The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Time flew by and it was March of the first year of Zhaode.

It was supposed to be a perfect time for friends and family to go on a spring outing, but a piece of bad news has disrupted the peace across the country.

But the Chai brothers, who had endured for a whole winter, finally couldn't hold back and took action!

Emperor Zhaode, Chai Heng, appointed the veteran general, Duke Xu, Xiao Yu, as the commander-in-chief, and dispatched 400,000 troops in three routes to the north to quell the rebellion at Shanhaiguan.

King Chai Kun of Qin personally led 80,000 elite troops from Liaodong south to meet 400,000 imperial guards.

Not long after the war began, the Great Zhou Dynasty made a huge mistake for the people... A 60,000-strong detachment of the imperial army to quell the rebellion was annihilated by a combined cavalry and naval force led by the Prince of Qin on the Liaohe Plain, suffering a crushing defeat.

The King of Qin's army broke through the blockade of the three main armies of the imperial court in one fell swoop, launched a surprise attack on Shanhaiguan, cut off the logistical supply of the other two armies of the imperial court, and trapped more than 200,000 imperial guards outside the pass.

When the news spread, it caused an uproar and widespread panic.

……

Xu Wu delivered the message to Wang Wen, his face full of disbelief, and whispered, "400,000 against 80,000? Even if you had a dog tied to the commander's flag, it wouldn't have turned out like this, would it?"

Wang Wen stared blankly at the note in his hand for a moment.

After a long while, he came to his senses and chuckled, "You can talk."

He knew, of course, that military campaigns were not a matter of gangs showing off their horses or who had the most men.

Having more troops does not necessarily mean having an advantage.

Having fewer troops is not necessarily a disadvantage.

Many factors can influence the outcome of a war.

Even seemingly insignificant issues like acclimatization problems can directly influence the outcome of a large-scale military conflict.

Based on the available intelligence, the King of Qin is clearly a shrewd player, worthy of the old emperor's investment in his upbringing.

Given the impressive resume of that Duke Xu, Xiao Yucheng, it's clear he let Hai go in this battle...

There's a lot more to it than meets the eye!
Interesting!
Xu Wu asked seriously with a solemn expression, "Brother, what do you think about this?"

Wang Wen gave a comical look: "How else can we watch it? Of course, we watch it sitting down!"

Xu Wu: No, I'm asking what we should do in this situation?

Wang Wen: "What else can we do? We just have to deal with it!"

Xu Wu: "Big brother, stop messing around, I'm serious. Should we do something now?"

Wang Wen: "What do you think we should do right now?"

He watched the fellow with great interest, wondering what kind of scheme the man was plotting this time.

"Yeah, it's that..."

He stepped forward mysteriously, stuck out his tongue and tilted it northeast, giving Wang Wen a knowing look. He whispered, "Should we secretly send a note over there? It's just a few nice words that won't cost us anything, we won't lose anything!"

Wang Wen glanced at the fellow and said coldly, "Are you trying to teach this general how to do things?"

Xu Wu hurriedly crossed his hands and bowed his head: "This humble general dares not!"

Wang Wen slowly put away the note, and scolded him impatiently, "Stop with your little schemes, and don't cause me any trouble!"

Xu Wu was a little anxious, but seeing his older brother's serious expression, he didn't dare to say anything more.

He pondered with a sense of doubt: 'It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. How come my elder brother can't understand such a simple question?'

Wang Wen habitually picked up the teacup beside him, lowered his head to drink the tea, and asked, "How is the progress of stockpiling grain at home?"

Before he finished speaking, a thin white bolt of lightning suddenly fell from his mouth, landing in the teacup with a "thud," splashing the tea everywhere.

If the teacup in his hand hadn't been replaced with a pure silver one instead of porcelain, it would have shattered into pieces on the ground with just that one blow...

Seeing this, Wang Wen didn't even blink, and continued to drink tea as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, Xu Wu was used to it and didn't take it seriously: "I just checked the accounts this morning, and it seems that we've already stockpiled nearly 100,000 shi!"

"Nearly 100,000?"

Wang Wen looked up at him and said, “I remember I checked the ledger the day before yesterday, and it already showed more than 90,000 shi. It’s been two days, and it still hasn’t broken 100,000?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Wu offered a tactful explanation: "Brother, it's only the beginning of spring, the wheat hasn't even ripened yet. There are only some small-scale grain transactions on the market; large-scale grain trade hasn't even started yet!"

"Don't look for excuses, slow progress is slow progress, we must increase our efforts!"

Wang Wen slammed the teacup back onto the table and said in a deep voice, "I can give everyone time, but fate will not give everyone time, nor will the world give everyone time!"

