The puppy actually walked towards the door, but the big dog growled warningly, deterring it from approaching. Ma Jiyou was furious, wishing he could chop the big dog into pieces and make dog meat soup. The puppy looked at him, then at the big dog. Ma Jiyou frantically waved the cloth in his hand to attract the puppy's attention. The puppy was extremely curious about him, tilting its head to look at him for a moment before finally ignoring the big dog's growls and slowly approaching.
When the puppy came within Ma Jiyou's reach, Ma Jiyou reached out and stroked the puppy's head, grabbed the skin behind the dog's neck, and dragged the dog into the iron house. The puppy was obviously frightened and struggled and barked desperately, but although Ma Jiyou was weak, he still had the skill to catch a dog and finally got the dog into the iron house.
Pressing the dog to the ground, Ma Jiyou bit his finger again, tore off a piece of his clothing, roughly estimated the location of the iron house, wrote a plea for help, and then wrote on the back of the cloth, "Send this to the Mad Wind Army Camp in the South City, and you will be richly rewarded." He tied the cloth around the dog's neck and released the dog. The little dog, still in shock, ran far away and disappeared in a moment.
Propelled himself against the iron gate, Ma Jiyou chuckled. He considered himself a renowned general, yet his fate now rested on the shoulders of a dog. If word got out, it would surely become a laughingstock. Fortunately, Qian Sheye, fearing Ma Jiyou's shouting would be overheard, had designated the area around the iron gate a forbidden zone. Although heavily guarded in the distance, the vicinity of the gate remained deserted, thus sparing the "dog's" life.
At this moment, his state of mind was completely different from before. He no longer cared about his mother and family. If what He Li said was true, his mother and family could not be saved. He had given up the last glimmer of hope and the last bit of weakness in his heart.
"Tonight, a lonely grave lies in the desolate wilderness; yesterday, a pillar of the state and a loyal minister lay there. What talk of lofty ambitions soaring like a roc, of unwavering loyalty and unyielding integrity? In the end, they could not escape their fate, falling into ruin and losing the emperor's favor. Seeing the bitter plight of the soldiers who shed their blood on the battlefield, how could they have known that before the cunning rabbit was even dead, the dog would be cooked first..." (Note)
From the dimly lit iron house came Ma Jiyou's hoarse singing voice. This song, "Parasitic Grassland," was originally composed secretly by folk singers in the Soviet Union after Lu Xiang's death. Ma Jiyou had heard it twice and remembered its tragic and poignant melody. Now, immersed in the scene, he unconsciously sang it out. Heroes never reach their full potential; first Lu Xiang, then Liu Guang, and now it's his turn. Are all the great generals of our time destined to follow this cycle of fate?
Note: "Parasitic Grass" is a Yuan dynasty short poem. The original sentence structure is 3-3, 7-7-7, 7-7, with five of the seven lines rhyming and the middle three lines forming a tripod. I have made this interpretation based on the anonymous Yuan dynasty poem "Parasitic Grass: A Casual Commentary," and experts may just laugh it off.
three,
Li Jun ultimately did not go to the grasslands, and Mo Rong, in a fit of pique, went alone to the constellation land to visit Ji Su. On one hand, she resented Li Jun for prioritizing national affairs over his wife, but on the other hand, she had to force a smile and explain to him. Fortunately, Chu Qingfeng's medical skills were superb, and he cured Ji Su of the poison.
Only after Ren Qian was out of danger did Li Jun arrive at the Qionglu Grassland. By then, he had learned the details of the Rong people's internal strife. Manpu was worried about the Rong people's over-reliance on the Peace Army, unwilling to change their long-standing Rong customs, and instigated by the secret envoy of the Su Kingdom. Because the matter was rushed, after failing to capture Hulei Khan and hearing the fifth watch drum, they fled in the chaos and were now being hunted down by Wuguli, whose head was being displayed at the constellation land. Although Wuguli did not approve of building the post road, he carried out the Great Khural's decision without question, and it was for this reason that Hulei promised to annex the Manpu tribe.
