Chapter 211 General Chu Returns (Exclusive Published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Just as Chu Ming passed through the city gate, a hoverboard whizzed past overhead, so abruptly that he almost drew his sword on the spot, shouting angrily, "Who goes there?!"
The garrison soldiers following behind him also looked very wary.
The people who were about to greet General Chu were startled by their reaction. Realizing that the other party had just returned and was unaware of the changes in the city, they hurriedly said, "General, don't worry, there's no danger. The people who just flew over were government officials."
Chu Ming, looking somewhat tired, was filled with questions.
What is it?
He frowned. "When did the government officials learn to fly?"
He subconsciously looked up, only to be astonished to find people flying around in the air in several places throughout the city.
His pupils dilated, and he gasped.
Just then, someone else approached them. Chu Ming recognized that the person was indeed from the government office and quickly called out, "Come down!"
Upon seeing Chu Ming, the constable quickly maneuvered the hoverboard down and respectfully greeted him, "General Chu."
Chu Ming stared intently at the board he was standing on, which seemed to be supporting him as he flew around, and asked, "Where did you get this treasure? Does your government office have many of these?" Otherwise, how could just any constable be assigned one?
The constable replied, "It's not a lot, but it's enough for each constable in the government office to be assigned one."
Chu Ming's eyes widened. "Everyone got a share?"
Although the government office lost a lot of manpower in the earthquake and subsequent disasters, it was later replenished with more people, and there were still two hundred people.
He thought there were only three or five treasures that could make people fly, but suddenly everyone has one... Could it be that this thing is not as precious as he thought?
Chu Ming's curiosity was completely piqued, and he urged, "Tell me in detail what exactly happened."
The soldiers behind them also pricked up their ears.
The constable quickly recounted the events that had occurred in the city over the past few days. When he got excited, he couldn't help but raise his voice, which attracted the surrounding crowd who couldn't resist sharing and came over to fill in the gaps he had missed. Some even sang his own praises of the immortal Lu.
Chu Ming and his soldiers were dumbfounded.
A flurry of emotions flashed across Chu Ming's face. Finally, he slapped his thigh and said anxiously to the others, "Let's go! To the government office!"
Nutrient supplements that can fill you up with just a couple of bites, greenhouses that keep you warm in winter and cool in summer covering tens of thousands of acres, and even magic arts... It all sounds unbelievable, but the government officials and the common people have no reason to collude to deceive him, unless they no longer want the protection of the garrison.
He actually saw the hoverboard in person, which means that the amazing things they were talking about really exist.
In that case, they can't miss out on their share of the garrison's share!
Their original weapons were almost all worn down from killing wild animals during the polar night, and they urgently needed to replenish them with new weapons.
Chu Ming quickened his pace toward the government office, his eyes filled with frustration.
If he had known that such a person would come to the city, he would have chosen another day to go out.
·
Upon arriving at the government office, Chu Ming hurriedly asked someone for Liu Wenchi's whereabouts, only to learn that Liu was in the greenhouse outside the city overseeing the spring planting and had not yet returned.
Chu Ming asked anxiously, "Is that immortal or celestial messenger surnamed Lu not here either?"
Upon learning of Chu Ming's arrival, Liu Ziming rushed over from behind and answered on his behalf: "The Prefect is worried that the cultivation methods for the mutated seeds are different, so he asked Young Master Lu to come along and provide guidance."
Chu Ming's eyes lit up when he saw Liu Ziming. "If you're here, tell me quickly, did that outsider surnamed Lu really bring a lot of supplies? What about our garrison's share? Don't tell me the prefect didn't leave any for us."
As Liu Ziming invited Chu Ming to sit down and talk, he said gently, "The Prefect has set aside a separate portion for General Chu and your group. There are nutritional supplements, salt, sugar, medicine, as well as some salted fish, cured meat, fresh mushrooms, and fruit."
As he spoke, he took out his own portion from his spatial ring and offered it to Chu Ming to try.
Chu Ming watched as a tangerine the size of a baby's head suddenly appeared in Liu Ziming's empty palm, and gasped, "How did you do that!?"
Liu Ziming smiled modestly and explained the function of the personal space to him, "General, don't worry, the prefect has reserved your share. You will be able to get it when he returns. Have an orange first. The supplies that Young Master Lu brought out all taste extremely delicious."
Chu Ming was itching to use the portable space, but as he broke the tangerine in half, the rich tangerine scent instantly diverted his attention.
