Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 147 Good News from Jiangnan: Jiang Xingzhou Achieves 30% Success!

The bloody battle raged on all night.

The war drums of the 100,000-strong Jiangnan navy beat incessantly, and the warships cleaved through the crimson lake, unleashing a deluge of demon-slaying crossbow bolts like swarms of locusts.

The fleeing demon army was forced to the shallows, where the shells of the shrimp soldiers and crab generals gleamed with a dying sheen in the sunlight.

"kill--!"

On the embankment, tens of thousands of scholars and students pounced on the remnant demon like wolves and tigers.

Tang Yanqing wielded his brush, splashing ink as the strokes burst open into blooming blue lotuses, pinning a snake demon to the reef.
Congratulations on your mastery of poetry and literature, your sword of wits transforming into a streak of light, piercing the eye socket of a crab soldier.

"This turtle demon is mine, don't try to take it from me!"

Xu Canming leaped out from the floating ice, took out an inkstone and a precious writing implement, and smashed it down hard, splashing a spray of dark green demonic blood with a "bang".

The scholars from the ten prefectures of Jiangnan were already fighting tooth and nail for the war merits—the achievements in this battle would be excellent material for their essays in the autumn imperial examinations.

Governor Wei Guanlan has promised that the higher the demon-slaying record, the easier it will be to pass the first examination of the autumn imperial examination in Jiangnan this year!

Suddenly, a wolf demon's scream echoed from the west bank of Taihu Lake.

Several wolf demons were forced into the muddy reeds by the lake, struggling to move, while a small squad of Ice River Iron Cavalry emerged from the water.

Just as the lead wolf demon was about to break through, the entire reeds suddenly began to move without any wind.

"Wow!"

Wherever the cavalry of the Ice River troop trod, they turned into ice blocks; their halberds swept across like guillotines, and the wolf pack instantly became ice sculptures scattered all over the ground.

The students who rushed over to claim credit stood there dumbfounded—Jiang Xingzhou's poem "A Great Storm" had clearly been retracted, but the remaining talent of the Ice River Cavalry was still searching everywhere, autonomously killing enemies!
At dawn, the last catfish demon soldier, hidden deep in the mud, was shot to death by the soldiers at the Taipu Sluice Gate.

Forty thousand demon corpses covered the thirty-mile shore of Taihu Lake, and the lake water shimmered with an eerie seven-colored indigo blue.

The battle between the 100,000-strong Jiangnan navy and the Taihu demon court has finally come to an end!

The next day.

The first rays of dawn pierced the clouds, turning Taihu Lake golden red.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted on the dam—

After the decisive battle, millions of laborers flooded the lakeside like a tidal wave.

"Over here! Look, there's the remains of a crab general here!"

They carried bamboo baskets and burlap sacks, their eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.

A shirtless man suddenly lunged at the shallows and pulled half of a dark blue-green crab shell out of the mud.

Ice crystals still remained on the claw shells, refracting a rainbow halo in the morning light.

Trembling, he used his wood-chopping knife to split open the carapace, and unexpectedly pulled out a demon core the size of a pigeon egg from the flesh—golden and brimming with demonic energy.

This is an excellent material for refining alchemy pills. Scholars who have practiced Taoist alchemy will pay a high price for it!
"We're rich! We're rich now!"

The man held the demon core high, tears mingling with sweat and mud streaming down his face. "I have the money for my mother's treatment! And I have my daughter's dowry!"

One demon general's inner core is worth at least ten years of his hard-earned money.

Not far away, three poor boys were excitedly working together to drag the three-zhang-long corpse of a snake demon.

The frost that had formed on the snake scales cut their palms, and the blood dripping onto the snake's eyes made a hissing, burning sound.

These scales can be used to forge scale armor weapons, which can sell for "sky-high prices"!
"careful!"

The eldest boy suddenly shouted, "This snake demon's head can move!"

The teenagers quickly dodged!

Before the words were finished, the snake carcass suddenly convulsed violently, writhing in the mud and baring its foul-smelling fangs!
Merchants and alchemists from all over Jiangnan flocked to Taihu Lake upon hearing the news!
A makeshift market has sprung up along the Taihu Lake dike. Tens of thousands of demon soldiers and generals—that's a staggering fortune.

"Fresh black carp liver! Three taels of silver per piece!"

"Demon General's Turtle Blood! Turtle Blood! The last three bottles!"

