Wei Boyang followed Wei Yuan on a tour through Qingming. Aside from the medicine garden, the Weaponsmith Workshop, and the Good Fortune Pill Workshop, which they did not visit, they inspected everywhere else, focusing especially on the defensive system of Ding'an City.
Wei Boyang had originally intended to offer Wei Yuan some stern guidance to help him refine Qingming's city defenses. Yet after inspecting the full circuit, he found himself utterly at a loss for where to begin. Not only was he unable to offer any suggestions, but there were many arrangements he could not even make head or tail of.
Even if he could not understand them, his fundamental discernment remained. Wei Boyang naturally recognized that these defensive works were exceptionally tight and held profound, subtle workings.
Given his stature, however, he was too embarrassed to demean himself by asking.
It would have been fine if anyone else were watching, but Old Thief Chunqiu was up in the sky keeping an eye on things. To ask guidance from that old thief's grand-disciple's disciple—Wei Boyang simply could not bring himself to suffer such humiliation.
Since there was nothing left to inspect, Wei Boyang simply returned to his flying boat. Although he had arrived under imperial decree and was sheltered by imperial luck, shielding him from the gaze of otherworldly monsters, the imperial luck would still slowly deplete. Consequently, Wei Boyang was reluctant to linger in the Shattered Lands for too long.
The flying boat came equipped with multiple grand formations that shielded against the gaze of otherworldly monsters, allowing a Scenery Command cultivator to remain inside comfortably. Wei Boyang berthed the flying boat in the mountainous area to the east of Qingming, a peaceful spot out of reach for mortals.
To Wei Yuan's surprise, True Monarch Xuanyue came over shortly afterward to give a few instructions, then headed off to Wei Boyang's flying boat as well. According to the patriarch, he and Wei Boyang had agreed to a ten-game Go match, determined to settle their rivalry once and for all. As Wei Yuan's patriarch, Xuanyue truly could not fathom what Wei Boyang could possibly bring to the board to defeat him.
Wei Yuan was far too tied down with duties at the moment; otherwise, he would have loved to watch a few games and secretly help his patriarch secure victory.
As for the past grievances between True Monarch Xuanyue and Wei Boyang, they concerned elders, so Wei Yuan did not pry.
That True Monarch Xuanyue had been able to rush here was solely because Qingming was an internal matter of the Sky Azure Hall; as the patriarch, he had to make an appearance, leaving him no choice but to set affairs at the Northern Mountain Gate aside.
Yet seeing Wei Boyang arrive had visibly relieved Patriarch Xuanyue. He privately confided to Wei Yuan that although this Senior General of Anyuan was inferior to him in every way—a lecherous, vulgar degenerate with tender skin that could not take a beating, not to mention dead broke—pinning down two ordinary Nether Shamans was still well within his capabilities.
With Xuanyue and Wei Boyang holding the fort, alongside Li Zhi's soon-to-arrive elder and Zhu Yuanjin, Wei Yuan felt their strength at the Scenery Command level was essentially sufficient. After all, full-scale battles between Scenery Command experts could not easily break out in the Shattered Lands; both sides could only keep each other in check to prevent one another from striking at dharma idols or Dao Foundation cultivators.
As for the three thousand Imperial Guards Wei Boyang had brought, Wei Yuan had originally intended to put them to some use, only to discover that merely five hundred were at the Dao Foundation stage, while the rest were Body Casting cultivators. It turned out that on the day of their meeting, Wei Boyang had paraded every single Dao Foundation cultivator onto the deck purely to put on a grand front.
Wei Yuan then considered stationing the twenty-five hundred Body Casting guards at Xuanwei Seven, where the women and children were housed, but upon further thought, he dared not place any faith in the Imperial Guard's discipline. Those women and children were the hope and emotional anchors of the mortals; if anything happened to them, both public morale and military spirit would collapse.
Pondering the matter back and forth, Wei Yuan decided it was best to keep those guards on the ship, so long as they didn't cause trouble. Wei Yuan wanted only the five hundred Dao Foundation cultivators, and he specifically laid out a grand formation for them. Their daily task was simply to meditate in the formation, driving it to provide spiritual power to other areas of Qingming.