He couldn't help but sniff, "It smells so good!"
He honestly took the orange Liu Ziming handed him, broke off a segment, and popped it into his mouth. His eyes lit up instantly. "Delicious!" he exclaimed. He quickly peeled the orange and ate half of it in a few bites. He then reached out to Liu Ziming and said, "Any more? Give me some more."
Liu Ziming got him some more fruit.
Besides citrus fruits, I also took out some strawberries, grapes, and peaches.
Chu Ming devoured the fruits without any hesitation, praising them as he ate: "These fruits are juicy and sweet. To be able to produce such fresh supplies when people in the city can't even afford to eat, this man surnamed Lu is indeed quite capable."
Liu Ziming said, "Compared to other supplies, the quantity of fruit is relatively small, so we should eat it sparingly. As for weapons and hoverboards, the prefect has not yet decided since he does not know how many the general wants. Once Young Master Lu arrives, the general can decide for himself, and the prefectural government will assume all debts."
Liu Ziming raised his wrist and glanced at the time on the communicator. "It will probably be some time before they return. I suppose the general is getting impatient. Perhaps I should speak to the prefect and ask them to come back sooner."
As he spoke, he sent a message to Liu Wenchi.
"Zi Mo? What is it?"
When Chu Ming saw Liu Wenchi's face suddenly appear between the two of them and make a sound, he was so shocked that he almost spat out the fruit in his mouth and took a step back with a horrified expression.
"This is a soul-capturing technique!?"
Liu Wenchi, on the other side, recognized Chu Ming's voice and his expression shifted: "General Chu is back?"
Liu Ziming: "Yes, the general is eager to trade weapons, hoverboards and other supplies with Young Master Lu."
After saying that, he explained to the bewildered Chu Ming, "It is not a soul-capturing technique. General, you can understand it as a technique for transmitting sound over a thousand miles."
Liu Wenchi said, "I will return with Young Master Lu as soon as possible. Please wait a moment longer, General Chu."
The call was quickly disconnected.
Only after Liu Wenchi's face disappeared did Chu Ming, whose heart was pounding wildly, finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Liu Ziming could tell that he was still a little emotionally unstable, so she took out a pot of hot milk from her space and poured him a cup to calm him down.
Upon smelling the rich milky aroma, Chu Ming exclaimed in surprise, "They even have breasts?"
Liu Ziming: "These are not necessities. I traded them with Young Master Lu privately over the past two days."
Not only him, but also his uncle, Lord Zhang, and even Magistrate Zhao traded a lot of things with Lu Xuan. The government also facilitated many transactions between wealthy households in the city who still had some supplies.
Chu Ming nodded: "I see."
Chu Ming didn't really like drinking dairy products, always finding them too fishy.
But when supplies are scarce, having something to drink is already a blessing. He drank it down in one gulp, then wiped his mouth and asked, "I heard you distributed a batch of supplies a couple of days ago? And this Young Master Lu even caused a miracle while building the greenhouse? Tell me the details of what happened then."
Liu Ziming patiently continued explaining.
...
Just as Chu Ming was asking about all his experiences in the city over the past few days, Lu Xuan, Liu Wenchi, and the others returned on hoverboards.
Chu Ming had already heard Liu Ziming say that Lu Xuan looked only twenty years old, but he was still surprised when he actually saw the other party's delicate skin and tender flesh, which seemed to have never suffered from natural disasters.
However, considering that the other party had a lot of supplies, he quickly put these unimportant details out of his mind.
He asked urgently, "My soldiers need a lot of weapons. How many can you provide in total?"
Lu Xuan glanced at Chu Ming, who was said to be only in his early thirties but looked at least ten years older, and said, "I have as many as you want."
Chu Ming: "!" He really has a big mouth, I like it!
Chu Ming immediately said, "Then we need ten thousand swords, spears, bows and crossbows, and five thousand flying skateboards!"
He had just seen Prefect Liu and this young man named Lu Xuan arrive on a skateboard.
Since skateboards can carry two people, five thousand are enough. The extras can be kept as spares, just like weapons, since the prefectural city will pay for them anyway.
Lu Xuan nodded: "Okay."
He quickly calculated the price and gave it to Liu Wenchi. Liu Wenchi didn't even frown and readily added an extra clause to the contract.
Compared to the eight-figure total debt, a mere 100,000 units of mutated food is just a drop in the bucket.
