Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 29: Driving the tiger away from the mountain
In the southern border region, at night, Third Aunt looked at the flickering flame in the lotus lantern in front of her.

Sparks flew from the lamplight: "Yan, you've been in camp for two years now, how come you haven't achieved anything?"

The third aunt, referred to as "Yan," said: "Xin, you've been squatting in the cave talking, and none of the surrenderers you sent have managed to get onto the city walls yet."

"Core": "You and 'Flame' said before you came out of the mountains that you could open up the southern border defenses in less than three years."

At this moment, the firelight representing "flame" conveyed Xian Daoren's explanation: "Yes, everything was going smoothly originally, but now it's stuck with Wu Hanluan's nephew."

"Core": "Can't you just let Wu Hanluan develop a grudge against this nephew? Isn't manipulating people's hearts your forte?"

"Flame" (Xian Daoren): "We are working on it, don't rush. There are many skilled fighters in the Wu family, but only one can truly lead. Wu Hanluan doesn't completely trust his nephew either, and he keeps checking on his nephew's movements through people he's placed there. "Core," you need to wait. We've been waiting for a thousand years, there's no need to rush."

"Core" began to laugh wildly, and with a "pop" sound, sparks flew out from the light, but the flame and smoke column in the light remained stable.

"Core": "You two have received the blessing, able to escape the curse of the 'Flowing Ashes Pill' and walk among mortals, while I alone am still suffering from the stain of the putrid oil. Now you're telling me to wait?!"

Silence fell between them. "Xin" said, "Forget it. I don't expect you two to be so clever. Just move Wu Hanluan's main force away, and then you don't need to worry about it anymore."

Third Aunt immediately sensed something and asked with concern, "You want to launch a full-scale attack on Yongji Pass?"

"Xin": "What, since you can't enlighten him (Wu Fei) to work for us, then I will personally teach him a lesson."

The third aunt, who was in charge of "smoke," sneered: "Let me tell you, Yongji Pass is now the strongest city in a hundred years. Even though you have gathered the monster troops from the southern border, you will most likely suffer a crushing defeat."

"Core": "Heh, that's none of your business."

At this moment, the Daoist Man, who appeared as "Flame" in the lamplight, said: "'Core,' did you obtain some other path? I remember that the 'Crow People' from beyond the heavens have now descended and are asking for your protection. Did you confirm some information when they asked for your protection? That's why they are in such a hurry."

Xin did not answer.

Master Xian chuckled: "Since that's the case, then so be it."

The lotus lantern still glowed, but strangely, the wick had vanished; the flame and smoke remained, floating within the lantern like rootless duckweed. Suddenly, the lantern turned a deep blue, and the flame transformed into a large eye.

…Below is the content in blue…

The Eye of the Past and the Eye of the Future are not only watching Wu Fei simultaneously, but they have also toyed with others together. Once they completely control a person, they can travel through time and space to the time-space anchor point in that person's soul, crossing the past and the future. Now, the Eye of the Past and the Eye of the Future have chosen Wu Fei, but Wu Fei is beyond enlightenment, so the two are trapped in this timeline and cannot escape from this space-time.

However, on this timeline, the other unfortunate souls who were thoroughly enlightened by them are already characters in the "plan".

Auntie said with a faint smile, "Brother, it seems that 'Xin' wants to break away from the Trinity."

Xian Daoren also sighed, "That's right. We've coexisted with him for two or three hundred years, watching him win every time. (In the early days of the Li Huo Sect's southward escape, there were seventeen elders, but now only three remain; the rest have been devoured.) Now that it's finally over, it's time for a final 'change'."

Third Aunt: "So what should his fate be now? We need to incorporate the novelty here." (The so-called novelty is that they have to choose the observers again when they come to this timeline, which involves them.)
Xian Daoren: "That crow-man lineage has a portion of Bifang blood, which contains a wisp of fire essence. He wants to use Bifang as a source to collect the earth's flames to gather his own living flame."

