Empress Cao comforted him, "Don't worry, General. We are already collecting food and fodder and have sent them to the border in batches. When you return to the court, you should see the food carts being transported to the border."
Qin Zhou said, "Yes, I saw it, but the number is far from enough. Also, on my way back, I saw people in the disaster area fleeing to other places, and there were starving refugees everywhere. Could it be that the relief grain from the court could not be delivered?"
Only Qin Zhou dared to ask this question.
But Qin Zhou never asked in the past and never questioned any decision of the emperor. But this time on the way back to Beijing, what she saw was really shocking.
Earthquakes are common in the Northern Desert. As a result, the emperor will constantly want to invade other countries' territories to save the people from the suffering of earthquakes.
However, the aftermath of this earthquake is more severe than any previous one.
It’s not that there haven’t been outbreaks of plague, but they were always brought under control quickly.
This time, it has been nearly a month since the earthquake, and not only has the disaster area not been rebuilt, it has not even been cleaned up yet. Corpses are piled up, and everywhere is in ruins. There are not even soldiers to maintain order.
Of course she knew that most of the soldiers had already gone out to fight against the Great Zhou, but there were still troops and soldiers in the country. Why didn't the emperor send these people into the epidemic area? Now he had to mobilize troops from the border
The emperor said, "The relief food has already been sent down. As for the people fleeing, I have also learned about this situation and understand that it is because of the rampant plague."
Qin Zhou asked again: "What does the emperor think of this plague? It seems to be more severe than any previous one. Moreover, the regent princess of the Great Zhou, Xia Zian, said that this plague will spread on a large scale. I wonder if the emperor has any measures? Xia Zian gave a prescription. Has the emperor ordered people to develop a prescription to see if it can curb the plague?"
Qin Zhou's aggressiveness made the emperor a little unhappy.
Seeing the emperor's expression change slightly, Empress Cao hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "The general just came back and must be tired. Go back and rest for a while before entering the palace to talk to me. As for the soldiers you brought back, the emperor has already made a decision and will allocate 30,000 people to the disaster area."
"Thirty thousand people? But this time I brought back one hundred thousand people. Isn't that what the emperor said in his decree?" Qin Zhou was puzzled.
The emperor said slowly: "For the remaining 70,000 people, no arrangements will be made for the time being and they will be stationed outside the city."
Qin Zhou raised his voice slightly, "Seventy thousand troops are stationed outside the city? Why? Your Majesty, isn't this a waste of troops? When they come back, they should go to the disaster area. If it is for the protection of the capital's security, there are already troops stationed in the capital."
That group of garrison troops should have entered the disaster area for rescue during the earthquake, but the emperor did not send them out. He only asked the government offices in the disaster-stricken areas and Chongqingyuan Prefecture to transfer some garrison troops to the disaster area for disaster relief, which led to a serious shortage of manpower.
The emperor looked at Qin Zhou, his lips curled up, "General, you have a lot of questions. Are you dissatisfied with my actions?"
Qin Zhou was startled, then realized that he was too sharp, and quickly bowed and said: "I dare not, I have overstepped the boundaries."
"The general never oversteps the line." The emperor reminded intentionally or unintentionally.
Qin Zhou's heart sank, and he quickly stood up and knelt on one knee, "I will not overstep the boundaries. This time, I was too impatient and reckless. I was really shocked by what I saw on the way back, so I said something disrespectful."
"General, I will not care about anything you do or say. Get up quickly. As for the matters in the disaster area, I have already made proper arrangements. General, don't worry. Go back home and have a rest first." said the emperor.
Qin Zhou stood up, clasped his hands and said, "Yes, I'll take my leave!"
After Qin Zhou left, the emperor said to Empress Cao, "Go and say a few words to her."
Empress Cao stood up and bowed, "Yes, I will go there in a moment."
When Qin Zhou walked out to the palace alley, he heard the maid beside Empress Cao calling out, "General Qin, the Empress wants you to come over."
Qin Zhou was not surprised. She and Empress Cao had always been on good terms and would talk to each other in private, so she said, "Please lead the way."
Queen Cao was waiting for her in the pavilion in the imperial garden and had already prepared wine and food.
Empress Cao was dressed in a dignified and elegant court dress, and she looked graceful. Seeing Qin Zhou coming, she smiled and said, "Hurry up and sit down. I have already ordered people to prepare food to welcome you."
"Your Majesty is so thoughtful." Qin Zhou bowed and sat down without any hesitation.
Empress Cao personally poured her some wine and said, "You must have had a hard time on this journey, right?"
"How can it be hard to go home? Soldiers who go to war are all eager to return home." Qin Zhou raised his glass, "I offer a toast to the queen."
The Queen stretched out her hand to suppress it, and said sternly: "Don't drink it yet, there is a letter that I want to show you."
Seeing the queen's serious expression, Qin Zhou put down his wine glass and asked, "What letter?"
"This is a letter sent by Concubine Yi of the Great Zhou Dynasty. After reading it, you will know the real purpose of Murong Jie and his wife coming to Beimo and the Great Zhou Emperor's plan."
Empress Cao took out a brocade bag from her sleeve pocket and handed it to her, "Look for yourself."
Qin Zhou knew that a spy from Beimo had infiltrated the palace of Da Zhou and had obtained "cooperation" with Concubine Yi, the mother of Da Zhou's seventh prince.
She took the letter from the brocade bag, unfolded it and read it. Her face suddenly changed and she said angrily, "What a Murong Jie! How dare you lie to me?"
In the letter, Concubine Yi said that Murong Jie and Xia Zian's trip was to contact the peace-loving faction in Northern Desert, force the current emperor to abdicate, and help Prince Qi to rebel. As for Xia Zian, he created panic about the plague to make the people of Northern Desert lose confidence in the emperor and turn to support Prince Qi.
Empress Cao sneered, "Who is Murong Jie? Although you didn't go to war with him officially, you must have suffered a lot from him in the small fights, right? Is he such a smooth person? The two armies were facing each other, but he stopped fighting and sent people to help our Beimo. If he didn't have bad intentions, it would be inconsistent with his character. And, his princess, I have also inquired about it. She is a vicious person. Her father and grandmother died because of her scheme. Just because her father did not surrender to Murong Jie and surrendered to the prince, she took ruthless action. Poor Prime Minister Xia, I am afraid he never thought that he would die at the hands of his own daughter until his death."
Queen Cao said this while looking at Qin Zhou's expression.
She knew that Qin Zhou was a man with a strong sense of family and was very filial. What he hated most were those who forgot their roots and betrayed their family. It seemed that after hearing these words, she hated Xia Zian to the core.
As expected, Qin Zhou said coldly: "It's better that Xia Zian doesn't fall into my hands. If she does, I will make her suffer a fate worse than death."
Empress Cao sighed, "Now you know why the emperor left some people to garrison in the capital, right? This is to prevent Prince Qi and Murong Jie from colluding to start a rebellion. Once the imperial city is lost, the soldiers at the border will be attacked by Murong Jie. By then, the general can foresee what the situation will be like."
(End of this chapter)