Chapter 99◇
◎Digging pits on barren mountains◎
Many trees were broken in half, but those were all small trees that had not yet formed a forest and were not yet strong enough to withstand the strong winds and rocks.
Huang Que suddenly recalled Shi Fusheng's lament when they first arrived at the foot of the mountain. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he said, "Could it be that the people's excessive logging has made the mountain unstable, leading to this disaster?"
Shi Fusheng chuckled lightly, "Indeed intelligent." But there was weariness and bitterness in that smile, which was hard to ignore.
A sense of tragic grandeur suddenly settled over Feng Ran, and she said in a muffled voice, "The law of the jungle is true, but if the weak are all gone, then who is strong and who is weak?"
Seeing that Feng Ran and Shi Fusheng were both surrounded by the same melody, Duan Jingchuan's brows furrowed with annoyance. He turned and pulled Feng Ran into his arms, making sure she could only see him. He stroked her head and said, "Madam, let's plant some trees here!"
"But those trees are so fragile! How much effort did you put into keeping that plum tree in Jinghua Courtyard alive!"
Duan Jingchuan said gently, "This place needs trees that can withstand the wind and snow. We only need to provide them with a small place to live, and they will grow into towering trees."
Duan Jingchuan was always a man of action. The next day, he used thirty cartloads of grain to ask all the people of Ancheng to help clear the barren mountains and start planting trees.
Of course, the locations for planting trees are not limited to barren mountains, but the entire city of Ancheng.
Duan Jingchuan finally understood: the severe soil erosion and increasingly intense storms in this area were inextricably linked to the large-scale logging by the local people. Since things had come to this, all they could do was try their best to remedy the situation.
Nowadays, no one sells these ordinary saplings, so they have to be transplanted from other places. Duan Jingchuan used money to pave the way, calling on the entire northern region to dig up saplings in a controlled manner and transport them to Ancheng.
At the same time, the cause of the disaster in Ancheng was widely publicized to prevent anyone from damaging more land for petty gains.
Shi Fusheng looked at Duan Jingchuan, who was wearing a short jacket and personally pointing out the landscape, and said in astonishment and disbelief, "Could it be that just because you frowned, he went to such lengths to plant these worthless trees?"
Feng Ran rolled her eyes in annoyance. "It's clearly my husband who cares about the world and wants to help these innocent people clean up their messes. Instead of thinking about this and that, you should use your strength to come and help."
The people of Ancheng are filled with remorse. They never imagined that their efforts to build new houses and exchange trees from the mountain for money would lead to this disaster in Ancheng.
Knowing the reason, how could they possibly ask for any benefits? Everyone rolled up their sleeves, those with strength contributed their strength, and those with money contributed their money, enthusiastically joining the great cause of afforestation.
Not only that, they also learned from this experience and understood the principle of exploiting others. Since there weren't many adult fish left in Songjiang, they directly bought a large number of fish fry and released them into the river, hoping to eat more fresh fish next year.
After hearing the news, the garrison also sent men to help. This wasn't because they were being particularly kind, but because they deserved some credit for turning the mountain into a barren place.
They felt bad that the trees they built were mostly cut from this mountain, so they could only work even harder to plant more trees.
Taking advantage of a break, Feng Ran teased Duan Jingchuan: "Husband, look how colorful your life is with me. One minute you're collecting scraps, the next you're digging holes on a barren mountain."
Duan Jingchuan, after all, was of noble status, so he didn't need to keep an eye on the tree planting.
These past few days have allowed Chen Guangjun, who is all brawn and no brains, to learn what kind of person Duan Jingchuan really is. After hearing that the batch of supplies sent to Ancheng a few days ago was entirely due to Duan Jingchuan's efforts, he was so eager to slap himself that he visited Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran three times, humbly inviting them to spend a couple more days with the garrison troops.
Duan Jingchuan's expression remained calm. "I appreciate the general's kindness. I was only here on my father's orders to pay my respects to the general with my wife. Now that we have met, there is no need for my wife and I to go to the garrison's location again."
Chen Guangjun looked bitter, cursing himself for putting on airs. He wasn't afraid of offending people, but he felt guilty.
