Chapter 1162: Chapter 729 New City_2

Aside from the Zhou Prefecture’s long-term relief efforts, the lower commanderies are not doing well. Managing to take care of their own citizens is already the limit. Encountering refugees begging for food, the kinder commanders might give out some porridge and then order the refugees to be dispersed. The harsher ones might directly kill them to prevent desperate refugees from mobbing the city, while displaced citizens… are kicked around like stray dogs by various commanderies.

But he walked over a hundred miles not to beg for food, but merely to exchange mountain beasts and medicinal herbs for some hunger-resistant coarse grain millet…

The world is vast, and snow flurries are falling.

Luo Yuanqi’s throat moved up and down, unable to make a decision.

Go back?

Back to the village, and experience the cannibalistic winter like the farmer had described?

But cannibalism… would it certainly last until the spring of next year?

“Swish—”

Another arrow shot from the city wall, this time landing directly at his feet. The vibrating arrow made him instinctively step back.

At this moment, Luo Yuanqi felt some regret.

Regret for resigning from his official position in the Capital City, for coming to these cursed places, for witnessing the suffering of the common people firsthand, and always returning powerless.

He took a deep breath, and the white mist exhaled from his lips quickly dispersed with the wind.

He could not die here.

If he perished here, the village would fall into chaos, and if it became chaotic, everything would be lost.

Giving a final glance at the towering city walls, Luo Yuanqi was about to turn back when he saw a basket being lowered from the city walls at that moment.

Was this an invitation to enter the city?

Upon ascending the city wall, the eyes of several soldiers immediately swept over with vigilance, but Luo Yuanqi, a court official who had seen great events, calmly loosened the hemp rope tied to the mountain beast and the snake skin bag containing the medicinal herbs to explain his purpose:

“Gentlemen soldiers, this humble man hunted some mountain goods to trade for some coarse grain to survive the winter.”

After speaking,

his facial expression remained unchanged, but he couldn’t help feeling nervous.

These mountain goods and herbs aren’t particularly valuable, but if these soldiers wanted to rob him, they could directly kill him without facing any consequences.

The leading soldier glanced up and down at him without answering, only saying:

“Leave your things and follow me, I have something to ask of you.”

“Yes, officer.”

Lowering his head, Luo Yuanqi replied with an accommodating smile, but felt puzzled inwardly.

This peculiar language, what dialect is this?

As a court official, one needs both insight and knowledge.

Luo Yuanqi served as an official for twenty years in the Imperial Capital, understanding some dialects from all over the world. Even if someone spoke the official language, he could generally identify their origin, but this soldier left him clueless.

As he walked along the city wall, having once worked in the Ministry of War, he quickly sensed something amiss.

The armored soldiers on the wall all seemed to hail from the same clan.

Their skin was too pale, eerily white like a corpse.

At first glance, if these warriors weren’t exhaling warm breath like him, he might have suspected he entered the netherworld.

But why is this New City populated entirely with people from the same clan?

Moreover,

although residential buildings are numerous within the New City, why does it increasingly resemble a military town fortification?

Yet not far north from here, aren’t there already the heavily guarded Qinlong Pass and Jingbei Prefecture defending the northern gate of Jingji?

Which previous dynasty official proposed the idea of renovating Huizhou?

Upon realizing this, Luo Yuanqi’s pupils suddenly constricted, icy fear climbing from his soles up to his spine.

It’s a disaster… the military calamity hasn’t ended.

This New City was from that Prime Minister…

Bam!

….

“Creak—”

The door was pushed open, wind and snow drifted inside.

A scantily clad woman with open shoulders stepped through the snow, casually tossing a document onto the table in the room.

Inside, the fire crackled and snapped,

behind the table, a short-haired man dressed against Dayan customs in armor was calmly browsing some documents, and without looking at the person who entered, casually asked:

“How is it?”

Yi Kui shook her head and countered:

“You inviting him into the city proactively, isn’t it somewhat inappropriate?”

Qin Yuan slowly raised his eyes, his dark eyes devoid of expression:

“Recently, that Prince borrowed troops to leave the city, causing quite a stir. There are no refugees within a hundred miles of the New City, so his sudden appearance here is very strange. If we don’t handle this, it might ruin the young master’s major plans.”

