When Yue Qiu saw the ravaged state of Wenlong City, he was deeply moved. It was in an even worse condition than Ge Feng had been.
He and Qingming had been among the first people to follow Jiang Jin, and he had always worked with Qingming to maintain their network of contact points.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Before long, an old general with an agitated expression strode in.
There was no need for Ning Five to introduce him. Yue Qiu cupped his hands in greeting. “You must be General Shangguan. I’m Yue Qiu, from the Jinyang Army’s contact point in Xigan Commandery.”
Shangguan Mao hurried forward and clasped his hands. “Were you sent here by the princess?”
Yue Qiu nodded. “That’s right. My lord greatly admires your courage and loyalty, so she sent us ahead. Personnel and supplies from the military headquarters will arrive later to help you defend Wenlong City.”
“Good, wonderful! The princess is truly benevolent!” Shangguan Mao felt tears welling in his eyes. He had waited far too long for this day.
Fortunately, he had lived to see it.
He turned toward Wenxia City and performed a formal bow reserved for a subject before his ruler. His voice was full of reverence. “Thank you, my lord!”
Yu Yue and the others followed behind him, all of them bowing excitedly.
Only after they had finished did Shangguan Mao ask, “How does my lord intend to arrange matters for us? And what is the situation outside?”
Yue Qiu explained slowly, “My lord’s intention is for you to hold Wenlong City. As for food, clothing, weapons, and other necessities, you need not worry. My lord will find a way to transport the supplies here.”
“There will be clothing and weapons too?” Shangguan Mao cried out in astonishment.
He had already considered it a tremendous act of kindness to receive food. He had never expected Princess Jinyang to be so thorough in her arrangements.
Yue Qiu nodded. “Of course. Winter is almost here. We can’t have our soldiers guarding the frontier while going hungry and freezing.”
Shangguan Mao felt his throat tighten. Ever since the day he had joined the army, he seemed never to have heard words so inspiring yet reassuring.
Before he could say anything, Yue Qiu continued with the current situation. “My lord has reclaimed Punan and Shangjing Commanderies in Chongzhou, as well as all of Fengzhou.”
Shangguan Mao was shocked once again. “Fengzhou has also returned to my lord’s hands? What happened to the Quzhao tribesmen?”
Yue Qiu smiled and confirmed, “That’s right. My lord has driven Quzhao all the way to Anwu County in Qiuning Commandery.”
His voice carried a soothing note. “A great deal of grain, cotton, and hemp has now been planted in Fengzhou, so you needn’t worry about food and other necessities.”
“All you need to do is train your troops diligently, defend the city, and obey military orders. My lord will take care of everything else.”
“Good, good!” Tears welled in Shangguan Mao’s eyes, but he forced them back.
Yue Qiu pointed to the two carrier pigeons they had brought. “Wenlong City is remote, so I brought two carrier pigeons to make communication easier. They’ve both been specially trained. Take good care of them so you can use them to contact our network of stations or my lord in the future.”
Shangguan Mao nodded repeatedly. “Good. Wonderful.”
At last, his heart settled. He no longer felt like he was fighting alone. Wenlong City was no longer an isolated city. They had someone to rely on.
Far away in Wenxia City, their lord was keeping a constant eye on them and guarding this frontier city together with them.
Yue Qiu then took out two packets of seeds. “These are pak choi and white radish seeds. They grow quickly and produce good yields. If you plant them now, you’ll be able to harvest them before winter.”
Yu Yue stared at him in astonishment. “Plant vegetables? Wenlong City is surrounded by rocky mountains. We can’t grow anything here.”
Yue Qiu smiled. “My lord said that wherever there is land, crops can be grown. I took a look around the city just now. Although most of it is stone, there are still some patches of soil.”
He looked at the soldiers of Wenlong City, including Shangguan Mao, all of them gaunt and sallow. His voice rang out with force.
“As long as there is soil and water, we can farm. These two vegetables are both easy to grow. Starting tomorrow, everyone should clear some land and plant them.”