Afterward, Wei Yuan summoned his primary generals and city lords, ordering them to immediately take census of the civilians within their jurisdictions and compile detailed registers as swiftly as possible. It was an exceedingly tedious task, and Wei Yuan had given an extremely tight deadline, so the moment everyone left the council hall, they took flight in all directions to get to work.
Fortunately, Qingming had already registered most of its population previously, though the displaced refugees who had arrived later had not yet been recorded—a group estimated at roughly three hundred thousand. Wei Yuan had made it explicitly clear: the focus of this census was precisely these people, and not a single one was to be overlooked.
Having arranged this major matter, Wei Yuan lost no time and flew straight to the Weaponsmith Workshop, finding Yu Zhizhuo hard at work.
At that moment, Yu Zhizhuo was directing several dozen Dao Foundation cultivators as they joined four red-hot steel slabs together to serve as the roof of a new fortification.
The moment Wei Yuan arrived, he asked bluntly, "What is our current daily output of breastplates?"
"Five hundred suits a day. The main bottleneck is that vambraces and greaves require a tremendous amount of manpower to produce, and we only have so many Dao Foundation and late-stage Body Casting cultivators. There's no way to ramp it up."
Wei Yuan handed him a new blueprint. "What if we produce them according to this?"
It was a blueprint for vambraces and greaves. Yu Zhizhuo took one look and drew a sharp breath. "Isn't this... a bit crude?"
"I need volume."
Yu Zhizhuo pondered for a moment, then said, "If we make vambraces and greaves like this, we can produce fifteen hundred suits of armor a day."
Wei Yuan nodded. "That should be enough."
"Are you raising a new army?"
Wei Yuan nodded.
"If it's for a new army, the output still won't be enough."
"We can reuse armor from the fallen, and parts scavenged from the Shamans can be repurposed for now as well."
Yu Zhizhuo said nothing more, merely sighing at Wei Yuan's departing back before picking up the blueprint to make adjustments.
The so-called vambraces and greaves on the blueprint were actually just four curved steel plates strapped onto limbs with leather belts. Their defense was certainly far inferior to standard arm and leg armor, and they only protected the outer surfaces, but manufacturing them was vastly simpler. Once the molds were finished and the forging presses adjusted, they could churn out thousands or even tens of thousands of plates a day.
Several days later.
While Cui Yu was taking stock of reinforcements and military supplies for the Left Army, a cultivator suddenly arrived, saying that Zhang Sheng requested his presence to discuss matters. Cui Yu set out at once and was standing before Zhang Sheng a short while later.
Zhang Sheng sat behind a writing desk. Laying down the jade paper in hand, Zhang Sheng asked, "I hear Wei Yuan has instructed you all to take census and compile a register of the newly arrived mortals?"
Cui Yu replied, "That is indeed so. The progress is already halfway through."
Though Cui Yu was already a dharma idol while Zhang Sheng had not even established a Dao Foundation, the awe and respect in Cui Yu's heart had not diminished in the slightest. Questioned by Zhang Sheng, he stood ramrod straight, still carrying himself as the student of years past.
Zhang Sheng said, "Hand over the completed civilian registers for Yong'an and the three eastern cities to me first. Also, as my mobility is limited, bring Li Zhi here while you're at it."
Cui Yu assented and hurried off.
A moment later, he returned with Li Zhi, handed a register to Zhang Sheng, and then took his leave, leaving Li Zhi behind.
Li Zhi sat down calmly, yet his heart began to race uncontrollably.
Zhang Sheng set the roster aside and asked, "I hear General Li is not on good terms with Zhao. Is there any truth to this?"
Li Zhi was taken aback, then offered a wry smile. "It is indeed so; Master Zhang has discerning eyes. However, I have heard some rumors. By all rights, the King of Zhao ought to vigorously aid Qingming, yet for some reason he holds his forces back. Nor do I understand why Brother Wei chose to provoke the King of Zhao this time."
There was a great deal packed into Li Zhi's words.
Zhang Sheng's expression remained unchanged, answering impassively, "Sitting on the mountain to watch tigers fight is human nature. The King of Zhao appears magnanimous, but in truth he possesses no tolerance for others. On this point, General Li should know better than anyone."
