Chapter 520: Zhao Duan Supervises Grain
The backyard of the government office.
Zhao Duan left the "combat command center" and arrived at the courtyard at the back to rest.
After sending the outsiders away, he did not enter the house, but sat in a small stone pavilion, slightly closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and called out to Pei Niannu in his heart:
"Senior, with my current level of cultivation, if I give you my full strength to activate the Black Turtle Seal, how far can it cover at once? Well, if Ji Yue is added to the mix, can the two of us summon a rainstorm that covers at least one county in a short period of time?"
Strands of red threads detached from his body and spread out.
On the empty seat opposite the stone pavilion, there appeared an ancient woman wearing a wedding dress and a dark gold mask, which was difficult for outsiders to see.
It was Pei Niannu from the Six Chapters Sutra. The latter looked at him coldly and shook his head.
"No...possible."
She sneered, "How strong do you think the cultivators in this world are? Besides, your Qi, when converted into mana, has also been weakened..."
Zhao Duan felt a little disappointed, but not surprised.
During the battle at Baihua Village, Zhenbao was promoted to a celestial being, and was able to cause abnormal celestial phenomena within a radius of ten miles.
He had only reached less than half of the worldly realm, and was far from the state where every move he made could resonate with heaven and earth.
When he fought with King Heng at the border of Qingzhou, both of them fought with all their strength, but the water and fire fields they created only covered a small area.
"What... do... you want to do?" Pei Niannu asked incoherently, showing moderate curiosity.
After Zhao Duan's advancement, Pei Niannu, the "ancient man" who was originally dead but somehow survived in the painting, became more vivid.
Zhao Duan shook his head and explained the enemy's plan to burn the city:
"I was thinking, if the worst comes to the worst, perhaps with the power of the water god, I can summon rain to put out the fire."
"Save the world...save the people?" Pei Niannu's silver eyes flickered slightly behind his visor, and he suddenly said:
"There is a way..."
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows, and then, from the sorceress's stuttering and slow narration, he learned a plan.
According to Pei Niannu, Zhao Duan's current cultivation level is not enough to support the movement of celestial phenomena, but if his magic power is sufficient and exceeds the scope of the "worldly" realm, he may be able to achieve it temporarily.
"Senior, are you saying that the gods of water and fire are both in the Five Elements, and that they can both counteract and transform each other? And I happen to have the Scarlet Flame Sacred Armor, which can accumulate a large amount of mana within the armor through formations.
"With some method, theoretically, I can use the armor as an 'external sea of qi'? Is it equivalent to expanding the mana I can call upon?"
Zhao Duan was surprised by the proposal.
In simple terms, think of the Red Flame Holy Armor as a "power bank".
Use a magic circle to guide the magic power stored in the armor into Zhao Duan's qi sea, and combine it with his own strength to control the Black Turtle Seal.
"Is this okay? But even if my mana is full, it will only increase the time it takes to cast spells due to the limitations of my personal realm.
It doesn't make sense that just because my Qi Sea has expanded, I can break through the realm limit and use spells that are inaccessible to me at my current realm? After all, I have never successfully communicated with the heaven and earth... Wait!"
Zhao Duan was analyzing, and suddenly froze, staring at Pei Niannu opposite him!
He was indeed only at the worldly realm, but the sorceress in front of him had reached the "celestial being" at her peak six hundred years ago!
In other words, Pei Niannu's understanding of spiritual practice is that her theoretical realm has reached the realm of heaven and man!
It’s just that now I have no body and have become a rootless duckweed, so I have become a person in the painting who can be driven.
But if Zhao Duan uses the Red Flame Holy Armor to increase his body's magic power capacity, and then "lends" his body to Pei Niannu, theoretically speaking, he can break through the limitations of the worldly realm and reach the level of heaven!
Even if it is a patchwork and extremely perfunctory "Half-step Heavenly Being", but briefly activating the Black Turtle Seal... shouldn't be a problem.