Auntie remained calm and composed, as if she already knew what was going to happen: "If that's the case, why are you still helping him!"

Xian Daoren laughed: "Didn't you say that Yongji Pass is strong enough that outsiders would be badly injured if they tried to break through? Since they are so confident, we don't mind changing the wick."

Third Aunt: "A new lamp wick?" Although she said this, her gaze was fixed on Wu Yuanchang's camp at Yongji Pass.

Xian Daoren: "He didn't want to make the lamp wick properly; someone else did. If he hadn't been so unwilling to relinquish the title of 'Crown Prince of Supreme Virtue,' thus violating the principle of change, he would have long since broken free from those scorching shackles."

Third Aunt: "New wick! How do I light it?" — This seems like a question, but it's actually a demand.

After a while, Xian Daoren said, "You are to handle the Bi Fang blood."

...Too clever by half...

In the craftsman's workshop, Wu Fei was fiddling with the rollers on the vernier caliper, squinting as he adjusted the millimeter graduations. This tool was very common in his previous life, but in reality, Xuan Chong had only heard of it. After describing it to the craftsmen many times, the craftsmen spent a lot of time making various other things, and finally, the craftsmen only started making the actual product after Xuan Chong had made a prototype himself.

The craft workshops in the capital city of Da Yao should have similar technologies to vernier calipers, but in this border region, the craftsmen in a large number of newly integrated small workshops had never heard of them.

In small workshops, calipers don't represent productivity; each carpenter's touch is precise, and the wooden drawers they build can hold water. However, in large workshops, where multiple processes need to collaborate, a "standardized measuring tool" is essential.

Just like leading troops, bandits can use various special catchphrases to communicate information, while regular troops must use unified commands.

Wu Fei put down the calipers and instructed the craftsman, "All arrow fletchings must be 3.4 inches long, 1.8 hao thick, and weigh 1.5 qian. Remember that." The craftsman manager took notes and wrote down the data.

Meanwhile, a rotary cutter is creating fletching for the arrows.

Regarding the production standards for arrow feathers, Wu Fei consulted relevant ancient texts on craftsmanship and found a lack of universally accepted standard measurements. The experience recorded on the bamboo slips was as follows: select male pheasants that are one year old and have shiny gray tail feathers.

This approach uses the growth stability of bird species to ensure the measurement of arrow feathers, which is purely empiricist. It lacks any interconnected theoretical framework.

Wu Fei couldn't find enough bird feathers at once. In the end, he had to settle for carving bamboo strips to complete the task. This reduced the range by twenty paces, allowing the arrows fired by Zhao Tu and his subordinates to reach the point of being able to pierce flesh an inch.

However, with the increase in the number of arrows and the greater intensity of practice, the crossbowmen's accuracy improved significantly. Relying on aiming from a strafe, they could achieve a hit rate of over 70% on a target the size of a pot lid from 100 paces away.

The shooting range was filled with straw targets of various sizes representing different ethnic groups. Wu Fei checked the penetration of each arrow at different distances, and then used a carving knife to carve records on the bamboo sticks in his hand.

…Southern Xinjiang is a land of blood and gore…

Xiaoqing followed behind Wu Fei. She was still slender, but she had grown a lot taller, now standing at eight feet.

Xiaoqing is currently in charge of the "Panlong Society," a business organization that gathers a group of snake people and other ethnic minorities from southern Xinjiang to collect intelligence for the Wu family army's business activities in the south.

At this time, although "Xiao Qing" was not a tribal leader in the southern border region, she could decide the life and death of many tribes in the southern border region.

Wu Fei was fully aware of her current situation: she was a useful tool, but also a potential threat. If something went wrong with him, this snake woman and her "Panlong Society" would spiral out of control, much like the wild boar skin that Li Liangcheng had inadvertently raised.

