The flames of war suddenly ignited five
Wang Pan'er slept quite soundly. When she woke up again, she felt refreshed, with no dizziness, no blurred vision, no backache, and no pain.
She jumped out of bed, stretched her limbs, and then went out of the shack to find Wang Xiaoyao.
Wang Xiaoyao's shack was connected to hers, but Wang Xiaoyao had an exceptionally high quality of sleep and could maintain her energy without needing to sleep for long periods. When Wang Pan'er went to look for her, she had already gone off to do something.
Wang Pan'er asked her questions all the way to where Wang Xiaoyao was handling her affairs, where she was assigning tasks to be distributed.
Assigning tasks is done based on each person's own logic and way of thinking. Unless their thought processes completely overlap, it is difficult to reach a consensus. It is more efficient for one person to do it all, as they are not helpful.
Seeing her sister arrive, Wang Xiaoyao happily stopped what she was doing: "Sister, why don't you sleep a little longer? You didn't look too well yesterday."
“I’ve fully recovered,” Wang Pan’er said. Wanting to lighten her sister’s burden, she continued, “Is there anything else you need to take care of that I can help you with?”
Speaking of this, Wang Xiaoyao exuded pride: "No, managing a camp is easier than I imagined. The ladies from the Thousand Machines Pavilion already know my rules. Of the new refugees, the troublemakers were killed by me, and the rest are all law-abiding. If they don't behave, they won't get rations, or they might even be kicked out of the camp, so they dare not slack off."
They even know how to manage people with rules!
Wang Pan'er gave a thumbs up, and Wang Xiaoyao continued, "As for assigning tasks, building houses is the most important. The rest are security, gathering firewood, picking wild vegetables, and cooking large meals. Building houses requires planning, which Mr. Nine Fingers is good at. The rest can be packaged and distributed to his subordinates according to the daily needs."
Mr. Nine Fingers was the highly respected feng shui master at the camp. It was said that he accidentally cut off his finger while chopping wood during the day, and then had an enlightenment dream at night. He didn't shy away from his defect and gave himself the nickname "Nine Fingers," so everyone who heard the name "Nine Fingers" knew who he was.
After making a round of checks and confirming that her sister didn't need any help, Wang Pan'er stopped worrying, declined her sister's invitation to be "kept," and went to get her mission with Hongxiao.
Hongxiao was strong and fast, so she wanted to gather firewood, while Wang Pan'er chose to go to the stove and do her old job as a cook.
The stoves were built on the edge of the camp near the river, making it convenient for washing vegetables and dishes. The stoves were all constructed using mud from the riverbank. As more and more refugees settled in the camp, more stoves were added, with two or three new stoves drying in the sun at the very edge.
Many of the old colleagues were busy at the stove. When they saw Wang Pan'er arrive, they greeted her warmly and showed her around the "kitchen" area.
There was no shortage of rice and flour at the campsite for the time being, and there were also wild vegetables picked from the mountains and fish and shrimp caught from the river. Apart from lacking oil and water, the people inside were not hungry.
Because of the large number of people in the camp, in order to ensure the camp's operational efficiency to the greatest extent possible, Wang Xiaoyao and the Nine-Fingered Immortal assigned a low proportion of cooks and kitchen helpers to the tasks, and the number of people working at the stove was not large. In addition, due to the limitations of the makeshift earthen stoves and cooking utensils, the camp could only cook large pots of food to ensure the food supply for the refugees.
This communal meal was very different from what Wang Pan'er knew.
There were only three iron pots in the entire camp, which the women brought along when they were transporting grain. The rest were rough earthenware jars and pots made of clay. They couldn't be used for stir-frying; they could only be placed on thin, large, flat stones picked from the riverbank for stewing. They were just enough to meet the most basic need of one person to eat cooked food.
They were just trying to survive; not starving to death was already a blessing. The refugees in the camp had no choice; they couldn't afford to be picky about cooking. They simply poured water and rice into earthenware jars, stirred them, and added vegetables after it was cooked. As long as it didn't make anyone sick, that was fine.
Wang Pan'er followed the others, putting the ingredients that had been washed by the river into the earthenware jars. After the ingredients were fully cooked, she and the other girls, using rags as mats, worked together to lift the earthenware jars off the stone slabs and divide them into bamboo tubes that had been washed and dried.
After the food is distributed, those who have completed their distribution task can come and eat.
The entire process was quite reasonable. The only downside was that it turned cooking into pure physical labor. After finishing all that, Wang Pan'er was completely exhausted, leaning against the stove, wiping away sweat and panting.
Shortly after the food was portioned out, it was time to eat. Everyone took their bamboo tubes and found an empty spot nearby to eat.
The news that the army had arrived, brought back by those on patrol, instantly set the entire camp ablaze.
He excitedly found Wang Xiaoyao: "I encountered a large army that came to guard Jinzhou. The soldiers asked me why there was no one in the suburbs. I told them about the situation in the camp. The general sincerely invites you to the camp for a chat, as he wants to understand the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture."
Wang Xiaoyao also wanted to drive the Northern Di out of the country as quickly as possible, and she eagerly called on Wang Pan'er to go with her. Under the protection of two guards, the two sisters soon arrived at the army's camp.
