After rebirth, the Queen and I are on the run.

Chapter 1192 New Battle Report and the Northwest Plague

"A wicked woman?" The girl was shocked and confused, but said firmly, "She's not a wicked woman, she's a heroine. We girls all talk about her in private, and we've even made a pact that if we get sold, we'll do what she did and burn down the docks!"

Ye Acheng's expression was somewhat unpleasant, as he felt that the young girl was scolding him: "...Sister should be gentle and virtuous, this is too wicked and unlikable."

The girl said, "If you're not mean, you'll get bullied."

Ye Acheng: "..."

Forget it, I can't argue with that, I'm not going to say anything more.

But he also got the answer he had always wanted to know.

"You can call her a heroine. This is a respectful title for outstanding women that came from the Tai Zhou Prefecture in the north." After saying this, Ye Acheng waved his hand, and had someone take the girl onto a small boat and send her ashore.

"My benefactor, my name is Ye Damei. When I grow up, I will pay you back!" the girl called out one last time, overjoyed that she had a way to survive.

Ye Acheng felt uneasy, yet he also felt that this was the will of Heaven.

The two people who burned down the dock for the women were actually Ye's daughter, and everyone thought she was dead too.

But he knew she was still alive.

The Ye family's fleet still relies on her connections in Jiangnan Prefecture.

However, Madam Zhang said that she did not know that they were supported by her because of her connections, so she told them not to try to claim kinship with her.

Boom boom boom!
Boom boom boom!
"Sail, sail, don't delay the delivery date, or you'll be punished by the local authorities along the way!"

Ye Acheng and his fleet traveled swiftly in the coastal waters for half a month before arriving at Jinling Prefecture in Jiangnan.

Jinling Prefecture, one of the old capitals, was home to many powerful and influential families, and it remained bustling and prosperous even during wartime.

Dangdang Dangdang!
"Good news! The Zhang family of Jinling has opened three private granaries and donated supplies to fight the enemy!"

As soon as Ye Acheng and his group landed in their small boat, they heard a drum and gong troupe announcing the good news.

The merchants at the docks were quite disdainful: "The Zhang family of Jinling is finished. The Xie and Zhang families donated a full ten private granaries, and Madam Zhang even donated half of her dowry. Among these dowries are a large number of martial arts masters, said to number as many as 1,200, who have already joined the troops of the Jiangnan Regional Military Commission and the Jianghuai Regional Military Commission to march north to fight the enemy!"

"No, no, not all of them are heading north. The troops of the Jianghuai Regional Military Commission are heading northwest to fight against the Western Rong!"

Ye Acheng and his companions were shocked and hurriedly went to ask someone they knew: "Brother Gu, is there a new battle report? The Western Rong have invaded the Northwest Prefecture?"

Gu Cangtou knew that he had gained the favor of the Xie and Zhang families in recent years, so he did not neglect him and replied, "Yes, it happened just ten days ago. The battle report sent from the capital, as well as His Majesty's decree, ordered to mourn the 50,000 Wei soldiers who died in battle, and to raise money, grain and troops in Liangjiang to rush to the two places to fight against the foreign enemy."

Because of the imperial decree and the fact that foreign enemies had indeed attacked, Young Master Ying and his group pried open the private granaries of powerful families and wealthy households, allowing the major families, wealthy households, and ordinary families in the two rivers to willingly donate funds.

Otherwise, Young Master Ying and his group would continue to run into obstacles.

"Brother Gu, do you have a copy of the official gazette? Could you lend it to me for a look?" Ye Acheng asked, slipping a red envelope to Gu Cangtou.

Gu Cangtou accepted the red envelope and said with a smile, "Brother Ye, please wait a moment, I'll go get it for you right away."

Not long after, Gu Cangtou handed him several copies of the official gazette: "Take a look, you don't need to return them, we still have some."

The original copy of the official gazette was only supplied to government offices, but these offices had to give face to the various powerful families, so their shops often had copies of the gazette to read.

"Thank you, Brother Gu." Ye Acheng took the copied official gazette, got into the mule cart, and headed into the city.

After settling in, I looked at the copied official gazette and felt a chill run down my spine. The Western Rong people had issued a proclamation denouncing His Majesty, accusing him of disowning the bloodline of those few remaining in the Western Rong. The Western Rong used the pretext of seeking justice for those bloodlines to launch an attack on the Great Wei.