Li Zhi sighed. "My Southern Qi Li family and the Zhao Li clan were never of the same lineage to begin with; we merely happen to share the surname Li. To be someone the King of Zhao refuses to tolerate—I suppose I should consider it an honor."
This was an old tale. Back when Li Xuanheng first founded Southern Qi, seeking the backing of various states, he searched back through genealogies and ancestral registers until he managed with great difficulty to unearth a tenuous trace of blood connection to the Zhao Li clan, whereupon he proclaimed that the two Li families originated from the same source. As Southern Qi gradually grew strong, this episode came to be regarded as a humiliation.
"General Li is hardly one to sit and await death, and your esteemed father is thoroughly versed in grand alliances, political maneuvering, and military strategy. Surely you have long prepared a countermeasure."
Li Zhi's expression changed instantly. Forcing a smile, he said, "Master Zhang must be joking. My father indulges only in wine, women, and pursuits of pleasure, having achieved nothing. Where would he get political schemes and military strategy?"
Yet gazing upon Zhang Sheng's impassive expression, Li Zhi finally let out a long sigh and said helplessly, "The King of Qi is deeply suspicious by nature. My father has spent his entire life being cautious and prudent, having only recently managed with great difficulty to pave a path of survival for me. If these words reached the ears of the King of Qi, my father would truly be in grave danger. I share a life-and-death friendship with Brother Wei; could you spare me on account of that?"
Zhang Sheng neither agreed nor disagreed, asking instead, "How many civilians are currently in your Zhenshan Domain?"
"Just reached three hundred thousand."
Zhang Sheng asked again, "You have contingencies prepared in several border commanderies of Zhao, including Yuyang Prefecture, don't you? If necessary, how many civilians could you relocate?"
Li Zhi's face changed once more, then he sighed, "Two hundred thousand."
Zhang Sheng said, "Then activate your contingencies and combine them with the people from Zhenshan Domain. I want three hundred thousand civilians brought here within half a month."
Li Zhi calculated silently, and sweat broke out on his forehead. Upon calculation, he found that relocating three hundred thousand civilians would indeed require fifteen days. In other words, Zhang Sheng had seen right through his hand. But how on earth had that been done?
Zhang Sheng picked up a teacup, took a sip, and only then said, "Sending people here will naturally not leave you at a loss. What do you want?"
"This..." Li Zhi's mind suddenly began racing.
He had watched Qingming's development all along; if he were truly to speak of what he wanted, there was far too much.
Li Zhi smiled wryly. "...If I were to speak of what I want most, it would naturally be Brother Wei."
Zhang Sheng was momentarily surprised, the corners of the lips curving slightly upward. "That is naturally out of the question. Let me choose for you: once this battle concludes, send twenty thousand men over, and I will forge them into battle-hardened elites with combat power on par with the Nine Armies of Great Tang. All weaponry and equipment will be provided by me. How does that sound?"
"Nothing could be better."
With the matter settled, Li Zhi took his leave of Zhang Sheng and returned to Zhenshan Domain. Relocating three hundred thousand mortals was a massive undertaking. Li Zhi planned to move two hundred thousand from Zhenshan, keeping only one hundred thousand behind. Then he would transport another one hundred thousand from the various commanderies of Zhao to Qingming, which would allow the transfer to be completed within half a month. Afterward, he would relocate refugees from Zhao into his Zhenshan Domain to slowly replenish its population.
After Li Zhi left, Zhang Sheng returned to the inner chamber and lay down on the bed.
When she opened her eyes again, she was once more on the top floor of the Creation of Heaven and Earth Research Institute. Her old seat was still there, untouched.
Zhang Sheng walked over and sat down, pulling over the orb of light. First, she entered the civilian roster Cui Yu had provided, then created a task: assemble an army composed entirely of civilians, with only one Dao Foundation officer per thousand men and experienced Body Casting officers per hundred men. The designated strength of this army was thirty thousand.
With the task created, Zhang Sheng split it directly into one hundred twenty-eight sub-tasks and began processing them simultaneously. A moment later, she divided sixty-four more from the existing sub-tasks and assigned them to idle personnel in the system.
As the task progressed, a faint trace of black qi gradually gathered between Zhang Sheng's brows.
Chapter 488