The flotilla of floating airships arrived at Guantun County, delivering a total of thirty thousand dan of supplies, the vast majority of which was grain.
Originally, each floating vessel had been designed with a cargo capacity of only five thousand dan. However, Qingming's tradition was exquisite craftsmanship and solid materials; as the loading progressed, they found that even after reaching the rated limit, the vessels could still take on more. Almost without realizing it, the load swelled from twenty thousand dan to thirty thousand. The structural integrity of the vessels held firm; only the thruster operators faced extra fatigue, which was why Zhang Sheng had brought along two extra teams.
Guantun County's population had already surpassed four hundred thousand, sprawling far past the county town and into the territory of the mountain folk. With several hundred thousand mouths to feed, the three million jin of grain that had arrived was far from sufficient. Fortunately, a second batch of floating vessels had already been constructed and dispatched—this time a fleet of ten, escorted by Ji Liuli and Feng Chutang.
Zhang Sheng had already cleared the air route ahead of time. She had severely injured a mountain-folk Scenery Command cultivator, dealt a stern warning to the Scenery Command elder from the Duke of Long's estate, and along the way had slain six Dharma Idol cultivators while capturing four more. Following her sweep, there might still be some small fry lingering along the path, but none would dare show their faces once they spotted the banner of Qingming.
Zhang Sheng had sustained some injuries in her battle against the mountain-folk Scenery Command cultivator, but they were not severe; a month of rest would be enough to recover.
Although the grain brought in this run was modest in quantity, half consisted of high-grade military rations compressed and sealed in iron barrels, while the other half was cured salted meat and fish, both far better at staving off hunger than ordinary grain. These quality supplies were enough to sustain Guantun County until the next convoy arrived.
Seeing Zhang Sheng again, Wei Yuan felt as though they had been apart for ages.
Yet with countless matters pressing for attention, now was hardly the time for tenderness. Wei Yuan made quick work of handing over all affairs regarding the State of Ji before entrusting the territory to Zhang Sheng. He then led her to the southern district of the county seat.
The earth energy here was relatively warm, so Wei Yuan had ordered the existing dwellings razed to the ground, excavating neat rows of pits that resembled burial chambers and ringing them with formations.
Upon stepping into the grand formation, one was struck by gust after gust of chilling wind, as though plunging into the depths of winter, utterly devoid of vitality. In every pit lay at least seven or eight starving refugees, all clinging to life by a thread, insensible to the world.
Wei Yuan had employed this method once before during Qingming's most difficult period: placing mortals who had no immediate utility into deep formation pits to slow their life force into a semi-dormant state, reducing their need for food to just one meal every seven or eight days.
To Zhang Sheng, it felt like an eternity since she had last seen such a scene, yet here it was before her eyes once again.
Wei Yuan said, "Two hundred thousand mortals lie here, and I intend to keep them asleep for another two months. That way, whether it is the rebels or the imperial army, they will catch wind of it and assume I have run out of grain. The foolish ones will march straight in, hoping to pick over an easy prize. The ones who are not so foolish will keep funneling people our way, hoping the flood of refugees will bankrupt me. Either way, we won't need to tire ourselves chasing after them; we only need to act as though we are on the verge of collapse."
Zhang Sheng remarked, "On my way back, I heard that the State of Ji recently produced a Duke of Long who seems to possess some talent for war."
Wei Yuan replied, "He just routed the rebels. I collected all of his battle reports; he is nothing to worry about. Truth be told, Western Jin had plenty of famous generals as well, yet none could salvage their kingdom from its crisis. For realms like Western Jin and the State of Ji, no number of brilliant commanders can help. No matter how much they win on the battlefield, their kings can squander it all away.
"Well then, I leave things here to you. I must return to Qingming to deal with Zhao; I am afraid we won't see each other again until this battle is over."
Seeing Wei Yuan looking hesitant and somewhat at a loss, Zhang Sheng walked over, gently leaned her cheek against his, and whispered, "Zhao has immortals as well. Do not be careless. If you cannot win, run."
