Longzang

Chapter 420 Great Prosperity of the Nation
Within three days, Wei Yuan ventured over a hundred miles further, capturing over a hundred villages and towns of the Wu tribe, as well as several small cities, before returning to Qingming.

During this battle, Wei Yuan's main force remained at around 30,000 men, while the number of supply personnel mobilized in the rear exceeded 100,000, and a total of tens of thousands of soldiers were added to the front line.

In this battle, the Wu tribe mobilized a total of 400,000 troops, with nearly 200,000 casualties. Thousands of villages were destroyed, more than ten small towns were destroyed, and the large city of Yufeng was demolished. More than one million Wu people were killed or wounded, and more than two million were displaced and fled back to the depths of the Wu domain.

Wei Yuan's forces suffered nearly ten thousand casualties, but fortunately, only about three thousand were killed in action or wounded, with the rest sustaining minor injuries. Wei Yuan replenished his troops while fighting, maintaining morale and ensuring combat effectiveness.

In this battle, six Great Witches were also killed. Wei Yuan distributed several hundred Heavenly Merits, but the majority of the Heavenly Merits he received came from the spear he fired at Shuang Yu, which was worth a thousand Heavenly Merits.

Wei Yuan captured Yufeng City almost unscathed, and his main force arrived in time, giving them two full days to relocate.

A large quantity of valuable items, including immortal silver, medicinal herbs, weapons, equipment, and various materials, were found in Rain Maple City, along with a Blood Necklace that could extend lifespan by three hundred years. The supply corps, after delivering the supplies, also brought them back to Azure Nether on their return journey.

Wei Yuan burned everything else that was useless to the human race but vital to the witch race, such as bait for pond fish and various witch race grains.

Finally, Wei Yuan also destroyed the four gates of Yufeng City and several sections of the city wall, as well as all the important buildings in the city. Unfortunately, the city was flooded, otherwise a large fire could have burned the entire city down.

In the days following the forced retreat of Shuangyu, Wei Yuan also conquered three villages and towns that produced human sacrifices.

These villages and towns have been transformed to resemble human territory, where the captive humans live and reproduce. Every year, adult men and women are selected; the outstanding ones are chosen as offspring, while the ordinary ones are taken as sacrifices and subjected to various rituals.

The people in these three villages and towns had become accustomed to this way of life. They were isolated from the world and didn't even know that the human kingdom was just a thousand miles away. They also worshipped the witch tribe as gods, and when Wei Yuan's troops appeared, many of them even fought alongside the witch tribe.

Wei Yuan obtained a total of 40,000 people from the three villages and towns, and escorted them all back to the human realm.

By this time, the people of the Rain Kingdom within a 300-mile radius of Qingming had been almost completely wiped out, and large strongholds within a 300-600-mile radius had been eliminated. Although the foundation of Rain Maple City remained, Wei Yuan adopted the strategy of the True Man of Weeding, poisoning the most fertile ponds and fields of the Witch Clan, which would result in very low fish production for at least three to five years.

There were also five or six towns belonging to the Desolate Ancestor tribes within the battle zone. Wei Yuan's approach was to drive away the witch people and then destroy the towns to ensure they never returned to the Rain Kingdom's territory.

Wei Yuan's western expedition, which swept through the Wu region, immediately shook the Western Jin court and the public. Those who had grudges against Wei Yuan in the past were all living in constant fear. It is said that the King of Wei drank heavily at home for several days in a row and even beat several maids and servants to death over trivial matters.

After the morning court session that day, the Prince of Jin did not return to the palace, but instead went to the Hall of State Affairs to discuss what kind of reward should be given to Wei Yuan.

The Prince of Jin sat at the head of the table, a rare smile on his face, and said, "Wei Yuan's attack on the Wu tribe was a great victory, enhancing the prestige of our Great Jin. He deserves a reward. Have you all come up with a plan yet?"

Commander Lü Zhongzhi of the Nine Gates reported: "The Wei Jiedushi has well-trained troops and sufficient provisions, but the court has only provided the military strength of four garrisons. A large number of soldiers and generals still have to be assigned to local militias. I believe that four more garrisons should be provided, for a total of eight garrisons with a strength of 40,000 men. Four generals should be appointed and one general should be given a title. The general should come to the capital to receive the title."

