Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 248 The King of Dung
Xu Gong stared at Taishi Ci, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Even Liu Yao had to speak cautiously in his presence. This reckless man, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, dared to question his decisions time and again. Did he really think Xu Boqian had no temper?

Gu Cheng, observing Xu Gong's expression, saw signs of anger and quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Ziyi, if you had met Bu Lianshi, you would know why Yan Yi risked criticism to treat her with the respect due to an equal wife. This woman is exceptionally beautiful, possessing a face that could shame the moon and flowers, and is also well-versed in poetry and literature, and skilled in music and chess. Countless young men from Jiangdong flock to her. Yan Yi is young and impetuous, and it is understandable that he would do such an absurd thing after suddenly acquiring this woman."

The Gu family's ability to rank among the four great clans of Wu Commandery, maintaining its prestigious status for centuries, is solely due to its adherence to the principle of "moderation without fault." They strictly adhere to the family motto: "The way to conduct oneself lies in prudence. Do not make enemies in the countryside, nor harbor grudges against powerful figures. Adapt to circumstances when they arise, and retreat when danger strikes." Therefore, Gu Cheng, unlike Sun Xiao, did not constantly target Taishi Ci; on the contrary, he held him in some regard.

Taishi Ci glanced at Gu Cheng, his tone softening slightly, but he still insisted on his opinion: "I have observed Yan Yi's military tactics and he understands the principles of life and death, survival and destruction. How could such a person abandon military affairs for personal feelings? Lord Gu, please do not take him lightly."

Upon hearing this, Xu Gong's eyes flashed with a cold light. He glanced at Liu Yao, his face ashen.

Today's attendees are all trusted confidants, and to ensure everything goes smoothly, he didn't even summon the newly recruited generals Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin. Unexpectedly, Liu Zhengli is so lacking in judgment, rashly inviting these newly recruited individuals to participate in crucial military discussions.

Liu Yao also felt that Taishi Ci was exaggerating and was quite annoyed by his lack of discretion. He coughed lightly and said, "Ziyi, Yan Yi's wedding invitation has spread throughout the prefectures and counties, and all the dignitaries of Jiangdong are invited. Such an important matter cannot be taken lightly. If we deceive people, we will lose their trust and find it difficult to establish ourselves again."

"This fellow is not worth discussing anything with! Compared to the gains and losses of the entire Jiangdong region, what does a mere breach of trust matter?"

Taishi Ci roared inwardly, about to speak, but then he saw Liu Yao's brows furrow slightly, and he immediately lost interest. A bitter smile appeared on his lips, and he fell silent.

Without his tactless disruptions, the subsequent military discussions proceeded smoothly, and the atmosphere gradually returned to harmony.

Taishi Ci closed his eyes slightly, as if he were an old monk in meditation. He vaguely heard someone saying, "According to news from within the Yan clan, Yan Yi seems to be planning to hold the line and has reinstated Yan Yu to strengthen the defenses of Wucheng."

Then another person said, "Yan Yi intends to use Zu Yu to control Zu Lang and force him to remain neutral. Your Excellency must take this matter seriously. At this critical time, Zu Lang must not be allowed to cause any trouble."

Xu Gong’s confident voice rang out: “Gentlemen, do not worry. Zu Lang and I have already discussed this matter, and Zu Lang will never let this cause us to jeopardize important matters.”

Taishi Ci had lost all patience and was unwilling to listen to another word. He clasped his hands and said, "I am not feeling well and cannot keep you company. I will take my leave!"

After saying that, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he strode away without looking back, leaving behind only an uproar.

"Zhengli, look at the kind of people you've recommended! How dare they be so arrogant and disrespectful!" Xu Gong's angry voice came from behind: "Disperse for today, we'll discuss it again tomorrow. Don't let me see this person again!"

Xu Gong's cheek muscles twitched slightly; his mood was extremely bad. He snorted coldly and turned to leave.

He walked out of the government office with a livid face and returned to his residence by carriage.

Halfway through the journey, there was a sudden crash as the wheels rolled over a crack in the bluestone. The violent shaking of the carriage made him lose his balance, and his shoulder slammed against the side of the carriage, causing him to feel a sharp pain.

Enraged, Xu Gong grabbed his whip, flung open the curtain, and lashed it hard across the back of the charioteer.

Upon returning to his residence, the servants and maids, seeing his unfriendly expression, all held their breath and dared not utter a sound.

Xu Gong paced around the courtyard for a while before his mood gradually improved. He pondered to himself, was Taishi Ci's outburst today his own doing, or was it Liu Yao's attitude?

"Have the Imperial Academy send more people to closely monitor the every move of Liu Yao, Taishi Ci, Zhang Ying, Fan Neng, Yu Mi, and Chen Heng. Report any unusual activity immediately!" He suddenly stopped and gave the order in a cold voice.

The attendant stopped in his tracks, lowered his head, and respectfully accepted the order.

Xu Gong walked slowly towards the study. He practiced calligraphy for a while, and only after his mind had completely calmed down did he pick up the documents that had just been delivered and begin to read them carefully.

