Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 112 Request for help from Tonglu County
Chen Qingsi held the shovel in her hand and looked at Wei Hao with an ominous premonition in her heart that something would happen to Taocun.

Qingxi County is ten miles away from Taocun, and the wind and snow are so heavy that they can barely maintain transportation between the two places.

Wei Hao came here in the wind and snow, which really made him feel a little scared.

Chen Qingsi pulled Wei Hao aside and asked in a low voice: "But something happened in Taocun?"

Wei Hao shook his head and said: "According to the county magistrate's instructions, my subordinates actively organized people in the village to clear the snow from the houses and workshops. There were no casualties. This is Tonglu County. Today, my subordinates led people to clear the snow from the streets. Snow, a dead body that had been frozen for a long time was found at the entrance of the village."

Hearing the word "dead body", Chen Qingsi's pupils couldn't help but shrink and she clenched her fists tightly.

Wei Hao continued: "At first, my subordinates thought he was from our county and asked the people in the village to identify the body. A clerk from Zhaojia Workshop recognized him as a silkworm farmer from Anhe Village, Tonglu County. In order to buy silk, the clerk I have had many interactions with him.”

Chen Qingsi thought for a moment. Anhe Village is the closest village to Qingxi County.The deceased was able to trade with the Zhao family many times on behalf of the people in the village. Even if he was not the village leader, he was still a person with high prestige.

Such a person died at the entrance to Taocun...

Chen Qingsi asked: "Is he here to ask for help?"

Wei Hao nodded and said: "It should be so. This heavy snowfall is extremely rare in the south of the Yangtze River. Qingxi County has a county magistrate in charge, so there is nothing to worry about. But Tonglu County was dismissed because of the county magistrate and chief minister, so the county administration must be in chaos. How can we work together as a team?"

Chen Qingsi nodded and said: "This is a big problem!"

The development of Qingxi County is different from that of surrounding counties. The surrounding counties have retained the rural system and integrated the resources of each village.Qingxi County integrates the population, mainly develops the county town, and secondary develops Taocun as an industrial base.

Facing this snowstorm, all we need to do is maintain smooth traffic between the county seat and Taocun.

As for Tonglu County and surrounding counties, one county has jurisdiction over more than a dozen villages. The roads are blocked by heavy snow. How can we open the roads with the strength of the villages?

Wei Hao also figured this out, so he came in person in the snow and wind.

He looked at Chen Qingsi who was deep in thought, glanced left and right, and deliberately lowered his voice and said: "It really can't be done. The county magistrate just pretends that his subordinates have never been here and don't know about it. The subordinates suppressed the news. In this case, we really can't There is no way to worry too much.”

Wei Hao knew the price of rescue.

The other party risked his life to come, so the situation must have reached a point where it was not optimistic.

The road is blocked by wind and snow, and if you want to rescue, you must gather the strength of the whole village.But if we really need to gather the strength of the whole village, how can Qingxi County's own situation be guaranteed?
Wei Hao did not come here to embarrass the county magistrate Chen Qingsi, but purely from his contacts in these days, he had a certain amount of admiration for this good magistrate who had made Qingxi County a new look, and felt that he might have thought of a way to have both ends.

Chen Qingsi heard Wei Hao's unintentional meaning, shook his head and said: "It doesn't have to be like this. I don't care about the fame, I just want to find a rescue method within my ability. The deceased risked his life to ask for it, and [-]% of what he asked for was food. The only thing he wanted was food. Food is worth the risk of the other party's death."

Wei Hao nodded and agreed with his judgment that the lack of food and clothing could be overcome and it was not worth risking his life.

Only when there is no food rations and everyone in the village is in fear of their lives, will there be warriors who are not afraid of death and risk their lives.

But transporting food is not easy.

Heavy snow is blocking the roads now...

It's not easy to dig out blocked roads, let alone transport food?
This is an almost impossible task for Qingxi County, which is short of labor. What's more, the heavy snow has not stopped, and Qingxi County itself also needs to ensure the safety of the county.

"By the way, the waterway may be feasible..." Chen Qingsi clasped his hands and said, "Brother Kuang, please lead someone to clean up this street...let's go..."

Chen Qingsi's last words were naturally addressed to Wei Hao.

Quickly arriving at the county government office, Chen Qingsi took out the topographic map of Muzhou and spread it on the desk.

He pointed to the map and said: "Tonglu County is located in the west of Qingxi County, a hundred miles away from the county seat, and [-] miles away from Anhe Village, which is the nearest place to ask for help. It is too difficult to open these [-] miles. With the help of We can't do it with the power we have. But if we take the waterway, transport the grain from the Xinan River down the river to the Fuchun River. From the tributaries of the Fuchun River, transport the grain to the vicinity of Anhe Village. Then choose a suitable place From the landing place, a road can be opened directly to the respective villages. This can greatly save labor and deliver food to the people affected by the disaster. What do you think?"

The ancients lived by water, and the Fuchun River is the lifeblood of Tonglu County. Most villages are built nearby, or a tributary canal is used to irrigate the land.Wei Hao said happily: "This can indeed save a lot of labor."

Chen Qingsi said: "I am ordering the recruitment of fishing boats and fishermen in the county. You continue to return to Taocun to take charge. We call on some strong men in the village to come to the county to help transport food. We need people who understand water. There is a certain risk, so there is no need to force it."

Wei Hao bowed deeply and said, "The county magistrate is very righteous and does not forget old grudges. My subordinates admire him."

Chen Qingsi shook his head and said: "It is Ji Wen who has a grudge against me. What does it have to do with the people? How innocent are they? Sitting back and watching them suffer, how is it any different from animals? It is not just Anhe Village, but also the surrounding villages. Within your ability, you should It’s your choice to save. I have saved these grains, but I won’t use them for this matter. When can I wait for them?”

**********
Tonglu County, Anhe Village.

It snowed heavily for five days and five nights.

Muramasa Qiu Xing burst into tears and regretted it.

"Sinner, I am the sinner of the village!"

Qiu Xing kept mumbling, "It was me who harmed the villagers, it was I who harmed the villagers! I also harmed my son, I deserve to die..."

Qiu Xing is the village leader of Anhe Village.

After Chen Qingsi noticed that the weather was strange, he wrote a letter to Master Xu Yu, the governor of Muzhou, explaining the situation.

Xu Yushi didn't pay enough attention to it, but he still passed on the news.

All villages and counties in Muzhou received the news, but they failed to attract enough attention.

After all, no matter how cold the climate in Jiangnan is, how cold can it get?

At best, it means adding a few more clothes and burning more firewood.

No one could have imagined that such heavy snow would fall. People's awareness of snow disaster prevention was far from enough, and many houses were crushed by the snow.

In particular, the village's grain depot was also covered in snow, with grain buried inside.

This incident happened at night, and the wind and snow were so heavy that it was impossible to rescue him.

When we tried to rescue him the next day, there was thick snow on top of the warehouse, but ice formed on the bottom.

Qiu Xing tried every means but failed to save the food.

Houses in the village collapsed under the weight of snow and were in a mess.

Qiu Xing saw the power of snow and figured out the importance of clearing it. However, the scarcity of food was a problem they had to face.

He arranged for more than a dozen strong men in the village to rescue him in all directions, including his son, but there has been no news so far.

A corner of the village.

Two people gathered together and spoke incomprehensible words.

"Be more aggressive and don't let him feel any pain."

After hearing this, the other person burst into tears and said: "I won’t change it anymore, I won’t change it anymore..."

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(End of this chapter)