The man on horseback gazed at the Jinyang Army being personally escorted by the Ji Army up ahead, a gleam flashing through his eyes.
He had never seen such a powerful Han army, nor had he ever seen such a forceful ruler.
He was none other than the man who had been hung from a tree and later rescued by Xie Nanxiao and the others. His name was Lu Xing.
After two days of good food, drink, and medicine, his condition had improved considerably.
Since he was injured, they had let a horse carry him along for the past two days.
He looked at the calm and composed soldiers of the Jinyang Army, then at the Ji Army, who were furious yet dared not complain and could only swallow their grievances. His resolve gradually strengthened.
Once his injuries healed, he would join the army as well. Even if he died on the battlefield, he would have no regrets!
Several days later, when Zhou Sui saw Jiang Jin at the border, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But when he saw the more than ten thousand Ji soldiers escorting her, his feelings became complicated. The only person who could make the Ji Army mobilize in such force was probably their lord.
He cupped his hands toward Ji Yuzhu. “Thanks.”
Ji Yuzhu: “…”
What was that supposed to mean? Had he really started treating him like an escort?
As merchants from Fengzhou and Sizhou began interacting with one another, the people of Sizhou became increasingly restless. Then, at that very moment, the First Prince ascended the throne!
Looking at the ministers below, who were loudly shouting “Long live the Emperor,” Jiang Chun curled the corners of his mouth upward.
“All of you may rise, my esteemed ministers.”
Sun Zheng was the first to step forward. “Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, should we send word to the various commanderies and counties, inviting the different powers of the Yan Kingdom to come and pay homage?”
Everyone knew that by “the different powers,” he was primarily referring to Fengzhou.
By convention, when an emperor ascended the throne, the various powers were expected to arrive beforehand to show their respect and support for the new emperor. They would jointly witness this important ceremony and demonstrate their allegiance.
However, the kingdom was now in the midst of war. Aside from Sizhou, the First Prince could not command any other region of Yan. If they followed convention, he would never be able to ascend the throne in this lifetime.
So he had simply ascended first. Once he became the new emperor of Yan, he would naturally be able to win the hearts of the people. Anyone who refused to submit would be branded a traitorous rebel.
The corners of Jiang Chun’s lips lifted slightly. “Approved.”
Sun Zheng continued, “I have heard that Fengzhou is rich in resources, and that grain in particular is extremely cheap. Could we perhaps borrow some grain from them to save the people of Yan?”
Wang Boshan frowned. “There is a drought at present. No matter how much grain Fengzhou has, I imagine its reserves must also be limited. I fear they may be unwilling to lend us any.”
Qi Pingwei nodded. “Your Majesty, hasn’t Fengzhou always claimed to be poor? I believe we could prepare money and goods and trade with them instead.”
Jiang Chun frowned slightly and turned toward Hua Yuanyi. “Minister Hua, what do you think?”
Hua Yuanyi, who had been standing around minding his own business, lifted his head with a solemn expression. After thinking for a moment, he finally spoke.
“Your Majesty, Fengzhou is indeed very poor, and its grain supplies are not abundant either. The people there purchase grain according to fixed allotments.”
“If we want to borrow grain, I fear there is no way they will agree. If we trade with them, however, there may still be a chance. Their grain is cheap, so even if we purchase it at a price somewhat higher than what the people of Fengzhou pay, I believe it would still be worthwhile.”
Jiang Chun’s eyes flickered. As far as he knew, grain in Fengzhou now cost a little over two hundred copper coins per dan, but less than three hundred. If Sizhou could purchase it for three hundred, then by the time it reached Sizhou, it could be sold for more than one thousand.
If they could buy a large quantity of grain from Fengzhou, they could lower grain prices in Sizhou. Selling it for eight or nine hundred copper coins would surely attract a huge number of eager buyers.
That way, it would count as the first thing he, as emperor, had done for the people of Yan. The people would certainly be grateful for the emperor’s boundless benevolence.
Sun Zheng was somewhat opposed to the idea. In theory, Fengzhou was part of Yan and should be paying grain taxes. The so-called borrowed grain could simply be demanded in the name of grain tax.
