The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 249 Huaiqing Prefecture, in danger!

The ladies of the General's Mansion were first attracted by the cuteness of little Yuanyuan.

Later, I witnessed firsthand how human-like and domineering the Gratitude Rat was.

The protagonist of yesterday's story has finally been given a concrete form.

Leaving aside the impact on the ladies of the house, an even greater shock is now on the horizon.

A large number of refugees poured into Huaiqing Prefecture!

They arrived very quickly.

A lot of people came!

Many more are still on their way!

The refugees spent only half a day sweeping up all the supplies still for sale in Huaiqing Prefecture.

Huaiqing Prefecture, in crisis!
The news quickly reached the border town.

The bearded man, covered in sweat, came to the General's Mansion looking for someone: "Captain Gan, the Marquis requests your presence! Several urgent military matters have occurred!"

Captain Gan, who was chatting with a group of noblewomen about children, quickly stood up and entrusted his two children to Madam Hou:
"Please, madam, help me take them back to courtyard number thirty-six later!"

Before she could say anything more, she had already strode towards the camp with the bearded guard.

At this moment, the ladies truly realized the difference between Captain Gan and them.

There's military intelligence; they really are going to the battlefield!
Or the kind of trip that you can just pack up and go!
It seems that I'm not so envious or jealous anymore.

Ultimately, they are still little women who need their husbands' protection!
Gan Minglan, who didn't need a man's protection, asked the bearded man about his current situation as they walked.

The bearded man whispered:

"It is estimated that the displaced people in the interior are fighting amongst themselves, and the people affected are displaced and are fleeing to the important border towns! The general and others predict that as long as the emperor in Shangdu is not secure, this chaotic situation will not be able to stop."

"How many people have arrived? Where are they all?"

"Currently, more than 80,000 refugees have arrived in Huaiqing Prefecture alone."

"."

Inside the camp, Zhao Muyun was so angry that he had paced around in circles several times.

"Just what I feared has come to pass! The wheat in the field hasn't even sprouted ears yet!"

"If so many people had been willing to come to the Northwest to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land before last year, we would have been so happy we couldn't sleep. Now, with so many more mouths to feed, the people of Huaiqing Prefecture are going to starve to death!"

"Should we have Jinzhou Pass remove the pontoon bridge over the Zhuohe River?"

"."

When Gan Minglan arrived, the group was arguing fiercely.

One side was determined to prevent the refugees from flowing into Huaiqing Prefecture, while the other believed that pushing too hard would turn the refugees into a militia. Seeing her, Zhao Muyun clung to her like a lifeline: "Captain Gan, you know the situation, right?"

Gan Minglan: "Where can we still buy enough grain these days to feed a million people for three months?"

"As far as I know, the granaries in Jiangnan have been emptied! Not to mention silver, even mountains of gold couldn't buy this much grain in the whole country!"

Gan Minglan then asked, "How long will it take for the local refugee forces to help the new emperor clear obstacles? If they fail, what changes will occur in the political landscape?"

Everyone pondered.

Xiong Zhen hesitated, "It could take three months at the shortest, or half a year at the longest. If the refugee forces fail, a powerful family or noble family might seize power! At that time, the border troops associated with them might also be involved, and that would affect the area inside the pass."

It goes without saying that over the next year, it will be a cycle of one group taking the lead and another taking the stage.

Following up on Deputy Commander Xiong's analysis of the situation, Gan Minglan said:

"The conflict between the various forces within the territory of Bei is intensifying, and a large number of displaced people have participated in the war, which will definitely affect this year's autumn harvest!"

I once heard a strategist offer a policy suggestion to a rebel leader: "Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king!"

Build high walls, store up plenty of grain, and delay declaring yourself king!

There are actually military strategists with such talent among the common people!
After Zhao Muyun and Xiong Zhen locked eyes, sparks flew between them.

In the blink of an eye, however, things became even more distressing.

Within three to five years, grain will certainly become the most important war reserve for all parties.

It seems we need to arrange for someone to start clearing the land immediately.

Even planting some carrots and cabbages can feed a few more people during the winter.

But how should we deal with these displaced people right now?
Gan Minglan's suggestion is:
"There is not enough food in the entire Northwest to feed the refugees. Why not look for food in the Seven Guards of Guanzhong or even further to the Western Regions?"

As far as I know, the Western Regions countries near the Pamir Mountains have a wide variety of crops, with grains as the main food crop, and also produce abundant fruits and vegetables such as grapes and cucumbers.

Furthermore, they also raise large numbers of livestock such as donkeys, horses, sheep, and camels.

Tian Jiu's mind went a little crazy:

"Captain Gan means to lead people west out of Heping Pass? But none of the kingdoms of the Western Regions have ever been there! Will they be able to find the way?"

Gan Minglan's tone was cool:
"Yes! Those Hu merchants know our terrain and situation very well! Our troops can't even leave the Seven Guards of Guanzhong now!"

All the generals: "."

They really weren't as brave as Captain Gan, a woman.

They sent people to hunt on the Tatar grasslands, and then incited the army to march west out of Heping Pass and cause trouble in the territory of the Hu people.

"If we don't go out, we'll only be fighting amongst ourselves! Not only will the refugees starve to death in Huaiqing Prefecture, but the military households in the border towns won't survive until the autumn harvest either. Fighting to sustain the war is the only option!"

(End of this chapter)