Wu Fei was helpless in this situation. According to his historical records, there was no solution. To expand territory, it was necessary to make good use of talents from the foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall. However, if the Central Plains dynasty took precautions against the borders, leading to a weakening of the local tribes' power, they would inevitably harbor bandits and become more powerful.

The nomadic peoples who migrated inland after Emperor Wu of Han's northern campaigns against the Xiongnu became increasingly arrogant during the Jin Dynasty; the Donghu, who were as docile as dogs during the Tang Dynasty's heyday, demanded annual tributes while simultaneously raiding the Song Dynasty. This was even more pronounced during the Ming Dynasty. After the literati dismantled Li Chengliang's personal army, those who had started with eighteen armored warriors and followed the wild boars scavenging for scraps began to turn into ravenous wolves that devoured their master.

Looking at the obedient Xiaoqing, Wu Fei was momentarily lost in thought, listing out these questions and then setting them aside for the time being.

Wu Fei: "Qing, the intelligence you submitted says that the tribes in the southern part of Lingjiang in the Southern Frontier are showing signs of rebellion." Xiao Qing: "Yes, sir. They have now formed an alliance and there is a possibility that they could gather tens of thousands of people."

Wu Fei nodded as he looked at the "evil aura" on the silk map approaching Yongji Pass from the north: "It should have come a long time ago."

According to intelligence, Wu Fei already knew that after being forced to relocate to the Southern Frontier, the Li Huo Sect had been obsessed with overthrowing the Da Yao sect for the past four hundred years and had been infiltrating the Southern Frontier. The Li Huo Sect was behind all the wars in the Southern Frontier over the past few hundred years, including the war between Wu Hanluan and the Snake People.

Regarding their century-long attempt to "change the status quo," Wu Fei said, "They are really working hard. But you have to choose the right time to work hard."

…As if this saying were true, something untimely happened for Wu Fei at this moment…

In May of the 27th year of the Tianli reign, the imperial court suddenly mobilized the elite troops of the Wu family army to march north.

These elite troops naturally included the six golden bull giants, as well as the cavalry that had distinguished itself during the suppression of rebellions in Zhuzhou and Zhouzhou.

Wu Hanluan and Wu Hengyu led their troops north. When they passed Tianmengang, Xiandaoren, who was accompanying the army, looked back at Nanshanling and revealed a mysterious smile, saying jokingly, "Now someone has gotten what they wanted."

On the way to the pass, six golden oxen forded the river. During the crossing, whirlpools appeared in the river before and after the oxen, causing the ferry following behind to rock violently and almost capsize. The violent rocking also caused a soldier in iron armor to fall into the river and sink. After this incident, the army's march began to slow down.

On the shore, the soldiers of Wu Family Army were cursing and swearing as they looked at the musty-smelling yellow flatbreads distributed by the local post station.

Sitting on the ground, Soldier A said, "It's cheap to leave home. Look, you've just stepped out of your house and you're already being given old rice and grain."

Soldier B: "Let's keep quiet. We're lucky we still have food to eat."

Thousands of soldiers chattered amongst themselves, their voices creating a cacophony.

At this moment, in the main camp, Wu Hanluan frowned as he watched the soldiers waiting to cross the river whispering among themselves.

Meanwhile, Wu Hengyu, his mouth dry, instructed the cavalry to search for more ships upstream and downstream.

Wu Hanluan shook his head. If it were him, he wouldn't give the soldiers a chance to sit down and discuss. Even if he made the rear guard walk a little slower, he wouldn't stop and wait even when they reached the riverbank. Instead, he would form a patrol team to explore the terrain. As for meals, they would take turns eating for a quarter of an hour, and after eating, they would "hold their mouths in their mouths."

“However,” Wu Hanluan sighed, squeezing the yellow flatbread the soldier had received, “after leaving home, he was bullied by others.”