But considering the current situation, Princess Jinyang, who commanded the Jinyang Army, was not someone they could easily handle. If spending some money and goods could bring back a large quantity of grain, then it would indeed be worth it.
Two days later, Sun Zheng led a large group of people toward Fengzhou in grand fashion.
Before the First Prince had even held his enthronement ceremony, Jiang Jin had already learned that Jiang Chun intended to ascend the throne. After all, she had Hua Yuanyi, a high-ranking insider, on her side.
Now that she had received word of the First Prince’s ascension—and learned that he had sent people to demand that she pay homage to him and intended to “purchase” her grain—she did not even know what to say.
He really was bold!
Dong Si was so furious that he cursed at the top of his lungs.
“That traitor actually dares to ascend the throne?”
“His face is thicker than his backside! He doesn’t even know whether he’s a bird or a beast. He’s a downright animal. He’s got a face like a bitter melon—looking at him alone is enough to cool your temper. The only reason he hasn’t been struck by lightning all these years is that the lightning got sick and passed out the moment it saw him…”
After unleashing a torrent of abuse, he still did not feel satisfied. He immediately called for paper and brush and began drawing a paper effigy.
His drawing skills were surprisingly good. He had captured the First Prince’s appearance vividly, though he had made him considerably uglier.
Thwack!
A bamboo skewer pierced the First Prince’s eye.
Thwack!
He pulled it out and stabbed it into the prince’s mouth…
In an instant, there was not a single part of the First Prince’s body left untouched.
Everyone: “…”
Jiang Jin was reviewing official documents. As more and more people arrived from Sizhou, she had also brought back tens of thousands of civilians from Anwu County, along with nearly ten thousand “Han slaves” rescued from Qu Zhao.
Fengzhou’s population had surpassed five hundred thousand and was heading toward the six-hundred-thousand mark.
Her land forces had reached sixty thousand, while her navy numbered ten thousand, bringing her total military strength to seventy thousand.
Seeing Dong Si “stabbing the paper effigy,” Jiang Jin found it amusing. “What are you getting so angry about? Isn’t this a good thing?”
Dong Si paused. “My lord, how is this a good thing? That shameless bastard is definitely going to claim that Fengzhou belongs to him and demand that you become his subject.”
Jiang Jin accepted the tea that Dongzhi handed her and took a sip, sighing comfortably.
“Since he intends to ascend the throne in the name of the Yan royal family, then in theory, it isn’t wrong for him to claim that Fengzhou belongs to him.”
“If Fengzhou belongs to him, then shouldn’t he be paying the wages of the soldiers we support? Each soldier receives an average of 220 copper coins a month. We now have seventy thousand soldiers, and I’ve supported them for two years. Their wages alone come to roughly 370,000 taels of silver.”
Money was extremely valuable in this era. Several hundred thousand taels was an enormous sum. In the past, the entire treasury of Yan had held no more than a few million taels of silver.
“There’s also the grain for the soldiers. They’re all elite troops, so they eat refined grain. Let’s count one jin of finished grain per person per day…”
Dong Si stared at her in shock. Then, as though a door to a whole new world had opened before him, he exclaimed, “Two years would be 426,000 dan of grain! Converted into money, that’s 110,000 taels of silver.”
Jiang Jin shook her head. “You calculated that using the price of a little over two hundred copper coins per dan, didn’t you? Since he’s the First Prince, naturally we should calculate it according to grain prices in Sizhou.”
Dong Si drew in a sharp breath. Grain in Sizhou now cost more than one guan per dan. That meant the price would be at least four times higher, bringing the total to 440,000 taels.
Seeing that he understood, Jiang Jin continued, “There are also the soldiers’ uniforms, winter coats, repeating crossbows, bows and arrows, armor, swords, shields, and so on.”
“The navy’s ships, the docks we built, the barracks, the training grounds, the pensions for fallen soldiers, the medicine and allowances for the wounded…”
Dong Si had already sat down and picked up paper and brush to start recording everything. He had realized that his brain was not up to the task. There was simply too much to calculate!
Jiang Jin’s voice continued, “Of course, all of that is only the small stuff.”
Dong Si was startled. “That’s the small stuff? Then what counts as the big stuff?”
