Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 551: Heroes of Jingchu
Changsha.

At the pier on the bank of the Xiang River, Wei Yan, the county lieutenant of Changsha, was leading his troops from two villages and carefully checking the various ships docked at the pier.

"Everyone, be careful." Wei Yan shouted, his eyes scanning the dock back and forth, not missing any suspicious situation.

And why was Wei Yan, the county lieutenant, inspecting the boats at the dock in the biting winter wind and engaging in smuggling activities?

Because of the recent rampant private salt sales, official salt has been unsalable, greatly affecting Changsha's tax revenue, so the county government issued a strict order, ordering Wei Yan to carefully check the ships approaching Changsha.

Therefore, Wei Yan did not hesitate to work hard and personally stopped at the Xiangshui Wharf to strictly check and inspect any ship approaching the wharf to prevent smuggled salt from entering Changsha by ship.

A biting cold wind swept in from the river. Wei Chang, who was standing next to Wei Yan, shivered. At the same time, he reflexively wrapped himself in his fur coat to try to retain heat in his body.

"The weather is causing plague, and the job is causing plague." Wei Chang complained. As Wei Yan's cousin, he was not like other people and had no taboos in his words.

When Wei Yan heard Wei Chang's complaints, he taught him calmly: "We should be loyal to the emperor. The emperor has given us a task to do, so we have to move forward even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, not to mention that we are just braving the cold wind to inspect the ships."

"That's right, brother." Wei Chang first affirmed Wei Yan's words of teaching, and then he sighed and said, "It's just that the private salt on the market nowadays is all from the well salt in Shu. The salt is as white as snow and of high quality. It is transported here by water and the price is very low. Even if we investigate it strictly, I'm afraid it will be difficult to ban it in the end."

"After all, the official salt in Changsha has a lot of impurities and is of low quality. In order to collect more taxes, the government sets the price very high. How can it compare to the well salt from Shu?"

"You have made progress." Wei Yan smiled and praised Wei Chang. At the same time, he lowered his voice and said to Wei Chang meaningfully: "Even if we work hard and strictly ban private salt, the people in the county government all use well salt from Shu at home. We can't put the governor in jail..."

"The high-ranking officials of the county government are all using the well salt from Shu?" Wei Chang exclaimed in surprise. He knew that the order to ban private salt was issued by the county government, but the people in the county government took the lead in using the well salt from Shu. This was a contradiction.

"Yes." Wei Yan nodded calmly: "Just as you said, Ah Chang, the well salt in Shu is as white as snow and of high quality. Who wouldn't like it, especially those high-ranking officials in the county who never tire of fine food?"

At this point, Wei Yan chuckled and said, "Not to mention the officials in Changsha Prefecture, even the governors and noble families in Xiangyang City mostly use the well salt from Shu."

"The well salt in Shu is a good thing after all. It cannot be banned. Even if we try our best to catch it, can we still go to the homes of county officials and Xiangyang officials to conduct a thorough inspection one by one?"

"Ah." Wei Yan sighed, his expression somewhat bored. "So we are investigating here strictly, just to show you that we are doing our job with all our heart... As for the illegal salt still being sold in the market, it's because the illegal salt dealers are too cunning and I can't wait any longer."

"Brother, what you said is absolutely right." Wei Chang nodded. "If the leaks above are not plugged, it will be useless for us to conduct a strict investigation here. It will not help anything."

After the conversation, Wei Yan drooped his eyelids in boredom, revealing a tired look, but his heart was in turmoil and melancholy.

In today's world, the country is in turmoil. It is a good opportunity for a brave man like him to make achievements. However, despite his extraordinary bravery, he settled for the position of county lieutenant and worked on banning smuggled salt.

This inevitably made Wei Yan feel like a hero without a place to use his talents, and at the same time it also made him feel sad that he had never met a wise master and his beautiful jade was covered in dust. He believed that he should make great achievements and be granted a title and a nobility, so as to live up to his martial arts and strategies.

"King of Qin." Wei Yan looked to the west. He had heard that Liu Zhang, a relative of his who had recently been promoted from Grand Marshal to King of Qin, was a man who valued talents and even more so, he would not consider people's background when employing them, but would only select them based on their talents.

Perhaps you can consider changing your job so that you don't waste your time and grow old with white hair.

……

Xiangyang, Yicheng.

"Youchang, you are diligent. You read books every day and study hard. You will surely become a talented writer and be admired by the world in the future." Ma Liang, with a wisp of white hair between his eyebrows and a noble appearance, stepped into the study and praised Ma Su who was studying hard.

"Brother, you are too kind." Ma Su put down the bamboo slips in his hand. He was humble at first and then said, "The book I read is not a masterpiece written by ancient sages, but the Thirteen Chapters of the Art of War written by Sun Tzu. It has nothing to do with the improvement of literary talent."

"The Art of War?" Ma Liang raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why are you reading the Art of War? You usually don't like the books of sages, and you usually put the military books aside."

"The present is different from the past." Ma Su said with a smile, "Recently, the world is in chaos and the four seas are in strife. If you only value words and do not know how to use troops, how can you succeed in this chaotic world?"

"So, to attack with culture and defend with force, to combine culture and force, is what we scholars should do. If we only stop fighting and promote culture, we will be far away from worldly affairs and will not be able to spread our wings and fly high."

"Good insight." Ma Liang nodded with a smile. Following Ma Su's words, he asked, "You have read this military book for a long time. Do you have any insights or experiences?"

"I have gained a lot of insights from reading this military book." Ma Su said solemnly, "I seem to have glimpsed the true meaning of the ancient sages who wrote this military book, and I am traveling with them in the universe."

"Oh, you have such an epiphany?" Ma Liang exclaimed in surprise and confusion.

"Yes." Ma Su nodded solemnly, smiling, "I think it's because I have the potential to become a good general, so I can travel with the sages in the universe."

Ma Liang saw the arrogance between Ma Su's brows, and he calmly advised: "Youchang, military affairs are a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, so you must not be careless or take it lightly. You should think carefully and act with caution."

"I will keep your words in mind," Ma Su replied. Then he asked Ma Liang, "Yesterday I saw the servants in your room packing their luggage. Do you have any plans to travel?"

"That's right." Ma Liang nodded affirmatively: "I feel depressed living here and can't relax, so I intend to go out and travel for a while."

"Where are you planning to travel?"

"Guanzhong."

(End of this chapter)