The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 769 Relying on mountains will lead to their collapse, relying on people will lead to their departure, only relying on yourself! (Seeking double monthly votes)
Shen Le stood quietly at the door of the side room. The night wind whistled, hanging over his thin linen mourning clothes, seeping into his bones.

At this moment, how blissful it would be to curl up in a warm room—or at least have a cotton coat. Unfortunately, historical knowledge cruelly tells him:
In my wildest dreams, cotton is still squatting in XJ, or in other words, squatting in the territory of some unknown nomadic tribe.

This thing didn't spread to the mainland in large quantities until the Song Dynasty...

Of course, there is another way to keep warm: quickly retreat to the mourning hall, or step into the side room and huddle by the fire to warm yourself.

Unfortunately, with the family facing a great calamity, Shen Le could not only retreat to the mourning hall, but also immediately rush to the brazier and curl up in a ball to warm herself up as soon as she entered the side room.

On the contrary, he had to stand tall, head held high, spine straight, like a pine tree or a bamboo stalk, staring at the person opposite him with neither arrogance nor servility.

His gaze met the anxious, panicked, angry, and fearful elders one by one.

If it were the original sixteen-year-old boy, he would probably have been scolded and retreated in fear long ago; however, just by standing there and looking at him, Shen Le exuded an inexplicable aura of dignified authority, even without saying a word.

At first, the clan elders were alright, but gradually, they were forced to lower their heads or awkwardly look away.

The room remained silent for a while. Finally, the eldest uncle, who had spoken first, coughed awkwardly:
"Sanlang, we know you mean well. But you've just suffered a loss, so your priority should be observing mourning rites. The elders will take care of the clan's affairs; you should go back home quickly."

"Yeah, let's go back."

"Let's go back!"

The old man who had previously been clamoring to "give the salt fields and fleet to the Zhou family of Wuxing" simply stood up and blocked Shen Le's way. He didn't push him away, but rather shooed him away like a fly, waving his arm up and down.
"Go back! You brat, this is not a place for you, go back now!"

Shen Le simply stepped forward. The chubby arm struck him, but instead of knocking him back, it jolted the original owner to the side, almost causing him to fall.

Shen Le didn't even glance at him, taking another step forward and standing in the center of everyone's attention. She spoke slowly, her voice not loud, but clearly drowning out all the noise:
"Uncle, elders of the clan. If I hadn't come, the Shen family might have fallen apart."

"presumptuous!"

These words immediately turned sour on everyone's faces. The fat elder slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.

"Who gave you, a mere child, the right to spout such nonsense! Family matters are for us to decide; you just focus on observing your filial duties!"

Shen Le remained calm and composed, head held high. He raised his arm, half-turned his body, and pointed to the outer room:
"It's not that I'm arrogant. It's just that... my father died in battle, and I was so grief-stricken that I fainted before his spirit tablet... In my dazed state, my ancestor woke me up and ordered me to come here to take charge of the family affairs!"

These words silenced the entire hall. Even the most hot-tempered elder held his breath, staring at him with suspicion and uncertainty.
"You said ancestor...which ancestor?"

The Shen family has immortals among them!
It has produced immortals!

That ancestor who went with the Yellow Turban Army and the Heavenly General was undoubtedly a deity! If he wasn't a deity, how could he have led his whole family from the Central Plains to the south of the Yangtze River to avoid the chaos in the Central Plains?

If it weren't for a deity, how could it be that decades later, when the family was facing a crisis, the deity would appear in a dream to a young child in the family, teaching him various skills and enabling the family to achieve great development?

So, when the crisis struck again, did this ancestor once again choose the object of his dream?
"Of course it's Shen Le!"

Having already impersonated himself once, Shen Le was now completely unfazed by the second impersonation, only feeling a sense of satisfaction. Without blushing or panting, he spoke with a firm and resonant voice:
"The ancestor who led his family from Jizhou to Songjiang, and then urgently moved from Songjiang to this place! The ancestor who appeared in Shen Yuancao's dream and taught him various skills such as dragon bone waterwheel, mountain climbing techniques, shipbuilding, and salt production!"

"He said, 'The family is facing a great calamity, and those in power are indecisive, even contemplating destroying their own foundation and handing over their century-old legacy to others! He has come specifically to warn me, ordering me to immediately step forward, take charge of the family affairs, and lead the family through this crisis!'"

He spoke a long, drawn-out speech, each sentence louder and more resolute than the last. After the last word was uttered, the room fell silent, save for the heavy breathing of the clan elders.

