Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 158 The Difference Between the Poor and the Rich
"Shouldn't I be the one who stuffed people up a cow's ass?"

“It must have been you who did it. I’m making a living north of the Great Wall now. If those Japanese devils were to recklessly attack my settlement, do you think my slaves could hold them off?”

"Of course not!"

"If the Japanese devils were to come looking for you in Qiuhe Prefecture, what do you think their fate would be?"

A look of longing appeared on Cao Kun's face as he muttered to himself, "Then they'll all be stuffed into cow rear ends and paraded through the streets."

Yun Ce nodded and said, "You see, that's the point. From now on, no matter who asks, you'll say it was you who did it, and it has nothing to do with me."

Even if people ask me directly, I won't admit it.

Cao Kun waved his hand dismissively and said, "This matter has nothing to do with you."

Yun Ce deeply agreed.

It was late at night, and the old steward and the warrior leader Cao Ling were still reviewing the battle that night. The most important part of the review was to evaluate Yun Ce's performance.

"When Jin Jin advances, the drums stop, and the bugle calls to return, this young man has not overstepped the mark in the slightest. Moreover, he is brave when advancing, measured when stopping, and calm when returning. He is truly a hero in the army."

The old steward laughed after hearing Cao Ling's assessment, and pointed at Cao Ling's nose, saying, "Why don't you talk about his superb martial arts skills now?"

Cao Ling touched his nose and chuckled, "The previous judgment was made by that brute Cao Ling, but the current judgment is made by the warrior leader Cao Ling."

The old steward laughed and said, "I am very pleased with your current insight. Those who are petty and scheming cannot be generals, those who have no sense of the big picture cannot be generals, and those who have thunder in their hearts but calm faces can be supreme generals."

Now, the world is in turmoil, and the conflict between the Grand Marshal and the Emperor has entered its final stage. If the Grand Marshal wins, from now on the Emperor will be nothing but a clay statue; if the Emperor wins, the Grand Marshal will inevitably face the execution of his entire clan.

At this moment, it would be a huge gamble for the Cao family of Qiuhe Prefecture to choose whomever they side with or whichever side they side with. Therefore, we, the Cao family, will not choose one side; we will choose the Iron Enclosure Pass, the hope of the world.

You should understand the meaning of offering help in times of need.

Cao Ling nodded and said, "You're absolutely right, but Cao Kun, that child... sigh..."

The old butler chuckled and said, "What's wrong with this child? Isn't he good?"

Cao Ling said, "Yun's strategy is far superior."

The old butler chuckled and said, "Do you think there are many young people in this world more outstanding than Yun Ce?"

Cao Ling looked up and said, "Many."

"Do you think there are many nobles like Cao Kun who can bring us a lifetime of wealth and honor, a peaceful death, and leave a legacy of virtue for our descendants?"

Cao Ling straightened his expression, cupped his hands, and said, "One in ten thousand!"

The old steward covered his legs with the fur coat that Cao Kun had sent earlier, stroked the soft fur on the coat, and said softly, "What does it matter if this child's martial arts are not high? We can always find him a bodyguard with superb martial arts skills. What does it matter if this child is not smart? We can always find a famous person who can help him devise a plan."

The Cao family's glory of over 1,300 years has not faded to this day, which is the greatest support for this child himself. In addition, this child is kind and benevolent. Whether it is a brave warrior or a famous scholar, as long as they spend some time with this child, they can perceive his extraordinary merits.

The city lord of Jicheng, Fan Zheng, is an arrogant, fierce, and sharp-tongued man. My Cao family head has tried to kill him many times, but he has not only repelled them one by one, but also made him publicly list eighty-seven major faults of the Cao family, causing the Cao family to lose face. Only when the eldest son stepped forward, even with Fan Zheng's abilities, he could not criticize the eldest son in the slightest.

They could only attack the eldest prince with cowardice and lack of wisdom. However, when the eldest prince told the people of Jicheng that as long as they laid down their weapons and surrendered, he guaranteed that he would not kill anyone indiscriminately.

As a result, the eldest son entered the city without bloodshed, quelled the rebellion in Jicheng, and only killed Fan Zheng after entering the city. Even Fan Zheng's family members, including his son, were spared. Instead, they were given gold to leave Jicheng and find another way out.

To this day, Fan Zheng's family is still alive and well in Luoyang. Even if Fan Zheng were alive today, he couldn't find any fault with his eldest son after such a treatment.

Cao Ling listened to the old steward's rambling through gritted teeth, then said with a bitter face, "It's not as brilliant as you say. The eldest young master was just saying that in Chengxia."

The old steward laughed and said, "A work done unintentionally is a work done with sincerity. Don't worry about what state the young master was in at the time. Wasn't it him who ordered the rioters of Jicheng to surrender and promised not to kill anyone indiscriminately?"

Was it him who secretly released Fan Zheng's family afterward and didn't pursue them?

Cao Ling took a sip of water, still somewhat unconvinced, and said, "That's too childish."

The old steward's smile widened, and he pointed at Cao Ling, saying, "What do you know? In Qiuhe Prefecture today, which city is most loyal to the young master?"

Cao Ling replied without hesitation, "Jicheng!"

The old steward stroked the soft fur on his knee and murmured to himself, "Jicheng is the second largest city in Qiuhe Prefecture. Now it has almost become the young master's private city. This is the achievement that so many heroes and shrewd people dream of."

