Chapter 483: On the Way to the Underworld to Recruit Old Servants (Part 2) [Requesting Guaranteed Monthly Tickets]
How is my lord?
What unpleasant things would Kang Shi say as a subordinate?
Of course it's a compliment!
Praise them to the skies!
He wished he could plaster all the little red flowers from kindergarten on her face. This was definitely the most satisfying lord Kang Shi had ever had, without exception! In addition, Wenxin Wenshi's mouth was naturally full of "flowery words", making Shen Tang one of a kind in heaven and earth.
Phrases like "young prodigy," "loves the people like his own children," "handsome and dashing," "spirited and vigorous," "excellent in both literature and martial arts," "fierce and vigorous," and "mature beyond his years" were hurled at Chen Tang without restraint.
but--
These are not the things that scholars care about most.
He listened silently to the barrage of flattery, then, having thoroughly memorized the language, he subtly inquired about Shen Tang's management skills. Kang Shi, assuming he understood the unspoken meaning, smiled and asked, "Sir, have you ever been to He Yin County?"
The scholar said, "I have not been there, but I have heard about it."
Actually, I heard it from Yan Xingning.
The present-day Heyin County, located in Yan'ankou, is a peaceful and prosperous place, thriving under its rule. The common people are living a life of rest and recuperation, with enough to eat and wear. This is all thanks to Shen Tang's two years of hard work. In the past, Heyin County was just a poor and dangerous place infested with bandits.
As far as he knew, this Lord Shen had taken office empty-handed, without any funding or support; he had to raise all the manpower, material resources, and financial resources himself. To anyone else, the fair-skinned Lord Shen, going to Heyin County, would sooner or later be skinned alive and devoured without a trace.
Who knew they could turn something rotten into something miraculous!
However, what the scholars heard was only a rough outline, far less detailed than Kang Shi's account. In fact, Shen Tang's situation upon taking office was even more dire than what he had heard. Only those who experienced it firsthand knew the various difficulties and the heads that were chopped off with swift strokes of the sword.
Afterwards, he used various means to revitalize the stagnant economy of Heyin County, making it a top-notch money-making enterprise.
Even Xu Jie, the head of the Xu family of Tianhai, wanted to consider him a close friend.
The scholar became more and more satisfied as he listened.
Especially when discussing various business strategies, a smile crept onto his face. Seeing this, Kang Shi felt honored and also wanted to keep this man on behalf of his lord. Although the latter lacked literary talent, a scholar with a literary heart didn't necessarily have to go to the battlefield.
That pile of domestic politics is utterly despicable.
Perhaps this scholar will like it.
Besides, how could a scholar who could be favored by Yan Xingning and entrusted with important responsibilities be an ordinary person?
Kang Shi's gaze towards the scholars softened somewhat.
This person might just be a future colleague.
The scholars were eager to win him over, while Kangshi was keen to retain him.
The two quickly established a rapport with a few words, chatting and laughing all the way, their conversation so pleasant that an unsuspecting person might have thought they were long-lost friends. However, the proper procedures still had to be followed, and Kang Shi introduced the scholar to Chu Jie.
The most urgent task is to "verify the identity" of the scholars!
Everyone in the main tent was present.
Upon hearing the scholar's background and remarkable deeds, they cast glances at him with a mixture of disbelief and admiration. Chu Jie even rose from his seat and bowed deeply to them. Having dealt with Shi Wu for over a decade, no one knew better than him how difficult and risky it was to accomplish such a feat. But the scholar only accepted half a bow: "This is not my achievement alone; General, you flatter me."
The greatest credit goes to Yan Xingning.
As a friend, he also hoped that the latter's posthumous reputation would be good, so that he wouldn't be criticized by later generations as a treacherous minister. Yan An himself didn't care about empty fame, but as a friend, he couldn't be indifferent. He said, "It was all thanks to my dear friend Yan An that we were able to accomplish this."
Chu Jie frowned: "Enjoy the banquet?"
He knew about several important officials around Zheng Qiao.
Yan An has a decent reputation, but what kind of person would help the tyrant Zheng Qiao clean up his messes and wipe his pants?
The scholar sighed, "Xingning... has his reasons."
Upon hearing this, Chu Jie wisely stopped finding fault with Yan An, put on a cheerful smile again, and invited the scholar to take a seat.
He asked, "May I ask your honorable name, sir?"
The scholar said, "My surname is Xun, my given name is Zhen, and my courtesy name is Hanzhang."
In this situation, one would usually compliment the person's name, but Chu Jie was about to speak when he became speechless, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards Chu Yao. After all, they were childhood friends, and even though he was Chu Yao's ex, Chu Yao understood without any difficulty.
