Longzang

Chapter 752 What's Behind Us
As night fell, the military camp was filled with the aroma of meat, which even seeped into this tent. Zhuang Zhong sat motionless, his eyes lowered. He was a Dharma Aspect cultivator, capable of going a month without food or water. He had simply been left out in the cold all day, and he would remember this for a very long time.

One of the attendants said, "I'll go out and find out some information."

After he left the tent, the guards outside did not make things difficult for him. They only warned him not to approach the central army camp, as it was protected by a defensive array, and anyone who dared to trespass would be killed, and no one could save him. He was free to go anywhere else.

The attendant strolled over to a campfire and saw a large pot on the fire, with water already boiling inside.

Then the cook brought over a large tin bucket, cut open the lid with a knife, scooped out a meat paste-like substance, filled half the bucket in one go, put it into a pot, cooked it with vegetables into a large pot of thick soup, and then distributed it to the soldiers' bowls. Each person received a large bowl, which they ate with the rice and flatbread they were given. Everyone ate with rosy cheeks and steaming hot food.

The attendant, who was also knowledgeable about military affairs, was stunned. Each soldier received at least half a pound of meat for this meal!

According to military regulations, soldiers in Xiangrong County should also have meat when they fight, but they only get one meal every few days, and each person can only get one ounce. This does not include the deductions at each level, so the actual amount that reaches the soldiers is probably only one ounce.

The attendant looked around, checking at least a dozen stoves, and found them all to be the same, but he still found it hard to believe. If the entire army was like this, how much would the military supplies be consumed? He felt a little dizzy just thinking about it.

At this moment, he suddenly saw a female general passing by. Judging from her attire, she was at least a general of some renown. He hurriedly went over to stop her and said that Prefect Zhuang had been waiting all day and he would like to ask the female general to inform Wei Yuan so that he could see Prefect Zhuang as soon as possible.

The female general simply nodded and went straight into the central command area.

A moment later, a cultivator with an expressionless face entered the solemn tent. After looking him up and down, he asked, "Are you Zhuang Zhong?"

Zhuang Zhong was extremely shrewd and composed. Although the cultivator was extremely rude, Zhuang Zhong showed no anger at the moment and simply said calmly, "It is indeed your humble servant."

The cultivator said, "Lord Wei is very busy today and has no time to see you. Anyway, Lord Zhuang is only a fifth-rank official and doesn't have much to do usually. Time is not valuable, so you might as well wait a couple more days. Lord Wei will see you when he has time."

A blush crept across Zhuang Zhong's face as he suppressed his anger and said, "This humble official is of low rank and is certainly not worthy of Lord Wei's attention. However, I would like to ask this gentleman to inform you that many of my subordinates' relatives are imprisoned in the camp, and I am unsure of their situation. If possible, may I visit them first?"

The cultivator said coldly, "So you finally realize your lowly official rank? A mere fifth-rank official, and you come here wanting to see Lord Wei? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a first-rank official!"

Zhuang Zhong did not retaliate, but his attendants were furious and shouted, "Lord Zhuang is a high-level cultivator, you'd better show some respect!"

Unexpectedly, the cultivator's aura surged, and a giant, striped tiger appeared above his head, instantly knocking his followers to the ground. He then sneered, "So what? Everyone has a Dharma form, right?"

Zhuang Zhong was both shocked and furious, but at the same time, he felt a chill in his heart. This cultivator's Dharma form was unique, but it was clear at a glance that it was a divine beast skilled in combat. This was a Celestial Dharma form, far superior to his own proud Earth-rank Dharma form.

The Dharma Aspect cultivator remained expressionless and said, "There are over four hundred people imprisoned in the camp. I don't know exactly who they are, but they haven't eaten for three days. Now that Lord Zhuang is here, remember to quickly send someone to deliver food to them. Each person should receive fifty catties of rice and ten catties of meat per day, otherwise they will go hungry."

He solemnly said, "I need to see Lord Wei before we can discuss this matter."

The Dharma Aspect cultivator sneered and said, "Who consulted you? This is a notification."

Zhuang Zhong coldly said, "Then I'd like to see if Lord Wei can really watch these people starve to death."

After saying that, he ignored the Dharma-image cultivator and closed his eyes to rest.

In the central military camp, Wei Yuan was looking at the map of the five prefectures, making plans for the next step: "The main road checkpoints have been set up, but there are still more than a dozen smaller roads. Checkpoints should be set up in these places as well. Then, spread the word that in half a month, regardless of who it is, 80% of all goods coming and going will be taken as military expenses. No one is exempt from this."

Dozens of officers stood in the tent, all of them dressed in new uniforms, all in black, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

Wei Yuan continued, "From this day forward, Qingming will cease selling grain to the five prefectures. Instead, a soup kitchen will be set up every ten li along the border. You should mobilize the local gangsters and thugs to spread the word about the soup kitchens along the border, saying that people will find food in Qingming."

In addition, print another batch of porridge tickets, which can be exchanged for porridge at any of the porridge stalls set up by Qingming. If all goes well, the porridge tickets alone will attract a large number of people.

