Chapter 391: Earthquake in Dongqing (XXIII)

Jiang Pengji’s question confused Luoyue. However, as an imperial guard, he had to obey Jiang Pengji’s orders. “Based what my knowledge, there are 1,000 men.”

The edict was clear, so how was there an extra 1,000 men?

Jiang Pengji’s eyebrows drew closer together. She listened intently to the series of footsteps that were approaching them. Luoyue’s hearing was not as insanely acute as Jiang Pengji’s, but as the mysterious forces came nearer, he instinctively tensed his muscles. He was ready for preventive measures.

Upon seeing Luoyue, who was ready for action, Feng Jin closed his eyes briefly as if he was contemplating something.

Tap, tap, tap!

A series of orderly but heavy footsteps came closer. The imperial guards waiting outside sensed a foreign force approaching. The probability of a riot increased steadily.

Jiang Pengji couldn’t sit tight. She rose and walked quickly past Luoyue and three other imperial guards. Flashes of small fires appeared, heading in their direction. The lights from the fire torches became clearer. There were three men in the group on horses.

Meng Hun was militant and naturally had the best eyesight. He swiftly found Jiang Pengji. His face lit up, and he quickened his horse’s pace.

“Langjun, hello!”

They’d been apart for years, but Meng Hun would never forget Jiang Pengji’s features––even if she did look exhausted.

Jiang Pengji identified the three people from afar. She almost thought her eyes were blurry until Meng Hun got down from the horse. She couldn’t contain her excitement. As soon as she regained her focus, she pulled Meng Hun up from his kneeling position. She half-smiled as she looked at Qiguan Rang.

Based on her understanding, Meng Hun could not carry out his task of leading the troops from afar. Moreover, they appeared at such a crucial moment. She pondered it, and the only person with the capability was Qiguan Rang.

“Wenzheng said before that you’d appear when Xi needed you most. Has the time come?” Jiang Pengji stepped forward. Qiguan Rang stepped on the stool to descend from his horse. He flicked dust off his sleeve and bowed to her respectfully.

He smiled bitterly and said, “Man proposes, but the gods dispose. I initially wanted to wait by Fengyi County for your grand arrival, but unbeknownst to me, the earthquake occurred.”

Jiang Pengji asked in confusion, “Why would you wait in Fengyi County?”

Qiguan Rang was about to speak when he caught sight of the imperial guards. His eyes flashed, and he swallowed back the words on his tongue.

Jiang Pengji sensed his actions and raised her hand. She ordered Luoyue to take the imperial guards away.

Luoyue felt it was unjust, but he was the mere leader of the imperial guards. He observed that Jiang Pengji’s troops were a rare breed of elite soldiers. Meng Hun, who was at the frontier, had understated vibes. His build was so intimidating that people shrank in his presence. Thus, Luoyue brought his men to retreat more than ten miles.

“Initially, I predicted that you would be hunted down by someone that was after your life. I took all possible routes into consideration and figured the border between Shangyang County and Fengyi County was highly possible. Thus, I brought men there to lie in wait and to also serve as a backup for you. When the earthquake happened, it messed up all the plans.” Qiguan Rang wore an expression of defeat.

Even if man saw no flaws in himself, he could not thwart heaven’s will.

Even if a man saw no flaws in himself, he could not thwart heaven’s will.

“Someone wanted to kill me? Why?” Jiang Pengji crossed her arms. It was not that she did not believe Qiguan Rang. She was curious.

Qiguan Rang shook his head and answered, “Matters have gone a different direction now. It is no longer relevant.”

It was obvious that Qiguan Rang was unwilling to reveal his thoughts.

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The earthquake not only disrupted Qiguan Rang’s plan, but also the plan of those who were eager to take action against the Emperor’s evil officials. The relatives of the land-owning class and the eunuchs had to hold their anger in. Even the crown prince, who wanted to usurp the throne, had the energy but was not given the opportunity. They were currently focused on escaping with their lives. There was no time to consider such “great ambitions.”

Jiang Pengji sighed deeply then said, “Even if you refuse to say, I can guess. Regardless, I am grateful to you.”

There was a lack of manpower. She witnessed people die when they could have been saved. Jiang Pengji’s feelings were valid.

Qiguan Rang brought 3,000 troops with him, 2,000 of which were searching to save the people in Fengyi County. The remaining 1,000 were of great assistance to Jiang Pengji.

“You flatter me. I’m just doing my job.”

Qiguan Rang narrowed his eyes. His pupils, which were normally moving about, were seemingly at peace.

His words moved Jiang Pengji; her smile became increasingly splendid.

“Since that’s the case, it is better to be early than late.” Jiang Pengji’s face was somber. She continued, “The earthquake has injured or killed countless people. The weather is scorching hot, so the corpses cannot be kept for long to prevent them from rotting and attracting parasites. It is imperative that we locate a place for burial to prevent an epidemic outbreak from spreading.”

Qiguan Rang nodded in agreement. “All things shall be decided by you.”

Jiang Pengji now had 1,000 imperial guards, 1,000 personal troops, and the people she had employed previously. The number of people she had expanded substantially.

She called for Qiguan Rang, Feng Jin, Xu Ke, Meng Hun, and Luoyue to prepare and regroup to search for survivors.

Whatever was going on in Luoyue’s mind, Jiang Pengji could not be bothered. It was enough that he obeyed her orders.

“Xiaoyu, did you bring the items I asked you to transport?”

With the 500 deniers of rice given by the Emperor, the rations could last for a few days. As for the medicinal herbs, she ordered men to search the vacant medical shops. She “borrowed” the herbs that no one wanted. If they used them sparingly, they could last for days.

The crucial issue was that burying all the bodies required a lot of lime.

Xu Ke was startled momentarily. He spoke up, “The items are in the carriage.”

Jiang Pengji ordered, “Get some men to transport the medicinal herbs and rations down. Lay some grass or something to cover the carriage. We will bury the corpses tonight. I have surveyed the weather and predict that it will rain in a few days. If the corpses rot, the water that touches the corpses and the rainwater will flow down together into the well and contaminate it. Consequently, we must control it. If people ingest contaminated water, an epidemic disease will be imminent.”

Jiang Pengji described the situation plainly. The people sitting around her had a change of expression.

They were imaginative. Their minds could not help but envision the scene Jiang Pengji described, and they were extremely disgusted.

“The north, south, east, and west of the city…” Jiang Pengji used a twig to draw out Shangjing’s map on the ground. She divided the map into four sections, and each section had 450 people assigned to it. People would then search for survivors and render aid in their assigned section. Each section was further divided into more detailed zones; she even had the resource routes mapped out.

Jiang Pengji’s thought flow was precise. She was quick at delegating tasks.

The people present were not foolish; they remembered their tasks and waited only for Jiang Pengji to give orders. If there was a poisoned corpse, it would follow the rainwater, drip into the well, and contaminate the water. Thus, they needed to decide where to bury the bodies.

Jiang Pengji took that into account. She circled a location.

“It’s situated on the mountain on the east side of the city. It is convenient to transport corpses. It’s also on high ground. It is far from the moat, and it’s not linked to the water source beneath. Other than the east of the city, the terrain is isolated; there are few men and villages. Considering all these factors, it is wise to bury them here.”

Since they could not burn the bodies, Jiang Pengji’s only choice was to bury them. She needed to brainstorm the details with them collectively.