Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 145 Humans Lack Martial Morality! Jiang Xingzhou's Every Step is a Scheme!

In July, the heat in Jiangnan is intense.

The 36,000 hectares of blue waves in Taihu Lake have receded by 30%.

"The Taihu Lake Water Conservancy Project has commenced!"

Governor Wei Guanlan stood atop Mount Xu, his command arrow falling to the table, a single decree shaking the Jiangnan region.

The prefects of ten prefectures personally took charge, with the prefects of Changzhou, Huzhou, and Jiangzhou all personally supervising the construction on the riverbank.
The vermilion-lacquered official sedan chair rolled over the newly built embankment, the black official robes were covered with river mud, the gold-threaded shoes sank into the wet soil, and the magistrate's ivory tablet became a ruler for measuring the water level.

Millions of laborers swarmed the dike like ants, their carrying poles stretching to the sky, forming a long, continuous line, their shovels and picks blocking out the sun.

The sound of shovels hitting the earth caused the beams and pillars of the Water Palace to collapse.

"Wow~!"

Along thirty-six waterways, giant logs soaked in tung oil are being rammed into the riverbeds.

The stone base of the sluice gate was cast with glutinous rice mortar, and each stone block was engraved with the inscription "Great Zhou Forever Stable".

"Close the sluice gates and shut off the water!"

The newly cast black iron gates fell one after another, and the demon-suppressing runes engraved on the gate surface shone as bright as charcoal the moment they entered the water.

"Open the sluice gates! Release the water!"

At the mouth of the Taipu River, ten large ships, dragging cold iron chains, slammed shut the last sluice gate.

The lake water surged out through the newly dug spillway, and the ancient, millennia-old demon bones on the exposed lakebed began to bask in the scorching sun.

July is the hottest time of the year, when the waters of Taihu Lake are at their lowest.

The water level of Taihu Lake receded by three zhang (approximately 10 meters) per day, and the exposed lakebed was quickly cut into a chessboard pattern by the newly built dikes.

For every ten feet the water level drops, the bronze depth sounding tripod on the bank will sound a note.

The scholars from the ten prefectures of Jiangnan stood by Taihu Lake, their robes fluttering as they formed incantations with their hands.

"Moving mountains and overturning seas!"

A clear shout echoed across the lakeside, and the waves of Taihu Lake rose in response, as if summoned by a god.

"A torrent rushing down!"

Another spell fell, and the vast expanse of blue waves transformed into a silver ribbon, rushing downstream.

The truth has come out!

"It will happen naturally!"

The imperial edicts rose and fell in succession.

They used their exquisite writing to move mountains and overturn seas, forcibly diverting the waters of Taihu Lake to downstream waterways.

Although each scholar's talent can only move one or two acres of water, when ten thousand people are of one mind, even the strength of ants can shake Mount Tai!

By the end of the day, the amount of water removed from Taihu Lake was quite considerable.

Once the scholars had exhausted their literary talents, they rolled up the hem of their blue robes and joined the laborers in dredging the downstream river, wading barefoot into the silt to scoop up sediment from the riverbed.

The Xue brothers, Fu and Gui, walked barefoot through the foul-smelling mud, the carrying poles on their shoulders creaking under their weight.

These two sons of the Duke of Xue's family, who were used to living in luxury, had never been involved in such muddy conditions.

But at this moment, they were working with great enthusiasm, completely oblivious to the mud covering their brocade clothes.

"Hey, who would have thought?"

Xue Gui wiped his sweat and grinned, "To deal with the Taihu Lake demon army, they actually used such a method—draining Taihu Lake!"

Dry the water sprites of Taihu Lake into dried fish!
Brother Jiang's idea is simply outrageous!

Han Yugui, standing to the side, stared at the long line of laborers stretching for dozens of miles and exclaimed, "The treasury of Jiangnan is truly prosperous! Conscripting millions of laborers to work day and night, the cost of just one month is probably equivalent to ten years' worth of grain and provisions for an ordinary prefecture."

Lowering the water level to encircle and annihilate the demon army was not an idea that no one had considered.

How dare they spend so much money, depleting the savings of the Jiangnan government over five years, to build such a massive project?
Let alone mentioning it, even thinking about it is something few would dare to do!
—A year ago, even the governor's mansion of Jiangnan Circuit would not have had such financial resources!
Under the scorching sun, Wei Guanlan, dressed in an indigo official robe, led the officials of the governor's mansion to patrol along the embankment.

