The Tribulations of the Three Kingdoms
Gu Yan's coma weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a piece of lead. The news he brought—the tragic death of Gong Xi, the leak of the core chapters of the *Gongzheng Yilu*, and the shocking conspiracy of the Beast Head Faction colluding with the Northern Rong to flood Hexi—cast a deathly shadow colder than the gray snow across the Longshou Plain in this frigid winter. The simple framework of Anji Academy groaned in the howling wind, its dark doors seemingly silently swallowing the glimmer of light that had just been kindled.
Xuanweizi treated Gu Yan with lightning speed. The old Taoist priest's expression was solemn as he pierced Gu Yan's acupuncture points with silver needles and applied herbal ointments with swift and precise movements. The deep, bone-revealing wound on Gu Yan's shoulder was carefully cleaned and covered with a specially made black ointment that emitted a pungent aroma. His pulse was weak and erratic, like a candle flame raging in a storm, clearly indicating that in addition to the external injury, he had also suffered from the corrosive influence of some kind of cold internal force, faintly echoing the eerie aura of the blood-stained wolf skull talisman.
"Evil energy has entered his internal organs, damaging his heart meridian. He needs to rest quietly, avoid thinking, and avoid anger." Xuanweizi withdrew his silver needles and said in a deep voice to Xiao Yuxuan, who was standing guard beside him with a livid face, "Whether he can wake up, and when he will wake up, depends on his fate, and also on the...luck of this world." The old Taoist's words carried the unique mystery of Taoism, yet they also revealed a heavy sense of powerlessness. Gu Yan, this link connecting the undercurrents of the martial world and holding crucial intelligence, was severed at the most critical moment.
Xiao Yuxuan stood in the makeshift, drafty thatched hut, looking at Gu Yan's pale, weak profile on the straw mat. Outside, the shouts of the clearing work continued, but they had clearly lost their vigor from the previous days, becoming heavy and oppressive. Ji Zhai, along with several core disciples, stood before the blood-stained copper coin containing the water-drawing chapter of the *Gongzheng Yilu*, their brows furrowed in deep frown. The blood-dripping wolf's head mark engraved on the coin at a crucial point was like a Damocles' sword hanging over everyone's heads, pointing to a catastrophic disaster that could strike at any moment!
The Beast Head Faction has obtained the "Records"! They possess the secret techniques of water conservancy mechanisms powerful enough to destroy the lifeline of Hexi! And their target is likely the Weishui irrigation canal and reservoir they are desperately digging and pinning their hopes on! This is not only to cut off their lifeline, but also to completely bury Anji Camp, along with the nascent hope on this scorched land, in the raging flood!
Despair, like a cold, poisonous vine, crept in again. Without Gu Yan's intelligence network, they were as if blindfolded and deafened, groping their way across this scorched earth fraught with danger, while the enemy lurked in the shadows, sharpening their deadly fangs.
"Governor!" Chen Zhong's voice, tinged with barely perceptible panic, broke the suffocating silence in the thatched hut. He held a roll of rough, mud-splattered yellow hemp paper in his hands, his face extremely grim. "From Jincheng...it's from Jincheng! A new decree from the Tax Commissioner Yan Yang!"
Xiao Yuxuan whirled around, his gaze sharp as a knife. Chen Zhong unfolded a piece of hemp paper, on which several lines of Qin seal script were written in thick ink. The characters were square and solemn, exuding an unquestionable, icy will:
To: Xiao Yuxuan, Governor-General of Hexi
"An investigation of the prefectures west of the Yellow River reveals that trade is halted, markets are desolate, taxes have been outstanding for a long time, and the people are suffering. The root cause lies in the obstruction of trade routes and the lack of economic activity. To alleviate the people's suffering and increase national revenue, the 'New Commercial Tax Ordinance for Hexi' is hereby promulgated."
"First, all merchants within the Hexi region, whether traveling merchants or stationary merchants, must report to the 'Tax Bureau' in Jincheng, the prefectural capital, to obtain a 'commercial certificate' and pay 'travel tax,' 'residence tax,' and 'transit tax' when their goods enter or leave the region."
