Traveling through thousands of years, I only love you

After Xiao Yi and Li Lingyuan embraced each other, they realized that the victory before them was only a temporary respite. The country was in tatters after the baptism of war and needed to be repaired urgently. They had no time to indulge in the joy of reunion and immediately threw themselves into the post-war reconstruction work.

In the palace, Xiao Yi urgently convened a meeting of ministers to discuss countermeasures. The ministers expressed their opinions. Some advocated increasing the construction of border and coastal defenses to ensure that foreign invaders could not break through again; some suggested resuming agricultural production as soon as possible to solve the problem of food and clothing for the people; and still others proposed comforting the families who lost loved ones in the war and stabilizing the people's hearts. Xiao Yi listened carefully to each suggestion and said with a firm gaze, "I have made up my mind. These measures must be implemented and implemented as soon as possible. The safety of the country and the well-being of the people are our top priorities at this time."

Li Lingyuan went deep into the people to understand their actual needs. She came to the villages that had been reduced to ruins by the war, and the scene before her made her heartbroken. Houses collapsed, farmland was abandoned, and the people were displaced, their eyes filled with fear and helplessness. She walked up to a group of people who were searching for usable items in the ruins and asked softly, "What do you need most now?" An old man looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, we have no place to live and no food to eat. Many people are injured and need medical treatment urgently." Li Lingyuan shook the old man's hand and said, "Old man, the court will help you. We will definitely get through this difficult time."

After returning to the palace, Li Lingyuan informed Xiao Yi of the situation among the people, and the two decided to start by resettling the people and providing medical assistance. The court quickly organized a large amount of manpower and material resources to build temporary shelters. Li Lingyuan personally supervised the construction of the shelters. She required that the shelters be sturdy and warm so that the people could have a place to stay before the cold winter came. However, the shortage of materials such as wood and cloth became the first problem. The nearby forests had been destroyed by war, and there were limited trees to be cut down. Most of the workshops that made thermal cloth had stopped production, and the supply of raw materials was insufficient. Li Lingyuan had to send people to further places to find resources, which not only increased transportation costs but also took a lot of time.

At the same time, the imperial court mobilized doctors and medicinal materials from across the country and established temporary medical centers in the affected areas to treat the injured. However, a new problem soon arose: the variety and quantity of medicinal materials fell far short of the demand. Some precious herbs had been looted or damaged in the fighting, and the existing number of doctors was insufficient to treat such a large number of wounded. Li Lingyuan was extremely anxious. On the one hand, she organized personnel to search for people with knowledge of herbal medicine in the countryside, hoping to collect more herbs from the surrounding mountains and forests. On the other hand, she tried to train more doctors within the palace, but the training of new talents took time and could not solve the urgent problem in the short term.

Xiao Yi personally oversaw the reconstruction of the fortifications and the deployment of the military. He traveled to the border and, along with his generals, inspected the damaged city walls and defenses. Looking at the areas damaged by the enemy, Xiao Yi frowned, "We must strengthen our defenses here and not allow the enemy another opportunity." He ordered the mobilization of more craftsmen and materials to rebuild the fortifications to a higher standard. However, the craftsmen had died or fled during the war, leaving only a few remaining, and recruiting them proved difficult. Furthermore, transporting the materials was extremely difficult. The roads had been severely damaged and difficult to navigate, and transport convoys often became bogged down in mud or encountered landslides, resulting in significant material losses.

Along the coast, the construction of defensive facilities was also underway. Xiao Yi borrowed design features from foreign warships and improved coastal artillery batteries and warships, increasing their offensive and defensive capabilities. He also established beacon towers and watchtowers along the coast, forming a comprehensive early warning system. However, the fishermen in the coastal areas suffered heavy losses in the war. Many lost their boats and fishing gear, and their livelihoods were in dire straits. They had no interest in participating in the construction of defensive facilities. Xiao Yi was forced to allocate some supplies to rescue the fishermen first, while also persuading them to join the construction to ensure the smooth progress of coastal defense work.

In addition to defense and relief, restoring the economy is also a top priority. Li Lingyuan proposed a series of measures to promote the development of agriculture and commerce. In terms of agriculture, the court distributed seeds and farm tools to farmers and sent agricultural officials to guide them in farming. For those farmlands abandoned by the war, the court organized the people to reclaim them, and at the same time built irrigation facilities to improve soil conditions. However, the distribution of seeds and farm tools was not smooth. Some local officials withheld supplies for their own benefit, resulting in some farmers not being able to get enough support. Moreover, the long-term war reduced the fertility of the land, and the reclamation work was extremely difficult. The people often worked all day but achieved little.

Regarding commerce, the imperial court lowered commercial taxes to encourage merchants to reopen. Li Lingyuan also organized fairs and trade events to promote the circulation of goods. However, merchants were apprehensive. They feared another foreign invasion and the loss of their goods. Furthermore, the postwar market was depressed, and purchasing power was low. Many merchants remained on the sidelines, unwilling to invest capital.

