The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 224 Busy

Princess Yuanjia, however majestic she may be, is nothing more than a pearl atop the imperial city, high above, in her jade carriage and fine clothes. How could she possibly know what's happening on the ground?

Knowing that the princess was not omnipotent, most of his awe vanished instantly.

He said with difficulty, "Princess...you may not know how big Tingzhou is. Your order is something that no one else could carry out."

"I have already sent letters to the prefects of Dingzhou and Qizhou. They are ready to take over the people of Tingzhou. The Shuilin Guard will also send people over. All the troops in Tingzhou have been mobilized. With such military force, do you think these people are enough for you to complete the task I have assigned to you?"

Oh, so it's possible to deploy troops...

No, wait! What transfer? What troops are being transferred?

Is this something a princess should do? Is this something an honest prefect should be involved in?

He hesitated for a long time, but finally dared not pretend to be confused and asked tremblingly, "Princess, are you... about to rebel?"

Zheng Xun looked at him speechlessly: "What on earth are you thinking?"

Wu Zongyu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

It's good that they don't rebel, but if they don't rebel, why is she mobilizing troops?

Without the emperor's decree, could she mobilize them?

Even if she is transferred, won't the emperor investigate later?

He's almost retired and has no intention of getting involved in this mess.

He cried out, on the verge of tears, "Princess! Even if you're not rebelling, you should at least give me a reason!"

Zheng Xun remained silent for a moment.

She stood with her hands behind her back, looking southeast: "Wu Zongyu, you know me, don't you? I'm a master strategist. What if I told you there would be an earthquake in Tingzhou?"

Wu Zongyu smiled.

"Princess, this is no laughing matter!"

However, his smile quickly faded, because he remembered that Zheng Xun's talk of troop deployment and relocation didn't sound like a joke at all.

The princess is already ten years old; shouldn't she be more sensible by now?

We can't just make a fuss about something this important, can we?

If there really is an earthquake, let alone enjoying his old age, given his current complacent attitude, he might have to die to atone for his sins.

He was so nervous that he kept swallowing until his mouth and throat were so dry that he could hardly swallow. Finally, he managed to choke out, "Princess, is it possible... that your calculations were inaccurate?"

He knew his words were presumptuous, but he didn't care about that now.

According to his plan, he should tell Zheng Xun at this time how he intends to deal with those human traffickers, how to avenge her, and how to please her.

But now he had long forgotten all about those things; he only had one thought in his mind: he hoped the princess was crazy, that she was talking nonsense.

Zheng Xun glanced at him, her tone stern: "Wu Zongyu, I know you're cut from the same cloth as Xu Ru and Qin Duzhi, all adept at self-preservation and muddling through. But now is not the time for you to slack off. The lives of the people of Tingzhou are in our hands. As for your doubts..."

She pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him to kneel obediently in front of her.

"I am Princess Yuanjia of the Great Yong Dynasty, and my position is equivalent to that of the Crown Prince. You should know that you can only obey my orders."

Therefore, she doesn't need to respond to his questions.

Wu Zongyu's forehead was covered in cold sweat: "But, Princess, I cannot fulfill your request even if I risk my life!"

Zheng Xun, well aware of the importance of a balanced approach, softened her tone: "Then, I'll give you two months. You don't need to relocate everyone, but those near the coast must be moved to the flatlands behind Pingbo Mountain. Those in dangerous areas also need to be moved to the flatlands, understand?"

Tingzhou is located by the sea, and the sea will inevitably be turbulent after an earthquake. Pingbo Mountain runs through the northeast and southwest, which can effectively keep the tsunami out.

Half of the time and tasks she just set were actually intimidation.

She knew, of course, that it wasn't realistic to move him away, but she had to give him a compromise.

In reality, two months may seem like plenty of time, but putting aside the distance of the migration route, there's also the need to persuade those stubborn people and find those living in remote corners. When you factor that in, the time becomes very tight.

It wasn't that Zheng Xun didn't want to inform them sooner, but rather that the system's messages were too numerous and disorganized.

She had just seen the earthquake news in the emergency red section.

Perhaps, it's not an easy thing for the system to resist fate.

"I'm going to the Southern Garrison to find Pang Yunyi. You give the order first. After I bring him here, we'll begin the operation immediately. Do you understand?"

The Dayong Dynasty established a garrison in each of the east, west, south, north, and central regions, with a military force of at least 10,000 to 50,000 men. Because Tingzhou had the Shuilin Garrison, the southern garrison in Qizhou only had 20,000 soldiers.

This number is the figure after the release of soldiers, and does not include the soldiers newly recruited this spring.

The number of people sounds like a lot, but when divided among various places, it seems insufficient.

Wu Zongyu really wanted to quit.

Because it's difficult! Getting the people to believe the princess's inexplicable prophecy is harder than climbing to heaven.

Zheng Xun saw through his thoughts, narrowed his eyes, and threatened, "Wu Zongyu, I have said before, for those in high positions, incompetence is the greatest sin. You are the magistrate of this prefecture. If you try to deceive me and the people at this time, I will first take your head, and then slaughter your entire family. Perhaps you would like to experience Liao Hongsheng's methods?"

Wu Zongyu didn't want to, not at all.

He could only dutifully agree.

"You only need to do what you are supposed to do. If there are any stubborn ones, I will allow you to give up. If there are any who try to muddy the waters or incite others... kill them without mercy!"

Wu Zongyu was not frightened; on the contrary, he felt relieved.

Zheng Xun took a horse with excellent endurance from the government office and set off again, without giving himself any time to rest.

Despite the lingering chill of early spring, Wu Zongyu belatedly realized that his clothes were already soaked with cold sweat.

He marveled at the princess's decisiveness and then instructed his subordinates, "Go, everyone, to the main hall for a meeting. Tell them to hurry up."

Unless someone disturbs his peace, he rarely speaks so harshly.

The subordinates dared not delay, and the superiors set an example for the subordinates, instantly bringing the usually lazy Tingzhou Prefecture to life.

The capital of Tingzhou was not far from Qizhou, and Zheng Xun arrived at the location of the Southern Guard in three days.

She rode her horse all the way to the outside of the garrison camp.

Just as the guards on duty were about to reprimand and question him, Zheng Xun threw out a token engraved with the royal seal: "You have two quarters of an hour to bring Pang Yunyi to see me!"

They recognized the royal mark and sent a guard to report, while the others bowed to Zheng Xun and said, "Please wait a moment, Princess."

Inside the camp, Pang Yunyi, who was so bored he was practically growing weeds, was having the soldiers in the camp engage in sparring matches.

The messenger rushed to him and told him what was happening outside.

Pang Yunyi raised an eyebrow: "This princess certainly has a big mouth."