Xu Wu was stunned for two seconds, unable to understand what "favorable timing" and "worldly affairs" meant. After a moment's thought, he simply asked the question that was on his mind.

Wang Wen pondered for a moment, then said softly, "Don't you think the weather this year is a bit unusual?"

"Abnormal? I don't think anything is abnormal!"

Xu Wu thought for a moment and replied, "Although it snowed heavily last winter, the weather warmed up quite quickly. Since spring, it's been sunny every day, and the two construction sites haven't had a single day of delay..."

Wang Wen looked at him silently without saying a word.

Xu Wu paused for a few seconds, then suddenly realized: "Oh right, it seems like there was no heavy rain after the beginning of spring this year. There were only a few light rains, and they stopped before even wetting the ground!"

As he spoke, his eyes widened, and a look of terror gradually appeared between his brows!

He looked at Wang Wen with a mixture of confidence and expectation...

Wang Wen avoided his gaze and sighed silently.

He had already noticed this situation.

On the day of the Awakening of Insects, he returned to Huangshan to break through the "Nine Tribulations Returning to Origin Body". He traveled four or five hundred miles along the way, but he didn't encounter a single rain.

We didn't encounter a single rain shower!

It should be noted that the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) originally signifies "the first rumble of spring thunder and increased rainfall," and in his memory, Jingzhe was mostly a rainy day.

However, he clearly remembered that he walked four or five hundred miles that day, and not a single rain fell!

This is obviously not normal!
Later, in order to verify whether his conjecture was correct, he also ordered Ao Qing to try to create clouds and rain.

That creature belongs to the Azure Dragon family and is a three-clawed dragon, possessing some ability to control clouds and rain.

The result was far from ideal.

In Ao Qing's own words, it used to be able to summon three inches of rain, but now it can only summon half an inch of rain.

It was as if the water-based spiritual energy permeating the world had suddenly turned into lazybones, too lazy to respond to its innate supernatural powers.

With its current magical power, if it were to be squeezed into jerky, it might be able to ensure that Yangzhou doesn't lack rainwater...

Wang Wen knew then that he probably couldn't escape this year's famine!

The unusual snowfall that lasted for more than half a month in Yangzhou before the Lunar New Year may be a sign of this year's drought.

He never mentioned the problem to anyone after discovering it.

This matter is beyond human control. The only recourse is to continuously exert pressure on all grain depots in Huainan Circuit, ordering them to stockpile grain.

On the one hand, through local inspection offices, the grain market in various regions was controlled to gradually reduce grain supply and tighten grain consumption.

He has spent all his time and energy on this lately, and hasn't even had time to tame the unruly thunderous power within him.

But it seems this matter can no longer be kept secret.

This is not surprising; he has his good methods, and others have their own clumsy methods.

Putting everything else aside, which group cares more about rainwater than farmers who cultivate the land?
The progress of stockpiling food has slowed down considerably lately...

Wang Wen didn't have a good solution to this either; the pressure he exerted on those grain depots was already enough.

If we try to suppress it further, we'll have to kill people in droves.

Of course he can kill people, but killing only causes bloodshed, not food loss.

Now they've run into this messy situation where the two brothers from the Chai family are locked in a fierce, unresolved fight.

With hundreds of thousands of troops fighting abroad, the daily food consumption for both men and horses was astronomical.

The imperial court does not engage in production, so where does the grain it consumes come from?

They're just stealing food from the people!

……

"At this stage, they may still think that this year's low rainfall may lead to a reduction in grain production."

Wang Wen gathered his thoughts and said softly, "But I have to tell you, the situation is more serious than they anticipated."

"While they haven't figured out the situation yet, we still have time to seize more food from them..."

"Even if the price of grain rises a little, it doesn't matter!"

Xu Wu had no time to care about the two Chai brothers fighting to the death. After a long silence, he said, "Brother, if we reveal the truth, those rich bastards will probably raise their prices even sooner!"

"Whatever!"

Wang Wen said calmly, "As the old saying goes, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. From the very beginning, there is no room for negotiation with them regarding what we are doing."

"Let's try our best to talk to them using silver."

"When money runs out, then use a gleaming knife to plead your case..."

"There will always be one that works."

Xu Wu nodded: "Whatever you say, I'll do!"

Wang Wen waved his hand: "Go do your work. Just keep an eye on the situation in the north. Don't do anything unnecessary. Why should we get involved in a fight between two brothers?"

Xu Wu clasped his hands: "Understood!"

Wang Wen watched him leave, his eyes lowered as he muttered to himself, "When it rains, it pours!"