News soon arrived from Hong Kingdom that after Liu Guang's retreat, the Hong King imprisoned Ma Jiyou and dispatched a messenger to execute Ma Jiyou's entire family. Among the charges against him was "colluding with Chen Kingdom to lure the Chen rebels deep into our territory." Upon this announcement, the people of Haiping, the capital of Hong Kingdom, were in uproar. The people deeply resented the ravages of war brought by Liu Guang's invasion; in just two months, nearly 100,000 soldiers had been killed or wounded. Therefore, they hated Ma Jiyou to the core. When Ma Jiyou and his family were taken to the West Market for execution by slow slicing, countless people bribed the supervising official, purchasing large sums of money to buy the flesh and bones of the Ma family, young and old. On one side, the Ma family cried out in despair; on the other, the people ate their flesh and slept on their skin. For a time, Haiping, famous for its gambling, ceased gambling altogether.
Meanwhile, Ma Jiyou, who was imprisoned, somehow managed to contact his trusted confidants. His cavalry, the Gale Army, killed the military officer sent by Qian Sheye to take over the prison, and launched a night raid on the iron cell where Ma Jiyou was imprisoned. They broke out of the prison and rescued Ma Jiyou. That night, when the Hong King was temporarily residing in Tianhe City, which was engulfed in flames, Ma Jiyou took advantage of the chaos to break through the encirclement and rushed to Yuhu Wutai City as fast as possible.
The information that came from Zhuo Tian was only in general terms. It was only after Lu Yuan, who had been sent as an envoy to Hong Kingdom, returned that he told the detailed story. Although Ma Jiyou escaped alive, the charge of treason and collusion with foreign enemies was confirmed.
"Liu Guang's counter-espionage scheme is truly remarkable," Li Jun said after listening. "However, the incompatibility between Ma Jiyou and the Hong King is also the reason why this counter-espionage scheme can be effective. Now, Ma Jiyou will surely submit to Liu Guang, and the Hong Kingdom is in grave danger."
The situation unfolded exactly as Li Jun had predicted. The generals of the more than ten cities surrounding Yuhu were all appointed by Ma Jiyou and had fought alongside him in the Chen Kingdom. Unlike the common people of Haiping City, they were not easily fooled and were skeptical of the accusations of Ma Jiyou's collusion with the rebels. Furthermore, the Hong King's arbitrary killing of meritorious officials instilled fear in the military officers, and most disregarded the orders of the newly appointed generals sent by Qian Sheye to take over, welcoming Ma Jiyou with their entire cities. Several who attempted to resist were also annihilated by Ma Jiyou. For soldiers who refused to surrender due to their families, Ma Jiyou did not prevent them from returning to the Hong Kingdom. After regaining control of Wutai City, Ma Jiyou immediately sent a letter of surrender to Liu Guang. The war between the Hong Kingdom and the Chen Kingdom, orchestrated by Li Jun and persuaded by Lu Yuan, ended with Liu Guang gaining the general Ma Jiyou and the Hong Kingdom's territory east and south of Chiling. Although the Hong Kingdom suffered relatively minor military losses, it showed signs of decline.
Liu Guang appointed Ma Jiyou as the Commander-in-Chief of the Hong Kingdom and the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies, and inquired about the affairs of the Hong Kingdom. Ma Jiyou replied with a plan: "King Hong is stubborn and self-willed, and most of his generals are disloyal. However, Hong's national strength is not yet weakened, and the people's hearts are still with him. Therefore, when you led your fierce army to Tianhe City, Hong's loyalist forces had already gathered at the front lines. I believe that punishing the tyrannical and eliminating the wicked is not something that can be accomplished in a day, but rather a long-term strategy. You might as well send another general to garrison Zhongxing, and another general to Yuhu. During the busy farming seasons of spring and autumn, you can launch attacks in rotation, forcing the enemy to supply their food and disrupting their farming season. In this way, within three years, the people of Hong will be exhausted and in their distress, they will surely resent their king. King Hong will be personally involved in everything, and his health will be damaged by the many events. Food supplies will be drastically reduced, and there will be no food for the army on the day of war. Resentment towards the king will lead to chaos, physical injury will shorten their lives, and without food, the army will disband. At this time, you can personally lead a large army to attack Haiping from the north, and Hong will be yours for the taking."
