Taiheiki

Chapter 118 Chaos
"But have you ever thought about where this child's abilities came from? If he had such abilities back in Chaisang, my late husband would have made him his legitimate son long ago. How could I dare to compete with him for the family inheritance?" Zhou smiled. "Besides, where did those two hundred pieces of iron armor come from? I don't even remember having these things when I was in charge!"

"This..." Zhou Jin also understood: "Are you saying that this is all the work of that Wei Langjun?"

"That's not true. Wei Cong is definitely behind all this, but if it were someone else, they wouldn't be able to handle this situation!" Zhou sighed, "We can only say that this father and son are truly a family!"

Hearing Zhou's words, Zhou Jin nodded and said, "That's true. If Young Master Sheng and I were in each other's shoes, I wouldn't have made it this far. But this is also a good thing for you and me, sister. Otherwise, if we encountered such a horrific disaster as the Moth Bandits, we might not be able to survive safely even in Lujiang!"

"Yes!" Zhou sighed. "When we lost our family fortune, we all thought it was a disaster. But now that we can live in peace, it's a blessing. It's really hard to tell the difference between blessing and disaster. By the way, do you have any news from Lujiang?"

"No!" Zhou Jin shook his head. "I just went to the dock and asked many people on the ships coming and going. I only heard that the bandits have already broken through Xiakou and E County and have over 100,000 soldiers. Even many ships of the imperial navy in Xiakou have fallen into the hands of the bandits. They have already joined forces with the bandits in Yangzhou and Jiangbei. But I haven't heard any news from Lujiang!"

"If that's the case, then the situation in Lujiang will be extremely unfavorable!" Zhou sighed. "I can only hope that our ancestors will bless us and that the imperial court will send a large army south as soon as possible to suppress the moth bandits!"

"Yes!" Zhou Jin sighed, and both of them looked very ugly. Obviously, neither of them had much confidence in the court at that time.

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Yuhan County, camp.

"So, everything is fine with Ah Sheng?" Wei Cong asked Guo Kui who was sitting below him.

"Exactly!" Guo Kui's face was filled with joy. "After I delivered the armor, the young master followed your instructions and had his men don the armor. They marched around the county town, with the young master on horseback at the head of the team. He looked so impressive. Then he went into the city to pay his respects to the county magistrate and told him about recruiting local soldiers to protect his hometown. The county magistrate was so happy that he immediately approved the young master's request. He even stayed in the back hall to comfort him for a long time and asked the young master to temporarily take over as county lieutenant and lead the county's defense against bandits. All the heroes in the village joined the young master's army. Everything was just as you expected!"

"That's good!" Wei Cong nodded. He had already made a promise with Lu Ping the last time they left: if he wanted his continued support, the rebels wouldn't touch Chaisang and Yuhan counties. He believed Lu Ping wouldn't break his promise. To put it bluntly, Yuzhang alone had dozens of counties, and Chaisang and Yuhan counties weren't the seat of the Yuzhang governor, so they weren't the rebels' primary targets. Who controlled these two places had no direct bearing on the overall situation. The problem was that the rebels were loosely organized, and Lu Ping might not be able to control all the troops. Furthermore, if the rebels launched an uprising, many bandits and thieves dissatisfied with the status quo would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to revolt and attack the prefectures and counties. There were too many uncontrollable factors involved.

This presented both danger and opportunity. Wei Cong sent Guo Kui to deliver armor and weapons to Nie Sheng precisely to encourage him to launch a rebellion. He judged that at this critical juncture, the Chaisang County Magistrate would undoubtedly not question the origins of Nie Sheng's armor and weapons. As long as Nie Sheng could secure Chaisang County, relying solely on the destruction of all the cities in Yuzhang, leaving Chaisang intact, he could then cleanse his power and pursue a career in government, a significant advantage for Wei Cong.

"There is one more thing!" Guo Kui said.

"What's up!"

"After arriving in Chaisang, I heard that E County had been breached by the moth thieves from Jiangbei. The Jiangxia noble, Zhang Shuo, gathered his men to defend himself, but was unable to defeat the thieves and was killed by them!"

"How could such a thing happen?" Wei Cong's face changed slightly, and then he sighed: "Well, his child has escaped. If he can be found, he should be raised well!"

"I don't know about that!" Guo Kui said, "But Master Sheng has already sent people to investigate!"

