Longzang

Chapter 490 Prepare for a rainy day
Wei Boyang followed Wei Yuan on a tour of Qingming. They visited all the places except for the medicine garden, the weapon forging workshop, and the creation pill workshop. They then focused on the defense system of Ding'an City.

Wei Boyang originally wanted to give Wei Yuan some pointers and help him improve Qingming's city defense system. However, after looking around, he was at a loss for what to do. Not only could he not offer any suggestions, but he also didn't quite understand the layout of many places.

Even if he couldn't understand it, he still had basic insight. Wei Boyang naturally understood that these defense systems were particularly tight and had other secrets.

But given his position, he was too embarrassed to ask at that moment.

It's one thing if it's others, but there's also that old scoundrel from the Spring and Autumn period watching from above. Asking his grand-disciple's disciple for advice, Wei Boyang felt he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Since there was nothing to see, Wei Boyang simply returned to the flying boat. Although he had come by imperial decree and possessed the power of imperial fortune, which could shield him from the sight of extraterrestrial monsters, this imperial fortune would slowly deplete, so Wei Boyang was unwilling to stay in the Shattered Domain any longer.

This flying boat comes equipped with multiple arrays that can block the vision of extraterrestrial monsters, making it very comfortable for Yu Jing to stay inside. Wei Boyang parked the flying boat on the mountainside east of Qingming, a quiet place that is difficult for mortals to reach.

To Wei Yuan's surprise, after giving a few instructions, Xuan Yue Zhenjun also went to Wei Boyang's flying boat. According to his ancestor, he had already agreed to a ten-game chess match with Wei Boyang, and this time he was determined to settle the score. As Wei Yuan's ancestor, Xuan Yue couldn't fathom how Wei Boyang could possibly defeat him in the art of chess.

Wei Yuan was too busy to attend to anything else at the moment; otherwise, he would have watched a few games and secretly helped his master win the chess battle.

As for the past grievances between Xuan Yue Zhenjun and Wei Boyang, since it involved their elders, Wei Yuan didn't want to ask too much.

The reason why True Lord Xuan Yue was able to come this time was because Qing Ming was a matter within the Tianqing Palace itself, and as the patriarch, he had to be present, so he had to put the Northern Mountain Gate aside.

However, seeing that Wei Boyang had also arrived, Ancestor Xuan Yue was visibly relieved. He secretly told Wei Yuan that although this General An Yuan was inferior to him in every way—lustful, despicable, vulgar, delicate and easily defeated, and not rich—it was still no problem for him to restrain two ordinary Netherworld Witches.

With Xuan Yue and Wei Boyang in charge, plus the upcoming arrival of Li Zhi's elders and Zhu Yuanjin, Wei Yuan felt that their strength at the Yujing level was sufficient. After all, a major battle at the Yujing level in the Shattered Domain was unlikely; both sides could only restrain each other to prevent the other from attacking their Dharma Phase or Dao Foundation levels.

Wei Yuan had originally intended to put some of the three thousand Imperial Guards brought by Wei Boyang to good use, but he soon discovered that only five hundred of them possessed the Dao Foundation stage; the rest were at the Body Forging stage. It turned out that when they met that day, Wei Boyang had brought all the Dao Foundation stage soldiers onto the deck to make a show of force.

Wei Yuan then planned to station 2,500 Imperial Guards, who had undergone Body Forging, to guard and house the women and children at Xuanwei Qi. However, upon further reflection, he dared not place any hope in the discipline of the Imperial Guards. These women and children were the hope and the bond of mortals; if anything happened to them, the morale of the people and the army would be thrown into chaos.

After much deliberation, Wei Yuan decided to leave the Imperial Guards on the ship, as long as they didn't cause any trouble. Wei Yuan only wanted the five hundred Dao Foundation Establishments and had specially set up a large array for them. Their usual task was to meditate and cultivate within the array, driving it to provide spiritual energy to other areas of Qingming.

