Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 90 Getting Rich? It's Impossible Not to!
As the convoy drew closer to Izumo City, they discovered that there were more dogs here than they had seen in the wasteland, and these dogs were noticeably more aggressive.

Even during the day, many stags tried to approach the caravan. If the chestnut horse hadn't been fast and trampled many stags to death to establish its authority, perhaps even more stags would have rushed over.

Seeing that the chestnut horse was enough to keep the large group of dogs away, Yun Ce simply dismounted from the chestnut horse and walked with Steward Qiu, letting the chestnut horse do as it pleased.

The chestnut horse was a wild animal, swinging its four massive hooves like copper hammers. It trampled the nearby dog ​​skins until their intestines were torn apart, and it didn't even spare the dog skins in the distance. What's more, it even broke up the fight between two giant dog skins that were vying for the title of dog king.

The two crazed near-king dogs chased the chestnut horse to the side of the caravan, where they were shot dead by Yun Ce with an arrow. The arrow pierced the horse's brain, leaving the hide intact.

Seeing the two dog skins, each the size of a calf, lying on the ground, Steward Qiu realized that the Grand Steward's martial prowess might even surpass that of the Thunder Smoke Beast.

The hunters quickly peeled off the dog skin, and Steward Qiu folded it neatly, presented it to Yun Ce, and blew on it with a smile, instantly creating a vortex on the skin.

"Master Steward, look, this dog skin is a fine product for the dead of winter. Although it is not as valuable as the hide of wild beasts, when it comes to keeping warm, there is no better hide in the world than dog skin."

Yun Ce retrieved the arrow, touched the arrowhead and found it was undamaged, then put it back in the quiver. He didn't care much for the dog skin that Steward Qiu had sent, as it was a mix of black and yellow fur. He told them to sell it in Chuyun City and use the money to buy the supplies they needed.

Manager Qiu placed the dog skin on the carriage and looked worriedly at Izumo City on the horizon. He said to Yun Ce, "I wonder how many people died in Izumo City to attract so many dog ​​skins."

Yun Ce shook the token in his hand and said, "With this, we have no restrictions on where we come and go."

Manager Qiu naturally knew the origin of this sign. Normally, this sign might be useful, but now, after hearing from people in other villages that the people in Yuncheng all had bloodshot eyes and hated the government, he was afraid that this thing would not work in the end.

If possible, Steward Qiu would not want to go in and out of Yun City, but thinking of his wife and children at home who were crying for food, Steward Qiu could only place all his hopes on the handsome young chief steward in front of him.

There were even more dog skins at the foot of the city wall. The strangest thing was that these dog skins were all lying on the ground. As soon as something was thrown down from the city wall, they would swarm over it, and the scene was as swift as waves being blown up by a strong wind.

It became much more difficult for Yun Ce's caravan to enter the city. Fortunately, the caravan was not large. Yun Ce used his lance to clear the way, and his chestnut horse frolicked around the caravan. The other hunters also picked up their weapons. For a time, the dogs were helpless against the caravan in front of them.

Just as the city gate was in sight, a loud, piercing bark came from afar. Manager Qiu's expression changed drastically, and he quickly took two steps to Yun Ce, saying, "Hurry up and get into the city. These dogs may have elected a remarkable dog king this time."

With that long, drawn-out bark, the dogs surrounding Yun Ce's cavalry retreated like a tide. They didn't linger below the city walls; instead, they all ran wildly in the direction of the bark.

The towering gates of Izumo Castle were wide open, with defensive fortifications such as barricades placed on the other side of the gate openings. This showed that the soldiers were more concerned about the people inside the city than about the spies outside.

The convoy entered the city under the cold gazes of the officers and soldiers. This was Yun Ce's first time entering the city, and he did not pay the city entry tax.

After entering the city, Yun Ce smiled as he looked along the straight avenue in front of him. The once bustling street was now deserted, with not a soul in sight. Only the cool sunlight of the winter month fell on the ground, and occasionally a few leaves were blown from one end of the street to the other by the wind.

The dog also noticed this change and said in Yun Ce's mind, "Is this the man-made disaster caused by tyranny?"

Yun Ce said, "That's right, and that's what many ambitious people hope to see."

"What about you?"

"I'm waiting for them to fail, waiting for them to sacrifice their lives for their ideals before our ideals will emerge. Such noble ideals, if they emerge easily, no one will cherish them."

Seeing Yun Ce standing there frozen, Steward Qiu said with a sob in his voice, "Grand Steward, what should we do? There's no one here, no caravans. Who are we going to trade with?"

Without hesitation, Yun Ce replied, "Naturally, it's a transaction with the government."

Manager Qiu asked, "A transaction with the government?"

Yun Ce said impatiently, "What do you think the government is relying on to control the situation now that they have lost all their prestige? It's undoubtedly supplies. If they couldn't even control the supplies, the city would have been in chaos long ago."

Before Yun Ce could even ask, an official in armor walked over and asked coldly, "Where did these supplies come from?"

