This wasn't the first time Tao Yan had been insulted by Shen Tang's ancestors. At first, he was somewhat powerless and furious, but as the number of times increased, his threshold rose. The fact that Shen Tang's repeated insults could not cause any substantial harm made him feel a subtle emotion.
His anger peaked, then vanished in an instant.
Pointing at Shen Tang, he shouted arrogantly and fearlessly, "Let go of all of you! I want to see how you, Shen Youli, can handle people! You, surnamed Shen, what skills do you have besides cursing people here? Who are you putting on this act of anger for? Can you even produce any grain? Can you take in the starving commoners of Yanzhou? Are you just going to talk a few words and put on a show to enhance your reputation as a benevolent gentleman who loves the people like his own children? Bah!"
Zhang He's eyelids suddenly started twitching violently.
Qian Yong, who was watching the melon, raised an eyebrow slightly.
At this moment, he and Zhang He shared an exceptionally deep understanding.
[Has that wretched Tao Shenyu started talking back?]
[Heh, your ability to talk back has improved.]
You see, Tao Yan had been verbally abused by Shen Tang before, and aside from being furious and raging, he was completely powerless to fight back. This was because he considered himself a normal person and dared not act arrogantly towards Shen Tang, who possessed superb martial arts skills and could go crazy at any time.
Is it just because he's a coward?
Not entirely.
Everyone in the Allied Forces knew that Shen Tang was skilled in both martial arts and literature. In other words, Shen Tang was either short-lived or mentally unstable, so it was only natural for him to have occasional bouts of madness. Wouldn't it be unfair for a normal person to provoke a fool and then get killed by him?
Not only was he wronged, but even after he died, he was ridiculed for asking for death.
Why bother provoking someone who's mentally ill?
Tao Yan often warned himself not to argue with short-lived, mentally unstable people, but human patience has its limits, and he unusually retaliated. Not only did he retaliate, he also provoked them. As a result, Gu Chi, who was trying to stop him, let go and even kicked another colleague, Jiang Sheng, who was also trying to intervene. Jiang Sheng gave him a suspicious look, and Gu Chi mouthed "let go."
then--
Shen Tang let out a howl as she left the pen.
With long legs, he hurdled across the not-so-distant distance between the two and sprinted forward, all to give Tao Yan a big challenge.
They all aimed at Tao Yan's face.
Even the refined Zhang He was so frightened that he lunged forward, his voice rising so high it cracked: "Prefect Shen, you absolutely mustn't—"
Beating up an ally, that's some pretty slick stuff.
Qian Yong, the burly man with a thick beard, was also dumbfounded by the chaotic scene inside the tent. For a moment, he forgot to step forward to stop and mediate the fight, and watched helplessly as Shen Tang took action. The fighting techniques he used were not those of a martial arts master, but rather three moves that foolish people used to fight.
Scratching face, pulling hair, kicking groin.
It doesn't rely on martial arts; it's about having abundant martial virtue.
Zhang He stomped his foot in anger, completely abandoning his usual dignified demeanor, and shouted, "What are you standing there for? Pull them apart!"
Tao Yan's cheeks were scratched raw before the crowd snapped out of their daze and pulled one of them away. Rather than trying to break up the fight, they were more like taking sides. In the midst of the chaos, several large gray footprints appeared on Tao Yan's body.
Qian Yong was inwardly laughing hysterically, but his actions remained serious. While trying to break up the fight, he said, "Mr. Shen, Mr. Tao, your behavior is disgraceful to scholars, utterly disgraceful—"
Tao Yan's side would not let this go so easily.
This caused the chaotic battle to continue for quite some time before it finally stopped.
Once separated, everyone noticed that Shen Tang's clothes and waistband were slightly disheveled from the exertion, her knuckles were red, and she was slightly out of breath, but her face remained smooth and delicate, even more radiant with a rosy glow... no, her complexion. Tao Yan, on the other hand, was not so presentable. Her hair was disheveled, with loose strands tethering her hair ornament, and her robe was torn open, revealing her inner garment...
There are several large footprints visible to the naked eye on it.
Even worse was yet to come. Three bloody welts ran down his face, one on the left and four on the right. His left eye was bruised, and his facial muscles twitched from the pain. He clutched his right hand, panting lightly, his hand pressed against the area three inches below his navel. The crowd couldn't help but glance downwards. Although Tao Yan was wearing trousers armor today, the armor plates were somewhat deformed. They couldn't imagine how much force Shen Tang had used to strike him.
should--
It doesn't hurt too much, does it?
Upon seeing this, Qian Yong felt a chill run down his spine at the spot protected by his trousers.
He did indeed have a grudge against Shen Tang, but he had actively provoked the other side, taking advantage of their weakness. His subsequent carelessness and defeat, resulting in heavy losses, could only be attributed to inferior skill. Qian Yong wasn't a sore loser, so he maintained a spectator's attitude towards Shen Tang, avoiding any confrontation. In comparison, his resentment towards Zhang He was much stronger. But at this moment, Qian Yong was somewhat relieved that he hadn't deliberately acted foolishly.