Duan Jingchuan clearly came with good intentions, but he didn't appreciate it and gave them the cold shoulder. They still helped them without holding a grudge. Just based on their magnanimity, he would have to humble himself and make them happy.
But Duan Jingchuan seemed to have developed an indestructible body. No matter how he tried to get the answer, he couldn't get the slightest chance. Just when he was at his wit's end, he suddenly saw Feng Ran and Huang Que playing pitch-pot on the side.
His eyes suddenly lit up. Wasn't this a classic case of being blinded by one's own involvement? The young master was impervious to reason, but this princess was easy to get along with!
During this time, Feng Ran helped plant trees just like ordinary people. She was also very popular with the people because of her strength. She was also very down-to-earth and quickly became one of them.
If you were to ask what the Crown Princess's hobbies are, anyone who has met her would probably know. Chen Guangjun can only name two at a time: she loves to eat and she loves to play.
Now that he had a clear objective, Chen Guangjun felt much better. He sorted out his thoughts and walked confidently toward Feng Ran.
He smiled and said, "Princess Consort, your aim in pitch-pot is quite good. Most soldiers don't have your level of skill."
Of course, these words were absolutely flattering. What ordinary soldier would put their energy into pitch-pot? They only needed to be good at shooting arrows from a hundred paces on the battlefield. However, in order to impress Feng Ran, he didn't mind saying a few nice words.
Feng Ran was not only honest, but also extremely self-aware. She casually said, "How can this be compared? If we're talking about eating, drinking, and having fun, the soldiers are definitely no match for me. But if we're talking about protecting our country, ten of me wouldn't be as good as one soldier."
These words made Chen Guangjun think even more highly of Feng Ran. Thinking of Feng Ran's extraordinary strength, he suddenly had an idea. "Is the Crown Princess interested in learning to draw a bow and shoot arrows?"
Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran stepped into the garrison area again. This time, the group was larger, with Xiu'er, Xiong Qi, Shi Fusheng, Huang Que, and others following along.
Unlike their previous indifference, this time the guards greeted the group with cheerful smiles and immediately helped them with their tasks, even leading them to a clean house that had been prepared in advance.
"Husband, do you know how to use a bow and arrow?" Feng Ran's eyes lit up as she looked at the soldiers practicing at the shooting range; she clearly liked them very much.
Duan Jingchuan shook his head regretfully, "I've never learned it."
Feng Ran comforted her, "It's okay, we'll learn together in a bit."
Upon hearing that Feng Ran was interested in archery, Chen Guangjun immediately clapped his hands and agreed, saying that he would definitely teach her everything he knew.
But when he saw the three adults in front of him, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He thought to himself, "If he were teaching someone with no foundation, he would still have the energy. After all, the Crown Princess was just doing it on a whim, so it shouldn't matter whether she learns or not. But the Crown Prince brought two more people to join in the fun. If none of the four of them learns, wouldn't that be an insult to his reputation?"
He had originally thought that if he were only teaching Feng Ran, he could simply demonstrate and pretend, given the difference between men and women. But now that there were four students, he had to invite several more skilled archers to come over.
The normal range of an arrow is about 150 meters, so the requirements for these four novices wouldn't be so strict. The three adults set up targets 80 meters away, while the youngest, Huang Que, could only shoot 30 meters. This was based on Chen Guangjun's many years of experience leading troops.
He picked up a bow first and carefully explained the stance and key points of archery, while taking out an arrow to demonstrate.
He drew his bow, straightened his back, and the arrow flew out with lightning speed, hitting the bullseye. The arrow tail vibrated continuously, showing how much force it had left.
Chen Guangjun nodded to himself. It seemed that his skills were as good as ever. His strength and accuracy were both excellent. But why was no one cheering?
Looking back at the four people, I saw that all three of them were already in the correct stance, with their bows fully drawn and ready to be released.
Only Shi Fusheng was still lost in thought when his eyes met Chen Guangjun's.
He looked around and noticed his difference. He raised an eyebrow slightly, picked up a bow and arrow casually, and without any apparent stance, nocked the arrow and sent it flying.