Wei Yuan relaxed and smiled. "Rest assured, I will. Time is on our side anyway. Once we ascend to immortality, we can settle our accounts with them at our leisure."
Zhang Sheng recalled something and added, "By the way, on my way here, I happened to thrash a Scenery Command elder from the Duke of Long's estate. He possessed an intriguing technique that allows one to escape without damaging the invincible heart of the Dao. It goes like this..."
Wei Yuan listened intently. After a moment of contemplation, he summoned a Dao soldier. Tweak after tweak, over three to five adjustments, the Dao soldier ended up looking identical to Wei Yuan, down to its expression and tone of voice.
Leaving this Dao soldier behind to deliver grand parting words would make it difficult for anyone to see through the ruse, and it could stall the enemy for a few extra exchanges to buy time for the real body to flee—a measure a cut above that elder's method.
With all preparations in place, Wei Yuan returned to Qingming through the secret realm. As for the four young masters Zhang Sheng had hauled back, Wei Yuan gave them no thought at all, and he was even less inclined toward Zhang Sheng's notion of extorting ransoms. His teacher was wonderful in every way except for her obsession with making money; across all these years, she hadn't changed one bit.
At present, the garrison at Guantun County numbered only two thousand, but twenty cannons, over a hundred rotary machine guns, and nearly a thousand high-power flying sword guns had been shipped in successively. For a modest county, such firepower was brutally overwhelming; its only shortcoming was endurance, as the ammunition in reserve was at most sufficient for a single major engagement.
Wei Yuan had no choice either. Given Qingming's current military structure, the sheer volume of supplies consumed in a single battle was astronomical. The transport capacity of the secret realm's portal was merely a drop in the bucket, and the bulk of it had to be devoted to moving grain. Only when the fleet of floating airships reached significant scale could they operate with genuine freedom.
After parting with Zhang Sheng, Wei Yuan crossed through the secret realm and deployed his personal aircraft, returning to Qingming in under two shichen. By then, the two great legions were fully assembled and ready to deploy.
The First Legion was a classic heavy formation, composed primarily of heavy armored infantry and equipped with heavy chariots and armored transport wagons. The Second Legion possessed somewhat greater mobility, including a contingent of cuirassier riflemen, though their cultivation was by no means inferior to that of the First Legion.
All the warriors from the New City had been formed into an independent force, reorganized as the Qingming Legion—the first to bear its own formal name. Wei Yuan did not mobilize the Qingming Legion this time, leaving the Xu family youths and the former sacrifices to live and raise families in peace within the city, doing their utmost to expand the legion's ranks.
Wei Yuan's aircraft touched down in the military city, where Cui Yu, Xiaoyu, and others were already waiting. Wei Yuan was rather surprised by how proactive Xiaoyu had become. It seemed that ever since Xiaoyu's last journey to the State of Ji, his temperament had undergone a drastic transformation, growing so enthusiastic that Wei Yuan found himself somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Wei Yuan had preferred the arrogant, stubborn Xiaoyu of the past; writing letters to him had been far more entertaining back then.
Taking his seat at the head of the hall, Wei Yuan asked, "How stands the situation with Zhao?"
Cui Yu said, "The King of Zhao's reply arrived long ago. The contents were... as expected. Beyond that, the King of Zhao has sealed all borders of the State of Zhao and launched sweeping arrests of our people within his realm. Over ten thousand have already been detained, including many who merely conducted commerce with us.
"The second matter: the King of Zhao declared Qingyuan to be contraband, banning its use throughout the State of Zhao. All Qingyuan held by the populace must be surrendered. Any discovered in private possession will not only be confiscated immediately, but the holder will also be charged as a criminal.
"The third matter: over recent days, multiple bands of Zhao cavalry have been active along the border, raiding our territory repeatedly to burn, kill, and pillage. Over three hundred people have already been killed or wounded."
Wei Yuan was somewhat surprised. The King of Zhao's reaction was unexpectedly vehement. Well, so be it—the few corpses he had painstakingly prepared would no longer have any use.
