Chapter 210 Winter is Coming
The prime minister frowned even more deeply, waving his hands repeatedly and saying decisively, "No need, no need! There's absolutely no need!"
"Why not?" The king of the desolate kingdom asked, his face full of doubt.
The prime minister held up two fingers and began to explain with great conviction.
"Your Majesty, there are two reasons."
"Firstly, the recent war between Dahuang and Anguo has resulted in excessive consumption of resources, leading to a shortage of food and supplies. Priority must be given to supplying our capital. From Your Majesty to the nobles and ministers, aren't these more important than the soldiers of Zhenhuang Pass? Where would we find any extra supplies to distribute to them?"
"Secondly, Mu Cheng's previous actions were completely unnecessary and a waste of resources!"
"Isn't it freezing cold everywhere in the Xuanhuang Mountains after winter sets in? Does that mean it's only cold here in Zhenhuang Pass, but not in Zhenxuan Pass in Xuan Kingdom?"
"The soldiers of Xuan Kingdom would be crazy to cross the Xuanhuang Mountains in the dead of winter to attack the Great Wilderness; that would be tantamount to courting death! So why should we give Zhenhuang Pass any extra attention? Your Majesty, please think carefully: in any previous winter, has Zhenhuang Pass ever been attacked by Xuan Kingdom?"
The prime minister's reasoned and well-founded arguments quickly convinced the king of the desolate kingdom to a great extent.
"Hmm...that makes sense," the king of the Wasteland Kingdom nodded slightly. "However, Prime Minister, in order to fight against the Kingdom of An, I had a lot of grain transferred from the granaries at Zhenhuang Pass. I'm afraid they don't have enough left to get through the winter. Moreover, I promised to give them double the amount once we recover the lost territory. What do you think we should do?"
The Prime Minister stroked his goatee, a look of disdain on his face. "Although His Majesty promised to double the compensation after recovering the lost territories, he didn't specify this year. The compensation can be made whenever there are surplus supplies. As for their lack of provisions, let them solve it themselves! There are counties and villages near Zhenhuang Pass. They can just take some from the local people. If they can't even do that, then what ability do they have to guard the border and protect His Majesty? They deserve to freeze or starve to death!"
The king of the desolate kingdom suddenly realized, "It has to be the prime minister! He has so easily relieved my worries! Very well, I will now issue a decree to let them solve their winter problems on their own!"
The Prime Minister and several ministers beside him exclaimed in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"
At this moment, the Xuanhuang Mountain Range was shrouded in dark clouds.
The north wind was like a knife, howling endlessly between heaven and earth.
On the training ground of Zhenxuan Pass, the soldiers of the Great Xuan Border Guard were practicing combat formations with their weapons in hand. Ten thousand Xuanjia soldiers were responsible for training these two hundred thousand men.
During the two months of preparation for the operation, the Zhenxuan Army had already been equipped with new gear provided by Ning Jinli.
Not only did they use the weapons that the Xuanjia Army was normally equipped with, but they also wore warm clothing and shoes, and on the outside they wore a modern winter combat uniform and bulletproof suit. They were not only fearless of the cold, but also more defensive and more agile than when they wore a full suit of armor.
In addition to the significant upgrades in equipment.
Of course, accommodation and food were also taken care of.
From tents and bedding to daily meals, everything was replaced with modern winter military supplies.
The comprehensive improvement spanning over two thousand years greatly impressed these soldiers. Instead of becoming complacent and lax, they worked even harder in combat training.
With these guarantees, they no longer have to worry about going hungry or freezing in winter.
Both my mood and physical fitness have improved significantly.
After all, before this, being able to wear a decent cotton-padded coat and eat meat once or twice a month was a luxury for them.
Within just two months, the fighting power of the soldiers at Zhenxuan Pass reached an unprecedented level, more effective than several years of previous training.
These soldiers were somewhat uneasy about the change of their commander-in-chief.
After all, the former general was the son of Rongrui, a member of the Xiao royal family. Although he was not very good at leading troops, his extremely noble status made the soldiers feel proud.
Even though they usually see the general living in luxury while they themselves eat coarse food and drink, they don't see anything wrong with it.
Since learning that the sovereign had directly eliminated the nobles and princes of Da Xuan, they were worried that they would lose their honor as soldiers under the royal family, and some were even afraid of being implicated.
But with the arrival of Qi Zhan and Mu Cheng, and the continuous delivery of food supplies and weapons that exceeded their expectations, the soldiers' worries vanished.