"Second, commercial tax is levied at 30% of the value of goods, plus 'market fees,' 'travel permit fees,' 'price stabilization fees,' and other items."
"Third, anyone who engages in trade without a 'commercial certificate' shall have their goods confiscated, the ringleader shall be publicly displayed in cangue, and their family property shall be confiscated!"
"Fourth, all grain, salt, iron, medicine, and other supplies needed by the Longshouyuan Anji Camp shall not enter the camp without the approval of the tax supervisor! Violators shall be punished as aiding the enemy!"
"This decree shall take effect immediately! — Tax Inspector Yan Yang"
"boom!"
Xiao Yuxuan felt a surge of anger rush to his head! He snatched the roll of hemp paper, his knuckles turning white from the force, almost crushing the paper!
What a wonderful "relief of the people's suffering and increase of national revenue"! What a wonderful "New Commercial Tax Decree of Hexi"!
This is clearly a fatal blow! It's a complete annihilation!
A hefty tax of three-tenths! Numerous miscellaneous fees! A suffocatingly strict "commercial certificate" system! This effectively shut down any form of trade in Hexi! Especially the last one, which was blatantly targeted at Anji Camp! Without the approval of the tax supervisor, not a single grain of rice, a pinch of salt, or a piece of pig iron could be transported into Longshou Plain! This was intended to completely trap, starve, and freeze them to death on this scorched earth! Cutting off their last possibility of self-sufficiency!
Yan Yang's counterattack was precise and ruthless, and he fully exploited the "disobedience" caused by Xiao Yuxuan's severing of ties and refusal to accept the exorbitant taxes! He used "law" as a knife and "tax" as a shackle to nail Anji Camp, along with Xiao Yuxuan's "Anji" ideology, to the pillar of shame for "disrupting the law and harming the people"!
"Bang!" Xiao Yuxuan slammed his fist into the wooden pillar beside him! Rough wood chips pierced his flesh, drawing blood, yet he felt no pain. Anger and helplessness gnawed at his heart like two venomous snakes. Externally, there was the deadly conspiracy of the Beast Head Faction and the Northern Rong; internally, there was the relentless pressure from Yan Yang of the Legalist school! Anji Camp was like a small boat in a raging storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment!
A deathly silence fell over the thatched hut. Chen Zhong's face was ashen. Ji Zhai's gaze shifted from the copper coin; his weathered face remained expressionless, but his knuckles turned white from gripping the coin so tightly. Xuan Wei Zi stroked his beard, his eyes closed in silence, as if sensing the increasingly dark and murky flow of energy between heaven and earth.
An atmosphere of despair spread like a plague. Even the shouts from the clearing work outside the sheds seemed to have vanished completely. Deathly silence enveloped Longshou Plain.
In the suffocating silence, a weak yet remarkably clear voice, like a faint firefly piercing the darkness, rang out on the straw mat:
"The trade routes... are not yet closed..."
It's Gu Yan!
He actually woke up at this critical moment! His face was still as pale as paper, and his lips were cracked, but his eyes, which had once been insightful and capable of manipulating events, opened a crack with difficulty, flashing a sickly yet sharp light like that of a hawk!
"Mr. Gu!" Xiao Yuxuan rushed to the bedside in one stride.
Gu Yan's breathing was rapid and weak, each inhale like a broken bellows. He struggled to turn his eyes to look at the crumpled "New Commercial Tax Decree" in Xiao Yuxuan's hand. His lips twitched very slightly, as if he wanted to force a mocking smile, but it aggravated his wound, causing him to frown in pain.
“Yan Yang… that old scoundrel… such a schemer…” Gu Yan’s voice was as faint as a whisper, yet every word was clear, carrying the unique insight of a strategist, “The lock… the lock is on the open path… the hidden channels… still exist…”
His gaze fell on Ji Zhai, then moved with difficulty to the blood-stained bronze tablet of the "Records of the Craftsmen": "The beast heads...want to destroy the water...we...will insist on...diverting the water...a way out...in the water..."