The King of Jin remained calm and asked, "What are the opinions of my other ministers?"

The Left Prime Minister said, "After this battle, Qingming's expansion will be difficult to stop. To appease them, we can place Ningxi, Anzhao, and other three prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Dingxi Military Governor. Only Bianning prefecture will remain outside the pass."

Minister of Revenue Xu Gong immediately stepped forward and said, “This is absolutely unacceptable! Our Great Jin has now re-established itself in the Western Regions, and the number of refugees settled in several prefectures is increasing. They will soon become fertile lands. If we were to transfer these three prefectures to Dingxi at this time, wouldn’t that be handing over three gold mines? Our Great Jin’s treasury is empty right now, and we desperately need new sources of tax revenue.”

The King of Jin neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead turned to ask, "What is your opinion on Quan Gong?"

All the officials felt a chill run down their spines, secretly wondering what the Prince of Jin meant by asking this question.

When the Prince of Jin went to court to discuss matters, Liu Quangong always attended him. Only when the Prince was absent would Zhao Tong take his place. However, he had always only played the role of an attendant and had never been qualified to participate in court discussions.

Although the Council of State Affairs was not as formal as the court assembly, it was actually the place where important military and national affairs were decided. Liu Quangong had no right to speak there. Now that the Prince of Jin had suddenly asked him a question, the officials couldn't help but speculate. Generally, when the Prince of Jin heavily relied on the eunuch faction, it meant he was planning to purge someone.

Liu Quangong seemed unprepared, pausing for a moment upon hearing this before saying, "The troops under the Dingxi Military Governor are now the best in the land, difficult to resist. This old servant believes that the rewards should be substantial, so that he will be grateful and devoted to the country. As for the empty treasury, relying on the Western Regions is probably a matter for ten years from now. The most feasible way to replenish the treasury now is to conscript men from western Ningzhou and collect taxes and provisions from southern Gansu."

Ningxi is the territory of the Xu family, while the southern counties of Ganzhou are within the sphere of influence of the Lü family.

Minister of Revenue Xu Gong immediately said, "This move will shake the foundation of the aristocratic families, which is absolutely unacceptable. Moreover, once this precedent is set, the consequences will be endless! The sage king shares the world with the aristocratic families and the scholar-officials! Weakening the aristocratic families is to shake the foundation of the country, which is a recipe for national ruin! I believe that Chief Steward Liu is not good at governing the country and should refrain from making rash comments on state affairs!"

These words were extremely impolite, and the Prince of Jin's face darkened. Liu Quangong, however, kept his head down and did not refute them.

Lu Zhongzhi, observing the situation, said, "If the reward is insufficient, the military governor of Dingxi may harbor resentment. Bandits are rampant in the Western Regions, and they even breached Hanyang Pass some time ago. If the military governor of Dingxi were not there to suppress them, there would likely be more trouble. Moreover, Lord Wei has just been promoted to prime minister, and the court should show some appreciation in terms of both sentiment and reason."

Xu Gong snorted and said, "What Wei Yuan relies on is nothing more than firearms. These are not difficult to make; if he can make them, our Great Jin can make them too! As long as we manufacture more firearms and train them into an army, the banditry in the Western Regions can be resolved on the spot. Qingming has been around for less than two years; our Great Jin, by pooling the resources of the entire nation, can build an elite force of the same kind in just six months. What is there to fear?" The smile on the King of Jin's face had disappeared by this time, but Xu Gong seemed oblivious and continued to speak eloquently.

The Prince of Jin interrupted Xu Gong, saying, "I am tired. We will discuss this matter again tomorrow."

After saying this, the Prince of Jin got up and left the hall of state.

The officials remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

Before returning to the palace, Prince Jin looked up at the sky and saw that it was high and the clouds were light, which made him feel much better. He then ordered that the journey be made to the Jingang Temple.