Lu Xuan saw Chu Ming's eager anticipation and did not disappoint him. After ascertaining the specific types and quantities of weapons he needed, he handed over the supplies on the spot.
Chu Ming couldn't wait to take out one of the longswords and feel its sharpness with his fingertips. A look of surprise appeared on his resolute face. "What a fine sword!"
Lu Xuan: "..."
Chu Ming held the sword and played with it for a while before taking off the chipped sword from his waist and replacing it with the new weapon.
Although he still looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes from not having slept well for many days, it was clear to everyone how spirited Chu Ming was now after acquiring the new weapon.
Liu Wenchi also handed over the supplies for the garrison, along with his spatial ring, to Chu Ming.
Before they arrived, Chu Ming had already borrowed Liu Ziming's spatial ring and learned how to retrieve items. Now, he put on the ring and checked the supplies inside. He found that the supplies Liu Ziming had mentioned were indeed there, especially the two thousand bio-suits that supposedly made people immune to heat and cold!
It is said that the government only purchased 10,000 items in total, giving one-fifth of them to the garrison, which shows Liu Wenchi's sincerity.
Chu Ming was very satisfied with this.
Although it's impossible to equip every soldier with one, in the event of an emergency in the city, at most only one or two thousand people would be dispatched at a time, which would be enough.
Chu Ming did not forget the true providers of these good things.
He patted Lu Xuan on the shoulder with delight and said, "Good lad, are you interested in staying in the prefectural city and joining my ranks?"
He didn't know whether Lu Xuan was a demon, an immortal, or something else entirely.
Now that they have completely lost contact with the capital, all they want is to survive. Lu Xuan, who can provide them with a large amount of supplies, is unlikely to be a barbarian from beyond the Great Wall.
As long as it's not a spy, and he's after supplies, he'd be happy to swear brotherhood with the other party on the spot!
Even if there is something unusual about the other person, keeping them close by makes it easy to observe and respond at any time.
Lu Xuan said, "No need. My family is waiting for me to come back. Rather than being a soldier protecting others, I'd rather enjoy life."
Chu Ming didn't think he lacked ambition. Instead, he disagreed and said, "How come you didn't protect the safety of others? Just based on the many supplies you provided and that greenhouse, all the people and disaster victims in the prefecture will remember your kindness."
Liu Wenchi nodded in agreement.
Lu Xuan remained calm, saying, "It's just a transaction."
Deep feelings can easily lead to financial losses, so it's better for them to stick to purely financial transactions and avoid getting emotionally involved.
As Zhao Tongpan observed Chu Ming and Lu Xuan's friendly exchanges and their clearly positive impression of each other, he subtly frowned.
A moment later, Liu Wenchi announced that he wanted to host a welcome dinner for Chu Ming and asked the latter to go take a bath and change his clothes first.
Seeing Chu Ming leave, Judge Zhao made an excuse to go to the restroom and quietly followed him.
Viewers in the live stream immediately reminded Lu Xuan: "He's definitely gone to find General Chu! He might be planning to team up with Chu Ming against you, streamer, be careful!"
Lu Xuan glanced at Zhao Tongpan's back and quickly looked away without paying any attention.
...
The ingredients used in Chu Ming's welcoming banquet were all traded by Lu Xuan to the government office, and the dishes were also very plentiful.
Chu Ming, being a military general, was not as particular as a scholar. As soon as the meal began, he ate heartily without any restraint until his stomach was full of oil and fat. Only then did he talk about the results of his trip while gnawing on a pork bone.
His main purpose in going out this time was to intimidate the county magistrate of a county under Liu Wenchi's jurisdiction.
After the major earthquake, the other party brought some of the disaster victims from the city to Luochuan for refuge, and stayed in Luochuan until the rainy season.
However, with no news from the capital and being subject to stricter controls in Luochuan, he hatched a plan. He found an excuse, unwilling to continue being a burden to the prefect, and led his men back to the county town, where he became a local tyrant.
Afterwards, not only did they completely disregard the lives of the disaster victims in the city and refuse to distribute supplies, they also demanded that the disaster victims hand over the meager food they obtained in the wild, otherwise they would not be allowed to live in the city.
The magistrate's son took pleasure in tormenting the people, causing constant cries of agony and misery to fill the city.
The viewers in the live stream were so impressed by what Chu Ming said that they were practically clenching their fists.
[It's true that any kind of scum can become a county magistrate.]
Why didn't Liu Wenchi just kill this guy back then?!
