Chapter 14 Subduing Believers
When Jiang Shuoye opened his eyes, he found himself enveloped in clouds and mist once again, and his body was falling rapidly.
Here we go again.
Unlike the panic last time, Jiang Shuoye was experienced this time and quickly regained his balance.
After landing, he walked straight ahead as if he knew the way well.
After walking a dozen steps, he indeed saw the long table again, as well as the hazy and huge phantom in the swirling clouds.
People often say, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." Jiang Shuoye felt that perhaps it was because he had been thinking about this matter all day that he dreamed about it again at night.
Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it and walked to the table, sitting down in the only chair available.
He looked up at the illusory figure, his cold, deep voice echoing slightly: "Are you truly a deity?"
Chu Jiubian looked down at him, not responding immediately.
“There must be a reason why you entered my dream,” Jiang Shuoye continued. “As the old saying goes, immortals can enter dreams to impart knowledge. You wouldn’t happen to be here to teach me as well, would you?”
His face showed no frivolity, and his tone was respectful.
This is Jiangshuo Wilderness.
Even if he felt it was a dream, he wouldn't act recklessly. He would always think about the one in ten thousand possibility that "the other party might really be a god."
Of course, this was also due to the lesson he had learned from being bullied and suppressed by Chu Jiubian before.
Chu Jiubian was very pleased with his attitude.
After all, nobody likes to be offended.
Feeling he had acted out his pretense long enough, Chu Jiubian finally spoke up: "I know you've been troubled by something lately, so I've come to help you."
"Help me?" Jiang Shuoye's recent annoyances have been nothing more than the Tatars harassing the border towns and the newly trained cavalry.
Nowadays, every family is struggling, and even the imperial court has become weak and empty after the extravagance and depletion of two emperors. The military pay allocated to the army has been decreasing year after year, making it difficult for the border troops to even have enough to eat and drink, let alone expand the number of warhorses.
If things continue like this, Jiang Shuoye might have to send a group of soldiers back to their hometowns, lest they eventually be unable to even support their own people.
Even so, he was determined to train a group of powerful light cavalry.
The northern desert region is mostly plains, and the Tatars are skilled horsemen. If the northern desert army did not have its own cavalry, its combat effectiveness would be far inferior to that of the Tatar army.
If a real battle breaks out, they will lose even more soldiers.
Therefore, cavalry must be trained.
However, cavalry has always been the weakest point of the Central Plains people, because their soldiers were almost all from commoner backgrounds.
How many farming families have the opportunity to see a horse?
Not to mention those that have been ridden.
Therefore, the cavalrymen he is training now all start with the simplest "mounting" technique, and the progress is extremely slow.
Thinking of this, Jiang Shuoye frowned.
He was so worried that he was almost driven crazy, and he even started to hope that some so-called god could help him find a solution, otherwise he wouldn't have such an absurd and ridiculous dream.
Chu Jiubian watched him silently as he frowned and sighed, clearly lost in his own thoughts again.
Is his first believer a bit withdrawn?
Chu Jiubian had to make some noise to wake people from their thoughts.
Jiang Shuoye heard a crisp sound of jewelry clashing, and then looked up at the high priest's phantom.
"The biggest problem with cavalry is that they can't sit comfortably on horseback," Chu Jiubian said calmly. "Equipping these items to warhorses will solve the problem."
Jiang Shuoye discovered that a thin piece of paper had appeared out of thin air on the table in front of him.
He frowned and picked it up, but his first instinct wasn't to look at the contents of the paper, but rather at the paper itself.
This paper is pure white and smooth, hundreds or thousands of times better than the most expensive "Langya Gold Paper" of the Great Ning Dynasty.
He couldn't help but stroke the paper, thinking to himself that such a divine object could only exist in dreams.
Chu Jiubian watched quietly, without urging him.
He had previously drawn the blueprints directly in his study, but touching the yellowed, rough paper, he felt that they were not "divine" at all and were rather low-class.
So he bought a stack of pure white A4 paper from the system store, which only cost him 0.5 points. The system also gave him ten ballpoint pens as a gift.
Therefore, what Jiang Shuoye sees and touches today is high-quality paper that only exists in modern times.
Jiang Shuoye finally gave up studying the paper and turned to look at what was drawn on it.
At first, he didn't understand where to put the stirrups and saddle, or how to use them.
But next to it is a picture of a cavalryman equipped with both of these tools. The cavalryman is riding a horse, but under his buttocks is a saddle to stabilize his body, and below that are stirrups to put his feet in.
With just one glance, Jiang Shuoye's dark eyes seemed to light up.
He sat up straighter and compared the tool diagrams and cavalry diagrams more carefully.
The saddle stabilizes the cavalryman's body and protects his buttocks and legs from excessive chafing during the ride. The stirrups not only make it easier for cavalrymen to mount and dismount, but also help them ride more steadily.