This situation is extremely special, and it can be said that it was a coincidence that allowed this plan to be put together.
After all, there are still some ways to temporarily expand one's strength in this world, but wanting to temporarily break through the boundary between heaven and man is simply wishful thinking.
"This child is...teachable."
Pei Niannu nodded, and his lips curled up slightly on his snow-white chin under the mask, as if he had finally regained his dignity as a teacher in front of this hateful junior.
Then, he poured a basin of cold water on me:
"However... this method involves transforming water into fire, which consumes a lot of energy... I don't have enough armor right now."
Zhao Duan was stunned.
The mana stored in the Scarlet Flame Sacred Armor wasn't enough to sustain it? Was the conversion rate compromised because it was using his Qi Sea as a "transfer station"?
Therefore, in order to achieve this plan, we must find a batch of tools related to cultivation and refine them.
However, the round of smelting before leaving Beijing had almost used up all of Zhao Duan's assets, leaving only a few items he was used to, which were too precious to be smelted.
Where could he find a bunch of low-value treasures to melt into armor in such a short period of time?
"Is there no other way?" Zhao Duan frowned.
The dreamy wedding dress sorceress in front of him shook her head and slowly disappeared into the air.
No, if you can't answer, just run away. What's the use of me having you... Zhao Duan felt depressed and a little frustrated. He still didn't think the court was sure to regain the lost territory safely.
If an accident happens, the rebels can start a fire at any time after three days. Once the cities and towns within a radius of dozens of miles catch fire, the situation will be unimaginably bad.
He couldn't help but consider the worst-case scenario.
Zhao Duan fell into deep thought, wondering if there was any other way besides this plan to increase the chances of winning.
"What are you doing here?"
After an unknown amount of time, Mo Chou suddenly walked into the small stone pavilion and sat opposite him.
Zhao Duan came back to his senses and did not explain:
"Why did you come out? What was the discussion like inside? Any good ideas?"
Mo Chou shook her head solemnly:
"I have no idea yet. I know nothing about marching and fighting, so I didn't quite understand what you said. But from what Lord Xue said, he has some battle plans, but none of them are satisfactory. It seems that the discussions there may not reach a conclusion before tomorrow. I'm dizzy from listening, so I came out to get some fresh air."
After a pause, Mo Chou said as if to encourage herself:
"However, with Lord Xue's talent, he will surely be able to turn the tide and accomplish this feat."
Zhao Duan asked with a hint of amusement, "Why? You all seem to be more confident than Xue Shence himself."
Mo Chou said as a matter of course:
"Because he's the 'God of War,' and who else can we rely on here if we don't trust him?"
Zhao Duan smiled bitterly and said teasingly:
"When you were arguing with me, didn't you realize you were still a blind believer in authority?"
Mo Chou suddenly looked at him strangely and asked:
"Don't tell me you're actually a hidden master of military strategy, and you're also good at leading troops in battle."
Over the past year or so, she had witnessed Zhao Duan giving people so many surprises that she felt a little paranoid and wondered if there was anything in this world that Zhao Duan couldn't do.
No, as for the art of war, I can copy a copy of "The Art of War" or "Thirty-Six Stratagems", or even talk nonsense about "On Protracted War" or something like that... But I am not even as good as Zhao Kuo, and in this regard I am not even as good as the online military fans who are keyboard warriors... Zhao Duan shook his head bitterly, he was very sure of his abilities.
Copying poems, playing chess, and talking about Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism can all be accomplished with just talking, but leading troops in battle is not something you can learn by yourself by memorizing some military tactics. This is why he took the initiative to "step down and let others take over" this time and did not get involved in the battle.
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"I really don't know how to do this, so don't expect me to give you any tactical plans."
Mo Chou looked at him suspiciously for a long time, and after confirming his sincerity, she breathed a sigh of relief:
"In that case, you and I will just do our duty as military supervisors. Well, since you have a stronger cultivation base, you can also cooperate with Xue Shence and carry out some missions. As for whether we can recapture the lost territory and how to do it, we will leave it to Xue Shence and the others."
