Taiheiki

Chapter 300 Contradictions
Duan Jiong's words left Xia Yu speechless. While opinions of Wei Cong were mixed, even his most disliked critics had to admit that Wei Cong's military strategy, encompassing both strategic positioning and yin-yang principles, placed him among the ranks of Han Xin, Bai Qi, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing. Therefore, there was little reason to doubt Wei Cong's military judgment.

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Guangxin, Cangwu County, is a wharf.

"Judging by appearances, we've missed out on Ziyu! Looking at him like this, Duan Jiong doesn't look like a valiant warrior at all!" Yu Wen said, standing on the stern of the "Changjie" and pointing at Duan Jiong, who was talking to the Fifth Deng.

"Put your hand down! That's incredibly rude of you!" Shi Wu quickly pulled Yu Wen's arm down. "This is the man the General sent to replace me in commanding the troops of Jiaozhou!"

“He can’t see us from this position, you’re being too cautious!” Yu Wen laughed. He was right. The “Changjie” was a 22-meter-long sailing speedboat with a 7-meter-high superstructure at both the bow and stern, allowing soldiers to attack the enemy from above. The boat had two masts and thirty pairs of long oars, and could reach a top speed of 22 kilometers per hour with the wind, making it the fastest vessel in the Jiaozhou inland river fleet. Its purpose in coming to Guangxin was to pick up Duan Jiong and take him to Panyu.

"That won't do either!" Shi Wu glared at Yu Wen: "I think you've been in Rinan for too long and have forgotten even the most basic manners for elders. You're going to get into big trouble sooner or later."

"Maybe!" Yu Wen smiled nonchalantly. "To be honest, sometimes I feel that staying at the manor in Rinan County to take care of the cotton trees suits me better. After all, those things don't disappoint me!"

"Cottonwood?" Shiwu's eyes lit up: "You've already planted it on your estate?"

"We harvested the first crop last year, a total of two hundred shi!" Yu Wen held up two fingers: "It's really good. It's softer and more comfortable than hemp, and has a higher yield and is cheaper than silk. It's just that harvesting and processing it is very troublesome and labor-intensive. No wonder the General treasures it so much. It's truly a good product. If it were woven into cloth, it would surpass both silk and hemp!"

"Then you must have planted quite a lot more this year, right?"

"Yes! At the end of last year, we cleared out 1,000 mu of wasteland outside the manor along the river, and together with the existing land, we now have more than 1,200 mu in total. We've just planted them all!" Yu Wen rubbed his arm. "Servants, guests, the whole family pitched in, and I almost died from exhaustion. Seriously, I've made up my mind to get more laborers, otherwise I'll be exhausted during the autumn harvest!"

Just as Shi Wu was about to speak, he heard the familiar voice of Fifth Deng coming from the deck. It was clear that he had already brought Duan Jiong aboard. He quickly straightened his clothes and went down to the stern. Yu Wen also hurriedly followed him down.

"Chief Secretary Duan!" Fifth Deng introduced Yu Wen and Shi Wu to Duan Jiong with a beaming smile: "These two are both outstanding talents from Jiaozhou. This Shi Wu is from the Shi family of Guangxin, and this Yu Wen is originally from the Yu family of Kuaiji in Yangzhou. When the General was in Jiaozhou, these two served as his military advisors and are very familiar with military affairs!"

"This humble servant greets Chief Secretary Duan!" Yu Wen and the soldiers bowed in unison.

"Never mind!" Duan Jiong's gaze swept over Yu Wen and Shi Wu. Both were very young, and it wasn't hard to tell that they were from scholarly backgrounds, easily distinguishable from Wu Deng, who came from a military background. But why weren't these two with Wu Deng on the shore to greet him? Why did they stay on the boat and only just disembark? Thinking of this, Duan Jiong's expression turned slightly cold.

Fifth Deng, oblivious to Duan Jiong's unusual behavior, continued, "Chief Secretary Duan! The center of Jiaozhou is currently in Panyu, and it's still almost 600 li from here! However, this is a top-class fast ship; if you transfer to this ship, you'll arrive in two days at most! Governor Kong is waiting for you in Panyu—"

“There’s no rush to go to Panyu!” Duan Jiong interrupted Wu Deng: “If I remember correctly, the original seat of the Jiaozhou governor was in Guangxin, right?”

“Yes!” Fifth Deng replied, puzzled.