Most importantly, cavalrymen sitting on their horses might even be able to stand up and fight the enemy using the power of the stirrups.
Swinging a spear while sitting is naturally not as enjoyable or effortless as wielding it while standing.
Jiang Shuoye's breathing quickened, and he couldn't help but look at the third tool—a horseshoe.
Warhorses' hooves will suffer some damage from long hours of training and galloping, but with horseshoes, the damage will be greatly reduced.
A divine object!
These things are nothing short of divine!
Jiang Shuoye, who had reached the position of commander-in-chief at such a young age, was already capable of remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. But now, looking at these treasures, he was so excited that his hands were trembling.
He dared not imagine how much the fighting power of the Northern Desert Army would increase if its warhorses and cavalry were equipped with these things.
Jiang Shuoye gripped the blueprints tightly, studying them over and over again. He even had several cavalry tactics in mind.
Some formation strategies that I never dared to imagine before seem to be achievable with this equipment.
He really wished he could make these equipment right now and put them into training.
Only then did he realize where he was.
He suddenly stood up from his chair, looked up at the huge phantom of the high priest, his eyes blazing.
"Jiang Shuoye hereby expresses his gratitude to the High Priest for his assistance." As he spoke, he took a few steps back, then knelt down on the ground and kowtowed three times in the direction of Chu Jiubian.
Chu Jiubian watched as his faith value surged by three points in that instant, and couldn't help but smile.
Well done, Xiao Jiang!
"There's no need for that." Chu Jiubian said calmly, as if he were just offering a helping hand. "These books are also a gift to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the three books he had bought earlier appeared on the table.
Jiang Shuoye hurriedly got up and went over, carefully picking up the book. When he saw that it contained methods for raising horses and training soldiers, his heart pounded even harder, and he immediately wanted to kowtow to Chu Jiubian a few more times.
However, the white mist seemed to swim over like a pair of hands, lifting him up and preventing him from kneeling any longer.
"Thank you, High Priest." Jiang Shuoye clasped his hands and said, "I have no way to repay your great kindness. If there is anything I can do for you, I will do my best, even to the point of my death."
Chu Jiubian's cool voice remained calm as he said, "You only need to protect the people of the Northern Desert."
This is temporary; he might really need Jiang Shuoye to fight for him in the future.
But if he could, Chu Jiubian would not want that day to come.
Jiang Shuoye's eyes were overflowing with gratitude and respect, and he couldn't help but clasp his hands and bow deeply again: "On behalf of the people and soldiers of the Northern Desert, Chi Feng thanks the High Priest."
Such a divine being, so righteous and compassionate, Jiang Shuoye will surely repay their kindness forever.
Chu Jiubian smiled and then reminded him, "Do you know that all this equipment is made of iron?"
Iron ore is scarce in the Great Ning Dynasty now. If Jiang Shuoye can't find that much iron, Chu Jiubian wonders if he should buy some more books on "how to find ore" or ask the system if there is a way to locate iron ore.
To everyone's surprise, Jiang Shuoye said, "To tell you the truth, although my Jiang family has fallen on hard times, we still have a fine iron mine in this northern desert region, which is enough to meet the needs of our cavalry."
In fact, the iron mine was as big as a mountain, and half of the weapons of the Northern Desert Army were obtained from there.
Otherwise, given the moral character of the imperial court, the Northern Army would have run out of weapons long ago.
However, the imperial court did not allow the private sale of ironware, and the Jiang family's mine was preserved by being kept secret. Otherwise, Jiang Shuoye could have supported the Northern Desert Army just by selling iron.
This was unexpected by Chu Jiubian, but it was a good thing, saving him the trouble.
Having finished explaining everything and receiving the believer's faith points, Chu Jiubian said, "If there's nothing else, you may go."
Jiang Shuoye hurriedly asked, "High Priest, will I ever see you again?"
"I will seek you out again." After Chu Jiubian finished speaking, he instructed the system to send Jiang Shuoye out of the Divine Realm.
Jiang Shuoye woke up from his dream and immediately sat up.
His eyes still gleamed brightly in the darkness, showing no sign of weariness.
He had dreamt about it before, but he would forget it soon after waking up. Now that he had woken up, he wanted to take advantage of the time before he forgot it and quickly draw down all the equipment blueprints.
However, he forgot to memorize the three books that the high priest had given him, and he didn't know if he would have another chance to enter the dream. When that time came, he would definitely memorize all the contents of those books.
He reached out to fetch flint from beside his pillow to start a fire, but as his hands rubbed together, he bumped into something else before he even touched the flint.
The feel was so familiar, exactly the same as the "divine paper" he had caressed in his dream!
Jiang Shuo's ambition was like a drumbeat, and he hurriedly continued to search. After finding flint, he didn't get out of bed to look for dry grass. Instead, he lit his undergarment and looked at his pillow by the firelight.