"Hmm!" Wei Cong's expression was somewhat gloomy. Although Zhang Shuo had only met him twice, he had treated him very well. He had even taken him to the palace on their first meeting and had later contributed greatly to the Nie family's affairs. He hadn't expected him to die like this. Although he had only sold weapons to Lu Ping, no one knew whether Lu Ping had given some of her weapons to Liu Xin. Therefore, Zhang Shuo's death couldn't be said to have nothing to do with him. It could be said that although I didn't kill Bo Ren, Bo Ren died because of me.

"What about the others?" Wei Cong asked after a moment's silence. The dozen or so nobles who had come to Chaisang were basically from Jing and Yang provinces, the very areas where the moth bandits were currently revolting. They all had strong roots and it was impossible for them not to be affected.

"Reporting, my lord!" Guo Kui knew who the "others" Wei Cong was referring to. He answered carefully, "Lei Huan and Wang Wen from Jiujiang Commandery have sent envoys to discuss a response. As for the others, the situation on the road is not peaceful at the moment, making it difficult to communicate, so—"

Wei Cong nodded. He could already guess what Guo Kui hadn't finished saying. In the face of such a turmoil sweeping across the two states, even the usually awe-inspiring local lords, with hundreds or even thousands of troops and powerful clans, were only marginally stronger than the common people. Those who were massacred by the bandits, those who were forced to join them, those who were used as cannon fodder by the following government troops, and those whose hometowns were caught in the stalemate on the battlefield, were ultimately able to survive. Very few.

This wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him. After all, if he could comfortably be a local tyrant, collecting protection fees, no one would want to have another father over his head. In order to bring these unruly local tyrants into his own organization and turn them into his minions, a hostile external environment was essential.

"You've worked hard along the way, go down and rest first!" Wei Cong said in a deep voice.

"Here!" After taking care of Guo Kui's affairs, Wei Cong stood up, walked to the window and looked out. Compared with the last time Lu Ping came to the camp before the uprising, the scene here was completely different. After sweeping away all the mountain beast settlements within a radius of fifty miles of the Peacock Mountain Copper Mine, Wei Cong finally gathered the minimum labor force required for mining and began mining and smelting copper.

With the support of the human and technical resources accumulated by the iron smelting industry, the Peacock Mountain Copper Mine soon began to produce refined copper. In addition to refined copper, the associated gold and silver can be extracted by roasting the slag after wet copper smelting and then leaching it with mercury. This is actually the production method of most modern gold and silver.

At this point, Wei Cong's original promise to his subordinates—a 500 million yuan annual minting revenue exceeding the output of the Tonglushan Copper Mine (including gold and silver byproducts, the actual upper limit is far higher)—finally saw the light of day. Of course, all this came at a price—such as the blood and sweat of the mountain miners in the mines, and the piles of toxic slag rich in heavy metals that were carelessly abandoned at the foot of Peacock Mountain. If convicted according to modern law, Wei Cong would have been dragged out and shot in twenty minutes.

Of course, in East Asia in the mid-second century AD, no one would have accused Wei Cong of forced labor or environmental damage. This abundant cash flow undoubtedly greatly accelerated the growth of Wei Cong's power. He offered unprecedented conditions to migrants willing to reclaim the wasteland surrounding the camp: free farmland and residential land (of course, they had to cultivate it themselves), exemption from taxes and labor service for the first three years, and after that, a fifth of the tax in kind, one month of labor service, and one month of military service (all paid) each year. If the migrants lacked the funds to purchase the necessary farm tools and oxen, Wei Cong offered loans at an annual interest rate of 5%, which, in ancient feudal society where the average annual interest rate started at 20%, was practically free money.

With these preferential policies, coupled with the external turmoil, the number of refugees moving into the surrounding areas of the camp continued to increase. Just after the 17th of this month, the number of people who had moved in this month had already reached over 670. Standing at the window, Wei Cong looked with delight at the black dots moving across the distant wilderness. Were those the new immigrants working on the land they had just been allocated?
Although it was already August and too late to plant corn and wheat, these industrious people still planted beans in the newly cleared land. This crop, known as "shu" at the time, grew quickly and made the land more fertile, making it a popular food source for the people to survive famines. Ultimately, copper coins and steel couldn't fill their stomachs, and even with the camp's convenient water transportation, importing food from outside was not a long-term solution. If possible, increasing domestic production was the best option.