"That's good!" Duan Jiong laughed. "I came to Jiaozhou this time under the orders of the Grand General to lead troops to conquer the barbarians. Before launching a campaign, we must first find out how many soldiers and armor, how much food and provisions, and how many livestock, horses, and ships we have. Guangxin was the former residence of the Governor of Jiaozhou, and the soldiers, armor, and provisions came from there. Why don't we start from there? What does Fifth Colonel think?"

"Of course!" Even with Fifth Deng's slowness, he noticed that Duan Jiong's attitude was a bit off, but what the other party said made sense, and he couldn't refute it, so he could only ask, "Where does Chief Secretary Duan intend to start the investigation?"

“Aren’t these two the outstanding talents of Jiaozhou recommended by the Fifth Colonel?” Duan Jiong pointed to Shi Wu and Yu Wen: “They have served as military advisors and are very knowledgeable about the military affairs of Jiaozhou. Hmm—since Guangxin was once the residence of the governor of Jiaozhou, there should be quite a few workshops for making weapons, right? Let these two show me around first!”

"This—" Shi Wu was stunned. He hesitated for a moment before replying, "Chief Secretary Duan, there were indeed many workshops that made weapons in Guangxin, but that was all in the past. Now most of these workshops have moved to Panyu and Shaoguan!"

"Shaoguan, where is that?" Duan Jiong asked after thinking for a moment. "Is there such a prefecture in Jiaozhou?"

"It is a prefecture established by the General, located in the southwestern wilderness of Nanye County, Yuzhang Prefecture, specifically for settling refugees from the north!" Shi Wu replied. "The local area is rich in mineral resources, so they quarry iron and smelt copper there, and some also make weapons and armor."

"Oh?" Duan Jiong nodded. "Then why go to Panyu? Was it a forced relocation by the General?"

“That’s not it!” Shi Wu shook his head: “The General only moved a small portion of the craftsmen. Most of them moved there voluntarily because Panyu has convenient transportation, goods from all directions are available, and the products they produce sell well. So, not only Guangxin, but also other craftsmen from Jiaozhou moved to Panyu.”

"I see!" Duan Jiong nodded. "It's alright, let's take a look at Guangxin's first!"

"Yes, sir!" Shiwu had no choice but to respond.

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Craftsmen's Street stretches from the market next to An'nan Gate. Locals have a more apt name for this gate—Mud Gate—because the area is low-lying and poorly drained, turning into a muddy mess after rain. When Duan Jiong and his party arrived, a street performer on stilts was navigating the muddy street, followed by a large group of ragged children. Farmers were squatting against walls, hawking their fruits and vegetables.

"Cucumbers, cheap cucumbers!"

"Oranges, the finest oranges!"

"Mulberries, so dark and sweet!"

"Chief Clerk, please be careful, it just rained, the ground is all muddy!" Shi Wu carefully led the way, and they passed through the open space at the city gate and entered the Ironware Street—in fact, more than half of the shops on both sides of the road were now selling tinware. The cheap and high-quality steel produced by the new blast furnaces in Shaoguan had defeated the original iron industry in Guangxin, leaving only a few earthen furnaces for rural use. Duan Jiong passed by blacksmiths working in front of their forges and customers haggling over prices with their knives in hand.

He stopped, picked up a machete that hadn't yet been fitted with a wooden handle, examined the steel and iron with an expert's eye, swung it a couple of times, and then chopped it into a tree stump where he was testing his knife. The blade embedded itself deeply into the trunk.

"This knife is good!" Duan Jiong twisted the handle twice and pulled out the wood-chopping knife. "How much?"

"Fifty coins without a handle!" The shop owner greeted him cautiously. "Sixty coins if you add a handle. It's made of the finest Shaoguan iron, so I'll just cover the cost of materials and labor!" "Then I'll add a wooden handle!" Duan Jiong handed the woodcutter's knife to the shop owner and smiled. "Do you use iron from Shaoguan here?"

"Go and load it for the customer!" The shop owner handed the machete to his assistant while smiling obsequiously. "That's right. There are iron mines here, but the iron from Shaoguan is cheap and of good quality, so we can't do business here. In the end, we can only shut down the furnace and make some tools!"

"Hmm! Doesn't that mean a lot of people have lost their jobs?" Duan Jiong asked.

"That's right!" the shop owner said with a wry smile. "But now there's a new way out!"

"A new way out? What way out?"

"Go to Panyu!" The shopkeeper pointed outside the city: "There's a dock outside the city, and countless boats go to Panyu. The fare is cheap, and the journey takes at most three or four days. Once you get there, you can earn a living with your strength, and if you have a skill, it's even better! The wages are high!"

"Oh? Then why don't you go?"

