Chapter 206: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Forty-Six) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
"So that's how it is."
Wu Yuan verbally agreed.
But inside, a raging storm was brewing.
This sounds simple, but it's not easy to do in practice. There are indeed many poor people, but many of them are just pretending to be poor, taking money without doing anything, or even just taking the benefits and running away.
These are people who are disobedient.
Those ordinary people who are willing to obey orders are also prone to causing trouble.
It's not easy to coordinate dozens or even hundreds of untrained civilians and ask them to follow a plan.
Since Shen Tang didn't say anything, Wu Yuan didn't press the matter further.
It's okay that he asked.
Because there was absolutely no command or coordination.
It has absolutely no technical content.
Shen Tang and the others demanded of these "commoners" that they rush in and shout as loudly as possible.
She'd kick down any door she saw and attack anyone she encountered. The granary wasn't located in the clan-run territories; it was in a remote area. Most of the people she met were guards. If someone was alone and ended up injured or killed, she wouldn't be responsible.
These people may be ignorant, but they are by no means fools who wouldn't flinch even if a knife were held to their throats. As long as they run around and smash things, they can get ten pounds of grain. Is there any easier job than that? Who would be so eager to be left out and die?
Wu Yuan then asked, "How does the righteous man know the location of the granary?"
"The clues were found in the former prefect's study."
After saying that, she looked at Gong Cheng.
She and Gong Cheng found that box of account books together.
The credit should go to both of them.
Wu Yuan: "Really?"
Gong Cheng smiled and said, "Of course it's true. The former prefect Yan Cheng had close ties with the powerful families of Xiaocheng and they did a lot of dirty work in private. Yan Cheng wasn't stupid; he left some evidence for every thing he did."
These leverage points were naturally intended to restrain the local forces in Xiaocheng, both to strengthen cooperation and bind interests more tightly, and to deter potential partners. Yancheng had thoroughly investigated the situation of each party involved.
Unfortunately, he was not fortunate enough to enjoy it.
In the end, it was Shen Tang who benefited.
As soon as she got the box, she planned out the order in which to rob each house, ensuring that she could visit them all in one night and plunder the granary in the blink of an eye.
This is still intercepting grain; if it were a night raid to burn the grain, it would be even faster.
The entire process was so smooth that Gong Cheng was dumbfounded. He never expected that his brother-in-law, who looked so refined and petite with feminine features, would have such an unknown side, acting so decisively and swiftly, cleanly and efficiently, without any hesitation or dawdling.
At the same time, I felt it was a pity. If it weren't for the chaotic times, with his brother-in-law's abilities, he would surely have made a name for himself in a peaceful and prosperous era.
On the surface, Wu Yuan listened attentively, occasionally nodding in approval. What he truly thought, only he and Gu Chi knew. But Gu Chi kept his head down, quietly drinking his tea, neither speaking nor commenting, his presence barely noticeable.
Wu Yuan then asked, "So—how was the harvest this time?"
He added another sentence.
"How long can it supply the garrison soldiers?"
Gong Cheng didn't detect the sourness in Wu Yuan's words. He took out an account book from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "I was busy counting and storing the grain and fodder, which is why I'm late. Because of the time pressure, the figures in the account book are slightly different from the actual figures, but it shouldn't be a big difference."
Wu Yuan flipped through it casually.
Even he was astonished by the numbers above.
A few years ago, before Sibao County was ravaged by war, it wouldn't have been surprising for Wu Yuan to have so much grain in their granaries. But what season is it now? Their granaries are still overflowing! And not just one! The local bullies truly live up to their name!
Wu Yuan scoffed inwardly—if he could learn their signature skills, he could squeeze a few pounds of oil out of even the most barren soil!
He closed the ledger, a look of joy spreading across his face. He let out a long sigh and said, "Excellent! With this grain, the soldiers guarding the city can hold off the rebels for a few more days."
Gu Chi smiled faintly.
Yes, that's indeed good. It would be even better if Wu Yuan's thoughts and words were consistent. Gu Chi watched coldly as Wu Yuan tried to recruit Shen Tang, and as Shen Tang pretended not to understand... But based on his understanding of Shen Lang, Shen Lang most likely didn't understand.
"Does Yun Chi have a way to get these righteous men to work for me?"
After Shen Tang and the others left, Wu Yuan affectionately grasped Gong Cheng's hand, displaying an eagerness to recruit talent. He had previously considered recruiting Qi Shan, but the former prefect Yan Cheng had dampened his enthusiasm.
I never expected to see you again.
There is more than one talented person.
Gong Cheng is already a cripple with the ruined Danfu. Aside from his identity, which allows him to make some moves, and his limited administrative skills, he's insignificant compared to Qi Shan and the others. Qi Shan is alright, his literary talent isn't high, but Chu Yao is different!
A living, breathing example of a second-grade Chinese scholar!
The level of Gong Shuwu's martial prowess is unclear, but it is definitely not low.