The soldiers here are practicing intensively with their new equipment.
Meanwhile, the people of Xuan Kingdom near Zhenxuan Pass were also busy.
In the past, they needed to prepare as much food and supplies as possible for the winter before winter arrived.
The surplus grain after the autumn harvest is usually not enough, so they have to go into the mountains to hunt.
In addition, firewood needs to be chopped; otherwise, if there isn't enough firewood to start a fire and keep warm when it gets cold, people will freeze to death.
However, even with the vast primeval forest of the Xuanhuang Mountains, it is by no means easy for the local people to hunt and gather firewood. Every year, some people go into the mountains and never come out again.
They were either eaten by ferocious beasts such as jackals, tigers, leopards, and brown bears, or they died due to environmental dangers.
So every year, in order to get through the winter, these people risk their lives to hoard supplies.
Even so, many people still won't survive the winter.
This time, however, is different from the past.
They only need to assist the soldiers at Zhenxuan Pass with their work to receive all the rations and supplies they need.
Moreover, those things were a thousand times better than anything they had ever seen.
Refined rice and flour, oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar, fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, plus various kitchen utensils and charcoal.
They also have bedding, clothes, and shoes that they could never have imagined.
They were even allowed to keep the tools such as shovels, hoes, and wheelbarrows that the town gate had given them for their own use, so they now had all the tools for farming in the future.
As a result, the people near Zhenxuan Pass became more and more enthusiastic, bringing their families to help before dawn.
Women, children, and the elderly washed clothes and cooked for the soldiers, while able-bodied men dug mountains and built roads.
They could eat three hot, delicious, and filling meals a day, and when it got dark, they could take their supplies home to rest.
As a result, people who could contribute any amount of labor were full of energy when they worked.
The news spread like wildfire, to the point that the number of people from the surrounding Xuan Kingdom who came to Zhenxuan Pass to work sometimes reached as many as 300,000.
Thus, a road leading from Zhenxuan Pass to the depths of the Xuanhuang Mountains was excavated in just two months.
Although it was only ten feet wide, it was far less smooth than the official road.
But in the primeval forest full of towering mountains, this is an unprecedented miracle.
As dusk fell.
Countless people left the town gate one after another to rush home.
They carried torches and the supplies they had received for the day's work on their shoulders; though their steps were weary, their faces were full of smiles.
Mu Cheng stood on the city wall, watching the crowd gradually disappear into the distance, his expression solemn and thoughtful.
"General Mu, what are you thinking about?" Qi Zhan came to his side and asked casually.
Mu Cheng bowed with his hands clasped in greeting, "Your subordinate greets General Qi."
Qi Zhan smiled and said, "General Mu is an elder, there's no need to be so polite to me."
Mu Chengdao said, "You are the commander-in-chief, and I am the deputy commander. We still need to abide by military regulations. I was just thinking that the Fairy Jinli is truly powerful. She managed to provide those extraordinary supplies to 200,000 soldiers at Zhenxuan Pass and more than 300,000 people from the surrounding area. You know... even just a pair of shoes given by the fairy is an unprecedented treasure here..."
Qi Zhan nodded, "That's true, but the fairy said that those things are the most common things in her world."
Mu Cheng was startled again.
Despite having gained some initial insights in Linxian City and having witnessed countless new developments over the past two months, I was still deeply moved by this statement once again.
He simply couldn't imagine what the world where Fairy Jinli lived was like.
Mu Cheng looked up at the night sky, feeling the increasingly biting north wind, and said with a solemn expression, "The cold wave has arrived, and the first heavy snow will fall soon... I wonder... whether the people on the other side of the Xuanhuang Mountains will be able to get through the winter safely... General Qi, our Zhenxuan Army is ready, can we launch an attack?"
Is General Mu in such a hurry?
"I am not warlike, but I am worried about the people on the other side of Zhenhuang Pass. If we can attack and occupy that place quickly, we can let them live a good life."
"General Mu, rest assured, at the current pace of digging through the mountains and building roads, the road we built according to the mountain terrain will be open in less than half a month, and then we will be able to lead the army into battle."
When Mu Cheng heard Qi Zhan mention the project of digging through mountains to build roads, he felt as if he were dreaming.
Trying to carve out a road through the Xuanhuang Mountains in the old way would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
Even if the entire nation were to mobilize and forcibly conscript laborers to excavate without regard for the consequences, it would probably take at least ten years, and perhaps only enough time to carve out a mountain road that could barely accommodate a donkey cart.