Gu Yan's words were fragmented, like a candle flickering in the wind, yet they contained a tremendous amount of information! The main road may be blocked, but the hidden channels remain! The beastmen want to destroy the water, but they intend to use it to create a path!
"Mr. Gu, where is the underground ditch? How can we use the water to make a way out?" Xiao Yuxuan asked urgently, his voice very low.
Gu Yan didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes and breathed for a moment, as if gathering his last bit of strength. When he opened his eyes again, there was a hint of determination in his gaze. With all his might, he raised his uninjured right hand, trembling as he pointed towards the direction of the Wei River outside the thatched hut. Then, extremely slowly and laboriously, he made several extremely strange hand gestures in the air—his index and middle fingers were slightly bent together, his thumb was tucked in, and his ring and little fingers were curled up, like a twisted bird's beak.
This gesture is extremely subtle and not part of the core principles of the game; it is very difficult to understand!
“West…West Qiang…White Wolf Valley…” Gu Yan’s voice was almost inaudible, each word seemingly squeezed from the depths of his heart, “Find… ‘Salt Horse Elder’…show this…handprint…he…has a road…to…Bashu…grain and salt…that can…enter…”
Western Qiang! White Wolf Valley! Salt Horse Manor!
Three keywords struck Xiao Yuxuan like thunderclaps! The Western Qiang, a Qiang tribe west of Longxi, had always maintained a distant relationship with the Central Plains! White Wolf Valley was rumored to be a crucial secret passage for the Qiang tribes to smuggle salt and horses with the Western Regions and even Sichuan! The "Salt and Horse Man" was clearly the middleman controlling this secret trade route! Gu Yan's meaning was crystal clear—to bypass the official markets controlled by Yan Yang and obtain life-saving grain and salt from Sichuan through the hidden Qiang smuggling route!
“Show this handprint…” Xiao Yuxuan memorized Gu Yan’s strange hand gesture. This was the token of contact, the key to unlocking a path to survival!
“Water…” Gu Yan’s gaze fell again on the copper coin in Ji Zhai’s hand, his eyes filled with urgent warning, “The beast head… must… must be… at the crucial point of drawing water… to strike… the blueprints… the wolf head… the mark… is… a trap… and also… a clue… break it… and the way out… will be… open…”
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yan suddenly coughed violently, gushing large mouthfuls of black blood from the corners of his mouth! The light in his eyes quickly dimmed, his body convulsed violently a few times, and he fell into a deep coma again!
“Mr. Gu!” Xuanweizi immediately stepped forward to help.
Xiao Yuxuan stood frozen in place, like a statue, Gu Yan's dying words echoing wildly in his mind! The smuggling route through the White Wolf Valley of Western Qiang was a path to survival! But the trap planted by the Beast Head Sect at a crucial juncture in the water diversion project was a guillotine hanging over that path! Without thwarting the Beast Head Sect's scheme, the path to survival could turn into a dead end at any moment! That blood-stained blueprint, that blood-dripping wolf head mark, was both a death trap and the only clue that could lead them to uncover the Beast Head Sect's mastermind!
Hope and danger, a way out and a dead end, have never been so closely intertwined!
"Chen Zhong!" Xiao Yuxuan turned around abruptly, his voice like tempered steel, carrying an undeniable decisiveness. "Immediately select five of the most alert scouts, those most familiar with the terrain of Longxi! Prepare fast horses! Bring enough rations (the last remaining grain in the camp)! Target—White Wolf Valley of Western Qiang! Find 'Salt Horseman'! Show this handprint!" He quickly repeated Gu Yan's strange hand gesture to Chen Zhong. "At all costs, open up the grain and salt route!"
"Yes, sir!" Chen Zhong's eyes lit up with hope as he accepted the order and left.
“Mr. Ji Zhai!” Xiao Yuxuan’s gaze turned to the Mo family’s Grand Master, sharp as a blade. “Continue the Weishui water diversion project! But focus on controlling the areas marked with the wolf’s head on the blueprints! I need to know what the Beast Head Sect has buried there! Is it a trap? Poison? Or some other evil spirit? Find it and break it! This is a matter of life and death!”