"Lang Jun!"

"Aden! What's wrong?" Wei Cong turned around and smiled at Diwu Deng who had just entered the room.

"Are you really not considering becoming a county lieutenant?" Diwu Deng asked cautiously.

"Yes!" Wei Cong nodded. Faced with the rampant moth bandits, the Yuhan County Magistrate had finally given up and sent an envoy to recruit Wei Cong from the mountains to serve as Yuhan County Lieutenant. Clearly, he hoped to leverage this mysterious yet powerful armed force for self-defense. The magistrate's envoy's arrival immediately sparked ecstasy among his veteran subordinates, including Diwu Deng, Liu Jiu, and Huang Ping. They considered this a truly rewarding end to their hardships: finally, they could escape their seclusion in the mountains and experience the realities of life in the county.

Wei Cong, however, remained calm when faced with the county magistrate's invitation. He first greeted the magistrate's messenger with great respect, then harshly belittled himself: "I am of low talent and lack moral integrity. I have violated the law and am lucky to have escaped death. How dare I be released from my official duties and become an official, bringing disgrace upon the court?"

Just when the envoy thought Wei Cong was being pretentious and trying to boost his own reputation, Wei Cong dragged out Diwu Deng and recommended him to the envoy, saying that he was "skilled in military tactics, calm and composed, and well-respected in the army. He is truly a talented general. If the county magistrate does not reject him, he can be appointed as the county lieutenant. He will surely be a stronghold for the county and ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved!"

Unable to make a decision, the envoy returned to the county seat to report the situation to the magistrate. A few days later, the envoy returned with a new conscription document, nearly identical to the one given to Wei Cong, with the only difference being that Wei Cong's name had been changed to Diwudeng. Wei Cong asked Diwudeng to express his gratitude and then take two hundred men to Yuhan County to take up his post. This was the day he would depart, and Diwudeng had come to bid Wei Cong farewell.

"I still don't understand why you don't go to the county town?" Diwu Deng whispered, "Leave the camp to me or Liu Jiu. We'll definitely take good care of it!"

"It's not that I think you can't manage this place!" Wei Cong laughed, "It's just that it's not time for me to leave here yet. You can take my place as the county lieutenant and pave the way for me first!"

"Yes!" Diwu Deng responded, "Then what should I do when I get to the county town?"

"Four things!" Wei Cong held up four fingers. "First, take in refugees. According to the agreement between me and Lu Jijiu, the moth bandits will not attack Yuhan County, so the people from the neighboring counties will flee there. You can use the excuse of recruiting soldiers from the refugees to ask the county magistrate to take in refugees, and then send them to the camp every month according to the number I need, especially skilled craftsmen. I will take as many as I can. Second, train the troops. I don't need to explain this. Third, build ships according to my drawings. I will give you the money you need. Fourth, make friends with heroes. After the moth bandits started the rebellion, heroes from all directions rose up. Some of them can become our wings and claws, some will become our friends, and some will be our enemies. At this time, you must observe carefully and prepare for what will happen in the future!"

"This..." Diwu Deng showed an embarrassment. "My dear, the first, second, and third items are not a big problem for me, but the fourth item is different. You know me, I can't handle this kind of dealing with people! Otherwise, let Huang Ping go with me!"

"Huang Ping, I have another assignment, so let Guo Kui go with you. He is good at this!" Wei Cong said.

"Guo Kui? That's fine!" Diwu Deng breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile, "My dear, we brothers are good at leading troops in battle, but we're really not good at dealing with people. Other things are fine, but I'm afraid we'll miss out on important things! In my opinion, you should leave the mountain as soon as possible!"

"Leave the mountain?" Wei Cong smiled. "Didn't I tell you it's not time yet? The early bird catches the worm, and the early worm gets eaten by the bird. Some things aren't always better the earlier they are done!"

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When Qian Wen arrived, Yuan Tian was wiping his sword.

"Let's start!" he said to Yuan Tian. The two walked down the stone steps side by side. There was a small open space under the stone steps. It was surrounded by steep slopes on three sides and adjacent to the river on one side. Unless it was the opposite bank or a boat on the river, no one could see what was happening in this small open space.

(End of this chapter)