Reborn Together: The General and I Reach for Power-Chapter 463 - 460: Made the Right Choice

Autumn harvest season.

If you stand on a high mountain in Zhenzhou and look down, you’ll be surprised to see the crops in the fields being swiftly harvested, with animal carts following one after another on the road.

After one group of people finishes harvesting and leaves, another group of children takes over, picking up the crops that the adults left behind. They line up, working under orders.

In the whole of Zhenzhou, regardless of whose land it is, everyone listens to the arrangements of the village and county, using all available people, carts, animals, and farm tools. In just a few days, all the crops and medicinal herbs are harvested and collected.

Zhaozhou is a day or two slower than Zhenzhou, and soon the manpower from both states moves on to Dingzhou and Qi State.

With the work in the north completed, everyone heads south to help.

In the past, even when manpower was insufficient, the autumn harvest would only take a few nights. But now it’s different; because of the war, people are anxious, and having help is naturally the best.

The county magistrate of Jixian, the nearest to Zhaozhou, came to offer thanks.

These people are truly remarkable, with all the necessary equipment and efficient at work. After a whole day of toil, they rest while eating the dry food they brought with them.

The county magistrate of Jixian, along with the villagers, came to deliver meals. The leader was Sun Changxing, the eldest son of the village chief from Sun Family Village. He accepted some food but had the Silver Coin of gratitude returned.

"At such a time, we must help each other. Don’t be too polite, we have enough dry food with us."

The county magistrate of Jixian bowed again.

When the people from Zhenzhou left, everyone started discussing. The leader, Sun Changxing, seemed to be only about sixteen or seventeen years old. They all said that the people from Zhenzhou were impressive, and indeed they were. At such a young age, they ventured so daringly and arranged everything neatly.

The county magistrate of Jixian looked at the County Magistrate and said, "The farm tools used by Zhenzhou were all prepared in advance, as were the animals and carts... We must learn to follow suit. Even though it’s the same autumn harvest, it’s different in their hands."

When asked to share their experience, the people from Zhenzhou did not hold back, leaving behind diagrams of several farm tools. These tools were quite simple, with minor improvements over what was previously used, but they were much more convenient to use.

Since the fame of Zhenzhou’s spinning wheel, many craftsmen skilled in these have gone to Zhenzhou. Zhenzhou has indeed retained many people, and now the benefits of that are evident.

The county magistrate of Jixian gradually developed a sense of closeness with Zhenzhou and Zhaozhou, mainly due to gratitude and admiration towards Song Jiedu.

It’s worth noting that Jizhou had received help from Song Jiedu’s people more than once.

After Prince Lu started a war with the court, many bandits followed suit, causing chaos. Without being near the border, there weren’t many troops guarding them, and they suffered greatly, with mountain bandits injuring villagers. It was finally Song Jiedu who stepped in to eliminate the bandits in the surrounding areas.

The county magistrate of Jixian said, "This year we have to take in many refugees. When refugees enter the city, they need food and may bring disease. We must be careful not to always rely on help from other states."

At such times, everyone has a lot to manage.

The County Magistrate replied.

In fact, several states and counties had already discussed that if help was needed at such times, as long as a word was sent, they would especially need help facing refugees and disease in the coming days. It couldn’t be done with just one or two states or counties; only by working together could they overcome the difficulties.

Almost simultaneously, Song Qizheng in Lu State was discussing with the Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy.

As soon as the war started, Prince Lu requisitioned grain from several states for military supplies. The local people fled, taking the old and young with them, especially recently, with refugees crowding outside Lu State, Ze State, and Shangzhou.

The Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy said, "The closer Ze State won’t let refugees in because the court has stationed troops there, fearing that Prince Lu’s men might mix in with the refugees. Once the gates of Ze State City are closed, everyone’s focus turns to Lu State."

Song Qizheng asked, "What does the court mean by this?"

If the court agreed for Lu State to take in refugees, they would at least allocate some grain.

The Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy shook his head, "Our documents have long been sent, but there has been no response. The Emperor... is now focused solely on dealing with Prince Lu."

Dealing with Prince Lu requires enough military supplies. The Emperor is eager to capture Prince Lu in one go, deploying too many troops. The daily consumption for feeding them all is considerable, leaving no room to attend to other matters.

"That’s not the case," Song Qizheng said. "Daqi has been established for years now, and there is still grain in the treasury."

Either the Emperor thinks this is a small matter, or he doesn’t want to supply the North with grain, possibly due to some slandering, and now, like a startled bird, the Emperor is suspicious of all Jiedu Envoys everywhere.

The Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy asked, "What shall we do?"

Having seen things clearly and frequently corresponding with Zhenzhou, as well as exchanging official documents with Song Xian in recent days, Song Qizheng had made up his mind: "Lives are a priority. Some people have traveled long distances to get here and can no longer hold on. Delaying further will likely cost many lives."

"The northern states and counties are all rushing to harvest; there may not be enough grain, but we can’t worry about that now."

The Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy replied, "I thought the same."

Song Qizheng said, "Before opening the city gates, first make space to accommodate the refugees. If Lu State isn’t enough, move north. All officers must prepare."

Allowing refugees inside isn’t as simple as opening the city gates; improper management could lead to trouble.

When everything is ready, guide the refugees to the appropriate places, especially those who are sick, ensuring they are kept separate.

Facing so many refugees, without some assurance, nobody would dare open the city gates.

After making the decision, just as Song Qizheng and the Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy were about to proceed with their duties, Song Qizheng received a letter.

Song Qizheng looked at the Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy: "My eldest daughter-in-law, Princess Jia’an, is coming with people."

A smile appeared on the Zhaoyi Jiedu Envoy’s face. Having Princess Jia’an’s help indeed reassured him considerably.

Two days later, the gates of Lu State slowly opened. The refugees outside immediately poured into the city, and although preparations were made in advance, the officials of Lu State couldn’t help but gasp at the scene.

If not for the prior arrangements, it would have been chaos.

Once inside the outer city, officials were stationed at the gates of the inner city, guiding the refugees to the appropriate refugee quarters. Those who were sick were immediately sent to see a doctor.

After a simple arrangement, the refugees were taken to a resting place.

From a distance, they smelled a fragrant aroma. Several large pots were cooking steaming hot gruel; the gruel was so thick that it stood up straight in the bowl. The refugees looked at the food in silence.

"Line up properly to receive the gruel," the officials said, "Everyone will get some, no need to rush."

With food in their stomachs, the refugees finally relaxed somewhat. After the long ordeal, they had finally survived.

...

Xie Liangchen weaved through the crowd, noting that at least half of the people’s symptoms could be treated with finished medicine, which significantly lightened the load for the doctors and medical workers.

Crying was heard not far away as a woman holding her child kneeled before a doctor, "I knew coming to Lu State would give us a chance to survive. We made the right choice."