Chapter 93
Wang Lang was heartbroken. He saw that the military settlement was not satisfied with Pan Buyi. In the end, Meng Yi said to Meng Chong, "Young General Meng, after you have a wedding banquet at the Lei Taishou's, you can also come to our military settlement as a guest."
You are so greedy, why don't you choke to death?
Meng Yi waved his hands.
In the end, Meng Chong and his men followed Wang Lang and the others, looking back every few steps. If it weren't for the order from his father before he left, he would have run away long ago.
Wang Lang was also in a bad mood, but he managed to pull himself together and talk to his guest. However, Meng Chong was also in a low mood and didn't want to talk at all. In the end, Wang Lang could only return to silence.
Yao Chunnuan and others waited at Shili Pavilion for more than a quarter of an hour, and then they saw half of General Pan's troops who were left behind.
"Thank you for the hospitality. We'll leave after we finish the meal." Pan Buyi pulled out three thousand soldiers. He knew that this meal would cost them a lot of money.
Xing Changfeng said, "General Pan, there's no need to be so polite. I've heard your name before. As the saying goes, at home, you rely on your parents; away from home, you rely on your friends. I believe that if our situations were reversed, General Pan wouldn't stand idly by."
On the way back, General Wu, General Qin, General Huo and General Pan walked in the front, and those who lagged behind were Yao Chunnuan, Yu Chen, Meng Yi and others, who were accompanied by the military advisors and generals of the two armies.
Yu Chen was also from the Northern Territory, so he could get along better with the generals there, and they happily shared their experiences with each other.
Yao Chunnuan rode his horse and walked beside Meng Yi, listening to his conversation with the young generals of the Gaoshan tribe, but did not speak rashly.
"Your horses are so handsome and strong." Looking at the horses under their crotches, Meng Yi's eyes were full of envy.
The handsome horse ridden by Pan Buyi's younger brother seemed to know what was being said about it. It couldn't help but get excited, ready to raise its hooves and roar to the heavens. Pan, the younger brother, touched the mount underneath and soothed it, "Your horses are pretty good too."
"No, no, you don't have to compliment us. Anyone with eyes can see that there is a gap between the two."
"There's nothing we can do. We mountain people have been raising horses for generations, and we're very good at it." All the horses that went on the expedition were good horses.
Yao Chunnuan quickly took over the topic. In this situation, it is not appropriate to praise the other party's horse too much, so as to avoid people thinking that they are asking for repayment for a meal, which is not nice.
"Is the drought in Jiachuan very serious?"
Yao Chunnuan's words stunned the Pan army's generals. Was Yichun so well-informed? Since their meeting, none of them had mentioned the drought in Jiachuan, had they? Not even General Qin from the northern border had mentioned it.
Military Advisor He Lun had long noticed Yao Chunnuan's presence; a striking red figure amidst the vibrant greenery, such an abrupt presence. However, judging by her attire and demeanor, she didn't look like the wife of a general. Later, when he heard the people in the Yichun military settlement address her as Yao Zhubo, he was surprised.
He had recently learned something about the Yichun Military Settlement. Originally a vassal of the army, he had learned from General Qin that Xing Changfeng had taken control of the settlement shortly after arriving in Yichun. It could be said that the Yichun Military Settlement was now a combination of a military camp and a settlement, though it still bore the name.
For a woman to make it in a place like this, she must be quite capable.
The people who came to greet Major General Huo this time were all high-ranking officials from their Yichun military settlement. He observed that they spoke to her in a friendly and even respectful manner, with no one showing any dissatisfaction. Later, he learned that she was actually a member of the Champion Shogun's shogunate, said to be one of the most powerful, so it was no surprise.
Seeing her take over the conversation at the right time, he also joined in, "Isn't it true? Because of the drought, Jiachuan's summer harvest can only yield 20% to 30%. Last year, we suffered a snowstorm, and the first half of this year was a drought. According to some of the elders in the tribe, the second half of the year is not expected to be much better."
"Why don't you ask the court for help?" Yao Chunnuan asked as if chatting with family.
"We've been asking for help, but there's been no response, like a stone falling on the sea." The Gaoshan tribe, unlike the Huo family army in the northern border, didn't have the qualms of paying homage. The Crown Prince and the Regent told them to take sides, so they did. As long as they were given food, they would bow down. Their petition to pay homage had long been sent to the capital, but there had been no response, and no food had arrived.
"Tsk tsk, this imperial court..." Meng Yi showed an expression that was hard to describe.
The group chat fell silent.
Yao Chunnuan cleared his throat and said, "So your General Pan led you to fight the bandits? Did you get a good harvest?" It was probably not good, otherwise they would not have been able to fight all the way from Jiachuan to Yichun.
"Yes, raiding the mountain strongholds is also an option, isn't it?" Anyway, those bandits took from the people, so what's wrong with them using it for the people?
When Meng Yi heard this, he felt like he had found a kindred spirit. He said happily, "Brother, your idea is really great. We did the same thing in Juntun last year and made a fortune. And there's nothing like getting rich quicker than gangs robbing gangs."
Hearing him say this, Helun Pan's younger brother was also very interested, "Is your village in Yichun very wealthy?"
Meng Yi shook his head, "Brother, you are late this time."