Winter has now arrived, and most of the grain stored in the five prefectures has been requisitioned for military rations. The border regions rely entirely on Qingming's grain for survival. If we stop selling grain, famine will surely strike the five prefectures, and people will inevitably have to sell their fields and land.

At this time, officials and noble families would buy land, but this time we'll also buy land. No matter how much they offer, we'll offer more, until the price returns to normal years' land prices. However, we'll pay half in silver and half in porridge coupons.” A young officer suggested, “Sir, I have a suggestion. If we add some grain to the purchase price, the effect will be better. In years of war, even with silver, you can't buy grain. As long as we provide grain, even if the price is lower than normal, the farmers will be more willing to sell to us. Those who want to sell land are people who are starving and can't survive. As long as they see grain, they'll do anything.”

Wei Yuan recalled the officer's information. This man came from a poor background and was among the first group of refugees to settle in Qingming, as well as among the first to achieve Dao Foundation. Afterwards, he fought bravely, was bold yet meticulous, and repeatedly made meritorious contributions. He was promoted to captain at a young age and studied at the Qingming Military Academy for half a year. Now he is at the mid-stage of Dao Foundation and has been promoted to deputy general. He is a young officer cultivated by Qingming itself.

Wei Yuan then said, "This is a good idea! Let's change the grain portion to half porridge coupons and half cash. You will also go to Qingming to transport five million catties of grain, and it must be high-quality rice."

After the operation was planned, Wei Yuan concluded, "Simply robbing some gold and silver jewelry won't make these wealthy families submit, nor will it cripple them. Their greatest wealth is land, and that's all they can have, which we can't take with us. So they'll think that as long as they grit their teeth and endure it, we'll leave sooner or later."

Everyone must remember this: our goal this time is people! We must do everything in our power to get people off the land and migrate to Qingming. By the time these noble families realize they have land but no one to cultivate it, it will be too late.

The officers then understood why Wei Yuan had been focusing on food supplies, deliberately creating turmoil and famine in the five counties. Only famine could force farmers to leave their homes and migrate to other places.

"Alright, everyone keep the primary objective in mind, and then you can handle the specific details on your own. Your tasks and assigned troops will be issued shortly, so go back to camp and wait."

The officers dispersed, and a moment later, some began to lead their troops out of the camp, heading into the distance under the cover of night.

Xu Yi asked, "With such a big move, won't they report it to the imperial court?"

Wei Yuan smiled slightly and said, "Only matters in Xiangrong County will be reported to the authorities. The other counties will remain silent. These local officials always report good news and not bad news. What do a few starving refugees matter compared to their official hats? So as long as there is no large-scale popular uprising and no sizable rebel army, they will not report it. We can go ahead and do whatever we want."

"What about Xiangrong County?"

Wei Yuan said, “We also have people in the court, and Prince Jin will deal with them. At most, these upright officials can only criticize me verbally and in writing, labeling me a treacherous and powerful minister, and leaving me with a bad reputation for eternity. Apart from that, they have no other way to deal with me. Do they really dare to fight me?”

Xu Yi opened his eyes wide and said, "Isn't being infamous for ten thousand years a huge deal?"

"Reputation is just something that comes after death, it's not a big deal. Besides, if I die prematurely, then everything will be over, and reputation won't matter. If I'm lucky enough to succeed, can't I just hire someone to revise history? I'll fix everything I don't like! And while I'm at it, I'll give all the people I don't like a good scolding!"

Xu Yi had nothing to say.

As the two were talking, a furious roar suddenly rang out from above the camp: "Wei Yuan! What kind of hero are you, hiding from me and afraid to face me!"

These sounds echoed throughout the entire camp. Immediately, countless people emerged from their tents, gazing at the sky with curiosity, eager to see who dared to provoke the military governor.

Zhong Dong took a deep breath in the air, about to repeat himself, when he saw Wei Yuan flick his finger in the distance, and countless bolts of lightning instantly appeared in the sky, like a torrent of waterfalls!

Lightning flashed across Zhuang Zhong's figure. He let out a scream as his body, engulfed in lightning and fire, was pulverized into a charred charcoal and crashed to the ground.

The soldiers sighed and lamented, all deeply disappointed. They had expected to witness a spectacular duel between two powerful figures, but instead, another fool had appeared, unable to even withstand the governor's most formidable lightning strike; there was really nothing to see.

A pair of boots appeared before Zhuang Zhong. He struggled to sit up, looked up, and finally saw Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan grinned and said, "Although we are both Dharma Aspects, for me to destroy you is as easy as stepping on a passing ant or the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves on the roadside. I will destroy you without even knowing that you ever existed."

Zhuang Zhong exhaled puffs of black smoke from his mouth and nose, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted from anger.

Xu Yi, following beside Wei Yuan, was somewhat puzzled and said, "If we need people, isn't it enough to just create a famine? Why waste time on these kinds of people?"

Wei Yuan said, "Taking people away is only the first step; dealing with these people is for the second step."

(End of this chapter)