A lean merchant was scooping demon blood from a glass bottle with a silver spoon: "Sir, look, this blood even has golden threads in it. It's definitely the blood of a turtle demon general. This is a great tonic for your blood and qi! If you are injured, boil this blood into a soup, and it will be extremely nourishing!"

Suddenly, the entire market fell silent.

People all looked toward the lake—where a nine-headed siren horse floated, its body covered in sword marks.

"It is the siren horse of the Demon Emperor Ao Li!"

"That's a top-grade sea monster medicine for tonifying the kidneys and enhancing male virility!"

Someone trembled.

Before the words were even finished, more than ten figures in official robes had already walked away across the water.

Inside the camp of the commander-in-chief of the Jiangnan Navy, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Sima Dushang knelt on one knee, the bloodstains on his armor still wet: "Reporting to my lord, in this battle our army suffered 3,721 casualties, but killed 40,000 demons! The remnants of the Demon King Ao Li, the White-browed Marquis, and the Royal Fish Demon Commander have fled into the East Sea. Should we pursue them?"

"No need."

Wei Guanlan gently stroked the sword tassel, the string of coral beads gleaming blood-red in the morning light. "Just a few stray dogs."

Without the demon army, they can't cause any trouble!

This time, with minimal losses, they annihilated 40,000 demon troops of the Taihu Demon Court—a great achievement to report to the imperial court. Even though a few powerful demons escaped, it didn't matter.

He suddenly used the tip of his sword to lift the tent flap—

Outside the tent, hundreds of thousands of laborers were carrying tens of thousands of demon soldiers' corpses like ants.

Further away, engineers were already measuring the lake shore, with gray wooden stakes extending all the way to the horizon, in preparation for the massive water conservancy project.

"Without the demon army causing trouble, we can proceed with the Taihu Lake water conservancy project with peace of mind!"

Wei Guanlan slammed his sword sheath heavily on the ground, quite satisfied.

"Pass on the order."

One million laborers continued construction of the Taihu Lake Hub Project, waiting for the water level of Taihu Lake to drop by 100 zhang (approximately 33 meters).
The sea monsters of the East Sea could no longer stand here!
This will eliminate future troubles!

He squinted at the island in the lake shrouded in morning mist, full of vigor, "I will carve an inscription on that basalt rock, titled 'Inscription by Governor Wei to Suppress the Demons of Taihu Lake'!"

"Yes!"

The naval commanders received their orders and went out of their tents to get to work.

After the generals filed out, the tent suddenly fell silent, with only the dripping of the water clock remaining.

Wei Guanlan walked around the table three times with his hands behind his back. The hem of his black official robe swept across the blue bricks, stirring up a wisp of dust. Suddenly, he stopped, his five fingers pressing down on the rosewood table, his knuckles white.

"Bring me Chengxintang paper."

As the attendant presented the Snow Wave Letter, the governor was lightly tapping the inkstone with a deer antler hairpin.

The sheep's hair brush is fully dipped in pine soot ink, and the tip of the brush hangs half an inch above the paper, with a drop of ink about to fall.

Your subject Guanlan is filled with trepidation and humility. I bow my head and respectfully report the war situation to Your Majesty.

First, the demon army was wiped out, and 50,000 were captured.
I, your subject, have been ordered by Heaven to punish the rebellious forces. I have led 100,000 naval troops from Jiangnan Circuit, along with 10,000 prefectural governors and 10,000 Confucian scholars from the Imperial Academy, to hunt at Taihu Lake and suppress the treacherous demon Ao Li who has taken over the lake.

Thanks to Your Majesty's divine might and the soldiers' valiant efforts, after a month of bloody battle, the demon army was utterly defeated at the Taipu Dam.

They slew three hundred demon generals and three thousand rebels, killed more than fifty-seven thousand demon soldiers, burned their dragon silk palaces, and wiped out the evil influence.

The demon corpses piled up like mountains, and the lake water was stained with blood. The bandits' forces collapsed from that moment on.

Although our army fought bravely, the enemy forces were fierce and stubborn, and we suffered more than three thousand casualties. This was all due to my poor command and inability to achieve a complete victory. I humbly beg Your Majesty to punish me.

Secondly, water conservancy projects required the mobilization of manpower.
With the scourge eliminated, I noticed that the waterways of Taihu Lake were silted up, with over three hundred li of flooded fields. The canals were blocked, making navigation difficult. Therefore, following the sacred texts of the Waterways Department, I conscripted two million laborers to repair the dikes and embankments around Taihu Lake.
Five hundred thousand cubic meters of Taihu stones were quarried.

