“Military strategist, the sun is fierce outside. Why not go into the tent and rest?” his deputy suggested.
He Xin shook his head. “It’s even stuffier inside the tent.”
“By my estimate, they should be back soon,” he said quietly.
The deputy frowned. “The road is difficult. It’s normal for them to be delayed.”
He Xin drew a soft breath and was about to speak when a flash of light appeared in the distance. His eyes widened abruptly.
An arrowhead!
Before he could cry out, an arrow pierced his heart, and blood sprayed into the air.
“Enemy attack! Protect the military strategist!” The deputy’s pupils contracted as he shouted in terror.
He Xin was the highest-ranking military strategist in Quzhao after Meng Su, and held an extremely important position in the army.
Watching He Xin’s outer robe become instantly drenched in red, the deputy felt chilled to the bone. What kind of weapon was this? Why was the wound so horrifying?
Meng Chong curled his lips into a smile. As expected, the Dragon Nether Crossbow was remarkably effective.
He fired another arrow at the Quzhao camp, which had already fallen into chaos.
Jiang Jin still had no idea that her subordinate had wiped out the entire Quzhao delegation.
At that moment, she was standing beside the Liu River, looking at the several-meter-tall waterwheel that had just been installed. Almost no sound came from the turning wheel; there was only the splashing of water and the constant rush of the current.
Water from the Liu River poured continuously through the wheel’s buckets into the irrigation channels that had been dug, flowing toward the farmland without end.
The craftsmen and farmers nearby all cried out in astonishment. Quite a few even shed tears of excitement.
Just as last year, it had not rained once so far this year. Although the lord had prepared water reserves in advance, very little remained by now.
Everyone was deeply worried. The grain they had planted was nowhere near harvest time, and if the drought continued, they would reap nothing.
No one had expected that the lord had anticipated this situation long ago and prepared for it in advance—this truly was a heaven-sent marvel!
Mu Qing’s eyes reddened with excitement. With these waterwheels, they would no longer need to fear drought.
“What extraordinary wisdom, my lord!” His voice was slightly choked.
The common people also shouted excitedly, “Long live the lord! Long live the lord!”
“Long live” was not a phrase to be shouted casually, but at that moment, not a single person felt there was anything wrong with it.
Jiang Jin smiled and waved her hand. “All right, hurry along with the water and check whether any part of the channels is blocked.”
The people cheered and ran after the flowing water, making as much noise as if they were celebrating the New Year.
Only after everyone had left did Jiang Jin turn to Mu Qing. “Later, check whether the five waterwheels here are enough. If not, add more.”
Mu Qing nodded. “Rest assured, my lord.”
Jiang Jin hummed in acknowledgment. “Zea Prefecture lies at a low elevation, with convenient water flow and fertile soil. We need to plan the crops properly.”
At this, Mu Qing felt somewhat regretful. “For now, we can only plant short-season crops such as corn.”
“Corn is good,” Jiang Jin said unconcernedly. “It has many uses and produces high yields. We planted plenty of rice and wheat this year—they’ll be enough.”
As something occurred to him, Mu Qing asked, “My lord, are you planning to build an underground granary in both Feng’an County and Xianglu County?”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Underground granaries are relatively safe, with suitable temperatures that allow grain to be stored longer. Both counties are also near the sea, so they can be reached by sea transport, making them convenient locations.”
Mu Qing sighed with admiration. “You’ve considered everything, my lord.”
Jiang Jin smiled. “Have enough cotton and ramie been planted? Our population has grown, so the demand for cloth is greater—especially cotton.”
That did not even include the soldiers. She already had more than thirty thousand of them, and there would only be more in a few months.
Mu Qing stroked his beard. “Rest assured, my lord. We’ve planted quite a lot in Dancheng and Heichun County of East Lake Prefecture.”
Cotton had a long growing season. Fortunately, Jiang Jin had given him advance notice, allowing them to raise a large number of seedlings. Once Dancheng and Heichun were secured, they had immediately arranged for them to be planted.
“The only problem is that we’re somewhat short on fertilizer. I’m working on a solution,” he added.
Jiang Jin nodded. She liked subordinates like this. She could lead them through the door, and they would explore and research the rest on their own instead of relying on her for everything.
In Shàngjing Prefecture, Ji Yuzhu nearly spat out the wine in his mouth.
“W-What did you say?”
The soldier repeated, “The Jinyang Army killed the entire Quzhao delegation. Not a single survivor was left. Well, they did keep the horses and the carriage, which are now being used to transport the spoils of war.”
Ji Yuzhu drew in a sharp breath and frowned. “How did they come to blows?”
The soldier had evidently already investigated the matter. “It seems that Quzhao’s forces tried to kill the Jinyang Army’s envoys and ambushed them on the road. Somehow, the Jinyang Army discovered the plot and counterattacked.”
“Afterward, the Jinyang Army brought their men to the place where the Quzhao delegation had camped and killed them all.”
Xi Yang looked worried. “Will Quzhao think we were responsible?”
Ji Yuzhu shook his head. “If the Jinyang Army had been killed, there might be such a possibility. After all, we and the Han people have a national extermination feud between us.”
“But we have no grudge against Quzhao, so why would we…” His voice abruptly cut off.
He sucked in a cold breath. “Do you think Quzhao ambushed the Jinyang Army precisely because they intended to frame us and force us into the conflict?”
Qu Lin sighed. “There’s a nine-in-ten chance. Unfortunately, they were wiped out instead.”
With a loud slap, Rong Hei placed his cup heavily on the table. “Quzhao is treacherous. They wanted to use such a scheme to force us to join the war.”
Ji Yuzhu was still somewhat puzzled. “That doesn’t make sense. Quzhao has considerably more troops than the Jinyang Army. Even if they were ambushed, they shouldn’t have suffered total annihilation, should they?”
Qu Lin furrowed his brows. “Could it be the repeating crossbows the Quzhao people mentioned?”
He looked at the soldier. “Did you examine the wounds on the Quzhao soldiers?”
The soldier hurriedly nodded. “The wounds do appear to have been caused by arrows, but they’re somewhat different on the inside. The flesh and blood within had been torn apart and severely damaged.”
Remembering the wounds on the corpses of the Quzhao soldiers, he could not help shivering. They had been horrifying.
Rong Hei hissed. “Are they really that powerful?”
The soldier answered with certainty, “The arrowheads must contain some kind of mechanism.”
Ji Yuzhu waved his hand, and the soldier bowed before withdrawing.
“Inform Quzhao about this, so they won’t remain unaware even after losing all their men,” he said after a moment’s thought.
A trace of worry showed on Xi Yang’s face. “The Jinyang Army’s repeating crossbows are so powerful. If Quzhao truly falls, their next target may very well be us.”
Ji Yuzhu shook his head. “No.”
Seeing how certain he was, Xi Yang asked in surprise, “Why not?”
Ji Yuzhu slowly replied, “If the Jinyang Army captures Feng Prefecture, their next target will more likely be Yan Prefecture, since that would better serve their interests. After all, the Han people are weak at present.”
“The Jinyang Army, Great Qing, and Sizhou are all Han Chinese powers. Joining forces now would be the best choice, allowing them to prevent us from defeating them one by one.”
“Still, the Grand Chanyu must make the decision. Report everything that has happened here, along with the news about the Jinyang Army, to the Grand Chanyu.”
Hua Yuanyi finally met Zhou Sui in Shouli County of Willow Township Prefecture.
Zhou Sui was somewhat surprised by his arrival. “Weren’t you returning to Sizhou? Why are you still in Feng Prefecture?”
