Men, listen, grab the top of the mountain and stand in the center position

The Third Prince was crestfallen, feeling very aggrieved. This man was truly a fool; he had to explain, that sadness. "Madam, General Zheng, because Sanlang was in charge of dredging and building a canal from the suburbs to the city a few years ago, he consulted the prefect, and that's why we have only had official correspondence."

After he finished his defense, no one paid any attention to him.

Wangshu asked about the enemies on all sides.

"Have there been any unusual movements in the Liao Dynasty and the Northwest recently?"

Qin Yi stepped forward and bowed his head in response, "Madam, this year is colder than usual, with a longer winter. Reports from Taiyuan Prefecture indicate that the Liao army has been making inroads southward. Informants claim that a large number of livestock froze to death in the Liao last year. Several major tribes are beginning to unite again, but the current situation of the army is unknown. In the northwest, Qin Wu has returned to Longzhou with 200,000 troops. The army has not yet moved eastward. There are no unusual conditions in Sanguan City, and Generals Li and Zhang are guarding the city."

Two hundred thousand!

Wangshu pondered for a moment and pointed to the east.

"How many troops does Jinan Prefecture have?"

"Eight thousand."

"Where is Yanshan?" Wangshu pointed to the northeast.

Qin Yi lowered his head to see where he was pointing, and said confidently, "To the north and east of Yanshan are mountains and vast deserts. We have a continuous Great Wall and peaks. The garrison here is less than 10,000."

"Where is Taiyuan Prefecture?" This is the first line of defense against the Liao Dynasty in the north.

"We have a large force, General Ashina and General Han are here."

Generals are matched with one who is brave and the other who is wise.

"What about Bazhou?"

Qin Yi replied calmly, "The heavy troops are now guarded by Qin Er and Master."

This teacher was not old, but his health was not good. However, he was still hanging on for several more breaths. He was very wise and cunning as a fox. He was determined to destroy Yongzhou and guard Bazhou with all his heart.

Wangshu had met him twice in his early years and nodded.

There were only two generals in Chang'an City, Qin Yi and Zheng Da.

The north and the west are always ready to make moves. Zheng Da is always in charge of the rear and the front line and cannot leave. The men in the land of Qi and Lu are the most self-righteous. As a woman, Qin Yi will find it difficult to inspire people's hearts.

Zheng Da obviously had the same idea in mind. "Why not Qin Qi and Qin Ba go?"

The ice block is no small matter. The prefect first informed the Third Prince, so he had to be on guard and arrange for his own people to go and settle the account.

Zhou Wuxie, who had been listening quietly, stood up and volunteered, "Time is of the essence to protect the people along the river and the fertile fields. Our top priority is to break the ice downstream and move the ice to clear the path to the sea. Wuxie is willing to do his bit."

The Third Prince, who has yet to clear himself of suspicion of private correspondence with his former ministers: ...

Wangshu pointed at the map of the region with his fingers. "If Wu Xie goes, how much supplies and manpower will we need to prepare, and how will we do it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and asked Xiaoqing to invite Xie Xin over.

Zhou Wuxie took two steps forward. "We must mobilize three thousand troops from Jinan Prefecture and organize the people from the surrounding counties. We must do our best to clear the floating ice downstream and dredge the tributaries and canals that can drain water downstream to relieve the pressure upstream. Along the way upstream, we must use sticks, pickaxes, stones, and other tools to break up the ice and move the ice... At the same time, we must also move the people and property and make arrangements for their resettlement. Horses, ropes, warm clothing and gloves, iron claws, wheelbarrows, shoulder poles..."

Explain each one in detail and in an orderly manner.

Before he knew it, Zheng Da's pen was saturated with ink as he took notes. Zhou Wuxie concluded by recounting several instances in history of massive ice sheets displacing civilians and sweeping vast expanses of fertile land. He emphasized, "Ice sheet bursts are swift and violent. At this point, human intervention is unstoppable. Relocate the people as quickly as possible. The old prefect has been in office for many years, so it's not too late for him to respond."

