Love Lock

Chapter 204 The Real "Autonomous Prefecture"

The gilded carriage of the Turkic delegation moved slowly under the scorching sun, the bronze bells on the carriage shafts making a dull sound with each bump.

They had passed Jingzhou and were traveling under the scorching sun on the official road to Cangzhou. But the further they went, the more congested the road became.

The Turkic warriors, clad in bamboo or leather armor, kept wiping the sweat from their brows. The leading envoy, He Shu, lifted the carriage curtain and frowned in surprise at the sight on the official road.

"Commander, why is the official road of Dajing more crowded than a flock of sheep on the grassland?" a young warrior asked in broken Dajing dialect.

He Shu had never encountered such a situation before. He squinted and looked at the dusty official road.

The group of two or three strong men ahead, though dressed in coarse cloth and looking like ordinary people, walked with a neat and vigorous gait.

Some of them even walk with a limp, but this does not affect their speed.

“They don’t look like ordinary people,” He Shu said in a low voice in Turkic. “Look at the calluses on their hands; they’ve been holding knives for years.”

A commotion suddenly arose ahead.

Several men carrying bundles were stopped by the checkpoint officers, and the head officer shouted sternly, "Show us your travel permits!"

"Please, sir, have mercy," a square-faced man said with a forced smile. "We're from Wangjia Village, and our village has been flooded..."

"Bullshit!" The constable looked him up and down, then suddenly ripped open his collar, revealing the military undergarment he hadn't had time to change out of.

"You lot are deserters from the Jingzhou camp, aren't you?" the constable glared angrily.

"No, we're not. We just want to survive..."

Before he could finish speaking, the square-faced man suddenly shoved the constable aside and ran off.

Seeing this, the other constables hurriedly picked up their weapons and tried to give chase, but were pushed down by even more deserters.

The deserters began to frantically rush through the checkpoints, pushing and shoving forward, fearing that if they were too slow, they wouldn't reach Cangzhou and would be caught and taken back.

The constables had just gotten up when they were pushed or knocked down by passing deserters.

What happened here was the result of the seeds that Han Lei and the brothers of the Big Character Team had sown in the Jingzhou army a few days ago, and now they have sprouted.

Because the Su family and the Ministry of War had been withholding military pay from the Da Jing army for a long time, many Jingzhou soldiers heard that Cangzhou was paying double their military pay and sought opportunities to escape from the army camp and join Cangzhou.

Military law is supposed to be strict, and desertion is considered a serious crime. Once deserters are caught, they face execution, and their families may also be punished.

However, too many things have happened during this period. General Su Qi, the garrison commander of Jingzhou, died in an explosion, and the military camp was already in a state of panic.

The Jingzhou government cooperated with the military camp in the investigation, but before they could find the cause or any suspicious persons, they encountered a flood caused by continuous torrential rain.

With the government and military working together on disaster relief, they had no time to deal with Su Qi's death.

In addition, news of the new emperor's ascension to the throne had just been received in the vicinity of the capital, and new orders from the Ministry of War had not yet been issued, causing widespread chaos among the people.

While the soldiers were out providing disaster relief, many of them changed their clothes and blended into the civilian population to escape.

This was not just a few, but tens of thousands of soldiers, including some junior officers below the rank of centurion who also went to Cangzhou to join them.

In the military camp, there were fewer generals than soldiers to begin with. After the discovery, due to the large number of people, even the high-ranking generals could only attend to one thing at a time.

Despite knowing the reason for such a large-scale exodus, the high-ranking generals of the Jingzhou army camp were helpless.

After all, humans are driven by self-interest. The soldiers had long been dissatisfied with the long-term withholding of their pay, and only a small spark was needed to start a prairie fire.

In addition, Han Lei stayed behind as a freshman and sophomore, and along the way, she gathered refugees from the vicinity of Jingzhou who were homeless due to the flood. These refugees helped each other and rushed to Cangzhou, where they mingled with the deserters.

Therefore, it was even more difficult for the Jingzhou army to capture deserters.

As the deserters fled, the procession on the official road became even more crowded and chaotic.

A checkpoint officer who had fallen to the ground suddenly grabbed the trouser leg of a deserter.

"Gotcha! Gotcha!" he shouted immediately.

Before the other constables could come to help, the deserter kicked him in the nose.

"Ah oh!"

He cried out in pain, let go of his nose, and the deserter took the opportunity to run forward again, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.

The Turkic warriors instinctively gripped their sword hilts, but Chief He Shu raised his hand to stop them: "Mind your own business."

He noticed that among the so-called "vagrants," two tall, thin men were distributing flatbreads. Their movements were swift and efficient, clearly indicating that they were trained.