Zhao Duan suddenly asked, "What if Su Dan's anger really ignites?"
Mo Chou fell silent. She slowly stood up and walked towards the house:
"At most, I'll take the responsibility and the blame. I'm tired, I'm going to get some sleep."
At this moment, the thin and frail back of the loyal female official beside the empress actually seemed to have the character of a "female prime minister".
However, Mo Chou who walked into the room did not hear it. Someone named Zhao who was sitting in the pavilion behind her muttered:
"Little girl, learn to take responsibility. There is no such thing as a man losing a battle and then asking a woman to take the blame. Xue Shence is shameless, but I want more."
…
After watching Mo Chou leave, Zhao Duan dusted off his robe, stood up and walked towards the villa.
He remembered that the people he brought with him were temporarily settled here.
"Sir." Song Jinxi was guarding the gate of the villa. When he saw him coming, he immediately stepped forward.
Zhao Duan said "yes" and asked with his hands behind his back, "How is everyone settling in?"
Song Jinxi said:
"The two priests, Yuxiu and Jinjian, are practicing in seclusion in the house. Jiyue, as per your instructions, has arranged for them to share a room with Mo Zhaorong so that they can provide close protection.
As for us, we don't have enough accommodation at the government office, so I was just about to ask you, sir, whether we should go to the military camp or the posthouse?"
After all, the government office is a place for office work, and there are not many guest rooms to accommodate such a large group of people.
"Let's go to the military camp. Since the two top disciples from the Tianshi Mansion are not returning, we will deploy them. But you masters, don't think of wasting time hiding behind. Report to Xue Shence and deal with the rebels."
Zhao Duan waved his hand and then remembered something:
"By the way, how's the white falcon doing?"
He was referring to the female shadow guard who he had accidentally rescued before.
Song Jinxi pointed to the room:
"She's resting in that room for now. She's been given medicine for her injuries, but she still needs to recuperate for a while. Mo Zhaorong told us to keep an eye on her, but we didn't find anything unusual."
Zhao Duan nodded, thought for a moment, and said:
"Contact the Linfeng Dao's Golden Shadow Guards, Shusheng and Hongye, through your channels to verify the situation of this 'White Falcon'."
The eunuch who was good at assassination was stunned:
"My Lord, you are suspicious...would you like to detain him and let me interrogate him?"
"No need, I just feel a little uneasy. How about this? There's no need to restrict their movements. Treat them as wounded, but you need to keep an eye on them." Zhao Duan said earnestly:
"During war, everything must be done with caution, even the most cautious, but we must not let our own people down."
"I understand." Song Jinxi nodded.
With his assassination and stealth skills, he could conduct perfect surveillance without being noticed by Bai Falcon:
"However, the scholar and Hongye are not in Taicang right now, but on the eastern front. Even if we use an eagle to deliver the letter, it will probably take several days to get a reply."
Isn't the person in charge here? Zhao Duan was slightly surprised and nodded:
"It's okay, let's contact them first."
Suddenly, the two heard some noise coming from the side hall in front of the government office.
Zhao Duan gestured to Song Jinxi to stay and walked over.
Passing through the hanging flower gate, I could see in the shadows at the bottom of the steps in the distance a man in his thirties or forties, wearing a dusty official robe, standing dejectedly outside the yard, lingering.
A clerk from the government office who was suspected of having an argument with him came over, was startled when he saw Zhao Duan, and said respectfully:
"Meet the Governor."
Zhao Duan was not familiar with this clerk, but vaguely remembered that he was from Prefect Sun's department, so he casually asked:
"What happened to that guy?"
The clerk hesitated for a moment and sighed, "It was a grain supervisor under us..."
In a few words, I explain the reason:
Since the war began, supplies and money in Linfeng have become increasingly scarce. In addition, because they have to defend the city, the soldiers under Xue Shence's command have consumed a lot of food and fodder.