Upon receiving Ma Jiyou's strategy, Liu Guang was overjoyed and showed it to all his generals, who were all full of admiration. Those who had previously thought Liu Guang's painstaking efforts to deal with Ma Jiyou were not worthwhile now changed their tune and congratulated him. The strategy circulated widely, even reaching the ears of some in Hong State. After it was presented to Qian Sheye, Qian Sheye remained silent for a long time before saying, "How vicious Ma Jiyou is!" He completely forgot the smugness he felt when he ordered the execution of Ma Jiyou's entire family.
Although he learned of Ma Jiyou's plan, Qian Sheye was at a loss and unable to defend himself. After Ma Jiyou's escape, he became suspicious of all the generals and soldiers in the court, and the soldiers themselves were also uneasy. All military deployments were overseen by eunuchs from the inner palace, which prevented the generals from adapting to changing circumstances. As a result, the army suffered repeated defeats in border conflicts with the Chen state, and the soldiers were filled with resentment. To appease the troops, Qian Sheye executed some cowardly and weak oversights, but this was merely a drop in the ocean.
While Hong Kingdom was teetering on the brink of collapse, Su Kingdom was in no better shape. Having lost the once-abundant Qinggui, the annual tribute to its powerful northern neighbor, Lan Kingdom, remained unchanged. Furthermore, Li Jun, through Feng Jiutian's scheme, returned the remains of all Su soldiers who had died in the Qinggui campaign, leaving hundreds of thousands of families weeping and awaiting compensation. Su Kingdom's once-wealthy treasury was emptied, and its finances became increasingly strained. The government was forced to increase taxes on the people, further fueling small-scale uprisings across the land. The court lacked the troops and generals to quell the unrest, and appeasement only exacerbated the situation. Overwhelmed with problems, Li Gou, less than three months into his personal rule, relinquished all control to Wu Shu.
Although Wu Shu was a notorious traitor, he was by no means incompetent. He first used the strategy of "using bandits to control bandits" to win over and divide the rebellious people, and then wiped them out one by one. He then personally went to the Kingdom of Lan and made a secret agreement with the Kingdom of Lan, seeking understanding on the issue of tribute and annual payments. Although he faced strong pressure from the Peace Army, he was temporarily able to stabilize the situation.
Meanwhile, Ling Qi of the Southern Huai Kingdom, through a scheme of resurrection, rebuilt the various kingdoms that Heng had destroyed over the past few decades, causing widespread unrest within Heng. He then gradually devoured and annexed these kingdoms, dismembering the once-vast Heng in just over a year. He then turned his attention to the smaller kingdoms he had supported, unifying most of the Southern Divine Continent. His power far surpassed that of Heng under Liu Guang's leadership. Surprisingly, he did not rush north, but instead deployed a large army to the borders to observe the situation, while focusing on both civil and military affairs in the rear, allowing the people to recuperate. He was known for his humility in accepting advice and his lenient governance; were it not for his exceptionally courteous treatment of the "Netherworld Sect," he would have been a truly rare and excellent ruler.
However, the Lan Kingdom, the most expansive of all the kingdoms in Shenzhou, has lost its ambition. Located in an extremely cold region, the Lan Kingdom, though vast in territory, has a population comparable to that of the Su Kingdom. It is rich in gold mines and receives annual tributes from the Su Kingdom. Furthermore, with the elimination of Lu Xiang, a major threat, the ruler and his ministers are quite complacent.