He spoke naturally, saying, "His virtue lies in his integrity, which he reveals at the right time. He has a good name and a good courtesy name. Master Xun has kept his talents hidden, and when he finally acted righteously, he truly became a model for all gentlemen under heaven."
Chu Jie didn't like reading and couldn't understand the first sentence, but he understood the next. Wu Hui praised someone without even blinking.
Xun Zhen waved his hand and said, "I dare not accept such praise, I dare not accept such praise."
The hat is too big; it doesn't fit his head.
Now that he had a legitimate identity and was in the public eye, he could ask some questions: "I overheard you discussing something outside the tent just now. Was it about those petty scoundrels, Shiwu?"
Chu Jie sighed and recounted the information the scouts had gathered.
The King of Shiwu has personally led the expedition, demonstrating his determination. From Shiwu's perspective, Yonggu Pass, having received no news, will undoubtedly be less vigilant; launching a surprise attack on the pass is the safest course of action. They cannot afford to wait for them to be prepared.
In other words—
At the latest, the war will begin in two days.
There's a high chance they'll choose a dark and stormy night.
Yonggu Pass withstood the pressure last time and did not fall completely, but the damaged military structures have not yet been fully repaired. These openings could easily become breaches by the Shiwu forces. The pressure on the defenders is visibly intense…
Xun Zhen glanced around at everyone in the tent.
After careful consideration, he said, "Zhen does have a method."
Chu Yao and the others all looked over.
Chu Jie hurriedly asked, "Please, sir, do not hesitate to enlighten me."
Xun Zhen said with a troubled expression, "To be honest, General and everyone, I have some deficiencies in my literary skills. I have no problem with some ordinary incantations, but incantations involving a large amount of literary energy require external assistance, let alone the 'way of the scholar'... This is..."
He found it somewhat "difficult to talk about".
Chu Jie, unusually quick-witted, said, "What external force? If we can do it, we'll find it for you at any cost!"
Xun Zhen's words made the implication quite clear.
He had a way to increase the success rate of defending Yonggu Pass, but to do so required external assistance to compensate for his lack of literary talent. Chu Yao, Kang Shi, and Chief Clerk Yu, being knowledgeable and experienced, vaguely suspected that there were indeed such scholars whose literary power was related to the "external" medium. The types of mediums were incredibly diverse. If so, Xun Zhen's words were about 80% reliable!
Xun Zhen didn't answer. Instead, he untied the bundle he was carrying and opened it under everyone's watchful eyes—the golden object shone even brighter in the candlelight. Xun Zhen said helplessly, "This is it. The more the merrier!"
Everyone: "..."
Xun Zhen picked up a small piece of gold and demonstrated in front of everyone the "Five Virtues of a General," which were as smooth as Dove chocolate.
It still comes down to "all five virtues emerging together"!
The shared dream and passion of all brave warriors under heaven!
Xun Zhen asked again, "Is there?"
Everyone: "..."
Chu Jie's face went from red to blue, and he rubbed his fingers sheepishly, unable to lift his head as he said, "To be honest, sir—since the last attack on Yonggu Pass, even the most basic military pay has been cut off... We're even short of winter clothing..."
They didn't starve or freeze to death thanks to Chen, the Money-Giving Boy.
Xun Zhen was not surprised at all by this answer.
He knew how poor Yonggu Pass was.
The most important thing is how Chu Yao and Kang Shi will express their opinions.
That Mr. Shen has a strong business sense and shouldn't be short of money.
Chu Yao: "..."
Kang Shi: "..."
They all understood where their ominous premonition came from.
I told you, what normal scholar would be attracted to a lord? Those who are attracted are all freaks.
Qi Shan demands life, Kang Shi demands fortune, Jiang Sheng demands literary bricks and human lives, Gu Chi demands heartfelt words... and now another one demands wealth...
Before Chu Yao could speak, Kang Shi looked over.
The former focuses on domestic affairs and finances.
He knew best how much was in his own lord's private treasury.
Chu Yao took a deep breath.
The lives of the common people within the pass and the lord's private treasury were tossed back and forth on the scales of reason... In the end, the former won by a great margin! Compared with material possessions, their lord valued the common people under her rule more, and her inherent benevolence was evident to all.
The common people of Heyin County can all testify to this.
but--
Chu Yao asked, "How much?"
Warfare is not only about fighting strength, but also about financial resources.
But Xun Zhen is really burning money.
Xun Zhen estimated a conservative figure: "With everyone's help, we already have a chance of winning this battle, but to be on the safe side, five thousand taels!"
"silver?"
Xun Zhen: "Gold!"
Chu Yao: "..."
Everyone gasped: "..."