It took three million catties of iron to cast the sluice gate.
Thirty new sluice gates, including Linghu Sluice Gate and Fanlang Sluice Gate, were built.

The waterway leading to the sea was dredged and widened to twenty zhang (approximately 13 meters) to facilitate water transport and irrigation, thus eliminating the threat of water monsters forever.

The project was massive, yet the elderly and weak carried brooms and dustpans, women and children passed around food and drink, and the strong tamped the earth day and night. The people were enthusiastic and all praised the emperor's virtue.

Your Majesty, I will strictly supervise the construction schedule and ensure that the water conservancy project is completed as soon as possible, so as to demonstrate Your Majesty's love for the people.

Thirdly, Jiang Xingzhou, a student, made outstanding contributions.

When the demon army was rampant, Jiang Xingzhou, a scholar from Jiangzhou, though without official rank, was loyal and brave. He took the lead, using "On the Love of Lotus" to defeat three thousand rebels and "A Great Storm" to confront Ao Li's demon army, causing chaos among the demon army and allowing our army to take advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack.

This young man possesses both wisdom and courage; he is truly a man of national talent. I humbly recommend him, and beseech Your Majesty's grace to reward him, so as to encourage loyalty and righteousness throughout the land.

Your subject Guanlan bows deeply and respectfully submits this report.

July of the fifteenth year of Tian Shou.

[Respectfully submitted by Wei Guanlan, Prefect of Jiangnan Circuit]
Wei Guanlan carefully considered the memorial.

The memorial presented three achievements, with Jiang Xingzhou listed as the sole one.

He pondered for a moment, then solemnly made the final stroke, and then personally sealed it with sealing wax. The bronze official seal gleamed under the candlelight, pressing heavily on the silk.

This report on military achievements

It would travel along the official road of the Three Departments and Six Ministries—the vermilion edict of the Ministry of Personnel, the purple ribbon of the Secretariat, and finally be presented before the dragon desk in the nine-layered palace.

The imperial court will reward and promote officials in Jiangnan Circuit in turn, according to his memorial.

According to regulations, he should only have listed the names of the prefects of each prefecture and the naval commanders.

Jiang Xingzhou was merely a scholar who had passed the county-level imperial examination.

Before passing the imperial examinations and being granted an official position, even the greatest military achievements could not earn one a single inch of civil official rank or honor.

They could only receive royal rewards—such as literary treasures, wealth, land, and residences.

Of course, one could also be conscripted into the army as a scholar and promoted to a high rank such as "Guerrilla General" or "Cavalry Captain," enjoying tax exemption and exemption from military service!
However, the upper limit for military officers is too low; their official rank is no higher than that of the Ministry of War.

Jiang Xingzhou wanted to pursue the civil service examination path, so it was impossible for him to take the purely military path.

After much deliberation, Wei Guanlan still included Jiang Xingzhou in the battle report, even writing a separate entry specifically about Jiang Xingzhou's achievements.

he knows,
After the autumn imperial examinations in Jiangnan, Jiang Xingzhou will go to the capital to take the spring imperial examinations next year.

The waters of the Great Zhou imperial city are unfathomably deep.

The ancient sage families on both sides of Zhuque Avenue were solemn and imposing, and the carriages of kings, nobles, and meritorious officials had trampled over the ambitions of countless scholars. Countless forces had occupied the imperial city.

Countless brilliant talents were suppressed in the imperial city, ultimately becoming unknown figures beneath the vermilion gates and screen walls.

—This report of military achievements, written in the hand of the governor, will penetrate the layers of review of the three provinces and six ministries, cross the high walls of the palace, directly reach the emperor's ears!
His Majesty will know that there is such a talented person in Jiangnan Province who has made outstanding military achievements and left an excellent impression.

In the future, when Jiang Xingzhou competed for the title of "Jinshi" in the provincial and palace examinations, this memorial became his most important bargaining chip!
"This report of victory should be sent to the Ministry of War immediately!"

Wei Guanlan gave the order in a deep voice.

"As ordered!"

The envoy accepted the sealed memorial with both hands, mounted his horse, spurred it on, and galloped straight towards the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Imperial City of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Secretariat.

The vermilion gate slowly opened, and the copper nails gleamed coldly in the twilight.

