Several days passed before the people sent to gather information returned. By then, it was already early spring.
The prefectural city had originally been a place where official salt was purchased, and it still had a considerable stockpile on hand. But after the wars, the city had closed its passes for four years, and its salt reserves had nearly run dry. Using salt as bait, Nine-Beard and the others found it easy enough to coax out some information.
The whole affair was rather laughable.
The reason the prefectural city had been so unyielding was that it had found hope for its gradually dwindling food supplies. Given enough time, it might be able to drain the eastern region completely.
After several years of drought in summer followed by heavy snow in winter, what new hope could there be for food?
By an extraordinary stroke of luck, it was the earth-fruit that had already spread throughout the eastern region.
The prefectural city had nearly exhausted its food stores over the past two years. Thus, when Fuyang County asked for aid last year, the city had wanted to lend a hand to this major county. Unfortunately, its own supplies were already stretched to the limit. How could it spare anything to help Fuyang, which had suffered through disaster?
So, after repeatedly claiming that they would certainly find a way, they strung Fuyang County along. In truth, they had offered nothing but empty promises and had taken no actual action.
Unable to hold out any longer, Fuyang County eventually defected to the east.
Yet shortly after Fuyang County changed sides, the prefectural city received a stroke of good fortune.
No one knew whether the people from the prefectural government had found it in the mountains or some other remote place. In any case, no one could give a clear account of it—perhaps only those involved knew the truth. Regardless, they had come across a household.
And not just any household. It was a large family of thirty or forty people. In a year of famine, every one of them was plump and robust, showing not the slightest sign of having gone hungry.
After secretly investigating, they discovered that the family was growing some kind of grain no one could identify. While no other crops yielded well during the famine, the food they dug out of the ground produced an astonishingly high harvest.
The person who discovered this secret felt his heart pounding. He quietly brought the news back, and it eventually reached the prefectural government.
The farmers of that large household, who had hidden away to escape the disaster, were all seized by the prefectural government. In order to save their lives, they confessed one by one how to grow the earth-fruit.
Duan Yan hissed. “Was the person growing the earth-fruit an old man with somewhat drooping eyelids and a mole on his face?”
The messenger shook his head. “We never saw the person who cultivated it. In any case, the prefectural city has obtained the earth-fruit, and they seem quite pleased with themselves, as though they’re about to rule the world.”
Duan Yan let out a laugh. He felt that the large household was most likely the old man who had sold them the earth-fruit seeds.
That old man had some wisdom, but it would be a stretch to call him clever.
With war piled atop famine, a man of his temperament probably would not have offered the earth-fruit to the local powers in exchange for protection. Instead, he would have taken along those closest to and most trusted by him, hidden away, and guarded the earth-fruit while waiting out the disaster.
He had hidden for several years, never expecting that his peace would ultimately be shattered by the prefectural government.
The old man did not know who had bought their seeds back then, nor where that person was based. Since no earth-fruit had appeared anywhere in the western region, the prefectural city assumed that this was heaven-sent divine grain—a chance that belonged to them alone. Their confidence had therefore grown tremendously.
This time, the eastern region happened to send people to seek peace as well. The prefectural city assumed that the eastern region had likewise been struck by famine and could not withstand a war. They were also furious that the east had taken the strategically located Fuyang County.
With all these factors combined, the prefectural city felt neither fear nor hesitation. They angrily waved their hands and arrested the eastern officials who had come to negotiate peace, clearly intending to make an example of them.
Song Wushen and Song Xuemu both shook their heads and laughed.
“This prefectural city has such a trump card, yet they’ve miscalculated.”
Duan Yan’s lips curled upward. He summoned someone and had a cartload of gifts sent to the prefectural city.
Some time later, just as the prefectural city was busily planting earth-fruit, an urgent report came from the city gate.
“The eastern region has sent people again. This time, they’ve brought a cartload of goods. They say they previously gave offense and have now sent generous gifts, hoping to ransom the eastern officials who came to negotiate peace.”
Prefect Wu Chanhe narrowed his eyes. Soon, a burst of laughter rang out through the government office.
“These violent bandits and rabble truly are nothing but second-rate thugs. A little pressure was enough to frighten them into submission. They claimed they weren’t afraid of the prefectural city, but now it seems they’re already at the end of their strength.”