"Me?" The shop owner laughed. "There's no way around it. It's a shop passed down from my ancestors, and my parents are still alive. I can't leave!"

"That's true!" Duan Jiong nodded. He walked around the shop and looked inside. The tools inside were neatly arranged, and there were also animal-powered blowers and water tanks for quenching ironware. He couldn't help but nod in approval.

Thus, Duan Jiong spent two whole days inspecting the artisans, stored grain, and various military supplies in Guangxin. Duan Jiong was surprised to find that the supplies were far more plentiful than he had imagined. Compared to this place, Liangzhou was in dire straits.

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The maidservant entered silently, lit the candles on the candlestick, and the light immediately filled the entire room. Duan Jiong nodded in satisfaction and sat down behind the table.

"These candles are really good, much brighter than oil lamps!" Xia Yu looked at the candlestick with satisfaction. "But I heard these things are very expensive. In Chang'an, a pair costs two or three hundred coins, and they're gone in an hour or two. Jiaozhou is really generous!"

"These candles seem to be made from the oil of a large fish from the sea!" Duan Jiong said while flipping through the book. "Jiaozhou is located by the sea, so candles are naturally much cheaper than in Chang'an!"

"Really? But I see that the people here are living much better than those in Guanzhong!" Xia Yu said. "I've noticed that the people in the city are mostly eating millet in their bowls, the market is very prosperous, and there are countless boats on the river, all loaded to the brim. I just don't know what they're carrying!"

"Hmm! Guangxin is indeed quite nice, but I wonder what other places are like?" Duan Jiong said.

"I've heard that Panyu is even better!" Duan Wei said. "Everyone I've met these past few days has said so. Brother, when are we going to Panyu?"

"What, you want to go?" Duan Jiong raised his head.

“It’s not that I want to, but how could we not go to Panyu this time?” Duan Wei said. “Wei Cong has made that place his base. If we don’t go there, wouldn’t this trip be a waste?”

"Hehe!" Duan Jiong chuckled and put the neatly arranged books back in their place. "Haven't you noticed these past two days? The guys who greeted us were a bit wary of us, especially Shi Wu and Yu Wen. You could even say those two harbored some hostility towards us."

“Hate?” Xia Yu frowned. “It can’t be that bad, can it? It’s normal to be wary. We’re from Luoyang, here to be their superiors. It would be strange if we weren’t wary.”

"Yes! Brother, you must be mistaken. I think they're both fine. They're always very eager to do whatever you ask! They never refuse!"

"Hehe!" Duan Jiong chuckled. "You're all wrong. Those two are very good at hiding their true colors!" He pointed to his eyes. "My eyes are definitely not wrong. Those two kids are still quite inexperienced."

“If we’re talking about hostility, it should be directed at Fifth Deng! After all, he is the Protector of Baiyue. Your arrival, brother, is taking away his authority. These two are serving as military advisors to Wei Cong, and they are also serving as military advisors to you, brother. What’s the difference?”

"I don't know about that, but I'm sure I didn't see wrong!" Duan Jiong smiled. "If you don't believe me, once we get to Panyu, those two will slip up sooner or later!"

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Guangxin, Shizhai.

"That group of Liangzhou people are going to Panyu tomorrow!" The servant walked up to Shiwu and whispered in his ear.

Shiwu nodded, and the servant left silently. Shiwu lay half-reclined in the rocking chair, the branches of the orange tree above his head swaying in the wind, the white orange blossoms emitting a delicate fragrance, and the laughter of the maids drifting from afar. He closed his eyes, seemingly already asleep.

"Brother, where are you going?"

"Go to the Central Plains, go to Luoyang. I am already a criminal. Staying in Jiaozhou will only implicate the family. From now on, the Guangxin family is in your hands. You must protect the family!"

"Brother, rest assured, even if I die, I will definitely carry on the family tradition!"

Shiwu suddenly opened his eyes. He felt something fall on his face, and when he touched it, he found only a few drops of water. He sighed; the events of his dream seemed to have happened just yesterday. Fortunately, his elder brother had survived, the General had forgiven him, and he himself had preserved the Guangxinshi family—no, he should say, brought it to prominence. In terms of wealth, the Guangxinshi family had far surpassed its past, not to mention its future prospects.

However, Shi Wu knew very well that all of this stemmed from one person—that person's bravery and wisdom. He had transformed Jiaozhou, a place despised by the Central Plains and considered a barbaric and desolate land, rife with miasma, into what it was today, and it was improving at an astonishing rate. But now, a group of people from Liangzhou had arrived, claiming they wanted to conquer the barbarians.

(End of this chapter)