My lord, spare his life!

"No wonder."

Sun Ban was not one to hold grudges. Instead of punishing the two who had returned empty-handed, he rewarded them with two fine horses and several beautiful women. Even Wang Ba had to praise Sun Ban for his generosity.

Sun Ban continued to comfort the two: "If Zhang were a weak and incompetent woman with no brave generals following her, she wouldn't have been able to turn the mountain counties upside down in such a short time... It's a good thing that you were able to escape unscathed."

If the green hills are left, there is no need to worry about no firewood.

As long as one is alive, military merits can be earned gradually.

Upon hearing this, the two officers felt even more ashamed and lowered their hands, feeling deeply guilty towards Sun Ban. Their hatred for Zhang Yang grew stronger, and they gritted their teeth, hoping to behead the traitor Zhang for Sun Ban next time. Only the flesh and blood of the traitor Zhang could wash away the humiliation and provocation they had suffered today!

Wang Ba took his leave and disappeared into the increasingly dense rain.

Back in his tent, he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, his mind filled with images of Guan Si treating Sun Ban's generals like dogs.

This child is elegant, truly elegant.

Looking at his son Wang Qi's behavior, which was like a mad dog unleashed from its cage, he felt a tightness in his chest and sighed several times. He drifted off to sleep, but when he woke up the next day, he found that the rain outside the tent had not lessened and was even heavier than the night before.

"This rain is so annoying!"

"Is the weather like this all the time here?"

Even Dongham County, which borders Banggang, doesn't get this much rain.

Wang Ba had just finished his breakfast when his trusted aide lifted the tent flap and entered, his face showing a hint of urgency: "My lord, the situation is not good."

"I'm perfectly fine, what's wrong?"

Could it be that Sun Ban and his gang are trying to cut off their allies' military rations?

His trusted aide whispered in his ear, "The rain that started yesterday and started today seems to be getting out of control. I noticed that Sun Banruo's men were in a hurry, as if they were hiding something."

"Keeping something a secret? Go and find out more." Wang Ba watched his confidant leave, but he had his own suspicions and was just waiting for them to be confirmed.

--------

Zhang Yang: "Out of control?"

Zhang Yang knew it would rain in the next two days, but she didn't expect the downpour to last for several hours without letting up. She was worried that the low-lying areas would be flooded, so Han Wo came to inform her that the rainstorm might get out of control and that the army needed to prepare for evacuation as soon as possible.

Zhang Yang guessed: "Is it related to the constellations?"

Han Wo nodded heavily: "It's probably pretty close to the truth."

Zhang Yang couldn't help but think of the natural disaster that Tianyue County had experienced, which disrupted the seasonal cycle: "In Tianyue, the seasonal cycle was disrupted, and it went from summer to winter overnight. What's going on here? Torrential rain? Floods?"

Han Wo said, "It's due to torrential rain and flooding, but we don't yet know whether it's the Liesi County, Hu County, or the Eunuch County that are affected..."

Their current location makes them a suspect in all three counties.

Zhang Yang asked, "Were there also heavy rains before?"

Han Wo shook his head and denied it: "We've had droughts and locust plagues before."

However, both drought and locust plagues have early signs, and with responsible local governments, they are highly vigilant during special periods, which can mitigate considerable losses. Heavy rains and floods are also manageable.

The counties of Liesi, Hu, and Huanguan correspond to the three star palaces of Liesi Star, Hu Star, and Huanguan Star. The star lords of these three star palaces have long since perished, and the stellar power contained in these three places is diminishing year by year.

Without sufficient stellar power to stabilize the three regions, extreme natural disasters will inevitably occur. However, when such a situation arises during a war, the variables become numerous and uncontrollable. Han Wo was worried about this, but Zhang Yang was thinking of something else: "How long will it usually last? It can't be as chaotic as the seasons of the Heavenly Moon, lasting three or four months, can it?"

Will this torrential rain continue for three or four months?

Zhang Yang didn't even dare to imagine what would happen if he were flooded.

