Chapter 284: Chapter 278: Rage
The warlord’s surname is Zhang, with the given name Hu. Leading two thousand refugees, he occupied Shima Mountain and proclaimed himself king a year ago. They escaped from West Continent to Shima Mountain and lived by looting and cultivating the mountain fields. Below the mountain runs a river, rich in fish and irrigating both banks.
Since Zhang Hu proclaimed himself king of the mountain, the people of Yunzhou avoided his force. Half of the farmlands in that region were abandoned. The mountain stronghold diverted water for irrigation, supplemented by mountain springs, achieving self-sufficiency. They also robbed passing merchant caravans, amassing gold and silver treasures. Their days now were far more prosperous than when they were in West Continent.
This was the sorrow of Yanyang’s decades of war and the gradual ruin of the Twelve States. The authorities remained powerless against banditry. After Xie Xun conquered Matao Mountain, he sent a letter to Xie Jue. Dividing an army of fifty thousand troops in two, Feiying was assigned as the Grain Escort Officer to transport silver and grain back to Ningzhou. Xie Xun took ten thousand soldiers to eliminate bandits, starting with the Twelve States.
After subduing Matao Mountain, Xie Xun initially intended to announce to the Twelve States that Ningzhou Iron Cavalry would undertake the elimination of bandits. Fengyu said, "You can proclaim to the Twelve States that their state mansions can request Ningzhou Iron Cavalry for bandit elimination. The state mansions will be responsible for supplying provisions to the Iron Cavalry and, if budgeting allows, can provide monetary subsidies as well."
Xie Xun, "?"
Fengyu continued, "If you announce the bandit elimination to the Twelve States, you will have to bear all the costs for the Iron Cavalry yourself. But if the state mansions request the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, they’ll shoulder the cost of provisions and provide appropriate subsidies. For fifty thousand soldiers, you could save significant money daily. If the state mansions grant supplements, you can convert them into salaries for the troops. You save money, the soldiers get paid—everyone wins. Why bother draining your own funds?"
"Yet... Ningzhou Iron Cavalry has never charged money for this before!" The Marquis Zhenbei never set this precedent before—charging for bandit elimination?
"Your Highness, the previous Ningzhou Iron Cavalry was sustained by all of Yanyang." Fengyu smirked faintly, "Now it’s down to you and the Second Young Master to finance them. Besides, the two of you are still in debt to me for 5.5 million taels of silver, so you’d better start saving."
Xie Xun felt a pang of embarrassment. If his father found out, he’d be rolling in his grave. Fengyu eyed his hesitant expression with silent amusement, thinking to herself: does he even grasp the financial state of the situation? Without income and thrift, how can such a massive army be sustained? With no wars against Beiman, she’d even considered suggesting to the Second Young Master to let Ningzhou’s army make money.
Hundreds of thousands of young, able-bodied men—prime labor force!!
"Yunzhou may be destitute, but their state mansion can cover provisions for fifty thousand Iron Cavalry for three days and manage to offer ten thousand taels. Although the Twelve States aren’t as prosperous as a decade ago, as the saying goes, a centipede dies but never falls apart—they still have some surplus grain." Fengyu remarked coolly, "Pride... throw it away a few times, and you’ll get used to it."
The Ningzhou Iron Cavalry endured three days of marching toward Jinzhou relying only on cold water and dry rations, unable to secure even one hot meal. This revealed just how impoverished they were.
"Fine!" Xie Xun, taking her advice, gathered with several generals and actually sent envoys to inform the state mansions across Twelve States that Ningzhou Iron Cavalry was willing to eliminate bandits, provided they supplied provisions and appropriate monetary subsidies.
Yunzhou’s governor, Lin Jingshan, ended up paying to hire Ningzhou Iron Cavalry.
The moment the news broke—
Lin Jingshan, "..."
The governors of the Twelve States collectively fell silent.
Though Fengyu had never conducted an on-site investigation of the Twelve States, she had little knowledge of their actual situation. Xie Xun conquered Matao Mountain in merely three hours, earning him widespread renown. The Iron Cavalry Army’s might remained intact. If the state mansions willingly paid for bandit elimination, all was well and good. If unwilling, Xie Xun would proceed with the cleanup unaided and merely find a legitimate excuse later.
Unexpectedly, on the second day after Xie Xun left Yunzhou, requests from three governors arrived, asking for Ningzhou Iron Cavalry to help them eliminate bandits.
Fengyu thought to herself, what a loss!
She should have set fixed rates.
The term "appropriate monetary subsidies" lacked specifications, leaving the matter to depend on the governors’ generosity.
Xie Xun thought, "The Twelve States have indeed been plagued by banditry for a long time."
Though Xie Xun and Fengyu deeply loved each other, they rarely agreed on any single matter. Most of the time, their thoughts diverged drastically but still resulted in mutual gains regardless.
After the state mansions of the Twelve States paid for Ningzhou Iron Cavalry to eliminate bandits, they also resolved Xie Xun’s lingering worry. No state resisted; their governors opened city gates wide and greeted them along the paths.
The governors’ thoughts echoed Lin Jingshan’s—none wanted to risk charges of treason and were desperate for Ningzhou Iron Cavalry to eradicate banditry.
One side offered labor, the other offered money—everyone rejoiced!
While Xie Xun led troops to eliminate bandits, Fengyu had already received a letter from Jinzhou’s Manager Wang. The entire summary of the Twelve States Trading House’s operations had been compiled and delivered to her desk.
Two years had passed since Feng Shu entrusted the Twelve States Trading House to her, and Fengyu hadn’t visited the Twelve States during that time. Spending more time in Jiangnan, the Trading House in the Twelve States sank further into disorder under the principle of "Heaven high, Emperor far."
With a grim expression, Fengyu leafed through the secret reports sent by Manager Wang, her brows shrouded with fierce fury. Even Qiuxiang and Chunlu observed nervously, trembling.
"Miss, have some tea. In a few days, we’ll arrive in Jinzhou." Spring Dew offered chilled tea. The weather was increasingly oppressive, and Fengyu had been drinking only cold tea.
"Their audacity—to deceive their superiors and oppress their subordinates—is boundless." Fengyu sneered, "I thought Zhang Hu was spouting nonsense, but it turns out he was telling the truth. The Twelve States Trading House is quite remarkable—hierarchically united!"
If Fengyu hadn’t personally come to the Twelve States, she might have continued to be deceived by them!
She slammed the ledger heavily onto the table. "No wonder—I could never make sense of the Twelve States’ accounts!"