He faced his mistress and said slowly, "The ice was too thick early on, and human power was powerless. The prefect's intelligence reports indicate that on-site thickness measurements and observations of melting differences were being made. We've been diligent in our efforts to relocate some of the people to higher ground."

Qin Yi glanced at the warrior who was facing the mistress.

Zheng Da grabbed the man and looked him in the eye. "Your Highness, every autumn for the past ten years, Jinan Prefecture has organized the people to dredge rivers, build water diversion canals, and construct embankments and dams. Irrigation canals in particular have been increased repeatedly, becoming as dense as a fishing net. This year, the temperature rise between the north and the south is extremely out of sync, and the ice is thicker than in previous years. Therefore, we estimate that the ice sheet will be very large. However, if the prefect's previous efforts have been fully supervised, a natural disaster will indeed occur. It is God's will."

"What we need to do now is race against time. The Liao Dynasty and Northwest Prefecture have suffered severe disasters this year, and they will definitely send more troops south. Huainan has vast tracts of fertile land, stretching for thousands of miles. Taxes have been restored in recent years, and granaries are full. If our soldiers are well fed, there's no need to worry about the enemy invading. We are strong and powerful and will defeat them!"

"Last year, Huainan added three new canals over 100 miles long, and existing canals are being desilted and extended. The dense water network is taking the lead in diverting water. Even if the ice sheets are worse than in previous years, there is time to respond."

All of this intelligence was organized in files at the Chang'an government office. Zheng Da pointed to the half-stacked volumes that had been brought over and said, "If there really is a dangerous ice floe situation that spreads over a thousand miles like in the previous dynasty, it wouldn't be a natural disaster, but a man-made one."

Zheng Da, a general who had graduated from the Martial Academy and been promoted step by step, stared seriously at the former imperial consort who dared to look directly at his mistress with a questioning tone, "Why is the prefect panicking? Should the intelligence be sent to the Third Prince immediately?"

The Third Prince grew increasingly timid, his shoulders hunched. "Wu Xie, he passed the tip to me. I'm afraid he's guilty and wants to use my influence. Huainan hasn't had any major ice-floe disasters in the past five years. Furthermore, the canals have been continuously expanded and dredged year after year, and the amount of water diverted is incomparable to what it used to be. Perhaps the prefect was being careless!"

Although the general has not yet ascended the throne and local officials are in great need, the Third Prince himself admits that when an order is issued today, the generals in charge will go directly to the local area with money, allocate nearby soldiers, organize the people, and get things done as soon as they are told. This is much better than the incompetent officials of the previous dynasty who were in a state of arguing with each other, giving gifts everywhere, fooling their superiors, and unable to get things done.

Zhou Wuxie's face flashed with regret, and he quickly bowed his head and apologized, "Please forgive me, Madam. I was angry at the moment and didn't understand the previous situation. I had a preconceived notion and made a fool of myself."

Wangshu smiled, not really caring. "Times have changed. Things and people have changed. Wuxie, you need to change your mindset more often."

They criticized her as an incompetent official and actually thought she was one of those good-for-nothings from the previous dynasty. What a preconceived notion!

The Third Prince cried out in his heart: "Idiot teammates, idiot teammates, my life is over!" He wiped his face and was about to say something else when someone hurried upstairs. The maid whispered to remind him, "Madam, Master Xie is here."

Wangshu and Zhengda made a gesture, and Zhengda understood what was going on. He pulled Xie Xin aside and explained the details.

The Third Prince watched his mistress open her mother-of-pearl coin box and had Qin Yi count the banknotes. He then wrote fluently, "Qin Yi will be the principal, Xie Xin will be the assistant. We will take 500,000 taels of silver banknotes to the four major merchants to exchange for silver and money for disaster relief. We will also mobilize officials, soldiers, and civilians from all prefectures and counties in Huainan to work together to alleviate the disaster! Disaster relief is a major undertaking, so everything else will be put on hold. If there are any obstacles, we will settle the matter later."

The signature was Ji Wangshu. The charcoal characters at the front were long and thin, and the signature at the back was written with an iron pen and a silver hook, as powerful as thunder. The last stroke went through the whole name, and was stamped with the company's and government seals.