After a long while, the uncle paused, holding his cane, and said in a deep voice:
"How can you prove that it was an ancestral message in a dream, and not something you made up on your own? Such an important matter, do you really think you, a mere child, can convince everyone with just your words?"

"Of course not," Shen Le laughed. At this point, he had already won more than half the battle; or rather, the elders were already seven or eight parts, or at least five or six parts, convinced that he needed to produce evidence.

"My ancestor said that he followed the Heavenly General and learned some magical arts. For example, the art of observing the heavens. When sailing from Mao County to Yongning County, he would set sail from the Yongji Canal, using the single-yi needle, and at the first watch, the boat would be level with the confluence of the three rivers; using the single-yi needle and the Yi-mao needle..."

He spoke fluently, reciting a very long map of the route, not only how to get from Ningbo to Wenzhou and Quanzhou, but also how to cross the sea from Quanzhou to Yizhou, and even how to get to Ryukyu and Yingzhou.

The elders were stunned and speechless as he recited it.
If the first part was a legacy passed down through generations of the family fleet, then the second part was a route that had never been seen or even heard of before.

If it wasn't personally taught by our ancestors, then who else could it be?!

"Then... what did our ancestors say? How can we break out of this predicament for the family?"

The portly clan elder, who had been clamoring for "hurry up and beg the prefect," asked tremblingly, staring at Shen Le with hopeful eyes. Shen Le took a deep breath and slowly said:

"My ancestor only confined me to a dream, giving me three years of lessons, but didn't offer a solution. However, my ancestor said—"

He suddenly raised his voice:
"Mountains crumble, people run away. The true path to survival for the Shen family lies not in compromising or selling off ancestral property, but... in ourselves!"

With a whoosh, all the clan elders stood up and bowed in unison. Shen Le stood still, waiting for them to finish their bows, before stepping forward. Her uncle naturally stepped aside, watching Shen Le turn to the head of the table and stand calmly.

Shen Le bowed to the elders, and after they returned the greeting and took their seats, he asked in a deep voice:
"What is the situation now? I am too young to go to war with my father. Who is our enemy in this battle? How many casualties have we suffered? How many ships went out, where did they come from and where are they going, and what kind of cargo are they carrying?"

As soon as Shen Le finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room, which had just gained a little hope because of the "ancestor's dream," instantly became heavy again.

The elders exchanged glances, and finally, it was the white-haired uncle who spoke slowly, his voice heavy with sorrow:
"Sanlang... The enemy is a newly emerged group of pirates entrenched in the outer islands. Their banner is unknown, but they are extremely fierce. In the past two months, they have landed three times, plundered five villages, and looted countless ships in the outer sea."

"Your father, as the county magistrate, had an inescapable duty, and he was also responsible for escorting my family's fleet—that fleet was carrying the largest shipment of goods this year, porcelain, silk, lacquerware, worth a fortune..." He took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, the scene from that day seemingly still vivid in his mind. Calming himself, he continued:
"Your father selected fifty soldiers from the county who were familiar with naval warfare, and also brought over thirty of the most capable men from my Shen family's retinue. They set sail on two warships, along with three of our own cargo ships. Who knew... that this journey would end..."

The uncle's voice choked, and he remained silent for a long time. After a pause, another plump elder spoke up:
Two days ago, only one wrecked warship was pushed back to shore by the tide. On board... there was only your father and seven or eight sons, all with many sword and knife wounds on their bodies, and they had already lost their breath.

Along with the rest of the people, and the three cargo ships, they vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead!

Shen Le frowned deeply. One of the two warships had returned, and their core forces were almost entirely wiped out. This battle was going to be difficult. The only good news, perhaps, was that the cargo ship hadn't sunk after all?

Perhaps it can still be found?
"The county magistrate is furious, saying that the loss of soldiers and the failure to suppress the bandits are serious. Even though your father has died in battle, you cannot escape the punishment you deserve," another clan elder added, his tone even more anxious.

"The families of those soldiers are blocking the county government office and my Shen family's door every day, crying and demanding compensation! The sons and daughters of the soldiers are alright, after all, they've been cared for for many years, but this matter can't be delayed. The merchants... sigh..."

How are the cargo owners?

Shen Le leaned forward slightly. The elder's hands were on his knees, his robes crumpled into a ball, already showing thin tears.

"The few families in this county are alright; they only come to inquire every few days. But the Zhang family in the county seat and the Yu family in Yuyao have sent word that my Shen family must either deliver the goods or pay compensation within a month, or they will take us to the government and confiscate our land to pay off the debt!"