To encourage local residents to actively participate in the reconstruction efforts, Xiao Yi and Li Lingyuan decided to personally participate in some of the labor. At a ceremony marking the opening of new farmland, Xiao Yi and Li Lingyuan picked up hoes and worked alongside the locals. Their actions greatly encouraged local residents, and more and more joined the effort to rebuild their homes.

In the process, Xiao Yi and Li Lingyuan's feelings also quietly deepened. In addition to their busy work, they always took time to get together and talk to each other about their fatigue and expectations for the future.

One evening, Xiao Yi and Li Lingyuan strolled through the palace gardens. Xiao Yi held Li Lingyuan's hand and said, "Lingyuan, thank you for your hard work. Seeing how dedicated you are to the people, I am even more certain that you are a treasure bestowed upon me and this country by Heaven." Li Lingyuan leaned on Xiao Yi's shoulder and said, "Your Majesty, this is our shared responsibility. Whenever I see the people suffering, I am reminded of everything we've been through. We cannot let this country fall in war."

However, the reconstruction effort was not without its challenges. Corruption and corruption were rampant during the distribution of supplies. Some officials withheld supplies, leaving civilians and soldiers on the front lines without adequate supplies. Upon learning of this, Emperor Xiao Yi was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. Li Lingyuan actively cooperated, and they established a strict oversight mechanism to monitor the procurement, transportation, and distribution of supplies. After an investigation, many corrupt officials were brought to justice, and the distribution of supplies gradually returned to normal.

Meanwhile, despite their defeats on the battlefield, the foreign invaders had not given up their aggression. They continued to carry out small-scale harassments along the border and coastal areas, attempting to disrupt the court's reconstruction efforts. Xiao Yi strengthened his military forces along the border and coastal areas, and launched a powerful counterattack against the enemy's harassment.

During a harassment by a foreign tribe, the enemy attacked a border village at night. Upon learning of the situation, Xiao Yi immediately led his troops to the rescue. When they arrived, the village was engulfed in flames. Furious, Xiao Yi led his troops in a fierce battle against the enemy. Unfortunately, Xiao Yi was wounded during the battle, but he persevered in leading the troops until the enemy was driven back.

Li Lingyuan was distraught when she learned of Xiao Yi's injury. She immediately rushed to Xiao Yi's side, and tears streamed down her face as she looked at his injured body. "Your Majesty, how could you be so careless? What would I do if anything happened to you?" Xiao Yi smiled and comforted her, "Lingyuan, I'm fine. This minor injury is nothing. As long as I can protect the people, it's all worth it."

This incident heightened the court's awareness of the continued threat posed by foreign invaders, necessitating accelerated reconstruction and strengthening the nation's strength. While Xiao Yi recuperated, Li Lingyuan assumed increased responsibility, coordinating efforts to ensure smooth reconstruction. At the same time, she also considered how to fundamentally address the threat posed by foreign invaders.

Li Lingyuan considered diplomatic means. She suggested that Xiao Yi send envoys to neighboring countries to seek alliances and jointly resist foreign aggression. Xiao Yi thought this suggestion made sense, so he selected several ministers with eloquence and diplomatic talents to serve as envoys to various countries.

Embracing the court's sincerity and generous gifts, the envoys explained the current situation and the importance of a joint fight against foreign enemies. Some nations expressed support for the court's proposal, expressing a willingness to ally with the court to jointly resist the foreign invaders. However, others were ambivalent, fearing that an alliance with the court would backfire or seeking to profit from the conflict between the court and foreign enemies. The envoys had to devote considerable time and effort to persuading these nations, encountering considerable indifference and harassment along the way.

Over time, the nation's reconstruction efforts yielded remarkable results. People moved into new homes, farmlands flourished, and commerce flourished. Border and coastal fortifications were strengthened, and military capabilities were enhanced. Under the imperial court's guidance, military cooperation and intelligence sharing among the alliance members proceeded in an orderly manner.

At a palace celebration, Xiao Yi and Li Lingyuan stood on a high platform, looking out at the cheering people below. Xiao Yi said with emotion, "Lingyuan, we did it. This country has been reborn from the flames of war, and this is the result of everyone's joint efforts." Li Lingyuan smiled and nodded, "Your Majesty, this is just the beginning. We must make this country even stronger and ensure that our people live a happy life forever."

Yet, they also knew that many challenges lay ahead. Foreign threats persisted, and domestic development required continuous advancement. But they believed that as long as they worked together, alongside the people and soldiers, nothing could stop the nation's progress. Their love, tested by war and reconstruction, had become even more unbreakable. They would continue to work for the prosperity and peace of this nation, writing their own legend.