Tongning County is being reconstructed in an orderly manner.
War continues in other parts of Jiangnan.
Gu Yu is not good at marching and fighting, but she is a good hand at the rear to help allocate supplies, create public opinion, appease the people, etc.
Junze told her to leave as long as she could, but others went out to suppress the rebellion, and letters were sent to Tongning County one after another, asking for food and grass today, horses tomorrow, and a large wave of refugees the day after tomorrow.
Junze and Shao Taiwei divided their troops into two groups to suppress the rebellion. One side faced the line of the second county king, and the other side faced the line of the three county kings.
Shao Wuji's reputation as a murderer once again spread throughout Kyoto. His elite soldiers were brave and fearless. They were defeated in every battle, and no one was left alive regardless of whether the rebels surrendered or not.
The three princes were also aggressive and ruthless. Shao Wuji killed his prisoners, so he no longer accepted the surrender of the counties along the way.
The rumors that Gu Yu had spread in Tongning County earlier became true. When the three princes conquered a county, they burned, killed, looted, and conscripted troops and food without any scruples.
Both sides knew that defeat would lead to death, so they fought even harder, and the two sides fought with winners and losers.
I heard that after a battle, the water in Jinghe River in the south of the Yangtze River was dyed red for hundreds of miles, which made people frightened.
Junze still frequently makes strange moves, showing both kindness and power. Before every battle, the necessary soldiers sing a Jiangnan tune. A group of rough old men singing this soft tune does not show weakness, but instead arouses the homesickness of the rebels. One move
Besieged on all sides, the two princes were forced to retreat one after another.
Thousands of people were displaced, and Junze set up a team to escort them to Tongning County.
Gu Yu complained that Junze was causing trouble for her. The population of Tongning County had been greatly reduced due to the battle to defend the city, and now it was approaching saturation. However, there were still a steady stream of refugees coming in, which gave Gu Yu a headache.
At the same time, he accepted their fate and provided them with a place to live, led them to open up fields, and tried every means to provide them with a livelihood that they could live in.
Half a month later, the battle was in full swing at the front, and Gu Yu and Magistrate Su from the rear were almost vomiting after taking over the refugees.
There were a lot of refugees, and it was impossible for Gu Yu to properly resettle all of them.
In this time of war and chaos, Gu Yu suddenly seemed like a different person.
Inviting the wealthy households in Tongning County, she dressed in silk and satin and drank and had fun with them every day.
Every time I visit a house, I always feel disgusted with the courtyard of that house, and even visit the ancestral hall of that house.
After hearing people praise the achievements of his ancestors, Gu Yu said: "This is extraordinary, why not rebuild the ancestral hall and build a monument for our ancestors?"
The imperial envoy personally praised his ancestors, and those wealthy families were naturally very proud, so they worked hard to build ancestral halls within their clans.
Gu Yu had a grand banquet. Everywhere she went, she had to invite actors to sing and dance. The stage was too small, so she would shake her head, and if it was too shabby, she would have to shake her head.
This set off another wave of re-building dance pavilions and singing platforms. It was even an honor to invite Commissioner Gu Qin to judge whoever built it well.
In addition, Gu Yu also ordered the renovation of dilapidated garden attractions. She took a group of wealthy businessmen to visit and enjoy the scenery, and lived a luxurious life.
After Gu Yu returned to the county office in a drunken state, County Magistrate Su asked, "What are you doing, Prince Gu? The war ahead is tense now, so we should practice frugality. As an imperial envoy, you should set an example. Why are you so arrogant?"
He still had something to say. If the imperial court knew what the imperial envoy sent after the war did, she would definitely be punished.
Gu Yu pressed his head and said: "Not only do I want to do this, but County Magistrate Su also wants to do this. Dress better, hang out with wealthy businessmen more, and persuade them to build construction projects."
Su County Magistrate asked: "Could it be that if we make good friends with them, they will be willing to pay for the war?"
Gu Yu sneered and said, "How is that possible?"
Magistrate Su said displeasedly: "Then why are you still so arrogant and extravagant?"
Gu Yu was so drunk that he didn't want to explain to this stupid guy, so he said, "You'll know in a few days."
Magistrate Su could not understand this young man more and more.
He had some disputes with Gu Yu because Gu Yu wanted to use prisoners as military slaves. Now seeing Gu Yu's depravity, he didn't want to persuade him.
As General Pingnan said, Gu Yu is not afraid of losing his reputation, so what are you afraid of?
A few days later, the changes in Tongning County convinced County Magistrate Su to be deeply impressed by Gu Yu again.
Tongning County is in dire need of renovation, and those seemingly useless dance pavilions and singing platforms, garden buildings, carved beams and painted buildings are gradually being renovated.
Magistrate Su County originally felt that before the war was over, money should be squeezed out to resettle the victims, and money should never be spent on whitewashing the peace.
However, after Gu Yu's persuasion, those wealthy businessmen took the lead, and each one competed with the other aggressively.
Building these requires a lot of manpower. What if there are not enough manpower?
Of course, we invited those refugees who had taken refuge in Tongning County from other places.
Those refugees had a decent job and were able to support themselves without having to take advantage of the disaster relief funds allocated by the court. The remaining money was sent to the front line by Gu Yu.
In addition, Gu Yu also called on the refugees to make clothes and shoes for the frontline soldiers, prepare medicinal materials, make dry food, etc., and send them to the frontline together with the money.
The refugees were resettled.
Rich businessmen stole the show.
The money allocated by the imperial court is no longer tight.
The soldiers on the front line have new clothes, new shoes and dry food.
Tongning County soon returned to its former prosperity.
All this is due to the wave of extravagance set off by Gu Yu.
When he met Magistrate Su again, Gu Yu explained: "It is better to teach people to fish than to teach them to fish. The money allocated by the court to feed the refugees can relieve the problem for a while, but in the long run, the finances will be overwhelmed and the refugees will become inert."
Magistrate Su was completely convinced and said: "Prince Gu is thoughtful and wise, but he is a narrow-minded official."
Gu Yu said: "Magistrate Su, I know you are upright, but when necessary, you have to change your mind."
Su County Magistrate repeatedly said yes.
On this day, Pingsha, who had disappeared for a long time, returned to Tongning County with Mr. Liu and the refugees.
The two men were in rags, their hair was unkempt, and they were even more beggars than beggars.
Mr. Liu's fat body suddenly shrank several times, and Gu Yu almost couldn't recognize him.
Lord Liu saw Gu Yu crying and said, "Envoy Gu, you have to make the decision for me."
Pingsha scolded: "You still have the nerve to cry."
Originally, Pingsha was just one of Gu Yu's bodyguards, and he was definitely not as good as Mr. Liu, a civil servant in Kyoto. However, they had been on the run for so long, and in order to survive, they had long ignored their status.
Pingsha said: "After we came out of Nanwang County, we were chased everywhere. At first, we spent all the money according to your instructions.
I originally had a little bit of money, but Mr. Liu was very coquettish. He wanted to stay in the highest-end inn and eat the best food. At first, because of my status, I gave him all the money, but he squandered it in the blink of an eye.
Once it was empty, it also attracted pursuers.
Later, we ran out of food, and I wanted to steal some money, but he wouldn't let me, saying it was beneath my status. But when I stole other people's money to buy something, he ate it faster than anyone else.
After the war started, I just wanted to join you as soon as possible, but wars continued everywhere, and I fled all the way back and became a beggar."