Longzang

Chapter 1019 Special Focus
At this time, spring was in full bloom in Ji State, and Wei Yuan dispersed the people in the city to cultivate and farm the land. At the same time, he built several fortifications dozens of miles away from the county seat to protect the people who were cultivating the land.

This was a completely defensive measure, and Wei Yuan didn't know if the other side would understand it. The number of rebel attacks had decreased recently, with only one wave every ten days, and the number of men sent was only a little over one or two thousand. Wei Yuan sent people to talk to the rebels, who all said that the surrounding area was deserted, and Fengyuan County was practically a wasteland, with vast swathes of land devoid of life.

Xiangshui and Fengyuan counties were the hardest hit, with their capitals completely emptied and over 80% of the towns and villages wiped out. According to the arriving rebels, after the unexpected death of the Duke of Longguo, the Ji army launched several attacks on the rebel stronghold, but all were thwarted at the formidable passes. Although the Ji army is now numerous, its morale is low and its discipline is poor; it is clear they cannot hold out for long.

As things have changed, Lu Jiande has become active again after a period of silence, seemingly about to make another big move.

Currently, the only remaining population around Wei Yuan's location is in Hanchuan County, which is located in the north-northwest. This county is mostly mountainous, with treacherous terrain and scarce resources. Even rebel armies are unwilling to come here, and it has always been regarded as a place of exile by the State of Ji, thus avoiding being ravaged by war.

However, there were also several rebel groups on the northwestern border of Ji State, one of which was preparing to enter Hanchuan Commandery. Wei Yuan decided to take the initiative and sent a small force of three thousand men to cross the entire Hanchuan Commandery and then garrison Tingliu County on the northwestern border of Hanchuan Commandery to block the rebels.

At the same time, Wei Yuan also sent people to the city of Hanchuan and various counties to notify local officials to relocate the population, and to move all those who could leave to Xiangshui County.

Wei Yuan invoked his status as the Xianghan Jiedushi, which had not yet been approved by the Tang court, and dispatched a delegation composed of several Dharma ministers. In the past, this was done to inform rather than discuss matters. If any local official showed the slightest lack of cooperation, Wei Yuan would execute him on the spot on charges of colluding with bandits.

With such swift and decisive action, Wei Yuan finally got the people moving in Hanchuan County, a remote and impoverished place that no one wanted to go to, and they began to leave the mountains and migrate to Xiangshui County.

Wei Yuan set up a soup kitchen at the exit of the mountain, so that people could eat as soon as they left the mountain. He then set up distribution points for steamed buns and flatbreads in each county, but these had to be collected by the Qingming soldiers who were in charge of leading the refugees. Basically, once these people reached this point, they could never return to the mountains.

At this point, Wei Yuan made another grand promise, claiming that there would be uncultivated land to cultivate once they reached Xiangshui County. The vast majority of mountain residents longed for fertile land on the plains, so at this point, practically no one looked back.

It would take about two months to relocate the entire county's residents, and Wei Yuan's small force of three thousand men would have to hold off the rebel army that wanted to enter Hanchuan for two months.

The rebel army numbered over 100,000 and intended to besiege Tingliu County. However, the troops were in disarray and before they could even deploy, they were hit by a barrage of heavy artillery fire. After a dozen or so shells, the entire army was stunned and had to retreat, never to attempt another siege.

The two sides fought for more than ten days. The rebels suffered more than 10,000 casualties, and the city's defenders also suffered dozens of casualties, all of whom died from the spells of Dharma Aspect or Dao Foundation cultivators.

At this moment, a battle report from the west arrived before Lu Jiande. The report stated that Ji Guo and Wei Yuan had joined forces and deployed more than 100,000 troops to defend Tingliu County. After a month of bloody fighting, he had beheaded 30,000 enemy soldiers while losing only 5,000 of his own, which could be called a great victory in Hanchuan.

Lu Jiande, being cunning and shrewd, naturally saw through the true meaning behind the battle report: the enemy was too powerful for us to defeat.

Lu Jiande then ordered his men to retrieve the gazetteer of Hanchuan Prefecture, as well as the official household registration information. The entire Hanchuan Prefecture had approximately 800,000 households, totaling over three million people. Moreover, the area was barren and desolate, with almost nothing of value to be found. The soil was so infertile that even medicinal herbs did not thrive there.

Lu Jiande stared at the map for a long time and felt that this place had no military value. Further west was the mountain people's territory. Without this place, the western rebels would only have to take a detour to advance eastward. Moreover, because the main road was easy to travel, the marching speed would be much faster than passing through the prefecture.

After much deliberation, Lu Jiande formally replied, ordering the western rebels to abandon Hanchuan, but before that, they were to dismantle the three mountain passes guarding the western border of Hanchuan County.

As for whether Hanchuan would fall into the hands of the mountain people or remain in the hands of the Ji Kingdom, Lu Jiande didn't care. Ideally, the mountain people's army would surge through the breach and head straight for the Xiang River. However, the Xiang River and Fengyuan counties were currently barren, making resupply difficult for the mountain people.

Let Wei Yuan worry about this problem.

……

At this moment, Wei Yuan also had a copy of the Annals of Hanchuan County in his hand. He had been reading it for a full hour before finally finishing. Wei Yuan put down the book and said to Zhang Sheng, "It was truly a legend when the Ji Kingdom took Hanchuan County back then."