Shen Youli, this girl is really crazy!
If he were Tao Yan today, wouldn't he have committed suicide out of shame and indignation?
Tao Yan was born into wealth and had lived a life of luxury since childhood. Even after the fall of his kingdom, he still had loyal followers. He had never suffered any hardship and had always been high and mighty. When had he ever experienced such suffering? He stared at Shen Tang with bloodshot eyes, his hatred almost overwhelming her.
Shen Tang rolled up her sleeves and put her hands on her hips.
He spat and said, "Hey Tao, what are you looking at?"
Tao Yan clutched his chest, nearly unable to catch his breath.
Zhang He braced himself and stepped between the two, trying to calm them down. He knew his twitching eyelids meant trouble—Shen Tang was too insane! His level of madness was comparable to Shao Chong before he controlled the Gu worms! Back then, when Shao Chong went berserk, he would kill whoever he wanted, tearing people apart with ease. While Shen Tang didn't indiscriminately kill innocents, he was utterly ruthless in his rage.
Would a normal, rational person do this?
The only thing to be thankful for is—
Tao Yan did not do anything to further provoke Shen Tang.
But this deep-seated feud is now firmly established.
Once the atmosphere had eased a bit, Zhang He carefully voiced the difficulties faced by the Allied Forces members: "...Shen Jun, regarding the things you're worried about...some of Tao Jun's words were harsh..."
Shen Tang glared at him.
His eyes still held the lingering ferocity from beating Tao Yan.
Zhang He felt a chill in his heart. His bodyguards and personal guards secretly prepared to rush forward at any moment to protect their lord.
Zhang He forced himself to say, "...But Lord Shen should know our difficulties. Last year the weather was bad, and the harvests of each family were below expectations. We still had to squeeze out time to fight against the tyrant Zheng Qiao... In Chaoli Pass, there are at least several hundred thousand commoners in half of the prefecture. Who can feed so many people? Even if we send people to replant now, the best time for farming has already passed."
The key issue is that they don't have the manpower to replant.
It would take at least a month or two to take half a state.
If we delay any longer, we might miss the summer solstice.
Zhang He was of ordinary appearance, but he was an expert in medicine and had accumulated wealth and reputation in his early years by treating and saving lives. His eyes also had a touch of compassion. He sighed softly and then earnestly stated his plan: "The best course of action now is for us to take down the tyrant Zheng Qiao as soon as possible, end this conflict, and see how much grain we can raise to minimize the losses from the famine."
Qian Yong sneered inwardly upon hearing this.
Zhang Yongqing consistently resorted to the tactic of evading the important issues and downplaying the trivial ones.
Zhang He's suggestion seemed reasonable at first glance, even capable of motivating soldiers, boosting morale, and perhaps even persuading insightful individuals to defect. It aimed to end the conflict, restore peace, and alleviate famine. However, Zhang Yongqing employed a subtle digression here. He implied that since the allied forces' victories were to be distributed according to merit, would other allies generously share their spoils with the starving people?
Qian Yong had no doubt that Shen Tang would keep his word—though he and Shen Tang had their disagreements, he never doubted Shen Tang's character and ability. If Longwu County hadn't been governed so well and the people's livelihood hadn't recovered so quickly, Qian Yong wouldn't have even bothered with this territory back then.
Even with the selfless efforts of the Shen family, it was still a drop in the ocean.
Everyone is fighting this battle while tightening their belts.
They're all living beyond their means.
After finally winning a great victory, we didn't make any money and even lost money?
The landlord's family also ran out of surplus grain.
Yes, the common people of half of Yanzhou cannot starve to death, but the common people under their rule and the soldiers who follow them deserve to starve to death, right?
If Qian Yong could see it, how could Shen Tang not?
But she knew she couldn't go too far, so she could only endure it for a while and pretend to be convinced. Then she loosened her clenched fists, a smile spreading across her face, and said, "Prefect Zhang's words make sense."
Upon hearing this, Zhang He breathed a long sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
I feel sorry for Huang Lie, who previously acted as a peacemaker.
However, he didn't know that after Shen Tang returned, she completely dropped her pretense. She laid her cards on the table, stomping it into a pile of wood chips. As a newcomer, Wei Shou was seeing her undisguised rage up close for the first time…
Did this happen before?
Wei Shou and Shen Tang were enemies before.
Should we be gentle rather than aggressive towards our enemies?
Wei Shou was surprised that Shen Tang treated his own people this way. He couldn't help but glance at Chu Yao out of the corner of his eye, only to see that Chu Wu Hui, that bastard, not only didn't frown, but looked at Shen Tang's feet with a pained expression and said, "Why does my lord have to torment himself with the mistakes of others?"
Wei Shou: "..."
He secretly tilted his head and moved closer to Chu Jie.
He whispered, "Has Chu Liangliang always been like this?"
Chu Jie tilted his head and whispered, "Yes."
Chu Yao's bottom line regarding Shen Tang is that he has no bottom line.
