My lord, spare his life!

"The places you mentioned, are they in Shanzhong?"

Zhang Yang carefully recalled the map he had seen with Xie Shu.

The Dongfan Mountains are mostly steep peaks and highlands.

Because of the narrow and rugged mountain range, coupled with the significant elevation difference between the two regions, the more economically prosperous counties of Zongzheng, Zongren, Bodu, Chesi, and Liesi were unable to threaten the Tianyue and Tianbian regions. Communication between the two areas, whether for trade or other purposes, required either passing through Chesi via Tianjiang County or following the mountain range, detouring through Tusi County to Tianji County. Transportation costs could increase tenfold, while profits for certain specialty goods could easily multiply several times over.

Guan Zong: "That was a name for the country that was spread among the people. In reality, it was just a dozen or so scattered and helpless regimes trapped in one place. They couldn't destroy each other, so they could only make do."

The term "Shanzhongguo" is a general term for various prefectures.

It is called "Mountain China" because these counties are tightly embraced by two mountain ranges, like two hands clasped together. One side is the Tohan Mountains, and the other side is the Ugaki Mountains, which, like the Tohan Mountains, also have eleven stars and belong to the Tenshigaki region.

The two mountain ranges converge inwards.

Within the mountains lies a vast plain, dotted with more than ten prefectures. There are only two main trade routes connecting these prefectures to the outside world, and the struggle among them is for control of these two routes. The old general of the Eastern Bandits risked his life to open up the mountains and secretly began doing business with the prefectures.

He made a fortune by trading back and forth and profiting from the price difference.

Zhang Yang: "No wonder the Eastern Barbarian bandits have so much grain."

Taking the Tianyue region as an example, most of the local farmland was controlled by local gentry, and the Douwang royal family also levied exorbitant taxes, leaving the lower-class tenant farmers starving and even the self-cultivating farmers with very little surplus grain. Unless the Eastern Bandits targeted the gentry for robbery, it would be impossible to accumulate so much grain while supporting several thousand elite soldiers.

Buying and selling is the real key to wealth.

The previous acts of burning, killing, and looting may have been motivated partly by the desire to conceal the origins of enormous wealth, and partly by the desire to expand their own forces and maintain their fighting capacity in order to avoid being swallowed up by surrounding powers.

Guan Zong leaned back against the stone wall, one hand resting on his bent knee, a pleased smile on his blood-stained face: "Now my lord knows who the truly loyal minister is. I am far more reliable than Mr. Fan and Lord Puyang."

Zhang Yang: "..."

The system logs don't say that.

Guan Zong narrowed his eyes: "Don't you believe me?"

Zhang Yang: "I just feel that we shouldn't be certain about things that are uncertain. I don't doubt your sincerity at this moment, but I won't let go of the suspicions that arose from your previous concealment. Could you honestly tell me who this 'adopted sister' you mentioned before is?"

Guan Zong's smile froze on his lips in an instant.

He smacked his lips for a moment, then turned his head away.

Zhang Yang understood; this meant a refusal to communicate. But what puzzled her even more was that Guan Zong's name had changed from yellow to green. An NPC's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. Clearly a cybernetic life form made of data, yet its emotions completely defy the rules.

"How do you subdue and control your younger brother?"

So, is Easter Egg Bro actually a humanoid pet?

I wonder if the animal-catching rope will work on the Easter Egg Guy.

Upon hearing this, Guan Zong perked up. He leaned forward, his eyes flashing with a cold glint: "Naturally, we will suppress him with strength and break his spirit, making him completely submit to you and never again harbor any rebellious thoughts."

"Your brother is really bad."

Guan Zong chuckled: "It's not easy to do all this. Guan Si is a very good fighter... This kid is like a wolf. Enemies are terrified when they see him, but if you can subdue him, he will become your most loyal dog. Wolves and dogs are actually the same."

Zhang Yang: "..."

Seeing Zhang Yang's displeasure, Guan Zong finally became serious: "Actually, Guan Si also wants to control that hidden trade route. The troops he brought out during his mutiny also need food and drink. Relying solely on attacking other Eastern bandits or hunting in the mountains cannot replenish various military supplies in time. My lord can sit down and discuss it with him. He may be crazy, but he will become rational when it comes to his men."

To their prey, wolves are treacherous, cunning, and ferocious. But to their pack members, the alpha wolf is the most reliable. The alpha wolf, Guan Si, will not easily abandon any member of the pack.

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment: "Shall we go negotiate now?"

Should we strike while the iron is hot and take him down?

Guan Zong doubted that he had misheard.

He opened his mouth, looking incredulously at his blood-soaked appearance, then at Zhang Yang who had so casually uttered such a terrifying suggestion. In Guan Zong's plan, this wasn't the time for negotiations, and he shouldn't have been among those sent to negotiate.

"He injured me so badly not long ago."

The attack on Guan Si's stronghold was triggered by their own lord and minister.

