Longzang

Chapter 384 The Big Picture (Thanks to Alliance Leader Pan Shao520)

The capital of the Western Jin Dynasty, the Hall of State Affairs.

The King of Jin sat at the head of the table, discussing with his ministers the matter of transferring and stationing officials and troops in various regions.

The Minister of War reported: "Since the beginning of this year, the garrison at Hanyang Pass has been repeatedly conscripted, but the number has not been sufficient. Hanyang Pass is a vital pass in the Western Regions, and its military preparedness cannot be neglected. I believe that troops should be transferred from nearby areas, and private soldiers and retainers should be conscripted from wealthy local families to supplement the garrison."

The Left Prime Minister said, "The court has basically transferred all its combat-ready troops to the north. There are only some old and weak troops in the areas near the Western Regions, and their military preparations are lax. It would be useless to transfer them to Hanyang Pass, and it would only be a waste of food and supplies. Therefore, we should mainly conscript private troops from the surrounding areas and the retainers of wealthy families in the area."

Minister of Revenue Xu Gong stepped forward and said, “The national treasury is currently empty. If we want to conscript local private troops, we will have to provide corresponding compensation. Where will the money come from? Furthermore, Hanyang Pass is now guarded by Lord Wei Yuan, the military governor of Dingxi, who is the first barrier of the Western Regions. The role of Hanyang Pass is not as urgent as it was at the beginning of the year. Therefore, I think it is better to postpone this matter, train a new army first, and then conscript private troops when the national treasury is full.”

The Prince of Jin remained expressionless, without a trace of a smile.

Conscripting private armies from wealthy households into the official army was a common practice in the past, and it had saved the Western Jin Dynasty several times in history. According to custom, although compensation was supposed to be given for conscripting private soldiers, it was only a token amount. For example, ten private soldiers would normally cost ten taels of silver, but during conscription, only half a tael would be given. This kind of conscription was essentially forcing wealthy households to pay a tax.

The Hanyang Pass area has always been within the Xu family's sphere of influence, and all the major households have intricate connections with the Xu family. Conscripting private troops is essentially cutting flesh from the Xu family's coffers. When the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Xu Gong, said this, it meant that the Xu family had no intention of paying to fill the gap at Hanyang Pass.

The officials of the Council of State were all seasoned shrewd individuals; how could they not understand his meaning? However, Xu Gong was also right. With Wei Yuan's Qingming army holding the line, the number of soldiers at Hanyang Pass didn't matter. If Wei Yuan prospered, the Xu family would also be protected from behind. Even if Wei Yuan was defeated by the Wu Clan, Hanyang Pass would still be there, and the Wu Clan wouldn't be able to defeat him.

In short, as long as Hanyang Pass exists, the Xu family will remain invincible.

Just then, a palace official rushed in and handed an urgent report to the Prince of Jin. The Prince of Jin picked it up and his expression changed slightly at first, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "This is an urgent report from the Western Regions. Everyone, please take a look."

The urgent report stated that the bandit Zhan Tianbang had launched a surprise attack on Hanyang Pass and stormed into the city. Dingxi Jiedushi Wei Yuan immediately dispatched a large army to suppress the bandits, and the two sides were currently engaged in fierce fighting inside Hanyang Pass. The entire garrison of Hanyang Pass had been wiped out, and the fate of the newly appointed garrison commander, deputy commander Xu Chunyuan, Fan Donghe, and others was unknown.

The report was circulated among the ministers, and the hall of state affairs was silent.

Xu Gong stepped forward again and said loudly, "This Wei Yuan is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He crossed the border to suppress bandits and clearly has the intention of disloyalty! I beg Your Majesty to issue an order to immediately dispatch a large army to arrest Wei Yuan and bring him to the capital!"

Commander Lü Zhongzhi of the Nine Gates said, “This matter is truly strange and we cannot act rashly. The Military Governor of Dingxi is on the front line in the Western Regions. If anything goes wrong, the gates of the Western Regions will be wide open, and the Wu tribe will surely be able to advance unimpeded. The situation at Hanyang Pass is currently unclear. If the Wu tribe is allowed to enter the interior of Ningzhou, it will be a great disaster. I believe that we should first send an imperial envoy to the Western Regions to investigate the truth before making a decision.”