Wei Yuan then summoned the main generals and city lords, instructing them to immediately take stock of the civilians within their jurisdictions, compiling a register of each one, and to do so quickly. This was an extremely tedious task, and Wei Yuan had given them very little time, so as soon as they left the council hall, they flew off in all directions to get to work.

Fortunately, Qingming had already registered most of the population, but the subsequent arrivals of refugees had not yet been registered, estimated to number around 300,000. Wei Yuan made it very clear that the focus of this registration was on these people, and not a single one could be missed.

After arranging this important matter, Wei Yuan didn't stop for a moment and flew directly to the weapon forging workshop, where he found Yu Zhizhuo, who was busy at work.

At this moment, Yu Zhizhuo was directing dozens of Dao Foundation cultivators to assemble four red-hot steel billets together as the roof of the new fortification.

Upon arrival, Wei Yuan went straight to the point and asked, "What is the current production volume of breastplates?"

"Five hundred sets a day, mainly because the production of arm and leg armor requires a lot of manpower. There are only so many cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and late-stage Body Forging stages, so we can't increase the number even if we wanted to."

Wei Yuan handed him a new design drawing and said, "What if we produce it according to this?"

These are the design drawings for the arm and leg armor. Yu Zhizhuo gasped upon seeing them and said, "This... is a bit rough, isn't it?"

"I need output."

Yu Zhizhu pondered for a moment and said, "If we produce arm and leg armor at this rate, we can produce 1,500 sets of armor every day."

Wei Yuan nodded and said, "That's about enough."

"You want to establish a new army?"

Wei Yuan nodded.

"If it's a new unit, the production capacity is still insufficient."

"The armor of the fallen can be used, and some parts from the witch clan can also be used for now."

Yu Zhizhuo didn't say anything, but just sighed as he watched Wei Yuan's back, then picked up the design and made some modifications.

The so-called arm and leg armor in the design drawings is actually just four curved steel plates, which will be strapped to the body with leather straps. The defense is definitely much worse than regular arm and leg armor, and it only protects the outward-facing side, but the production is much simpler. After making the molds and adjusting the forging machine, thousands or even tens of thousands of pieces can be produced a day.

a few days later.

As Cui Yu was taking stock of the Left Army's supplies and equipment, a cultivator suddenly came to find him, saying that Zhang Sheng had invited him to a meeting. Cui Yu immediately set off and arrived before Zhang Sheng a moment later.

Zhang Sheng sat down at his desk, put down the jade paper in his hand, and asked, "I heard that Wei Yuan asked you to count and register the newly arrived mortals?" Cui Yu replied, "That's true, and we're already more than halfway done."

Although Cui Yu had already attained the Dharma Form stage, while Zhang Sheng had not yet established his Dao foundation, Cui Yu's reverence remained undiminished. When Zhang Sheng asked him a question, he stood ramrod straight, still displaying the demeanor of a student from years past.

Zhang Sheng then said, "First, give me the complete list of civilians counted in Yong'an City and the three cities to the east. Also, since I'm not mobile enough, please bring Li Zhi here as well."

Cui Yu agreed and left in a hurry.

A moment later, he returned with Li Zhi, handed a list to Zhang Sheng, then left Li Zhi behind and departed on his own.

Li Zhi sat down calmly, but his heart began to beat faster than he could control.

Zhang Sheng put the list aside and said, "I've heard that General Li is at odds with the Zhao Kingdom. Is that true?"

Li Zhi was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "Indeed, Master Zhang's insight is keen. However, I have heard some rumors that, in principle, the King of Zhao should be giving strong support to Qingming, but I don't know why he is holding back, nor do I know why Brother Wei would provoke the King of Zhao this time."

Li Zhi's words contained much more.

Zhang Sheng remained calm and said indifferently, "It is human nature to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight. King Zhao may seem magnanimous, but in reality, he has no tolerance for others. General Li should know this best."