These yellow cakes came from the local government office in charge of military supplies; they were rice that had been stored in the warehouse for several years, which was then distributed as military rations. — In contrast, when Wu Fei was in charge of the granary, the army's rations consisted of rice cakes with preserved vegetables and salted meat, and during normal marches, each person ate a thick millet porridge and large pieces of salted fish for lunch.

Because Wu Fei controlled the silver, he had multiple merchant guilds responsible for supplying military provisions! Any rations that didn't meet standards would be expelled from the supply guilds. Furthermore, his post-war monopoly on business in the occupied territories further excluded these merchant guilds.

When Wu Fei was exploiting the land in Zhuzhou, he could convert anything into military funds, even local real estate, which he forcibly bought and then sold to local merchants. To protect his reputation, if the buyer suspected that the goods would be reclaimed by local bullies, Wu Fei would immediately become a magistrate responsible for the "extermination of the family," directly accusing the original owner of treason and exiling the entire family to Lingnan. However, if someone was willing to do business, he would leave them with absolutely nothing.

Therefore, at that time, apart from the infamy that Wu Xiaoque had to bear, the Wu family army was warmly welcomed wherever they went.

At this time, there was also war in the north. As their armies passed through, they had no normal channels for purchasing supplies, and wherever the soldiers went, they found poor people guarding meager fields. They couldn't even scrape together a few cents for cooking or demolishing houses.

Wu Fei's army, on the other hand, was quite disciplined. After crossing the border, they surveyed the land, packed up the farm tools, and even fattened up the oxen in the stables. The merchant guild would soon meet with local wealthy merchants willing to cooperate, taking advantage of the reshuffling of the market to acquire what they wanted. —What, you don't want to sell? Wait until the army crosses the border and then sue the imperial court? Tsk tsk, then your whole family might die in the banditry.

Of course, if wealthy households are willing to spend more money, the army can even use its surplus manpower to dig a ditch on your land, making it easier to compete with neighboring villages for water in the future.

The essence of business is that I can put a price tag on anything you need. Which wealthy and powerful family in any region doesn't have hidden gold and silver in their backyards? The passing army may not know, but locals certainly do. This information is worthless if it's not shared, but once it is, it becomes a transaction. Soldiers can easily launder these properties into worthless, unclaimed assets and sell them to their partners.

In this prefecture, a place where the imperial court hadn't been able to collect taxes for ten consecutive years, Wu Fei managed to extract a fortune. The local wealthy households were always well-fed, and the army never complained about their food.

Wu Hanluan watched the busy Wu Hengyu. Faced with the imperial summons, he had chosen to "fight alongside his son." Wu Hanluan: What if you had brought Yuan Chang with you?
However, Wu Hanluan quickly dismissed this idea. This expedition might bring him great achievements, but it also had the potential to end in battle. He needed to leave someone behind to guard the home and ensure a way out.

…North-South dividing line,…

Inside Yongji Pass, at the "Military Affairs Office," just as they were confirming that the Southern Frontier Alliance heading north numbered in the tens of thousands, Wu Fei also received the bad news that his uncle and the others had been transferred away.

At this point, this news was definitely bad news for him. The most important thing in war is stability in the rear, and ideally, there should be no changes whatsoever.

"Oh ho, someone's trying to sabotage me from behind?" Wu Fei looked at the intelligence report with amusement. He had just been preparing to take action against the south when his family's rear forces were being diverted, creating instability among the troops.

Wu Fei strongly suspected there was a traitor within the Wu family army. Otherwise, it was impossible for his uncle's main force to have just marched north, only to have the southern forces so hastily defect. Who was this traitor? Wu Fei squinted at himself in the mirror, looking at himself, and began to compile a list of everyone connected to him through his interpersonal relationships. —The person in the mirror appeared extremely calculating.

The side effects of the commercialization of Yongji Pass are evident: the slightest disturbance causes a great deal of fluctuation in confidence. Firstly, some elders of the Wu family felt inexplicably insecure after hearing that the family's elite troops had been transferred north. Consequently, they lacked confidence in the Wu family's garrison at the pass and believed that Wu Fei was still too young and lacked a grasp of the overall situation, so the current strategy should be to seek stability.