Yi Kui pulled out a chair and sat down, speaking softly:

“True, he claims to be a refugee.”

Qin Yuan frowned slightly:

“Refugees wouldn’t be able to distinguish between a military town and a civilian city.”

Yi Kui’s expression also became slightly solemn, not keeping the suspense:

“So after some interrogation, he changed his story, claiming he was formerly a Court Official of the Imperial Capital, who volunteered to fight in the Northern Frontier but fled due to fear, hence he has some knowledge.”

At this point,

Yi Kui glanced at the armor on the other’s body, teasing:

“General Qin, how should we deal with this person?”

Qin Yuan lowered his gaze to his military watch, casually saying:

“Kill him.”

Yi Kui was already prepared for this and stood up before her seat was warm.

The establishment of this New City has always been carried out secretly. In normal times, such large-scale construction couldn’t be concealed, but now, with the wars ravaging the Northern Three Provinces, rebuilding amidst widespread ruins, this New City naturally draws less attention.

Now that someone has seen through it as a military town, naturally, it cannot be spared.

However, after some thought, Yi Kui added:

“Oh right, that person said he knew he couldn’t escape death and begged us to save his village in the mountains to the west.”

Qin Yuan’s gaze paused, stopping Yi Kui who was about to leave:

“Keep him first, send someone to check the west.”

Yi Kui looked back in confusion, asking curiously:

“Why?”

“Have a look for yourself.”

Qin Yuan tossed the document in his hand to Yi Kui, saying calmly as she browsed through it:

“Time is running out. The Prime Minister went out with the Emperor on a Northern Hunt last night, and the young master has just submitted a memorial to the court. There may soon be great changes in the Dayan Capital. We might receive orders at any moment to mobilize northward to seize the passes and prevent the Northern Border Army from advancing south. At this time, no mistakes can be afforded. First, investigate the place this person mentioned… you personally go.”

Yi Kui listened, without complaint, waiting for more detailed arrangements.

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment, then continued:

“If this person’s words are true and there are only refugees, just send some food over. If not true… any trace of espionage, kill them all and call the Black Scale Guards for further interrogation.”

Yi Kui blinked her beautiful eyes, furrowing her delicate eyebrows, and raised an objection:

“The food for hundreds for a winter isn’t insignificant. Wouldn’t it be simpler to just kill all those refugees?”

The Earth Palace Remnants are extremely xenophobic, and the Prime Minister’s Mansion hasn’t forcibly reformed their mindset at this critical juncture. Once the city is built, only a few Black Scale Guards and technical bureaucrats are stationed nearby to monitor, and within the city, the matters are mainly decided by the two priests.

Qin Yuan handles military and political affairs, while Yi Kui handles finances.

As a priest from the Underground Palace, although Yi Kui is extravagant, she is never wasteful.

In the past at the Underground Palace, she was so poor she wished to divide a grain into two parts to eat. Even now, living a better life, she remains frugal and calculating.

Now she’s asked to allocate money and food to outsiders?

What a joke!

The Earth Palace Remnants always believed in survival of the fittest, displaying cold-bloodedness even towards their own clan to save resources, let alone other refugees. In Yi Kui’s view, to prevent information leakage, the best way now is just to wipe out that village.

Qin Yuan, of course, understood what she was thinking, pondered a little, and suddenly asked:

“Yi Kui, during the southern relocation, you must have met that Black Scale Army leader called Yuan Hao, what do you think his future would be?”

“…”

Yi Kui was puzzled, not understanding why the other person would suddenly mention that madman.

Qin Yuan took a deep breath and said quietly:

“Yuan Hao, like us, is a weapon of the young master, but he is different from us. He doesn’t care about breaking by being overly rigid, nor about his own life and death. But we have to care about the life and death of these four hundred thousand divine subjects.

“Yi Kui, our current situation is actually very difficult. Although the Commander has become close to the young master, the various ministers of the Prime Minister’s Mansion are wary and dislike us. To avoid ending up like Yuan Hao, we must learn to adapt to Dayan, and be extremely cautious in everything.”

Yi Kui listened carefully, pondered for a while, then reluctantly and quietly said:

“… then calculate by the minimum ration.”

“Okay.”

Qin Yuan nodded in agreement.

Being of the same Earth Palace priest origin, he was also stingy.