According to convention, the government office and the military office jointly issued an order to temporarily appoint a group of "grain supervisors" to purchase and collect military rations from the people in the city to support the war consumption.
Nowadays, most of the people who hoard grain are powerful and wealthy families. It is not difficult to ask for grain the first few times, but if the number of times they are asked to pay increases, they will inevitably run into obstacles.
"Look, that man is one of the grain inspectors. His job was to go to the Lu family's house in the city to ask for grain, but Lu refused to give it to him. After several setbacks, he returned home in disgrace and wanted to see the prefect to explain the whole story.
But how much work is going on in the city these days? The prefect only sleeps an hour a day, never even touching the ground, so how could he have time to see him? I told him to go back and wait for news, but he refused to leave, so we started arguing.
The clerk explained in a soft voice.
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows:
"The Lu family? The Taicang Lu family, the most powerful family in Taicang Prefecture? Do they dare not pay the grain?"
He had a slight impression of this Lu family. When he came to handle the case last year, the old man of the Lu family sat at the very edge of the banquet.
The clerk said a little angrily:
“Before the governor came, there were not enough soldiers in the city. If we wanted to defend the city, we had to rely on these wealthy families to mobilize the people to help defend the city. Moreover, we had to appease them to prevent them from turning to the rebel king. Therefore, the prefect was more gentle.
Even though the Lu family raised the price of grain significantly, the prefect accepted it for the sake of maintaining stability. The Lu family's grain was bought with money from our government office and fed to the soldiers."
After a pause, as if realizing he had strayed from the topic, he carefully brought it back to the subject:
"Of course, the Lu family is still willing to sell grain, but they are just deliberately dragging their feet. A small grain inspector can't persuade the Lu family. As long as the prefect goes there in person, they will definitely be able to get the grain..."
Zhao Duan sneered:
"What a wealthy family! They're so bold that they're even controlling the imperial court. You said the Lu family is raising grain prices? They're not the only family demanding grain payments."
The clerk's heart skipped a beat, and he stammered, "Of course... many families are like this..."
Zhao Duan suddenly asked for no reason:
"These wealthy families in the city have accumulated wealth over many years, right? Do they also like to collect rare items? Especially those related to spiritual practice?"
The clerk was stunned for a moment, then nodded subconsciously:
"Of course there are many, especially rare and precious items related to sorcerers, which are particularly sought after... Eh? Where are you going, sir?"
…
…
Outside the side gate courtyard of the government office, at the bottom of the high bluestone steps.
The grain inspector named Zhao Shande was in a daze, standing alone in a corner. Although he was called the "grain inspector" and seemed to be very impressive, in fact, apart from the name, he had no real power.
As a middle-aged clerk in a low-income government office under Taicang Prefecture, Zhao Shande was a typical "day-to-day person".
After ten years of hard work as a yamen official, he finally saved enough money to buy a house in the provincial capital, and moved into the inner city with his wife and children.
I thought I would work peacefully until retirement, then save some money to bribe my superiors and pass this small position on to my descendants.
Unexpectedly, a war broke out and he was drafted as a "conscripted man" to serve as a grain inspector. At first, he was secretly excited, thinking that there was some money to be made.
But later on he understood that no one else dared to offend the Lu Mansion, so they simply arrested him, a petty official with no background, to take the blame.
Zhao Shande stood at the gate of the government office with his head down. He knew that the prefect was busy with many things and had no time to see him, and that the clerk would not bother the prefect with such a small matter on his behalf.
But all he could do was wait here.
What if, just in case... you might run into the prefect returning to the yamen?
"Your name is Zhao Shande? The grain supervisor of the Lu family?"
Suddenly, a young man's voice sounded.
Zhao Shande raised his head and saw a handsome stranger walking towards him with a smile.
Zhao Duan came over, patted his shoulder and said with a smile:
"Let's go. The prefect has sent me to go with you to get food."
(End of this chapter)
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