"Report! Urgent military intelligence from Jiangnan Circuit!"

The clerk on duty took the sealed letter with sealing wax from the messenger, and paused slightly when his fingertips touched the governor's seal.

The water clock dripped in the corridor, echoing the distant drumbeats of the palace.

This unusual report of the great victory by the governor of Jiangnan Circuit is flowing along the power lines of the Great Zhou Dynasty towards the most secluded core of the Three Departments and Six Ministries of the Holy Dynasty.

The Ministry of Personnel, on duty.

The bronze incense burner emitted wisps of smoke, and the candlelight flickered between the vermilion pillars.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried boots and the clanging of armor could be heard outside the palace.

"Report!"

The messenger knelt on one knee, holding a sealed letter with sealing wax high in both hands, his voice piercing through the heavy twilight: "Emergency dispatch from Jiangnan Circuit, eight hundred li away!"
A battle report personally written by Prefect Wei Guanlan—A great victory!

As the last word fell, the candlelight in the room flickered suddenly.

The Minister of State paused slightly in his ivory tablet, and the undried vermilion mark on the silk memorial shone as brightly as fresh blood under the lamplight.

"The Taihu Demon Court was completely wiped out within a month?"

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Pei Shiheng, trembled slightly, and the memorial clattered.

He suddenly stood up, and the ivory tablet slammed onto the sandalwood table with a "click".

The celadon brush washer on the table swayed in the breeze from his sleeve, and the water reflected his suddenly contracted pupils—

Minister Pei Shiheng's face was ashen, and a sinister aura appeared in the candlelight. "Normally speaking, even if we mobilize the border troops of the three towns and the elite of the Longxiang and Huben Guards, it would take half a year, or even a year, to fight to have any hope of wiping out the Taihu Demon Army."

Moreover, the imperial court did not allocate a single soldier or a single tael of silver to the Jiangnan Circuit.

With only the naval forces of the ten prefectures of Jiangnan, which had not fought a major battle for many years, defeat was highly likely.

Jiangnan Circuit was the wealthiest prefecture in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Its grain transport, salt tax, textile production, and financial revenue—the salt tax alone was equivalent to the annual income of three prefectures, and its textile industry supported half of the imperial city. Every single one of these was a lucrative position dripping with gold.
Countless people in the Great Zhou Dynasty are eyeing the position of Governor of Jiangnan Circuit!
Countless eyes were watching from the shadows, waiting for this governor to make a grave mistake and fall from his position as governor of Jiangnan Circuit, so that they could take his place.

Those wolf-like eyes were probably about to bleed.

Pity!
This good news has now become a stepping stone for Wei Guanlan's rapid promotion. The prestigious positions in the Three Provinces and Six Ministries have probably been polished to a gleaming shine for him.

"What a fine Wei Guanlan!"

Pei Shiheng's fingertips traced the glaring red annotations on the memorial, then he suddenly stopped—

The candlelight flickered as Minister Pei Shiheng slowly closed the memorial, his fingertips tracing the line of vermilion annotations, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, a soft sigh echoed in the duty room.

"This memorial to the throne records three achievements: the slaying of the Taihu Lake demon, the construction of water conservancy projects, and the meritorious service of navigating the Yangtze River."

His gaze lingered on the last line: "Scholar Jiang Xingzhou, alone in his own right."

The brush tip hovers above the inkstone, and a drop of ink falls silently, spreading a hideous outline on the rice paper.

—Was Wei Guanlan really willing to give all his three-tenths meritorious service to a mere scholar?
This is probably to pave a smooth road for this scholar's future—to prepare him in advance for the provincial and imperial examinations!

I wonder what connections this scholar Jiang Xingzhou has that have earned Wei Guanlan such high regard?
"It is proposed to be sent to the Secretariat."

Pei Shiheng pondered for a moment, then put down his vermilion brush, the ink forming beads on the three characters "Jiang Xingzhou".

The dull thud of the memorial closing startled the crows perched under the eaves.

The imperial edict from the Secretariat arrived extremely quickly.

Since they couldn't find any fault or wrongdoing on Wei Guanlan, the governor of Jiangnan Circuit, the three provinces had no choice but to let him pass freely.

This victory report, steeped in the stench of Taihu Lake, finally traveled up the imperial steps and landed steadily on the sandalwood table adorned with nine dragons, where the dragon-patterned incense burner emitted wisps of smoke.

(End of this chapter)