Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Ability
When Yan Zhengzhou left the city, Su Qing did not see him off.
She knew the general's next plan.
The 20,000 new recruits could not go directly to the battlefield.
The troops should be trained by Xue Shoubei, who has been transferred back to Jiangbei County.
Send them straight to the battlefield and let them die without question.
The first batch is 20,000.
The second batch is 40,000.
The third batch of 20,000 troops will all be trained first.
This is also why the two didn't communicate much.
The rebels appear to have entered Yisong County on May 19.
It seems they were only one day late.
In reality, the opportunity to fight has been lost.
It cannot be made up for in a day or two.
Both of them knew very well where the problem lay.
When the new recruits were sent to Jiangbei County, Su Qing's supplies were also delivered.
Yan Zhengzhou went directly to Shangkou County and took over command from Yan Xieshou.
Yan Xieshou's eyes were bloodshot, and he couldn't help but ask, "The soldiers... the soldiers are all left in the capital?"
"Ten thousand? No, five thousand. Five thousand will suffice."
Seeing that the general remained silent, he couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Beijing!
How are they supposed to live?!
Releasing the general would seem like a great favor.
Yan Zhengzhou said, "You rest first, I'll take care of things here."
Yan Xieshou did not argue.
He went straight back to his tent to sleep, knowing that when he woke up, there would still be many tough battles to fight.
Yan Zhengzhou's subordinate couldn't help but say, "General, you also need to rest."
We traveled all the way here, practically day and night.
Dealing with the new recruits' enlistment took a heavy toll on his energy.
The master hasn't slept much for two or three days either.
Yan Zhengzhou, however, had already donned his armor and gone up to the city wall to check the situation.
Knowing that his advice was useless, his subordinates quickly fetched the commonly used bows, arrows, swords, spears, and a peephole for the general's use.
Yan Zhengzhou took the peephole, his gaze momentarily detached, but he quickly regained his focus and threw himself into the battle of defending the city.
Su Qing from Nanjiang County did not sleep all night.
Most of the wounded in Yisong County, as well as newly wounded, were sent to the wounded soldiers' ward in Nanjiang County.
Dr. Bai and Dr. Hao from the Medical Training Department immediately got to work.
Receiving the wounded, treating wounds, assessing conditions, preparing and decocting medicine—everyone knew what they were supposed to do.
The medical staff who were recruited back never expected to return to their old profession.
Seeing everyone's even more severe wounds, I was at a loss for words.
From the first year of Yongsheng to the fourth year of Yongsheng.
Everything has changed, yet it seems like nothing has changed at all.
They worked so hard to make a living, and worked so hard to farm and grow medicinal herbs.
When the rebels arrived, war broke out.
Everything has returned to square one.
It's as if all their efforts over the years didn't exist.
Hearing the soldiers' cries of agony, many people shed tears.
The soldier chuckled, "Why are you crying? I'm actually quite happy to be back in Nanjiang County again."
"Yes, this is my second time here."
The women who were taking care of them couldn't help but cry again, looking towards Shangkou County, and no one could comfort them.
Su Qing listened outside the door, took a deep breath, and looked at Wen Qianhu, who was in charge of this area; his eyes were badly swollen.
Commander Wen introduced himself: "I am Lord Zhou's nephew, and he is my maternal uncle."
Wen Qianhu wiped away his tears again, but still couldn't stop: "I studied medicine in my hometown before, so he asked me to come and help."
Unexpectedly, Yisong County fell, and even more unexpectedly, his uncle told him to take the wounded and escape first, while he himself was left behind forever.
Now that he has taken over his uncle's position, he can only manage everything while crying.
"I don't know how to tell my mother about this." This was the first time Wen Qianhu had met Lord Su, but he had heard about it countless times from his uncle. He couldn't help but confide in her, "My mother, my mother must be very sad."
As he spoke, Wen Qianhu broke down in tears.