Cao Ling raised his hand to scratch his itchy scalp and chimed in, "Yeah, how did they do that? Just because the eldest young master is an idiot?"

The old steward sighed and said, "Perhaps this is what people often mean when they say, 'The benevolent are invincible.'"

Just as the two remained silent, the flame in the lamplight flickered, and Cao Kun hurried in. As soon as he entered, he grabbed the old steward's hand and said happily, "Just now, Yun Ce said that he can't afford to offend the Gui Fang people, so he decided to pin the fame of killing the Gui Fang ox cavalry and stuffing them into the ox's rear end on me. Uncle, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

The old steward's gaze sharpened as he looked at Cao Kun and asked, "Is Yun Ce really saying that?"

"Yes, yes, what Yun Ce just said, he felt a little sorry for me, and felt that pushing me out to take the blame for him was not something a good friend should do."

He also said that if anyone questions him when we reach the Iron Enclosure Pass, he should bring him out and declare that only by defeating him can he be qualified to question the matter of him killing three cavalrymen.

Uncle, should I admit it? I'm just really embarrassed.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

The old steward laughed so hard he almost choked. He pointed at Cao Kun for a long time before finally catching his breath and saying to Cao Ling, "You see? This is what it means to be a good warrior without any illustrious achievements!"

Yes, why not? Yun Ce is absolutely right. His settlement is north of the Great Wall, where most of the people are elderly, weak, women, and children. Even if Yun Ce is highly skilled in martial arts, how many can he protect by himself?

If the Guifang people send out a small team of fifty men and insist on not fighting Yun Ce, it will not be difficult for them to kill all the slaves under his command in time.

The title he dared not accept is now perfectly timed for the eldest son to take. Our purpose in going to Tiewei Pass this time is to befriend the people there.

What do the people there believe in most?
Naturally, it's force.

Now that the young master has achieved some notable victories, it's the perfect time to go to Iron Enclosure Pass to claim credit. Although it's just a minor title, it's a genuine military achievement from Iron Enclosure Pass. With this merit, who in the world would dare to laugh at the young master's lack of martial prowess anymore?

The warrior leader, Cao Ling, quickly stood up and said, "The cavalry that have already been pulled out should be put back in their original positions. Only in this way can we bring fame to the young master."

The old steward then looked at Cao Kun and asked, "How will you appease Yun Ce?"

Cao Kun scratched his head and said, "I discussed with Yun Ce that once his cultivated land has a large output, we will purchase grain and fodder from him and send it to Tiewei Pass. He also promised that he would participate in every grain and fodder escort."

"Hmm, this young man is really willing to put in a lot of effort for the Yuncheng he longs for. After establishing a relationship with you, there will be a fixed trade route from Jingkou Pass to Qiuhe Prefecture. With this trade route, it's only a matter of time before his settlements prosper."

Purchasing grain and fodder from him is significantly cheaper than buying from Qiuhe Prefecture, and there's less loss during transport. You can tell Yun Ce that we accept his proposal, and we can even add 20% to the market price when buying grain and fodder from him!

Upon hearing the old steward's words, Cao Kun immediately grabbed the old steward's shoulders and wailed, "Yun Ce is my brother, Uncle, you only raised the price by 20%, where am I supposed to put my face? I'll never be able to face him again."

The old steward grabbed Cao Kun, who was shaking wildly, and said sternly, "What do you want?"

Cao Kun spread five fingers and held them up to the old steward, saying, "Fifty percent!"

The old butler pushed aside the five fingers he had pressed against his eyes and said with some helplessness, "If we give him 50% more profit, our losses will be no different from this one."

Cao Kun grinned, showing off his white teeth, and said, "Anyway, it'll benefit someone else, so why can't it benefit my brother?"

The old steward looked intently at Cao Kun and said, "Do you really believe that he can build a magnificent city called Yuncheng north of the Great Wall?"

Cao Kun laughed and said, "So what if we fail? We're still young. We can always start over."

The old butler leaned back against the wool pillow and said to Cao Kun with a half-smile, "Starting over again is easier said than done."

Cao Kun laughed loudly, "Even if we fail, it's better than doing nothing."

The old steward closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. Cao Kun stood by him nervously, squatting down and massaging the old steward's legs while making strange noises that only a civet cat would make when it was sticking to someone.

After a long while, the old steward suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Cao Kun who was squatting beside him, and said, "Alright, fifty percent, fifty percent. I will go and talk to the head of the family, and I will make sure you don't lose face in front of your brothers."

"Great!"

Cao Kun jumped up, waved his hands wildly in the air a couple of times, and looked at the old steward, saying, "Uncle, what do you think of this move?"

The old butler asked, puzzled, "What is this?"

Cao Kun puffed out his chest proudly and said, "This is how I stuffed the Guifang ox cavalry into the ox's rear end. What do you think, sir?"

The old butler nodded somewhat blankly and said, "Of course, it's excellent..."

"I don't think it's good enough, so I'll go back and practice more. I'll make the heroes of Iron Enclosure cheer for me."

The old steward quickly said, "Although this matter can be publicized, it must not give others cause for criticism."

Cao Kun flicked a stray strand of hair and said smugly, "It's alright, Yun Ce will make sure they only praise me and don't slander me."

(End of this chapter)