Going over to discuss cooperation at this time would only add fuel to the fire, wouldn't it?

However, Guan Zong would not admit that he was indeed quite afraid of Guan Si. He quickly came up with an excuse: "My lord, have you ever heard the old saying? You can't make a deal by rushing things. Since he has already noted down your name and address, he will naturally come to you after he has dealt with the external troubles. Why rush things? Even if we go to him now, he won't have time."

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment, and realized that this made sense.

"Will he really come looking for me?"

"He's persistent, and there's rarely anything he can't get. Just like a vengeful ghost whose obsession hasn't faded, he'll cling to whatever he wants and won't let go. If he wants your skin, he'll definitely take it."

Zhang Yang: "..."

She felt there was something strange about what he was saying, but since Guan Zong's name was green above his head, Zhang Yang didn't sense any malice and believed him to some extent. She was considerate of Guan Zong's injuries, letting him recover and catch his breath before setting off back to Weiyin County in two hours.

Two hours later—

Guan Zong's surface injuries have mostly healed.

If it weren't for the fact that his face was still pale due to excessive blood loss, who would have thought that he looked half-dead just two hours ago?

Zhang Yang: "Too slow."

For some reason, Guan Zong did not refute.

On the way back, he kept giving Zhang Yang strange looks, repeatedly seeming to want to say something but then stopping himself. Even though Zhang Yang didn't seem to care, she couldn't ignore his intense gaze. Finally, she said indifferently, "Just say what you have to say, or shut up. What are you beating around the bush for?"

"I just think...no wonder..."

The next second, the gold brick magnified before his eyes, stopping half a finger's width from his nose. Guan Zong neither dodged nor resisted; his gaze was fixed on the glittering gold brick, and he clearly heard Zhang Yang's words: "Stop speaking in riddles, speak plainly."

Fan You was babbling a bunch of difficult words.

Guan Zong, however, only told half of what he meant and left the other half unsaid.

If these two weren't involved in the main quest, Zhang Yang would have already smashed them to death with two bricks: "Speak like a human!"

Faced with tyranny, Guan Zong yielded.

"...Since the descent of the stars, humans and ghosts have coexisted as one, forming a kind of yin-yang balance. The strength of either side will cause the balance to be broken. For example, whenever the descent of the stars occurs, the yin energy is strong, the yin and yang in the body are out of order, and the dormant ghosts will become restless. For another example, if the yang energy in the body is weakened due to injury or illness, it is also possible to encounter a counterattack from ghosts."

Guan Zong had lost so much blood and was so badly injured. He was also a triple Night Crying Child, and his yang energy was extremely weak, while his yin energy was already strong. He thought he was going to have to fight with the "Night Crying Child" inside his body for control of his body. The best-case scenario was that he would win, and the worst-case scenario was that he would lose and use his soul as food to feed the Night Crying Child and temporarily appease the ghost.

Unexpectedly—

The final result was better than his best expectations.

Throughout the entire healing process, he didn't feel the Night Cryer retaliate, nor did he feel it pestering him; it was as if the ghost had never existed. Relying on his knowledge of his body, Guan Zong searched around and actually found it; it was curled up in a corner.

He showed none of the ruthlessness and smugness he had shown when facing Guan Zong in the past.

Guan Zong: "???"

Wow, is the sun rising in the west?

Wasn't Mie Ye Ti Zi very arrogant before? Didn't he always take advantage of his weaknesses, gnawing on his soul as snacks? How come he's changed his ways this time? Where's his imposing manner? Where's his domineering aura? Where's his ruthlessness and viciousness? Why doesn't he show his grandfather Guan how arrogant he is? You little coward!

While being hunted, Guan Zong could hear the Night Cryer's shrill, piercing, and mournful laugh. He didn't need to look to know that the Night Cryer's greedy, bloodthirsty eyes were already fixed on his soul. All that remained was for Guan Si to destroy his physical body so that the Night Cryer could devour his soul.

He was recovering from his injuries and was preparing for a tough battle.

result--

That's it?

Guan Zong kicked Ye Tizi's buttocks hard.

The yin energy surged through his meridians, yet he dared not resist.

Guan Zong subconsciously thought of the wolves Guan Si used to raise. Even though they were starving, drool dripping from their mouths and wetting their chest fur, the wolves still dared not open their mouths to eat the fresh meat on the ground, because of the presence that instilled fear in them. This night-crying wolf was strikingly similar to those wolves from back then!

Wild wolves fear the offspring they regard as their alpha.

What is the Night Crying Child afraid of?

Thinking of this, Guan Zong recalled Du Fang's previous "childbirth." Although Du Fang's birth demon was only a second-level descending star demon, this fellow kept a family of little demons to play house with him. These little demons were active outside, and maintaining the relationship that Du Fang saw as family required a constant supply of yang energy. Constantly suffering from a deficiency of qi and blood, and now that Du Fang was about to risk "giving birth," how could the birth demon possibly let him go?

