Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 203 Huaijiang Mountain's Flat Garden (Back Garden)

At noon the next day, according to the divination, the sky was dry and windy. Xuan Chong, with the three-headed warrior Kui as the vanguard, mobilized all his troops, including those who had just arrived from the four counties of Lingjiang that morning, a total of eight thousand men, to prepare for a decisive battle on this front.

As the army approached a patch of withered, yellow hedges, the hedges slowly opened; Xuan Chong dispatched a troop of cavalry to meet them. Immediately afterwards, the messenger reported back: "An envoy has arrived from the Sea of ​​Trees."

Right next to Xuan Chong, Wu Zhantie asked, "The envoy?" "There's this kind of thing among those blockheads?" — However, Xuan Chong ignored this ignorant fellow. Wu Zhantie scratched his head awkwardly and turned to look for someone else to confirm.

Angri, standing nearby, pointed out, "My lord, look over there. That's the winged person. Her hair is golden, and she wears an emerald pendant on her chest. This envoy holds a very high position within the winged race."

After confirming through Angri's introduction that they were royalty of the Forest Feathered People, Xuan Chong nodded: "Let's talk. Oh, but we need to be careful about what we talk about. We welcome a change of allegiance, but as for asking us to retreat, that's out of the question."

Xuan Chong then gave Wu Zhantie a meaningful look, and then said to Ang Ri in a serious tone, "Remember to ask for some handsome servants. Those young men down there are eager to please, so they shouldn't be picky."

When Wu Zhantie was stared at by Xuan Chong, he quickly waved his hands and said, "I, I, I'm not."

Xuan Chong looked at him and chuckled.

A few minutes later, the messenger sent by Angri responded: "Boss, they are here on behalf of the Tree People to sue for peace."

Xuan Chong was slightly taken aback, then asked jokingly, "Seek peace?"

…defeat and humiliation…

After being greeted by heavily armed men, the Queen of the Forest Feathered Clan overcame her fear of the Dark Army and, maintaining her royal decorum, addressed Angri: "I am an envoy from the Thorn Tree Sea, and I wish to meet the highest military commander of the Xiren Clan army."

However, Angri politely replied, "That's impossible. Your supreme will has not stepped forward, and our military leader has no intention of engaging in dialogue with you."

Hesitantly, the Forest Queen raised the green gem on her chest, signifying that she was the queen of the Feathered Clan in this forest.

Angri paused slightly, then said in a gentle tone, "Your Majesty, Queen of the Feathered Clan, I will go and inform her on your behalf."

In the position, Xuan Chong pondered for a moment, then said, "Heh, so what if she's the Queen? The Tree Man still has the final say."

Angri nodded: "I'll go and get back to you right away."

Xuan Chong waved his hand: "Bring her to see me. Oh, and change her into a silk dress. Also, take off that gemstone from her chest."

Xuan Chong felt that the security measures implemented by the emperor were worth learning from.

After Angri made the arrangements, Xuan Chong turned and glanced at the soldiers beside him. The soldiers stared at Xuan Chong with their mouths agape, as if to say, "Aren't you going to fight anymore?"

Xuan Chong then gave Shen Wanqing the order: "Use Zhan Kui as the vanguard and burn down the forest on the east side." The soldiers below immediately sprang into action and responded in unison.

…asking while hitting…

The Queen was led into the army camp, and after changing her clothes, she discovered that the army had already moved and was advancing towards the hedgerow. She immediately came out and questioned Ange about why they had launched the attack.

Angri was also very surprised. Since the commander wanted him to summon the Feather Clan Queen, he obviously wanted to talk. Why would he launch an attack?
However, Angri dared not question Xuan Chong and brought the Forest Queen to Xuan Chong. The Forest Queen then became aggressive and prepared to question him.

Xuan Chong stood on the high platform, a large peacock beside him. He pointed to the forest queen, who, like a phoenix gazing at a sparrow, watched the "fireworks" with him. The queen was awestruck by the peacock's terrifying aura. She recognized the large bird; after all, peacocks had come to the south from time to time over the past few centuries to catch and eat a few members of the Feathered Clan, much like birds catch moths. These events were recorded on the Feathered Clan's stone tablets, but now this divine beast was the mount of the "Northern Ruler."