This place was originally unsuitable for human habitation. At that time, there was a local female chieftain who, widowed young, led her people through the mountains, building roads and bridges, cultivating fields and multiplying. During this time, she fought countless battles with the mountain people, and it took her a century to gradually occupy the entirety of present-day Hanchuan. Then, she petitioned the King of Ji to submit, thus establishing the present-day Hanchuan Prefecture.

Zhang Sheng said, "If you move all the people from Hanchuan County here, wouldn't you be giving this land away to the mountain people again?"

Wei Yuan spread out a map and pointed to the surrounding terrain, saying, "There are only a few boundary stones in the entire Hanchuan County, and they are not connected to each other. This area is not only unsuitable for human habitation, but even the mountain people can hardly survive. I plan to remove all the boundary stones, then extend northwest from the exit of our secret realm, and then cut off the mountain people and their heartland in this large area, and then slowly nibble away at them."

With a stroke of his finger, Wei Yuan revealed a vast area spanning over 40,000 li, equivalent to four or five times the size of the complete Qingming. "Quite ambitious. If they were to take over this entire region, it would be enough to establish a new prefecture."

Wei Yuan nodded: "I've already thought of a name for the prefecture, let's call it Yizhou."

"You really don't take the Tang family seriously! Your title of Xianghan Jiedushi hasn't even been issued yet."

Wei Yuan smiled slightly and said, "No rush. We'll have to give it to you sooner or later anyway. It's better not to give it to you."

Zhang Sheng said, "Don't get too carried away. The key is the schemes devised by immortals in this world."

“I know, that’s why we need to accumulate manpower. Moreover, a vast uninhabited area has now formed in Xiangshui and Fengyuan counties, which perfectly separates us from Ji State. The new territories I’ve expanded are mostly taken from the mountain people, except for the four counties near Guantun, which are taken from Ji State.”

Zhang Sheng's heart stirred, and the image of an old Taoist priest faintly appeared above his head. He then said, "Since we have still occupied some territory of the Ji Kingdom, why not write a letter to the King of Ji and ask for some fame and reward?"

Wei Yuan nodded: "That makes sense! I'll use the same trick I used on the King of Zhao on the King of Ji, and I'm not worried about him not agreeing!"

"What's the plan to deal with King Zhao?" Zhang Sheng asked at the end of his sentence.

“It has nothing to do with the Sixth Princess!” Wei Yuan hurriedly explained, “I can submit a memorial to surrender, indicating that I have been recruited by the State of Ji. As long as you give me the territory and the people, I can give you all the titles and face. Let the King of Ji win, win big, win completely. This is the way of winning.”

The sword aura in Zhang Sheng's eyes subsided, and he said, "But before that, we have to give Prince Ji a hard blow first, so that he will understand that he cannot win without our cooperation."

Wei Yuan nodded, "Yes, but it's not the right time yet. Let the rebels fight with Prince Ji first, and I'll take over the people of Hanchuan County. The household register shows that Hanchuan has a total population of over three million, and I estimate that about two hundred and eighty or ninety thousand can be relocated."

The first wave of recruits has already left Hanchuan County, and I estimate it will take another two months to complete the entire relocation. While I still have some time, I'll return to Qingming.

"Why are you going back again? Has the sixth princess returned from Zhao?"

“She still has more than ten days left. This time, Princess Ningguo came first,” Wei Yuan said honestly.

Zhang Sheng nodded, surprisingly without asking any further questions, and simply said, "Go."

Wei Yuan sensed something was wrong and quickly explained, "Isn't the teleportation portal just completed? I'm taking Cui Yu and Xu Yi to the Desolate Realm to sunbathe and strengthen their bodies. You're currently undergoing your tribulation in Ji Kingdom, and Senior Bai's sword is here, so you can't leave. We'll go alone after the tribulation is over."

"Alright, go ahead."

A moment later, Wei Yuan left Guantun County and returned to Qingming via the secret realm. However, for some reason, he felt uneasy. The calmer Zhang Sheng was, the more anxious Wei Yuan became.

Wei Yuan wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Zhang Sheng seemed to be paying special attention to the Sixth Princess.

However, the great teleportation array connecting the Azure Netherworld to the Desolate Realm had already been completed. Because Wei Yuan held authority over the Desolate Realm, his presence allowed for adjustments to the sunlight, enabling physical training without causing significant harm to the body. Otherwise, Cui Yu would have been the minimum requirement to enter the Desolate Realm, and Xu Yi and the others wouldn't have been able to stay there for even a short while.

For Wei Yuan, paving the way for the continued cultivation of the Dharma Aspects of the Primordial Palace was of paramount importance. Therefore, as soon as the time came, Wei Yuan began to arrange the body tempering in the Desolate Realm.

Just thinking about Cui Yu's twelve tanned Six Ren Heavenly Soldiers, and then about the fair-skinned and delicate Xu Yi, Wei Yuan felt it necessary to remind her to prepare herself, lest she go berserk after getting tanned. The sun in the Desolate Realm is no ordinary sun; the true meaning of the Great Dao is clearly much stronger. Cui Yu's Heavenly Soldiers haven't shown a single sign of turning white yet.

(End of this chapter)