"It won't happen in March or April, but it will happen on the 7th or 8th."

"That's still pretty tough."

The mountain prefectures are generally at a low altitude, and with the world preoccupied with war and neglecting to develop people's livelihoods, the drainage systems in the prefectural capitals are poor, let alone in other impoverished and remote areas. Because Yuan Xie was in Fangjiang to manage the floods, Zhang Yang paid close attention to this aspect. Everywhere she went, every river she saw, she couldn't help but wonder how deep the water was, how thick the silt was at the bottom, and whether it could be effectively drained during a heavy rain.

The Imperial Clan Head and the Imperial Clan Members did a very poor job in this regard.

In contrast, Che Si County performed poorly.

This is one of the few commendable aspects of Old Deng's character. Well, it's also possible that Old Deng was worried that Dongxian might use Fangjiang to his advantage and suddenly flood Chesi County, so he had to guard against Wang Ba's move and was forced to pay attention to this area?

Zhang Yang sighed softly, his brows furrowing slightly.

Han Wo had to call her several times to get her attention back.

Zhang Yang asked her, "Is there anything else?"

Han Wo's expression seemed a little strange, and she looked hesitant, but what she said was: "These past few days have been rainy, and it's not easy to store grain. In order to avoid the grain being wasted due to the rain, my lord can take out three days' worth of grain at a time, instead of seven or eight days' worth."

Because of Zhang Yang's unreasonable spatial carrying capacity, the army's logistics supply could, to some extent, be freed from geographical limitations, without needing to recruit two or three times the number of laborers, and without worrying about the enemy suddenly sending people to raid the logistics troops. Taking Sun Ban's troops on the opposite side as an example, the soldiers who could actually pose a threat on the battlefield were only one-third or even one-quarter of the number on paper.

Zhang Yang's fighting force comprised a terrifying 80-90% of her troops, with the remaining 10-20% consisting of auxiliary soldiers and laborers responsible for cooking, repairs, food supply, camp construction, and medical care. This was the source of her composure even when facing Sun Ban, whose forces outnumbered her own.

If the two sides were to truly compare their combat strength?

Zhang Yang has a significant advantage.

"I've remembered what Fulong said." Looking at the description of Han Wo's emotions in the system log, Zhang Yang remained expressionless and went straight to the point, "Say what you have to say directly, don't hold back."

Han Wo swallowed nervously: "This torrential rain should give us a rough idea of ​​where Sun Zhaoruo's granary is. Should our lord prepare in advance, close the sluice gates to store water, and then flood it? If our supplies are lost, Sun Zhaoruo's army won't be able to hold out against us for long. The outcome will be decided before this natural disaster ends."

Zhang Yang looked at Han Wo without saying a word.

She said, "If we are to carry out this plan—"

Han Wo said, "We should hurry and take Liesi County first."

It's acceptable not to completely capture the city; trapping the troops of Liesi County inside and preventing them from leaving would also achieve the goal. However, this would require guarding against someone discovering the deception beforehand and informing Sun Ban.

Han Wo said with regret, "It's a pity that the location of the Imperial Throne City is still a bit too far south. Otherwise, we could have achieved the same effect by using the Imperial Throne City's water system. Chao Tan of the Imperial Throne City is completely convinced of our lord's loyalty, and she will definitely assist him."

Zhang Yang nodded: "Of course, Xiaoyu is a good child."

Han Wo: "..."

Her lips twitched slightly; she was still not quite used to her lord calling everyone "good child" or "good daughter" with such a young face.

"Does the lord mean to answer—"

"I won't agree."

Han Wo: "..."

Zhang Yang said, "I know that Fulong's plan is feasible. If this rainstorm is used well, it might even be divine intervention. However, I have a question before I start: will this flood only affect Sun Zhaoruo's granary? Will it only affect the troops guarding the granary?"

Han Wo: "..."

She certainly couldn't guarantee that.

There are even many ordinary people living near the granary.