But if we really did that, who knows how many people would die, how much the country would be depleted to the point of being vulnerable, and how it would probably perish on its own without even needing to be attacked by neighboring countries.
Looking across the Central Plains, absolutely no other vassal state would dare to do such a thing.
Therefore, ever since the Xuan Kingdom and the Huang Kingdom divided the Xuanhuang Mountain Range and began to govern each other hundreds of years ago, there has never been a road through this mountain range.
Who would have thought that with just one move, Fairy Jinli could mobilize hundreds of thousands of people to work together to clear the road without even having to conscript labor?
Moreover, the various tools provided by Fairy Jinli, even the most basic hoes and shovels, are hundreds or thousands of times better than the bronze hoes and shovels that people used to use.
Moreover, there is something called explosives.
Whenever encountering rocks that are difficult to move by human power, explosives can be used to easily blast them open, which greatly saves time and manpower.
In addition, there are clothes and shoes that can keep out the cold and protect the body, food and medicine are plentiful, and drones can be used to survey the route environment, so there is no need for people to risk their lives to conduct surveys. The people have unprecedented security.
This allows people to achieve twice the result with half the effort, and they become more and more energetic as they work.
"It is said that the fairy also possesses some kind of enormous tool that only requires one person to operate. In front of her is a huge shovel, and one shovelful is equivalent to several people digging for half a day with hoes." Mu Cheng's eyes shone as he described the rumors he had recently heard from several Xuanjia soldiers.
Qi Zhan nodded, "That's right, Fairy said that thing is called an excavator. Besides excavators, there are many other kinds of heavy machinery, each one is incredibly powerful."
"Then why didn't the fairy bring this item over here?" Mu Cheng asked expectantly. "If we had an excavator, wouldn't we be able to carve out a road through the Xuanhuang Mountains much faster?"
Qi Zhan smiled and said, "Those heavy machines aren't easy to learn to operate. Even in Linxian City, only a few people can use them skillfully. If you're not careful, you could cause an accident. Besides, we don't even have a basic road here that allows excavators to move freely, so we have to dig it out manually first before we can use excavators."
Mu Cheng nodded slightly, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"General Mu, rest assured," Qi Zhan said sincerely. "Fairy Jinli is the person I have ever met who cares most about the people and has them in her heart the most. Under her influence, our sovereign and everyone who has come into contact with her will be convinced by her and willingly do as she expects. Therefore, our Great Xuan will definitely not let the people of the Desolate Kingdom suffer again in the future. You will definitely be able to see peace in the world, with everyone having enough to eat and wear, and living in peace and contentment in your lifetime."
"To have such a fairy is truly a blessing for the Great Xuan... no, a blessing for the entire world!" Mu Cheng was deeply moved and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.
As night fell, snowflakes suddenly began to fall.
Soon it turned into a dense, heavy snowfall.
Mu Cheng and Qi Zhan stood on the city wall in the wind and snow, watching the last group of civilians leave before descending the wall and returning to their camp.
One night passed.
The entire Xuanhuang Mountain Range region was covered with thick snow.
The majestic, continuous mountain range resembles a silver dragon lying across the vast land.
But this magnificent winter snowscape has become a nightmare for the people around Huangguan in Huangguo Town.
In a small village.
A dozen or so strong men gathered around the village chief's thatched hut, their faces clouded with worry as they gazed at the ever-thickening snow.
They are the main labor force in each household.
Winter came earlier than usual this year. In addition, the Huang Kingdom launched a war against the An Kingdom, and the court sent people to requisition a lot of grain from them to supply the Huang army. Their winter reserves are severely insufficient, and now they can only gather at the village chief's house to discuss countermeasures.
The village chief lived in a thatched hut that could barely keep out the wind and rain.
The house was too small to accommodate so many people, so they could only huddle together in the open space outside, making do with warmth by a small pile of firewood.
"Village chief, why don't we go into the mountains together before the heavy snow completely blocks them out, and hunt as much as we can?" someone suggested.
“I don’t think this will work,” a man next to him shook his head. “Judging by the snowfall, we might not be able to get out of the mountains if we go in…”
The crowd started discussing amongst themselves.
"What can we do then? Just stay in the village and wait to die?"
"Staying in the village with only the remaining food and firewood, we're afraid we can only survive for a month or two at most..."
"Sigh, I can manage if I eat less, but my wife and children... if they're cold and hungry, they won't last even a month. And what about those elderly people? What are we going to do?"
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