One of the documents came from Zulang, and while the words were very polite, the amount of grain and fodder he demanded was anything but.

"Five thousand suits of armor and one hundred thousand bushels of grain? Is this guy crazy? Does he really think my money and supplies grow on trees?"

Xu Gong's breathing became heavier, and the anger that had just subsided was showing signs of rising again.

He paid a considerable price to win over Zulang. But this fellow was shameless and had no concept of shame, repeatedly demanding money and provisions from him; his greedy face was utterly disgusting.

"Enough! Considering he lost a son, I'll agree to this one." Xu Gong frowned, holding a wolf-hair brush, and unfolded a blank bamboo scroll, muttering to himself, "Wang Jingxing has to pay half."

He wrote swiftly, first sending a letter to Wang Lang, asking him to provide 2,500 sets of armor and 50,000 bushels of grain. Then he unrolled a bamboo scroll and wrote a letter to Zu Lang.

"This wicked scoundrel Yan has gone so far as to use your son as a hostage; this is truly the behavior of a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"In my opinion, we should now turn the tables and feign agreement. You can pretend to be neutral, wait for their defenses to weaken, and then launch a surprise attack."

"The military equipment and provisions you require, I will send them to you as soon as possible. These are but small things, nothing to worry about. We are as close as family!"

After finishing his letter, Xu Gong secretly gloated: 'Once the war begins and the land and water routes to Danxi are cut off, even if Zulang comes to demand supplies again, I'll have enough excuse to stall.'

"Someone! Send this letter out immediately." He put down his wolf-hair brush, waited for the ink to dry, closed the bamboo slip, sealed it with clay, and handed it to his trusted confidant to send out.

Zulang was overjoyed after reading the letter sent by Xu Gong.

Making money from Xu Gong and Wang Lang was so easy that he made a fortune and couldn't help but feel a little envious of the wealth of Wu County and Kuaiji.

'If I ever have the chance to take over the Wu region in the future...' Zu Lang's eyes darted around, and a greedy thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly sighed and abandoned this unrealistic fantasy.

"The most urgent task is to kill the traitor Yan."

Zu Lang's eyes flashed with a cold light. After pondering for a moment, he summoned a scribe and decided to adopt Xu Gong's strategy of feigning neutrality.

If we could use this to swindle another sum of money and provisions from Yan Yi, that would be perfect.

The thought of Yan Yi losing money and supplies, and then being ambushed, made him smirk. He ordered the scribe, "I'll tell you what to write!"

The scribe sat down on the mat with a bewildered look on his face, ground the ink and picked up his brush, listening intently while racking his brains to polish the contents of the letter.

"Your previous letter explained the advantages and disadvantages. Although I am a rough man from the mountains, I am aware of the times. Since you have shown me such favor, I am willing to remain neutral and not help either side."

"If you would be so kind as to bestow upon me 100,000 shi of grain and 3,000 jin of gold, I would be deeply grateful and would certainly not fail you! My son Zuyu may remain under your command as a hostage to demonstrate our sincerity." "I hereby specially dispatch my military advisor Zhang Huan, carrying 100 jin of gold and 1,000 bolts of brocade as gifts, to travel to Qiantang to discuss the details with you."

After finishing writing the letter, the scribe handed it to Zulang.

Zulang glanced at it, nodded in satisfaction, and then ordered someone to send it to Qiantang by fast horse.

Qiantang, side hall in front of the official temple.

Yan Yi peeled off the seal on the letter, carefully read through its contents, and couldn't help but chuckle. Zu Yu was already in his hands; how could there be any talk of him being held hostage? Zu Lang's skin was truly thick.

He closed the bamboo slip with great interest, handed it to Zhou Yu beside him, and turned his gaze to Yuan Sui, the supervisor under his command: "Did Zu Lang really send one hundred gold pieces?"

Yuan Sui nodded with a strange expression: "They are all inferior gold of very poor quality."

"Even a mosquito's leg is meat," Yan Yi remarked. After Zhou Yu finished reading the letter, he smiled and asked, "Zu Lang is known for his fickle nature; his words cannot be easily trusted. Gongjin, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Zhou Yu placed the bamboo slips on the table and pondered, "Regardless of whether this matter is true or false, our army must not change its strategy lightly, lest it fall into chaos before the battle even begins. As for Zu Lang, we might as well feign compliance for now and wait for the spies to reply before making any further plans."

Yan Yi nodded slightly and immediately ordered the Inspectorate to send more people to find out the truth.

After everyone left, he summoned Yin Li alone and instructed him: "Regarding Zu Lang's matter, you can secretly send Youping and Gongyi to investigate the truth."

Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, these two hidden pieces, are the key to his victory in conquering Wu Commandery, and he has not yet told Zhou Yu and the others about this. Apart from him, only Yin Li and Zhou Mi know about it.

"Rest assured, my lord, I will investigate this matter thoroughly within seven days!" Yin Li's expression remained calm, yet his tone exuded confidence.

