knife

Chapter 823 Giving It All

Dongdu was once the commercial center of the Qin Dynasty.

In the past, Chang'an, the capital of the Qin Dynasty, was all about status. A fifth-rank official was a big shot in the provinces, but in Chang'an, if he shouted in the street, the number of people turning around would be far greater than you could imagine.

The saying "One does not know the insignificance of one's official rank until one reaches Chang'an" illustrates this point.

Luoyang, the eastern capital, was characterized by its wealth.

Merchants from both inside and outside the Qin Dynasty flocked to Luoyang to acquire property and establish businesses. For local gentry and powerful figures who could not gain entry to Chang'an, Luoyang, the eastern capital, was their best option.

Wealth and status have always been intertwined.

While being rich doesn't necessarily equate to being noble, being noble certainly guarantees being rich.

Staying in the capital city provides a great opportunity to meet influential people, thus making one's wealth seem more certain and secure.

However, the Eastern Capital is now completely desolate.

When people in Dongdu recall the past, they can't help but sigh.

In just ten years, this place, which was once even more prosperous than Chang'an, has become dilapidated and its former glory is nowhere to be seen.

He Zudao's army marched south and wreaked havoc in Chang'an, causing immense damage to the city.

He Zudao had almost wiped out all the wealthy and powerful people in Dongdu, and then carried a large amount of wealth south to regain control of the eight towns in Jiangnan.

It was the enormous wealth plundered from Luoyang that allowed He Zudao to quickly establish himself in the eight towns of Jiangnan.

He Zudao was seriously investing in the construction and development of the eight towns in Jiangnan. He was operating the eight towns in Jiangnan as his base, after all, the He family had a deep foundation there.

However, things didn't go as planned, and in the end, He Zudao's efforts benefited Li Dachui.

After Jiang Qian took control of the eight towns in Jiangnan, in order to cooperate with Li Dachui and suppress Linghu Ye in Chang'an, she ruthlessly cut off all trade routes from the south to Luoyang, the capital in the east.

This move immediately plunged Dongdu into a predicament, while also putting Chang'an under immense pressure.

Today, Luoyang, the eastern capital, has seen its population plummet from a million at its peak to about 60% of its current size. Even worse, there is a severe shortage of able-bodied young men.

Now it is like an old man nearing seventy, full of injuries and illnesses, struggling to live in pain, not wanting to die but watching helplessly as death approaches day by day.

Cui Cheng stood on the drill ground, listlessly watching the soldiers' drills.

He even saw many people with white hair and beards struggling to wield swords and spears on the training ground.

The sun was shining so brightly that people felt lethargic and lacked energy, just like Cui Cheng was right now.

When Cui Cheng first arrived in Dongdu, he was full of ambition and wanted to make a name for himself and show his father that even though he was not a master of innate martial arts, he could still uphold the reputation of the Cui family.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

In Nanyang, he was completely manipulated by Jiang Qian.

After several back-and-forth battles, it seemed that Cui Cheng had occupied a large area of ​​land, but his elite forces suffered heavy losses in these repeated skirmishes. By the time Cui Cheng realized this, the damage was already too great to be done.

If you lose the people but keep the land, both the people and the land will be lost.

Cui Cheng's actions in Nanyang vividly illustrate these eight words. After realizing what had happened, Cui Cheng began to consolidate his forces and stabilize the eastern capital. At this time, the changes in Boling County gave him hope of regaining control of his family business.

The second brother was seriously injured and could not recover. The main family in Boling County suffered a great defeat. The father decided that the Cui family would make a major southward march and start a new campaign in Nanyang. For this purpose, he sent the third and fifth branches of the family over first.

Unfortunately, before all of this could be planned, the father died from his injuries sustained by Li Dachui on the battlefield, and the second brother, Cui Shu, surrendered to Li Dachui.

Although the third and fifth wives are still physically present in Dongdu, it's hard to say whether their hearts are still with the family.

Chang Lei's plan gave Cui Cheng hope for another chance.

If we win, then things will take a turn for the better.

To help Chang Lei, Cui Cheng truly gave his all.

Their last elite forces, their last food reserves, and all their cash flow were poured into Chang Lei, with all their hopes pinned on him.

Having placed a heavy bet, Cui Cheng knew that as long as Chang Lei won, Linghu Ye wouldn't lose, and thus he would have the capital to rival his own family or even attract their investment.

The Cui family has a presence all over the country. The main branch in Boling is said to be the most powerful, but if I were to attract all the Cui family's influence across the country to my side, the actual power would far exceed that of the main branch.

Boling's most important aspects are its roots, its identity, and its righteousness.

The current Dongdu is truly just an empty shell.

Cui Cheng even felt that if Xiao Zhongren's group, who were still active in Nanyang, had the guts to launch an attack on Dongdu, they would be invincible and unstoppable.

The rabble they have now is only good for intimidating ordinary people.

Feeling listless and dispirited, Cui Cheng on stage stood up, stretched lazily, and decided to go back and catch up on some sleep.

There has been no new news about the war in the south for more than ten days.

However, no news is good news.

Ten days ago, news came back that General Chang was advancing with unstoppable momentum. After capturing Zhongli County, he had gathered an army of 70,000 to 80,000 and was marching towards Danyang.

If all goes well, the General should reunite with Nawei.

Once this is achieved, Jiang Qian's days in the eight towns of Jiangnan will be numbered.

“We must intensify our training. Once General Chang takes Danyang and defeats Jiang Qian, we will be able to take Nanyang County and force our way to Xiangyang City. What kind of talk is this, being strong but weak? Have I shortchanged them on pay or food?” Cui Cheng beckoned to the training officer and reprimanded him.

The military training officer smiled obsequiously and said, "Commander Cui, the morning's pay hasn't been issued yet. In the past, we always had three meals a day, but for the past month, it's been reduced to two meals a day, and our rations have been reduced by a third. These people also have to save some rations to take home to support their families, so..."

Hearing the words of the military training commander, Cui Cheng couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. It wasn't that he was mean or greedy, but that he had truly given everything for Chang Lei's attack. He had given all the good stuff to the troops going out to fight, and those left at home were inevitably in a worse situation.

"I'll think of a way!" Cui Cheng said. "But how can we get those wealthy families in the city to willingly hand over their grain in this state? We need to get them mentally prepared first before I can even begin to speak to them!"

"Yes!" The military training officer replied respectfully, but inwardly he was filled with dread. In the current capital, even the wealthy landlords probably didn't have any surplus grain, and the few who actually had grain were probably too much for Commander Cui to handle.

Regardless of the circumstances, since Commander Cui had already gone this far, he had to give him face. The Training Commissioner turned around and loudly reprimanded his officers and soldiers to cheer up.

Seeing that the training ground was finally showing some signs of life, Cui Cheng nodded in satisfaction, turned around and went down from the platform. Halfway down, he saw Zhou Gang, the commander of Wolf Castle stationed in the Eastern Capital, walking hurriedly towards him.

(End of this chapter)