The rare instances of him being nice to himself were all because of Shen Tang.
Wei Shou: "..."
He was so jealous that he gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching tightly.
At the same time, he also gained a new understanding of Shen Tang.
I can vaguely understand why Chu Yao likes it so much.
Let alone the world after the descent of the thief star, if we go back further, there were natural disasters and man-made calamities every year, and famines occurred in various places from time to time, yet not everyone died. Just grit your teeth and hold on, hold on until the next spring planting, and there will be hope for life, and you can survive.
As for how many people will die in this process...
Just close your eyes, ignore it, and don't look.
A cruel reality, and Shen Jun represents ideals.
Gu Chi was the one who knew best that Shen Tang was filled with murderous intent at this moment, and he also advised, "Anger is bad for your health, my lord, please calm down."
Getting angry is the least effective way to solve problems.
With everyone's persuasion, Shen Tang managed to calm down.
However, the stalemate remains a stalemate.
food?
Shen Tang could not produce enough surplus grain to supply half of the prefecture.
Take the person away?
Shen Tang's territory doesn't have that much arable land.
Because of the large-scale influx of refugees in recent years, the arable land in Longwu County was already saturated, and they were just worrying about it when Qiu Cheng, this great traitor, delivered himself to their doorstep. However, this only added two more counties, Sibao and Minfeng, and the arable land was not very abundant compared to the population.
If we take the starving people back...
Not to mention that in this era, manpower is wealth, and the allied forces wouldn't agree, even if they did, Shen Tang's actions would be tantamount to inviting disaster. While she has ensured the starving people have enough to eat, she cannot provide them with sufficient work to fill their free time. Their idle time will then become a threat to public order. Theft, rape, robbery, and kidnapping will reach their peak.
Unstable public order inevitably leads to internal strife.
so--
Shen Tang revealed a rare hint of confusion.
He would murmur, seeking help, "What should I do?"
"What should I do..."
They were as lost as a child wandering the streets.
When Shen Tang beat Tao Yan, wasn't he also holding himself accountable?
She couldn't answer Tao Yan's question.
Xu Quan said, "...My lord, if all else fails, we can ask my cousin? Perhaps he can procure enough grain..."
Everyone: "..."
Xu Jie was "lucky" to have such a cousin.
No matter how capable Xu Wenzhu was or how wealthy he was, the food shortage was enough to feed half a state, hundreds of thousands of people, for a year.
Even if Xu Jie sold everything he owned, he couldn't make up for it. Even if he had a moment of madness and went to help by selling everything he owned, how would his proper lord Wu Xian view that? Wu Xian's military provisions and supplies this time were deliberately delayed by Xu Jie under various pretexts, and only managed to be delivered at the last minute.
Ning Yan suddenly said, "Perhaps there is a way."
Shen Tang quickly turned her gaze to her.
Ning Yan said, "The one who tied the knot must untie it."
Shen Tang asked, "Who?"
"Zheng Qiao".
Ning Yan uttered an unexpected name.
She quickly added, "He certainly won't help us, but if he dies and we obtain his imperial seal, our lord might be able to use the national fortune decree to control the weather in half of Yan Province, accelerating the ripening of crops... I wonder if that's feasible?"
Ning Yan wasn't sure about this suggestion either.
Moreover, it is extremely difficult to operate.
Obtaining the imperial seal would make one a target of public criticism.
The ideal plan is to seize the Imperial Seal, successfully manipulate the situation, and then shift the blame eastward, making the allied forces believe that the Imperial Seal has been lost or taken by one of their factions. The more they distrust and fight among themselves, the safer their own position will be…
Although Yun Ce was not here today, there was an outsider in her own home, so Ning Yan had to think carefully before she dared to say some things.
After a moment's thought, Shen Tang gave his approval.
"Whether it's feasible or not, it's still a solution."
It's much better than just staring blankly.
Shen Tang calmed herself down and said to Chu Yao, "Wu Hui, go and write a letter now, and have someone send it to Yuan Liang as fast as possible. Tell him to take stock and see how much grain can be spared from the granary. If the farmers have any surplus grain this autumn, buy it all. Gather it up and transport it all here. Tu Nan's suggestion seems feasible, but we should still be prepared for any eventuality... I can't force others to say or do anything, but what I, Shen Youli, want is to have a clear conscience."
Chu Yao and the others were all deeply moved.
He bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, sir."
Shen Tang raised her hand and rubbed her face hard: "Let's leave it at that for now. It's getting late, everyone should go do what they need to do."
She needs time to calm down.
Shen Tang had prepared for the worst, but she still underestimated the thorny reality—they had captured their first target smoothly, only to find it had offered only token defense for half a day. A post-battle headcount revealed, miraculously, very few casualties…
Shen Tang: "Something unusual must be going on."
The wind was fierce and strong.
_(:з」∠)_
Waaaaah, average daily subscriptions have reached 9875! Only 125 more subscriptions are needed to reach 10,000! Go, Mushroom! ヾ(°°)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