But that time—

Du Fang also survived the ordeal without serious injury.

After that, Guan Zong had more contact with Du Fang regarding the recruitment and training of soldiers, and learned a strange detail from the latter.

The demon that gave birth that day seemed wary and dared not act recklessly.

Du Fang's analysis: [Perhaps it's because of the Prefect?]

But I find it strange.

While a lord can indeed share some of the burden of the Starfall's wrath with his subordinates, he can't do everything. Du Fang's Starfall is a form of demon-generating. Even if Zhang Yang were to share the burden, he could at most reduce the pain Zhang Yang felt and help maintain his sanity.

What makes the demon so fearful?

Unheard of.

Now, having personally experienced the fear and dread emanating from the Triple Night Crying Child, he realized that the source was indeed Zhang Yang. Not only Du Fang, Fan You, and himself, but the ghosts within them were all afraid of Zhang Yang. Either Zhang Yang harbored an even more terrifying ghost within her, or she herself possessed unknown abilities? Unfortunately, the Triple Night Crying Child was still a ghost with a chaotic consciousness, unlike Du Fang, a little ghost with a clear mind, and interrogation yielded nothing.

To summarize, let's stay on topic.

"My lord can subdue these demons."

Zhang Yang simply responded with a curt "oh".

"You mean this? I know it."

Fan You's lustful demon is a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. When Zhang Yang is around, it can hide as well as it can, but when he's not, it immediately jumps out to try and arouse Fan You's desires so that it can have a good meal.

Guan Zong almost pricked up his ears to listen carefully.

There was no follow-up for a long time.

"and then?"

"That's all."

Guan Zong: "..."

"Why bother getting to the bottom of things? As long as the result is good, that's all that matters. Shuyan also said that if you make good use of my constitution, all the talented people in the world can be put to good use. If you follow me, you may not be able to realize your political ambitions, but you can at least suffer less." Zhang Yang was not short of money, but he felt good to hear that people would even pay him to work for him.

Guan Zong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

What is "waste recycling"?

How presumptuous of me to say that!

With time on their side, Zhang Yang couldn't be considerate of the injured Guan Zong, and sped off with him. Halfway there, seeing Zhang Dami was panting heavily, Zhang Yang simply jumped off the tiger's back, lifted Guan Zong with his left hand, grabbed Zhang Dami with his right, and tossed them both onto his back, ignoring Guan Zong's screams and struggles: "Hold on tight!"

She thought about what she would say about observing the samples.

He said in a very serious tone, "Let's go, doggy!"

Guan Zong: "..."

The main door of the government office was kicked open with great force.

"Uncle Yan, I'm back."

Everyone inside looked up in unison and saw a huge shadow that almost completely blocked the light from the doorway. The shadow cast against the light looked like some kind of monster. Zhang Yang threw one of the heavy objects down with each hand, and the two heavy objects landed with a dull thud.

"I kept my promise and got back before the countdown ended," Zhang Yang said smugly. The mission countdown couldn't keep up with her speed at all. "Huh, why are there so many more people here?"

Looking around, I saw a room full of people wearing similar work clothes.

Fan You, who was in the lead, did not look very healthy.

"Uncle Yan?"

Fan You suppressed the urge to grind his teeth into powder and stood up to bow.

"Upon seeing his lord's triumphant return, he was overjoyed."

Zhang Yang: "..."

Why didn't she think Fan You was just ecstatic? The system log also updated simultaneously: [Fan You's favorability towards you decreased by one].

Fortunately, Zhang Yang never cared.

"Are these people from the expanded enrollment?"

As Fan You bowed, the others also crossed their hands.

"This humble official greets Your Excellency."

Fan You: "As soon as the lord left, Du Guan, the former prefectural governor and prefectural assistant, led a group of officials to come, and everything has been arranged."

Zhang Yang didn't ask how many people would be laid off, how many would be kept, or what their identities, backgrounds, and positions were. He simply waved his hand and said, "Okay, I trust you to handle things. I'll do as you say."

Everyone could only feel envy upon hearing this.

Such trust from the lord is a lifelong blessing for the strategist.

Fan You, the object of envy, had no one to confide in. He could only force himself to report on the progress of his work over the past few days to Zhang Yang. One of the reports was that Gongye Hui and his wife had submitted another set of new currency. He had reviewed it and found the quality to be quite stable, with all the anti-counterfeiting measures conforming to Zhang Yang's initial plan. Since the public had little trust in the new currency, Fan You planned to issue it on a small scale first.

"The laborers conscripted from various places are mostly paid with millet and cloth. The longest service period has exceeded one month, enough to feed the family for several months and relieve the family's worries about keeping warm... I think that starting next month, except for the old ones, a certain amount of new currency of equivalent value can be issued."

??|??w?`)

I'll be updating with 10,000 words every day for the next three days.