After a large number of flames ignited a corner of the trees, the cannons roared, causing a grove of trees to collapse. The shelling created a firebreak, causing the flames on the tree people's side to disappear after burning a patch, but this instilled fear in the tree people! Xuan Chong then sent Shen Wanqing to make a message.

Shen Wanqing: "Heaven cherishes life. Our army can now annihilate your forces. What I just said was merely a warning. If you still dare to remain obstinate, we will surely wipe you out."

The rustling of leaves echoed through the forest, the whispers of the woods. They were aggrieved; they had sent the Forest Feather Clan Queen to negotiate, wanting to establish a "covenant agreement" according to the Heavenly Dao system of the Yao people, so why did they have to burn down the forest over a mere disagreement?

…rename…

Xuan Chong turned around and asked the Forest Feather Clan Queen with a calm and gentle demeanor, "What special products do you have here?"

In the eyes of the Forest Queen, this commander of the Dark Army was threatening to demand war reparations, so she said, "We possess jewels, as well as gold and silver ornaments."

Xuan Chong waved his hand: "These things are what people who have no worries about food and clothing care about; I mean pine resin, mountain honey, things that ordinary people can eat and use."

The Forest Queen was taken aback; she lived in symbiosis with the tree spirits and knew nothing of these things.

Xuan Chong: "What's your name?"

Forest Queen: "My name is Alison White Moon Calant..."

Xuan Chong stopped her from chanting the incantation: "What does Allison mean?"

After some translation, it can be translated as "noble truth".

Xuan Chong pondered: He had originally planned to name her according to the free translation, but "Noble Truth"? That name was too arrogant.

Xuan Chong: Calling her that is like singing her praises, which is too lenient on her.

Xuan Chong raised his head and said to her, "I name you 'Yingzhao'; from now on, you will stay and serve me."

The Forest Feather Queen, oh, now called Yingzhao, accepted the name and could barely understand the word "servant," so she walked to the side and obediently knelt down.

Because on the other side of the forest, the powerful ancient trees have already submitted, willing to surrender to the king of the Xiren tribe and form a pact.

Xuan Chong took out a piece of jade, carved his name on it with a knife, and then used his own blood as a scalding agent to complete the carving. After that, he handed the white jade plaque to her.

Angri paused for a moment, while the giant tree-man knelt and waited for Xuan Chong's forgiveness. Xuan Chong, however, casually handed the jade token to his servant (the Forest Feather Clan Queen), now called Yingzhao.

While Angri was in a daze, Xuan Chong beckoned him over and asked, "Angri, do you want a wife? If you do, just say the word and I'll arrange one for you right away."

Angri was stunned for a moment, then looked at Yingzhao kneeling on the ground and quickly said, "General, she is your maid."

Xuan Chong corrected: "My attendant is Pingpu of my company's 'Huaijiangshan'. Cough cough cough, he's the gardener who helps me manage the thorny area."

Angri nodded upon hearing this: "Your Excellency is wise."

Xuan Chong: "Don't interrupt, do you want a wife?!"—Although he was asking, his hand was on Ang Ri's shoulder, leaving him no room to refuse.

Wu Zhantie hesitated, "General, I can."

Xuan Chong turned his head and glanced at him, saying, "Why are you still here? Didn't I just make you run laps in the back?"

Xuan Chong then ordered his personal guards: "Get this disgraceful thing out of here."

After dealing with his own scoundrels, Xuan Chong turned to Ang Ri and continued his interrogation: "The Crow People and the Feathered People don't have reproductive isolation, do they?"

Ang Ri: "This?" Under Xuan Chong's intense gaze: "No."

Xuan Chong: "Is her bloodline not noble?"

Angri: "Me?" Xuanchong: "Then it's settled! Yingzhao, this is the man you will serve from now on. Your offspring will be the lords of this land, directly under my command and that of my direct descendants."

Yingzhao was stunned. She had originally thought that becoming a maid after being defeated meant serving this great master, but instead she was given to the Northern Feather Clan mage who had brought her here.

Yingzhao hurriedly asked, "Great Ruler, but what about the Lord of the Forest?"

Xuan Chong looked at her coldly, and said to Ang Rilai beside him, "You are the lord of the Feathered People. I summoned you here to decide the future of the Feathered People. As for the Forest Tree People! You are not their ruler and have no right to make demands on my behalf."