This was a wise and experienced opinion, and all the ministers agreed. Xu Gong and the other two members of the Xu family were helpless.

Everyone knew that Wei Yuan had begun his revenge, but no one said anything. However, everyone was inwardly alarmed. No one had expected Wei Yuan to return, and that his methods would be so drastic upon his return. As a result, they subtly raised their assessment of Wei Yuan's danger level by several notches.

There's one more thing everyone tacitly agrees on: how to conquer Wei Yuan?
At this time, Hanyang Pass had already fallen into Wei Yuan's hands.

Some of the people dressed in Zhan Tian Gang uniforms were active in various districts within the city, mainly the most dilapidated and old ones. They addressed the countless refugees gathered there, saying, "The west gate is open. There will be porridge being distributed not far after you leave the city. Why aren't you hurrying on?"

These members of the Zhan Tian Gang carried huge backpacks and took out steamed buns to distribute. The buns were small, only about half the size of a fist, but after eating them, the refugees, who had been starving for days and were on the verge of death, miraculously regained their strength. Their faces glowed, and they ran towards the west gate.

These steamed buns were mixed with some powder from a military exercise pill; eating them greatly increased one's strength, enabling one to travel long distances.

At this time, all four gates of Hanyang Pass were wide open, allowing refugees to enter and exit without any restrictions. Moreover, news that someone was distributing porridge to the west spread among all the refugees. So the refugees left through the west gate and traveled far away.

In the eyes of the residents and wealthy families of Hanyang Pass, the current situation in the city is strange. Wei Yuan's army has been trapped at the four gates by the bandits and is forced to stay put.

The city was teeming with bandits from the Zhantian Gang. They drove away the soldiers stationed at Wei Yuan's camp, captured tens of thousands of guards, and escorted them out of the pass, disappearing without a trace.

The entire Hanyang Pass was looted, and six or seven out of ten wealthy households in Guanzhong were ransacked. Wei Yuan's government troops first looted under the pretext of sweeping away bandits, and then the Zhantian Gang bandits came again under the pretext of borrowing grain.

The armories, treasuries, and granaries inside the pass were all sealed off, and large carts were being hauled out of the pass one after another, with no one knowing whose carts they were.

The Zhan Tian Gang looted the pass for an entire day, only leaving when Wei Yuan's reinforcements arrived. Wei Yuan didn't linger either, withdrawing from Hanyang Pass the next day and returning to the realm.

Half a day after Wei Yuan left, officials of all ranks in the city emerged from every corner and rushed to the garrison headquarters to pledge their loyalty, only to find that the garrison headquarters had been burned to the ground and the garrison commanders had disappeared without a trace.

At this moment, several hundred miles to the west, Wei Yuan was riding alongside Fan Donghe. Wei Yuan said, "General Fan, remember to deliver this message when you return. Also, if you fall into my hands again next time, I won't give you a discount."

Fan Donghe smiled bitterly and said, "After my elder brother went to prison, I was already disheartened. I plan to take a sinecure in the family and live out the rest of my life in peace."

Wei Yuan smiled slightly and said, "General Fan is still young, and he may make a breakthrough in the future. If he wants to take revenge on me then, I will be waiting for him anytime."

Fan Donghe shook his head repeatedly: "Lord Wei is highly skilled and adept at one-on-one combat. I am no match for you now, and I will never have the chance in the future."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. When you get back, tell them that I said this: 'The Xu family's Dharma images are all trash.'"

Fan Donghe could only smile wryly and say, "The Xu family has many Dharma forms, and also quite a few geniuses."

Wei Yuan said, "It's alright. As long as it's a one-on-one fight, I'm not afraid of anyone. Anyone who disagrees can come and find me. But time waits for no one. Once I achieve the Dharma Aspect, they will no longer have a chance."