Yun Ce handed the plaque in his hand to the official and said, "The Royal Hunting Grounds have already paid their tribute. Now we've come to the city to exchange mountain products from Gaoliang Mountain for grain, cloth, lamp oil, and other miscellaneous goods."

After carefully examining the tax plaque, the official breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time, he removed his hand from the hilt of his sword and bowed to Yun Ce, saying, "So you are a colleague from the Royal Hunting Grounds. To be honest, your Royal Hunting Grounds were almost the first government office outside Yunzhou to complete the tribute. I admire you greatly."

Yun Ce gave a wry smile and said, "It's a long story. The Royal Hunting Grounds are currently waiting for food to cook. I would be extremely grateful if you could help me out." The official smiled knowingly and said, "I just don't know whether the grain and cloth should be transported back to the Royal Hunting Grounds or left in Chuyun City."

Yun Ce's eyes narrowed, and he immediately grabbed a coin worth a thousand coins and held it in his hand. He pretended to be friendly and took the hand of the official surnamed Cao, saying, "Naturally, I need to transport it back to the Royal Hunting Grounds to feed my wife, children, and elderly parents. Please teach me, brother."

All officials in the world are pretty much the same. As soon as Yun Ce's palm was empty, he knew that the coin worth a thousand coins had gone into the man's sleeve. After the money was taken away, the man stopped talking and pulled Yun Ce to the treasury behind the governor's office.

Upon entering, Yun Ce was almost stunned. Various supplies were piled up like mountains. The official surnamed Cao didn't even ask what Manager Qiu and his men had brought. He directly told Manager Qiu to select enough goods to fill twenty-three carts from the mountain of goods.

Yun Ce and Lao Cao went to the official residence at the entrance to drink water and chat.

Back in the warehouse, Old Cao seemed to perk up immediately. He took off his heavy helmet, plopped down on the prayer mat, and wailed at Yun Ce, "This is the first legitimate and proper job that I've done in many days."

Yun Ce cupped his hands and said, "Brother Cao, you are now in a high position, why are you so troubled?"

Old Cao said with a wry smile, "In the past, with so many supplies, I could naturally make a fortune. But now, these supplies are like a volcano. I'm sitting right on the crater, wishing you would move all the goods out of the warehouse right now."

Yun Ce thought for a moment and said, "Brother Cao has done me a favor today, so I will do you a favor in return. If things don't work out in Chuyun City, you can come to my Royal Hunting Grounds. Although it is not as bustling as Chuyun City, it is quiet and safe."

Old Cao opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately kept it closed. He simply bowed respectfully to Yun Ce, seemingly deeply grateful for what Yun Ce had just said.

And after saying that, he left.

So, Yun Ce, understanding perfectly, was like a mouse entering a granary. He threw away everything that Steward Qiu and the others had packed and repacked it. He replaced all the Yishu powder with white rice, and all the bitter-tasting grass with various nutritious beans. As for Yishu cloth, he naturally packed the best of it. Even the expensive silks, Yun Ce packed two boxes of without hesitation...

When the convoy loaded with goods was tremblingly driven out of the warehouse by Manager Qiu and his group, Yun Ce felt that the dragon ball on his wrist seemed to have become much heavier, and he could still hear the dog's shrill barking.

"You try to control me with morality. Look at yourself, where do you get your morality from?"

"The lower my moral standards are, the lower yours are too. That's a good thing for you, so why are you yelling?"

"That's not how it is, that's not how it is. Morality isn't something you can weigh by the pound. You're wrong."

"Get away from me, you're making so much noise."

When Yun Ce left the warehouse, he noticed that the six guards with swords were gone. He turned around and called to Steward Qiu to go back. When he came out again, he was carrying ten good sheep to pull the cart, and he was also carrying a huge cage with six small birds with yellow beaks, white eyebrows, and black wings inside.

Steward Qiu stammered, "Grand Steward, is this really alright?"

Ignoring the dog's increasingly pitiful howls in his mind, Yun Ce picked at his ear and said, "This is your only chance to make a fortune in your life. If you let it go, you're destined to be a pauper for the rest of your life."

Manager Qiu glanced at the hunters whose legs were as weak as his own, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "We'll do as the head steward says."

Yun Ce sighed and said, "These benefits aren't free. Soon, many, many people will be moving into our Royal Hunting Grounds."

Manager Qiu's eyes widened as he asked, "How can we afford to support them?"

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "We don't need to support them. They can support themselves. We don't need to worry about leaving the city either. Someone will take care of everything."

Manager Qiu still couldn't understand, his eyes filled with confusion.

Yun Ce laughed and said, "You don't understand officialdom. You'll understand when we get to the city gate."

Manager Qiu stammered, "My sister is still in the city. I was planning to go see her."

Yun Ce clicked his tongue and said, "Today, you, the manager of the Royal Hunting Grounds, have truly tasted the power. I'll give you one hour to take your sister and her whole family back to the Royal Hunting Grounds. You can come back after the battle in the city is over."

(End of this chapter)