Beside the patched straw pillow, three books were neatly arranged.
At the very top was the divine paper with diagrams of tools and cavalry.
==
The Imperial Palace, the Jade Terrace Residence.
There was no sound from the main bedroom early on. Little Jinzi was on night duty today, so he slept in the outer room of the main house.
Meanwhile, the pavilion inside the courtyard was bustling with activity.
Little Silver's eyes gleamed as he furtively gestured for the other three to come closer before lowering his voice and saying, "Do you know what I found out today?"
"What?" Shuiyun was a little confused.
Shui Qing said impatiently, "Tell me quickly, stop keeping me in suspense."
Earlier today, Chu Jiubian was sighing in the courtyard, saying that he missed Qin Xiao. Everyone was puzzled, so Xiao Yinzi, who had the widest network of connections, went to inquire about it.
"But I found out about the young master and the lord..." Xiao Xiangzi didn't finish his sentence before he cautiously looked around.
There were only a few servants and young masters in the courtyard, while there were many imperial guards and secret guards hiding outside. It could be said to be the safest place in the palace besides the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Seeing that he had guessed it, Xiao Yinzi stopped keeping him in suspense and excitedly said, "I asked some palace servants I know, and they said that on the day of the coronation ceremony, the young master fell from the sky and landed directly in the master's arms!"
"Who is our lord? How could he possibly take the initiative to hug someone? Yet he didn't hug our young master! What does that mean?"
"What?"
"This shows that the young master is different from others in the eyes of the adults!"
“I actually noticed it a while ago!” Shui Qing hurriedly said, “The lord does treat our young master differently. Usually, when the lord puts someone in prison, it’s a matter for life. Our young master is really the first one to be released by the lord.”
“Absolutely,” Little Silver immediately chimed in. “That’s why our master definitely has some special feelings for the young master. Maybe it’s just like those people say, that these two are destined by fate!”
Xiao Xiangzi frowned and said worriedly, "This only shows that our master has feelings for the young master, but the young master's feelings for the master..."
Little Silver chuckled, lowering his voice even further: "Young Master's feelings for Lord are even more profound! I've heard it all out. The day Young Master descended from the heavens, he told all the civil and military officials that Lord was his love tribulation, and that he came down to earth for our Lord!"
The three of them gasped in unison, remaining silent for a long while.
Xiao Xiangzi blinked, and after his initial shock, asked, "What is a love tribulation?"
“This…” Little Silver scratched his head, “Perhaps it means that the young master and the master have feelings for each other.”
"Is there any affection?" Xiao Xiangzi asked with some doubt.
He had also observed the interaction between the young master and the adult, and always felt that they were more strangers than acquaintances.
He heard soft sobbing nearby. Xiao Xiangzi turned his head and saw Shuiyun wiping away her tears with a handkerchief.
"Sister Shuiyun, what's going on?" Xiao Xiangzi asked, puzzled.
Shuiyun looked at him with red eyes, tears falling in large drops: "Hongxiang, you are still young and do not understand the young master's thoughts, but I can see clearly."
The other three were all younger than her and less composed than her, so they all listened attentively to what she said.
Shuiyun looked up into the distance, her eyes filled with sorrow, and said, "Flowers fall and water flows... Young Master, this poem is being copied for our lord."
The three looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Our young master is suffering so much.” Shuiyun choked up.
Shuiqing quickly helped her wipe away her tears.
Little Silver said anxiously, "Sister, don't cry. Tell us what happened first."
Shuiyun paused, then said in a hoarse voice, "Our young master and sir, that must be a destiny cultivated over many lifetimes..."
There was a vat of ice in Chu Jiubian's room, which Qin Xiao had delivered that afternoon.
He slept soundly, almost without any dreams, but back at Cining Palace, he woke up three times during the night.
After being startled awake from her dream for the third time, Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan simply got up and went to the courtyard.
Granny Liu helped her sit down on a bench in the courtyard and said softly, "It's really hot and stuffy today. I'll have someone send a message to our family tomorrow to ask the master to send more ice."
Xiao Ruohan's face was grim.
The Xiao family can only use ice twice a day, but the Yangxin Hall and Yaotai Residence have already had several vats of ice brought in in just one day. Even the young emperor slept soundly at night.
This was all done by that Ninth Young Master.
In the evening, Xiao Yao, the head of the Xiao family and Xiao Ruohan's younger brother, sent a message asking her to find a way to get in touch with Chu Jiubian.
If that's not possible, it would be best to let Chu Jiubian leave the palace.
Nowadays, all the major powers in the capital want to establish a relationship with this Ninth Young Master.
Xiao Ruohan's eyes flashed with malice: "It seems that I really will have to meet this Ninth Young Master tomorrow."
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