The assistant magistrate stroked his beard. “I never considered them a threat in the first place. Fuyang County was foolish as well. If they had only waited a little longer, how could the prefectural city have refused to help them? Yet they couldn’t restrain themselves and had to join forces with that eastern rabble.”
“Joining forces won’t help them. If Fuyang County hadn’t been devastated by fire, how could it have allowed itself to be ordered around by that band of eastern thugs? Even if the entire eastern region joined with Fuyang County in the central region, together they would still be nothing more than a group of ruined cities on the verge of running out of grain.”
Amid the mocking laughter, the assistant commissioner frowned. “Tsk. If the eastern region wants peace, it ought to show some sincerity. They claim to have brought generous gifts, yet they’ve sent only one cartload. What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
The prefect also grew displeased at his words. He flung back his sleeve.
“Then have it brought in. We’ll all take a look and see what kind of generous gift it is—whether it’s enough to exchange for several people.”
The high-ranking officials in the government office could not help growing curious when they heard the prefect say this.
The records clerk from the military office was therefore sent to personally collect the cart of goods delivered by the eastern region from the city gate.
The gift from the east consisted of only two boxes in total: one large box, about big enough to hold two people, and one small box that was only about a third the size of the larger one.
The gifts were far smaller than anyone had imagined.
The soldiers carried down the large box. It was unexpectedly heavy.
The prefect had already lost most of his patience. He walked over and ordered the men to open it at once.
As soon as the wooden lid was lifted, a cloud of dust billowed into their faces.
“Oh! This…”
The assistant commissioner was the first to cry out when he saw what was inside.
The box was packed full of large, plump earth-fruits, all neatly arranged in orderly rows.
The prefect, the assistant magistrate, and the others gathered around the box were all stunned, their eyes widening in disbelief.
How could the divine grain that had descended from heaven at the end of last year have been sent over by the people of the eastern region?
The earth-fruit was guarded with extreme strictness. The households chosen to cultivate it in the spring had all been carefully selected, and soldiers had been stationed to watch over them. There had to be at least a hundred pounds in this box. Even if spies had secretly stolen some, they should not have been able to take so much without anyone noticing.
The officials were filled with irritation and confusion.
At that moment, the soldier who had escorted the cart lowered his head, not daring to look at the officials’ wildly changing expressions. In a timid voice, he said,
“The eastern region also sent a message… They heard that the prefectural city was growing earth-fruit and assumed it must be a great deal of work. So, they specially selected a hundred pounds of good seeds as a gift. If that isn’t enough, they said to ask for more. The eastern region lacks many things, but the one thing it certainly doesn’t lack is earth-fruit.”
At the soldier’s words, several of the prefectural officials felt their vision go black. They nearly choked on the surge of blood rising into their throats.
“Where did the eastern region get this divine grain?! Are they saying they’ve been cultivating it for a long time?”
“The common people across the same prefecture have suffered through disaster, yet they had the nerve to hide the earth-fruit away for their own use! Bah! Bandits, violent rabble, selfish profiteers!”
The officials immediately abandoned all concern for the people below them and began cursing the eastern region in a complete loss of composure.
The prefect’s face had also become unbearably ugly. The greater his joy and pride had been when he first obtained the earth-fruit and revered it as divine grain, the harder the slap now landed.
His chest heaved heavily as he forced himself to regain his composure. At least he did not lose control and launch into a tirade. Instead, he said in a low voice, “Open that other chest as well.”
At that, the other officials finally stopped cursing and turned to look at the small chest.
When it was opened, and they saw the objects lying inside, they were instantly struck speechless, unable even to summon the strength to curse.
The Associate Prefect had been transferred from the local districts to the prefectural city. Looking at the several objects in the chest—round as earthen jars, each with a fuse protruding from it—he could not make out what they were.
He turned to look at the Prefect and the Assistant Prefect, only to find that their faces had gone black as the bottom of a cooking pot. Clearly, these things were even more difficult to stomach than the earth-fruit.
He opened his mouth, but in the end could not bring himself to ask the question. Then he saw the usually composed Prefect fling back his sleeve and, for once, explode with a curse:
“...Since you had these things, why were you pretending to be so helpless in the first place!”
With that, he turned and went back into the study.
Tongzhou seemed to have aged ten years overnight.
He was filled with gratitude and relief. Back when the officials from the Eastern Region had come to negotiate peace, the hotheads from the Ministry of War had proposed beheading them and hanging their heads from the city gates, to display the might of the prefectural city.
