In late July, the first breath of autumn appeared in Hebei. Crops gradually ripening filled the open country, and whenever the wind blew, yellow-green waves of millet rolled before it... This flourishing scene undoubtedly bore out what many people had said: this summer's drought had merely reduced the harvest. Certain people had worried too much.
"The grains are a size smaller than in a bumper year." That morning, on the northernmost official road in Qinghe County, Qinghe Commandery, a girl of sixteen or seventeen wearing a military sword had just come up from the fields opposite, her brows slightly furrowed. She was Dou Xiaoniang, the only daughter of Dou Lide, a Great Chief of the Exorcising the Dragon Gang, and a newly appointed Ten-Man Squad Leader in the Patrol Cavalry. "The harvest here in Qinghe is clearly worse than in Pingyuan, and Pingyuan's is worse than Bohai's..."
"The replacement wheat is even worse." On the embankment of the Qing Zhang River on the other side of the road stood seven or eight riders, holding their horses as they grazed. One casually picked up the conversation. "It was replanted, after all... They said they deliberately waited until after spring sowing to fight that battle this spring, so it wouldn't hold anything up, but Qinghe's own war preparations were too frantic. Spring sowing still suffered."
The girl's brows knitted even tighter at this, but she looked across the Qing Zhang River and could not help asking, "Would Jingcheng across the river be much the same? We were in such a hurry escorting Supervisor Xie over the day before yesterday that I forgot to check."
"I imagine there's not much difference." Below the embankment, several others were watering their horses, and one answered her. "It was a Qinghe county to begin with. Xiangguo