Chapter 181: Generous In Poverty
“In the world, is there such an army?”
“There is.”
“Have you seen it?”
“I have!”
“What does it look like?”
“The common people rejoice upon seeing it, the enemy trembles upon seeing it.”
Zheng Tianshou nodded and said: “If your goal is so grand, refusing the Eldest Son is reasonable. Now, let’s talk about the farming technique.”
Although Zheng Tianshou had just said that the thirty carts of grain given to Yun Ce were squeezed from between his teeth and he had not a single grain left here, this did not stop him from discussing with Yun Ce the matter of exchanging five hundred carts of grain for the Yun Clan guiding the Cao Clan in farming one hundred thousand mu in spring.
Upon learning that Yun Ce still planned to go to the Lang Clan to continue selling the farming technique, Zheng Tianshou immediately bought out the Yun Clan’s qualification to spread the farming technique at Yujin Pass with eight hundred carts of grain in one go.
At dusk, Yun Ce eagerly left Yujin Pass with the eight hundred carts of grain.
1 Zheng Tianshou, returning to the mansion, passed through the hall and went straight to the back hall. Cao Kun was lying in the bathtub, one foot propped up, receiving service from a maid using a brush to clean his toenails.
1 After Zheng Tianshou entered, he sat on a cushion and said to Cao Kun: “Why didn’t you see Yun Ce?”
1 Cao Kun smiled bitterly: “Uncle, the feeling in the heart of having a poor friend is really hard to describe.”
1 Zheng Tianshou laughed: “Yun Ce still has some backbone; he’d rather exchange than beg.”
1 Cao Kun said: “I actually hoped he would come to beg at the door, rather than any exchange.”
1 Zheng Tianshou said: “Yes, beggars are easy to deal with.”
1 Cao Kun continued: “Uncle, regarding the Danwang Mountain matter this time, I always feel like I fell short at the last step, and I don’t know where this feeling comes from.”
1 Zheng Tianshou shook his head: “Young Master did very well, achieving at least eighty percent of the goal. As for the Fire Tribe treasure vault, it’s not as important as Young Master thinks. The important thing is the Fire Tribe people. With people, Young Master can obtain as many weapons as wanted in the future; the only thing needed is time.”
1 Cao Kun switched feet for the maid to continue brushing with the brush. He himself pillowed his hands behind his head and said to Zheng Tianshou: “Uncle, do we really have to bet heavily under the Great Wall defense line?”
1 “If you consider Qiu He Prefecture behind Yujin Pass as your home, then bet heavily. If Young Master only sees Qiu He Prefecture as a stepping stone on the path forward, then focus investments south of Yumin River. That area is close to the south, with humid and hot climate; the Gui Fang people accustomed to harsh cold and dryness do not adapt to the climate there. Plus, with Yumin River as a barrier, it’s not difficult for the Eldest Son to block the Gui Fang people there.”
2 Cao Kun irritably withdrew his foot, gestured for the maid to leave, then leaned on the edge of the bathtub: “Uncle, the problem is I also don’t like the area south of Yumin River.”
2 Zheng Tianshou nodded: “In that case, this old man understands. Focus on strengthening the Great Wall defense line arrangements, and give this old man two months; the entire Yujin Pass will fall into Young Master’s hands.”
2 Cao Kun nodded, then said to Zheng Tianshou: “The Lang Clan migrated many people from the East Sea Coast but drove the local natives north of the Great Wall. Uncle, are these people the ones we need?”
2 Zheng Tianshou said: “The strong and robust ones naturally stay to repair the already dilapidated Great Wall. As for those who only consume provisions and are of no use, women and children—we can’t afford to care for them.”
2 Cao Kun said: “Yun Ce always likes to take in women and children. Uncle can send people to drive those women and children west.”
2 Zheng Tianshou laughed: “It started early. Those eight hundred carts of grain won’t last long.”
2 Cao Kun stretched lazily in the bathtub: “A person like Yun Ce has seen wealth. Once he truly becomes prosperous, he’ll be trouble for us. Better if he stays poor forever. That way, when brothers meet next time, there can be more sincerity.”
2 Zheng Tianshou stood to leave, turned at the door, and said to Cao Kun: “The matter with Zhang Lang probably isn’t something those dandies could pull off.
2 Did you send people to investigate?”
2 Cao Kun frowned: “No leads. Zhang Lang vanished into thin air. The carriage trail was lost on the main road. Also, Uncle, why do you think this wasn’t done by Sun Jin and them?”
3 Zheng Tianshou patted the doorframe: “Doing such a thing requires some courage no matter what, and courage is exactly what Sun Jin and them lack.”
3 Cao Kun was suddenly startled, stood naked from the bathtub: “Uncle means that while I was handling things at Danwang Mountain, there was another force watching from the sidelines? He even killed Zhang Lang and took the gold when I left an empty camp?”
3 Zheng Tianshou, unable to stand Cao Kun’s naked body, turned his head and continued: “You must learn to think by tracing back to the root. Know to exclude as well as enumerate. When considering a matter, keep enumerating and excluding until the last one remains—no matter how absurd it seems, that is the truth.