When Meng Yi said this, He Lun, Pan Xiaodi and others felt a pang of fear in their hearts.
But just as Meng Yi finished speaking, she was secretly kicked. What nonsense! She just came and poured cold water on her! And she even ruined her business!
After Yao Chunnuan kicked the man, he said, "Don't listen to him, he doesn't know anything. Maybe one day, we can work together to do some small things."
Pan Xiaodi nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, sure, when we're ready to work, just let us know. We'll definitely work hard!" He Lun and Pan Xiaodi heard that they had fought bandits before, and they thought that what she meant by joining forces to do some small jobs was to wipe out bandits together.
"Okay, I'll tell you when I have news."
As they were talking, they returned to the military settlement. Yao Chunnuan glanced at the general and his men and found that they were in a good mood. It seemed that they had communicated well along the way.
As soon as they entered the military settlement, especially when passing by farmland, both the Huo family army in the north and the Pan family army in Jiachuan could not help but stop and watch.
A vast expanse of fields, with crops growing lushly, some already tinged with yellow, laden with fruit, stretched as far as the eye could see. The villagers were toiling away in the rain.
"The crops in your village are growing so well."
Yichun was not greatly affected by the drought. After entering Yichun, they also noticed the crops in the farmland. They were still a little wilted and their growth was not as good as those in the military settlements.
He Lun squatted at the edge of the field and calculated in his mind, "The harvest of this field, conservatively estimated, is three dan per mu, right?"
The other people who were not in the military settlement were surprised, "So many?" They could tell at a glance that the military settlement had a good summer harvest, but they didn't know it was so abundant.
When they saw the people in the Yichun military settlement smiling but saying nothing, they knew that He Lun's estimate was true.
General Qin immediately grabbed the general's hand and said eagerly, "Changfeng, you must give us some good seeds when you go back."
"Okay, okay, that's no problem." Xing Changfeng agreed.
He Lun moved his lips. They also wanted good breeds, but they had no relationship with them. He sighed in his heart.
Pan Buyi was also silent.
Not only did they discuss the crops, they also started discussing the settlers.
"The residents here live a very good life."
"How did you know that?"
"Look at them. They all have rosy complexions, relaxed expressions, and smiles on their faces. This shows that they are full of energy."
"The key is that they work very hard. I really don't know how the Yichun military settlement trains them." When they said this, they knew they shouldn't, but they still couldn't help feeling jealous. They also have military settlements there, but the residents don't work as hard as they do.
Yao Chunnuan smiled and explained, "It's actually very simple. They work hard, and their lives will get better and better. With such tangible benefits, how can they not work hard?"
As they were talking, they arrived at the cafeteria. In order to entertain them, the No. 1 cafeteria had specially staggered the residents' meal times today.
As soon as they arrived, they could eat. The meal the Yichun military settlement entertained them with was a sumptuous one, with ten pigs and ten sheep slaughtered.
The soldiers ate from a large pot of food, which was rich in oil and water, with two spoonfuls of vegetables and one spoonful of meat, and plenty of rice. The soldiers hadn't eaten so well and full in a long time, and they were all very satisfied. Their good impression of the Yichun military settlement that had warmly and generously entertained them increased sharply.
Looking at the tribesmen and soldiers who had clearly enjoyed a hearty meal, Pan Buyi was grateful to the Yichun Military Settlement. He had kept all of this in mind. After eating and drinking their fill, it was time to leave and not trouble them any further. This was what he had agreed to beforehand.
But just as he was about to mobilize, Xing Changfeng and his subordinates came over. "Brother Pan, don't rush to leave. Rest in our military camp for a night first, so that the soldiers can recover their strength. Besides, you haven't found a place to stay yet, right? Send someone to find a good place to stay first, and you can leave tomorrow."
"This..." To be honest, he was very tempted. If his people could rest for a night before leaving tomorrow, they would definitely be able to recover their spirits greatly.
One side wanted to keep them, while the other side was not very determined to leave. With General Qin encouraging them, and the Gaoshan soldiers looking at their general eagerly, Pan Buyi quickly compromised. They moved into the houses prepared for them by the military settlement. These houses had bunk beds, but no bedding. However, they had brought some bedding with them when they came out to wipe out the bandits, so they could just use their own. Besides, in the current weather, it didn't matter even if they didn't have bedding. Living in a house was much better and safer than sleeping in the wilderness.
Someone was puzzled, "Master Yao, why don't you take them in? The place we've cleaned up is more than enough for them to stay until they leave."
Yao Chunnuan smiled but said nothing, "You will know later."
Wang Lang brought Meng Chong back to the prefectural government and met his father-in-law. He told him that the people from the northern border and Pan Buyi from Jiachuan had also arrived in Yichun, and suggested that he go and invite General Qin Huo Bing and Pan Buyi and others to come to the wedding banquet.
After some thought, Lei Taishou decided to give up. He had no connections with General Qin, Huo Bing, and the others. When they arrived in Yichun, they went straight to live in the Yichun military settlement, clearly having connections there. As for Pan Buyi, no matter how powerful he was, he was still a dragon that had crossed the river. If they came to congratulate him, he would certainly entertain them, but asking him to go and invite them in person was out of the question.
This result gave Wang Lang an unshakable bad feeling in his heart.
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