This figure is already quite economical. To wage a war that would be both wealthy and a sure-win, one would need approximately ten thousand taels of gold. Although the purity of gold at that time was not high due to limitations in smelting technology, ten thousand taels of gold was still an astonishing sum.
No matter how astonishing this figure may seem, it is not exaggerated when compared to the actual costs of a war; in fact, it is quite affordable.
Chu Yao hesitated, "I'm afraid it will be difficult... To be honest, Hanzhang, the royal court's order for the transfer was too hasty, and the lord could not take most of the things he had built in Heyin County with him. In the past few months, we have spared no expense to rebuild various places in Longwu County, so we are really short of money."
Xun Zhen also knew Shen Tang's difficulties.
His first impression of Shen Tang was quite good, and he didn't want to scare him away right away; finding a lord with the ability to make money and run a business wasn't easy these days. He said, "That's alright, it's not like I really need five thousand taels of gold..."
Chu Yao showed no joy; instead, his heart skipped a beat.
Xun Zhen said, "It would also be acceptable to offset it with future financial gains."
Chu Yao: "This matter is beyond my lord's control..."
For our lord, poverty is worse than death...
Xun Zhen asked in a good-natured manner, "Where is Lord Shen now?"
Chu Yao: "Still in Shiwu."
Since they were on his side, there was no need to hide anything. He stated frankly that Shen Tang was currently leading troops in the heart of Shiwu, without revealing much else. In short, since Shen Tang wasn't there, he couldn't give Xun Zhen a specific answer…
Xun Zhen countered with a question: "If Yonggu Pass falls, I imagine Lord Shen will also face certain death, won't he?"
Chu Yao looked at the gambler Kang Shi: "..."
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Don't make things difficult for the elderly.
Chu Yao took a deep breath, continuing to weigh the options in his mind. He didn't give a definite answer, but he also didn't say no directly. Instead, he probed, "Our army is short of troops. What plan does Han Zhang intend to use to turn the tide?" Let him see if he is worthy of five thousand gold!
"On this journey to the netherworld, we will summon our old comrades, with ten thousand banners to slay Yama! Yonggu Pass was built to defend against the invasion of the Ten Crows. How many soldiers have died for this, their blood staining the ground beneath the pass? In the current situation, we cannot afford to disturb the peaceful rest of their heroic spirits..."
Battlefields, especially those where large-scale battles have taken place, are never short of heroic spirits whose obsessions have not yet faded.
Beneath the border barrier, a group of people were already dormant.
Most of them were driven by a deep sense of patriotism, protected by the border barriers, and in turn, protected the border barriers. Whenever war was critical, they would respond to the call of the border barriers and go into battle. But besides these heroic spirits, there were also some heroic spirits who were not "official" members.
Compared to the former, these heroic spirits have a wide variety of obsessions, perhaps because they miss their loved ones, perhaps because of money, perhaps because of power and status... Their obsessions are complex and they are unruly. If you want to seek their help, you should be prepared to be attacked; there are countless examples of people failing miserably. However, Xun Zhen is able to suppress them and temporarily make these heroic spirits work for him.
that is--
It costs money.
Chu Yao and Kang Shi exchanged a glance.
Undeniably, they were completely smitten.
Kang Shi asked, "How confident is Hanzhang that things won't get out of control?"
Xun Zhen confidently declared, "I am fully prepared!"
Chu Yao: "..."
I feel like I've heard this before.
He then looked at Kang Shi, his lips seemingly uncontrollably curving into a smile.
He really suspected—
Did Kang Shi and Xun Zhen really become friends after a fight today?
Are these two really not old acquaintances?
Xun Zhen asked, "How is this matter?"
Chu Yao took a deep breath.
"I dare to accept this on behalf of my lord. If my lord pursues the matter later, I will bear all the responsibility!"
\(￣︶￣*\))
Please vote for me, my darlings! There's no double bonus this month, but let's get to the top of the leaderboard again and aim for five stars within eight months! (Don't you like the five-star keychain and badge? They're limited edition! We need lots of votes!)
Hehe, I suddenly realized that one of the comments from yesterday was really brilliant.
The combination of whales and Kangshi is a classic case of "luck can't save you from bad luck, and spending money can't change your fate."
And it hurt Yuanliang a lot.
But there's no rush.
Yuanliang still has enemies, but he'll get used to it _(:з」∠)_
He sacrificed seven lords to summon Tang Mei, and Tang Mei reciprocated by sending him seven enemy dragon teams.
P.S.: Don't worry about Tang Mei being cursed to death, she's the female lead of Mushroom!
Putting aside all its other advantages, its life is absolutely tough!
P.S.: I'm taking a day off on August 2nd.
(End of this chapter)
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