“Although my lord can send us food, the distance makes transportation difficult. Vegetables in particular spoil easily, so it’s best if we grow some ourselves.”
The soil was poor, but with so many people in Wenlong City, fertilizer would not be lacking.
Ning Five hurriedly chimed in, “That’s right. I saw that the people at the contact point are growing vegetables too, and they’re thriving.”
Yue Qiu nodded. “People need to eat more vegetables. Vegetables contain plenty of vitamins. Our meals need to be nutritionally balanced so that we can improve our physical condition and defend the city and kill our enemies more effectively.”
Shangguan Mao understood only part of what he was saying, but he grasped the main point and was even more astonished.
The Jinyang Army had such good conditions? They could even choose what to eat?
Yu Yue was thrilled. “I’ll go tell my father right away. This will surely help him recover!”
When Yu Mo heard the news, a blazing light flashed in his eyes. He propped himself up. “R-really? The princess has accepted Wenlong City?”
Yu Yue nodded. “Yes. Father, you can rest easy. In a few days, the people sent by Her Highness the Princess should arrive. Then we’ll have food. We’ll never again have people die of hunger.”
“Good, good. That’s wonderful.” Yu Mo’s face flushed with excitement. “Quick, quick, help me up. I want—I want to pay my respects to the princess.”
Yu Yue hurriedly pressed him back down. “Father, I don’t think Her Highness the Princess will care about such empty formalities. What she cares about more is probably the livelihood of the people in Wenlong City. So you need to recover as quickly as possible and protect this city alongside the princess.”
Yu Mo’s lips trembled, and his nose stung painfully. He was afraid he would not live long enough to see that day.
But facing his wife and daughter, he did not voice any discouraging thoughts, nor did he insist on getting up. Instead, he merely raised a hand and saluted toward Wenxia City with great effort. “Th-thank you, Your Highness.”
Seeing that her father had finally relaxed, Yu Yue comforted him. “Father, just focus on resting and recovering. Don’t worry about anything else. Everything will get better.”
Meanwhile, Shangguan Mao shared the good news with the soldiers and civilians throughout the city. The entire city erupted in excitement, and everyone was deeply moved.
Unlike the lively, jubilant atmosphere here, the temporary clinic in Bilan County of Tao Commandery was filled with tension and unease.
Suo Qian finished taking the child’s pulse, then opened the child’s eyelids and examined them.
Song Erniang stood to one side, so nervous that she did not know what to do. She bent at the waist. “Physician, how is he? Does my son—does my son still have a chance?”
Suo Qian spoke calmly. “He’s contracted the epidemic and needs to be quarantined.”
Song Erniang’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees with a thud. Her voice was full of anguish. “Please, Physician, save my son! I—I’ll work like an ox or a horse for you. Please, I’m begging you. He’s my only family. Please save him!”
Suo Qian reassured her, “There’s no need to panic. We have medicine. As long as he eats properly and takes his medicine, there’s still a very good chance that he’ll recover.”
Hope burst onto Song Erniang’s tear-streaked face. She kowtowed again and again. “Thank you, Physician! Thank you, Physician! I will remember your great kindness for the rest of my life.”
Suo Qian shook his head. “You’re thanking the wrong person. All of this was provided by my lord, Princess Jinyang. She ordered us to bring food and medicinal supplies here to relieve the disaster.”
Song Erniang turned toward the north and kowtowed. “Thank you, Princess, for saving our lives! Thank you for saving our lives!”
Suo Qian nodded. “Get up. I’ll examine you as well.”
Song Erniang had been with her son for so long that she had very likely been infected too.
Fortunately, after taking her pulse and examining her carefully, Suo Qian found that she had not contracted the epidemic.
When she learned that she was safe, Song Erniang let out a long sigh of relief. Only if she remained healthy could she take better care of her son.
Suo Qian explained carefully, “Plagues have an incubation period. Just because you’re not showing any symptoms now doesn’t mean you won’t develop them later. If you feel unwell, let us know immediately.”
Song Erniang quickly replied, “This woman understands.”
Suo Qian turned to the medicine apprentice. “Take them to Area Two.”