Zhang Yang tapped his fingers on the table, recalling the information in his mind while searching for details about military granaries in the system memo: "I remember Shu Yan mentioning in class that there are several principles for choosing a location for a granary. It should be on high ground, close to water, close to roads, have natural defenses, be near a city, and ideally be close to a place that produces a lot of grain."

She added, "If Sun Zhao leads her troops out of Dou County to meet the enemy, it would be a hasty response. The granaries would either be borrowed from Hu County or Huanguan County, or they would be temporarily built elsewhere. After all, it's not her territory, so the grain-producing areas can be ruled out. We'll have to look at the remaining options, but there aren't many places to choose from, and they can't be too far from the main force."

Han Wo nodded: "What my lord says is true."

"Therefore, it will inevitably affect areas where ordinary people gather."

It's possible that an entire county or several counties could be flooded in one go.

When Zhang Yang thought about the quality of construction and building materials in this world, he knew what would happen to those small mud houses in the face of the raging flood. Many people would be swept away with their homes while they slept, dying silently. Ordinary people couldn't save themselves, so expecting the government to help? That was a pipe dream.

The government will take care of observing the world of these samples.

In this world, most government agencies are struggling to survive themselves. Even if they want to contribute, they have to see if the prefecture has any troops available.

Where warlords held sway, all kinds of local power were concentrated in one person's hands, and the so-called government was just a decoration. There were no people, no money, and no grain. In some places, the prefectures and counties had long been dead in name only, and ordinary people could only endure their grievances.

In this situation—

How can we get Zhang Yang to do this?

Upon hearing this, Han Wo understood Zhang Yang's reasons for opposing it.

She said, "This is not a sin of the lord. Even if the lord did not do it, with the current rain, flooding was only a matter of time."

If Zhang Yang had acted, it would have happened a day earlier, leaving Sun Ban with insufficient time to move the granary; if she hadn't acted, it would have happened a day later, and perhaps it would have been that one day that allowed Sun Ban to escape unscathed.

Zhang Yang shook his head and said, "There is a difference between sooner or later. Does it only matter to Sun Ban if it happens a day earlier or later? It also has great significance for ordinary people suffering from the flood. If it happens a day later, they can realize something is wrong a day sooner and escape to higher ground sooner. We can't offer help in their time of need, so let's not add fuel to the fire. We can defeat Sun Ban, so we don't care about a day or two, but ordinary people will care. Rather than taking a shortcut with the flooding scheme, I would rather wait for this natural disaster to stop."

She rarely says so much at once.

After speaking, Zhang Yang himself was stunned for a moment, wondering why he had suddenly uttered such a sentiment. His expression went blank, his thoughts drifting off somewhere, and he couldn't hear Han Wo's response.

Han Wo: "...Yes."

Zhang Yang vaguely heard Han Wo say goodbye, and she casually agreed.

When she came to her senses, she belatedly realized that Han Wo might be planning to quit his job and run away, so she subconsciously checked her friends list. Han Wo's favorability rating had actually increased, and his avatar was lit up, which reassured her. She thought for a moment, then looked down and rummaged through her game inventory.

"Umbrella, raincoat...where did I put them again?"

The game's inventory has too many slots, and each slot is very close together, making it easy for players with poor eyesight to miss targets. Zhang Yang, as an NPC, initially had no concept of seeking shelter from the rain—because players also didn't have this habit, and Zhang Yang simply copied them. The game map randomly switches between various weather conditions; rain won't wet your appearance, and your clothes will dry completely when the weather clears up, making seeking shelter from the rain unnecessary.

As a result, Zhang Yang did not have many rain gear.

But something is better than nothing.

Even the worst rain gear in the game world is much more waterproof than a straw raincoat or an oil-paper umbrella. After the sun comes out, you don't need to dry it properly; just shake it and you can roll it up and put it away without worrying about it getting moldy.

"What was the result? What did your godmother say?" Han Wo hadn't gone far when Lu Yuan, wearing a raincoat, stepped forward to ask about the outcome.