At this time, Li Jun's reputation soared due to his campaign against the Japanese pirates. If before he was merely seen as a separatist force that had risen to power by taking advantage of the situation, he was now a crucial figure in the hearts of the people of Shenzhou. The deep-seated blood feud with the Japanese over a thousand years had been avenged in Li Jun's hands. The people of Qinggui, who had previously been quite resentful of Li Jun's rule, now felt a special honor under his rule.
After receiving the intelligence about Huai Kingdom from Guo Yunfei, Li Jun also paid great attention to the situation in Huai Kingdom. In the long run, it was inevitable that he would clash with Ling Qi on the battlefield. Li Jun owed Ling Qi a favor, and he had no idea how to repay it.
Fortunately, this was a long-term concern rather than an immediate one. Li Jun's priority was to promote the balanced policies planned by Feng Jiutian. Su Bai served as the Sannan Commander in the three prefectures of southern Jiangsu. Although he encountered considerable trouble in implementing the new policies, such as the local officials he appointed who were accustomed to including local criminal cases in their own jurisdiction, and the Nayanshi (a high-ranking official) he established not receiving a single suggestion from the people for a whole month, the local gentry were also quite dissatisfied with raising the status of merchants and workshop owners and having them discuss the rules with them.
Fortunately, while Su Bai was arrogant, he was also extremely decisive. He knew that the people wouldn't offer suggestions to the Grand Counselor simply because they thought the Grand Counselor was like a drumbeat before the government, merely putting on a show. Therefore, he ordered Kuang Ya to find someone to make a very reasonable yet trivial suggestion—to build toilets in all the cities under his jurisdiction, so that passersby could relieve themselves in public and avoid the harm of urinating indiscriminately. The Grand Counselor received this suggestion in the morning, and by the afternoon, a messenger had conveyed Su Bai's decision to all the cities. Although the city officials felt it was unseemly, they had no reason to refuse. For a time, Su Bai's suggestion to build toilets became a laughing stock in the streets and alleys. But the people believed the Grand Counselor's promise to keep his word, and when they heard that the person who made the suggestion had received a reward of dozens of gold coins for it, almost overnight, the Grand Counselors were surrounded by people offering suggestions.
But this was only the first step. Next, Su Bai selected those among the advisors who offered insightful and clear-headed advice, and appointed them as advisors to the Sannan Commandery. He then paraded them through the city with great fanfare to commemorate their contributions. These advisors were responsible for their daily work, and in their spare time, they would observe and learn from the common people, recording their observations and experiences at the city's advisory office. Every six months, on a day that coincided with the farming season, they would consult with the people to discuss their opinions. Besides bestowing honors upon these advisors, Su Bai also provided them with travel expenses during these consultations. While the amount wasn't large, it was invaluable to some advisors from impoverished backgrounds. As a result, within a year, offering advice to higher authorities became a common practice within the Sannan Commandery's jurisdiction.
However, as a result, fewer people offered advice. After discussing this with Feng Jiutian through letters, Su Bai concluded that it wasn't that those who offered advice had nothing to say, but rather that they dared not speak up on matters of great importance, either out of fear of the power of those involved or out of concern for potential future troubles if things went wrong.
In his reply, Feng Jiutian suggested: "When the law is not known to the people, there are clerks who disrupt it; when power is not restricted, there are sycophantic officials who seize power. When the law is disrupted, those above and below are unaware of each other; when power is seized, those inside and outside harbor their own dissent. The Governor should make the laws and regulations public so that the people know the law and the clerks cannot disrupt it. A separate office of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner should be established, with someone selected from among the advisors to carry out the duties, to supervise whether the advisors have been retaliated against for their words. This will ensure that the advisors' words are based on the law and that they have no worries about the consequences. Then, there will surely be more people who speak out."
Su Bai agreed wholeheartedly, but then replied, "Every time a new office is established, the treasury's expenditures increase. With increased expenditures, taxes become insufficient. If this is to be done, please allow me to reduce redundant staff and abolish nominal positions."