Ji Zhai nodded emphatically, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented sharpness. He gripped the blood-stained copper coin tightly in his hand, as if he held the key to breaking the deadlock: "Rest assured, Commander! The Mo family's mechanisms can both destroy and suppress evil! If the Beast Head Sect dares to make a move, I dare to cut off their claws and teeth!"
The orders were issued like a whirlwind! The Anji Camp, which had just fallen into a deathly silence, was instantly reactivated! Although still shrouded in a huge shadow, the information that Gu Yan had obtained at the cost of his life was like a crack carved into a cliff, letting in a faint but invaluable light!
Chen Zhong personally selected five of the most elite veteran scouts. They changed into worn-out fur coats and smeared their faces and hands with soot to conceal their military service. The five remaining, still relatively strong warhorses of the battalion were led out, with water bags and the last bit of fried noodles and dried meat (spared from everyone's meager savings) tightly wrapped in oiled paper hanging beside their saddles. Before departing, Xiao Yuxuan personally demonstrated Gu Yan's strange "bird beak" handprint to the scout captain repeatedly until he mastered it perfectly.
"Come back alive! Come back with grain and salt!" Xiao Yuxuan patted the captain's shoulder heavily. The scout captain didn't speak, but simply pounded his chest with his fist, then mounted his horse. The five riders, like arrows released from a bow, pierced through the swirling gray snow, disappearing into the vast, treacherous mountains of the western Qiang region!
Meanwhile, at the Weishui water diversion construction site, the atmosphere became heavy and somber. Ji Zhai hung the blood-stained copper plate drawing high in the makeshift work shed. The blood-dripping wolf head mark on the drawing, carved at the crucial junction of the water diversion canal and the reservoir, appeared particularly ferocious and glaring in the dim light. Ji Zhai summoned all the core Mohist disciples and veteran craftsmen knowledgeable in mechanical engineering and civil engineering.
“This place,” Ji Zhai’s finger slammed heavily on the wolf head mark, “is where the Beast Head Sect intends to commit treachery! There must be some sinister plotting there! We must investigate without triggering any mechanisms!”
Discover it? Easier said than done! Since the Beast Head Faction dared to leave a mark, they must have set up an extremely insidious trigger or self-destruct mechanism! Rashly digging could instantly trigger disaster!
Ji Zhai fell into deep thought. His calloused hands unconsciously rubbed the ink line and ruler hanging at his waist, his cloudy eyes gleaming with calculation. Time passed slowly, and the work chants outside the shed remained heavy.
Suddenly, a timid voice rang out at the entrance of the workers' shed:
“Mr. Ji…”
Everyone turned around. There stood the boy named A-Tu, whom Xiao Yuxuan had rescued! He was wrapped in Xiao Yuxuan's large, old cloak, his injured fingers hastily bandaged with strips of cloth, his face still pale, but his eyes held an unusual focus. He clutched tightly in his hand several small, differently colored stones he had just picked up from the construction site.
"A-Tu? What brings you here?" a Mohist disciple asked.
A-Tu seemed a little nervous. He glanced at Ji Zhai, then at the menacing wolf head symbol on the blueprint, and mustered his courage to say, "I...I was just picking up stones by the newly dug irrigation ditch over there...and I noticed...I noticed that the soil in some places...is a different color! And it has a...strange smell!" He held up a stone in his hand, its color noticeably darker than the surrounding soil, with a dark brown pattern. "Like...like this one! I...I have a sensitive nose...it smells...it smells a bit fishy, and it's a bit...like...like the smell of that scary bone from that day!" He was referring to the eerie aura of the blood-dripping wolf skull talisman!
Ji Zhai's cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light! He rushed to A Tu, snatched the stone, and sniffed it carefully! Sure enough! A faint, yet nauseatingly sweet and rotten smell, the same as that of the bone talisman, wafted out! He then picked up several other stones and clods of earth of unusual color from A Tu's hand and examined them carefully.