The general personally came out to greet them, and was astonished to see that the person in charge of the camp was such a young woman. He gaped in surprise. Then, realizing his lapse in composure, he composed himself and invited the four of them into the main tent with a smile.
As the guards passed by, the general, with his sharp eyes, recognized the swords of two of the guards, which were engraved with the mark of the Princess's residence.
His heart was in turmoil, and he tentatively asked, "May I ask if you two are from the Princess's residence?"
Once their identities were revealed, the guards stood up respectfully, clasped their hands in a fist and bowed to the general: "Yes, we are here on the orders of the Princess to protect the safety of the Princess Consort."
"Princess Consort!" This time, the general was so surprised that he jumped up from his seat. He quickly greeted her, "Greetings, Princess Consort. I am Li Decheng, a former subordinate of the General of the State."
The former Grand General was the father of the Empress Dowager, and the Eldest Princess and the Empress Dowager were close friends. The people of the Eldest Princess's household naturally developed a closer relationship with the former Grand General's former subordinates than usual. As a result, everyone who had been sitting properly stood up and bowed to each other.
Wang Pan'er quickly said, "General, you're too kind. We're all on the same side. Please take a seat."
Li Decheng invited Wang Xiaoyao to learn about the situation. After they sat down again, he got straight to the point, and Wang Xiaoyao, knowing the situation, readily explained what he knew. Li Decheng was amazed and remarked that the younger generation was truly formidable.
Finally, he saw the four men out of the tent and said sincerely, "It is the government's duty to resettle refugees. Today, you are protecting the people on behalf of the government, which is truly admirable. If there is any shortage in the camp, please ask someone to let me know. As long as the camp can spare some, I will gladly provide it."
"There really is a shortage!" Wang Xiaoyao was so excited that he felt like he had been hit on the head while he was dozing off. "We moved the granary out and went to the mountains to forage for wild vegetables. Food and lodging are not a problem. The only thing that is a headache is salt."
Salt wasn't a precious commodity, and Jinzhou Prefecture produced a considerable amount of salt. However, during times of war, no one dared to wander around, making salt production a difficult task for a makeshift operation. The salt shortage within the camp had been a long-standing headache for Wang Xiaoyao.
“No problem, no problem.” Li Decheng called for several earthenware jars to be brought over. “These are all salt, you can take them.”
Seeing Li Decheng's enthusiasm, Wang Pan'er also inquired about Mu Chuan's situation.
Li Decheng said, "I was only left in the detachment to defend Jinzhou Prefecture. The Prince went to Yanmen Pass with the main army."
Wang Pan'er was not surprised that Mu Chuan followed the army, but the fact that Jinzhou Prefecture could not be the main battlefield after the city fell meant that the situation might be worse than imagined.
After much deliberation, she said, "Then I humbly request that when General Li sends a message, he please convey that I have arrived in Jinzhou Prefecture and that everything is fine."
This is a minor matter, not difficult to handle. Li Decheng clasped his hands in a fist and solemnly replied, "Yes!"
Wang Pan'er and Wang Xiaoyao happily carried the salt jars back to the camp, only to bump into Tao Shuo and Wang Chengxi who were walking towards them.
She has been back for several days and has not yet met Tao Shuo. When asked, she is either up in the mountains gathering herbs or out consulting doctors. Today, she finally met her, but she seemed to have important business to attend to.
Wang Chengxi rushed into her older sister's arms first, gesturing to show her that she could now assist Tao Shuo.
Tao Shuo smiled knowingly and said with a cadence, "It seems like life in the capital is quite comfortable."
Is starting with a dirty joke at zero frames a common problem for doctors?
Wang Pan'er was speechless. She rolled her eyes and asked, "Stop teasing me. What are you guys going to do?"
Tao Shuo replied, "I'll go to the army. Since armies have always been short of doctors, I'd like to go and help them now that the army has arrived."
Someone chimed in, "Yes, let's all work together to drive the Northern Barbarians back as soon as possible!"
The man who chimed in was around thirty-five years old. He was carrying a cloth bag, the same style as Tao Shuo and Wang Chengxi's, which was bulging and probably filled with herbs.
Even Wang Chengxi looked determined.
Wang Pan'er then noticed that it wasn't just Tao Shuo and Wang Pan'er who left the camp. Led by the two of them, there were more than ten other people scattered around, including several familiar faces, who were doctors from Taihetang.
Tao Shuo glanced at the sky and said, "Alright, we can talk about that another day. We need to set off now so we can get to the military camp before dark."
It's not reassuring to see a group of doctors who can't lift a finger going out.
Wang Pan'er stopped them, rolling her eyes: "I brought two highly skilled guards with me when I returned to Jinzhou Prefecture this time. Please wait a moment, I will go and call them to see you off."
Hearing that they would be escorted by highly skilled guards, the doctors were no longer in a hurry to leave.
Wang Pan'er then pulled Tao Shuo aside and said, "The rules of the military camp prohibit women from entering. We just met General Li, so it would be safer to write a letter of recommendation for you."
It's time for the Princess Consort's status to come into play.
After Wang Pan'er hurriedly finished writing the letter of recommendation, it was already late. She and Wang Xiaoyao escorted the group of doctors back to the camp entrance and watched them head towards the military camp.
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