There's also Shen Tang, the youngest and with the highest potential.
If these four men could be used by him, then—
Once he returns to the Northern Desert, the throne will be within his grasp.
Gong Cheng didn't answer, but looked at Gu Chi with a troubled expression.
Gu Chi: "Didn't you notice?"
Wu Yuan was confused: "What didn't you see?"
Gu Chi said, "Qi Shan and the other two are clearly led by Shen Tang."
They're evenly matched and still want to take over?
Wu Yuan: "..."
He then looked at Gong Cheng.
Gong Cheng nodded reluctantly and said, "Uncle Gong's stance is unclear, but Mr. Chu and Mr. Qi clearly are. Even if they don't have that kind of relationship, it will be difficult to recruit them."
Why?
Wu Yuanfei had to get to the bottom of it.
During his years as a hostage in the State of Xin, he secretly made friends and won over many people. However, these people followed him only because of the benefits he offered, seeking tangible advantages—such as gold, silver, jewels, and wealth. One can only imagine the capabilities of those who could be bought and won over with money alone.
While not absolutely true, the overall level is indeed not that high.
He was eager to find truly virtuous and capable people!
How painful it is to encounter something that doesn't belong to you!
Gong Cheng could only say, "My brother-in-law comes from the Shen family."
The surname Shen is Shen, but it is not the same Shen as the one in the Xin royal family.
Although they follow the middle path, neither standing out too much to attract envy nor being too mediocre to be overlooked, and may appear ordinary and unremarkable, it doesn't mean they lack backbone or spirit. On the contrary, they are quite spirited.
When they get stubborn, they're tough as nails!
Otherwise, his own father wouldn't have been able to persuade his father-in-law, Lord Shen, to go against Zheng Qiao, who was then at the height of his power and favored by the inner court, and to do everything in his power to prevent him from returning to the country. Lady Shen disliked both Zheng Qiao and Bei Mo.
Based solely on the fact that Wu Yuan comes from the Northern Desert, his brother-in-law, who is from the Shen family, would never agree to his recruitment. He should give up on the idea as soon as possible.
Wu Yuan didn't react: "So what if you come from the Shen family?"
Gong Cheng said, "Our ancestors had a long-standing feud."
The Northern Desert had previously been a training ground for the younger generation of Northwest nations to gain military merit and reputation, and the Shen family naturally produced some outstanding individuals there. These "experience packs" weren't just sitting idly by; their combat strength was considerable, and in the cutthroat world of the battlefield, anything could happen.
Of course, this is not the biggest reason.
The biggest reason is that Shen has always advocated for war.
When the Xin Kingdom was at its strongest, my father-in-law, Lord Shen, petitioned more than once, hoping to destroy the Northern Desert in one fell swoop. Leaving this hidden danger would cause a major disaster sooner or later! If my father-in-law, Lord Shen, knew in the afterlife that my brother-in-law had followed the Wu Yuan, he would probably be furious!
"Qi Shan won't work, Shen Tang won't work, so what about Chu Yao?"
Gu Chi countered, "Does the young master think that this Chu Yao is just a coincidence of name and surname with the 'Chu Yao' of the Three Heroes of Chu Kingdom back then?"
They led troops to conquer the northern deserts.
Chu Yao also played a part in Wu Yuan being sent to Xin Kingdom as a hostage.
Are we sure we have the capacity to accept Chu Yao?
Wu Yuan's face turned ashen instantly.
Gu Chi added, "As for Gong Shuwu, Qi Shan and Chu Yao have their eyes on him; they're keeping him around for Shen Tang..."
The implication was clear: if you don't want to be stabbed in the back by these two ruthless strategists, don't covet their prey, unless Wu Yuan now possesses absolute strength to be unafraid of them. Wu Yuan took a deep breath and reluctantly swallowed his anger.
Another place—
Qi Shan and Chu Yao were also in a bad mood.
Shen Tang thought they were there because they couldn't find Lin Feng and the other person.
He then comforted her, saying, "No news is good news."
Chu Yao, who was being comforted, looked completely bewildered.
"What?"
"Aren't you worried about Lin Feng and the others?"
Chu Yao: "..."
The answer is neither yes nor no.
The former is lying, and the latter sounds too cold-hearted.
"Didn't you recognize it, my lord?" Qi Shan held a stick with a feather plucked from some large white goose tied to one end, making Su Shang spin around in circles. Su Shang stepped on his hind paws with his front paws, stumbled, and fell headfirst onto the soft cloth cushion.
"What?"
Qi Shan said, "That person wants to recruit you."
He then picked up Su Shang, who was clinging to the feather and refusing to let go.
It took Shen Tang a beat to remember who "that person" was. She paused, then pointed at herself: "Wu Yuan wants to recruit me?"
Qi Shan retorted, "You don't know?"
Oh no, could it be a side effect of cultivating both literary and martial arts? I'm really worried about Young Master Chen's brain; he can't even see something so obvious.
