Luoyue was confused. He didn't understand why Jiang Pengji asked him that. As an imperial guard, he had to listen to her orders.
"As far as I know, there are only a thousand of them."
The imperial edict was written clearly. How could there be a thousand more people?
Jiang Pengji furrowed her brows and listened to the footsteps. It seemed like they were coming towards them. Luoyue's hearing was not as good as Jiang Pengji's, but he couldn't help but tighten his muscles and put on a vigilant expression.
He looked at Luoyue, who seemed to be ready to attack. He squinted his eyes as if he was sizing something up.
Thud, thud, thud …
The orderly and steady footsteps were getting closer. The imperial guards waiting outside also discovered the traces of the unfamiliar forces. The crowd became more and more chaotic.
Jiang Pengji couldn't sit still anymore. She got up and walked past Luoyue and the other three imperial guards. A small ball of fire appeared in her sight. As they got closer, the ball of fire became clearer. There were three people riding on tall horses in front of the troops.
As a warrior, Meng Hun had the best vision. He quickly spotted Jiang Pengji and his face lit up. He urged his horse to run a few steps faster.
"Langjun, subordinate Meng Hun greets you!"
Meng Hun wouldn't forget Jiang Pengji's face even if she was in a sorry state.
Jiang Pengji recognized the three people from afar. She almost thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She only came back to her senses when Meng Hun got off his horse and couldn't suppress the excitement on his face. She helped Meng Hun up and looked at Qiguan Rang with a faint smile.
According to her understanding, Meng Hun couldn't do such a thing. He couldn't run around with his troops and appear in front of her at such a critical moment. Thinking about it, the only person who could do such a thing was Qiguan Rang.
"Wenzheng once said that you would appear when Xi needs you the most. Is it now?"
Jiang Pengji stepped forward. Qiguan Rang stepped on his stirrups and got off. He flicked his dusty sleeves and bowed deeply to her.
He smiled bitterly and said, "Man proposes but God disposes. I wanted to wait for you near Fengyi County. I didn't expect the earthquake."
Jiang Pengji helped him up and asked, "Why wait in Fengyi County?"
Qiguan Rang was about to speak when he caught sight of the imperial guards. His eyes flashed and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Jiang Pengji noticed his actions and raised her hand to ask Luoyue to bring the imperial guards further away.
Although Luoyue was unwilling, as a small leader of the imperial guards, he could naturally see that Jiang Pengji's troops were also rare elite troops. Meng Hun, who was leading the way, had a reserved aura. His stature alone could intimidate the group of thieves and robbers. He led his men and retreated more than ten meters.
"Originally, according to Rang's calculations, Langjun would probably be hunted down. I calculated all the possible routes and thought that the border between Shangyang County and Fengyi County was the most likely one. So I brought some people to hide there and provide support for Langjun … Who knew that an earthquake would mess up my plan. "Qiguan Rang spread his hands and wore an expression that said," What can I do? I'm desperate too. "
No matter how meticulous one's plans were, they couldn't stand against the Heavens not giving them face.
"Someone will hunt me down? Why? "
Jiang Pengji crossed her arms in front of her chest. It wasn't that she didn't believe Qiguan Rang's words, she was just curious.
Qiguan Rang shook his head and said, "Now that everything has changed, I'll only be a laughing stock if I tell you my plans."
It was obvious that Qiguan Rang didn't want to talk about it.
The earthquake not only messed up Qiguan Rang's plan, but it also made the relatives and eunuchs who were eager to get rid of the emperor and the nobles. The crown prince, who was preparing to force the emperor to abdicate, had even more energy but had no place to use it. He only cared about running for his life and didn't care about these "great things."
Jiang Pengji pondered for a while and said, "Even if you don't say it, I can guess. No matter what, I still have to thank you. "
With a lack of manpower, one could imagine Jiang Pengji's feelings when she saw the people she could have saved die helplessly while waiting.
Now, Qiguan Rang brought 3,000 troops. 2,000 of them were already searching for the people in Fengyi County. The remaining 1,000 could also be of great help to her.
"Langjun, you flatter me. This is my duty."
Qiguan Rang squinted his eyes. His usually gloomy eyes were more peaceful.
Jiang Pengji's heart skipped a beat when she heard his words. The smile on her face became more radiant.
"If that's the case, it's better to do it sooner rather than later." Jiang Pengji's expression turned solemn. "The earthquake this time caused countless casualties among the people. The weather is hot now, so the corpses can't be kept for too long. To prevent rot and maggots from growing, we should find a place to bury them as soon as possible to prevent an epidemic."
Qiguan Rang nodded and said, "Everything is up to you."
With 1,000 imperial guards, 1,000 private troops, and the people she had recruited previously, Jiang Pengji had a lot more people at her disposal.
She called Qiguan Rang, Feng Jin, Xu Ke, Meng Hun, and the imperial guard Luoyue over to prepare for a new search and rescue plan.
Jiang Pengji couldn't be bothered with Luoyue's thoughts. As long as he listened to her obediently, that was enough.
"Xiaoyu, did you bring the things I asked you to transport?"
With the 500 dans of rations provided by the emperor, their rations could last for a few days. As for the medicinal ingredients, she ordered people to search a few medicine shops. The people inside were all dead. The medicinal ingredients that no one wanted were "borrowed" by her. If they were used sparingly, they could last for half a day.
In that case, the most important thing was the lime needed to bury the corpses.
Xu Ke was stunned for a moment and said, "I've brought it. It's all in the carriage."
Jiang Pengji said, "Get people to unload all the rations and medicinal ingredients. Cover the carriage with a layer of straw or something else. Bury the corpses tonight. Judging from the weather, it will rain in a few days. If the corpses decompose, the corpse water will mix with the rainwater and enter the ground, contaminating the well water. Then we'll have a tough battle. If the contaminated water is drunk, it will easily give birth to diseases. "
Jiang Pengji calmly narrated. The expressions of the people sitting around changed.
They had rich imaginations. Their minds could not help but picture the scene Jiang Pengji described. They suddenly felt disgusted.
"East, west, north, and south of the city …" Jiang Pengji used a branch to draw a map of Shangjing on the ground. She divided it into four areas and sent 450 people to each area for search and rescue. Each area was divided in detail. She even explained the transportation route.
Jiang Pengji's train of thought was very clear. She assigned the tasks in less than 15 minutes.
The people present were not stupid. They memorized their respective tasks and waited for Jiang Pengji's order. Feng Jin was worried about another thing. If the poisonous corpse water would enter the ground along with the rainwater and contaminate the well water, then they had to think carefully about where to bury the corpses.
Of course, Jiang Pengji had considered that. She circled an area.
"It's on a hill outside the east of the city. It's close to the east of the city, so it's convenient to transport the corpses. The terrain is high and it's far from the moat. It's not connected to the underground water. Outside the east of the city, the terrain is remote. There are few people and few villages … Considering all the conditions, it's better to bury the corpses here. "
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