Su Qing's eyes were also moist. She wiped away his tears and continued to listen to Wen Qianhu's story.
Actually, Lord Zhou is very tired.
He cared for too many wounded soldiers and witnessed too much death.
But they still didn't do their jobs or get anything done.
He was especially pleased to see the number of wounded soldiers decreasing, and would even say, "It would be good if the sanatorium for wounded soldiers could close down one day."
He felt he could see that day come.
After the war broke out again, Lord Zhou stopped talking about these things and only mentioned that Prefect Su was behind them.
Prefect Su will prepare medicinal herbs and supplies.
They would also prepare large amounts of meat and fish for the wounded to eat.
Wen Qianhu also saw these.
The wounded always received far better supplies than the others.
This can be considered a tacit understanding between Su Qing and Lord Zhou.
Now these tasks have all been handed over to Commander Wen. Besides crying, he also has to work hard and forget to eat and sleep.
Then he would avenge his uncle.
He was determined to avenge his uncle.
After listening to all his cries, complaints, and hatred, Su Qing finally said, "Yes, I will also avenge Lord Zhou."
I still have to continue doing errands.
Until the revenge was over.
Officer Wu ran over quickly, and Su Qing nodded to him.
Wu, the head constable's youngest son, was also among the wounded.
It's important to know that most of the injured here are seriously ill.
The youngest son of the constable was covered in blood and was still comforting his father.
Oh, and don't tell Mom.
He'll be fine after some rest.
Batch after batch of supplies were delivered to Wenqianhu households.
Su Qing made him sign to receive the supplies, a completely different tone from when she was comforting him earlier: "These are the latest supplies for the wounded. They must be used effectively. There will be random checks at any time."
"If there is any corruption, the offender shall be executed according to the law."
Su Qing put it simply.
But everyone knows she's actually capable of doing it.
When the wounded soldiers tried to cause trouble before, she made an example of them, and no one dared to cause trouble again.
In this situation, killing a few people as a sacrifice is an easy task.
Before Wen Qianhu could even settle in, he heard that the county government had dealt with several newly arrived clerks who had intentionally embezzled grain, and others who had misappropriated grain stored in the granary.
The most serious offenders were sent to the vegetable market in the prefectural city for beheading.
Those with less serious offenses were sent to the front lines to repair defensive fortifications.
It's not just Nanjiang County that has begun a thorough investigation.
The prefectural city, and even the other sixteen counties, must all be thoroughly investigated.
There were also the wealthy and powerful families in Guangyuefu, whom Su Qing might have ignored in the past.
With the situation tense on the front lines, anyone who dares to embezzle military rations and pay will face severe consequences.
Su Qing tightened his grip on this matter partly because he didn't have enough supplies at hand.
Luo, the registrar, and Wu, the head of the household affairs department in the prefectural city, sent her a letter.
Last year's taxes, plus the 300,000 taels of silver we asked Jinling for this year.
And the silver and money confiscated from wealthy and powerful families last month.
Now, in late May, three-fifths of it has already been used.
Moreover, as the war intensifies, all kinds of consumption have doubled.
"At most, the supplies in the prefectural city's warehouses will be exhausted by early July."
The next question is: "Should we transfer grain from the various counties?"
Wang Bingfang from Nanjiang County was so shocked by what he read that he could hardly breathe.
The question about whether grain would be transferred from various counties made him stand up straight again.
Seeing that Lord Su had written the word "agree," I once again admired his profound foresight.
He also remembered that grain storage facilities were being built in various places last year.
Now a portion of it is being shipped out.
If logistics are cut off, it's tantamount to cutting off our lifeline.
Seeing Wang Bingfang breathe a sigh of relief, Su Qing smiled again.
Scholar Fei reminded Clerk Zhu, "Don't be too happy yet."
"Sixty thousand new recruits, and the number of wounded is increasing."
"Military consumption has at least tripled."