The Northwest Army resisted with all its might, but the Western Rong people poisoned the land, causing a rat plague to break out. Now, a large part of the Northwest Prefecture has been conquered by the plague!

One prefecture was almost ravaged by a rat plague; another prefecture was filled with infected soldiers and civilians; and yet another prefecture served as an isolation point.

Now, the soldiers of the Northwest Army have retreated to the city of Xifeng Prefecture to fight against the Western Rong enemy and the rat plague.

Fortunately, the Western Rong enemy forces are also afraid of death. They have temporarily suspended their offensive and intend to use the rat plague to conquer the entire Northwest Prefecture!
Ye Acheng's hands were shaking so badly that he could barely hold the official gazette.

"The rat plague is real..." and it has even broken out in large numbers!

People in Lingnan Prefecture used to laugh at the Chen and Huang families for wasting their money and doing useless things, but now it has been proven that the Chen and Huang families had foresight!

and……

"We can only rely on the Chen and Huang families now. May God bless us, and may our efforts in cultivating bacteria and making pharmaceuticals succeed."

“Brother…” Ye Awen called out to him, his heart filled with fear. He asked, “Will the rat plague spread here? Why don’t we visit Madam and then hurry home by boat, without bringing any goods back to sell?”

"Going back sooner will allow us to be closer to the Chen and Huang families. Once the new medicine to combat the plague is developed, whether it works or not, we will be the first to receive it."

They might as well try anything, even if it was a desperate measure, in case the medicine worked and they wouldn't have to suffer from the plague.

Slap, slap. Ye Acheng slapped himself twice, the pain calming him down a bit. He said to Ye Awen, "Immediately collect all the official gazettes, write letters, and send fast ships to deliver the letters and gazettes back to Lingnan Prefecture. Tell all the locals to fully support the Chen and Huang families in cultivating fungi and making medicine, to fight the plague, resist foreign enemies, protect the land, and save our descendants!"

"Yes." Ye Awen responded, then choked up and said, "Brother, you have to hold on. If you collapse, what will happen to our Ye family? I can't support you."

*Slap!* Ye Acheng slapped him on the head: "Calm down. The enemy and the plague are still far away from us. Don't panic."

Ye Awen nodded: "Yes... But, brother, the plague spreads very quickly. Goods travel between the north and south. There might already be infected goods from the northwest in Jinling Prefecture."

"Master Wen, please stop talking. You've scared me so much I can barely keep my head up. Let's talk slowly once we get to our lodgings and go inside," Ye, the driver, hurriedly called out.

Ye Awen and the others then stopped their discussion.

But this time when they went to Jiangnan, they were destined not to be able to eat, drink and have fun as before. They couldn't even get a proper rest, so they immediately sent someone to the Xie residence to deliver a message.

It was given to Zhang Songyu.

Zhang Songyu was also eager to know the progress of Qin Su's bacterial culture and pharmaceutical production, and gave a reply that same day.

The following day, the Ye brothers went to the Xie family's villa where they entertained guests and were received by Xie Jing and Zhang Songyu.

Ye Acheng and Ye Awen's knees buckled, and they knelt down, saying, "This humble subject pays respects to Marquis Xie and his wife."

“No need for formalities, please rise,” Zhang Songyu said.

Xie Jing didn't speak, and his expression was somewhat unpleasant, because he felt that the madam valued these two people from Lingnan too much, even requiring him, a dignified marquis, to come and see them.

Even for Lian Yingzilin, seeing him was not easy.

And what time is it now?
His troops were taken away by Wei Wuxing under the pretext of fighting the enemy, leaving him with a depleted force and in dire need of a solution. How could the lady possibly ask him to waste his time on two commoners?!
"Did the Chen and Huang families acquire that long, three-layered telescope?" Zhang Songyu asked.

Ye Acheng: "Replying to Madam, they accepted it. That Doctor You even praised the long-tube triple-layered mirror, saying that this mirror helped them find the bacteria. This magical artifact that Madam gave us is truly amazing. If a new medicine to cure the plague is successfully made, Madam will deserve the greatest credit."

He added, "The Ye family has already sent people to spread the word throughout Lingnan Prefecture. Every household in Lingnan Prefecture knows that this divine artifact was a gift from Madam Zhang of Jiangnan. The Chen and Huang families, as well as Doctor You, also agree with this account."