Angri suddenly realized. This was the reason why "he agreed to meet with Yingzhao, but ruthlessly used cannon fodder to deal with Shuren."

Xuan Chong: "Who can make the decisions, and with whom should we negotiate? After military conquest, regardless of which forces are involved, I will only talk to the party that can make the decisions about what they can decide."

Therefore, Xuan Chong had almost forced Ang Ri to accept Ying Zhao, with the aim of separating the Forest Feather Clan from the Forest Tree People.

Xuan Chong: "Accepting the Tree People's dispatch of vassals to deliver the negotiation letter is different from setting aside the Feathered Clan and letting the Tree People negotiate in person. In the former case, the Tree People surrender with the Feathered Clan, but the Feathered Clan remains a vassal; but in the latter case, the Tree People represent us, and the Feathered Clan becomes our army's spoils of war."

Although the Feathered Race is still influenced by the Forest Treants, they are essentially bound by the investiture from the Southern Frontier General's Mansion. Furthermore, if the Feathered Race were to be enslaved by the forest in the future, this would serve as a pretext for future wars.

The local resources of the Thorn region cannot be fully acquired through a single war; multiple wars are required.

Of course, this was a very good result for Angri; his clan of crows had been completely integrated into a larger group.

…the majesty of the Crimson Emperor…

On the other side, after the tree people had been waiting anxiously for several hours, Xuan Chong made his appearance riding a peacock.

The immense pressure emanating from the divine beast made these thousand-year-old tree spirits feel uncomfortable. Eighteen, twisting his rough, bark-covered face, said, "Great King, we are extremely grateful for your mercy in sparing our lives."

Xuan Chong looked at the jade cong it was holding. He had learned about its purpose from Jiamu De; it was used for oaths.

Jamud said that this magical artifact has a powerful contractual force. Xuan Chong did not believe in karma or retribution, but he was very happy that the tree spirit had shown such an attitude.

So a treaty was handed to him.

Article 1: Construct three roads through the Thorn Ridge, and the General's Mansion of Yongji Pass shall control the land within a 20-kilometer radius on both sides of the roads.

Article 2: The Xiren tribe is entitled to build castles on this land; and both parties shall sign a treaty to determine the trade volume of "Cao Huan Dan" and jungle specialties.

Article 3: The Forest Winged Clan shall be under the military protection of the Wu Family Army. The Forest Tree People shall not kill or drive away the Forest Winged Clan for any illegitimate reason.

After a total of fifteen agreements, the Tree Man commanders signed this treaty that shattered their peace.

…the fruits of victory…

After the treaty was signed, Xuan Chong instructed Wu Qing to transport the "Cao Huan Dan" back to Lingnan along this trade route.

Three months later, in the second year of the Tongzheng calendar, at an auction hosted by the martial arts family within the Great Yao, this batch of 300 kilograms of Herbal Rejuvenation Elixir sold for a high price of 20,000 silver leaves amidst speculation.

One hundred kilograms of herbal pills can help two hundred people open their martial energy meridians. In chaotic times, this could instantly transform a group of battle-hardened veterans from peasant backgrounds into a top-tier elite force.

However, this was only the first wave, igniting a frenzy among various families towards the south. In the thatched cottages of Zhenzhou, those aristocratic families who were originally concerned with the general trend of the world began to turn their attention to the south.

Scholar 1: I originally thought the South was a wild and desolate place, full of miasma; I never expected it to have so many medicinal herbs.

Scholar 2: Why are you changing your mind again? — A few days ago, the scholars under Xuan Chong's rule believed that "the world is vying for supremacy, while Wu Yuan is always content with a corner of the world" and would eventually be eliminated by the trend.

Scholar 1: I was shallow in the past, but now it seems that Zhendi does not need to enter this chaotic world too early. It would be better to spend more time internally improving governance and diligently preparing the army.

Scholar 3 urgently retorted: "Diligently prepare your troops!? The Wu family's southward expansion seems ambitious, but it's actually short-sighted! The world changes several times a day, yet the Wu family's tens of thousands of troops are trapped in the south, a clear case of exhausting their resources. Internal reform and wise governance? The ruler doesn't recruit talented individuals; there are far more heroes in the world than he can count on two hands! Where is the wisdom in that?"