He had been the first to reject that proposal, ordering only that the men be detained. Otherwise, the things they had received today would not have been delivered intact. They would have been hurled into the city by a catapult from atop the gate tower!
The Associate Prefect was still completely bewildered. He watched as the Prefect and the Assistant Prefect returned to the government office one after another without saying a word, leaving him with no idea how these things were to be handled or what reply they should send to the Eastern Region.
He hurried after them. “Why have you both suddenly turned into mute gourds? Normally, you’re the most talkative person around. What exactly are those things, and what are we supposed to do now?”
“What else can we do? The Eastern Region’s earth-fruit has already flowered everywhere. Who knows how much they have stockpiled in their storehouses? Even if we rode at full gallop, we could never catch up. If we need grain, they have more than enough. If we need soldiers...” He glanced at the shells lying there. “How many of our men’s flesh-and-blood bodies could possibly stand against those cannon shells?”
The Assistant Prefect said, “As for what to do, what else do you think we can do? They say east, and you dare to go west?”
“Cannon... cannon what?”
The two words fell into the Associate Prefect’s ears as though something had exploded. His tongue tangled at once. “Cannon shells!”
The moment he said it, he clapped a hand over his mouth. His heart pounded wildly. He had only ever heard of such things before, never seen them. They were supposedly kept under the strictest guard by the Ministry of War in the capital. How... how did even Qianzhou have them now?
To be precise, the Eastern Region had them!
Was this truly the same world?
Duan Yan’s gift had landed squarely in the heart of the prefectural city. It was a gift that struck both the body and the soul.
That very day, the peace envoy who had been detained was brought out of prison and invited back with fine tea and sumptuous dishes. He was treated as an honored guest.
“The prefectural city understands the Eastern Region’s intentions. No one knows how much longer this chaotic age will drag on before peace returns. Qianzhou is neither as prosperous nor as well connected as the provinces beyond it, and thus has fortunately escaped becoming a battlefield. Since we have been spared the smoke of war, there is no reason for us to continue fighting among ourselves.”
“Heroes emerge in troubled times. Qianzhou ought to place itself under the rule of a wise leader, so that officials and common people may unite as one and weather these difficulties together.”
Prefect Wu Chanhe delivered a fine speech filled with reason and courtesy. His desire to make peace was perfectly clear.
After exchanging a few polite words, the envoy had completed his mission. He rested in the prefectural city for several days before setting out to return to the Eastern Region.
The moment the party departed, Prefect Wu Chanhe fell ill in bed.
The Assistant Prefect and the Associate Prefect both went to visit him. “The tide of events has already turned, my lord. You must set your mind at ease and not allow this matter to weigh upon you. As the saying goes, while the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.”
Everyone in the prefectural government assumed that Wu Chanhe had fallen ill from anger and frustration over losing his authority, and they all offered words of consolation.
Though they had lost their power, at least they had preserved their lives. Had they truly fought the Eastern Region head-on, there was no guarantee that any of them would still be alive after their defeat. Under the circumstances, this outcome was already a sign of the Eastern Region’s mercy.
Judging by the Eastern Region’s strength and magnanimity, Qianzhou would likely not fare badly. If they sincerely submitted, then in this chaotic age, their future might well be better than their present.
Wu Chanhe merely waved a hand. Although he had been shaken by the realization that he had been outmatched, and although anger and resentment churned in his heart, he had not been so aggrieved as to fall ill and take to his bed.
Hearing his subordinates offer one round of consolation after another only made him seem more pathetic.
“Perhaps it was the chill I picked up when I went into the countryside to oversee the planting of the earth-fruit. The cold snap came at the wrong time, and the damp entered my body. It is merely a fever from the cold, nothing serious. A few days of rest will see me recovered. You need not worry.”
Wu Chanhe dismissed them. His heart was already troubled, and he had no desire to listen to any more of their words. At first, he had managed to hold on, receiving visitors and exchanging a few words with them. Yet for some reason, the illness did not improve. Even after seeing a physician and taking medicine, it only grew worse.
He developed a sudden fever, then a high one. After that came vomiting and diarrhea. Day by day, his body grew weaker.
Just as everyone was beginning to realize that something was wrong, the servants who had been in close contact with him began falling ill one after another.
The physician saw that the illness was contagious. His hands trembled as he cried out, “No, no! This is an epidemic!”