Therefore, even with grain allocated from various counties, the provisions and pay are temporarily sufficient.
Meanwhile, the weapons workshop was still struggling to make ends meet.
You can't go to the battlefield without training.
Without weapons, we cannot go.
Where will we get the materials to manufacture weapons?
The Ye family of Jiangnan.
The Hua family of Guangyuefu.
When choosing business partners, Su Qing selected families with extremely strong financial resources.
But from the end of last year until the end of May.
The government office and the weapons workshop never settled accounts with these two companies.
If it were someone from a less wealthy family, they would be living off their ancestral property by now.
They can still afford this amount of debt.
The subsequent doubling of costs made them frown.
Previously, some families envied them for securing such a large business deal.
Now everyone is avoiding her like the plague, feeling that they have been tricked by Su Qing, this female official.
Everyone now knows that the capital is busy repairing the palace and will certainly not allocate funds to the Guangyuefu.
The tax revenue from Guangyue Prefecture was just enough to cover the cost of food and provisions.
Weaponry and equipment are extremely difficult to obtain.
Continue to supply raw materials to the weapons workshops.
God knows how much more money will be thrown in, and God knows if we can even get the money back.
Ye Shanming's life at home was not easy.
There are countless people in the clan who don't like him. When things were going well, it was fine, but now that things have gone wrong, they're sure to kick him while he's down, and they'd love to tear him apart.
There are still people making veiled criticisms outside, but he pretends not to hear them.
Ye Shanming looked at the list of materials that had been sent again from Guang Le Prefecture, his eyes filled with helplessness.
He was indeed outmaneuvered by Su Qing.
No wonder she wrote a letter a while ago requesting a large amount of materials, which are now on their way, even being transported by land.
"How much money does the weapons workshop owe?" Ye Shanming asked.
The shopkeeper below quickly replied, "Adding everything up, it's already seven hundred thousand taels."
"The majority of the leather used is used for making armor."
Ye Shanming didn't say anything, and simply stopped fanning himself with his folding fan.
He trusted Su Qing's ability to make money too much, which is why he allowed her to place orders.
As truckloads of leather were delivered, he would only glance at the total amount, then look at Su Qing's handwritten letter, and sign it directly.
It seems that what he said a few years ago, that Su Qing is very suitable for business, is true.
It's completely fake.
Su Qing is the kind of person who always loses everything in any business he does.
It's not a matter of ability.
Rather, it's because she carries too many people and too many things in her heart.
Ye Shanming sighed again: "Just ship it. Whatever invoice they give you, that's what you'll get. Just keep a clear record of the accounts."
Because he will get it back.
Maybe we can get our principal back with interest.
What do those mediocre people outside know?
If Su Qing wanted to make money, none of them could compete with her.
This little bit of silver is nothing at all.
The Hua family of Guangyuefu.
Hua Youling, the second young lady of the Hua family, listened to her eldest brother Hua Chengzai's mockery.
"Your Youxian County is scrambling to do pig iron business, buying so many mines and smelting so much pig iron, but what's the point?"
"I heard that they owe at least 1.2 million taels of silver."
"If you keep going like this, you'll bankrupt the whole family."
Master Hua was somewhat overwhelmed by these words.
Even with the Hua family's vast assets, they cannot withstand such expenditures.
Most importantly.
Does anyone know when the government office will return it?
Who knows if they can pay it back?
Even after the autumn harvest in August or September this year, all the taxes collected will not be enough to pay off the debts.
Master Hua stared at his second daughter with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Father, it's not Second Sister's fault either."
Hua Jingming, who usually doesn't get involved in things, stood up and said, "You know what kind of person Prefect Su is. If she wants to get advances for various materials, she has plenty of ways to do so."
"Second sister just trusts her."
"After all, it seems that Prefect Su did have the ability to make money in the past."
At this point, the youngest son, Hua Jingming, deliberately moved closer to his father: "Father, Guangyue Prefecture is in a critical moment, and Prefect Su is also trying to protect Yisong County and Shangkou County."