At the same time, merchants no longer had the enthusiasm to invest more as they had six months ago, giving Xuanchong a real-life version of the term "shrinking market confidence." All merchants began to hold back, extending the closing time of the Yongjiguan workshop. When faced with inquiries from the General's Mansion, they all gave perfunctory answers, unwilling to deliver goods to Yongjiguan shops to maintain market prosperity.

The only fabric merchant who made a large-scale purchase almost made Wu Xiaoque jump up and chop someone up; damn it, he bought white cloth.

General Wu Fei, the young general, had won all his past victories by following the old general Wu Hanluan. Although he was recognized in the army, in the eyes of people outside the army, Wu Fei's backer was Wu Hanluan, and he was not yet ready to take on the main responsibility on his own.

Whether she can stand alone depends on whether Que'er can withstand this first battle after leaving her protection.

Looking at the map, Wu Fei didn't feel smug about his ability to see through things, but instead pondered: "Of course, tens of thousands of brutes think they can break through Yongji Pass? They're underestimating this fortified city. Historically, this pass withstood a three-year attack by tens of thousands of demons from the southern border. The enemy's preparations clearly don't exceed the largest number of troops in history. As for us, we are currently on high alert to defend the pass."

“Then!” Wu Fei slid his finger across the silk cloth, across the mountain range where Yongji Pass was located. Wherever his finger pointed, the grass and trees on the “Yao Suan” mountain pattern on the silk cloth swayed.

Wu Fei: "I'm afraid they want to 'sneak across Yinping and take over Shu Han directly'."

If there were a small path that could bypass Yongji Pass, it could indeed lead to a miraculous victory! Of course, this is based on the premise that the main force of Tianchi City has already moved north, leaving the city with a depleted troop strength.

Wu Fei: In the battle that destroyed Shu Han, the sneak crossing of Yinping was certainly a brilliant strategy. More importantly, all of Shu Han's internal forces were concentrated at the front line. After Deng Ai broke through, they did not choose to defend the strategic locations. As a result, they were annihilated on the plains, and their last remaining forces collapsed.

Looking at the map, Wu Fei thought, "This strategy of 'smuggling across Yinping' might have succeeded ten years ago, but now?"

Two orders were issued from the Military Affairs Department.

The first measure was to "strengthen border patrols." This measure was issued to merchants within the country, requiring them to purchase information from peddlers who traveled along mountain roads. Merchants, driven by profit, would certainly know about any possible routes for smuggling.

Providing information about a mountain road will be rewarded with 20 strings of cash; if an unidentified army is confirmed to be on the road, timely communication will be rewarded with 1,000 strings of cash and 3 merits; if someone dares to lead the enemy to that road to cooperate with the Wu family army in a sneak attack, they will be rewarded with 30,000 strings of cash and 20 merits!

The second measure is to borrow money from various merchants and conscript local militia. The area behind Yongji Pass is no longer a barren land. After three years of setting up checkpoints and years of slave trade, it has amassed a large number of artisans, as well as a large number of slaves captured during the suppression of the rebellion in the prefecture. Now, these slaves, along with the local militia, can be reorganized. If these reorganized militia were to engage in regular warfare on the plains, they would obviously suffer heavy casualties. However, if they were to ambush from advantageous terrain, they would have great potential. —Slaves who obey orders and do not retreat after the battle will immediately be granted free citizenship. If they achieve any victories, they will receive the same merit rewards as the soldiers of the Wu family army.

With the two orders issued, and considering the current volatile state of the people's hearts, Wu Fei pondered how to create a system within the Wu Family Army that he would be fully responsible for, similar to the Hegemony Bureau invented by Cao Cao. Wu Fei quickly declared in his heart: "I don't intend to rebel against my hometown; I'm just like Li Erfeng, providing double insurance for the Tang Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)