At noon, the Prince of Jin and the woman with blue eyes sat facing each other, with an eight-headed beast-patterned bronze incense burner burning between them, and wisps of blue smoke slowly dissipating.

The King of Jin said, "I have recently felt that the nation's fortunes are improving day by day. I wonder if my feeling is wrong."

"The Dingxi military governor's great victory in the western expedition, wiping out the Wu tribes for five hundred li, naturally benefits the nation's fortunes. Now, the fate of the entire Western Jin Dynasty rests on his shoulders; his strength naturally leads to a strong nation. This is common sense; surely Your Majesty knows this, so why ask me?"

The Prince of Jin said, “Since the fate of the nation rested on his shoulders, I have finally been able to put my mind at ease. Now it seems that this move is crucial. However, I wanted to reward him for his great victory, but the Lü and Xu families both objected. They either refused to give him anything at all, or only offered empty promises! Humph, today some fellow even said that I should share the world with the scholar-officials!”

"The kingdom is like the body, the noble family is like the bones, and the cultivator is like flesh and blood. Isn't this the truth since ancient times?"

The Prince of Jin snorted heavily and said, "That may be true, but those two families clearly don't take me seriously! I can't swallow this insult!"

Qing Tong said, "The key to this matter actually lies with Lü Changhe."

The King of Jin suddenly sighed and said, "I know this, but there is no solution to this matter."

"Not necessarily. Things are always changing, and maybe one day a turning point will come."

The Prince of Jin shook his head, disbelieving. It's no wonder he was discouraged; even as the Prince of Jin, the Immortal Lord was like a mountain, suffocating him.

Suddenly, Qing Tong opened her eyes, and the blue light within them seemed to come alive. With a loud bang, flames suddenly shot out from the incense burner's vents, filling the room with a sweet fragrance!
The Prince of Jin, sensing something amiss, suddenly turned to look outside the palace. There, he saw wisps of mist rising from the lotus pond. The mist shifted and changed, seemingly transforming into a multi-headed auspicious beast.

In the center of the lotus pond, a water lily suddenly bloomed—it was a purple lotus! After blooming, a wisp of purple mist emerged from the heart of the lotus, transforming into a dragon shape. It circled three times above the lotus pond before disappearing.

The Prince of Jin's eyes gleamed. Although he already had a guess, he still found it hard to believe and asked, "What... what omen is this?"

Qing Tong smiled and said, "Your Majesty has forgotten again. This mountain guards the fate of the Western Jin Dynasty, and this Lotus Pond of Merit is the manifestation of that fate. The purple lotus born from heaven and earth, and the fortune transforming into a true dragon, are precisely the signs of the great prosperity of the Western Jin Dynasty!"

"Just as I thought, just as I thought!" The Prince of Jin could no longer remain calm. He got up and rushed to the lotus pond to examine the purple lotus closely.

The woman with blue eyes came to his side and said, "When the nation prospers, there will surely be signs. Your Majesty should pay attention to the events happening around you, the affairs of the nation, and even the affairs of the world."

The King of Jin's heart stirred, and he suddenly asked, "Is this related to Wei Yuan?"

The woman with blue eyes shook her head: "Wei Yuan's western expedition against the Wu tribe was ten days ago. At that time, the national fortune had already manifested accordingly, and the king should have already felt it. So this time it should have nothing to do with Wei Yuan, unless he did something else. But this level of national fortune enhancement is only a hair's breadth away from the arrival of a sage. Even if Wei Yuan swept through the Wu tribe for another three thousand miles, he couldn't do it."

The Prince of Jin nodded, feeling both expectant and troubled.

The woman with blue eyes said, "Your Majesty's mind is in turmoil; it is not suitable for cultivation. You should return to the palace first."

"Very well, I'll take a look at what's going on."

Just then, a figure flew over at an astonishing speed. It was Zhao Tong, who seemed to be in a hurry, as he didn't even need a carriage and horses, and flew directly over.

Upon seeing Prince Zhao Tong of Jin, he said, "Your Majesty, Consort Yuan has just given birth to a son, and both mother and child are safe and sound!"

(End of this chapter)