Just as Chen Guangjun was about to shout and cause trouble, the arrow struck the bullseye with an incredible arc.
His open mouth froze there, his eyes filled with shock, like a stiff wooden figure, speechless for a long time. Not to mention the soldiers who originally intended to teach Shi Fusheng, he felt that his skills were not up to par.
The first to speak was Huang Que, her little face full of admiration, "Young Master Shi draws his bow and shoots arrows so easily, have you practiced before?"
Shi Fusheng beamed and tilted his head innocently, saying, "This is my first time."
Upon hearing this, Chen Guangjun's eyes suddenly blazed with fury. He disregarded instructing the other three on their postures and rushed directly to Shi Fusheng, excitedly trying to grab the other's shoulder. He didn't mind being dodged, saying, "Brother Shi, you are a natural archer. Would you be interested in training in the military camp?"
Shi Fusheng retreated three feet, his head shaking so much it left afterimages, and waved his hands repeatedly, "No interest, no interest, my hand shakes even when I shoot an animal."
Chen Guangjun regretfully withdrew his gaze and placed his hopes on Duan Jingchuan. When he saw that Duan Jingchuan's posture was as perfect as a replica, he was even happier.
Duan Jingchuan has a very stable waist and shoulders. Thanks to Feng Ran's frequent pounces on him, his strength, while not extraordinary, is still above average.
Despite Shi Fusheng's effortless success, his breathing remained perfectly steady. He glanced at the bullseye with his right eye, constantly calculating the wind speed and force in his mind. With a taut bowstring, the arrow shot through the wind, followed by a slightly weaker follow-up shot.
With two loud thuds, two feathered swords with different forces hit the target one after the other. Although they didn't hit the bullseye, it was still a sign of exceptional talent for someone shooting arrows for the first time.
However, with Shi Fusheng's excellent performance as a precedent, Chen Guangjun was only slightly satisfied with Duan Jingchuan's results, not particularly impressed. What surprised him was Huang Que, this unassuming little boy. He had originally only intended to teach him casually, just to amuse the child, but he hadn't expected the boy, despite his young age, to have such good accuracy.
Huang Que anticipated what Chen Guangjun was about to say, and with a serious expression on his chubby face, he said, "I'm still young, I have no intention of joining the army."
Chen Guangjun revealed his first sincere smile of the day, looking somewhat naive, like a wolf in sheep's clothing luring a little lamb. "It's alright, you can come find me anytime you want."
Any soldier can draw a bow and shoot an arrow, but only those with true talent can become master archers. Unfortunately, today he encountered the most talented Shi Fusheng, and the still-young Huang Que.
If it weren't for the two of them, Chen Guangjun would definitely have paid more attention to Duan Jingchuan. But today, he began to secretly resent that the Marquis of Dingbei had a son who was even skilled at drawing a bow and shooting arrows.
No one praised Duan Jingchuan, which made Feng Ran unhappy. She casually threw down her bow and arrows, grabbed Duan Jingchuan's arm and shook it back and forth: "Husband, you're so great! You hit the target right away."
Duan Jingchuan smiled and said deliberately, "But I'm the worst."
"I don't care, in my eyes you are the best."
Duan Jingchuan's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be calm and gently stroked Feng Ran's hair. "Then I am honored by your kindness, Madam."
Fearing that Feng Ran might say something else that he couldn't handle, Duan Jingchuan picked up the bow and arrow that Feng Ran had put down and whispered, "Why don't you try it, Madam?"
Feng Ran first looked at the target not far away, then at the bow in her hand, and whispered to herself, "My hands never listen to my brain and eyes. Shooting at the target is too difficult for me."
Duan Jingchuan was slightly taken aback. He thought archery was Feng Ran's racial talent, but he didn't expect it might just be Shi Fusheng's talent. He gently comforted her, "It's okay, just think of it as pitch-pot, just play around."
Chen Guangjun realized that his main purpose was to serve Feng Ran, not to recruit new soldiers for the army. So he encouraged her with a happy face, "Princess Consort, you may give it a try. It's alright, just treat it as a pastime."
A note from the author:
What should we aim at?
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