xiao Yeyang smiled after hearing this and said, "My uncle sent me to Xiliang because he wanted me to govern Xiliang well. Not only do I need to eliminate the hidden dangers in Xiliang, but I also need to manage Xiliang's internal affairs. When I completely control Xiliang in the future, I will repair the official roads."
Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang with sparkling eyes: "I believe you can do it."
Xiao Yeyang smiled. "I'm afraid you're the only one who believes me this much. Before I left, I promised my uncle the Emperor that I would govern Xiliang well, but he just smiled. Yang Shoufu and Governor Wu beside him said they had ambition, but their eyes showed disbelief."
Daohua: "That's because they lack vision. Just govern a strong Xiliang and give them a good slap in the face."
Xiao Yeyang smiled and hugged Daohua tightly: "Okay, I'll listen to you, govern Xiliang well, and go back to slap the emperor uncle and others in the face."
Daohua nodded with a smile.
Xiao Yeyang left with the Jinling Guards on the third day after entering Xiliang. As soon as he left, Daohua took charge of the entire team.
Along the way, Daohua would replenish supplies at every place they arrived at. When they entered Xiliang, the caravan had a lot more supplies, with as many as fifty horse-drawn carriages transporting the supplies.
After Xiao Yeyang left, Daohua was in no hurry to continue her journey. Whenever she passed through a town, she would stop to stroll around, one to see if there was anything she wanted to buy, and the other to get to know the customs and culture of Xiliang firsthand.
In the cold winter, there are very few people outside, most of them are small vendors carrying goods on their shoulders.
Most of these vendors were only wearing thin and worn cotton-padded jackets. Looking at their red cheeks and noses from the cold, Daohua couldn't help but feel sorry for them.
You know, in Xiliang winter, the outdoor temperature is definitely below zero.
'Bang!'
A vendor's legs were stiff, and when he stood up to pick up his load of goods, he stumbled and fell onto the cold snow with his goods.
Watching the old vendor hurriedly getting up and picking up the goods scattered on the ground with his red, frozen hands trembling, Daohua glanced at Bishi.
After receiving the signal, Bishi hurried forward to help the old man pick up the things.
"Thank you, thank you!" The old man seemed a little scared and nervous when he saw Daohua and his group.
Daohua didn't let Cao Chuan and the others get close to him. He walked over and asked with a smile, "Old man, what kind of seeds are you selling?"
The old man looked at the rice flower and saw that her expression softened, so he relaxed a little. "In reply to your words, I am selling grass seeds."
When Daohua heard this, she immediately became interested: "Can I take a look?"
"certainly."
The old man quickly opened a small opening in the bag of grass seeds and cautiously introduced them, "These seeds are newly harvested this year. They are the favorite forage of cattle, sheep, and camels. They have strong adaptability to soil and are also cold-resistant and drought-resistant. They are not expensive, only one penny per pound."
As he spoke, he quickly took out a small bag of seeds.
"The grass seeds in this bag are a little more expensive because they have medicinal value. Cattle and sheep will be less likely to get sick if they eat them. They cost three cents per pound."
Rice Flower looked at the seeds and said to the old man, "Old man, I'll buy all your seeds."
The old man was stunned for a moment, then his face showed ecstasy: "Thank you for your care, thank you for your care."
There were about a hundred pounds of grass seeds in the basket. Daohua signaled Bishi to take a string of copper coins and give it to the vendor. "Old man, it's so cold, go home quickly."
After saying that, he left with Bishi and others.
The old man stared blankly at the backs of Daohua and his group for a while, then with trembling hands he quickly put the copper wire into his pocket.
It was a great fortune for him to be able to sell the seeds for about a hundred coins, but he did not expect that the noble man would directly give him a thousand coins.
The old man excitedly picked up the empty basket and headed home full of hope.
With these thousand coins, the family can survive this cold winter.
(End of this chapter)
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