After discussing the matter with Li Jun and Wei Zhande, Feng Jiutian believed that immediately and massively reducing the number of redundant and nominal officials would inevitably make those in office uneasy. Reductions were necessary, but haste was not an option. Therefore, in his reply, Feng Jiutian suggested that Su Bai use a workaround: send these redundant officials in batches to the Imperial Academy to learn the principles of the new policies, conduct assessments, and fill vacancies with qualified officials while eliminating those who failed. This way, they would still have a chance for promotion and naturally wouldn't object too much. Vacancies due to death or crime would not be filled. After three to five years, the old and infirm officials would be naturally eliminated, and the new appointees would all be middle-aged officials who had received the education of the new policies at the academy, which would be extremely beneficial for implementing the new policies.
While putting the policy into practice, Su Bai also brought up the problems that arose during its implementation. He discussed these issues with Feng Jiutian, Li Jun, and others, and also listened to the opinions of the advisors under the Sannan Commandery. Moreover, with the support of the Peace Army, this new policy of education, despite encountering many setbacks, eventually found a way forward.
New policies are not something that can be implemented overnight, and immediate results are impossible. On the contrary, the promotion of the new rice variety, requested by Jiang Tang, has yielded results far exceeding expectations. With the use of new rice-planting tools provided by the Yue people, both planting and harvesting speeds are far superior to before. More importantly, the new rice variety has a shorter growing season, allowing for three harvests a year under suitable conditions. Therefore, although Yuzhou and Qinggui have not had favorable weather for two consecutive years, they not only have food to feed themselves but also have a surplus. A surplus of grain leads to lower rice prices, which hurts farmers. Although Jiang Tang intended to take advantage of this to lower grain prices, he was blocked by Feng Jiutian. For merchants, buying low and selling high is common sense; for a government, maintaining stable grain prices is essential. Therefore, Jiang Tang continued to buy at a fixed price. Even so, the fact that he no longer needed to purchase the necessary grain from Yuzhou and Kuanglan City overseas has already saved Jiang Tang a considerable amount of money.
The Peace Army's Finance Bureau, under Jiang Tang's rule, effectively controlled Li Jun's finances, with its income primarily derived from five sources. The largest source was salt profits. Salt was essential for the people, and Yuzhou's sea salt had been renowned since Jiang Tang's sea salt production. Furthermore, the armed salt smuggling organized by the Peace Army's Orphanage made it virtually impossible for other defenses to prevent or suppress, resulting in a substantial and stable income. Secondly, there were the profits from the Peace Merchants. From tea and wine to silk, the Peace Merchants were involved in almost everything related to people's livelihoods. One could even say that the Peace Army itself was a massive conglomerate, generating huge profits annually after deducting necessary expenses. However, with the world in chaos and various nations eyeing each other covetously, the Peace Merchants' business was not at its most ideal. The third part is the tax on industry and commerce. In the past, tax collection in various places was often designated, and even the wealth of merchants was arbitrarily seized. The Peace Army was different. They learned from the experience of foreign ships on ocean voyages and set up special commissioners under the Bureau of Revenue to inspect the goods entering and leaving various businesses and collect commercial taxes. Those with the certificates issued by them could transport goods freely in various places under the jurisdiction of the Peace Army without worrying about checkpoints or interception. However, they had to pay customs duties in proportion when entering and leaving the Qionglu Grassland. Those without certificates not only found it difficult to move an inch, but they might also be reported and have their goods confiscated. The informant could get one-tenth of the confiscated property as a reward. Therefore, various businesses and workshops often spied on whether their competitors had not paid taxes in full, and used this as a means to attack their competitors. The fourth part is the rent for agricultural land. People could pay taxes in kind by converting grain into money or rice, or they could sell their grain and pay taxes in cash. It was all up to the people to choose. Although some deliberately exploited farmers, overall, the burden on farmers within the Peace Army's jurisdiction was extremely light. During the winter off-season, the Peace Army would organize water conservancy or road construction projects, recruiting people to work and providing them with additional income. Later, as people realized that the income from farming was less than that from manual labor, many abandoned farming for manual labor, entering large-scale workshops. The Peace Army's fifth source of income came from mining, mainly the silver mines in Thunder City. This was originally the capital that enabled the Peace Army's rise, but now it constitutes a small portion of the Peace Army's overall income.