Soon, scholars began to disagree on the general trend of the world.

The scholars were very frustrated under Xuan Chong's rule. On the one hand, Xuan Chong was indeed a "capable ruler." But on the other hand, Xuan Chong kept them at a distance while being close to the common people.

The disciples of these aristocratic families are accustomed to their own "recommendation system".

Now, the Lingnan "recommendation system" has been ruined; it's simply a matter of whoever donates the most money to the government gets recommended as a filial and incorruptible official.

As for the latest imperial examination system? These scholars were unwilling to stoop to the level of those from humble backgrounds and take the exams alongside them. They preferred to be directly selected, after all, that was how talent was selected in Zhao Cheng and other feudal lords.

…Troop upgrades…

Upon returning to Fenxing City, Xuan Chong looked at rows of clinical trial equipment.

This private medical room was filled with rubber tubes, glass bottles, and metal needles; if it weren't for the fact that the bedding was still made of linen and the martial artist's hair was still in the traditional hairstyle of the Yao people, Xuan Chong would feel as if he were in a hospital in the early 20th century.

One hundred kilograms of gas can be used to treat two hundred people; that's how other companies do it. Here in Zhenshui, rubber tubing with intubation can be used to treat six hundred people at once.

Of course, the Wu family wouldn't use all of the Herbal Elixir resource for military purposes; the artisan team also shared in the war merits, so they were also given credit.

Xuanchong even set up an "exchange mechanism" for laborers who built roads with iron bars so that they could get gas.

In the wild and untamed lands of southern Xinjiang, in the sparsely populated area between Zhenzhou and Lingnan, it was impossible to traditionally recruit laborers from the countryside to build roads.

Xuan Chong's practical experience shows that, without exception, any large-scale cross-provincial project undertaken by a feudal dynasty would ultimately be labeled as "tyrannical."

The reason is simple: these places are too far from the laborers' hometowns. With limited organizational capacity, the laborers would die of starvation, exhaustion, and disease on a large scale due to food shortages.

Given the productivity of the feudal era, would undertaking a large-scale project necessarily require the deaths of tens of thousands of people? Would Yu the Great's flood control efforts have required the extinction of his entire tribe? Obviously not.

As a tribal leader, Yu the Great had high authority and could requisition supplies from other tribes along his route. In contrast, in feudal dynasties, the officials in charge of labor service had very low authority and responsibility, and the laborers received no supplies when passing through the territory of other wealthy households.

The laborers' rations were easily embezzled, and officials showed no concern for their workload, imposing quotas arbitrarily. Failure to meet targets resulted in brutal punishments; officials would make an example of someone to deter others, whipping them without explanation. No wonder so many people died on such a large project.
It could even be said that when those important figures in the imperial court and state government, sitting in their ornate courtyards, absentmindedly embezzle a few coins from supplies, it amounts to the loss of thousands of lives.

Xuan Chong has been strengthening control during this southern expedition to prevent the profits from accumulating in the hands of local powerful families and turning into a poisonous force that "hoards land and servants."

The southward journey to acquire hard currency such as pearls, gems, and spirit wood would inevitably require investment in the "reproduction of workshops." Therefore, Xuanchong would systematically elevate the status of those who previously undertook the labor of "digging waterways and repairing roads," and allocate resources to them as a priority.

The labor service team under the Wu family army, which can also be called the civil engineering brigade, is now a quasi-military organization with nearly 200,000 members. It has a stable rank promotion path and a financial department that regularly goes to various counties to provide "military pay" services to their families.

For Xuan Chong's long expedition, the soldiers didn't need to worry about bringing their pay back; it was simply deposited into the accompanying merchant's account. After confirmation from both the merchant and the military, each soldier signed a form, which was then stamped, and a bill was sent back.

In Xuanchong territory, military dependents from various regions could see their money deposited into their accounts at the ticket office. This service system also covered the "labor service" group, who were also away from home. As a result, women left at home no longer needed to worry about the economic problems of raising children alone while their husbands were away. This resolved the issue of cross-regional labor force aggregation.

"Labor service" is the vast, hidden force beneath the surface of Xuan Chong's power.

In the past, Xuan Chong admired Zhao Cheng's "driving the people of the city to fight," but now he has similar methods and will use "labor service" as his army in the future.

(End of this chapter)