That afternoon.
Upon returning home, Gu Sang immediately connected with the Elder Princess.
"Ding!"
"Connection established!"
"How is it? Have you found a way to rescue them?" As Gu Sang appeared on the screen, the Elder Princess's words betrayed a sense of urgency.
On the other side, Gu Sang was looking down, making modifications.
Half a minute later.
Gu Sang looked up and nodded with relief: "Yes, I've found a method. I'll transmit it to you right away."
As Gu Sang's words fell.
The next second, several A4 papers filled with the manufacturing process appeared out of thin air in the Elder Princess's hands.
Due to time constraints, Gu Sang could only try to use classical Chinese to annotate the text on the paper.
"Deducted five hundred merit points!"
"Transmission complete!"
After receiving the papers, the Elder Princess quickly scanned them.
Then.
Gu Sang also specially found rescue videos online. After watching them, the Elder Princess learned about the use and methods of rescue boats, which made her feel more at ease.
The Elder Princess felt more confident about the upcoming rescue: "I didn't know the future had such lightweight things, even lighter than bamboo rafts."
"With these manufacturing methods, the people of Liujiang City will surely be safe and sound."
"And the materials you've given, although a bit unconventional, are not rare. As long as we're willing to spend money, we can collect and produce them in a very short time."
Gu Sang nodded: "However, these are not durable. They might only last for a few uses, at most supporting this rescue operation. Remember to destroy them afterward."
This flood came suddenly, giving Gu Sang no time to prepare.
Even the rescue items were hastily searched online. Internet information is never as good as consulting professionals, so it's certainly not perfect.
The rescue boats were made rather crudely due to time constraints.
"Don't worry about that. I'll have Zhou Qichen personally oversee it," the Elder Princess immediately took this to heart when she heard Gu Sang mention it so seriously.
No matter when or where, the lives of soldiers always come first.
Although these things are expensive, they're not worth more than the lives of soldiers!
After discussing the rescue issue, the Elder Princess finally had the opportunity to tell Gu Sang about recruiting the female guard squad and the soldiers' reluctance to depart for Liujiang City.
The Elder Princess said in a deep voice: "I can understand the soldiers' mindset to some extent."
"Natural disasters are not man-made calamities. It's difficult to save people with just the manpower of this era. Now, asking them to rescue people in flood waters, one small mistake could lead to death by natural disaster."
"Their unwillingness is natural. The main issue is that Liujiang City is not under my jurisdiction. They're being asked to risk their lives to save people who might become enemies in the future."
"Fortunately, General Zhou has suppressed this reluctance, but I suspect they still harbor some resentment in their hearts."
Gu Sang fell into deep thought. The reason modern soldiers can be united and make every effort to save people is closely related to national policies.
Being a soldier is a source of inner pride for them.
But this honor is external; they also need certain benefits to address their concerns.
That is — welfare!
Military benefits!
Benefits for the injured and deceased!
They not only need to be remembered, but they also need benefits for their families provided by the state after their death.
Only when their parents, wives, and children are well taken care of can they be invincible and have firm beliefs.
After pondering for a moment, Gu Sang immediately said: "Wei Qi, after returning from this disaster relief, immediately set up injury and death compensation."
"If a soldier dies, they will receive a pension sufficient for their family's expenses for the rest of their lives."
"Moreover, this money will be managed by the government, giving living expenses to their families every month. This will prevent some people from harboring thoughts of swallowing up a family with no heirs."
"Secondly, establish schools. Anyone serving in the military will have a quota, allowing their children to attend school for free, with all miscellaneous fees waived."
"For those who have made meritorious contributions, all their children can receive free education."
"For the children and families of injured or deceased soldiers, not only can all their children attend school for free, but they can also live in houses near the school for free."
Gu Sang incorporated the concept of modern family housing.
If they built a family dormitory near the school, specifically used to accommodate the wives and children of those injured or killed in service.
This way, their safety would also be ensured.
Near the school, even if malicious relatives wanted to take advantage of a family without a male heir, they wouldn't be able to get in.
If they came to cause trouble, they would likely be thrown out by the Elder Princess's soldiers.
The more the Elder Princess listened, the more excited she became, feeling that Gu Sang's idea was excellent.
She continued from where Gu Sang left off: "I never thought it could be done like this!"
"If a soldier who died for the country was unmarried, there could still be a quota, and only this quota for deceased soldiers could be transferred."
"The condition for transfer would be serving the soldier's elderly parents to obtain this quota."
"If someone obtains this quota for free education without following this condition, they would have to pay back all the school fees for these years, and also face severe punishment."
As the two discussed, they found this method increasingly feasible.
As for the idea of free education for all children in the country, that would have to wait until she became the empress of this country and the nation had enough money to fully implement it.
As for those who wanted to exploit loopholes.
For example, those who pretend to care for soldiers' parents to get a school quota but stop being filial after getting into school, she would naturally have strict laws to deal with them in the future.
At the very least, they would be thrown into military camps, made to do the hardest and most tiring work, and also face punishment.
This was all they could do for now.
Perhaps their filial piety wouldn't be sincere, just for the sake of a school quota, but it would still ensure that the parents live out their natural lives.
"Good! I'll lead the soldiers to the rescue now. When we return to Wen City, we'll immediately implement this welfare policy."
"Alright, be careful."
Gu Sang ended the call with the Elder Princess.
It had been a month or two since Consort Zhao jumped from the building. Pei Changying was probably impatient by now and might have already sent troops to attack Wen City.
The sweet potatoes should be ripe by the end of this month. The Elder Princess had recruited many soldiers, but there were few talented individuals in the female guard squad.
Apart from Counselor Fang, only Zhou Qichen could lead troops among those around the Elder Princess.
There were many things that required the Elder Princess to handle personally, with everyone waiting for her decisions.
This wouldn't do!
If there were to be an all-out war with the imperial court in the future, this would be a major weakness.
Gu Sang suddenly thought of General Qin. She had previously heard the Elder Princess mention that General Qin was also a loyal and righteous minister with both courage and wisdom.
"System, connect me to General Qin."
[Ding!]
[Connection established.]
The moment the connection screen opened, Qin Vice General was staying in his own encampment tent. Seeing Gu Sang suddenly appear, he gave her a look that was a mixture of surprise, resentment, and curiosity.
General Qin's tone was not very pleasant: "Consort Gu, why do you wish to meet with me in private?"