With a shrewd financial manager like Jiang Tang, the Peace Army, despite its lack of levies, still reaped substantial income. Although Jiang Tang would feign poverty whenever Li Jun made expenditures, the Peace Army's territory was actually only one-third the size of Chen State, with less than half the population, yet its income was comparable to that of Chen State, and the people did not feel burdened by excessive taxes. Furthermore, Li Jun's diligent governance, aside from occasional battles on the Qinggui border, resulted in a rare period of peace and stability for the people within its jurisdiction, making the new policies increasingly attractive to them.
February 18th of the third year of the Chen Kingdom's Wude era was an extraordinary day for Li Jun. Ji Su gave birth to a son in Kuanglan City on this day, and Li Jun, now a father, named his eldest son Li Ze. Besides Li Jun's family, the happiest person about this was Yu Sheng, who had become the head of the Peace Army's Ceremonial Affairs Bureau, responsible for weddings, funerals, births, illnesses, and festivals. Li Ze's birth gave him hope that the power of the Peace Army established by Li Jun could be passed on to the next generation. The following year, on March 10th of the same year, Mo Rong gave birth to a daughter, bringing Li Jun double joy. He named his daughter Mo Yue. Feeling that marrying two wives violated his agreement on gender equality, he allowed his daughter to take her mother's surname. With two adorable children, Li Jun, aside from still personally training his troops, mostly just signed his name in government affairs. Fortunately, Feng Jiutian, entrusted with his duties, understood his responsibilities and handled everything meticulously, leaving Li Jun plenty of time to play with his children.
"Oh, sweetie, smile!"
"Don't, don't cry! I command you to smile!"
"Wow...wow..."
Clearly, Li Jun's orders, so firm and authoritative on the battlefield, were ineffective in front of his two six-month-old children. The two mothers trusted Lü Tian and the woman they had hired to care for the children more than his clumsy attempts to hold them. Yu Sheng had suggested recruiting eunuchs to serve as Li Jun's attendants, but Li Jun laughed and refused: "If a man is capable in battle, I will take him in; if a woman can bear children, I will accept her; as for those who are neither male nor female, what use are they!"
"Then how will you take care of the lady and the baby?" Yu Sheng asked.
"Simple, just like the common practice in the city, we'll just hire a wet nurse. My children, Li Jun's children, are neither born into nobility, so why bother with so many formalities? Hmm, my two wives' and my income should be enough to hire two of the best wet nurses, right?"
Yu Sheng chuckled. Normally, all the wealth of the Peace Army would belong to Li Jun, yet Li Jun received a salary just like any other soldier or officer. His desires were limited; most of what he needed could be obtained from the Peace Army's public property. Mo Rong and Ji Su spent more money than him, but they also had their own salaries. The only difference between Li Jun and his wife and ordinary soldiers was that their combined salaries were quite high, enough to support dozens of them. Therefore, if they wanted to hire a wet nurse, they could indeed find the best one.
Now that Yu Sheng understood Li Jun's feelings, he didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, he found Li Jun the most reliable and best wet nurse. Now, Li Jun used his lunch break to play with his two children.
"cough."
Just as he was engrossed in his conversation, a soft cough made him turn around and see Ren Qian, who was wearing an eye patch over one eye. Since becoming one-eyed due to his injury, Ren Qian had been taciturn and rarely sought out Li Jun, despite his composed demeanor. Therefore, Li Jun was somewhat surprised to see him.
"Brother Ren?" Li Jun handed the child to the wet nurse and smiled, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Brother Ren."
"What's so funny about family happiness?" Ren Qian said calmly. "I've come here to bid farewell to Commander Li."
Li Jun's expression changed: "Brother Ren, why do you say that? Have I been impolite? If so, I apologize to you in advance."