On the embankment, Tang Yanqing from Suzhou, Zhu Hezhi from Yangzhou, Xu Canming from Hangzhou, and other Jiangnan students were taking a short rest while leaning on their carrying poles. Upon seeing the governor arrive, they hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply to the ground.

"This student greets Your Excellency!"

Wei Guanlan raised his hand in a gesture of support, his gaze sweeping over the students' sun-darkened faces: "After days of hard work, are you still able to take it?"

Tang Yanqing wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned, "It was tough! But when we think that our naval brothers don't have to fight a bloody battle on the lake, and the Taihu Lake monsters are jumping up and down in frustration but there's nothing they can do—we're happy about it!"

"good!"

Wei Guanlan stroked his beard and nodded, the ivory tablet in his sleeve gleaming faintly in the sunlight. "The more you sweat, the less you bleed. You have read the books of sages and worthies, so you should know the hardships of the people. These calloused hands are closer to the sage's way than the fragrance of ink from an inkstone."

The river breeze swept across the newly built embankment, making the students' coarse cloth clothes flutter loudly.

Looking at the students' collars covered in salt frost, Wei Guanlan had no complaints about building the dam and sluice gate, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

As dusk settled, Governor Wei Guanlan, who had inspected the entire Taihu Lake area, stepped onto the viewing platform at Taipu Sluice Gate in his official boots.

The last rays of the setting sun were sinking at the end of the Taipu River, turning the entire waterway into a crimson ribbon of molten gold.

As the largest outlet for water from Taihu Lake, the Taipu River, this sluice gate handles 60% of the lake's water daily.

Each time the sluice gate is opened and closed, the rice paddies in Suzhou Prefecture downstream undulate accordingly.

Jiang Xingzhou stood atop the lock, his dark robes fluttering in the river wind.

The ink on the blueprints in his hand was not yet dry, and hundreds of thousands of laborers and craftsmen were dredging the silt and pouring glutinous rice mortar to build the foundation of the new sluice gate under his command.

Looking out, hundreds of thousands of laborers crawled in the river like ants, the sweet and fishy smell of glutinous rice mortar mixed with the muddy smell permeating the fields.

Newly built arrow towers stand like a forest on both sides of the river, and tens of thousands of naval troops are adjusting crossbows on the towers.

"Jiang Lang,"

Wei Guanlan stroked the newly sharpened wooden spikes on the arrow emplacement and asked with a smile, "Why make such a fuss over a mere sluice gate? This fortification is comparable to the defenses of Nanjing!"

After Jiang Xingzhou proposed the "draining the pond to catch all the fish" Taihu Lake water conservancy project, he appointed Jiang Xingzhou as the chief commander of the most crucial part of this Taihu Lake water conservancy project—the Taipu Sluice Gate.

"There are 36 waterways surrounding Taihu Lake, and our army cannot possibly defend every single one of them!"
If Ao Li is provoked, which river channel will it attack?

Jiang Xingzhou spoke, his voice as cold as iron.

Everyone fell silent.

Before anyone could respond.

The student thought, "It hates me to the core."

Jiang Xingzhou smiled slightly: "Once it learns that I am building a sluice gate here, it will definitely come to attack the Taipu Sluice Gate!"

Taipu Sluice Gate is the largest water outlet in the entire Taihu Lake, accounting for 50% of the water outflow!

Ao Li can only stop the flow of Taihu Lake by breaching this sluice gate!

Therefore, a large number of defensive fortifications were built here!

"If you set up an ambush around this area, you will surely inflict heavy losses on the Taihu Lake demon army!"

Wei Guanlan stared in astonishment at the tall, upright figure of the young man who had used himself as bait. Suddenly, he felt the ivory tablet in his hand weigh as heavy as a thousand pounds, and couldn't help but sigh.

This young man is so talented, so courageous, and so cunning that no one can surpass him!

It is a blessing for Jiangnan to have such young men.

Millions of laborers, like ants, were scattered across more than twenty waterways upstream, the muffled sounds of shovels and rammed earth never ceasing day and night.

One sluice gate after another rose from the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye, cutting off the upstream water flow of Taihu Lake.

Downstream, the Dapu sluice gates opened, and the turbid lake water roared into the old course of the Yangtze River.