“This is… blood-soaked soil! Powder mixed with saltpeter and sulfur! And… some kind of specially made bone powder!” Ji Zhai’s voice was filled with shock and realization! He suddenly looked up at the wolf head mark on the map, and then at the area where A Tu had found the unusual stone—although it wasn’t at the core point marked on the map, it was nearby!
"What a vicious Beast Head Faction!" Ji Zhai gritted his teeth. "They didn't just plant traps at key points! They buried this specially made 'Yin Fire Soil' under the entire key sections of the irrigation canal! Once the water is successfully diverted and seeps in, or if someone triggers it with large-scale earthmoving, this evil soil mixed with nitrates, sulfur, and bone powder... will spontaneously combust! It might even explode! The fire will spread with the water flow, igniting the timber used to reinforce the canal and collapsing the stone foundation! They don't need complicated traps at all; just this seemingly insignificant evil soil can reduce the entire irrigation project to ashes, and even cause wildfires that could affect the downstream areas!"
A vicious scheme! A truly insidious and incurable scheme! If it weren't for Atu's naturally keen sense of smell and his deep memory of the bone talisman's aura, who would have imagined that such a treacherous killing move was buried beneath this seemingly ordinary soil?!
"A-Tu! Good boy!" Ji Zhai patted A-Tu's shoulder hard, his eyes filled with praise and excitement. "You've done a great job!"
Ji Zhai acted immediately! Based on the abnormal soil distribution area discovered by A Tu and the map, he quickly deduced the possible location of the "Yin Huo Tu" (a type of toxic soil). He personally prepared an antidote solution of lime and organized a team to carefully dig trenches around the marked area and take samples for analysis. At the same time, he directed the craftsmen to urgently add a layer of thick clay mixed with lime and then covered with stone slabs above the actual water diversion channel to prevent water seepage from igniting the "Yin Huo Tu".
The first glimmer of hope in unraveling the Beast Head Sect's conspiracy to flood the landslide came from a young boy who had been whipped and whose fingertips were tainted with evil energy!
When the news reached Xiao Yuxuan, he was personally clearing a relatively sheltered slope near the edge of Ghost Plain. Upon hearing of A Tu's discovery and Ji Zhai's response, a long-lost, solemn and gratifying look, like a thawing glacier, finally appeared on his mud- and sweat-covered face.
"Order! Atu, enroll him in the Mohist crafts apprenticeship! He will be personally instructed by Master Ji Zhai!"
"promise!"
However, the crisis was far from over. Yin Huo Tu was merely one of the Beast Head Faction's visible traps; the core wolf head marker on the blueprint remained like a viper's Achilles' heel, concealing an unknown, deadly attack! Ji Zhai's brow remained furrowed. Even more pressing was the fact that the scouts sent to Xi Qiang had vanished without a trace. The camp's last reserves of food were about to run out.
Amidst this tense atmosphere, a group of uninvited guests arrived at the edge of Longshou Plain, trudging through the thick snow.
Leading the group was a middle-aged merchant with a round, prosperous face, dressed in a worn silk robe and wearing a fur hat. Behind him followed a dozen or so men dressed similarly to merchants, but with sharp eyes and bulging waists, driving several large carts covered tightly with thick felt. The cart tracks were deeply embedded in the snow, clearly indicating that they were heavily loaded.
The middle-aged businessman looked at the land before him, covered in gray snow and scorched black, yet radiating a tenacious vitality for cultivation. He gazed at the simple yet stubbornly standing school frame in the distance, and at the laborers toiling away on the construction site, their faces pale and thin, yet still working hard. A complex, almost imperceptible light flashed in his eyes.
He straightened his clothes, bowed respectfully to the soldiers guarding the camp gate, and spoke in a loud and clear voice with a heavy Sichuan accent:
"Please inform Governor Xiao! I am Fan Xin, a merchant from Sichuan and Chongqing. I have heard of the benevolence of Governor Xiao and his establishment of schools to shelter orphans and the needy. I have come to pay my respects. This small gift is nothing but a token of my appreciation... to contribute to the development of Anji's education!"
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