Accidentally dressed as an empress

Chapter 185 Reinforcements Arrived

The officers and soldiers used heavy iron chains to string the bandits together one by one and formed them into a long line.

Su Qing walked in front of the team, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. The escort team moved slowly through the forest, the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, dappling the people.

On the way, several bandits tried to break free from the chains and escape, but they were no match for the well-trained officers and soldiers. They were restrained by the soldiers as soon as they made any move.

Su Qing turned around and said coldly: "Don't make any more tricks, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless with my knife." After hearing this, the bandits had no choice but to lower their heads.

Su Qing stepped quickly into the prefect's mansion. The armor on his body was still stained with traces of battle, mixed with the smell of dust and blood.

In the courtyard outside the lobby, several pine and cypress trees stand tall in the wind.

Su Qing walked to the center of the lobby, and sunlight shone onto the ground through the windows on both sides of the lobby.

Su Qing knelt heavily on one knee, making a dull thud. He clasped his hands together and said loudly, "Master, I have fulfilled your command! Those bandits are truly despicable. They even wantonly robbed the refugees of their life-saving food.

"My subordinates engaged in a fierce battle with them. After a hard fight, we finally killed all the bandits. Not only that, we also successfully seized all the food they had stolen from the refugees. Not a single grain was lost, and it has now been properly disposed of."

"Good! You did a great job!" Yunxiu praised loudly. "This time, you not only eliminated the harm to the people, but also recovered the food, alleviating the refugees' urgent need."

Yunxiu said as she walked down the stairs, came to Su Qing, helped her up personally, and patted her shoulder.

"These foods are the lifeblood of the people. Now that we have them, the refugees can survive this cold winter.

This evening, take the confiscated grain and distribute it again."

Su Qing clasped his fists and said, "I obey your orders."

Yunxiu asked again, "Tell me in detail, what was the battle like? Were there any soldiers injured?"

Su Qing replied, "Master, although the bandits are outnumbered, they are all extremely fierce. However, our soldiers are in high spirits and no one has retreated. Several soldiers have been slightly injured, but they are not seriously injured and have been properly treated."

Yunxiu frowned slightly, her face showing concern. "Make sure to take good care of the injured soldiers. You have performed a great service this time. I will write to General Lin and ask for your commendation."

Su Qing quickly knelt on one knee and said, "It is my duty to share my master's worries. I dare not take credit for it."

Yun Xiu smiled and said, "Prepare some wine and good food tonight, and celebrate with the soldiers. Tomorrow, you will return to Xiling, and this will be my farewell to you."

"Leaving tomorrow? There's still one day left." Su Qing looked puzzled.

Yunxiu patted Su Qing's shoulder and said, "Let's set off early. The soldiers are all from Xiling. If they stay too long, their morale will inevitably be unstable. Now that the bandit problem has been eliminated, you don't have to worry about me."

Su Qing nodded, "I obey your command."

At this moment, Su Da hurried in, her face filled with excitement and joy. As soon as she entered the room, she announced loudly, "Master, Captain Zhong Lu is here!"

Yunxiu was originally sitting on a chair, and her eyes lit up instantly when she heard this.

"You've arrived just in time! Let's go to the city gate to welcome him. Let's go together." As he said that, Yunxiu walked a few steps to Su Qing, took Su Qing's arm without saying anything, and walked out.

Su Qing staggered when he was pulled, but he quickly reacted and followed Yunxiu's steps.

The two of them hurried all the way to the courtyard, where they happened to meet Zhong Yi.

Seeing this, Yunxiu quickly walked over to Zhong Yi, tugged at his sleeve, and said, "Zhong Lu is here, Ayi, let's go pick her up together!"

Accompanied by the guards, the three of them quickly came to the city gate and quickly climbed up the stairs to the city wall.

Zhong Yi stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance, his eyes filled with eagerness and anticipation. The wind whistled past, ruffling his hair and clothes, but he was oblivious, staring intently into the distance.

Yunxiu, standing nearby, was also beaming with excitement, her eyes fixed on the direction they were coming from, occasionally standing on tiptoe to try and see further. Her hands unconsciously gripped the railing, the veins on the back of her hands bulging slightly, revealing her inner excitement.

Su Qing carefully observed the surrounding movements. Even in this moment of anticipation, she could not let her guard down. Her eyes swept over the soldiers below the city, the road in the distance, and the trees on both sides of the road. No trace of movement escaped her eyes.