"After all, if the rebels attack, our Hua family might not be so lucky this time."
Last time, the Hua family mobilized their servants to resist with all their might, but still suffered heavy losses.
The family's fields were mostly destroyed, and the heartbroken Mr. Hua couldn't sleep well for a long time.
Thinking of this, Master Hua's gaze towards his second daughter softened considerably.
Before he could say anything more, the youngest son said, "I am willing to share the burden with my second sister."
"For a family to prosper, it is essential to maintain close ties with its members."
"Father, once we get through this difficult time, Prefect Su will not let us down."
These are Hua Jingming's words.
He seemed to be making excuses for his second sister, but every word he said was actually in support of Su Qing.
There is no other reason.
Having been protected in the prefectural city, there was no reason for them to blame Su Qing.
The Ye family may have grievances.
But not the Hua family.
The Hua family, and indeed all the people of Guangyue Prefecture, who lived in peace.
They all owe Su Qing.
Anyone who says anything bad about her is truly heartless.
The three members of the Hua family walked out of their father's courtyard.
The eldest and second eldest brothers looked at Hua Jingming with inexplicable expressions.
They always knew that their father favored his youngest son the most.
However, Hua Jingming is usually not competitive or aggressive, so it's not particularly noticeable.
Now he said just a few words.
They suppressed the matter of the 1.2 million taels.
We underestimated his abilities.
"You have quite the eloquence, young man," Hua Chengzai said coldly. "Don't forget, who shares your father and mother?"
Hua Youling's expression was also extremely complicated. She would never forgive Hua Jingming just because he spoke up for her.
Her mother's death was of paramount importance; if she were to cultivate a good relationship with the son of her mother's killer, she would haunt herself even in death.
Furthermore, Hua Jingming secured the job of supplying materials to the weapons workshop with just a few words.
It's also about taking away her power.
Hua Chengzai is now staring intently at his younger brother, having also noticed this matter.
My younger brother, who has already passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, is incredibly intelligent and has been pampered since childhood.
If we really have to compete with those two for power.
He's a formidable opponent.
Hua Jingming lowered his eyelids slightly and said only, "I will definitely participate in the next imperial examination."
"These jobs are only temporary."
To put it bluntly.
He knew just how wealthy his family business was.
But his path lay in officialdom, not in the business world.
Now, let's get to this.
It was all for one person.
Whether he's reading or walking down the street.
Everyone's talking about this person.
Su Qing.
Under the scrutiny of his older siblings, Hua Jingming suddenly frowned.
He seemed to have figured something out.
But that's his friend's fiancée!
No, my ex-fiancée.
Hua Jingming hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Just for this period of time. Once the war is over, I will continue to prepare for the exam."
Therefore, he will definitely get involved in the matter of materials for the weapons workshop.
No one can stop it.
As for the ever-increasing amount of debt.
fine.
The Hua family is wealthy.
What's this all about?
Besides, if we can't trust Su Qing, who else can we trust?
Inside the weapons workshop.
At the Wuhusi office, craftsman Dou watched as materials were delivered in a steady stream.
I was completely baffled.
Everyone thought that the Ye and Hua families would simply stop supplying goods.
If we keep owing money, we won't be able to pay it off even if we sell the entire weapons workshop.
But now the items are still here, and they're continuing to sign IOUs.
Even the craftsman Dou, who had signed the contract, felt a little embarrassed.
Wu Husi cleared his throat: "Who cares? We'll take it if they give it to us."
"Continue to hire people and increase production capacity."
All they can do is build more weapons and armor.
This will provide greater protection for the soldiers on the front lines.
"Leave the money matter to Prefect Su!"
She trusts Lord Su!
Lord Su can definitely solve this!
Author's Note: Su Qing: Accumulated nearly two million taels of silver in debt within six months?!
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