Between this inflow and outflow, there is a huge gap in the water flow, and the water of Taihu Lake flows out, as if a giant dragon is being stripped of its tendons and marrow.

The water level of Taihu Lake is dropping by three to five zhang (approximately 10-15 meters) every day at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The beams and pillars of the Crystal Palace trembled, and the luminous pearls hanging from the eaves fell one after another, shattering on the jade steps.

"Report! The water level has dropped another 32 feet today!"

The exclamations of the shrimp soldiers and crab generals echoed between the pillars.

The forty thousand water demons in the Crystal Palace looked up at the dome that was descending inch by inch, gradually approaching, and the scales under their armor rustled in fear.

Their sharpened bone spears were meant to fight a bloody battle with the human navy in the deep waters—even if they died, they would take a human navy soldier with them.

But now, they can only watch helplessly as the human warships retreat to the sluice gate and draw water from Taihu Lake—those humans don't even want to get a single drop of the lake water wet!

More than half a month has passed, and the water level of Taihu Lake has dropped to three or four hundred feet!

The once vast and boundless lake has now shrunk into a murky swamp, with the exposed lakebed cracked like a spider web, and fish and shrimp struggling futilely in the mud.

Dead fish and rotten shrimp piled up like mountains, emitting a foul stench under the scorching sun.

On the lake shore, a million laborers toiled, sweating profusely, shovels flying, the sound of tamping earth deafening.

Even more outrageous is—

No one knows whose idea it was, but they actually hired hundreds of drummers who beat gongs and drums day and night, causing ripples to spread across the lake!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The drums thundered, their rhythm perfectly synchronized, accompanied by the deafening shouts of a million laborers—

"Drain Taihu Lake! Drain out Ao Li's tendons!"

"Drain Taihu Lake! Stew the Dragon King's grandson!"

The drummers' shouts rose higher and higher, reaching the sky, and even the glazed tiles of the Crystal Palace rattled!
Ao Li sat on his precarious throne, his dragon whiskers trembling with rage.

In all its years of life, it has never suffered such humiliation!
A dignified dragon from the East Sea, a son and grandson of the dragon, was publicly threatened by humans with having his tendons ripped out and his skin peeled off?!

What’s even more hateful is——

It really can't do anything about this group of humans!
The water monsters huddled at the ever-shallow bottom of the lake, listening to the deafening taunts from the shore, their faces turning ashen.

How can we possibly fight this war?!

Humans have absolutely no sense of martial ethics!

Ao Li suddenly raised his head, his dragon eyes reflecting the rapidly dropping waterline on the lake surface, and his golden vertical pupils suddenly contracted.

"Damn humans—you've gone too far!" The dragon's roar echoed throughout the Crystal Palace, causing the entire palace to tremble in his rage. Beams and pillars cracked, and jade tiles fell in a flurry.

Its dragon claws pierced deep into the throne, and its black iron-like scales shattered under the immense force, blood dripping down its claws and burning wisps of blue smoke on the jade steps.

"Draining 36,000 hectares of Taihu Lake! Is this something a human could conceive of or do?!"

It had never been so angry, nor so desperate!
It had envisioned the human navy swarming in to fight it in the deep waters.

It has even set up a massive array of ten thousand demons, determined to stain Taihu Lake with the blood of humankind!
But it never expected—

The human navy doesn't even enter the water!
They actually started building sluice gates in 36 rivers around Taihu Lake, cutting off the flow and pumping water, directly draining Taihu Lake!

"Who can tell me—?"
Which despicable human... came up with such a vile thing?!

Ao Li Jiao's whiskers bristled angrily, its might as well be a prison, and all the water demons in the Crystal Palace knelt down, trembling in fear.

It's furious!
It was terrified!
It hesitated!
It even felt that the world was too absurd. If you're going to fight, then fight! Why are you draining my Taihu Lake?!

It comes from the depths of the East Sea and rules over all demons. The East Sea is vast; who dares to draw its waters?
Who would have thought that after arriving at Taihu Lake, one day the human race would drain the lake, forcing him to the brink of desolation?!

Moreover, they were completely helpless, forced into a state of utter desperation by this move!

The Yaksha leader knelt in panic, his forehead slamming heavily against the cracked jade brick, his voice trembling like a leaf:
"Your Majesty! A scout reports... This plan was devised by Jiang Xingzhou!"