Han Wo shook his head: "My lord does not agree."

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "See? I told you my godmother wouldn't approve of such a vicious tactic, but you still insisted on going against the grain. My godbrother also said that my godmother's temperament is different from others."

She didn't stay in Tianyue County for long, so naturally she didn't understand Zhang Yang as well as Guan Zong, and she didn't know how much the people in Zhang Yang's territory valued him. Guan Zong also didn't want Lü Yuan to lose favor with her new adoptive mother, so he privately reminded her of this many times, which Lü Yuan naturally remembered very clearly.

In addition, there was her adoptive mother's previous confession—

Han Wo should have known that her adoptive mother, Lu Yuan, was different from others in this world. In this world, ordinary people are like ants on the roadside wearing human skin; their lives and deaths are far less important than their own interests. But her adoptive mother, despite her humble background, could see the existence of these ants.

Han Wo sighed.

Lu Yuan frowned with worry.

"You won't be unhappy with your stepmother because of this, will you?"

Most strategists dislike rulers who are too indecisive—if they could take a shortcut to victory, they would choose to take a detour and make greater sacrifices, which most people would consider insane.

Han Wo shook his head: "No."

She's not such a petty person.

Moreover, the lord rejected her proposal with a reasonable excuse, not anything else. This is also a rare quality.

Han Wo could only be satisfied; how could he possibly be dissatisfied?

If the lord doesn't adopt this option, then she can just take the alternative. Why make things difficult and cause resentment? It's Lu Yuan who, as the lord's adopted daughter, is wavering and indecisive, which is a real disappointment to the lord's loving heart.

Ritsumoto: "..."

Han Wo said, "I'll go and discuss it with Xiao Xiuying again."

Having said that, he disappeared into the rain.

Zhang Yang took out all the rain gear he could find.

"These can be distributed..."

Xiao Sui smiled and asked, "What good things does my lord have this time?"

Zhang Yang watched as Xiao Sui lifted the tent flap, her gaze shifting downwards. She noticed that Xiao Sui's clothes and sleeves were soaked by the rain and stained with half a pound of mud. Each step left a trail of mud, a far cry from her usual graceful and elegant demeanor. Zhang Yang asked, "Xiu Ying, aren't you considering wearing a short skirt?"

Xiao Sui: "..."

Zhang Yang pointed to her hem, which was soaked with mud.

He laughed and said, "That's not very elegant of you."

Even the usually elegant scions of aristocratic families can no longer maintain their elegance.

Instead, it made him look even more disheveled.

Xiao Sui said, "Showing both legs is too indecent."

"What's so elegant about it?" Zhang Yang couldn't help but chuckle as he thought about the diverse styles of the samples he was observing. "Your fabric could make a dozen or twenty outfits for some of my friends."

Xiao Sui lowered her head and thought for a moment, puzzled.

Can this little bit of fabric make a dozen or twenty sets?

What's the difference between this and streaking?

"The Golden Touch" Chapter 96

Yu Ci possessed a family-inherited skill in painting and sculpting, which brought prosperity to the Yu family. However, this also led to their downfall, with some dying and others being exiled.

In order to uncover the truth of the past, Yu Ci rushed to Xiangguo Temple, hoping to become an attendant to the soon-to-be-married wife of the Heir Apparent of the Earl of Enrong's mansion.

Unexpectedly, the bride was murdered, and since she couldn't be a servant, she could only be a fake bride.

Upon her arrival, her skill in restoring paintings became her livelihood, and it also made her realize that this seemingly glamorous mansion of the Marquis of Enrong was full of secrets.

? *

In Xu Yizhi's eyes, his new wife was difficult to get along with and had some strange traits, but there was no shortage of strange people in the mansion, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

He hadn't yet seen through her as a person, but he was already captivated by her paintings.

? *

No regrets after a stroke of the brush; a touch of gold brings enlightenment. The painting is a record, and also the truth.