Soon, a cloud of dust was seen rising from the distant horizon, and the faint sound of horses' hooves of the marching team could be heard rolling in like thunder.

A relieved smile appeared on Yunxiu's face. Zhong Lu had come.

Zhong Lu took the lead, riding on a tall horse with a nimble posture.

Behind her was a mighty support team. All the soldiers were in high spirits, and their armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Zhong Lu and Ren Li rode at full speed, sleeping in the open air and eating in the wind and rain without slacking off at all.

When they approached the destination, she raised the flag in her hand high and waved it vigorously, and the team immediately sped up.

"We are here!" Zhong Lu's voice was like a huge bell, floating in the wind.

The arrival of the support team brought not only personnel and supplies, but also hope. The famine in Yunyin City was saved.

Yunxiu looked at Su Qing: "Zhong Lu is here too. Tonight, we should get together and have a good meal."

The moment Zhong Yi saw Zhong Lu, they smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.

Zhong Yi hurried forward and held Zhong Lu's hand tightly, "You're finally here. If you were any later, we really wouldn't know what to do."

Zhong Lu shook his hand back firmly, his gaze lingering on Zhong Yi's face for a moment before he smiled brightly, "Brother, don't worry. Now that I'm here, I won't let Yunyin City starve anymore."

She turned to look at the orderly support team behind her and shouted, "Set up camp quickly and place supplies."

Yunxiu walked towards Ren Li and asked, "What did you bring?"

Ren Li smiled mysteriously, "I have everything. Your Highness has deposited so much money with me, now is the time to spend it."

It’s not easy to organize this banquet tonight.

If Ren Li and Zhong Lu had not arrived in time with support, Zhong Yi would not have been able to manage the situation even if he had searched all the supplies in the prefectural mansion.

As night fell, the banquet began in a lively atmosphere.

In the center of the banquet, wild boar meat was roasting on a huge rack. The sizzling wild boar meat gradually turned golden and crispy under the licking of flames.

The aroma filled the entire venue, making everyone salivate. Everyone sat together, holding wine bowls in their hands, toasting each other, the mellow aroma of wine blending with the aroma of barbecue.

Ren Li walked over to Yun Xiu and sat down. She leaned slightly closer to Yun Xiu and whispered, "Your Highness, everything you ordered is proceeding smoothly. Now the silk and linen business has been successfully developed, and trade routes from all over the country are gradually being opened up. More and more merchants are coming here, and we have no worries about selling our goods, and the profits are endless."

She paused, then continued, "You decided to give the papermaking business to the one in Lingyun City. After all, that's the government. We don't dare to invest too much in it at the moment, so we're just keeping it small. Firstly, the people shouldn't fight with the government, and secondly, we want to wait and see how the situation develops to ensure everything is safe."

At this point, Ren Li's eyes became more focused. "After this period of hard work, the saltpeter mine and porcelain business have begun to take off and are already on the right track."

Yunxiu nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction in her eyes. She picked up the tea bowl in front of her and took a sip.

Seeing this, Ren Li also picked up his wine bowl and gently touched Yunxiu's bowl with the edge of the bowl, making a crisp sound.

She looked at Yunxiu with a burning gaze, her eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation. "You asked me to come here, so I guess you have some new business opportunities, right?"

Yun Xiu put down the tea bowl, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile, "Yunyin City's industry, salt mining, are you interested in participating?"

Ren Li's eyes widened when he heard this. Salt! In ancient times, this was a monopoly industry that was related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Its importance was self-evident.

A smile of surprise instantly spread across her face, and she quickly said, "Then I must participate! Your Highness, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely give it my all."

Yun Xiu waved his hand, his expression becoming serious. "But I've previously researched the salinized soil here, and it's a bit special. There's less sodium salt and more potassium salt. You know, this is actually saltpeter... Saltpeter mines are hard to come by, but outside of Yunyin City, saltpeter is everywhere. Saltpeter is one of the basic ingredients for making gunpowder."

Ren Li was shocked when she heard this. She looked at Yun Xiu in surprise and blurted out, "Gunpowder?"

Yunxiu nodded slowly, a deep light in her eyes, "That's right."

Which time traveler doesn’t want to make gunpowder?

Yunxiu added, "There's one more important thing. If the saline-alkali land here can be properly managed, the salt content reduced, and the land improved, we can grow rice. This would be a great thing for us, killing two birds with one stone."