In a teahouse beside the official road, two men dressed as merchants were talking in hushed tones.

"Have you heard? General Su's death was suspicious. They say he was struck by lightning, but that day it was clearly..."

"Shh!" His companion glanced nervously at the Turkic carriage. "The streets are full of deserters. I heard that Cangzhou is offering double pay. They say troubled times breed heroes, what if Cangzhou..."

"You can't say things like that," the merchant said, glancing around and lowering his voice. "Hurry up and drink, we still have a long way to go!"

The scorching sun baked the official road until it was scalding hot, and the air was filled with the smell of sweat and dust.

Chief He Shu lowered the carriage curtain and instructed the Turkic warrior beside him: "Write this down: the garrison in Jingzhou has been defeated, and Cangzhou is expanding its army."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and the carriage continued to move forward with difficulty on the crowded official road, raising a cloud of murky dust behind it.

Behind He Shu's carriage, Princess Yu Jia's carriage curtain moved slightly, and a delicate hand lifted the curtain, revealing half of a refined face.

Princess Yujia gazed at the winding stream of people on the official road, her amber eyes reflecting the figures of the refugees.

Ragged women carried crying infants on their backs, hunched old men supported the sick and weak, and everyone's face was covered with the same ashen color, except for a few glimmers of light in the eyes of the deserters.

It seems that life isn't easy for the people of Dajing either!
Princess Yujia unconsciously stroked the silver bell on her wrist with her fingertips, thinking about how the grain and cloth she had exchanged for her life's happiness had now all vanished, and she couldn't help but let out a suppressed sigh.

As the carriage rolled over the potholes, she swayed, and the pearls hanging from the gold hairpin in her hair brushed against her sorrowful face.

She leaned out and asked Tang Xiaotong, who was riding alongside her, "Xiaotong, do you think the Princess of Cangzhou can really help us?"

Tang Xiaotong also showed a hint of worry: "With so many refugees arriving in Cangzhou, it must be difficult for Your Highness and Princess to settle them. However... Yu Jia, don't worry, I will definitely do my best to make this happen."

"Alas!" Princess Yujia sighed deeply again, "I'm afraid the Princess of Cangzhou is too busy taking care of herself to care about the Turks."

Tang Xiaotong didn't reply but tightened the reins, and the chestnut horse snorted uneasily.

He spurred his horse and charged to the earthen slope ahead, gazing intently into the distance. Seeing the flow of refugees under the blazing sun, stretching like a dying python to the horizon, he felt a sense of unease.

He knew the prince and princess were taking in refugees and beggars to develop in Cangzhou, but this was far too many. He couldn't imagine how much food the prince and princess would need to provide to feed these refugees. Under such circumstances, how could the princess possibly be in the mood to do business with the Turks?
But he had already said he wanted to help Princess Yujia by exchanging goods for provisions, and now he didn't know what to do. He could only appease Princess Yujia for the time being.

"Actually..." Tang Xiaotong returned to the carriage, her voice so low it was almost drowned out by the sound of the wheels, "The Princess might be quite busy right now..."

He deliberately straightened his back and mentally organized his thoughts: "Once the Princess Consort has calmed down..."

Yu Jia suddenly reached out and pressed down on the swaying carriage curtain, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"Give it to me, it's mine."

"Please, let me feed the child first! The child is starving..."

In the distance came the screams of refugees fighting over bread, mixed with the cries of children, a sight that evoked a deep sense of sorrow.

"Little Tong." Princess Yujia looked up in the direction of the Turks and murmured, "I know... you are not sure either, it was just wishful thinking on my part."

Tang Xiaotong, carrying a sword for self-defense, suddenly crashed into the saddle, making a piercing metallic sound.

He frantically pressed down on the hilt of the knife, but then felt three old cut marks on the scabbard.

That was left behind by his father many years ago when he broke through the enemy lines on the Turkic battlefield.

"At this speed, we'll reach Cangzhou in three more days."

Tang Xiaotong pulled off the water pouch from his waist and handed it to Princess Yu. The water droplets that had condensed on the leather pouch rolled off into the dry dust.

He lowered his eyes, not daring to look at the sorrow and expectation in Princess Yujia's eyes, and said sincerely, "Believe me, I will do my best. This... is not just for you."

The sound of silver bells jingling rapidly came from inside the carriage, as if the owner had suddenly tightened his grip on his wrist.

When the sound of the silver bells subsided, Yu Jia's voice, tinged with trust, came through: "Then let's continue."

The moment she lowered the carriage curtain, a beautiful, dazzling red flower drifted down from a tree beside the official road and landed on the roof of her carriage...

