Yun County.
The people with the remaining supplies temporarily stayed in place to rest. Lord Fang took a pot of water and walked to the other side.
The closer he got to Subei, the more he could feel the heat and drought. Yun County was close to Subei, but it was also affected by the drought. The ground cracked, the flowers and plants on the roadside drooped their heads listlessly, and even the wind blowing in his face was hot.
Not far from the relief team, a group of men in tight-fitting uniforms hid in the dark. Everyone wore a black mask with strange patterns on their faces, which tightly covered the upper half of their faces.
It was because of the sudden appearance of these people that they did not suffer heavy losses.
Before the incident, even Fang Jun did not know that there was such a team following them.
Lord Fang expected that this trip would not be smooth sailing, but he did not expect those people to be so bold. The people they sent just happened to be able to suppress them. Lord Fang did not dare to imagine what would happen to them if Her Majesty did not have a backup plan.
As he walked, Lord Fang recalled what happened at that time.
It happened in the middle of the night. Except for the people on night watch, everyone else was fast asleep. Lord Fang was awakened by the sound of weapons clashing. His subordinates heard the sound and rushed over to protect him.
Those people's purpose was clear. They were here for the relief supplies, so they did not use fire. In the sound of fighting, they gradually lost and fell into a disadvantageous position.
Seeing that another cart of supplies was stolen, Lord Fang took his subordinate's sword and desperately slashed at the thieves.
He hit the target, but he was also exposed to the enemy. A cold light flashed behind him, but it was too late to dodge.
Fang Jun was not afraid of death. He only hated that he could not complete Her Majesty's task and send the relief supplies safely to Subei …
The sharp sword approached. At the last moment, with a clatter, the long sword was flicked away and fell to the ground with a bang. Then, there was the sound of a sharp weapon stabbing into a wound.
Lord Fang wiped the blood splashed on his face. Only then did he realize that a group of people in black had filled the gap between the soldiers and fought with the enemy.
In the dark night, these people in black were like ghosts, wandering the battlefield and taking away the enemy's life.
The situation was reversed in an instant.
"Everyone, please drink some water." Master Fang walked to the front of the group, but didn't approach them rashly.
After defeating the bandits, these people stayed behind to protect them in the dark. Later on, they were attacked a few more times. With these people around, they didn't suffer any losses. Instead, it was the other party who lost many people here.
Lord Fang could faintly smell the scent of blood. Without any explanation, he handed the water bottle to the leader. "Are you injured? I've brought some emergency medicine. Wait for me, I'll get it for you. "
"No need." The voice of the men in black was as cold as the masks on their faces.
"This is the medicine that I specifically requested from Imperial Physician Gu of the Imperial Hospital before I came here. You know Imperial Physician Gu, right? He's an imperial physician who specializes in nurturing the noble lord's body. His medical skills are very brilliant. I thought that this trip would not be peaceful, so I asked for some emergency medicine. See, it just so happens that I can use it." Lord Fang could sense that the young man in front of him wasn't too old. Furthermore, the other party had saved his life, so he had a good impression of him.
"…" Hearing the name, the man in black swallowed his words of refusal.
"I know that you're protecting us because you're following orders, but you should also protect yourselves. If you're injured, how are you going to protect us? The same goes for the people you brought with you. If you need anything, just say it." Lord Fang couldn't help but ramble.
The young man chuckled. "Do the people in the imperial court know that Lord Fang is so meticulous?"
"I don't need them to know what to do." Lord Fang waved his hand. "I'll go get the medicine for you. Wait a moment."
Lord Fang came back with the medicine. There were several bottles of medicine of different sizes. At a glance, one could tell that it was Imperial Physician Gu's style. Seeing the young man take the medicine and stuff it into his clothes, Lord Fang smiled with satisfaction. "You can't ignore your health. Remember to apply the medicine properly."
"Thank you for the medicine, Lord Fang." The man in black clasped his hands.
"No need. If anyone should thank someone, I should be the one thanking you for saving my life." Lord Fang stopped him. Then, his expression turned serious. "I'm afraid that the next part of the journey won't be easy. I'll have to trouble you."
After Lord Fang finished speaking, he went back. He was the main person in charge of the disaster relief this time. There were still many things to do.
After resting and reorganizing, Lord Fang took people to count the supplies. He wrote down the losses and surplus in a memorial and sent it back to the imperial court. Then, he took people to continue north.
Their mission had just begun.
After receiving the memorial from Subei, Shang Junlin immediately summoned the Prime Minister and the Minister of Revenue to discuss the next step of the plan.
Subei involved a lot of people and was a solid barrier for Dahuan in the north. No matter what, nothing could happen to it.
"Imperial Physician Gu seems to have something on his mind. Did something happen?" After taking his pulse, Shen Yu saw that Imperial Physician Gu was distracted and asked.
"It's this subject's younger brother. He said that he had to go out for a few days. It's been more than ten days and there's been no news from him." Imperial Physician Gu didn't have any friends who could talk about these things. He was really worried, so Shen Yu couldn't help but ask.
"Gu Huai?"
"Yes, Xiao Huai has never been separated from me for so long in his life. I don't know where he went or if he's in danger." Imperial Physician Gu frowned slightly.
"Don't worry, Imperial Physician Gu. Gu Huai will be fine."
"Thank you for your comfort."
At night, Shen Yu nestled in Shang Junlin's arms and asked about Gu Huai.
"Your Majesty, do you know where Gu Huai went?"
