One Term in Office, a Million in the Red

Bianning Commandery. Xu Xi, the commandery governor, set down the official dispatch in his hands. His brow furrowed deeply as he summoned an aide inside. "Why have there been more and more refugees lately? Over the past ten days alone, fifteen thousand refugees have passed through our commandery. What if we cut the porridge rations by half again?" The aide was alarmed and hurriedly replied, "Under no circumstances, My Lord! Absolutely not! Last time, when one of the porridge sheds reduced its portions, the refugees rioted and beat everyone at the station from top to bottom. Now no one is willing to take the job at the porridge stations anymore, yet the refugees say..." "Why are you hemming and hawing? Speak!" "They said... if they can't survive, they'll come eat at the commandery governor's manor!" Xu Xi slammed his desk hard, furious. "Insolent wretches! Are you telling me we cannot even suppress mere refugees?" The aide stammered, "My Lord, these refugees are ferocious. It isn't that your humble servants are incompetent, but we truly cannot beat them." Fury surged through Xu Xi, and he seized his inkstone, intending to smash it onto the floor. But halfway through, he slowly lowered it, letting out a despondent sigh. After a pause, he asked, "Is there any silver left for the porridge stations?" The aide whispered, "It will run out any moment now. Grain prices have skyrocketed, tripling in just a few short months." Xu Xi walked over to a cabinet, retrieved a packet of immortal silver, and handed it to the aide. "Here is five hundred taels. Take it!" The aide took the silver and murmured, "My Lord, this... won't last more than a few days either." "Get out!" The aide scurried away. Xu Xi slammed his desk again, utterly unable to quell his wrath. Ever since the entire manor was ransacked last time, the refugees had grown increasingly arrogant, stirring up trouble almost every day. Xu Xi had initially spent a heavy sum to hire a dharma idol cultivator for protection. Little did he expect that just three days after taking the post, the man was ambushed in the dead of night and clawed into severe injuries. Afterward, no matter what Xu Xi said, the cultivator refused to stay, hiring men to carry him away on a stretcher as he fled. Currently, the porridge stations were the only means of keeping the refugees pacified. However, Bianning Commandery did not have only the commandery government's porridge stations—Wei Yuan had established his own as well. As long as the commandery provided less than Wei Yuan did, the refugees would still cause an uproar. Bianning was a newly established commandery; its treasury had been bare from the start, and the grain in the granaries had long been sold off down to the last kernel by Sun Chao'en in league with the previous commandery governor, Li Weisheng. If Xu Xi investigated the granary stores, he would not only offend everyone in Ningxi Prefecture from top to bottom, but also make a mortal enemy out of Li Weisheng. Besides, cleaning up after one's predecessor was an unspoken rule of officialdom, and the mess Li Weisheng left behind would not have been difficult to clean up—if only he had not run into such unprecedentedly fierce refugees. The last time Xu Xi boldly shut down the porridge stations, the refugees boldly stormed and occupied the commandery governor's manor that very night. Xu Xi was drugged unconscious that evening, and when he woke up, the manor had already been stripped bare. After that incident, Xu Xi realized he could not afford to provoke this wave of refugees, leaving him no choice but to dig into his own pocket to subsidize the porridge stations. He simply could not fathom it. He had traveled thousands of li to fill this commandery governor vacancy, thinking that with the Military Commissioner of Dingxi bearing the brunt up front, this would be a peaceful, cushy post. Who could have imagined that upon taking office, troubles would arise without end? Not only had he lost several lovely concubines, but he also had to pay out of his own pocket. If things continued like this, by the time he finished a single term as commandery governor, he would probably be in the red by a million taels. He spat out a few bitter curses at Wei Yuan, though he dared not raise his voice too loud. *** Meanwhile, Wei Yuan had already slipped quietly into the commandery capital and was presently at Sun Chao'en's residence. The two exchanged no polite pleasantries. The moment they met, Wei Yuan pushed a pill box across the table and said, "This is my Palace of Grand Beginning's Three-Flavor Immortality Ascension Pill. It can enhance the spirituality of your Dao Foundation and increase your chance of attaining a dharma idol by ten percent." "This is precisely what I desperately need. I shall not stand on ceremony, then." Sun Chao'en accepted the pill box. Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "Brother Sun, you took in and provided relief to the refugees along the route. Over the past year, more than two hundred thousand refugees entered Qingming through here. For such merit, exchanging for a single pill is more than generous. It is just that Governor Xu still refuses to leave, which poses a bit of a nuisance. Many of our matters cannot be brought out into the open yet." Sun Chao'en sighed. "His job as governor isn't easy either. His residence alone has already been overrun twice, stripped bare each time. Right now, he has only a few elderly maids left in the manor; all the maidservants were carried off, and he can't hire anyone as guards. To maintain the porridge stations, he even has to pay out of his own pocket. That he still refuses to leave even after all this is quite remarkable." Lost in thought, Wei Yuan suddenly asked, "Could it be that he has nowhere else to go?" Sun Chao'en had never considered it from that angle, but with Wei Yuan's reminder, the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Pondering for a moment, Sun Chao'en suggested, "How about dragging him down into the water with us?" Wei Yuan shook his head. "Things have already gone this far; we might as well see it through to the end. Besides, if we pull him in, where would that leave you? Once Bianning Commandery truly stabilizes, this governorship won't be yours." Sun Chao'en sighed. "It seems we have no choice. Allow me to scheme carefully and see what charge we can pin on him so there will be no future repercussions." "There is another matter. I want all the information on the seven commanderies in western Ningzhou, the more detailed the better—especially regarding grain, local specialties, mining, pharmaceuticals, and salt and iron." Sun Chao'en was startled. "You're going after the Xu family again?" "No. For now, I just want to make some money off them first." "Oh, right, there is one thing I should warn you about. The imperial court recently formed a new army in secret on the northern frontier. Word is they are equipped with fire guns." Hearing this news, Wei Yuan's expression turned somewhat solemn. Having built a fire gun unit with his own hands, he naturally understood just how massive an enhancement such a weapon provided to ordinary mortals. The Western Jin court had kept things quite confidential this time; Wei Yuan had not caught the slightest wind of it. It was only because Sun Chao'en had hopes of reaching the Dharma Idol realm that court heavyweights, seeking to win him over, had leaked a bit of news to him. Wei Yuan urged Sun Chao'en to look further into the matter, then rose and took his leave. *** Zhenshan Domain. Li Zhi had reorganized his army. At this moment, he was leading thirty thousand elite troops, locked in a standoff against one hundred thousand Mountain Folk across from him. Both sides were arrayed in strict battle readiness, an all-out clash on the verge of erupting. Ever since he was surrounded by the Mountain Folk last time and narrowly escaped with his life, Li Zhi had drilled his army day and night to prepare for war. Now, fully prepared at last, he led thirty thousand elites to seek out the main force of the Mountain Folk, intent on wiping away his past disgrace. For this battle, Li Zhi brought a full ten thousand elite Southern Qi cavalry under his command. His own one hundred personal guards were all Dao Foundation cultivators, and the ranks also included two hundred Dao Foundation captains, all equipped with the flying sword guns they had recently acquired. As the two armies confronted each other, Li Zhi circulated the Qi-Gazing Technique to look across the field. Spotting four dharma idols, he gave a cold sneer. Li Zhi had made thorough preparations for this battle, hiring an additional high-level Dharma Idol cultivator, which gave him three dharma idol experts behind him. At three against four, the human side still held a slight advantage. Furthermore, the enemy had no giants this time either. In the previous battle, the Mountain Folk had fielded this exact lineup, yet Wei Yuan had led several thousand cavalry to easily pierce through them. A few charges back and forth, followed by an all-out assault, had shattered the enemy completely—so simple and straightforward that even a fool could pick it up. Li Zhi drew his treasured sword and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The enemy is fragile and vulnerable! All cavalry, charge the enemy lines with me!" A golden shimmer surfaced on Li Zhi's sword, merging into one with the military qi. Over ten thousand cavalry surged forward behind Li Zhi like rolling thunder, their military qi crashing toward the Mountain Folk like monstrous waves! Not to be outdone, the Mountain Folk sent their military qi soaring straight up, towering like a mountain. The ten thousand elite Southern Qi cavalry crashed directly into the Mountain Folk's formation. In the blink of an eye, like a sharp blade slicing through tofu, they cut into the center of the enemy battle line—and then ground to a halt, failing to punch through. Li Zhi slashed forward with his