Along the shores of Taihu Lake, millions of laborers worked day and night, and the news spread like wildfire... Jiang Xingzhou made a solemn pledge that he would drain Taihu Lake within a month!
In recent days, the water level of Taihu Lake has dropped by a full 300 zhang (approximately 150 meters). If this continues, within a month, Taihu Lake will become dried-up land!

Before the words were even finished, the entire Crystal Palace shook violently.

The throne beneath Ao Li Jiao's claws shattered inch by inch, and the Jiao's blood dripped down its golden scales, scorching black pits into the jade steps.

"Three hundred zhang...three hundred zhang!"

It roared to the sky, its bellowing causing the palace walls to crumble and peel away.

In just half a month, the water level has plummeted by 300 feet!
If this continues, the entire Taihu Lake will dry up completely in less than a month!

Until then--

The forty thousand water demons are like fish out of water, exposed to the scorching sun!
Without water, their water-based magic will be greatly weakened!
No matter how tough their scales or how strong their demonic power, without water, they are nothing more than fish on the chopping block of the human navy!
"Jiang Xingzhou...it's Jiang Xingzhou again!"

Ao Li Jiao's eyes were bloodshot, and his throat was churning with a sweet, metallic taste of dragon blood, which he was about to spit out.

That damned human boy
How could the methods be so ruthless?!
Even Fei Wuxin, the ruthless one from Wuxin Palace, didn't have such ruthless schemes!
Inside the Crystal Palace, there was an abyss of deathly silence.

The demons racked their brains for a solution, but were still at a loss!

The Imperial Fish Demon General's face was ashen, his fishtail weakly pounding against the dry jade steps, his voice hoarse as tearing silk:
"Once Taihu Lake completely dries up, we water demons will be separated from the water, and our demonic power will be reduced to less than one-tenth! How can we possibly fight against the human race? At that time, we will be trapped in the dried-up riverbed."

Its throat bobbed, but it couldn't finish its sentence.

At this moment, it was already considering retreating. If the situation turned bad, its only option was to flee back to the East China Sea.

The White-browed Marquis slammed his fist on the coral table, shattering it. His ferocious tiger stripes glowed with blood-red light under the surge of demonic power: "Brother Ao, rather than waiting to die, let's take advantage of the night, storm Taipu Gate, and fuck them!"

"Jiang Xingzhou—he's at Taipu Sluice Gate, clearing the largest outlet gate of Taihu Lake!"

Its fangs were menacing. "If this child is not eliminated, he will surely bring about the annihilation of my demon race!"

The demons in the hall suddenly began to breathe heavily.

The fierce dragon claws pierced deep into the throne, and the gilded armrests twisted and deformed under the immense force.

Can't wait any longer.

Every day, the water level drops by three to five zhang (approximately 10-15 meters).

Wait another half month for the water level to approach 100 feet below the surface.

They're going to be dried into fish jerky by the humans!
Blood churned in the dragon's eyes, reflecting the ever-approaching shoreline outside the palace.

"Send the order!"

"At midnight tonight, forty thousand water demons will emerge!"

"Target: Taipu Sluice Gate—"

The dragon's claws shattered the entire throne with a deafening crash, its roar sending dust swirling down the palace walls. Ao Li soared into the air, its scales radiating an overwhelming killing intent.
"Kill Jiang Xingzhou! It's a fight to the death!"

The night was deathly still, as dark as ink.

At the third quarter of midnight,

The water surface outside Taipu Sluice Gate rippled slightly, and a dark-colored water armor quietly emerged.

The Yaksha general's crimson eyes narrowed in the darkness as he gazed towards the sluice gate, scouting the human navy's situation.

Groups of two or three night watchmen, carrying torches, lazily patrolled along the gate wall.

Dark shadows loomed along the shore, and a navy's black command flag fluttered in the night wind.

Inside a huge naval camp nearby, candlelight blazed brightly.

Through the tent curtains,

A young man in a blue robe could be vaguely seen writing furiously at his desk, with a paperweight on the desk pressing down on a map of the Taihu Lake system!

There was not a single person within a hundred feet of him!
"It's him!"

The yaksha's pupils constricted sharply, and its claws unconsciously dug into the dam.

It silently sank into the water, swimming swiftly towards the lurking demon horde, and reported to the demon king Ao Li: "Your Majesty, Jiang Xingzhou—is in the military tent on the shore! The surroundings seem..."

suddenly--

"boom!!!"

