Chapter 2219 - Activity on the Northwestern Battlefield! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The wealthy families made up the minority in the Central Plains. The vast majority of families had only a single house, and having them dismantle their homes to use for charcoal would be difficult to accept for most of the people. But now that the cold wave had descended, even if it was difficult to mentally accept, it had to be done.

“In addition, Qiqin, I must trouble you to coordinate with the Bureau of Revenue on this matter. Although the Imperial Court has accumulated a large amount of food, and Wang Chong set up many granaries across the realm, the Central Plains has millions of people, and the amount of food they consume each day is significant. No matter how much food we have, without a source of replenishment, the food will eventually run out,” King Song firmly said.

The arrival of this bitter cold, the Great Ice Age that Wang Chong had spoken of, meant that planting crops was no longer possible. Moreover, nobody knew how long this Great Ice Age would last. But it seemed likely that this bitterly cold weather would last for a very long time.

And if it was really as Wang Chong had said, then they needed to be ready for this Great Ice Age to last for a very, very long time.

Through the reigns of Gaozu, Taizong, and all the way until the ascension of the new Emperor, the Great Tang had prospered and flourished, possessing a stockpile of resources that no other country could match. But in the current circumstances, even the Great Tang would find it hard to last a year.

Even the most prosperous country with a foundation that had been built over many decades could be utterly annihilated in the space of a few years.

King Song had studied history and was keenly aware of this fact.

Xu Qiqin bowed and said, “Your Highness does not need to be concerned. Qiqin will do her utmost.”

“In addition, get in touch with Wang Chong on the front line. If possible, I want to save resources so we can maintain the supply line to the front line. No matter what, we have to win this war!”

King Song looked in the direction of Youzhou, a determined look in his eyes.

Whoosh!

Gallop! A few moments later, a warhorse rode out of the government office and toward another.

Crack! As the warhorse rode out of the office, a cold gust of wind blew past, instantly forming a layer of frost on the horse and its rider, their exhaled breaths becoming flecks of ice. The hairs on the horse and rider rapidly began to freeze together.

But a moment later, thump! Stellar Energy erupted out of the horseman’s body, surging into the warhorse. The stirring of Stellar Energy shattered the just-formed layer of ice.

The frigid weather made it difficult to move even an inch. This was the situation across the entire capital.

None of the officials were able to leave their homes. All of the information was delivered by specially selected elite horsemen.

In order to move around in this cold weather, the cavalry needed to be extremely powerful, at least at the peak of the Profound Martial realm. Moreover, they had to be extremely familiar with the layout of the capital so as to avoid getting lost in the snowstorm.

The number of horsemen that fulfilled these two requirements was seven hundred in total. But even those with cultivation at the peak Profound Martial realm wouldn’t be able to last long in this cold weather. They had to rest after about six hours, so they needed to work this duty in shifts.

This was an expedient measure the Imperial Court had developed to deal with the cold wave.

Gallop! The sound of the thundering hooves traveled only a short distance before it was drowned out by the howling winds. As the largest city on the continent, the capital was home to one million people. In normal times, the city would be bustling, the shouts of hawkers and peddlers resounding through the streets.

Even when winter was at its worst, the morning markets of the capital would be packed with people drinking tea or snacking on pastries. But today, the streets were completely empty, as if the city was dead.

“May the heavens protect the Great Tang! I hope that this disaster will end early!”

The messenger horseman urged his horse into a faster pace, a hint of worry in his eyes.

Everyone was extremely limited in what they could do in this sort of blizzard, but everyone did their best with their meager strength. It had been his choice to join the cavalry force and deliver messages.

……

The days went by. Everyone hoped that this blizzard would, just as the blizzards of the past, persist for a few days before passing, but the reality was exactly the opposite of what they had hoped. After seven days, not only had the cold wave not retreated, it had intensified.

The earth was silent, bleak, and somber.

This was a scene common to the entire human world!

Meanwhile, in another place…