A moment later, Fan Donghe went east alone, still somewhat dazed.

It wasn't long ago that Fan Donghe and Xu Zhongxing attacked Qingming. At that time, although Wei Yuan was already very powerful, Fan Donghe felt that he could still defeat him, and Xu Zhongxing was even more of a formidable opponent.

As a result, even the Great Curse of Karma of the Witch Clan failed to kill Wei Yuan. Instead, his cultivation level directly reached the Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage upon his return. In the battle of Hanyang Pass, Wei Yuan fought against four Dharma Aspects of the Xu family alone, capturing one alive, killing another, and forcing Fan Donghe to surrender, achieving a complete victory.

However, although Wei Yuan kept saying that he came alone, Fan Donghe felt that something was not right when he thought of his two Dharma puppets and a cat and a snake.

Zhao Tong appeared before Hanyang Pass less than half a day after Wei Yuan withdrew his troops. Looking at the wide-open gates, the empty city walls, and the nearly deserted streets, he could hardly believe his eyes. Then, Zhao Tong walked around the city walls and saw that only the bases of the eight giant crossbows remained, and his expression finally changed.

Upon returning to the realm, Wei Yuan received a report that Zhao Tong was requesting an audience.

Wei Yuan immediately went to the guest hall in Dongzhen. Upon seeing Zhao Tong, he greeted him with a smile and said, "Eunuch Zhao, you've come at the right time. I've just acquired a batch of trinkets. Please choose a few first."

Before Zhao Tong could answer, Wei Yuan waved his hand, and several attendants filed in carrying large trays. The trays glowed faintly and were filled with jewels.

Zhao Tong's eyesight was excellent; he could tell at a glance that the plates were filled with top-quality pearls, jade, and emeralds. Even he found it hard to resist the temptation once these plates were brought out.

Wei Yuan pulled Zhao Tong to the tray, picked up the jewelry with both hands, and stuffed it into Zhao Tong's pocket.

Although Zhao Tong had seen a lot in his life, this was the first time he had ever experienced such a scene. He repeatedly said, "No, no! This, how can this be..."

But Wei Yuan's hands didn't stop, and in the blink of an eye, he had stuffed Zhao Tong's pockets full, and there wasn't enough room to fit them all.

Wei Yuan simply took the imperial edict from Zhao Tong's hand, pulled it out of the bag and set it aside, then put it back into the bag containing the edicts. Only after the yellow silk bag was full did Wei Yuan tie it up and stuff it into Zhao Tong's hand.

"This, this..." Zhao Tong held the bag containing the imperial edict, and a few gems kept falling out of his pocket, bouncing and tumbling on the ground, making the room sparkle.

Finally, Zhao Tong sighed and said frankly, "Lord Wei, it's one thing to want to vent your anger, but why did you dismantle those eight giant crossbows? Where can we afford to build those crossbows now?"

Wei Yuan laughed and said, "Those eight giant crossbows were dismantled by the Zhan Tian Gang, it has nothing to do with me."

Zhao Tong stamped his foot and said, "Lord Wei, this is no laughing matter! Without those eight giant crossbows, Hanyang Pass is just a decoration. When the Wu tribe army comes, it will be a flat plain. Each of these crossbows costs 1.5 million taels of silver. The national treasury is empty now. Where can we afford to build new ones? For the sake of the greater good, we should find these crossbows again!"

Wei Yuan said, "Those counties behind Hanyang Pass all belong to the Xu family. How much money does Your Majesty collect in a year? Why should Eunuch Zhao worry about them? Besides, with me, Qingming, leading the way, those behind can naturally rest easy. But if Qingming were to fall and fail to hold the line, the Wu Clan army would sweep in and smash everything behind them to pieces. Heh, if I'm not doing well, then nobody else will be!"

Seeing Zhao Tong's face turn pale and then red, Wei Yuan laughed and said, "Eunuch Zhao, you see, Qingming is the most important thing right now. Anyone who goes against Qingming is disregarding the big picture!"

(End of this chapter)