3 When investigating Zhang Lang’s disappearance, you have new conditions to continue enumerating, so keep investigating. Even if it turns out bad for us, you can’t be fooled in a muddle. This is especially important for a lord.
3 I can choose not to pursue it, pretend to be oblivious, but absolutely cannot truly be a fool.”
3 Cao Kun stood in the bathtub, bowing to receive the teaching.
3 From Yujin Pass to Jingkou Pass is just one hundred sixty li. Even on blood moon night, taking the main road, Yun Ce brought the Cao Clan’s convoy back to Jingkou Pass before dawn.
3 Seeing Yun Ce return with so much grain, Zhang Min was very happy. Even Qin Shu, who rarely commented except on military matters, seemed somewhat excited.
3 Yun Ce thought everyone had been starved these days, so he decided to leave three hundred carts of grain at Jingkou Pass, taking only five hundred carts back.
3 He still had over ten thousand taels of gold on hand, enough to purchase grain to last until spring. Once spring came, food would grow in the wilderness, and Yi Trees could be peeled and soaked. Though the grass grain in spring had a strong grassy taste and wasn’t tasty, it was still grain, right?
4 Zhang Min, Qin Shu, and others spoke in unison: no need to leave grain at Jingkou Pass. They said grain here had always been prioritized for supply, and there was still some now.
4 Yun Ce felt something was off. Since Zhang Min, Qin Shu, and others wouldn’t say, Yun Ce planned to go back and see for himself. After all, from leaving to returning, it was only a mere eight days. Even if something was wrong at Yun Clan Villa, how bad could the situation be?
4 Yun Ce had been living in the wild these past days, with stubble grown out, no change of clothes, looking somewhat disheveled. Only his pair of eyes remained bright and shiny, as if nothing in the world could stump him.
4 Seeing Yun Ce return riding the red date horse, E Ji’s heart ached like a knife.
4 This man, to let the people in the camp eat one more bite, went to fight fierce beasts every day at dawn. After fighting fierce beasts, he still had to pursue and kill vicious abandoned beasts, wild boars, bears, doggies, and other wild beasts. Despite giving his all, the grain brought back still wasn’t enough.
4 A warrior like him ate just one pancake and a bowl of porridge a day. Even if there was a little other food, it was prepared for her; he never ate an extra bite himself.
4 Now, he brought back so much, so much grain, but seeing his haggard appearance, E Ji knew the cost must have been high.
4 Thinking of Yun Ce racking his brains outside to get grain to feed them full, while she not only couldn’t share his burden but added more pressure.
4 “When Young Master hits me later, don’t stop it; I deserve a beating.” E Ji puffed out her chest, squeezed out a smile uglier than crying, and went to greet him.
4 Yun Ce laughed heartily, jumped down from the horse, grabbed E Ji’s hand, and pulled out a large lotus leaf package from the saddlebag, handing it to E Ji: “Roast bird only available at Yujin Pass, tastes great.”
5 E Ji opened the lotus leaf package; inside was a golden-roasted bird. Though cooled, the aroma was still overpowering, the roast bird scent detectable from afar.
5 Yun Ce tore off a bird leg and stuffed it into E Ji’s mouth. E Ji didn’t wolf it down as usual but held the bird leg in her mouth, staring at Yun Ce and crying silently, crying harder and harder, tears streaming from her eyes like creeks, unstoppable.
5 Yun Ce’s fierce gaze swept over An Ji, He Qingfang, and others, saying gravely: “What happened? Don’t make me ask twice.”
5 An Ji and others hesitated, not daring to speak. He Qingfang, being a warrior, stepped forward: “Since the second day after General left to find grain, many refugees came to our villa.
5 I asked them; they are mostly from near Yujin Pass, local natives there. Recently, a general named Lang Hu came from Hai Prefecture, bringing many, many East Sea people. Those people not only occupied their homes but drove them from inside the Great Wall to outside.
5 Without homes, they had to wander north of the Great Wall, hoping to find a place to settle.”
5 Yun Ce nodded: “Mm, north of the Great Wall has plenty of land. If willing to cultivate, settling down won’t be hard later. But what does this have to do with us?”
5 He Qingfang swallowed again: “The Cao Clan people took all the able-bodied men from the refugees to repair the Great Wall, leaving only a group of useless women and children…”
5 At this point, even the bold He Qingfang dared not continue.
5 Yun Ce scratched his itchy scalp, pondered a moment, then smiled at E Ji: “Bring all those women and children in. Though I’ve cleared the wasteland of wild beasts once, you know doggies can’t be fully exterminated.
6 Women and children won’t survive long in the wild.
6 Bring them in. As for grain, I’ll figure it out; there will always be a way.
6 What’s wrong, E Ji? Still crying? You unwilling?”
6 E Ji’s tearful face bloomed with smiles, her eyes full of pride. She pointed to a low hilly depression left of Yun Clan Villa: “They’ve already come in.”
6 Modified the few remaining drafts; received a warning. Some things can’t be written, or the book is done for.