A colossal wave, hundreds of feet high, erupted from the lake! A ferocious black dragon burst through the water and soared into the air, its roar shattering the night!

"Jiang Xingzhou!"

Ao Li's hundred-zhang-long dragon body stirred up a sky full of demonic clouds, his golden eyes burning with boundless rage, "Today I will make sure your soul is scattered!"

"kill--"

Forty thousand water monsters at the bottom of the lake roared in unison, their sound waves shattering the lake's surface!
Hundreds of crab generals, snake demon generals, shark demon generals, and turtle demon generals charged forward, their scales gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Giant waves surged into the sky, and demonic energy, like thick ink, soaked the night sky, completely obscuring the stars and moon!
Looking around -

The entire Taihu Lake was in an uproar!
The densely packed demon soldiers surged in like a tide, wave after wave pushing the previous one, layer upon layer, without end!
This is the most ferocious "Layered Wave Battle Technique" of the water demon clan.

The demon soldiers charging at the forefront wielded demon shields and halberds, their eyes bloodshot and fangs bared.

They knew perfectly well that any attack that landed on them was harmless, as their kin behind them would immediately cover their front.

The injured can simply sink to the bottom of the wave and be rescued and treated by their companions.

"boom!"

The first wave, ten feet high, crashed violently against the embankment, with thousands of harpoons gleaming coldly on its crest!

Immediately afterwards, the second and third giant waves followed one after another, one wave after another, forming a water wall tens of feet high in the blink of an eye!
They rushed toward the naval camp where Jiang Xingzhou was located on the bank of Taipu Sluice Gate.

The fierce dragon's body snaked among the waves, each black scale gleaming with a chilling light. It raised its head and roared angrily, the sound causing countless water columns to erupt from the lake's surface.

"Jiang Xingzhou! Today I'll show you what it truly means to overturn the sea and the sky!"

With each breath of the dragon, the entire Taihu Lake trembled!

"boom--"

A hundred-foot-high wave rose up in response!

The lake water surged backward, and the sky collapsed!

The towering, sun-obscuring wave wall, carrying tens of thousands of demon soldiers, crashed down on Taipu Gate like the collapse of the sky!

On the gate wall, the torches held by the night watchmen were all extinguished.

The whole world seemed to fall into a deathly silence at that moment.

Inside the tent, the candlelight flickered violently.

The young man in the green robe slowly put down his vermilion brush and looked up at the churning demonic clouds outside the tent.

"Ao Li!"

"finally come."

Jiang Xingzhou smiled slightly, flicked his sleeves, and stood up.

The curtains moved automatically even though there was no wind.

The young man stepped out of the tent with his hands behind his back, grasped the banner commanding the 100,000-strong navy in one hand, and his clothes remained motionless in the raging wind.

He calculated the water level of Taihu Lake every day, and it had dropped to a depth of three hundred feet, which was already close to the limit that the demon king Ao Li could endure.

It's likely that within the next two or three days, the demon army will launch a major offensive!

He used himself as "bait" and guarded the most important outlet of Taihu Lake—Taipu Sluice Gate—to lure Ao Li and his demon army to attack.

Behind him—

Hidden within the dikes on both sides of the Taipu Sluice, 100,000 powerful bows were quietly drawn!
In the shadows of the dam, Wei Guanlan gripped the command flag tightly, his knuckles turning white, his gaze piercing like a knife as he stared at the surging, monstrous tide on the lake's surface.

The official robes of this governor of Jiangnan were already soaked by the waves, yet he seemed completely unaware. Behind him—

Xue Chonghu's tiger-like eyes were wide open, Li Shouyi's long beard moved without wind, and the ten prefects were like ten unsheathed swords, firmly nailed to their respective battle positions.

Further back, the armor of hundreds of naval commanders gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

One hundred thousand powerful bows were drawn, ready to be released, the cold glint of the arrowheads forming a galaxy.

In the deathly silence, only the roar of the monstrous waves crashing against the shore could be heard.

And behind the army of 100,000—

Ten thousand students in blue robes stood solemnly on the road to Jiangnan.

Han Yugui's fingertips dug deeply into his palm, Cao An's copy of "Commentary on the Waterways Classic" was already soaked with cold sweat, and Lu Ming's lips trembled slightly, but he maintained the most standard attack posture.

At this moment, all eyes in Jiangnan Road were focused on the back of the young man in blue robes who was about to wave the banner and start the final battle.

(End of this chapter)