With Yan Yi's strong support, the Inspectorate underwent several expansions and became a formidable force. It had hundreds of spies scattered throughout the country, and its peripheral personnel numbered nearly two thousand.

The current Inspectorate, which oversees the various prefectures of Jiangdong and supervises civil and military officials, has become an increasingly sharp blade in Yan Yi's hands.

Therefore, in Yin Li's view, investigating Zu Lang's true strength was not a difficult task. Compared to Xu Gong and Wang Lang, Zu Lang, who came from a bandit background and acted in a rough manner, was really lacking in the ability to guard against spies and detect traitors.

Soon, the spies from the Inspectorate, who had been lurking in the Zulang territory, sprang into action, gathering information from all directions. Their activities were particularly frequent in Ningguo and Lingyang, which are near Guangde and Guangchang.

Ningguo, military camp west of the city.

The continuous snowfall quietly stopped, and a winter sun broke through the clouds, casting its thin light on the eaves of the houses on both sides of the street.

The snow began to melt, and glistening water droplets hung from the eaves, dripping onto the bluestone slabs and carving out dents of varying depths.

Chen Zhong, who was nearly forty years old, wore a straw hat and a cotton robe that was neither new nor old. He pushed a manure cart along the uneven gravel road toward the military camp.

The manure cart was simple and crude, made of the most ordinary hardwood, with pitted and uneven surfaces on the wheels, making a 'creaking' sound when it rolled.

The vehicle was a rectangular open box with unpainted wooden panels on the outside, covered in mottled stains and emitting a pungent odor.

Wherever the manure cart passed, pedestrians would cover their noses and avoid it, their faces showing disgust.

Chen Zhong ignored it, taking it all for granted. He had been a scavenger for over ten years and was used to people's disdain.

Behind him were more than a dozen young men wearing dirty, tattered cotton robes, each pushing a manure cart, heads down and moving forward silently.

These young people with dim eyes were either his 'apprentices' or refugees he had temporarily recruited for food. Their expressions and actions revealed their humility.

"Heads up, all of you! What's wrong with carrying manure? Those people don't even earn as much as we manure carriers. If you work hard with Master Chen, you'll definitely have two meals a day, if not three!"

Chen Zhong walked with his head held high and his steps light, not a trace of servility in his eyes. In this vast Ningguo, who didn't know the name "Old Chen, the King of Dung"?

His loud shouts boosted the morale of the stinking team.

After traveling for more than half an hour, the manure cart team gradually moved away from the residential area and arrived at a camp gate that was two zhang high.

Three-zhang-high chevaux-de-frise stood on either side of the camp gate, their tips sharpened into wolf fang shapes. Above the gate hung a flag bearing the inscription "Ya Men" (牙门), with a blue background and red border, embroidered with the words "General Zhou, the Expeditionary General."

This is where Zhou Bao, a general under Zu Lang, stationed his troops. It is also the eastern bulwark of Zu Lang's forces, and the safety of the entire Ning Kingdom depends on this place.

Due to the tense situation, the number of soldiers patrolling the camp gate was significantly higher than before. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, six patrol teams of elite soldiers had already passed by with halberds in hand.

Chen Zhong instructed everyone to park the manure cart, dusted off his robes, put on a smile, and walked towards the camp gate.

Before long, Qin Yong, the military commander who had been informed, strode out of the camp: "Old Chen, why are you so late today? The cesspool is almost full."

"General, please forgive me. My wife has been suffering from fever and chills, and I was serving her medicine late." Chen Zhong rubbed his hands and smiled apologetically, lowering his body by a third and saying in a low voice, "The offering has been placed in the usual place. General, you can send someone to fetch it when you have time."

Qin Yong nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand: "Enough nonsense, get inside and get to work! Don't look around, or I'll gouge your eyes out and stomp on them!"

These are turbulent times, and the military camp is under tight security. Zhou Po has strictly forbidden any outsiders from entering the camp. If Chen Zhong hadn't been coming here to collect manure for three or four years, Qin Yong wouldn't have let him in so easily.

For an army, dealing with excrement is both a headache and a very important matter. When troops march, they are usually divided into groups of thirty or fifty men, dig pits at designated locations to use as latrines, and must bury the excrement on the spot before leaving to avoid revealing military secrets.

In fixed military camps, the situation was slightly better. The sanitation supervisors would dig deep pits downwind of the camp, lay wooden planks on top, and place lime troughs nearby to construct simple latrines for the soldiers to relieve themselves.

In addition, the latrine supervisors would arrange for special latrine cleaners to clean the latrines and regularly transport the excrement out of the military camp.

This is a tough job, and few people are willing to do it. Even if they do, they often do it poorly.

Therefore, Chen Zhong, who had a keen sense of business opportunities, took the initiative to take on the job of handling excrement for Zhou Bao's tribe. As early as three years ago, he had successfully pulled strings and secured the exclusive rights to handle excrement for Zhou Bao's tribe, which was an important reason why he dared to call himself the "King of Excrement in Ningguo"!

(End of this chapter)