After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 777 - 767 Departure (Mo Yan, a deep call to you)

Chapter 777: Chapter 767 Departure (Mo Yan, a deep call to you)

Zhao Hanzhang prepared gifts and selected a date to go to Yun City, but before she set off, Zhao Ju’s Zhao Family Army moved first.

Due to her special relationship with Gou Xi and the Emperor, she couldn’t take too many troops into Yan State, so she chose only a thousand personal guards to accompany her.

Similarly, she couldn’t just enter Gou Xi’s territory with only a thousand men. On the day she entered Yan State, the Zhao Family Army stationed their forces at the border, waiting for orders.

Zhao Ming sent them off outside the city. Although uncharacteristically calm, his words were still not very pleasant, "Look, even if you’ve prepared lavish gifts for the Emperor and Gou Xi, you don’t dare go to Yun City alone. Without even the most basic trust, are you sure giving gifts will be effective?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "You’re too late, the golden Buddha is already packed up. It’s too troublesome to open it again now."

Fu Tinghan beside her said, "Do you really not need me to accompany you?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded and said, "You go back to Luoyang. I’ll also return to Luoyang after the heavenly sacrifice is over. Yun City is very safe, don’t worry."

This time, many inspectors and vassal kings would be going; she bet that Gou Xi wouldn’t dare detain or kill her.

Zhao Ming said, "I will go on patrol in two days. You must send messages to the border every day. If we don’t receive any for a day, the army will advance into Yan State."

"Alright."

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang mount her horse, bringing along Fan Ying and Ming Yu.

That’s right, this time, Zhao Hanzhang brought Ming Yu, specially having him return from Luoyang. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

It’s a heavenly sacrifice after all, a matter of ceremony. Going to Yun City this time, there would likely be debates about ceremony, verbal jousting, necessitating someone with eloquence and a learned advisor.

Ming Yu had both qualities, and he had many acquaintances in Yan State. If a conflict did arise, his connections could be useful.

It usually took two days of fast travel from Chen County to the Yan State border, so Zhao Hanzhang set off early, slowing down along the way to check the summer sowing conditions.

By now, the spring wheat was mostly sun-dried and stored, and the summer sowing was done. The fastest-growing soybeans were already two fingers high, the slowest had sprouted.

Zhao Hanzhang was pleased with what she saw, though occasionally she looked up at the blazing sun with some worry. Although soybeans were drought-resistant, they still needed rain.

The last rainfall was eight days ago.

Ming Yu, seated with Zhao Hanzhang in a carriage so they could play chess together, glanced at the chessboard and then followed Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze outside, chuckling, "Don’t worry, Prefect. Last night I observed the celestial phenomena, and looking at today’s cloud cover, it should rain tomorrow."

Zhao Hanzhang: "You can read celestial phenomena too?"

Ming Yu: "As an advisor, one must know a bit of everything, especially discerning celestial phenomena, directions, and weather."

He said, "If there’s a strong wind today, it might rain overnight instead of tomorrow."

Thus, when camping overnight, Zhao Hanzhang had the tents set up on slightly higher ground. Sure enough, in the latter half of the night, a rainstorm started pounding down.

Zhao Hanzhang sat up on her wooden bed, threw on some clothes, and went out. Ting He, who was sleeping not far from her, woke up in shock and quickly wanted to get up.

Zhao Hanzhang pressed her down, saying, "Lie down, I’ll go check outside."

She put on a raincoat and straw hat, then went out to inspect the camp. Zeng Yue happened to come out as well. Seeing her, he immediately approached and cupped his hands, "Prefect!"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded and asked, "Are any tents flooded?"

"No, the water flows to lower ground. We avoided the waterways and low areas. But the wooden boards aren’t enough, so some soldiers are sleeping on clothes. Even with tents, the water seeps in, making it uncomfortable to sleep."

Zhao Hanzhang frowned and followed him to check the tents.

The wooden boards they used were basically dismantled from the carts, only enough for those above the rank of Assistant General. Other colonels and soldiers slept on bare ground.

The tents were mainly for mosquito protection in the summer.

After inspecting, Zhao Hanzhang said, "In the future, equip each soldier with an oilcloth. The oilcloth is waterproof and can be makeshift bedding."

An oilcloth wasn’t expensive, but outfitting the entire army would be costly. Zeng Yue grinned widely and promised aloud.

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at him and stepped into a tent. The ground was slow to soak even with the rain, so only a faint dampness was present.

With a frown, Zhao Hanzhang said, "The oilcloth needs redesigning. Ideally, the soldiers’ oilcloths could connect, linking to the tents to cover the whole floor, blocking moisture."

Zeng Yue scratched his head, asking, "Prefect, it rarely rains here. Do we need such detailed preparations?"

Northerners preferred to fight in autumn or winter, when it might not rain for a month. Soldiers only needed a piece of oilcloth; why bother connecting them?

How could already cut oilcloths be connected?

After giving him another look, Zhao Hanzhang said, "Forget it, let Ting Han handle this. It’s called being prepared. How do you know we won’t fight in rainy places later?"

That would be in Jiangnan or Huainan, Zeng Yue grumbled internally.

The rain came fast and heavy but also left quickly, gradually stopping after half an hour. However, small streams formed, flowing with the terrain into fields, quickly absorbed by the soil and crops.

In the darkness, Zhao Hanzhang stood by the roadside and smiled, delighted, "This rain is timely. I just hope it covers a wide area, ideally the whole Yu State."

Ming Yu also came out, holding onto a follower’s hand as he approached Zhao Hanzhang. He slightly bowed and said, "Covering the entire Yu State is impossible, but it should affect the two nearby counties."

Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t disappointed and cheerfully said, "That’s quite nice too."

Noticing the inspector’s smile, Ming Yu couldn’t help but smile as well, "Prefect, dawn is near. It’s better to rest early; tomorrow we enter Yan State."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Alright."

With the roads slippery from the rain, Zhao Hanzhang extended a hand to support Ming Yu, escorting him to his tent before returning to her own.

Ming Yu turned back to glance at her retreating figure. Once she entered the main tent, he bent and followed into his tent.

The follower whispered, "Sir, your health isn’t good. You shouldn’t have gotten up. If you catch a cold..."

Ming Yu waved his hand, saying, "I feel as if I took a divine pill."

He added, "Even the strictest Great General, Gou Daojiang, wouldn’t rise in the rain just to check if low-ranking soldiers got wet."

With a soft sigh, Ming Yu said, "She has a great benevolent heart, a blessing for the land. Before entering Yun City, quietly leave with my letter and meet General Pei."

"Yes."

After the rain here, Zhao Hanzhang contentedly lay on her bed made of two wooden boards, pulling a light blanket over before falling into a sound sleep. Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Pingyang Palace, Liu Yuan couldn’t fall asleep.

Tapping his forehead, he found he had a fever again. Feeling groggy and coughing, he irritably pushed away the medicine brought by the eunuch, displeased, "I’ve taken it for seven or eight days without improvement, no more."

He donned his clothes and walked out.