"A Yu, why are you suddenly asking about him?" Shang Junlin pinched Shen Yu's face. "Who said something to you?"
Shen Yu: "It's Imperial Physician Gu. He was worried about his younger brother and said a few words to me."
Shang Junlin: "A Yu, do you still remember that I sent people to secretly follow Fang Jun?"
Shen Yu: "Your Majesty is saying that the person who secretly followed Lord Fang to Subei was Gu Huai?"
Shang Junlin nodded: "Mhm."
Shen Yu: "Why did Your Majesty think of sending him?"
Shang Junlin: "First, no one in the court knows about Gu Huai. Sending him is convenient to avoid people's eyes and ears. Second, I see that he is a talented general and want to give him an opportunity to perform meritorious service."
The Dahuan Kingdom's way of becoming an official was fixed, and only the military officials had room to maneuver. But now that the Dahuan Kingdom was peaceful, and there was no war, this path had been blocked. If one wanted to become an official, they could only obediently follow the rules.
"I can't always personally lead the troops. Dahuan should also have a group of qualified military officials." Shang Junlin lifted a strand of Shen Yu's hair and twirled it between his fingers.
After the disaster of the previous emperor, Dahuan's interior could be said to be devastated. The civil officials were still fine, but it was not an exaggeration to say that there was no successor for the military officials.
When the previous emperor was on the throne, the capable military officials were all demoted or even killed for various reasons. The ones who replaced them were all idiots. If not for this, Dahuan would not have lost so many battles and lost so much of its territory.
"Does Your Majesty want to rehabilitate those generals?" Shen Yu turned over and lay on Shang Junlin's body.
"Those generals are not the only ones who need to be rehabilitated. Many ministers who wholeheartedly served the country were also sacrificed. I want to wash away the stain on their bodies. "
While speaking, Shang Junlin stared into Shen Yu's eyes. Shen Yu couldn't help but blink. She lowered her head and rubbed Shen Yu's cheek: "Your Majesty can definitely do it."
Shang Junlin reached out and wrapped his arms around Shen Yu's waist. His eyes were as black as ink.
If it was A Yu's wish to be a wise emperor, he was willing to be the most qualified emperor in A Yu's mind, as long as A Yu was willing to stay by his side forever.
The disaster relief matters were arranged in an orderly manner. As for the bandits, Shang Junlin also handed them over to a general in the north. They were determined to catch them.
However, they still encountered a problem in the disaster relief matter.
A part of the supplies were stolen. Although the imperial court kept some as backup, it was not enough.
Subei was too big, including the entire Subei Army. The consumption was astonishing. It was unknown when the drought would end. If it dragged on for too long, the imperial court could not afford it.
After the Minister of Revenue peeled off the second batch of supplies, he calculated the remaining quantity and had to come to Shang Junlin with a bitter face.
At this time, Shang Junlin was discussing the alcohol with Shen Yu in Yuzhang Palace.
After more than a month of trial and error, Shen Yue finally succeeded in producing the first bottle of medical alcohol. She sent the alcohol to Yuzhang Palace as soon as possible.
Eunuch Meng walked in from outside. "Your Majesty, the Minister of Revenue requests an audience."
"It's probably about the disaster relief supplies. Your Majesty, can I come with you?" Shen Yu had some thoughts about this matter.
"Then A Yu will accompany me to the imperial study."
Therefore, when the Minister of Revenue arrived at the imperial study, he saw Shen Yu and Shang Junlin.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." Although he did not understand why Your Majesty was here, the Minister of Revenue still bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, the national treasury is not enough to support the disaster in Subei for a long time. If there is no other way, it can only last for a month at most. However, Your Majesty also knows that after the drought, there are often locusts, plagues, and other situations. I'm afraid that in a month …"
There was another very serious problem. After autumn, before winter, the nomads in the north would go south and rob everything they could. If Subei was still affected by the disaster at that time, Dahuan would be in danger.
"Do you have a plan?" Shang Junlin certainly knew the seriousness of the problem.
"I have thought of two ways. One is to levy more taxes, and the other is to collect more taxes. These two methods can solve the urgent problem." The Minister of Revenue said in a deep voice.
Shang Junlin frowned. The taxes in Dahuan were all collected at the end of the year. If they were collected now, many people would not be able to pay. Moreover, these two methods would take a certain amount of time to complete. From the local area to the capital and then to Subei, it would take too much time. It would also consume a lot of manpower and material resources.
"I also know that this method is not appropriate, but …" There was no other way for the time being.
"Your Majesty, I have an idea. Instead of levying more taxes and collecting more taxes, it will be voluntary donations. For the people, they will donate as much as they can. We can't affect their normal lives for the disaster relief. For the rich aristocrats or members of the Imperial Clan, we can give them a certain amount of rewards based on the amount they donate. This method focuses on the rewards. The rich all have a competitive mentality. Wouldn't it be better to let them donate voluntarily rather than forcibly collecting? "
The Minister of Revenue was a smart person. He could immediately figure out the difference between the two methods. If they were to change to voluntary donations, there would be no complaints. It would also give the donors a sense of honor.
He cupped his hands and saluted Shen Yu: "Your Majesty is a great talent!"
"Daren doesn't need to be so polite. The specific operation still needs Daren to take care of it. There are also the various vassals. Subei is in trouble. As relatives of the Imperial Clan, they should contribute to the country."
After listening to Shen Yu's words, the Minister of Revenue couldn't help but look at him again. He cupped his hands and said: "I will do my best!"
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