Li Zhi sighed and said, "My Southern Qi Li family and the Zhao Li family are not of the same lineage; we just happen to share the same surname. It is an honor for me that the King of Zhao would not tolerate us."

This is a long-ago story. When Li Xuanheng first established the Southern Qi dynasty, in order to gain the support of various states, he searched through his family genealogy and ancestral records. After much difficulty, he found a trace of blood connection with Zhao Li and declared that the two Li families shared the same origin. Subsequently, as the Southern Qi gradually grew stronger, this past event was regarded as a disgrace.

"General Li is not the kind of person who would sit idly by and wait for death. Your father is also skilled in diplomacy and strategy, and is proficient in all aspects of military tactics. He must have already come up with a plan."

Li Zhi's expression immediately changed. He forced a smile and said, "Master Zhang is joking. My father indulges in sensual pleasures and has accomplished nothing. How could he possibly have any political or military strategies?"

But seeing Zhang Sheng's calm expression, Li Zhi finally sighed and said helplessly, "Prince Qi is very suspicious. My father has been cautious all his life and has finally paved a way for his juniors. If your words reach Prince Qi's ears, my father will really be in danger. My brother Wei Yuan and I have been through thick and thin together. Could you please spare me for that reason?"

Zhang Sheng neither confirmed nor denied, but instead asked, "How many civilians are there in your Zhenshan territory right now?"

"Just three hundred thousand."

Zhang Sheng then asked, "You have contingency plans in the border counties of Zhao, including Yuyang Prefecture, right? How many people can be relocated if necessary?"

Li Zhi's expression changed again, and then he sighed, "Two hundred thousand."

Zhang Sheng then said, "Then activate your backup plan, along with the people of the Zhenshan Realm. I need 300,000 civilians, to be delivered within half a month."

Li Zhi silently did the calculations, sweat beading on his forehead. He realized that relocating 300,000 civilians would indeed take fifteen days. In other words, Zhang Sheng had seen right through him, but how had he managed that?
Zhang Sheng picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then said, "Sending someone here won't leave you at a loss. What do you want?"

“This…” Li Zhi’s mind suddenly became active.

He had been watching Qingming's development all along, and if he really wanted something, there was just too much to ask.

Li Zhi smiled wryly and said, "...If I had to say who I want most, it would definitely be Brother Wei."

Zhang Sheng was taken aback, then a slight smile appeared on his lips. He said, "That's impossible. I'll choose for you. After this battle, you send 20,000 men over, and I'll train them into elite troops, with combat strength comparable to the Nine Armies of the Great Tang. I'll take care of all the weapons and equipment. How about that?"

"That is the best."

After the matter was settled, Li Zhi bid farewell to Zhang Sheng and returned to his Zhenshan territory. The relocation of 300,000 mortals was a massive undertaking. Li Zhi planned to relocate 200,000 from Zhenshan, leaving only 100,000. Then, another 100,000 would be transported from various prefectures of Zhao to Qingming, thus completing the relocation within half a month. Afterward, he would relocate refugees from Zhao to his own Zhenshan territory to gradually replenish the population.

After Li Zhi left, Zhang Sheng returned to his inner room and lay down on the bed.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself on the top floor of the Creation of Heaven and Earth Research Institute. Her old spot was still there, untouched.

Zhang Sheng sat down, pulled over the ball of light, first entered the list of civilians given to him by Cui Yu, and then created a task: to form an all-civilian army, with one Dao Foundation officer for every thousand people, and only one experienced Body Forging officer for every hundred people. The army's strength was thirty thousand.

Upon task creation, Zhang Sheng immediately broke it down into 128 sub-tasks and began processing them simultaneously. A moment later, she extracted another 64 sub-tasks from the existing ones and assigned them to idle personnel in the system.

As the mission progressed, a dark aura gradually appeared between Zhang Sheng's brows.

(End of this chapter)