sword. Wherever his sword qi swept, dozens of Mountain Folk were swept up and instantly killed. Yet even more Mountain Folk immediately surged in to fill the breach. Li Zhi slashed several times more before realizing something was wrong—he had actually failed to pierce through the enemy formation! How was this possible? The Mountain Folk's battle formation had not changed from last time, Li Zhi had carefully selected the point of assault, and the ten thousand cavalry behind him were all elites—even greater in number than what Wei Yuan had commanded back then. Yet while the Mountain Folk's battle line was like paper in front of Wei Yuan, why had it turned into iron walls and bronze ramparts before him? Li Zhi was both shocked and enraged. He believed his military skill was solidly above that barbarian Wei Yuan, falling short only of Bao Yun. So where on earth had things gone wrong? But now was not the time to dwell on that. Well aware of the mortal danger of being trapped after a failed charge, Li Zhi immediately roared in battle and led his cavalry to fight desperately onward. Meanwhile, the commanders of the rear forces, seeing that the situation looked dire, promptly launched an all-out charge to come to his rescue. A chaotic clash between the two armies ensued. An hour later, several thousand battered survivors escorted Li Zhi out of the mountain valley. Only when they saw no Mountain Folk in pursuit did they slightly ease their pace. His face livid, Li Zhi reined in his horse and looked back. A dharma idol cultivator beside him remarked, "Many of the soldiers know how to cross mountains and ridges; they still have a chance to make it back. Fortunately, we had the flying sword guns gifted by Lord Wei, the Military Commissioner of Ningxi, this time. Otherwise, breaking out of the encirclement would not have been so easy." Li Zhi suddenly said, "Send someone to Qingming to buy another three hundred flying sword guns—and two hundred flying swords for each gun!" A general said, "My Lord, these guns can only be used by Dao Foundation cultivators. We do not have that many Dao Foundations." "By the time the guns arrive, we will have them." "Yes, My Lord." *** Not long after Wei Yuan returned to his domain, someone delivered a stack of jade paper. Inscribed upon it were the local customs, geography, specialty goods, mineral deposits, and the distribution of key figures and influential forces across the seven western commanderies of Ningzhou—in other words, the Xu family's territory. Sun Chao'en had always been swift and decisive in handling matters. The information comprised hundreds of thousands of words. Wei Yuan perused it meticulously, and an hour slipped by before he realized it. Given his physical stamina, he surprisingly felt a touch of weariness. After all, this was the first time Wei Yuan was contemplating means beyond warfare, and also the first time he was viewing problems from an overall strategic perspective. Wei Yuan set aside the records and turned his gaze inward to look at the Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. The household that had recently held a wedding was now even more festive. The bride was fair-skinned and lovely, presently sitting in the courtyard caressing her slightly swollen belly with a face full of bliss and anticipation. A spiritual tree was planted in the courtyard, and in the corner grew freshly planted spiritual flowers and herbs. Wei Yuan watched for a while, feeling his mood settle into peace, and withdrew his divine sense from the place. The main structure of the cultivation hall had already been completed, spanning three halls and six pavilions, quite an imposing sight. It seemed whoever built the hall possessed considerable ambition, having already accounted for future expansion. In the completed rear hall, three cultivation spots had been arranged, and three people were currently meditating there. Sweeping his divine sense over them, Wei Yuan instantly knew that the person in the center possessed exceptional talent; they had already reached the perfection of Body Casting and were awaiting the opportune moment to achieve a Dao Foundation. Another possessed talent that was not bad either, equivalent to the Heaven Foundation level in the outside world. Yet the person on the far left had mediocre natural gifts—Wei Yuan estimated Earth Foundation at best—and he wondered how they had managed to surpass so many far more talented people outside to sit and cultivate inside the hall. At this time, though the sky remained predominantly dark red, the dark red patch in the center had faded considerably, faintly revealing a tint of cyan-blue. *** Western Jin, the royal capital. The King of Jin held a wine cup, gazing at the evening glow filling the sky in high spirits. Raising his cup toward the setting sun, he drained it in one gulp. Beside him, Zhao Tong promptly asked, "What makes the Holy King so joyful?" The King of Jin chuckled. "The state fortune is flourishing by the day. How could We not be pleased?"