[How could Liu Wenchi, a prefect, possibly kill a high-ranking official so easily?]
[Perhaps the other party hadn't acted so excessively back then, or perhaps they were too busy during the cataclysm to attend to it. Didn't they immediately send Chu Ming during this hibernation period?]
So, did Chu Ming kill the person?
Of course, Chu Ming didn't kill the person.
As some viewers have said, he is, after all, an official. He may have handled things quickly and easily in private, but if he were to re-establish contact with his superiors and be purged afterward, it would be very troublesome.
He simply beat the magistrate's son half to death, imprisoned the magistrate, and promoted a county clerk with decent character to the position.
As for whether the other party would cause the magistrate's accidental death after he left, that was none of his business. :)
After understanding the intricacies of Chu Ming's explanation, the audience couldn't help but chuckle.
I didn't realize Chu Ming was a little cunning! 666!
Chu Ming placed the cleaned bones on the bone-spitting plate, took a big gulp of refreshing juice, and said with a satisfied look, "I stayed a couple more days to lend the county magistrate some influence so that he could smoothly take control of some small forces in the city. I think there shouldn't be any major problems later."
Liu Wenchi said politely, "Thank you for your hard work, General."
Magistrate Zhang stroked his beard and said, "Now that we have learned about the disaster situation from Young Master Lu in advance, this year should be much better than last year. Perhaps Your Excellency could consider bringing the disaster victims back into the prefectural city for unified management."
Liu Wenchi did indeed have this plan, but he needed to think carefully about how to proceed. He simply said, "I can consider it."
Chu Ming didn't care about any of that.
He was only responsible for the parts that required military deterrence. As long as Liu Wenchi did not cut off the supplies to the garrison, he would not interfere in the rest.
After the meal, Chu Ming went directly back to the garrison camp in the city.
I first went to check on the wounded soldiers and found that Liu Wenchi had already sent over a batch of medicine. With both internal and external treatments, everyone's condition had improved significantly.
Chu Ming smiled with satisfaction, his gratitude towards Lu Xuan deepening.
After inspecting the wounded soldiers, Chu Ming called over the other soldiers and distributed the new weapons and hoverboards. Then... including himself, thousands of people excitedly studied the hoverboards on the training ground.
Soon, the usually serious training ground was filled with exclamations and laughter.
That afternoon, the number of stuntmen in the city also increased exponentially.
The new aerial acrobats were noticeably less skilled than the government officials who had played for two more days. Not only were there more people hanging upside down in the air, but people could also be seen colliding with each other in mid-air, much to the amusement of the people.
On a bustling street in the south of the city.
Lu Xuan occasionally looked up at the garrison soldiers who were maneuvering hoverboards passing by in the air, and commented on their skills with the viewers in the live broadcast room, but most of the time he focused on setting up his stall.
With the big transactions completed and the wealthy in the city having been fleeced, it was time to take care of the common people's market as well.
You can sell some toilet paper, self-heating blankets, fruit wine, insulated lunch boxes, glow sticks, nutritional supplements, and cooling patches.
There was also a small amount of regular fruit cut into small pieces.
The quantity is small, and the goods exchanged are not important; even a pound or two of wild vegetables can be exchanged for half an apple.
I don't expect to make any money; I just consider it a good deed I do every day to give the people a little something to eat.
Of course, this is only one wave.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will leave Luochuan tomorrow.
At first, the process of setting up the stall went smoothly.
Lu Xuan's asking price wasn't high, so even people with limited resources could grit their teeth and exchange some for something.
However, as more and more people gathered, some individuals of unclear backgrounds began to emerge and stir up trouble.
These people initially complained that his supplies were too expensive and were picky about the fruit being too big, fearing it might cause health problems.
Lu Xuan initially thought the other party was just making excuses to bargain because of poverty, but he soon realized that something was wrong.
"I heard from the government officials that a large portion of the greenhouse's produce is to be given to you to repay the traded goods. But if you are truly a divine being who has come to save us, shouldn't you just give us the goods directly?"
Lu Xuan: ?
Live stream viewers: ? What nonsense is this guy spouting?
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Author's Note: Special thanks to x for today's list: Changyushan threw 1 grenade. Throwing time: 2025-05-21 18:47:00
“wie1219”, Irrigation nutrient solution +19
"Changyushan", irrigate with nutrient solution +10
Thank you to "Wenwen", "Shimengmeng", and "Yan" for the nutrient solution!
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