As the sun sets, the clouds on the horizon turn a brilliant golden-red, like an overturned rouge box.

The scorching heat of the day gradually dissipated, and a gentle breeze rustled through the treetops, bringing a rare touch of coolness.

In the twilight, the distant mountains were outlined with gentle curves, and a few birds returning to their nests swept across the sky, leaving behind a string of clear calls.

Zhao Zun was still busy at the cement factory, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the setting sun.

He was directing the deployment of personnel from the engineering and transportation teams, his voice loud and powerful.

"We must set off on time first thing tomorrow morning. The roadbed team that went there the day before yesterday has already built a section of roadbed in Ganluo County, and they are just waiting for our cement!"

The workers responded in unison, full of enthusiasm.

Inspired by the orders placed by Cheng Jingze, the magistrate of Ganluo County, Zhao Zun felt that the cement plant in Fufeng County was still not producing enough.

In just a few days, he further split the cement plant, construction team, transportation team, and engineering team into several more groups. Experienced veterans were selected to take charge, while the grassroots staff were filled by newly recruited migrants.

Besides undertaking the project in Ganluo County, the rest will be sent to various counties in Cangzhou. They will bring blueprints and experience to build factories, carry out construction, and develop locally in each county of Cangzhou.

This allows for the rapid replication of the entire Fufeng County operation, which is both a municipal and public welfare project, with the costs borne by the respective county governments.

Zhao Zun also ordered Luo Hai to freeze all taxes collected in Cangzhou, so that they would no longer be handed over to the imperial court, but instead be used to pay various expenses for "labor-for-labor" programs in various counties and to provide jobs for a large number of displaced people.

With Sun Wenyuan, the former prefect of Cangzhou, removed from office and Luo Hai promoted to prefect of Cangzhou, the implementation of these policies naturally became much easier.

The garrison at Beiguan has been placed under Zhao Zun's command, the prefect of Cangzhou has been replaced, and now taxes have been separated from the imperial court.

Since Zhao Zun was enfeoffed as the King of Cangzhou, in just over seven months, he has become a truly "autonomous prefecture" by completely separating himself from the military and financial system without losing a single soldier.

On the other side, Hua Tianyou was leading his soldiers to load bags of finished cement onto three-wheeled vehicles.

Because of the need for inter-county transportation, Han Lei added many more gasoline-powered three-wheeled vehicles to the transportation team, so that a tank of gas could easily make a round trip.

These newly added transport vehicles are neatly arranged on the open space of the factory area, each piled with bags of cement.

Hua Tianyou wiped the sweat from his forehead and instructed the guards beside him, "Put as many bags as possible in each cart, and be careful."

"Young Master Hua, please rest assured!"

The guards responded with smiles, but their movements became even more cautious.

Zhao Zun glanced at the sky and walked over to Han Lei and Zhao Ling'er: "Girls, it's getting late. You two should take the carriage back to rest. Tianyou and I can handle the rest here."

Han Lei nodded; she did feel somewhat tired. Lately, she had been leaving early and returning late almost every day because of the cement factory.

Zhao Ling'er took her arm and said softly, "Sister-in-law, let's go back first. You should get some rest."

The carriage traveled smoothly on the newly paved cement road, with almost no bumps.

Han Lei leaned against the carriage, watching the scenery slowly receding outside through the gap in the curtains.

Zhao Ling'er handed her a glass of warm water: "Sister-in-law, have some water."

"Thank you."

Han Lei took the water glass, took a small sip, and chatted with Zhao Ling'er.

The carriage was filled with a faint scent of incense, which brought a sense of peace.

Before long, a tired Han Lei leaned against the cushion and took a nap. Seeing that her pretty face was full of fatigue, Zhao Ling'er decided not to disturb her and took a thin blanket to gently cover her.

When the carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Zhao family mansion, the setting sun had completely sunk below the horizon, leaving only a faint blush on the horizon.

Han Lei was gently awakened by Zhao Ling'er: "Sister-in-law, we've arrived."

As soon as Han Lei got off the carriage, she saw Aunt Li standing at the door, looking around anxiously with obvious anxiety and anticipation on her face.

Upon seeing them, Aunt Li immediately hurried over, her rough hands nervously rubbing together on her apron.

"Your Highness, Miss Ling'er, you're back? The meal is ready. Uh..." Aunt Li said, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something more.

Han Lei noticed her unusual behavior and asked gently, "Aunt Li, is something the matter? You seem to have something to say."

Aunt Li pursed her lips, but still mustered her courage: "Your Highness... I know I shouldn't have been so busy these days, leaving early and returning late, but I..."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and her voice grew softer and softer.