Xiaoyu fumed, "The King of Zhao is utterly demented, defying all reason! It is beyond absurd! We ought to issue a manifesto to all the realm, enumerating the King of Zhao's crimes so our cause is just and righteous. Furthermore, this war must not end until the King of Zhao offers a sincere apology and compensates us for our losses!"
Wei Yuan said, "An apology? No, we have no need for an apology from the King of Zhao."
Xiaoyu asked in confusion, "The King of Zhao has committed all these transgressions; how can we not demand an apology?"
Cui Yu chimed in from the side, "Even if the King of Zhao were to apologize, it would only be in private, and it would only make him detest us all the more. Better to leave that demand aside and press for more immortal silver in reparations."
Wei Yuan said, "Whether the King of Zhao apologizes or admits his fault sincerely does not matter in the slightest. Let him hate us or despise us; he can think whatever he likes, for I do not care. As for broadcasting a manifesto to the realm, I see no need for such fuss; I don't even intend to answer his letter.
"What I will do now is press our legions to his borders and strike straight into his heartland! We won't mince words with him—we simply go in and crush him!"
Xiaoyu said, "This... runs contrary to propriety, does it not? I fear we will invite universal condemnation."
Wei Yuan laughed. "Didn't we discuss this before? Once we defeat Zhao, there will be no shortage of great scholars willing to debate the classics in our favor."
Xiaoyu gave a bitter smile. "Great scholars have their pride too. What if they refuse?"
Wei Yuan said, "That is a fair question. I gave it careful thought later on and arrived at a solution: we will ensure that only those who debate the classics in our favor get to become great scholars. As for those unwilling to stand on our side, we will find ways to drag their reputations through the mud!
"The timing is nearly ripe. Once this battle is concluded, we will establish an Office for the Development of the Realms. I will allocate a portion of Qingyuan, focusing on funding academies and scholars within the State of Zhao, hosting poetry gatherings on a whim, and reimbursing travel and lodging for scholars from humble backgrounds. To those of stature and renown who are willing to speak on our behalf, we will disburse regular, targeted allowances of Qingyuan. Before long, not a soul will speak ill of us.
"Oh, and we'll dispatch the Literary Thirteen Taipao over there as well to set up academic journals and stir up the scholars to push back against the King of Zhao. If the King of Zhao builds water conservancy projects, decry it as squandering wealth and exhausting the people for vanity's sake; if the King of Zhao drills his military, proclaim that we desire no Spring and Autumn hegemonic bullying, only the dignity of the common folk..."
The more Wei Yuan spoke, the more animated he became, until Xiaoyu finally had to interject, "The King of Zhao will chop off their heads!"
Wei Yuan slapped the table. "Isn't that even better? A glorious name etched into the annals of history!"
Xiaoyu was left completely speechless.
Realizing he had let his tongue run away with him, Wei Yuan promptly reined in the conversation. "Alright, alright, that is for later. Let's speak of the war first! How has Li Chengfeng been performing? Should we make him the first target?"
Cui Yu said, "He has been jumping about vigorously, issuing nine manifestos in succession to enumerate our thirty-six great crimes."
Wei Yuan was taken aback. "Have we done so many terrible things? Show me those manifestos later; I'd like to study them."
Then Wei Yuan smiled. "The fellow is clever enough; if he didn't hop about so frantically, the King of Zhao likely would have executed him first. Regardless, since he refuses to behave, our campaign will march by the Kingly Way—we shall roll right over him to start! Relay the order: the vanguard mobilizes at once, and the main army departs in succession!"
Cui Yu received the command and was about to leave the hall to make the arrangements when Wei Yuan called him back. "Never mind. Our past relations were decent, after all, so rolling over him without a word would be rather impolite. This time, we shall switch to the Sage's Way: before we roll over him, send an emissary to let him know."
Seven days later, the Qingming army surged across the Bishui, rolling steadily forward.
In this engagement, Li Chengfeng committed the entire armed force of his territory to battle. After half a shichen of bloody struggle, over a hundred thousand were taken prisoner, thirty thousand were wounded, and thirty were killed.
Chapter 978