The situation was worse than Shen Le had anticipated. Militarily, it was a crushing defeat; economically, it resulted in enormous losses; and in the government, it meant the loss of the family's highest-ranking official and the family was now facing accountability.

As for the local areas, from the higher-ranking county-level aristocratic families to their equal allies, and even to the tenant farmers and soldiers who form the foundation of their families, the credibility is visibly collapsing.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the country is on the verge of collapse.

Shen Le listened intently, his brows furrowed. The entire room was so quiet it was almost suffocating. Several pairs of eyes were fixed on his face, as if trying to see through his skull and into the turbulent thoughts swirling within him.

After a long while, Shen Le took a deep breath and asked repeatedly:
"Where were our cargo ships and warships originally headed?"

"What was the weather and wind like a few days ago—I mean, from the time the fleet set out until the warships returned two days ago?"

"What is the extent of the damage to that wrecked ship that was pushed back to shore?"

How badly are the people on board injured?

The elders exchanged bewildered glances. They offered some answers, but most were unsure how to respond. Shen Le suddenly stood up and gently tapped the table:
"I'll go see the bodies, then I'll go see the boat! Uncle, eldest uncle, third uncle, seventh uncle, you all go and question the people in charge of preparing the cargo and the fleet, and the fishermen in the surrounding area..."

He issued orders methodically, even quickly writing down several question sheets on the spot and handing them to several clan elders, instructing them to inquire separately.

He got up and rushed to the mourning hall. He first examined the body of his father, then the remains of several members of the clan, and even the remains of several tenant farmers.

He wasn't familiar with forensic work and could only get a general idea:
The body was soft and cold, the joints were movable, and the parts in contact with the ground had large patches of purplish-red lividity that did not fade.

The skin turned a dirty green, the abdomen was slightly swollen, and there was a putrid smell, but it did not yet exhibit gigantism.

His corneas were cloudy, and his hair and nails had not yet fallen out. He had multiple knife wounds and bruises, but aside from his father, there were virtually no arrow wounds…

"The accident occurred very close to the shore." Shen Le stood up and confidently concluded:

"It's probably a day's journey... or rather, a day's journey for a wrecked warship drifting downstream? As for this warship..."

The warships are still stranded in the same old spot, guarded by soldiers. They haven't been dismantled by fishermen for firewood, but no one can repair them either.

Shen Le circled the boat twice, becoming increasingly certain:

"It wasn't a simple skirmish. There were many signs of fire damage to the hull, as well as several impact marks... It didn't seem like a desperate attempt to run into the reef; it was more like being surrounded and attacked by agile small boats, and finally forced to crash into the reef."

The pirates' familiarity with this area far surpasses ours.

He looked up at the dark sea, stretched out one hand, and felt the direction of the night wind:
"The weather has been dominated by northeasterly winds recently. Cargo ships are fully loaded and moving slowly. If they are not burned or looted on the spot after being attacked, it is unlikely that the pirates would take them away against the wind."

Most likely... they're hiding on some secluded island or bay near the area where the incident occurred!

This assessment invigorated the elders. But then, they looked at each other in bewilderment:

"Even if we know they're nearby, so what? We've already suffered heavy losses, what can we use to rescue them? Ask the prefectural troops again? Let alone whether the prefect is willing to send troops, even if he is, by the time the prefectural troops arrive, the goods will have long since disappeared!"

"I won't ask anyone for help!" Shen Le replied decisively.
"Mountains crumble, people run away! Our ancestors appeared to us in a dream, bestowing upon us wisdom, telling us to save ourselves!"

He paced back and forth a couple of times, clenched his fist, and turned to the crowd. His aura was fully unleashed; he displayed the same imposing presence he had shown in the Anxi Protectorate, on the battlefield of Hulao Pass, and during his last military campaign. He spoke eloquently, issuing his orders:

"First, appease the internal situation! Uncle, please personally open the clan's treasury. If the treasury is not enough, use the private property of my late father's branch; if that's still not enough, borrow from other branches. Provide generous compensation to the families of officers and soldiers who died in battle; be sincere and provide sufficient funds!"

According to the precedent set by the late Shen Yuegong, for every death of one of their tenant farmers or sailors, ten acres of land, along with the elderly, women, and children, must be provided for by the family!

"Second, consolidate our forces! Gather all the family members who can still go to sea and all the tenant farmers who are familiar with the water! Have all usable ships, regardless of size, inspected and ready for deployment!"

"Third, and most importantly—modify the warships!"

(End of this chapter)