He was somewhat weary, and felt that countless forces, both overt and covert, were pushing the world step by step toward the worst possible outcome.

No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get him back...

To be honest, he didn't really have any grand ambitions for the country and the people.

He just likes beautiful things, good things, likes to show off, and likes to see most people smiling...

Of course, this is not surprising.

What decent person would like phrases like "national ruin," "children being exchanged for food," or "a desolate place with no human habitation"?
……

Wang Wen had no time to deal with the two Chai brothers who were locked in a fierce argument.

But the two Chai brothers, who were locked in a fierce struggle, had no intention of letting him go!
Not long after the news of the King of Qin's great victory over the guerrilla force sent to quell the rebellion reached Wang Wen, the King of Qin's envoy swaggered out to the gate of the Demon-Slaying General's mansion, demanding to see Wang Wen by name.

Wang Wen, out of curiosity, had his men bring the persuader in, watching him, like a monkey show, as he eloquently and persuasively painted a rosy picture for the King of Qin.

Then, in a very short time, he refined it into just eight words: "Get money and grain, and you'll be ennobled if you succeed."

Seeing that the King of Qin was somewhat sensible and did not expect the Grand General to personally intervene, he simply ordered his men to break the leg of the persuader and throw him out of the general's mansion.

However, just a few days later, Emperor Zhaode's imperial edict arrived.

Compared to the King of Qin, Emperor Zhaode was quite immature.

They actually made him prepare his own rations and lead 2,500 Demon-Suppressing Guards from the Demon-Suppressing General's Mansion north to Shanhaiguan to resist the advance of the Liaodong Iron Cavalry.

Although Emperor Zhaode's edict offered him an even bigger reward than that of the Prince of Qin, promising him a dukedom after defeating the Liaodong cavalry, Wang Wen was still amused and annoyed by Emperor Zhaode's lack of pragmatism.

He immediately threw the imperial edict in the face of the eunuch who was delivering it, and ordered his men to drag these hermaphrodites out and break their legs...

Unexpectedly, the eunuch whose nose had been bleed from being hit by the eunuch calmly bent down to pick up the imperial edict from the ground, and at the same time took out another imperial edict from his bosom, gesturing to Wang Wenxuan to take one.

Wang Wen, puzzled, took another imperial edict, opened it, and read it. The edict stripped Huangshan God Wu Yanzu of his title of "King of Heavenly Observation of the Nation and the People, Prosperous and Bright Spirit King".

When he saw the imperial edict, the Mountain God's Decree popped up automatically, and the merit column faded considerably, as if it might disappear at any moment...

The attitude is obvious.

Alternatively, he could lead his army north to fight against the King of Qin.

Alternatively, he could relinquish the nation's destiny and be granted imperial favor...

'It seems the young emperor has a powerful patron.'

Wang Wen sighed sadly, "They've found my Achilles' heel so quickly."

"How's it going?"

The old eunuch, his face scrunched up like a Shar-Pei, sniffled blood from his nose without batting an eye, and handed him the imperial edict appointing him as the Grand General Who Destroys the Barbarians: "Lord Duke, please accept the edict!"

Wang Wen raised his eyelids and glanced at him indifferently: "You dare to issue such an imperial decree? It seems you didn't expect to leave alive when you came here..."

The old eunuch chuckled and crossed his arms: "Your Excellency is joking. How could Your Excellency, a man of noble birth, exchange your life for that of a lowly servant like me?"

"Of course you are not worthy to exchange your life with me."

Wang Wen nodded expressionlessly, raised his left hand high, and with a slow yet swift and unparalleled force, slapped the old eunuch on the head: "But you're still qualified to amuse me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his left hand.

With a muffled "thud," Wang Wen ripped off the wrinkled human head, which resembled a Shar-Pei dog, without splattering a single drop of blood from the head or the body.

The eunuchs and imperial guards following behind the old eunuch were terrified at the sight. They opened their mouths desperately, wanting to roar and scream, but they couldn't utter a single word.

With one hand gripping the imperial edict stripping him of his title and the other holding the severed head, Wang Wen, his face ashen, tossed a sentence to the equally stunned Xu Wu beside him: "I'm going to have a chat with the young emperor. Don't wait for me for dinner." Then, he transformed into a streak of lightning and sped towards the gate.

The next second, a deep, irritable bull-like voice echoed throughout the Demon-Slaying General's mansion.

Xu Wu rushed out in a panic, only to see a streak of fire with a long tail of flame hurtling rapidly toward the north.

He gazed up at the ball of fire disappearing into the horizon, a huge exclamation mark rising in his mind: 'Damn, this is serious!' (End of Chapter)