Shen Tang was speechless for a moment: "...I really don't know."
She didn't even notice it.
Shen Tang defended himself.
"I didn't even think about it that way."
Although her current resources are meager, even worse than those of the Imperial Uncle after the Oath of the Peach Garden, each of her members is a high-quality human strategist and strategist. Once she defeats Gongshu Wu, her team will grow from three (one cat) to four (one cat).
We'll reunite with Tanuki and the others later.
Establishing a foothold in the mountains is a form of legitimacy; even a small mosquito is still meat, and a small force is still one of the major powers—at least it's better than the so-called war of a hundred villages. Unless Shen Tang has lost his mind, why would he turn down a business opportunity to work for another boss?
Do they even bring their own team to work for others?
Shen Tang said, "It's impossible for me to agree to that."
Qi Shan and the other person had subtle expressions.
They knew it was impossible, of course, but they were just a little annoyed.
With ample food supplies, the wavering morale of the troops stabilized.
Shen Tang also spent two days searching for Lin Feng and his companion, almost turning the entire Xiaocheng upside down, destroying several illegal dens and rescuing many innocent people, but still to no avail.
"If we can't find them, we'll go out of town to look for them."
Shen Tang sighed.
If it were outside the city—
Let alone Lin Feng and his two teenage children, even the butcher's family of several adults faced extreme hardship in their survival. On their escape route, they faced not only food shortages, but also fellow human refugees, bandits who had become outlaws, and rebel armies.
The chances of survival are extremely slim.
If only I had known this would happen—
Shen Tang couldn't help but feel guilty and said, "If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off letting Lin Feng and the other two stay on the mountain with Li Li, as it would have been safer."
Chu Yao could only comfort Shen Tang, saying it wasn't her fault. Who could have predicted that the rebel army led by the Prince of Zhi would launch an attack at this time?
The blame lies with the Pig King and Zheng Qiao.
If Lin Feng and Tu Rong, those two students, really get into trouble...
A dangerous glint appeared in Chu Yao's eyes.
He will surely use the heads of the Pig King and the others as a blood sacrifice!
Bang--
A muffled thud.
Tu Rong, whom Shen Tang and the others were worried about, was kicked away.
Immediately afterward, a sharpened wooden stick slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Just as he was about to turn over and jump up, a similar wooden stick was pressed against his neck.
"Why are you still lying there? Don't you have any strength left? Get up!"
Tu Rong gritted his teeth, picked up the wooden stick, and got up from the ground.
"Who said you're out of energy? Let's go again!"
He was covered in dirt and bruises, his face even larger than usual; Chu Yao might not even recognize him. He rushed forward with a wooden stick, only to be beaten back in a sorry state a few moments later. This repeated dozens of times, his old wounds not yet healed and new ones added to them.
Until the very last time, he stood up only to slump back down.
The person on the other side then gave up.
The young man squatted down to look at him: "You're already so young and already incapacitated?"
Tu Rong was in so much pain that his whole body ached.
He stubbornly insisted, "Who said I can't do it?"
Young man: "If you can do it, stand up and go back yourself."
Tu Rong, lying on the ground: "..."
He really can't do it anymore.
After two failed attempts, the young man grew impatient. He grabbed Tu Rong by the collar, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and, disregarding the fact that the shoulder armor would worsen Tu Rong's injuries, strode back to his tent.
Tu Rong suppressed the urge to vomit due to stomach discomfort.
Fortunately, the drill ground and the tents were not too far apart.
He fell to the ground as soon as he was put down.
Looking at the young man sitting beside him, wringing out a handful of warm water and wiping the sweat off his body with a cloth, Tu Rong muttered to himself.
The young man didn't even bother to raise his eyebrows: "Speak louder."
Tu Rong obediently shouted, "Are you that free?"
I haven't seen him go out much these past few days.
Are generals all this leisurely?
He thought being a general meant either training troops, commanding battles, or handling military affairs, but the young man spent his days either training on the parade ground or playing marbles with him in the military tent. The key point was that the young man was terrible at marbles, and he could win three out of five games.
The young man scoffed.
"Me, idle? I'm fine with being idle. If I were busy and disappeared without a trace, even the head of the Underworld would have a headache."
Because there were too many wandering ghosts and spirits reporting there!
Young people are happy to have some free time.
Even when others try to cause trouble, he can calmly handle it.
But—
The less you think about something, the more likely it is to happen.
At that moment, someone arrived outside the tent.
The voice was urgent: "Young General, there's a battle!"
The young man who was picking through the pearls paused.
Lin Feng, who was sitting quietly cultivating to the side, opened his eyes upon hearing the sound.
Could it be that Xiaocheng has sent troops?
The young man categorically rejected this possibility.
Xiaocheng wished he could shrink into his shell, and was so used to the corpses thrown in every day that he was used to it. How could he risk his life to send out troops?
If not them, then who is sending troops at this critical juncture?
(End of this chapter)
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